Chapter 31

“Liu Laidi, what are you going crazy about? If you’re sick, go see a doctor. Why are you grabbing me?”

Wang Shengcai’s wife had been in a good mood, having just found a temporary job at a soap factory. The job wasn’t too tiring, and she earned sixteen yuan a month.

With her new income, Wang Shengcai’s wife felt bolder at home.

She could now argue back with her mother-in-law, who was often angered by her replies.

Meanwhile, Wang Shengcai, working hard to support the family, was less burdened with his wife’s salary. He pretended not to hear his mother’s complaints or acted as if he didn’t care.

Wang Shengcai’s mother was still angry and decided to pack up and stay with her daughter.

This made Wang Shengcai’s wife feel quite triumphant for several days, even humming on her way home.

But as soon as she entered the courtyard, she was ambushed. Zheng Dacheng’s wife grabbed her by the hair and slammed her to the ground, causing her great pain.

Struggling and screaming, Wang Shengcai’s wife tried to fight back, but Zheng Dacheng’s wife wouldn’t let her. Liu Laidi pulled her hair with one hand and pinched her chest and thighs with the other, shouting, “I’m targeting you! You little vixen, always flaunting yourself outside. Do you think you can bully my Haozi? Do you think my Zheng family is nothing? If I don’t make your behind bloom today, I won’t be called Liu!”

Liu Laidi was increasingly furious and sat on Wang Shengcai’s wife’s stomach, slapping her several times.

Despite being younger, Wang Shengcai’s wife was no match for Liu Laidi. After taking several slaps and with her head spinning, she managed to crawl away, shouting for help.

“Help! Help! Liu Laidi from the Zheng family has gone mad!”

The neighbors quickly came over to intervene, but Wang Shengcai’s wife, terrified, ran a few steps, only to see a pair of big feet in leather shoes at the courtyard entrance.

“Shengcai! It’s Shengcai, he’s back!”

Wang Shengcai’s wife, overwhelmed with joy, ran to the figure, hugging his legs and crying out in frustration.

“Shengcai, you’re back! You have to stand up for me! Your wife’s being bullied!”

Wang Shengcai’s wife cried so hard that her tears and snot ended up on the pants of the person she was clinging to. She was so absorbed in her crying that she didn’t realize she was clinging to Zheng Dacheng, who had just returned from the steel factory!

Zheng Dacheng stood stiffly, unsure whether to move or stay put.

Liu Laidi, who had followed, saw this and her eyes turned red with rage!

She knew this shameless woman had bad intentions. She wasn’t dead yet!

Liu Laidi furiously attacked, causing Wang Shengcai’s wife to stumble. As she used all her strength, Zheng Dacheng’s patched gray underwear was exposed.

The crowd: “!!!”

Oh no, Wang Shengcai’s wife had pulled off Zheng Dacheng’s pants!

Zheng Dacheng was left in his underwear!

The scene was chaotic.

Initially, Gu Shidong had wanted to step in and clarify the situation to prevent a fight caused by a misunderstanding.

But Wang Shengcai’s wife waved him away.

Gu Shidong left quickly, as requested, and warned them not to regret it later.

The neighbors in the courtyard acted like curious onlookers, jumping and gossiping about the scene.

Zhang Cuilan tossed her youngest son back into the house, but the little rascal was still standing on a small stool, craning his neck to peek out of the window.

Inside, Lin Yao, who had been dozing off, woke up to the noise outside. Still groggy, she sat up on the bed, stretched her legs, and rubbed her eyes. She mumbled to Gu Shidong, “Dongzi, what’s going on outside? Why is it so noisy?”

“It’s nothing, just the usual commotion after work in the courtyard. It’s always like this, chaotic,” Gu Shidong replied earnestly as he swiftly closed the window and jumped down from the stool.

Lin Yao tilted her head slightly, listening to the sounds outside. It did seem like the usual hustle and bustle. The courtyard was often filled with the smell of cooking, and from the sound of it, Zheng Dacheng’s family in the front yard was likely cursing someone again.

Yawning, she cuddled up with her little blanket and went back to sleep.

——Last night, someone had kept her up, leaving her utterly exhausted. It was only a little past seven in the evening when Lin Yao had woken up, but her eyelids still felt heavy, and she was drowsy and disoriented.

Zhang Cuilan, seeing her, felt a pang of sympathy. “Yaoyao, you must be worn out. You’ve been running around all day today, getting your marriage certificate and buying rabbits. My Yaoyao must be exhausted. Let me make you some noodles. Eat them and then go back to sleep.”

Lin Yao, still a bit dazed, nodded. She shared the large bowl of braised noodles with Gu Chunmei and Gu Shidong, taking only a few bites before going back to bed.

Gu Shidong, after slurping down the soup, patted his full belly contentedly and burped. “Noodles are the best, Mom. When can we have them again?”

“Eating? That’s all you think about! Can’t you see the chaos outside? You little rascal, always thinking about food! Stay inside with your sister and don’t run around!”

The courtyard was packed with people. Wang Shengcai, who had rushed back after hearing the news, was red-faced and fuming with rage. His expression was terrifyingly dark as he clenched his fists and breathed heavily through his nose. If not for Director Ge being present, he would have already beaten Liu Laidi and her husband to death!

Zheng Dacheng also had an ugly expression. As the head chef at the steel mill cafeteria, he was someone who usually commanded respect. But today, he had been publicly humiliated, and his pants had been pulled down in front of everyone…

In his mind, Zheng Dacheng felt completely wrong. This whole situation was just a spat between two women; how had it escalated to involve him? And why had Laidi fought with Wang Shengcai’s wife in the first place? Wasn’t it because that woman hadn’t taught her child properly, and the little brat had bullied their son, Haozi? Laidi, as a mother, couldn’t stand it, so she had taken it out on Wang Shengcai’s wife.

Which mother wouldn’t protect her child?

So, if you traced it back to the root cause, this was all the Wang family’s fault. It had nothing to do with the Zheng family.

Zheng Dacheng thought he had figured it all out, but he hadn’t expected that his own son would lie.

Wang Shengcai had held back his anger mainly out of respect for Director Ge and because he had heard that his eldest son had hit the Zheng family’s younger son first, causing Zheng Haozi’s mouth to swell. That had kept his rage in check as he waited for his eldest son to come home so he could deal with the little brat himself.

When Wang’s eldest son finally came home, holding half a bottle of beer and some cicadas he had caught, his father, face dark as thunder, raised his large palm and slapped him hard across the face.

“You little brat! Look at the mess you’ve made today!”

The boy covered his face and burst into tears, ramming his head into Wang Shengcai.

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

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

Wang Shengcai raised his hand again, but Director Ge quickly shielded the boy and said, “Comrade Shengcai, we live in a communist society. As parents, we should approach our children with calm and reason. If a child makes a mistake, we can criticize and educate them, but violence is not the solution.”

Only then did Wang Shengcai lower his hand.

Director Ge then gently asked the eldest son of the Wang family if there was any conflict between him and the Zheng family’s child.

“Yes, Zheng Haozi stole my underwear and wore it!”

The boy replied angrily.

Director Ge: “…Is that why the two of you fought?”

He asked again, “So you hit Zheng Haozi and caused his mouth to swell because you caught him stealing your…underwear?”

The boy’s eyes widened as he urgently protested in his rural accent, “I’ve been out catching cicadas all day! What does his swollen mouth have to do with me!”

Several kids nearby confirmed that the eldest son of the Wang family had indeed been outside with them catching cicadas.

Everyone was puzzled as to what had really happened, so Director Ge called Zheng Haozi out of his house. Before the director could even ask, the boy burst into tears, confessing everything.

Once the situation was clarified, the furious Wang Shengcai grabbed a two-inch-wide leather belt and chased after Zheng Dacheng, whipping him until his backside was covered in welts.

Since Zheng Dacheng’s wife had beaten his wife, Wang Shengcai decided to beat Liu Laidi’s husband in return.

This was called an eye for an eye!

The situation escalated so quickly that Director Ge didn’t have time to react. Things had gotten too out of hand for the commune to handle, so they had to call the police.

In the end, the absurd incident concluded with the Zheng family having to compensate Wang Shengcai with a month’s wages, while Liu Laidi was detained for two days and fined.

Later that night, a cool breeze mixed with the dampness of rain swept through the area, and before long, raindrops began to patter down.

When Lin Yao woke up, the windows were securely closed, and she could hear the rain tapping on the tiles of the roof. Gu Shi’an, who had just returned, was standing by the window, unbuttoning his shirt. A washbasin was at his feet, indicating he was about to take a bath.

The couple chatted for a while and spent some time together before Gu Shi’an went to bathe.

Lin Yao, having slept twice, was now wide awake. She jumped out of bed, barefoot, and went to the kitchen to make a late-night snack for Gu Shi’an.

This guy always forgot to eat when he worked late, completely neglecting his health.

Lin Yao grabbed two handfuls of millet, rinsed it clean, and cooked a pot of thick, golden millet porridge, adding two boiled eggs.

Someone with a bad stomach like him needed millet porridge to nourish it.

Gu Shi’an was quick to take a shower. By the time the millet porridge in the pot began to simmer, he was already out, smelling of soap. Despite the cold drizzle outside, he was dressed neatly in a white military shirt and trousers, as if ready to go to work.

Lin Yao brought over a bowl and called him for dinner. The bowl was filled with golden millet porridge, steaming hot.

As Gu Shi’an took large bites of the porridge, the young woman brought over two boiled eggs and sweetly said, “Don’t eat so fast, there are eggs too.”

Lin Yao then began to chatter, reminding him that working late and skipping meals wasn’t good for his health. She said that food is as vital as iron and steel, and skipping a meal would only make him hungry and weak. She also warned him against staying up late too often, as it would make him age faster.

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

When Lin Yao realized she had been nagging, she felt a bit embarrassed and was about to stop talking when he suddenly pulled her into his arms and kissed her delicate earlobe.

“From now on, I’ll listen to Yaoyao.”

**

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