Chapter 23 [Edited]

Lin Hongna was caught being a loose woman?

Lin Yao, who was busy fiddling with a ball of yarn, immediately perked up her ears upon hearing this.

It had been a long time since she last heard anything about Lin Hongna. In the original story, wasn’t Lin Hongna supposed to be in a passionate relationship with Sun Jialiang at this point? So what happened?

Could it be that Lin Hongna realized Sun Jialiang wasn’t as reliable as she thought, no longer the “golden ticket” for her future, and decided to change her target?

The siblings, Gu Shidong and Gu Chunmei, who were nearby and staring at the dried chicken while coming up with recipes, also came over.

“Mom, what did you just say? How did Lin Hongna become a loose woman? Isn’t she unmarried?”

Gu Shidong, being young and not quite understanding the complicated relationships between men and women, had a simple understanding of the term “loose woman.” In his little head, his understanding of a loose woman was nothing more than a married woman who was unfaithful to her husband and had an affair with a man and was caught.

Zhang Cuilan was caught off guard by her youngest son’s question. What nonsense was he talking about? This little boy, who acted like a gossiping village woman, would never have any future!

Zhang Cuilan frowned and snapped, “Little brat, this is none of your business. Go wash up and get to bed.”

Gu Shidong frowned, feeling wronged. Why shouldn’t he be allowed to listen to gossip?

He wanted to protest but was ignored and pushed off to bed by Gu Mancang.

Lin Yao held back her curiosity to avoid jumping into the gossip. Instead, she went to the well and fetched some chilled grapes. She also grabbed a small plate of date paste cakes, placed them on the small round table, and pretended to be busy. Zhang Cuilan, not realizing the trick, thought that Yao Yao must still be hungry and needed a snack.

However, Gu Chunmei, who knew her sister-in-law’s tricks well, mischievously took a piece of the date paste cake and popped it into her mouth. “Mom, you go ahead with your gossip. Yao Yao and I will have our share.”

With that, the two sisters exchanged playful glances. What could they say? Food lovers always have a way of thinking alike! Eating fruit along with the gossip would make it even more fun!

Zhang Cuilan was stunned for a moment before laughing and scolding them. “Look at you two little gluttons. Do we ever lack food or drink at home?”

However, the date paste cake smelled delicious, so she tried a piece. It was soft, sweet with the aroma of red dates, and tasted surprisingly good.

She quickly finished it and eagerly asked, “This date paste cake is delicious. Leave me a couple more pieces.”

Lin Yao and Gu Chunmei exchanged looks but said nothing.

After washing their hands, the three of them each took a piece of date paste cake and continued with their gossip.

Zhang Cuilan’s family home, Zhangjia Village, was right next to Linjia Village. In this era, whenever any scandal or gossip spread, it wouldn’t take long for it to spread across the area.

Speaking of which, it was Lin Hongna’s own fault. Lin Daguo’s family had been so heartless, forcing his niece to marry into the Gu family. This damaged their family’s reputation in the village.

Previously, out of respect for Old Man Lin, a former Red Army soldier, the production team leader had assigned Lin Daguo’s family light and easy jobs, with high work points. Tasks like cutting pig grass, feeding pigs, cows, watering crops, and plowing fields were considered good jobs, and the others in the collective had to do the tough work—repairing dikes, carrying manure, and working in the fields, earning only seven work points a day after toiling under the sun.

But Lin Daguo’s family easily earned eight work points for their easy work.

How unfair!

Okay, Old Man Lin was a great man who fought for the country, and everyone respected him. We admire him!

But Old Man Lin had passed away many years ago.Old Man Lin’s two sons, Lin Daguo, who was lazy and scheming, and Lin Weiguo, who was diligent and honest, were both sons of the same family. Yet, while Lin Weiguo worked hard in the fields like everyone else, why should Lin Daguo be treated differently?

If Lin Daguo were merely lazy, it wouldn’t matter much. But his character was terrible!

Lin Daguo was greedy and cruel, taking over his brother’s property after his brother and sister-in-law passed away. He treated his niece as a commodity, marrying her off for his own benefit.

Such a despicable person thought he could get special treatment, but the villagers wouldn’t allow it!

Lin Daguo’s actions angered the villagers, and the production team leader, who had long been irritated by Lin Daguo, had finally had enough. For many years, he had turned a blind eye due to his friendship with Old Man Lin, but now that Old Man Lin’s old comrades were also critical of Lin Daguo, the team leader decided to follow the people’s will and take away Lin Daguo’s good assignments.

Now, Lin Daguo had to work with the strong men of the village digging ditches, while Li Aifeng and Lin Hongna were assigned the task of carrying manure, earning only six work points a day.

Lin Daguo’s family wasn’t happy about it, but there was nothing they could do.

Lin Daguo was too weak to stand up for himself. Li Aifeng was sharp-tongued but weak at heart. Lin Hongna, who secretly schemed behind people’s backs, failed miserably against the tough and authoritative team leader.

Every day, Lin Daguo worked hard in the fields, digging soil for eight or nine hours, getting calluses and blisters on his hands. By the time he returned home, his legs trembled with exhaustion.

Li Aifeng and Lin Hongna fared worse, carrying the smelly manure all day, their bodies reeking unbearably.

No matter how much Lin Hongna scrubbed herself, trying to wash off the stench, it was futile. In the countryside, carrying manure was a dirty and tiring job that usually men did. No young woman in the village would willingly deal with it, even if it meant earning fewer work points.

Lin Hongna loved to dress up. Although she wasn’t as stunning as Lin Yao and had inherited her mother’s short stature, her skin was fair, and her chest was fuller. She was still considered a beautiful sight in the village.

Otherwise, how could Sun Jialiang have gotten close to her?

Lin Hongna prided herself on being the village’s flower and never gave the local boys any attention. But now, whenever she stepped out, the villagers looked at her with strange eyes. A few times, she overheard the village boys calling her “Lin Hongfen”^[1]It seems like “林红粪” (Lin Hongfen) is a nickname given to the character 林红娜 (Lin Hongna) by others in the village, reflecting their disdain for her. The nickname is a … Continue reading behind her back.

The worst part was when Sun Jialiang, hearing some gossip, looked at her with disdain. He even covered his nose and took several steps back as if she were a pile of manure.

Lin Hongna couldn’t accept this. She wasn’t going to let herself be ridiculed like this!

She came up with a plan and teamed up with the simple-minded Li Aifeng to try to hold onto Sun Jialiang, the so-called “catch.”

Li Aifeng went back to her family and brought some “magical powder” from the old times, sprinkling it into the tea that Sun Jialiang drank.

Lin Hongna did everything she could, serving Sun Jialiang with all her charm, making his heart blossom with joy and his face flush with happiness.

As soon as Sun Jialiang got excited, he promised to get Lin Hongna a temporary job as a female worker at the light bulb factory. It wasn’t a permanent position, but a temporary one.

A temporary female worker at the light bulb factory only earned fifteen yuan a month, and their benefits were fewer than those of the permanent workers. To ensure production, all the female workers worked in shifts. They spent ten hours standing in the noisy workshop, and many of the women couldn’t endure it, sneaking off to cry alone in the dorms at night.

Lin Hongna, who once looked down on such lowly jobs, now felt that working at the light bulb factory was a paradise compared to her daily task of hauling manure.

Li Aifeng, who treated Sun Jialiang like a revered ancestor, was often rewarded with some of the factory’s rejected fabric by him.

This made Li Aifeng increasingly arrogant. She would stroll through the village, smiling at everyone she met, hinting that her daughter Lin Hongna was quite the achiever. She had dumped the rough and uncultured Gu family and found herself a young, capable cadre. They were said to have a great relationship, and her future son-in-law was generous enough to buy her some fine cloth for a new coat. “It looks nice, doesn’t it? The material is very expensive.” She would say, showing off.

Li Aifeng’s chatter and incessant laughter like a clucking hen became annoying to most people in the village, who would just roll their eyes and ignore her.

However, her neighbor, Old Lady Qi, was paying attention.

Old Lady Qi was notorious for being spiteful, and she had a longstanding grudge with Li Aifeng. She was always scheming to bring misfortune to the Lin family.

Seeing Li Aifeng’s proud behavior, Old Lady Qi, with her cunning mind, waited for an opportunity. She would often eavesdrop on the Lin family’s conversations, hoping to catch Li Aifeng in some scandal.

To her surprise, the opportunity soon came.

One day, Sun Jialiang, feeling restless, decided to visit the Lin family. He entered the house, and didn’t leave until the better part of the day had passed.

Old Lady Qi, observing Lin Hongna walking with a swaying posture, grinned maliciously.

She thought, “So, the supposed future son-in-law that Li Aifeng bragged about is just here visiting a brothel?”

Old Lady Qi, with her sharp tongue, muttered insults under her breath. “Lin Hongna is just a loose woman. What pure and decent girl would shared a bed with a man before marriage?”

She quietly left the wall, waiting for Sun Jialiang to return to the Lin family the next day. This time, she raised a ruckus. She yelled loudly, “Caught the loose woman! Lin Daguo’s daughter is sleeping with a man!”

It was noon, and most of the villagers were taking a nap. Old Lady Qi’s scream startled a flock of crows.

The production team leader led a crowd to the Lin family’s house.

Li Aifeng, jumping up and down, tried to stop them from entering.

Old Lady Qi, still strong despite her age, wielded her cane, and Lin Daguo scrambled for cover. She barged into Lin Hongna’s room, pulling back the curtains to reveal Sun Jialiang’s naked backside.

“…”

Zhang Cuilan vividly described the scene, omitting the part about Sun Jialiang’s exposed backside, saying only that “bad people always meet bad ends.”

“That’s what she deserves. Bad things always happen to bad people!”

Gu Chunmei took a few bites of her date paste cake, her expression full of glee with no attempt to hide it.

She had grown thoroughly tired of the Lin family, especially Lin Hongna, whose behavior she found despicable.

“Yao Yao, don’t you think so?”

Gu Chunmei nudged Lin Yao with her elbow.

Lin Yao, nibbling on the cake, nodded. In fact, whether it was the original Lin Hongna or Lin Hongna after her rebirth, her life choices in both lives were all about trying to escape her miserable family by marrying into a rich family.

Everyone yearns for a better life, which is understandable.

Lin Hongna’s mistake was stepping on the original owner to get the life she wanted, which ultimately led to a tragic death. The whole Lin family, especially Lin Daguo’s, were evil and didn’t deserve sympathy.

*

The following days were gloomy, with storm after storm rolling in.

Whether it was the late summer or just the season, the rain didn’t stop. After the thunderstorm, what should have been sunny weather turned into light, persistent drizzle.

During this time, Gu Shi’an had been coming home less and less, and yesterday he slept in his office.

According to Xu Xiangqian, there were new leads in the case involving a pregnant woman being robbed, and the suspects were nearly identified. They were just waiting to catch them.

Gu Shi’an came home late most nights, and his family had grown used to it. Sometimes, when he came home late, Zhang Cuilan would leave the dinner in the cabinet, ready for him to eat whenever he arrived.

But Lin Yao, seeing Deputy Director Gu sleeping on the small bed every night, softened. She relented and let him sleep in the east wing room.

Unexpectedly, this ungrateful man, on his first night there, wouldn’t let go of her.