Chapter 32: Zeng Cheng Invites Zhou Wen to His Home for Dinner!

After all, in that era, anyone who had contact with people in the cowshed risked being implicated.

In serious cases, one could even be sent down to the cowshed oneself.

So what excuse did Qian Sanya have for frequently going to Zhao Family Village?

Without a reason, people would surely be suspicious.

In the era of earning work points, everyone labored together. As long as you were from the same village, everyone knew each other well.

Some people even knew all the affairs of neighboring villages.

Unlike later times, when people lived in high-rise apartments—neighbors upstairs and downstairs might not even know each other.

But Qian Sanya always used Zhao Qianqian as her excuse:
—“My stepsister’s family lives here, so I come back on her behalf to visit.”
—“My stepsister Zhao Qianqian once took me to the mountains near Zhao Family Village. I liked it so much that I sneak back here to play.”
—“My stepsister Zhao Qianqian asked me to help her pick some wild fruit from the mountain!”

With excuses like that, no one paid undue attention to Qian Sanya.

This way, Qian Sanya and Zeng Cheng could often go to Zhao Family Village together.

The matter of the cowshed was too secret. Zeng Cheng couldn’t tell Zhao Qianqian, as it was dangerous and could implicate her.

But Qian Sanya was different—she had already become entangled.

So Zeng Cheng tried to make it up to her in other ways—by giving her money, or taking extra care of her.

Yet the original Zhao Qianqian knew none of the truth.

She simply believed Zeng Cheng regretted marrying her and had chosen to be with Qian Sanya, even sneaking off with her all the time!

So the Zhao Qianqian in the book sought revenge and strayed.

After all, in that era, good people never associated with those in the cowshed!

Later, even when Zeng Cheng tried to explain, Zhao Qianqian didn’t understand.

For one thing, she didn’t know how history would develop, and refused to go near that place out of fear of being branded as a bad element.

Secondly, Zeng Cheng and Qian Sanya were far too close!

Thus, back and forth, the Zhao Qianqian in the novel burned with fury.

She felt neglected and ignored by her husband, and so developed a strong desire for revenge.

And so, she began to seduce other men.

To be fair, Zhao Qianqian had originally wanted to be a good wife and mother after marrying Zeng Cheng.

But Qian Sanya, the reborn female lead, constantly poisoned her reputation, sowing discord.

In the end, Zhao Qianqian was forced onto this path of no return—cheating!

Her extreme choice of venting dissatisfaction and resentment may have been a silent protest against Zeng Cheng and Qian Sanya’s constant trips to Zhao Family Village.

Qian Sanya, reborn, felt no guilt.

So what if Zeng Cheng had married Zhao Qianqian?

Zhao Qianqian had first stolen her fiancé. So later, her interference in their marriage was “justified.”

But between Zhao Qianqian and Zeng Cheng, his fault was greater.

He was the one who first courted Zhao Qianqian, treating her even better than he treated his betrothed, Qian Sanya.

Of course, Zhao Qianqian also bore heavy fault.

She had seduced Zeng Cheng out of greed for wealth and resentment over Old Man Qian’s harshness toward her mother—a deliberate provocation!

Still, from the perspective of the transmigrated Zhao Qianqian, Qian Sanya’s values weren’t so righteous either.

To meddle in another’s marriage—was that moral?

Before marriage, competing for love could be called everyone’s right to pursue happiness.

But once married, interfering was a clear problem of morality and character.

But Qian Sanya was the female lead—so no matter what, she was “right.”

In any case—whether it was Zeng Cheng’s fault, the original Zhao Qianqian’s fault, or the reborn Qian Sanya’s shamelessness—

As the transmigrated Zhao Qianqian, she would never suffer silently.

Qian Sanya might be the female lead, a reborn one at that.

But wasn’t Zhao Qianqian herself a transmigrator, with the perspective of God?

So who was afraid of whom?

Still, approaching the people in the cowshed wasn’t so simple.

She needed a proper plan.

At that time, the Revolutionary Committee people were still extreme.

So, to have a better excuse to interact with those in the cowshed, Zhao Qianqian decided to build a house in Zhao Family Village.

Such a big matter wasn’t for her alone to decide—she had to inform Mother Zhao and her brothers.

That day, Zhao Qianqian called her mother and two elder brothers to her home.

By now, she no longer regarded the Qian family as her true kin—especially with that troublemaker Qian Sanya around!

“Mother, Eldest Brother, Younger Brother, I’ve actually been going frequently to Zhao Family Village lately, even having Second Cousin take my shifts for me.” Zhao Qianqian took a deep breath and slowly shared the plan she had long considered. “You know, I’m especially attached to Zhao Family Village, because my birth father and Zhao clan relatives all live there. After much thought, I’ve already marked out a plot of land there, and I intend to build my own house!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Nannan and Zhao Dongdong’s expressions turned complicated, their eyes filling with tears.

They too had endless longing for Zhao Family Village.

Though it was poor, it was their birthplace.

Looking back, if not for hardship forcing them away, who would willingly abandon home and family ties?

“Build it. But the land and construction cost shouldn’t be on you,” the eldest spoke first in support. “I have no money now, but when I do, I’ll repay you double.”

Mother Zhao was also moved. “Build it. Your mother still has some money left.”

If Zhao Family Village hadn’t been so poor back then, she would never have remarried.

Even if she had, she would’ve left a son behind in Zhao Village.

But Zhao Qianqian shook her head. “Mother, brothers, you don’t need to pay. I’ll just build a simple mud house, not costly at all. When I miss home, I can go stay a few days.”

“Since it’s only a simple house, then I’ll give you 200 yuan. And your brothers too—each of them should have two rooms.” Mother Zhao thought aloud, “If one day we can’t go on living in Qian Family Village, at least we’ll have a place to fall back on.”

But Zhao Qianqian insisted on refusing.

After all, her building in Zhao Family Village had her own motives.

She told them only so she’d have an explanation if anyone asked later.

But Mother Zhao went back to Qian Village, brought 200 yuan, and stuffed it into Qianqian’s hands.

For a mud house, fifty yuan was enough for one.

She truly wanted it!

When they had left Zhao Family Village, they sold their three mud houses—worth little.

Now, since Old Man Qian never recognized her children, never gave them houses or property, she wanted her two sons to have a foothold in their homeland.

No matter what, a mother had to plan for her sons.

If one day the Qian family really expelled them, even she herself would need a place to stay.

With her mother and brothers’ approval, things went smoothly for Zhao Qianqian.

Zhao Family Village was poor, so the land was cheap.

Especially as Zhao Qianqian chose a plot near the cowshed and mountains—remote and inconvenient, so even cheaper.

She bought enough for six houses—for only ten yuan!

Now with land secured, construction could begin in spring.

Labor here was also cheap.

But work couldn’t start before New Year—only after spring.

—

At the educated youth point.

As the New Year neared, all the educated youths were on holiday.

They couldn’t easily return home, so they too spent the holiday in Qian Family Village.

In truth, being assigned here was already a blessing.

In other villages, educated youths might get only a few taels to half a jin of pork for the holiday, maybe a few steamed buns or some vegetables.

But in Qian Family Village, they received cash—six yuan each as holiday allowance.

Six yuan could buy five jin of pork!

For someone like Zhou Wen, from a desperately poor family, he could even mail the money home to support them.

But the reason Zeng Cheng invited Zhou Wen home was twofold:

First, they were fellow educated youths, working together daily, so naturally close.

Second, their friendship had been orchestrated by Qian Sanya.

Zhao Qianqian sneered, “Qian Sanya lived two lives, yet never forgot to make Zeng Cheng and Zhou Wen close.”

In the first life, before her rebirth, Qian Sanya encouraged their friendship mainly so that Zhou Wen and Zhao Qianqian would interact more, then deliberately smeared them before Zeng Cheng, implying an affair.

But though she ruined Zhao Qianqian and Zhou Wen’s reputation, she also ended up matchmaking them.

Even after Zeng Cheng later cast Zhao Qianqian aside and divorced her, Zhao Qianqian’s second marriage was to Zhou Wen, and she became the wife of a high-ranking official.

In the second life, Qian Sanya was reborn.

But before becoming an official, Zhou Wen had been very poor. Even after gaining a position, he wasn’t wealthy—his salary had to support a huge family. He couldn’t compare with Zeng Cheng, a true rich man.

It took him over ten years of climbing the bureaucracy to finally reach high office and live more comfortably.

So Qian Sanya wanted Zeng Cheng and Zhou Wen close, so Zhou Wen could later benefit from Zeng Cheng’s money.

But Zhao Qianqian would never allow Zeng Cheng and Zhou Wen to be close.

She didn’t want to do charity.

Besides, Zhou Wen was destined to be Qian Sanya’s man. Helping him would mean helping her enemy!

Why nurture an enemy?

And as for Zhou Wen becoming an official?

No matter how high he rose, he could never surpass Zeng Cheng’s father.

In terms of wealth and power, Zhao Qianqian would never choose Zhou Wen.

She only wanted to be a pampered rice worm, living in idle comfort!