Chapter 23 [Edited]

Lin Hongna was caught for being a loose woman?

Lin Yao, who was handling a yarn ball, perked up at the news.

She hadn’t heard anything about Lin Hongna for a long time. In the original story, wasn’t Lin Hongna involved with Sun Jialiang at this point? How could this be…

Could it be that Lin Hongna realized Sun Jialiang wasn’t reliable and had changed her target?

The siblings, Gu Chunmei and Gu Shidong, who had been eyeing the dried chicken and mentally preparing recipes, also came over.

“Mom, what did you just say? How did Lin Hongna end up being labeled as a loose woman? Isn’t she still unmarried?”

Gu Shidong, being younger and not fully understanding the nuances of relationships, thought that “loose woman” simply meant a married woman who was unfaithful and got caught.

Zhang Cuilan was caught off guard by her youngest son’s question. “You little brat, what are you doing prying into adult gossip? Go wash up and go to bed.”

Gu Shidong was unhappy and protested, feeling that even a young boy had a right to hear gossip.

His protests were ignored, and he was sent back to his room to sleep.

Lin Yao, trying to keep her curiosity in check, went to the well to retrieve some chilled grapes and picked a small plate of date cakes. She set them seriously on the small round table. Zhang Cuilan, not understanding, thought Lin Yao was still hungry and needed more to eat.

Gu Chunmei, however, understood Lin Yao’s intention. With a grin, she took a piece of date cake and said, “Mom, you can continue talking about the gossip. Yaoyao and I will enjoy our treats.”

With that, the sisters exchanged knowing glances. After all, food lovers always have a shared understanding—eating some fruit while gossiping makes it even better!

Zhang Cuilan was momentarily stunned, then laughed and scolded them playfully, “Look at you two little gluttons. Does our home lack food or drink?”

Despite this, the date cake smelled delicious. Zhang Cuilan tried a piece, finding it soft and sweet with a fragrant taste of red dates. She quickly ate a few more pieces and said, “This date cake is really good. Save me a few more pieces.”

Lin Yao and Gu Chunmei exchanged glances but said nothing.

The three women washed their hands and each took a piece of date cake while continuing with their gossip.

Zhang Cuilan’s family, Zhangjia Village, was right next to Linjia Village. In those days, any scandal or gossip from ten miles around would spread everywhere within an afternoon.

Lin Hongna’s lack of propriety was her own fault. Lin Daguo’s family had lost their reputation in the village because they forced their niece into marriage with the Gu family.

Previously, due to the respect for Grandpa Lin, a former Red Army soldier, the production team leader had arranged for Lin Daguo’s family to have light, well-paid work. Tasks like gathering pig feed, feeding pigs and cattle, watering and plowing fields were easier and better paid compared to the hard labor that other members had to do.

However, Lin Daguo’s family, who were lazy and inefficient, easily accumulated eight work points, while others, who worked hard in the fields or carried manure, only earned seven work points a day.

It was unfair!

Sure, Grandpa Lin was a war hero who sacrificed a lot for the country, and everyone respected him. But Grandpa Lin had been gone for many years. Lin Daguo, who was lazy and cunning, and Lin Weiguo, who was diligent and straightforward, were both sons of Grandpa Lin. If Lin Weiguo and his wife could work in the fields like everyone else, why did Lin Daguo get special treatment?

If Lin Daguo was just lazy, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but his character was worse!

Lin Daguo was greedy and unprincipled. After his brother and sister-in-law died, he seized their property and treated his niece like a commodity for marriage.

Such a vile person wanting special treatment was unacceptable to the villagers.

Lin Daguo’s family provoked public anger, and the production team leader, who had long disliked Lin Daguo, finally acted on it. Previously, with the support of Grandpa Lin’s old comrade, the leader had turned a blind eye, but now, even the old comrade had issues with Lin Daguo, so the leader took action to remove the favorable jobs from Lin Daguo’s family.

Lin Daguo was now forced to work on digging ditches, while Li Aifeng and Lin Hongna had to carry manure, earning only six work points a day.

Lin Daguo’s family was disgruntled but had no choice.

Lin Daguo, who was arrogant at home, couldn’t stand up to the tough production team leader. Li Aifeng was harsh but weak internally, and Lin Hongna, who was cunning but not confrontational, faced defeat against the firm leader.

Lin Daguo labored outside the village, digging soil for eight to nine hours a day, his hands covered in calluses and blisters, returning home at night with trembling legs.

Li Aifeng and Lin Hongna had an even worse time, carrying stinking manure and ending up smelling terrible all day. Despite Lin Hongna’s efforts to clean herself thoroughly, it was futile. In the countryside, such dirty and tough work was usually done by men, and no young woman wanted to deal with manure. They would rather earn fewer work points than handle it!

Lin Hongna, who loved to dress up and was considered attractive despite not being as stunning as Lin Yao, had a fair complexion and a curvaceous figure. She was considered a beauty in the village, which was why Sun Jialiang had taken an interest in her.

However, Lin Hongna’s arrogance made her unfriendly to the village men, and now she was met with strange looks from the villagers. Some even called her “Lin Hongmanure” behind her back.

What was most unacceptable to Lin Hongna was that Sun Jialiang, having heard some bad gossip, covered his nose in disgust and stepped back, as if she was as foul as manure!

Lin Hongna, who had been reborn, was not going to be humiliated like this!

She concocted a plan with the naive Li Aifeng to secure Sun Jialiang, the so-called “golden son-in-law.”

Li Aifeng went back to her family and got some “heavenly powder” used in the old brothels. She mixed it into the tea to give to Sun Jialiang.

Lin Hongna used all her charms, and Sun Jialiang was overjoyed and glowing.

Under the influence of “heavenly powder,” Sun Jialiang promised to get Lin Hongna a temporary job at the light bulb factory. The job wasn’t permanent but was better than nothing.

Temporary female workers at the light bulb factory earned only fifteen yuan a month, and their benefits were lower than those of permanent workers. The factory operated in three shifts, with workers standing for ten hours at a time. Many women couldn’t handle it and ended up crying in the dormitory at night.

Lin Hongna, who had once looked down on such lowly work, found that compared to her current task of carrying manure, working at the light bulb factory felt like heaven.

Li Aifeng, treating Sun Jialiang like a revered guest, occasionally received some inferior fabric from him as gifts. This made her boastful, and she would stroll around the village, showing off her new clothing made from the expensive fabric.

Li Aifeng’s constant bragging irritated most villagers, who would just roll their eyes and move on.

However, her neighbor, Old Lady Qi, had taken an interest. Old Lady Qi, known for her age and cunning, had a long-standing grudge against Li Aifeng and was always looking for a chance to bring trouble to the Lin family.

She couldn’t stand Li Aifeng’s smugness and, being shrewd, would eavesdrop on conversations at the Lin household, hoping to find something to discredit them.

Old Lady Qi did find an opportunity. Sun Jialiang, under the influence of the “heavenly powder,” seemed to be unable to resist temptation and visited the Lin family frequently, spending long hours there.

Old Lady Qi noticed Lin Hongna’s flaunting behavior and relished the chance to expose her.

One day, as Sun Jialiang was visiting again, Old Lady Qi shouted loudly, “Caught a loose woman! Lin Daguo’s daughter is fooling around with a man!”

It was noon, and most villagers were taking their afternoon nap. Old Lady Qi’s shout startled the crows in the trees.

The production team leader, accompanied by a large group of people, went to the Lin household.

Lin Daguo and Li Aifeng, in a panic, tried to prevent them from entering.

Old Lady Qi, despite her age, pushed past Lin Daguo and stormed into Lin Hongna’s room, pulling open the curtain to reveal Sun Jialiang’s bare buttocks.

“……”

Zhang Cuilan vividly described the scene, though she omitted the part about Sun Jialiang’s exposed rear, simply stating that evil gets its just rewards.

“It serves them right! This is called retribution!”

Gu Chunmei, happily munching on her date cake, couldn’t hide her glee at Lin Daguo’s misfortune, especially towards the immoral Lin Hongna.

“Yaoyao, don’t you think so?”

Gu Chunmei nudged Lin Yao with her elbow.

Lin Yao, nibbling on her date cake, nodded in agreement. Whether in her past life or this one, Lin Hongna’s choices were merely attempts to escape a miserable original family by marrying into a wealthy family.

It’s understandable to desire a better life, but Lin Hongna made the mistake of trampling on the original owner’s life to achieve her own dreams, leading to a loss of life. Lin Daguo’s family was full of villains and deserved no sympathy.

*

In the following two or three days, the weather was gloomy with a series of thunderstorms. Even though it should have cleared up, light rain continued to fall.

During this period, Gu Shi’an came home less frequently, and yesterday he even slept in his office.

According to Xu Xiangqian, there was finally progress in the case of the pregnant woman who had been robbed, and the suspect was almost identified. They were just waiting to make the arrest.

Gu Shi’an’s late returns had become a norm for the family. Sometimes, Zhang Cuilan would leave dinner in the cabinet, to be eaten whenever he came home.

Lin Yao, seeing that Deputy Director Gu was sleeping in that small bed every day, felt a pang of sympathy and allowed him to move to her room to sleep.

However, Gu Shi’an seemed to forget the courtesy and on his first night there, clung to her and wouldn’t let go.

**

T/N: Special unlock, enjoy~