Chapter 4

Mei Ling froze, still immersed in the beautiful dream she had had the previous night.

Her hair was a tangled mess, and she spoke impatiently. “What are you all doing so early in the morning? Yinyin, hurry up and take the children back, I—”

Gu Yinyin directly pressed the stick across her neck. “Cut the nonsense. I’m here to take back what’s mine.”

Da Wa also raised his stick. “Yes! Cut the nonsense!”

Xiao Wa hesitated for a moment, then lifted her little head. “Cut the nonsense!”

Mei Ling grew somewhat fearful of Gu Yinyin, wavering in her heart over whether to continue pretending to be weak or to simply drop the act and turn hostile.

Yet Gu Yinyin was a little surprised by the children’s reaction. She had originally thought that at this time, the two children would still be quite fond of Mei Ling, but unexpectedly, they actually held great hostility toward her now.

In the book, it was written that Mei Ling had spent decades winning them over, using all sorts of pitiful acts and moral manipulation. Yet even then, the children never truly accepted Mei Ling in their hearts; at most, they called her “Aunt Mei.”

Children’s minds were simple, unable to see through the truth of matters. In fact, with Mei Ling’s long-standing strategy of humbling herself and playing the pitiful victim day in and day out, most people would have caved under the pressure.

Mei Ling dared not move, and Gu Yinyin directed the two children to gather the belongings.

“See that? That thermos is ours! The snow cream on the table, the red hair tie, and that mirror. Now check the drawer—last time she took a bag of milk candies from our house, and also a packet of brown sugar…”

Gu Yinyin listed them one by one, and Da Wa and Xiao Wa quickly dug everything out. Mei Ling was so enraged she immediately shouted. “Stop it! You’re not allowed to rummage through my things!”

But her words had no effect. In the end, Mei Ling’s chest rose and fell violently as she shrieked: “Help! Robbery! Robbery!”

Her family members immediately stirred awake. Just as Mei Ling’s mother was about to rush in, Mei Ling’s elder sister, Mei Qing, stopped her. “Mother, don’t interfere. I’ll go take a look.”

Mei Qing frowned slightly, quickly splashed some water on her face, and then strode toward Mei Ling’s room.

She was the heroine of this book, paired with Educated Youth Lin. The author had molded her into a gentle, polite, and very righteous young woman. Most of the villagers usually liked Mei Qing because she was helpful, kind, and selfless.

When she saw Gu Yinyin’s stick pressed against Mei Ling’s neck, Mei Qing froze. “Yinyin, are you two fighting? Weren’t you always the closest? Lingzi may be careless and bold, but deep down, she actually cares about you.”

Gu Yinyin looked at Mei Qing. She didn’t know whether this Mei Qing was good or bad, but she did know that Mei Qing cared very much about her reputation.

“I don’t want to say anything else. Today, I only want to take back what belongs to me. I know your family isn’t particularly wealthy, and you can’t come up with much in a short time. I only have two requests: first, I take back the remaining belongings; second, you gather one hundred yuan for me. Then we can consider this matter settled.”

Mei Ling could no longer keep up the act and shouted furiously. “You’ve gone mad for money! The things are all mine now, why should I give them to you? Where am I supposed to get one hundred yuan? Gu Yinyin, and after all the kindness I’ve shown you!”

Gu Yinyin pressed the stick slightly harder and gave a soft laugh. “If you were so kind to me, how come I never saw you give me anything?”

She turned her head toward Mei Qing. “Comrade Mei Qing, everyone in the village says you’re a good person. Today, I’ll count on you to uphold justice for me. Mei Ling used to borrow money from me, always using you as an excuse—saying your mother was sick and needed money, or that you needed new shoes. I gave it all back then. Now, if you can’t come up with the money, that’s fine. I’ll take the big wardrobe in this room and the pig in your courtyard instead. If that still won’t work, then let’s go find the Big Captain!”

Da Wa immediately echoed. “Let’s go find the Big Captain!”

Xiao Wa also chimed in smoothly. “Let’s go find the Big Captain!”

The two children acted like righteous little echo machines. Gu Yinyin felt like laughing, but held it back.

Mei Qing’s face dimmed slightly. She was someone who cared most about saving face. Moreover, if this matter spread throughout the village, how would Educated Youth Lin see her? Would he still stay with her?

She stayed silent for a moment before finally saying: “Fine. We’ll return the belongings we can, and as for the money, I’ll discuss it with my mother.”

In the end, the Mei family returned the items and scraped together one hundred yuan to hand over to Gu Yinyin. Gu Yinyin counted the money, then happily took the two children home with her.

Mei Ling lay on the bedside, crying uncontrollably. Mei Qing stood beside her with a dark expression. Thinking of the admiring look Educated Youth Lin always gave Gu Yinyin whenever he saw her, her voice turned cold. “Gu Yinyin is so pretty. Unless one day she has some accident and no longer exists in this world, you’ll never stop being bullied by her.”

Hearing this, Mei Ling’s eyes were swollen red. “An accident? What do you mean, an accident?”

Mei Qing spoke faintly. “Who knows? People eat grains of all kinds, and they often go to the fields or the mountains. Accidents happen all the time. Anyway, I’m busy. Today you’ve really made Mother furious. Mother has always liked you best, saying you were capable, always bringing things and money back home.”

Mei Ling stared blankly, the thought of killing Gu Yinyin growing stronger and stronger in her mind.

Meanwhile, Gu Yinyin returned home with the children and hid all the belongings, only taking out a few milk candies. “You two put these in your pockets and eat them during the day.”

Xiao Wa accepted them happily. Seeing Da Wa unmoving, she even helped her brother take his share and stuffed it into his palm, her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. “Thank you, Mother!”

Gu Yinyin smiled. She was just about to comb Xiao Wa’s hair when her sister-in-law, Shen Meijuan, shouted from outside as if urging her to her death. “Eldest Sister-in-law! Get up and make breakfast!”

Because of that basin of water yesterday, Li Ailian had caught a cold. Early in the morning she was already running a fever, her whole body weak. Where would she find the strength to deal with Gu Yinyin now?

Seeing her own mother in such a state, Shen Meijuan also held much resentment toward Gu Yinyin, but she didn’t dare confront her directly—after all, yesterday Gu Yinyin had really gone mad.

Hearing someone call her, Gu Yinyin rose and pushed open the door. She did want to take a look in the kitchen, after all, she too needed breakfast.

When Shen Meijuan saw her come out, she rolled her eyes and walked away. Gu Yinyin refused to be outdone, letting out a cold, mocking laugh. Shen Meijuan’s back stiffened, her anger rising even more.

Inside the kitchen, two women were already busy. They were the Shen family’s second daughter-in-law and third daughter-in-law.

Gu Yinyin’s husband, Shen Guo’an, was Li Ailian’s eldest son. But the three brothers had married within a short span of time, one after the other. Before this, Gu Yinyin had not spoken much in the Shen household, and she had never shown the steadiness or tolerance expected of the eldest sister-in-law.

The second daughter-in-law, Liu Wenxiu, saw her enter the kitchen and smiled. “Eldest Sister-in-law, you’re up? What should we eat this morning? I was thinking we could cook a pot of sweet potato porridge, and make some vegetable pancakes with coarse wheat flour to dip in soybeans. How about that?”

The third daughter-in-law, Ma Hongmei, gave a cold snort. She lifted the curtain at the kitchen door and walked out, muttering under her breath: “I’ll go sweep the yard and feed the chickens.”

Gu Yinyin ignored Ma Hongmei. That Ma Hongmei had always believed their mother-in-law favored the eldest branch, and she was constantly sarcastic toward her.

“Alright, I’ll cook, you keep the fire going.” Gu Yinyin suggested.

Liu Wenxiu was somewhat surprised. She had never eaten anything Gu Yinyin had cooked!

Speaking of her eldest sister-in-law, truth be told, she really wasn’t a likable person. She seldom did household chores, and even if she did, the result was always a mess. Her room was always chaotic. Usually, when everyone ate from the communal pot, at most she would help tend the stove. That was why the third daughter-in-law held a grudge against her, which Liu Wenxiu could understand.

But Liu Wenxiu herself couldn’t bring herself to treat Gu Yinyin coldly. Gu Yinyin was simply too beautiful. Her face was pure, with a trace of melancholy. Liu Wenxiu thought privately that if she herself were this beautiful, she would never have married a peasant. Seeing Gu Yinyin listless all day made her heart ache.

In fact, Gu Yinyin wasn’t cooking because she suddenly wanted to be diligent. She simply didn’t trust the others’ cooking skills or their standards of hygiene. Only food she made herself would set her mind at ease.

Sweet potatoes freshly dug up that autumn were cooked with millet into a porridge, and the aroma was sweet and fragrant. Vegetables were chopped and mixed with sorghum flour into flat cakes, pasted against the sides of the pot. Once cooked, the backs turned crispy and were quite delicious dipped in fermented soybeans.

Gu Yinyin thought about it and swallowed back some saliva. She had originally assumed life in the countryside was bitter, but now she felt it was actually rather pleasant.

But just as she lifted the vegetable cakes from the pot, noise suddenly erupted in the courtyard outside.

Ma Hongmei’s voice rang out sharply. “Shen Da Wa, what are you doing! Why are you hitting my son! You dog-spawn! Just wait, I’ll deal with you!”

Liu Wenxiu looked at Gu Yinyin with sympathy. Her younger sister-in-law, Ma Hongmei, had been bullying the eldest branch’s children for quite some time. Every time, Gu Yinyin pretended not to hear. Truly, the eldest branch’s children were pitiful.

But who could have expected that Gu Yinyin would suddenly drop the spatula and stride quickly into the courtyard, kicking Ma Hongmei away with one swift blow!

Ma Hongmei had already raised her arm to strike Da Wa. As the younger generation, Da Wa did not dare hit back; he just stiffened his neck and let her strike him. After all, it wasn’t the first or second time he had been beaten, and he was not afraid in the least.

Only, today, he had grown a little hopeful toward that person in the kitchen. Would she come to save him?

When he saw Gu Yinyin come out, Da Wa’s eyes lit up. Xiao Wa, her eyes red, ran over to Gu Yinyin. “Mother! Brother didn’t mean to hit anyone. It was Cousin Tieshuan from Third Aunt’s family who grabbed my candy, and he even said, Mother, he said that you and Educated Youth Lin…”

Xiao Wa was too young, and she didn’t know how to explain further.

Gu Yinyin gave a cold laugh and shielded the two children behind her. “Ma Hongmei, what do you mean by this? Who taught your child to say such things? From what I see, it’s your Tieshuan who’s the bastard here! You’d better give me an explanation today. If you can’t explain it clearly, don’t blame me for making things hard on you!”

Having been kicked, Ma Hongmei immediately pretended she was too pained to get up, clutching her waist and crying out “Aiyo, aiyo!” Her son Tieshuan shouted angrily. “Aunt! Why did you kick my mother? If Da Wa had just given me the candy, I wouldn’t have talked about your scandal with Educated Youth Lin! Why should Da Wa and Xiao Wa be allowed to eat candy? If there’s good food in the family, shouldn’t it go to me and my little sister Baoni first? Da Wa and Xiao Wa don’t even have proper names. They don’t deserve candy!”

Da Wa clenched his teeth tightly, while Xiao Wa lowered her head.

Their names were indeed casual. Other families had fathers and mothers who thought carefully when naming their children, some even choosing names with good meanings. But they hadn’t been given that.

Tieshuan always mocked them for it, and Da Wa and Xiao Wa were left speechless every time.

Gu Yinyin frowned. This brat Tieshuan had a mouth like a gossiping old woman. She strode forward, grabbed Tieshuan by the ear, and twisted hard. “Who doesn’t deserve candy?!”

Tieshuan yelped “Aiyo, aiyo!” in pain. Ma Hongmei’s waist no longer hurt, and she stopped wailing too. She quickly scrambled up to protect her son, but Gu Yinyin refused to let go.

In the end, with his ear nearly torn off, Tieshuan had no choice but to beg for mercy. “Aunt, I was wrong! I’m the one who doesn’t deserve candy!”

Gu Yinyin gave a cold snort before finally releasing him. “That’s better! Do you think your name is so noble and elegant? Your name is on the same level as Dogsheng or Lüdang! Let me tell you, my Da Wa is called Shen Mingkang, and Xiao Wa is called Shen Yuqing! Tch, you can just go on being Tieshuan!”

Ma Hongmei was furious, her anger boiling over. She sat on the ground and began to cry. “Oh heavens! We’re being bullied! Gu Yinyin is bullying us, the third branch of the family! She beat me and my son—how are we supposed to live like this?”

She expected her mother-in-law to come out and uphold justice. But Li Ailian, feverish and groggy, was far too annoyed and exhausted. She sent Shen Meijuan out instead, who scolded Ma Hongmei harshly until she fell silent.

Gu Yinyin then took the two children to the water basin to wash their hands and faces before eating. She lowered her voice and instructed them: “Next time someone bullies you, bully them right back! Whoever hits you, you hit them back. Do you remember that?”

Da Wa looked at her with burning eyes. “Last time you said that whoever hit me, it was my fault, and you forbade me to fight back and cause trouble.”

Gu Yinyin paused, then quickly said: “I was wrong when I said that. Just remember what I told you this time! Oh, right—I gave you two names. Do you like them? Shen Mingkang, Shen Yuqing. If you don’t like them, we can change them again.”

Xiao Wa was delighted. The more she thought about it, the more she liked it. After she finished washing her face, her cheeks looked clean and tender, little droplets clinging to her lashes. She was utterly adorable. She nodded and smiled. “Mother, I really like the name Shen Yuqing.”

Gu Yinyin deliberately turned to Da Wa. “And you?”

After wiping his face, Da Wa rinsed the towel and hung it on the line. His lips pressed tightly together, and he said nothing. Gu Yinyin sighed. “Forget it then. We won’t give you a name for now. We’ll wait until your father comes back.”

In fact, the names had been chosen by Shen Guo’an, but Gu Yinyin remembered the future plot, so she recalled these two names.

Da Wa grew anxious and blurted out: “When did I say I didn’t like it!”

Gu Yinyin gave an “Oh.” staring at him in puzzlement. “So you like it? Do you or don’t you like this name, then?”

Da Wa’s face flushed red. After a long while, he muttered awkwardly in a low voice: “I can reluctantly accept it.”

Gu Yinyin snorted. “You’d better not be reluctant. Forget it, this name’s void!”