People who eat melon are in 70 - Chapter 27

Jiang Yutao truly hadn’t expected there to be such an inside story about the middle gate. She was so excited that her eyes were practically glowing. “Is there really such a thing? From what I see, our team leader seems to be much younger than Zhao Chunhua.”

The team leader looked to be around forty years old, with a grandson just born. But Zhao Chunhua was different. Lin Jianzhong was already thirty, and Lin Jianhua was about twenty-four or twenty-five. So, her age must be around fifty, which indeed makes her a good few years older than the team leader.

However, just based on appearance, the team leader was far more handsome than Lin Lao Zhuang. Lin Lao Zhuang was thin and gaunt, with a face full of hardship and bitterness. Though the team leader was getting on in years, he had kept himself in good shape and looked like a sturdy man. Just in terms of physique, the team leader was miles ahead of Lin Lao Zhuang.

Fourth Aunt Jiang felt that Jiang Yutao was still too young, too naïve in her thinking, and hadn’t seen much of the world yet. “What does a few years older or younger matter? An older man has his own benefits, and a younger man, well, he has his own charms.”

“Yutao, don’t be fooled by how our team leader looks now—like an old, withered cabbage leaf. When he was young, he was really quite a looker. His physique and appearance were well-known for miles around,” said Fourth Aunt Jiang.

Aunt Zhang added, “That’s right. I remember there was even a girl from our camp back then who insisted on marrying him. Tsk, tsk.”

“And then there’s Zhao Chunhua. Don’t be deceived by her short stature; she has a fantastic figure. That chest, that butt… Even as a woman, I find it enticing.”

Zhao Chunhua did indeed have a great figure, especially her bust, which was particularly large. By Jiang Yutao’s estimation, it was at least a D cup, possibly even an F. Such an exceptional figure would attract men in any era.

Jiang Yutao thought it was somewhat understandable that the team leader had made the mistake many men make.

Talking about their younger days brought out many more stories from everyone. Aunt Zhang said, “Back then, among the young wives in Liushu Valley, Zhao Chunhua and your Fourth Aunt were the most outstanding. You’ve seen your Fourth Aunt; she still looks good even now. Zhao Chunhua, however, stood out for her figure. Like a dairy cow.”

Xu Dazui chimed in, “Isn’t that the truth? Why else would Zhao Chunhua go out of her way to spread rumors about your Fourth Aunt? It’s because she couldn’t outshine your Fourth Aunt, and it made her uncomfortable.”

Jiang Yutao noticed the conversation was straying off-topic, so she quickly brought it back. “Aunties, aunties, you still haven’t finished talking about the team leader and Zhao Chunhua.”

With Jiang Yutao’s reminder, Xu Dazui redirected the conversation. “Oh, right, where was I?”

“You were saying they had a fling when they were younger,” Jiang Yutao said, feeling a bit anxious for Xu Dazui. How could someone get so off-topic when gossiping? It was fine for her, but it was frustrating for someone eager to hear the story.

Xu Dazui continued, “Actually, there might be some truth to it. Back then, Zhao Chunhua had been married for two years without having any children. Her mother-in-law wasn’t fond of her. Just as it happened, there was a call for everyone to go to the county outskirts to help build a reservoir. Old Mrs. Lin put Zhao Chunhua’s name on the list.”

“The team leader was the one in charge of the militia back then.”

“My man went too, and when he came back, he told me all about the gossip between Zhao Chunhua and the team leader. He described it in great detail. Now, if it were just one person saying it, you might think it was baseless gossip. But when everyone is saying the same thing, there’s probably some truth to it, right?”

“Old Lin Lao Zhuang was really worried when he heard about it. He rushed to bring Zhao Chunhua back. Not long after that, news spread that Zhao Chunhua was pregnant. Some bored folks even did the math and figured out that Zhao Chunhua got pregnant while working on the reservoir. After she came back, the team leader would visit their house quite often.”

“Once, when I was out playing with my child, I saw them going up the mountain to chop wood, one after the other,” Xu Dazui said. When she mentioned “going up the mountain to chop wood,” Fourth Aunt Jiang and the others couldn’t help but laugh, their laughter filled with a lewd undertone.

Back then, people weren’t so particular. If they had feelings for each other and desired intimacy, they would just find a secluded spot and indulge. Who cared about the environment? As long as they were satisfied, it was enough. Sometimes, when movies were shown in the village square, if you wandered around the secluded corners, you’d come across several pairs of “wild lovebirds.”

“If you look closely, Lin Jianzhong doesn’t really resemble Lin Laozhuang. But he does look a bit like An Bang and An Min from the team leader’s family.” The team leader’s family had the surname Luo, while Lin Jianzhong’s surname was Lin. The two families had no marital ties in the previous two generations. If there wasn’t some hidden affair, how could two unrelated people look so similar?

The gossip was so juicy that Jiang Yutao needed a moment to digest it all: “Then how can Zhao Chunhua’s husband and the team leader’s wife stand it?”

Xu Dazui thought it was great to have someone like Jiang Yutao around—so clueless and unaware, making their gossip sessions even more satisfying: “Of course they can’t stand it, but what can they do? Back then, every household was poor, so if they could make it work, they would.”

“When the team leader’s wife married into the family, Lin Jianzhong was already running around on his own. She must not have known before marriage. But after finding out, what could she do? She had to swallow her bitterness.”

Aunt Zhang, mentioning the team leader’s wife, Sister Tao, felt a twinge of empathy: “Zhao Xiaotao is really a pitiful woman. Just think about how good her family situation was back then, and she wasn’t bad-looking either. If she hadn’t married our team leader, it wouldn’t have been impossible for her to marry someone from the commune. But she ended up with such a mess.”

“Exactly,” Aunt Jiang agreed. Then she turned to Jiang Yutao and said, “Zhao Xiaotao is quite greedy for money now, isn’t she? You must have taken things to her house quite often to get the team leader to do something, right? Let me tell you, she wasn’t like that when she was younger. She had principles—she wouldn’t touch a bit of what belonged to others, and she wouldn’t let anyone touch what was hers.”

“But ever since Lin Jianzhong went to the army, she changed.” Whether it was back then or even now, being in the military was a career that could change someone’s life. When Lin Jianzhong went to join the army, it shocked quite a few people.

“When the team leader was young, he was part of the militia company in the county town and had some connections there. It’s said that Lin Jianzhong was able to join the army because he pulled some strings.” This maneuver further solidified the rumor that Lin Jianzhong was his son.

This explains why, even though Zhao Chunhua clearly mistreated Lin Jianzhong, Lin Laozhuang, as his biological grandfather, remained silent.

“If it were me, I would change too. Getting a spot to join the army is extremely rare. Just look at our village; apart from Lin Jianzhong, how many others have managed to enlist? The team leader gave that spot to Lin Jianzhong, so her own son didn’t get it. Look at her sons—none of them are as promising as Lin Jianzhong.”

“If she doesn’t take advantage now to grab a few things, who knows when Lin Jianzhong might not carry the Lin family name anymore? After all, men always favor the son who shows the most promise.”

Xu, Zhang, and Jiang all sighed in agreement.

Now it was Jiang Yutao’s turn to click her tongue in amazement.

What Xu Dazui and the others were talking about wasn’t mentioned in the book. The book only briefly noted that the team leader’s family was very supportive of Lin Jianzhong.

Jiang Yutao initially thought the team leader supported Lin Jianzhong’s family because he believed Lin Jianzhong was promising—being a young man who had made it out of Liushugou—and that supporting him could bring some benefits to the village.

Who would have thought the truth was so straightforward and so sensational?

Without some prior hints, who would think in that direction?

Jiang Yutao’s face was flushed with excitement. “What about Lin Jianhua? Is Lin Jianhua his father’s biological son?”

Jiang Yutao had met Lin Jianhua and had also seen Lin Laozhuang, but she really couldn’t tell if they looked alike.

“He’s definitely Lin Laozhuang’s child. He looks so much like Lin Laozhuang,” Xu Dazui said with certainty.

Jiang Yutao’s eyes lit up, and she thought of another question. “Since Lin Jianzhong isn’t even Lin Laozhuang’s son, why is Lin Weihong still so good to Lin Jianzhong’s family?”

“Lin Weihong is the type who doesn’t let go until she sees the benefit. Lin Jianzhong has given her plenty of benefits to take care of his sons. Plus, she doesn’t get along with Zhao Chunhua. Anything that can make things difficult for Zhao Chunhua, she’ll do it.”

Aunt Zhang added, “If you ask me, Zhao Chunhua had it coming. Back then, it was Zhao Chunhua who found Lin Weihong that disabled fiancé, treating her badly first. No wonder she wants revenge.”

During their enjoyable gossip session, Jiang Yutao finally finished work. She couldn’t wait to share the news with Gu Nianwei, who was hearing about it for the first time.

“I really didn’t expect this. I used to think the captain was under his wife’s thumb. Who would have thought he’d turn out to be the biggest playboy?” Gu Nianwei was amazed. “To have an illegitimate child before marriage and then openly favor him after marriage—I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Exactly,” Jiang Yutao agreed, and the two of them continued their discussion enthusiastically.

As they neared the educated youth camp, they encountered Lin Wenping and his brothers. Unlike before, when they would run up to Gu Nianwei whenever they saw her, now the two brothers turned their heads away as soon as they spotted her. Lin Wen’an even picked up a rock from the ground and gestured threateningly at them.

Gu Nianwei’s expression darkened. She vented to Jiang Yutao, “I have no idea why I used to think those brothers were polite and cute.”

Jiang Yutao thought to herself, “It’s because back then, when you looked at the three of them, you saw them through the ‘stepmother filter.'”

Fortunately, Gu Nianwei wasn’t too hung up on the issue. She began discussing the matter of building their house with Jiang Yutao.

As was customary, the production team would give villagers a few days off before the autumn harvest to rest and recharge. Gu Nianwei and Jiang Yutao decided that they would start building their house during those days.

After eating, the two of them went to the private plot at the educated youth camp. Since they were going to build a house, the vegetables and fruits they had planted there were already harvested. The area was now barren and empty.

While discussing their plans, they pulled strings and marked out the rough layout of the house using lime.

They worked straight through the midday, and when they went to work in the afternoon, Zhao Yonglan looked at them with disdain. If it weren’t for her fear of Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei, she would have already made some snide remarks.

For some reason, every time Jiang Yutao saw Zhao Yonglan now, she felt an itch in her hands, eager to do something about it.

During work, Jiang Yutao had arranged with Xu Dazui and the others the date to start building the house. Xu Dazui confidently patted his chest, promising that he would make sure her house looked splendid.

Meanwhile, Gu Nianwei had also agreed on a day with Tao Auntie to haul the mud bricks.

Everything was ready, just waiting for the holiday.

On the day of the holiday, it was a rare good day. As soon as the sun rose, a group of villagers led by Xu Dazui’s husband, Uncle Man Tian, headed towards the educated youth point, carrying shovels and other tools.

Gu Nianwei and Jiang Youtao, excited about building their house, hadn’t slept all night and got up early. Li Yunying and the others, who had never participated in such a major task as building a house, were particularly curious about the whole process and also woke up early.

Xu Dazui’s husband, Uncle Man Tian, was a man of few words. During the winter off-season, he and the others would go out to take on side jobs, and building houses was their old trade.

After listening to Gu Nianwei and Jiang Yutao explain the layout and ideas for the house, he nodded, “I know how to build it. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure to build it well for you.”

Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei nodded in agreement, “Then we’ll trouble you all with this.”

Uncle Man Tian didn’t say much, just signaled the villagers he brought with him to step forward and get to work.

People were poor at that time, so any work that could earn money was done with extra effort. Although Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei didn’t provide food, they offered a good wage. Knowing that once the house was built, they would have some money in their pockets and could buy a few more candies to sweeten the children’s mouths for the New Year, everyone worked with great enthusiasm.

Wang Shanxi and the other male-educated youth also came to help. This was considered a major event for their educated youth point, which prided itself on unity. It would have been somewhat inappropriate if they hadn’t participated.

Building a house at that time was quite straightforward.

After laying the foundation, they would start building the walls. Once the walls were up, they would install the beams, then lay the roof tiles, and finally put on the door. At this point, the main structure of the house would be completed, and the remaining work would be on the interior.

Zhang Ershenzi’s husband, who was skilled in making kang beds, chose a shared wall of a two-room house to make into a firewall, based on Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei’s requirements. He then constructed two kang beds, each 1.2 meters wide, along this firewall, with each kang equipped with a small stove.

This small stove would be very useful in winter.

With a pot on top, they would always have hot water available, making things comfortable and convenient.

Jiang Yutao and her group had a small house, but with so many people helping, it took a total of ten days from laying the foundation to finishing the construction.

After paying the workers and lighting a couple of fires to dry out the kang beds, Jiang Yutao and her group were ready to move into their new home.

After moving in, they no longer dined with Wang Shanxi and the others.

On the day of their parting, Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei invited everyone for a meal.

Gu Nianwei brought out two pounds of pork from her space, and Jiang Yutao traded two ounces of flour at the commune’s free market for two fish.

This meal was the most lavish ever at the educated youth point.

Zhao Yonglan, reluctant to go to the Su family’s home, waited for an invitation from Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei. Since Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei had no intention of accommodating her, and Zhao Yonglan was too embarrassed to invite herself, she reluctantly went to the Su family’s home.

By the time Zhao Yonglan arrived, the meal time at the Su family had passed, and Zhu Yuemei did not wait specifically for her. The Su family had already finished eating by the time she got there.

Zhao Yonglan carried her lunchbox to the kitchen, only to find that there was just a tiny bit of porridge left in the large pot, barely enough to cover the bottom of the lunchbox.

The dishes on the table were reduced to just a bit of vegetable soup.

Zhao Yonglan’s temper flared up immediately: “Aunt Yuemei, I brought food and paid for the firewood when I came to your house. Leaving me with just this little bit of food is not right, is it?”

Zhu Yuemei glanced at Zhao Yonglan’s lunchbox and pursed her lips: “Sorry, Xiao Zhao, I really didn’t notice. Look at how many people and kids are in my family; sometimes things get overlooked.”

“I definitely saved some food for you. It must be one of the kids who secretly took the food I saved for you. Don’t worry, I’ll find out who did it and make sure they get what’s coming to them.” Zhu Yuemei’s words had a dismissive tone.

A week ago, Zhu Yuemei would never have spoken to Zhao Yonglan like this. After all, finding a naive educated youth like Zhao Yonglan was rare. Even if she was displeased, she would have been more accommodating to keep her around for that small income.

But things were different now. Zhao Yonglan had borrowed all her money and was now penniless, while Zhu Yuemei had become the one holding the money. She was no longer patient with Zhao Yonglan.

Zhao Yonglan was so angry her eyes turned red: “Aunt Yuemei, this isn’t the first time. You said the same thing the day before yesterday, and now you’re saying it again. Give me a straight answer—what exactly are you trying to say?”

Zhu Yuemei played dumb: “What do you mean, Xiao Zhao? I don’t understand what you’re saying. Xiao Zhao, you really have a bad temper. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. It’s no big deal to let it go once or twice; you shouldn’t be so picky.”

“If you think we’re not taking good care of you, then you can go eat at someone else’s house. I don’t want to serve you anyway. It’s not a big deal.”