Chapter 5 Is there a famine in the village?

A group of Lu family onlookers, each holding a bowl, followed along. Since it was mealtime, some villagers also stepped out with bowls to see the commotion. Naturally, they walked along, bowls in hand.

—Commune Office.

The brigade leader, Du Yushu, had just finished eating and was about to rest when he saw a crowd walking toward him, each holding a bowl. He was startled. Had there been a famine in the village? Why was everyone coming to the office with bowls? And what about his sister’s family? Was the Lu family also suffering from hunger? His eldest nephew, Lu Jingguo, bringing his younger siblings to the office to beg for food? This was too ridiculous!

Lu Jingyi, however, spotted his uncle first and slipped out of the crowd, rushing ahead to Du Yushu. Smiling, he said, “Uncle, you’re here to work!”

Du Yushu gave him a slap. “What nonsense are you talking? What’s going on? Why is everyone holding a bowl?”

Lu Jingyi lowered his head and took a bite of rice, mumbling with his mouth full, “Just here to watch the excitement.”

A woman, dressed nicely but with an ordinary face, approached Du Yushu and pointed at Zhang Xiu. “Are you the brigade leader of Baiyun Village? I want to report this woman for stealing my wallet.”

Her fiancé, Wu Youqian, shouted loudly, “I can testify! It was this woman who stole it!”

Zhang Xiu stepped out from the crowd, handing the wallet to Du Yushu and calmly said, “I didn’t steal it. I was walking behind these two when I saw this woman drop her wallet. I picked it up to return it, but she falsely accused me of stealing it.”

Su Qing snapped, “Don’t try to deny it. My fiancé saw you take it!”

Zhang Xiu replied, “You two are in cahoots anyway. Whatever you want to say, go ahead. It doesn’t matter to me.”

Du Yushu interrupted, “Enough, stop arguing. Come inside and explain everything clearly.”

Su Qing and Wu Youqian shot Zhang Xiu a glare but smugly walked into the office.

Zhang Xiu glanced at the crowd and recognized the voice as that of Lu family’s young daughter-in-law, Ji Xiao Xi. She remembered washing clothes by the river with Ji Xiao Xi back when Ji Xiao Xi hadn’t yet married into the Lu family. At that time, Ji Xiao Xi, like Zhang Xiu, had to work in the fields during the day and do household chores at night. But Ji Xiao Xi was a bit healthier than she was. Later, Ji Xiao Xi married into the Lu family, and apparently, the family treated her well—she no longer had to work in the fields. Zhang Xiu had even envied her for a while.

Ji Xiao Xi, holding Lu Qi’an in her arms, looked around and accidentally met Zhang Xiu’s gaze. Zhang Xiu nodded at her, and Ji Xiao Xi, bewildered, nodded back. She hoped Zhang Xiu could escape the Zhang family—but she wasn’t sure if the witness Liang Mancang had come.

【001, did Liang Mancang come?】
【Yes, the sturdy man at the very front with thinning hair is him.】
【Bald? Good thing Zhang Xiu didn’t marry him—baldness is hereditary in men, not women. His son would have ended up bald too.】
【Indeed, his brothers’ hair is all in danger.】

Zhang Xiu glanced toward Liang Mancang. He was hunched over, eating, his smooth bald head gleaming in the light. She exhaled deeply, feeling a little relieved, and entered the office.

Du Yushu sat in his chair, blowing on a cup of tea before taking a sip. He spoke slowly, “I roughly understand the situation. But normally, if a wallet is stolen, you should report it to the police. Why come to the brigade office? I’m just a farmer; I can’t solve a case.”

Su Qing hurriedly said, “It’s like this—we decided to give this woman a chance to correct herself. If she admits the theft and apologizes, we won’t pursue the matter.”

Since it was a deliberate frame-up, they wouldn’t dare report it to the police. Reporting would easily alert the Su family. What if the Su family came rushing over? That would effectively deliver their biological daughter straight to the Zhang family! Su Qing wasn’t that foolish.

Wu Youqian also pretended to be magnanimous: “It’s just a wallet. There wasn’t much money in it, just a few hundred yuan. It’s nothing to us. We only want justice.”

Hearing the gasps from the surrounding crowd and the clattering of eating, he proudly puffed out his large belly and raised his head high.

“A few hundred yuan! No wonder Zhang Xiu would be tempted—I’m tempted too.”
“Zhang Xiu has been mischievous since childhood, seducing her brother and now stealing money. No wonder Wan Chunhua always scolded her as worthless.”
“I think Zhang Xiu seems sincere. She does her work seriously. She’s not as bad as you say. Don’t judge without seeing for yourself.”
“Yes, she’s just a young girl, doing eight work points a day—only two less than men.”
“Even the most honest person can make mistakes under the temptation of a few hundred yuan. Would they deliberately frame her? They don’t even know her.”

Ji Xiao Xi listened to the surrounding chatter, but her arms were aching. Holding a 30-pound child, she really couldn’t manage it anymore. Inwardly, she thought:

【My son is so well-nourished, I can’t even carry him.】
【Mainly because of the father’s genes—your husband is 1.87 meters tall. Your three-year-old son is already taller than peers.】
【Oh, so I’m lucky. Though I don’t have much memory of my husband.】
【Of course, the male lead was recalled for a mission just days after marrying the original wife—they barely spent any time together.】

【No wonder the original owner didn’t remember much—she only recalled his very short hair, sharp facial features, broad shoulders, and long legs.】
【Alright, alright. I have memories of your first night with your husband. Do you want me to transmit them to you?】
【!!! Bold! It’s dark, only the sense of touch… and… not enough anyway.】
【Then wait until your husband comes back and try it yourself.】
【Hehe…】

For her, a little immortal maiden who had been single for over twenty years, this was genuinely a bit exciting. Zhang Xiu didn’t fully understand, but she felt shy and flustered, as if she had just overheard something private.

Su Qing, sharp-eyed, noticed Zhang Xiu blushing and smugly said, “So, now you feel ashamed? When you greedily stole my wallet back then, why didn’t you think about this? A woman should rely on herself, not always hope for unearned gains.”

Zhang Xiu looked up and smiled lightly. “Are you done? Once you’re done talking, it’s my turn.”

Su Qing covered her mouth and snickered. “Go ahead, let’s see what you can say.”

Zhang Xiu walked toward Liang Mancang, smiling. “Brother Liang, I know you’re a good person. You’ll help me with this, won’t you?”

She was delicate and pretty, with two small braids, and when she smiled, her eyes curved beautifully.

Liang Mancang, with a bit of rice on the corner of his mouth, was instantly bewitched. When had Zhang Xiu ever smiled at him like this? She looked so stunning—his mind went blank, and he hurriedly promised, “Sister Xiu, whatever you need, I’ll definitely help you.”

Zhang Xiu’s smile grew brighter and even more beautiful. She had been scared to smile before because Wan Chunhua always called her flirtatious and shamed her. But now that she knew Wan Chunhua wasn’t her biological mother, what reason did she have to hold back?

“Brother Mancang, you saw that I picked up her wallet, didn’t you?”