Chapter 31

“Liu Laidi, what’s wrong with you? Are you insane? If you’re sick, go see a doctor! Why are you grabbing me?”

Wang Shengcai’s wife had been in a great mood lately. She recently landed a temporary job at the soap factory, which wasn’t too tiring, earning her a monthly wage of sixteen yuan.

With her ability to make money, her confidence at home had grown considerably.

When her mother-in-law, Old Lady Wang, tried to pick fights with her, she could now stand akimbo and argue right back. If her mother-in-law scolded her, she’d retort with equal vigor, leaving Old Lady Wang so furious she nearly fainted.

Wang Shengcai, who had been working hard to support the family on his own, felt relieved now that his wife was contributing financially. When his mother complained to him, he either pretended not to understand or let her words go in one ear and out the other.

Feeling frustrated and unappreciated, Old Lady Wang packed her belongings and went to cause a fuss at her daughter’s place.

This turn of events left Wang Shengcai’s wife elated for days. On her way home from work, she even hummed cheerful tunes.

But as soon as she stepped into the courtyard, her vision darkened. Before she could react, Zheng Dacheng’s wife, Liu Laidi, yanked her by the hair and pinned her to the ground. The pain made her scream out loud.

She twisted her body, shrieking and trying to fight back, but Liu Laidi wasn’t about to let her go. With one hand firmly gripping her hair and the other pinching her chest and thighs, Liu Laidi snarled viciously, “I’m grabbing you, you little hussy! Swinging your hips around all day, you’ve raised a brat who dares to bully my Haozi. Do you think the Zheng family has no one to stand up for them? If I don’t beat the life out of you today, I’m not worthy of my surname Liu!”

The more Liu Laidi thought about it, the angrier she got. She plopped herself onto Wang Shengcai’s wife’s stomach and slapped her across the face several times.

Although Wang Shengcai’s wife was younger, she wasn’t used to hard labor and was no match for Liu Laidi. After a few slaps, her head buzzed, and one side of her face swelled up. Summoning all her strength, she scrambled to her feet and fled, screaming as she ran toward the courtyard gate.

“Help! Someone’s killing me! Liu Laidi from the Zheng family has gone crazy!”

The neighbors in the courtyard rushed to intervene, but before they could act, Wang Shengcai’s wife, terrified and panicked, tripped and fell. Looking up, she spotted a pair of polished leather shoes at the entrance.

It’s Shengcai! Her Shengcai was back!

Overcome with relief, she crawled over and hugged the person’s leg, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Shengcai, you’re finally back! You have to stand up for me. Your wife has been bullied!”

Her crying was so intense that her tears and snot smeared all over “Wang Shengcai’s” pants. In her desperation, she failed to realize that the man she was clinging to wasn’t her husband but Zheng Dacheng, who had just returned from the steel factory.

Zheng Dacheng froze on the spot, unsure whether to move or stay still.

Liu Laidi, who had chased after them, caught sight of this scene. Her eyes burned red with rage.

Aha! She knew this little tramp was up to no good. She wasn’t even dead yet, and this woman was already trying to seduce her husband!

Liu Laidi charged over like a fury. Startled, Wang Shengcai’s wife stumbled backward, inadvertently tugging on Zheng Dacheng’s pants. He felt a chill down his legs and looked down to see his patched gray boxers exposed for all to see.

The neighbors in the courtyard gasped.

“Oh no! Wang Shengcai’s wife just pulled down Zheng Dacheng’s pants!”

“Zheng Dacheng’s underpants are showing!”

The scene descended into chaos.

Initially, when the fight broke out, Gu Shidong had considered stepping in to clear up the misunderstanding. But Wang Shengcai’s wife had waved him off, telling him to get lost.

So, Gu Shidong had left decisively. “You told me to leave, so don’t regret it later,” he thought.

Meanwhile, the courtyard residents were like curious onlookers in a melon patch, hopping around and eagerly watching the drama unfold.

Zhang Cuilan threw her youngest son back into the house, but the little rascal climbed onto a small stool and stretched his neck to peer out the window.

Inside the house, Lin Yao, who had been dozing off, woke up groggily as the noise outside grew louder. Sitting on the bed with her legs stretched out, she rubbed her eyes and mumbled to Gu Shidong, “Dongzi, what’s going on outside?”

Why is it so noisy?

“It’s nothing. It’s just how the courtyard gets after work, always chaotic.”

Gu Shidong quickly closed the window, jumped off the stool, and replied with a serious look.

Lin Yao tilted her head slightly, listening to the commotion outside. It did seem to be the usual courtyard hustle and bustle.

The place was always filled with smoke from cooking fires. In the front yard, Zheng Dacheng’s family was once again yelling about something.

Yawning, Lin Yao snuggled back under her quilt and went to sleep again.

Last night, someone had kept her up, leaving her utterly exhausted. It was only a little past seven in the evening. After sleeping for a while and waking up, her eyelids still felt heavy, and she was groggy from tiredness.

Zhang Cuilan couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. “Yao Yao, you must be so tired. You’ve been running around all day, getting your marriage certificate and buying rabbits. Let me make you a bowl of noodles so you can eat and then rest.”

Lin Yao nodded blankly. She split the large bowl of noodles with Gu Chunmei and Gu Shidong, eating only a couple of bites before falling asleep again.

Gu Shidong slurped up the noodle soup, patting his stomach with satisfaction as he burped.

“Noodles are the best! Mom, when can we have noodles again?”

“Noodles? Are you kidding? Can’t you see the mess outside? You little rascal, all you do is eat! Stay in the house with your sister and don’t run around!”

The courtyard was packed with people. Wang Shengcai had rushed back upon hearing the commotion, his face red and neck bulging with anger. His expression was terrifyingly dark, and he was breathing heavily through clenched fists. If Director Ge weren’t present, he might have punched Liu Laidi’s husband on the spot.

Zheng Dacheng’s face also looked grim. As the head chef of the steel factory canteen, he was used to people showing him respect.

Yet today, he was scolded publicly by a worker from the security department. To make things worse, his pants had been embarrassedly pulled in front of everyone…

Zheng Dacheng felt unjustly wronged. The whole mess began with two women fighting, so why was he dragged into it?

As for why Liu Laidi fought with Wang Shengcai’s wife, it was because Wang Shengcai’s wife hadn’t disciplined her child properly. Her kid bullied his son, and as a protective mother, she couldn’t take it anymore.

What mother wouldn’t defend her child?

So when you trace the root of the problem, it was entirely the Wang family’s fault. What did it have to do with the Zheng family?

Zheng Dacheng thought he had sorted out the situation clearly, but he never expected his son to lie.

Wang Shengcai had initially held back, partly out of respect for Director Ge and partly because he had heard from others that his eldest son was the one who hit Zheng’s younger son, causing his swollen lip. This knowledge forced him to suppress his anger, waiting for his son to return and deal with him.

When Wang Shengcai’s eldest son finally came back with a beer bottle full of cicadas, he was met with his father’s furious glare. Without warning, Wang Shengcai slapped him hard across the face with his palm-sized fan.

“You little brat! Look at the trouble you caused today!”

Covering his face, the boy burst into tears, even trying to headbutt his father.

“Why are you hitting me? I didn’t do anything wrong!”

He had only gone out to catch cicadas, so why was he being beaten?

Just as Wang Shengcai raised his hand to hit him again, Director Ge stepped in to shield the boy, saying, “Comrade Shengcai, we’re in a communist society. As parents, we must approach our children with patience. If a child makes a mistake, we can criticize and educate them, but beating them won’t solve anything.”

Only then did Wang Shengcai lower his hand.

Director Ge then kindly asked the boy if there had been any conflict between him and Zheng’s son.

“Yes! Zheng Haozi stole my underpants and wore them!”

The boy said indignantly.

Director Ge was stunned. “Is this why the two of you fought?”

He asked further, “So you caught Zheng Hao stealing your… underpants and punched him, causing his lip to swell?”

The boy’s eyes widened in shock, and in his rural accent, he quickly protested, “I was out catching cicadas all day! How could I have anything to do with Zheng Hao’s swollen lip?”

Nearby children testified that Wang Shengcai’s eldest son had indeed been out catching cicadas with them all day.

Everyone was puzzled as Director Ge called Zheng Hao out from his home. Before anything could be said, Zheng Hao burst into tears, confessing everything without being questioned.

Once the truth was revealed, an enraged Wang Shengcai grabbed a belt and gave Zheng Dacheng a sound spanking.

Since Zheng Dacheng’s wife had fought with his wife, he retaliated by going after Liu Laidi’s husband.

An eye for an eye.

The situation escalated too quickly for Director Ge to intervene. With things getting out of hand, the matter was handed over to the public security bureau.

In the end, this chaotic misunderstanding concluded with Zheng Dacheng’s family compensating Wang Shengcai with a month’s wages, Liu Laidi being detained for two days, and a fine being paid.

Late at night, a cool breeze brought the smell of rain, and soon, a light drizzle began to fall.

When Lin Yao woke up, the windows were tightly shut, and rain was pattering against the roof tiles. Gu Shi’an, who had returned late, stood by the window, unbuttoning his shirt. A washbasin sat at his feet, and it seemed he was about to take a bath.

The couple chatted for a while and enjoyed some affectionate moments before Gu Shi’an went to take his bath.

Feeling fully rested after two long naps, Lin Yao jumped barefoot off the bed, heading to the kitchen to prepare a late-night snack for Gu Shi’an.

This man often forgot to eat when working overtime, never taking care of his own health.

Lin Yao scooped out two handfuls of millet, washed it thoroughly, and cooked a pot of golden, thick millet porridge. She added two boiled eggs to it as well.

Since Gu Shi’an had a bad stomach, millet porridge was perfect for nourishing it.

Gu Shi’an finished his bath quickly. By the time the millet porridge in the pot started bubbling, he had already emerged with a faint scent of soap. Despite the chilly drizzle outside, he wore his military white shirt and trousers at home, looking as neat and composed as if he were heading to work.

Lin Yao brought over a bowl of porridge, steaming hot and golden, and called him to eat.

As Gu Shi’an ate the porridge in big gulps, the young girl brought two boiled eggs, her voice sweet as honey, “Don’t eat so fast, there are eggs too.”

Lin Yao then chattered away, reminding him that working overtime without eating was bad for his health. She emphasized that meals were essential, and staying up late too often would age a person by several years.

Gu Shi’an listened quietly, feeling as though his heart was gradually being filled by this little girl in front of him.

When Lin Yao realized she was rambling, she blushed and tried to stop talking. However, Gu Shi’an pulled her into his arms and planted a kiss on her delicate earlobe.

“From now on, I’ll listen to Yao Yao.”

**

Translator’s Note: Don’t forget to get your role at 🎭-get-roles-🎭 on Discord 🛎️ to stay updated on new chapters unlocked! 📚✨