People who eat melon are in 70 - Chapter 44

Zhao Yonglan suddenly burst into tears.

She truly couldn’t understand what grudge or resentment Xia Heyu had against her to treat her this way. Lin Laitou was already in his thirties, almost forty. He was called “Laitou” because his head was covered in patches of bald spots, one after another.

It was said that this condition could be contagious. Coupled with his unattractive appearance and his laziness, there wasn’t a single woman in the surrounding villages who was willing to marry him.

Just looking at his head made Zhao Yonglan’s skin crawl.

If Lin Laitou really took her back to his home, her life would be completely ruined. What would an old bachelor do with a young girl in her teens? The thought alone terrified Zhao Yonglan.

All the other educated youths, including Li Yunying, were outraged. Li Yunying spoke up for Zhao Yonglan, saying, “Zhao Yonglan doesn’t interact much with Xia Heyu. The only connection they have is that Zhao Yonglan once ate meals at the Su family’s house for a while. But back then, Xia Heyu hadn’t even married into the Su family. By the time she did, Yonglan had already returned to the educated youth dormitory for her meals.”

Not only Zhao Yonglan, but everyone except Jiang Yutao was baffled.

At that moment, Jiang Yutao offered a timely suggestion: “Well, I think Xia Heyu might have inappropriate feelings for Su Zhengtang. Do you think she’s targeting Yonglan because she knows that Su Zhengtang once gave Yonglan a boiled egg?”

This perspective was so bizarre that not only Zhao Yonglan but even the well-informed Gu Nianwei was stunned.

Zhao Yonglan even forgot to cry. “All because of this? A single egg? Is she insane?”

Gu Nianwei and the others suddenly had a revelation. “Given Xia Heyu’s mentality, this could be very likely.”

Everyone began talking at once, incredulous. Even Director Yang and the on-duty police officer were taken aback.

Could there really be someone so unreasonable in this world? All because someone ate an egg made by a man she liked, she wanted to ruin their life? And mind you, the man she liked wasn’t even her husband.

The on-duty police officer and Director Yang, both seasoned individuals, still found themselves speechless at this situation.

The officer called two colleagues, one to go to the commune to find someone from the Xia family and another to manage the situation at the station.

Meanwhile, Xia Heyu was fast asleep.

After being turned away from the educated youth dormitory last time, she had returned to the commune in the middle of the night. She waited outside her family’s house until morning. Her mother, unable to bear seeing her suffer, finally gave in and brought her back home.

Her father, although indifferent to her, tacitly allowed her to stay at home. Over the past few days, she had been living a carefree life—sleeping in every day, eating as soon as she woke up, and then idling the rest of the time. Her days were leisurely and enjoyable.

As for whether her two sisters-in-law were happy about her return or found her presence pleasant, Xia Heyu honestly didn’t care. To her, they were nothing but snobs, only interested in people with money.

She scoffed at the thought of how, in her previous life, they had advised her to maintain a good relationship with Zhao Yonglan.

The door to the Xia household was opened by Xia Heyu’s eldest brother, who also lived in the commune. When he saw the police officers at his door, he immediately sobered up. “Officer Hu, Officer Xu, what brings you here so late at night?”

His voice was loud and clear in the quiet of the night, waking the rest of the household. From the east room, where Xia Heyu’s parents slept, and from the second brother’s room, there was movement.

Xia Heyu’s parents got up, threw on some clothes, and came out of their room.

Only when they arrived did Officer Hu, the on-duty policeman, speak: “Is Xia Heyu home? If she is, she needs to come with us.”

The faces of the Xia family members all changed. Having the police come to their house in the middle of the night to take someone away was no trivial matter. Xia Heyu’s father pulled a filtered cigarette out of his pocket and offered it to the officers. “Officer Hu, what’s this all about?”

Officer Hu, who was quite familiar with Xia Heyu’s father, didn’t take the cigarette but explained the situation. The Xia family’s reputation in the commune had already been tarnished due to Xia Heyu’s behavior. If it weren’t for the fact that both of the Xia family’s sons were already married, it was doubtful any girl would still agree to marry into their family.

As a father himself, Officer Hu couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to have a daughter like Xia Heyu. The mere thought made him feel as if he’d rather be dead.

Still, he spoke calmly. “There was an incident at the educated youth station in Liushu Village. According to the confession of the perpetrator, they acted on the instructions of your daughter, Xia Heyu.”

Hearing this, Xia Heyu’s mother’s legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. An incident at the educated youth station? A perpetrator? Crimes? Every one of these words spelled trouble.

Xia Heyu’s father felt dizzy, his vision darkening. He shouted at the eldest brother, “Go wake her up right now and have her go with the officers!”

The eldest brother quickly went to wake Xia Heyu. She was in the middle of dreaming about being the wealthiest man’s wife in the county, and when her brother woke her, she was thoroughly annoyed. “Why are you waking me up in the middle of the night? What’s wrong with you?”

Her eldest brother was so furious he could barely hold back from strangling her. With a stoic expression, he said, “Get up now. The police are here for you.”

When Xia Heyu turned over, intending to go back to sleep, her brother grabbed her and pulled her out of bed. Dragging her by force, he brought her outside. The moment Xia Heyu saw the officers in uniform, she stopped acting out.

In those days, everyone feared the police. Even in her previous life, Xia Heyu had abided by the law her whole life and had never once interacted with the police.

“Mom, Dad, help me! I didn’t do anything!” she cried, tears streaming down her face.

Xia Heyu’s mother instinctively wanted to chase after her daughter, but her husband pulled her back. “If you dare follow her out today, you can stay outside with her. This family won’t tolerate you anymore.”

Her footsteps halted. The eldest brother didn’t look at her and instead turned back to his room.

He didn’t need to think twice to imagine what the neighbors would say about their family once morning came. Someone taken away by the police in the middle of the night? In their neighborhood, it could only be Xia Heyu.

The eldest brother’s wife had had enough of the constant gossip and judgment every time she stepped out. She got out of bed, packed her things, and prepared to return to her family home. As she was leaving, she bumped into the second brother’s wife. Both women were from the same town and decided to leave together.

Neither of them took their children with them. The eldest and second brothers sat on the doorstep, holding their heads in their hands.

What terrible sins had they committed in their past lives to deserve a sister like this in this one?

When Xia Heyu saw Lin Laitou at the police station, her face turned pale as a sheet, and she began to tremble.

The moment she heard Lin Laitou claim that she had instructed him to abduct Zhao Yonglan, she immediately shouted, “I didn’t! I never said that!”

Lin Laitou, however, was furious with Xia Heyu. If it weren’t for her constantly gossiping and spreading nonsense in their village, how could he have been tricked?

“It was you! If it weren’t for you going on and on to Lin Lao’er’s wife about how rich and well-connected Zhao Yonglan was, would I have gotten such a twisted idea?” Lin Laitou might be poor, but he wasn’t stupid.

“You have nothing to do with Lin Lao’er’s wife, yet you kept going to talk to her every day. Eight out of ten things you said were about Zhao Yonglan. And during the day, you even went out of your way to tell me that Zhao Yonglan had gone to the commune with two useless people following her. Do I need to spell out your intentions for you?”

Lin Lao’er’s family and Lin Laitou’s family were neighbors, sharing the same courtyard wall. Xia Heyu spoke loudly, and at first, Lin Laitou didn’t take her words seriously. In fact, he even found Zhao Yonglan annoying.

But as he heard those comments repeatedly, his thoughts began to change.

A sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl as beautiful as a flower, carrying 200 yuan in cash, educated and cultured, with well-off parents who were high-ranking leaders in a big city factory, and an only daughter at that. If he somehow became her husband, wouldn’t her family help him rise in status?

The more Lin Laitou thought about it, the more tempted he became. So when he heard Xia Heyu mention that Zhao Yonglan had gone to the commune, he decided to act. With Xia Heyu’s words as encouragement, he didn’t take Liu Yingjun and Zhang Huihui, who were accompanying Zhao Yonglan, seriously at all.

“Two useless educated youths who can’t carry a load on their shoulders or lift anything with their hands—what good are they?”

However, Lin Laitou’s underestimation ultimately caused him to suffer a significant setback, and at this point, he felt like he could eat Xia Heyu alive out of anger.

“Xiuying is my classmate! What’s wrong with me chatting with her? You’re the one with impure intentions—what does this have to do with me?” Xia Heyu, foolish as she could be, knew she couldn’t admit to Lin Laitou’s accusations. If she did, jail time would be inevitable.

She hadn’t been reborn to end up in prison!

Lin Laitou had already thoroughly investigated Xia Heyu’s background. “Stop lying. Lao’er’s wife only went to school for three years in primary school, while you’re a high school graduate! If you two were such good classmates, how come you never visited her before? Didn’t you say all those things just so I’d hear them?”

Lin Laitou had made up his mind. Whether Xia Heyu had deliberately said those things for him to hear or not, he was going to insist on it. If he went down, he’d make sure to take someone with him.

As the two were about to argue further, Officer Hu frowned and shouted, “Quiet!”

Both immediately fell silent.

Officer Hu then turned to Zhao Yonglan and her group. “We’ve already got a clear understanding of the situation, and all those involved in the case have been arrested. However, we still need to investigate further to reach a final conclusion. For now, you should head back. Once we have results, I’ll inform you.”

Director Yang, standing nearby, added, “I’ll keep an eye on this. I won’t let you suffer any injustice.”

Jiang Yutao and the others looked at Zhao Yonglan. As the victim, it was up to her to decide—if she chose to leave, they would follow; if she insisted on staying for a resolution, they would stay with her.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Yonglan said, “Then we’ll head back. I trust the Public Security Bureau and the Educated Youth Office to give me a fair explanation.”

Her words were well-spoken, and both Officer Hu and Director Yang nodded in approval.

“Head back, and be careful on the way,” Director Yang said as he escorted them to the door before turning back inside.

Director Yang was known for his diligence and responsibility. Among the nine townships under Yangping County’s jurisdiction, the educated youth in Zao Township enjoyed the most comfortable lives, thanks to his efforts.

The group trusted that Director Yang would not let them down.

On their way back to Liushu Village, the atmosphere was no longer silent like before. Everyone vented their frustrations, criticizing Xia Heyu and not sparing Su Zhengtang either.

By the time they retraced their steps and arrived at Liushu Village, it was past midnight, around 12:30 a.m. After tidying up and lying down to rest, it was already past 1 a.m.

Because of sleeping late at night, they all woke up late the next morning.

Jiang Yutao had just opened the hallway door to start preparing breakfast when Zhao Yonglan arrived. She was carrying five animal traps in her hands—items she had promised to help Jiang Yutao and the others get the day before.

Despite everything that had happened the previous day, Zhao Yonglan had not forgotten about the traps.

Jiang Yutao thought to herself: ‘Well, at least she knows how to keep her word.’

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Zhao Yonglan said, “These traps weren’t cheap, you know.”

Ever since she lent her money to someone and ended up with nothing left for herself, Zhao Yonglan had come to deeply understand the value of money.

She used to enjoy taking small advantages, thinking it was no big deal if someone ate a little less so she could eat a little more. But after spending time at the Su family, she realized that sometimes, what people lack most is that one extra bite of food.

She no longer thought about sending food back home; in fact, she felt it was good enough that she wasn’t taking anything from her family anymore.

Jiang Yutao liked this change in Zhao Yonglan. The new version of her was far more likable and endearing than the old one.

When Gu Nianwei saw her arrive, she came out and asked, “Have you eaten? If not, why don’t you join us for breakfast?”

Yesterday, the two of them had bought plenty of supplies in the county. For breakfast today, Gu Nianwei was planning to make some fried sauce noodles.

Although fried sauce noodles might be a bit greasy for breakfast, they were all craving it, so they decided to go ahead.

Zhao Yonglan was well aware of how good Jiang Yutao and her group’s meals were. The aroma of their cooking would often waft all the way to the dormitory.

Tempted but hesitant, Zhao Yonglan asked, “What are you eating?”

“Fried sauce noodles,” Gu Nianwei replied.

Swallowing her saliva, Zhao Yonglan quickly said, “I’ll eat! I’ll eat! I’ll pay and give you ration tickets!”

It had been a long time since Zhao Yonglan had tasted noodles like these—refined grains that money couldn’t even buy.

“Then have a seat. Weiwei and I will go cook,” Jiang Yutao said as she and Gu Nianwei started their preparations.

The kitchen in the hallway only had one stove, but when the house was first built, Gu Nianwei had bought a small portable stove.

Jiang Yutao boiled the noodles while Gu Nianwei fried the sauce. Their teamwork was seamless, and they occasionally chatted, creating a warm and pleasant atmosphere.

For some reason, Zhao Yonglan suddenly felt envious.

Growing up, she had always been surrounded by people, but most of them were only around because of her parents’ power. People like Zhang Huihui and Liu Yingjun—if it weren’t for her father being the deputy factory director, they probably wouldn’t have even paid attention to her.

In the past, Zhao Yonglan hadn’t cared. She thought, ‘If they approach me with ulterior motives, then I’ll just use my father’s status to boss them around.’

Deep down, she longed for true friendship.

She had never really understood what friendship was supposed to look like, but watching Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei interact, she felt as though she had found a template for the kind of friendship she desired.

Noticing the envy in Zhao Yonglan’s eyes, Jiang Yutao gave her a warm smile.

The fried sauce noodles were ready in no time. Gu Nianwei had used seasoning from her stash, and the fried meat sauce turned out rich, aromatic, and smooth—a perfect match for the freshly boiled noodles.

With half a handful of noodles, the three girls ate every last bit. After their meal, Zhao Yonglan kept her promise and paid in both cash and ration tickets. Sipping the warm water Jiang Yutao had poured for her, she patted her full belly and felt as though she was in heaven.

The production team had already finished harvesting hemp stalks, and the next tasks—like twisting ropes and weaving shoe soles—were ones the educated youth like Jiang Yutao and her group didn’t participate in.

Ever since learning that the college entrance exam would be reinstated, everyone was filled with enthusiasm. No one wanted to waste a single moment, and whenever they had free time, they buried themselves in their books to study.

Wang Shanxi and Li Yunying had been out of school for so long that they had forgotten most of what they’d learned. Zhao Guangrong had a slightly better foundation, but during their school days, much of their time was spent learning about Lei Feng and studying slogans, with little focus on actual academic content.

Zhang Huihui, Liu Yingjun, and Zhao Yonglan were slightly better than the others, but not by much.

Fortunately, Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei were both top students, and the middle and high school curriculum of this era wasn’t particularly difficult. Gu Nianwei, whose college major was English, naturally became a small teacher for Li Yunying and the others.

Zhou Zhenfeng, on the other hand, couldn’t hide his mocking expression as he watched them study.

He couldn’t understand why Wang Shanxi and the others were so naive. With college entrance exams abolished, what was the point of studying? Wouldn’t their time be better spent building connections?

Thinking about the promise made to him by Young Master Shen a few days ago, Zhou Zhenfeng’s face lit up with pride.

The police didn’t leave Zhao Yonglan and the others waiting for long. By the afternoon of the next day, they arrived at the educated youth point with Director Yang.

Lin Laitou was charged with human trafficking, specifically the abduction of women. Under the current criminal law, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Although Xia Heyu hadn’t committed a direct crime, her malicious intent was undeniable. She was charged with incitement and, after multiple levels of reporting by Officer Hu, was sent to a prison near the capital.

With her imprisonment, Xia Heyu became the only young female convict in the entire commune. Her name became a cautionary tale, whispered about throughout the region.

Her parents were too ashamed to show their faces in public and rarely left their home. Her elder brothers split the family household and distanced themselves from her.

To protect Zhao Yonglan, the police omitted her name from official reports, referring to her only as “the female educated youth.” As the story spread throughout the commune and even to the county, no one associated the incident with her.

In the eyes of outsiders, Xia Heyu, Zhao Yonglan, and Lin Laitou were completely unrelated figures.

Xia Heyu and Lin Laitou’s arrest finally removed the heavy burden in Zhao Yonglan’s heart.

She felt relieved, but Su Zhengtang was dumbfounded.

His dream had been so real and coherent, but the divorce between Xia Heyu and Su Yang was completely different from what he had seen in his dream. Before he could even process that, news of Xia Heyu being sent to prison came out.

This was nothing like his dream. In his dream, Xia Heyu and Su Yang were still together in 1980, and the idea of Xia Heyu being arrested for a crime was utterly absurd.

Su Zhengtang had lost faith in the dream and decided not to waste any more time staying in the village with Zhao Yonglan.

So what if she was the factory director’s daughter? She could never be his wife. Zhao Yonglan’s father, no matter how influential, had no connection to him. Was he really supposed to expect that the dream would somehow come true, and that he’d get endless investment and support from him?

Who did he think he was?

Rather than daydreaming, he might as well go to the county and learn some real skills, maybe even try to meet a couple of women with better family backgrounds.

On the day Su Zhengtang completely gave up on Zhao Yonglan, Jiang Yutao received a notification: [Ding~~ Detected that the main characters and supporting characters in the second small world have deviated from the original plot. Now beginning to check the stability of the small world’s operation.]

[Checking… progress 2%… 10%… 50%… 80%… 99%… 100%…]

[After testing, the second small world is operating normally. Congratulations to the host for completing the task in the second small world. The following rewards have been issued: 2 down jackets, 2 thermal underwear, 5 three-yellow chickens, smoked ham from Yunnan and Guizhou, 10kg of rice, 30kg of seed gift boxes (flavors: original, caramel, cream, green tea, garlic, pepper-salt), 1 supermarket snack gift pack. Please continue your hard work, host.]

[Thank you, host, for your hard work in this task. As a reward, the host has been granted Melon coins, which have been credited to the mall balance. Please check your account.]

When Jiang Yutao received the system notification, she hadn’t fully woken up yet. The string of rewards left her completely stunned.

After she regained her senses, she repeatedly checked the system mall and system backpack, then pinched herself hard to make sure this wasn’t a dream.

She really had received all these rewards.

And in Xia Heyu’s story, her role was actually quite small. She suddenly felt a bit undeserving of all this.

But just two minutes later, Jiang Yutao felt that she truly deserved this. If she hadn’t completed the tasks related to Gu Nianwei, none of this chain reaction would have occurred. And without the chain reaction, this small world definitely wouldn’t have succeeded in operating so quickly.

So, her efforts were significant, and she truly deserved these rewards.

Jiang Yutao rolled over several times on her bed and then called the system: [Will I receive as many rewards when Weiwei’s awakening reaches 100%?]

Melon-Eating System: [Insufficient permissions, unable to answer.]

The system’s silly response didn’t affect Jiang Yutao’s good mood.

Taking advantage of the fact that most people were still asleep, she deliberately took a detour up the mountain for some fun.

It was already deep autumn, and the few remaining leaves on the trees had been blown off by the autumn wind. The grass, which had been green just a few days ago, had now turned a dull yellow.

The lush summer greenery on the mountain had been replaced by bare branches.

The wild fruits and mushrooms were long gone.

Jiang Yutao had come from the back mountain of the youth station. On her way back, she decided to take a detour to the village entrance.

The first house at the foot of the mountain was the accountant Xu’s home. Smoke was rising from their kitchen, and Xu’s eldest daughter-in-law was carrying a basin of chicken feed toward the backyard chicken coop.

Xu Manqiu, a small figure, was carrying a heavy wooden bucket toward the riverbank in front of her house.

Jiang Yutao frowned.

It was autumn, and the river water was painfully cold. No one in the village washed clothes in the river anymore, so why was Xu’s family still sending Xu Manqiu to wash clothes there?

Jiang Yutao stared at Xu Manqiu for a few more moments, then watched as Xu Manqiu, who had reached the riverbank, suddenly staggered and fell straight into the river.

Jiang Yutao’s heart leapt, and she quickly ran over. Her speed was fast, and in the nick of time, she managed to grab Xu Manqiu. However, the wooden bucket of clothes she was carrying couldn’t be saved. Several pieces of clothing were swept away by the river.

Jiang Yutao focused, and noticed that all the clothes floating away were red.

As far as Jiang Yutao knew, the person in the entire Xu family, and even in the entire Liushu village, who loved to wear red clothes the most was Xu Baozhu.

Xu Manqiu was so distressed she was almost in tears.

Just then, an old but sharp voice came from nearby: “You jinx! Can’t do anything right, can’t even wash clothes without losing your sister’s clothes. Tell me, are you doing this on purpose?”

Before Jiang Yutao could react, the old woman grabbed a broom from the door and started rushing toward Xu Manqiu.

[Ding~ Witnessing the jinx making trouble and helping her out, you have earned 5kg of white flour, one chicken leg, and 1kg of green tea-flavored melon seeds.]

Seeing the broom was about to strike Xu Manqiu, Jiang Yutao quickly yanked her aside. Just then, the system’s task completion sound reached her ears.

Immediately after, a mechanical, electronic voice followed.

[Ding~ Detected the major female supporting character Xu Manqiu from ‘The Lucky Carp in the 70s’. The plot is now loading. Please prepare, Host…]

Jiang Yutao: This book title screams big drama. Quick, break it down for me!