People who eat melon are in 70 - Chapter 31

Zhao Chunhua suddenly smiled and even took a moment to straighten her clothes.

Everyone was watching her unusual behavior.

Xu Dazui asked in confusion, “What is she trying to do?”

“I don’t know. She can’t be going mad, can she?” Fourth Aunt Jiang, who especially disliked Zhao Chunhua, would not even blink if Zhao Chunhua died in front of her.

Aunt Zhang Er was equally indifferent, as she hated all women who disrupted other people’s families.

Jiang Yutao exchanged a glance with Gu Nianwei. “She wouldn’t be considering something drastic, would she?”

“Possibly,” Gu Nianwei said with a serious expression. As people from the future, they couldn’t just stand by and watch someone commit suicide in front of them. It wasn’t a matter of morality but simply the belief that life shouldn’t be so trampled upon.

“Let’s keep a close watch on her. If something does happen, we’ll rush over as quickly as possible,” Jiang Yutao whispered to Gu Nianwei, who then relayed the message to Li Yunying.

Zhao Chunhua did not make any extreme moves. She sat down on the ground without looking at Su Changshan or Luo Xuemin. She simply stared blankly at the dirt on the ground.

She could deny everything; as long as she insisted she had nothing to do with Su Changshan, Zhu Yuemei couldn’t do anything to her, and Zhao Xiaotao couldn’t get involved either. But she was overconfident, thinking that either the team leader or Su Changshan, if not both, would be able to protect her.

Over the years, it had always been this way. She had known about Luo Xuemin’s feelings for her and Su Changshan’s feelings for her.

But she hadn’t anticipated Zhao Xiaotao’s ruthlessness. She thought Zhu Yuemei and Zhao Xiaotao would hesitate, fearing that ruining their own men’s futures would be too costly.

She was wrong.

She looked at Zhao Xiaotao and said, “You’re really ruthless.”

Zhao Xiaotao smiled at Zhao Chunhua, “How else could I defeat you if I weren’t ruthless?”

Zhao Xiaotao had been waiting outside the crowd. She only came in after Zhao Chunhua arrogantly admitted her affair with Su Changshan. Zhao Xiaotao wanted a decisive blow; only with Zhao Chunhua’s public confession could she ensure Zhao Chunhua couldn’t recover from this.

Zhao Chunhua fell silent. Zhao Xiaotao went to stand with Zhu Yuemei. Although they didn’t speak, at that moment they were natural allies.

Silence fell again.

Zhao Yonglan finished the last sunflower seed she had and suddenly felt something was off. After a moment of thought, she recalled, “By the way, when will you pay me back the money you owe?”

Caught up in the excitement, Zhao Yonglan had forgotten that she was a creditor to the Su family.

Her comment made everyone pause, and they finally remembered what they had initially come to witness.

Zhu Yuemei also forgot. If asked, she still didn’t want to repay the money. However, her initial reluctance to repay was to keep some funds for the Su family. Now that she had sent Su Changshan to the commune, and with her eldest son’s recent attitude, it was likely he blamed her. So why should she keep money for the Su family?

With the money left, it was uncertain how the couple would use it. It would be better to repay Zhao Yonglan and then take her private savings, which would at least provide some security for her younger son.

In a flash, Zhu Yuemei had weighed the pros and cons: “Alright, I’ll exchange it for you.”

Saying this, Zhu Yuemei went back to her room, unusually decisive.

Zhao Yonglan was prepared to argue further with Zhu Yuemei, but Zhu Yuemei’s prompt agreement took her by surprise.

Jiang Yutao remarked, “It would have been better if she had been this straightforward earlier. It would have avoided all these issues.”

Xu Dazui and the others nodded in agreement. With Zhao Xiaotao’s report, not only would the Luo family be finished, but the Su family would also face disaster. As for Zhao Chunhua, her chances of being paraded through the streets were now inevitable.

She could forget about living the leisurely life she had enjoyed before in the village. The hardest and most laborious tasks in the production team were hers, and her work points were the fewest, likely not enough to even cover her meals at home.

As for Luo Xuewen and Su Changshan, as cadres, they knew well what was permissible and what was not. Breaking the law would only increase their punishment, and the hardest and most laborious work in the farming corps awaited them.

The 220 yuan and a small stack of bills were returned to Zhao Yonglan in full. When Zhao Yonglan received the money, she felt it was almost unreal; she had thought it would take several years to get it back.

Shortly after Zhu Yuemei returned the money to Zhao Yonglan, Zhao Xiaotao’s son finally arrived, leading a group of people. At the front was the commune leader, followed by several people in military uniforms with red armbands.

They were from the Revolutionary Committee, and even personnel from the Sent-down Youth Office had come.

The commune leader was familiar with Luo Xuewen and Su Changshan, seeing them at weekly meetings at the commune. He could never have imagined that one day he would be leading a team to arrest them.

If the issue had been embezzlement or bribery, it might have been more expected, but this was about illicit relationships! And with the same woman! Who would believe such a scandal?

Absurd! Ridiculous!

The Revolutionary Committee was well-experienced, yet they still felt they had learned something new today. Upon arriving at the location, they first looked at Zhao Chunhua. Besides being a bit more tanned and fair-skinned, what other merits did she have?

How could such a woman stir up trouble in three families?

One really sees everything after living so long.

Zhao Xiaotao had already rehearsed her complaint countless times in her mind. Without waiting for the commune leader to ask, she started explaining everything. Zhu Yuemei remained silent on the side but didn’t falter when questioned.

The two of them raised the hammer of thunder and struck Zhao Chunhua, Luo Xuewen, and Su Changshan on the pillar of shame.

After the commune leader understood the specifics of the situation, he looked around and said, “Where is Zhao Chunhua’s husband? Bring him here. I have questions for him.”

With such a major event unfolding, even three or four-year-old children had come out to watch, yet there was no sign of Lin Laozhuang. This was clearly unusual. Not only was he absent, but also his son and daughter-in-law were nowhere to be seen.

As the commune leader’s words fell, an elderly voice came from the courtyard, “I am here.”

Everyone looked towards the sound, and saw someone on the east wall of the Su family’s property. Lin Laozhuang climbed down from the wall, glanced at the three people on the ground, and said expressionlessly, “Leader, I am Lin Laozhuang, and I am Zhao Chunhua’s husband.”

Saying the words “Zhao Chunhua’s husband,” Lin Laozhuang’s jaws seemed to clench tightly. “Leader, whatever you want to ask, just go ahead.”

The commune leader scrutinized him thoroughly before asking, “Regarding Zhao Xiaotao and Zhu Yuemei’s accusation that your wife Zhao Chunhua had an affair with their husbands, Su Changshan and Luo Xuewen, were you aware of this?”

“Yes, I knew.” If Zhu Yuemei knew about it, how could Lin Laozhuang not? He simply couldn’t speak out because Luo Xuewen and Su Changshan were influential figures in the village, and he was afraid to say anything.

“Zhao Chunhua has been having an affair with Su Changshan since thirty-three years ago. Luo Xuewen was involved about half a year later. They had a son named Lin Jianzhong, who now works as the director of the commune supply and marketing cooperative.”

Lin Laozhuang honestly relayed everything he knew. It’s actually quite laughable. Before Lin Jianzhong was born, their family had always believed that Lin Jianzhong was his child. Although Luo Xuewen and Zhao Chunhua’s affair was widely discussed at the time, they had not actually been intimate.

Lin Laozhuang had been so upset when he brought Zhao Chunhua back that he slept with her several times. A month after he left, Zhao Chunhua became pregnant. At that time, no one suspected anything, and even when Lin Jianzhong was over a year old, no one thought much of it. After all, villagers are often retrospective; stories about Luo Xuewen and Zhao Chunhua’s affair and who saw whom doing what only came out later.

At that time, no one was talking about these matters.

When Lin Jianzhong was two years old, he looked just like Luo Xuewen when he was young, which confirmed the affair.

By then, Luo Xuewen had already become the village leader, holding significant power. Even if the Lin family knew, they could only swallow their anger and keep quiet.

Lin Laozhuang, who had once been quite a talkative man, had become silent and reticent, largely due to the green hat he wore.

Lin Laozhuang only discovered Zhao Chunhua and Su Changshan’s affair after Lin Jianhua was born. He even caught them in the act.

At that time, Zhao Chunhua and Su Changshan were not at all anxious. Su Changshan even threatened Lin Laozhuang, who came to despise the two of them. If it weren’t for his son Jianhua, he would have used poison to kill these three people long ago.

“Heaven has eyes! Heaven has eyes! The evil will be punished! The evil will be punished!” Lin Laozhuang cried out on the ground, banging his head repeatedly.

After a lifetime of being a cuckold, Lin Laozhuang had had enough.

Why could Zhao Chunhua bully the Lin family for so many years? It was precisely because she had the support of two powerful men. As an ordinary family, how could the Lins compete with the village secretary and the team leader? Without the introduction letters from these two influential figures, they wouldn’t have been able to leave their own village.

Seeing this situation, the revolutionary committee leader waved his hand: “Take all three of them back and interrogate them overnight.”

After so much fuss, it was already past three in the afternoon.

By the time everything was settled, the people from the educated youth office finally arrived next to Wang Shanxi and the others to understand the situation. Jiang Yutao and the others, who had seen him before, ran over directly when they saw him.

The person who came was Section Chief Yang, who was specifically in charge of them.

After learning that Zhu Yuemei had already returned the money, he said, “Don’t be so reckless in the future. If there’s anything, come to the commune to find me; I’ll handle it. This just happened to be a problem today; otherwise, things might not have ended well.”

Section Chief Yang was horrified when he realized that this matter was stirred up by the educated youth. Having managed the commune’s educated youth for six or seven years, he had never seen such reckless behavior before.

“Zhao Yonglan, right? You, as a comrade, need to be more thoughtful in the future. Not to mention that you shouldn’t reveal your financial situation, but even lending money to fellow villagers is wrong, and lending such a large amount all at once.”

“A fellow villager’s annual income isn’t much, and lending them over two hundred like this is just throwing money away!” Section Chief Yang felt his heart breaking: “It’s better to throw it into the water and watch it drift away. At least you’d hear a splash and be entertained. Lending money to others, it’s still your loss.”

Zhao Yonglan knew she was at fault and kept her head down, saying nothing as Section Chief Yang continued to scold her. She had already realized her mistake.

After finishing his reprimand, Section Chief Yang added, “Remember, if there’s anything, come to the commune to find me. Don’t be so reckless again.”

As the people from the commune were about to leave, Section Chief Yang, who was also leaving with them, gave a few more instructions before departing.

Zhao Chunhua, Luo Xueming, and Su Changshan were taken away. Zhao Xiaotao, Zhu Yuemei, Lin Laozhuang, and others, as the aggrieved parties, had to provide explanations and followed along.

The villagers hadn’t dispersed yet and gathered to discuss the matter for quite some time.

Some of the more curious villagers, not caring about the commotion, shouted to Zhu Yuemei’s eldest son, Su Zhengping, “Zhengping, your mom has sent your dad away. What are you planning to do now?”

Su Zhengping, already annoyed, shouted back to “get lost” and began kicking everyone out of the Su household, slamming the door shut with a bang.

Seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, the villagers eventually dispersed.

However, today’s events would provide enough material for gossiping for a year or more.

Jiang Yutao and the others returned to the youth point.

The food on the table had already gone cold. They had only just started eating when they left, and now everyone was hungry.

Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei, having eaten a bit too many sunflower seeds, were particularly thirsty. After returning to the youth point, they first went to the dormitory to drink two large glasses of cold water.

Wang Shanxi and the other male youths were heating up the food in the kitchen while Zhao Yonglan sat on the kang, lost in thought.

The words spoken when they had initially parted ways with the youth point were still fresh in her mind. Now, she genuinely couldn’t bring herself to ask to join them again.

Seeing her state, Li Yunying went to the kitchen and, after returning, told Zhao Yonglan, “Zhao Yonglan, you can come back and join us, even if you don’t know how to cook. However, you must gather firewood and participate in the work on the private plot. Otherwise, you can find someone else to team up with.”

Li Yunying’s words were blunt, but Zhao Yonglan was delighted to hear them. “I understand,” she replied.

After the incident with the Su family, Zhao Yonglan had learned a lesson: these small benefits were not something one could easily take advantage of.

At the dinner table, Zhao Yonglan sincerely apologized and thanked everyone. The matter was put aside.

After dinner, everyone helped Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei move to their new home. Their belongings were minimal, so it was quickly done, with each person making one trip.

Looking at the small but bright and tidy room, Li Yunying and the others were extremely envious. “This room looks so tempting,” they said.

Having a room of one’s own—who could resist such temptation? Li Yunying even briefly considered the idea of spending money to build a house, but she quickly dismissed it. She didn’t have much money, and every penny needed to be spent wisely. She couldn’t afford to be as wasteful as Gu Nianwei and Jiang Yutao.

After all, if they ever returned to the city, they wouldn’t be able to take the house with them. That would be essentially giving away money for nothing.

Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei followed them around, but when they heard Li Yunying’s words, they didn’t offer any advice. Building a house was a big deal, and with the college entrance exam reinstated in just a few years, it was better to save their money for the future.

After Li Yunying and the others left, Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei closed the door to the hallway and excitedly ran around the room.

The hallway led to the living room, which was very small—only about eight square meters. There were two rooms side by side; the room on the outside was Jiang Yutao’s, and the inner one was Gu Nianwei’s.

Jiang Yutao suggested to Gu Nianwei, “Since it’s still early, how about we take a nap?”

Gu Nianwei agreed with the suggestion. “Let’s go.”

The two of them went to their respective rooms. Jiang Yutao spread out a mattress and sheets on the 1.2-meter-wide bed and sat on it, shaking her legs. She took out the meat buns that had been rewarded to her from the system’s backpack.

The buns had thin skins and thick fillings, and they were still hot from just being cooked. Jiang Yutao ate two at a time, with juices spilling out, making her legs shake with delight. She also had some beef jerky by her bedside and took occasional bites, feeling as happy as a deity.

After eating and drinking her fill, she turned over and lay on her blanket, sleeping soundly.

Gu Nianwei finally had her private space. She took a beautiful bath in her space, brought out her favorite bedding, and set it up on the bed. She happily filled the small room with her usual items, and a sense of happiness surged in her heart.

Feeling tired from all the activity, she ate a whole bucket of instant noodles. Although she had once disliked this junk food, she now ate it with great satisfaction.

****

The commune took the Zhao Chunhua incident very seriously. The revolutionary committee conducted a night-long interrogation. The next day, the commune leaders held a meeting and decided to send Luo Xueming and Su Changshan to the borderlands to develop wasteland. As for Zhao Chunhua, being a woman, she would be paraded through the streets and was required to report her remorse every week.

Zhao Chunhua’s public shaming was scheduled for the fifth day of the eighth lunar month, which was also the day of the commune’s big market, drawing a large crowd.

Luo Xueming and Su Changshan were also to be part of this public humiliation.

On the day of the fifth of the eighth month, the people of Liushu Gou set out early.

News of Zhao Chunhua’s case had spread throughout the commune, leading to an exceptionally large turnout, with the crowd described as being overwhelming.

By eight o’clock, Zhao Chunhua and the two men appeared. Their hands were bound behind their backs. The two men were bare-chested, and Zhao Chunhua wore a pair of tattered shoes around her neck. Under the escort of the revolutionary committee’s junior soldiers, they walked step by step along the street.

All three kept their heads down.

Some people, outraged, threw tattered shoes, threw rotten vegetable leaves, stones, and mud at them.

A stone hit Luo Xueming on the forehead, causing him to bleed immediately.

After the public shaming, Zhao Chunhua was taken back to Liushu village, while Luo Xueming and Su Changshan were sent to the borderlands to work in the reclamation corps, with their return seeming indefinitely far off.

Lin Jianzhong lost his position as the director of the supply and marketing cooperative and returned to the village. He was now embroiled in a heated dispute over property with Lin Jianhua and had no time to bother Gu Nianwei.

On the tenth day of the eighth lunar month, it was the day for Zhu Yuemei’s eldest grandson, Su Yang, to marry. The Su family had prepared early in the day.

However, despite their early preparations, the Su family had not managed to bring the bride back even by the afternoon. By evening, a girl in a red wedding dress arrived at Liushu village and moved into the Su household.

The next day, this incident caused a stir in the village.

As a bystander, Jiang Yutao rushed to the scene to check out the new bride, and just as she arrived, the gossip system was upgraded and came back online.

【Ding~ Detected second female lead Xia Heyu, please prepare, host~ Plot package is being transmitted…】