People who eat melon are in 70 - Chapter 48

Not long after Xu Manqiu left, Jiang Yutao and Gu Niangwei began to eat. They hadn’t finished when Zhao Yonglan rushed in, flustered.

“Stop eating, stop eating! Hurry up, we need to go to the Xu family. There’s a fight, a fight!”

“Which Xu family?” There were quite a few families with the surname Xu in Liushu Village.

“That lucky star, Xu Baozhu’s family,” Zhao Yonglan said. Upon hearing this, Jiang Yutao and Gu Niangwei immediately stood up and followed Zhao Yonglan.

In an era with limited entertainment, any bit of excitement was enough to draw attention. Li Yunying and the others quickly put on their coats and headed out.

On the way to Xu Huijia’s house, they met several people, all of whom were heading in the same direction to see the commotion. Jiang Yutao and Gu Niangwei were worried Xu Manqiu might be in trouble, so they walked quickly.

They ran into Xu Dazui, Aunt Jiang, Aunt Zhang, and Aunt San near the Xu family’s house.

When they saw Jiang Yutao, they immediately came over. “Yutao, it’s been a few days since we last saw you!”

Ever since Jiang Yutao stopped peeling bamboo, she hadn’t seen them, as they were all housewives busy with work.

“We haven’t been out much these past few days,” Jiang Yutao replied.

Xu Dazui leaned closer to Jiang Yutao and quietly asked, “Yutao, how’s your studying going? Our Liu Xiaoyan and Xiaoqiang have been getting the lowest scores every day. I heard the county is hiring from middle school graduates this year, and they’re going to look at their grades. Auntie was wondering if you could help them with some tutoring. We wouldn’t ask you for free; we’ll pay you with food instead of money.”

Xu Dazui wasn’t particularly biased toward boys over girls in her family. Her grandchildren were treated the same. Her oldest granddaughter and grandson were born in the same year, one at the beginning of the year and the other at the end. They both went to school together, and now they were in the second year of junior high school, soon to start high school.

They had decided not to support them any longer. With poor grades, going to high school would just be a waste of money. But if they could take part in the county’s recruitment exam, even if they didn’t pass, it would still be a way out.

Spending some grain in advance to hire a tutor for them was considered an investment.

Jiang Yutao and Gu Niangwei exchanged a glance. “Aunt, just have them come tomorrow during the day. We’re a bit bored and have been studying lately.”

Fourth Aunt Jiang and Aunt Zhang’s grandchildren were about the same age as Xu Manqiu, but they clearly had no intention of letting them take the county’s factory recruitment exam.

Family members understand each other. Their kids, who were more like mischievous monkeys, preferred playing in the riverbed while others went to class. They didn’t even know when the exam was, and after studying for several years, they probably couldn’t even do basic addition and subtraction up to 100. Sending them to tutoring would only bring embarrassment and waste food, so they simply didn’t bring it up.

At least they could maintain some dignity.

Aunt Xu Dazui didn’t respond to Jiang Yutao’s and Gu Niangwei’s suggestion.

Jiang Yutao asked, “Aunt, are you sure about the recruitment news?”

“Why wouldn’t it be true? My niece married someone in the county, and her husband works at a state-run restaurant. The news is reliable,” Aunt Xu Dazui replied.

Li Yunying, who was beside Aunt Xu Dazui, was excited: “Aunt Xu, can the educated youth join in too?”

The educated youth, like Li Yunying, had been sent to the countryside for many years. Due to poor communication, they had missed every recruitment in the county, and the few spots available in the commune rarely went to them. There weren’t enough positions for everyone in the commune.

It was already considered a big achievement if one educated youth from the commune was recommended to the county to become a worker every two or three years. Liushu Village didn’t stand out in any way, and none of the educated youth in the commune had ever been recommended.

Now that they had heard the confirmed news about the recruitment, Li Yunying couldn’t help but feel excited.

Although Pingyang County was a small town, it was still a county, wasn’t it? Becoming a worker in the county would certainly be better than farming in Liushu Village, right?

Xu Dazui shook her head. “I haven’t asked about it myself. If you really want to know, you should go to the county and check. It’s the Hongxing Canning Factory.”

Pingyang County had a lot of yellow peaches, and five years ago, under the leadership of the county party secretary, the Hongxing Canning Factory was established. The peaches were of good quality, and the canned products were sweet, bringing in a lot of revenue for the county.

In five years, the factory had grown from fifty or sixty workers to more than three hundred. It was said that this year, the factory’s performance was especially good, and they planned to hire four to five hundred people.

Because the factory needed so many workers, Xu Dazui shared the news with Jiang Yutao and Gu Niangwei, saying that it was up to each person’s ability to succeed or not.

Li Yunying thanked Xu Dazui, then hurried off to the educated youth point without staying to watch the commotion.

She needed to go back and tell Wang Shanxi and the others this good news.

Xu Dazui started talking to familiar people, and Jiang Yutao whispered to Gu Niangwei, “Wei Wei, do you want to work at the canning factory?”

In this era, the status of workers was very high, but in Gu Niangwei’s time, being a worker was no longer a desirable job.

Gu Niangwei hadn’t considered working in a factory. “I’m not planning to go. What about you?”

Jiang Yutao also didn’t plan to go. “I’m not going either.”

Since middle school, Jiang Yutao had spent every summer and winter vacation working in various factories. She had done plenty of assembly line work.

Every day was the same routine, with at least twelve-hour workdays, but the pay was meager.

After every summer and winter break working at the factory, Jiang Yutao would tell herself to study hard and never end up like the older brothers and sisters in the orphanage, who left school before finishing middle school and went out into society.

The grand ambition she set in her previous life, Jiang Yutao didn’t intend to break in this one.

Besides, she felt that as educated youth from outside, even if they were lucky enough to get into the factory, they wouldn’t be doing easy work.

Zhao Yonglan and Zhang Huihui didn’t speak. They still couldn’t adjust to village life, and if they could really get into the factory, they would be willing.

As they spoke, they reached the Xu family home.

There were many people gathered outside Xu’s house. Jiang Yutao and the others squeezed through the path cleared by Xu Dazui and entered.

Xu Baozhu was crying in the arms of Xu Laopo, while Xu Manqiu stood in the middle of the yard, her head lowered, saying nothing. The Xu family, including Xu Accountant, were either sitting or standing, all just watching.

“You little tramp, ingrate! Your sister treated you so well, even bought you clothes and thought of you. How do you repay her, huh? You think you deserve her kindness!” Xu Laopo, who had been comforting Xu Baozhu, now spoke harshly as she scolded Xu Manqiu.

The more Xu Laopo spoke, the angrier she got. “Tell me, what exactly do you have against your sister? Say it to my face, and let me see what kind of heart you have, you ingrate. If I had known you were like this, I should have strangled you when you were a baby.”

Since the argument between Xu Baozhu and Xu Manqiu started, no matter how harsh the words were towards Xu Manqiu, Xu Manqiu always kept her head lowered and didn’t respond. But when Xu Laopo said this, she suddenly raised her head.

“Then why didn’t you strangle me? Why didn’t you strangle me back then?” Xu Manqiu had grown used to hearing Xu Laopo’s insults, but she had often heard phrases like “why didn’t I strangle you,” “drown you,” or “throw you away.” She had heard these words countless times before.

Sometimes it was Xu Laopo who said it, and other times it was Xu Baozhu’s biological mother, Li Yinfeng.

Every time they said those things, Xu Manqiu would think, “Yeah, why didn’t you strangle me? Since the twins only want the good fortune that Xu Baozhu carries, why not strangle her? Wouldn’t that be better?”

Xu Laopo was in the middle of her tirade and didn’t expect to hear Xu Manqiu’s retort. Over the years, she had grown used to Xu Manqiu’s silence, her habit of not fighting back or speaking up.

The Xu family and the surrounding villagers were all stunned.

They often saw Xu Manqiu being beaten and scolded by Xu Laopo, but they had never seen her resist before.

Xu Laopo was taken aback, but then her anger flared at the challenge to her authority. “You little slut, you dare talk back now, huh? You actually dare to talk back!”

She released Xu Baozhu from her arms, grabbed the stick leaning by the door, and charged at Xu Manqiu.

The onlookers, including Jiang Yutao, changed their expressions. The stick was as thick as a man’s arm—if it hit someone, what would happen? Could Xu Manqiu, with her fragile frame, withstand it?

Jiang Yutao rushed to intervene, but someone was faster than her. Jiang Yutao stopped and watched as Liu Manzhu stepped forward to block Xu Laopo.

Xu Dazui’s face changed immediately, and he rushed up, “What’s going on? Did she hit you?”

Liu Manzhu was Xu Dazui’s husband and the current head of the village.

He reached out to pat Xu Dazui’s hand and gave her a comforting glance.

As a couple who had been together for many years, Xu Dazui understood the meaning of his glance and immediately relaxed.

Liu Manzhu turned to Xu Laopo and said, “Auntie, talking is one thing, but taking it to physical violence is going too far, don’t you think?”

Liu Manzhu’s words sounded familiar to Xu Laopo. She immediately remembered that Jiang Yutao had said something similar yesterday when she sent Xu Manqiu, that “broom star,” to wash clothes.

Xu Laopo, frustrated by the treatment she received from Jiang Yutao, took out her anger on Liu Manzhu. “Manzhu, you’ve only been the village chief for a few days, and now you’re acting all high and mighty in front of me? Who do you think you are?”

Xu Laopo had always been proud. Before the liberation, she had been sold to the Xu family as a child bride. However, before being sold, she had been a servant girl to the daughter of a wealthy family in the city and had always considered herself superior.

Even after becoming a child bride for the Xu family, her pride never faded. Xu Accountant’s parents adored her assertiveness, and Xu Accountant himself thought she was different from the typical village women, treating her with great affection.

Later, during the reform era, as a former servant sold by her previous masters, she received sympathy from county leaders. She was even invited to speak at the commune, where her main speech was about the oppression she had suffered in her former life in the landlord’s household.

As the first woman from Liushui Village to have given a speech at the commune, Xu Laopo looked down on most of the people in the village.

Her boastful words caused Liu Manzhu to look at Xu Accountant with a few more glances. Xu Accountant’s face changed dramatically, and he finally stopped pretending to be meek. “What are you rambling on about, woman?”

Xu Accountant smiled at Liu Manzhu. “Manzhu, my wife is getting old and confused, and she has a loose tongue. Don’t take her words seriously.”

Having worked as an accountant his whole life, Xu Accountant was timid and never dared to make any adjustments in the financial records. After Luo Xueming and Su Changshan left, he hadn’t gotten along well with the newly appointed Liu Manzhu, primarily because of his timidity. During meetings at the village office, whenever Liu Manzhu or others suggested something, he would immediately and thoughtlessly refute it.

They had just had an unpleasant argument in the office that morning. The main issue stemmed from the fact that last year, the Liujiawan village team had drained the water from the fish pond and bought a large batch of fish fry from other places. This year, the income from selling fish alone had generated a significant amount of revenue for their team.

Liu Manzhu had previously been a small group leader, and now, at middle age, he was still holding an official position, which he approached with great enthusiasm. Seeing the people of Liujiawan earning money, he thought about organizing the villagers to learn from them, using collective ideas to help the people of Liushui Village develop side businesses and generate additional income.

As soon as Xu accountant finished listening to Liu Manzhu’s words, he immediately voiced his opposition. Not only did he oppose it, but he also poured cold water on Liu Manzhu and the others. The general idea was that they shouldn’t try to mimic the people of Liujiawan, as their success was due to having a particularly large river bay, which gave them a natural advantage.

In their Liushui Village, they had nothing, so even if they learned, it would be in vain.

To be honest, his words greatly angered Liu Manzhu and the others. At that moment, they were discussing the idea with great enthusiasm, imagining the rapid development of Liushui Village. Xu accountant’s cold water completely dampened their excitement.

Liu Manzhu was someone who separated public and private matters. He wouldn’t bring work-related unhappiness into his personal life, nor would he get angry about what Old Woman Xu had said. After all these years, Old Woman Xu’s mouth had never changed; every time she spoke, it was full of insults.

Liu Manzhu had been startled the first time he saw her being kind and gentle with Xu Baozhu.

“Old man, you’re one of our old revolutionaries in Liushui Village, and you’ve never missed a single study class organized by the commune. Why don’t you come back and spread the higher-ups’ directives at home?”

“The country has said that children are the future of the nation, and women can hold up half the sky. Why is it not like that in your house? Isn’t Xu Manqiu still under fifteen? By the Gregorian calendar, she’s still a child, and even according to the Chinese calendar, she’s still young. Isn’t it a bit much to show such obvious favoritism?”

In the past, even when Xu Manqiu was beaten, she never caused any trouble, which made it difficult for others in the village to help her. At most, they would say a few words like “don’t hit her.”

While Liu Manzhu was talking to Xu accountant, Xu Dazui took the opportunity to pull Xu Manqiu aside, and Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei immediately surrounded her, one on each side.

Xu Baozhu, seeing this, pursed her lips, her eyes full of strong displeasure.

As soon as Xu old lady was about to hit Xu Manqiu, Xu Baozhu had already stopped crying. Afterward, the confrontation between Liu Manzhu and Xu accountant made her forget about crying entirely. Seeing everyone care so much about Xu Manqiu made her feel extremely displeased.

She and Xu Manqiu were twins, but since she could remember, she had always disliked Xu Manqiu. Deep down, she always felt that Xu Manqiu shouldn’t exist. She believed she should be the most beloved and noticed child in the Xu family and even in Liushui Village. Xu Manqiu’s existence took away some of the attention and love she thought she deserved.

She also felt that Xu Manqiu was a stain on her perfect life. She was the lucky star, and from a young age, she had always been lucky. During the best years of her life, she would sit anywhere on the road and find money or jade. As for Xu Manqiu, she was cursed with bad luck and couldn’t even drink water without something going wrong.

When people talked about them as sisters, they would first envy her good fortune and then inevitably bring up Xu Manqiu, as though Xu Manqiu’s bad luck was even more interesting to them than her good fortune.

Xu Baozhu was extremely dissatisfied, so she would often, either intentionally or unintentionally, show that she didn’t like Xu Manqiu. When she was in a bad mood, she would make it even worse. Whenever Xu Manqiu came close to her, she would say she felt uncomfortable, and over time, Xu Manqiu’s situation in the Xu family became even worse.

But Xu Baozhu would also have good days. Whenever that happened, she would give Xu Manqiu things she didn’t want. She didn’t care whether Xu Manqiu liked them or not; she would make sure Xu Manqiu used whatever she gave her.

Furthermore, Xu Baozhu had noticed something: whenever her luck wasn’t going well, if she gave Xu Manqiu something she had used personally, her luck would return, and Xu Manqiu’s bad luck would intensify.

Xu Baozhu had realized this for the past ten years, and it was also the reason she insisted on staying in the commune for school rather than going to the county.

It had been two months since she last gave Xu Manqiu something of hers to use, and Xu Baozhu could clearly feel her luck wasn’t as good. This was reflected in the fact that the two young female intellectuals had refused to help her buy snow flower cream, yet neither of them seemed to be facing any misfortune.

Seeing Xu Manqiu surrounded by the two young intellectuals who had rejected her, and after Xu Baozhu’s grandmother lost her usual arrogant attitude following a reprimand from her grandfather, Xu Baozhu became anxious. She grabbed her grandmother’s hand, and tears flowed like a broken faucet, spilling out uncontrollably: “Grandma, does Qiu’er not like me? She doesn’t even want the clothes I bought for her.”

Seeing Xu Baozhu’s tears, Old Woman Xu felt a deep sense of pity: “Bao’er, don’t cry. It’s that ungrateful little thing. I’ll make her accept what you gave her.”

Old Woman Xu walked over and swiftly pulled Xu Manqiu away from Jiang Yutao and Gu Nianwei, so quickly that neither of them had a chance to react.

Xu Baozhu, as expected of Grandmother Xu’s good granddaughter, turned around and ran back to her room. When she came back out, she handed the clothes she had been holding to Grandmother Xu, who then shoved them into Xu Manqiu’s arms.

“Your sister is giving you things because she values you. Don’t be ungrateful.”

Xu Manqiu opened her arms, and the two red little dresses fell to the ground. She looked up at Xu Baozhu, who was clearly smug, and stomped on the dresses with one foot, grinding them into the ground with force. She spat hatefully, “Take your dirty things away, I don’t want them.”