If we’re talking about it, these little days just fly by.
In the blink of an eye, it’s already the end of August.
And right on cue, the annual disaster blockbuster has arrived—back to school!
The streets and alleys are filled with kids, big and small, running around like little black coal balls, oblivious to the heat. All of them are being tossed into school by their parents. Not a single child in this neighborhood is skipping school.
After all, most of the families living around here are workers from the machinery factory. Even if tis are tough, they’re still better off than those in the countryside. If a child doesn’t go to school, it’s sothing to be laughed at. It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl. Besides, this is Beijing, after all. People here have a bit more sense and know that education is the key to a better future.
A high school diploma will always make it easier to find a job than just finishing elentary school.
So, as soon as school starts, all the little rascals are thrown into the classrooms. Even though the kids are usually left to roam free, they can still be a handful when they’re running wild around the neighborhood. Even relatively well-behaved kids like Hutou and Xiao Yanzi have their mischievous monts, not to ntion the troublemakers who are always up to no good.
Their own families might not mind, but the neighbors certainly do.
Honestly, most of the ti, people don’t even dare to leave their hos unattended.
Especially the families living in the front courtyard—they’re all on edge, afraid of being targeted by the little troublemakers.
Zhao Guihua has stored so grain at ho, so she’s even more cautious about leaving the house. While it’s unlikely that the kids would steal an entire bag of flour, the last thing she needs is for word to get out and cause trouble.
Thankfully, now that the kids are back in school, the chaos has subsided a bit. The troublemakers’ grandmother is still around, but Aunt Su, despite her sowhat shaky reputation, still maintains a certain image. She’s not exactly a saint, but she’s not the type to steal either.
That’s a bit of a relief.
Lately, Zhao Guihua has been sneaking off to the black market almost every day. No wonder those ti-traveling heroines in novels love the black market—it’s truly a treasure trove.
With the kids back in school, Zhao Guihua can finally leave the house without worrying too much. She doesn’t have to ask Wang Zhaodi to keep an eye on her place anymore. By the end of August, all the kids had registered for school, and on September 1st, classes officially began.
One by one, they strapped on their little backpacks and hurried off to school.
Zhao Guihua also wasted no ti heading out. She was joined by her old friend Aunt Wang, her new companion Wang Zhaodi, and Aunt Sui from the back courtyard. Four won—well, three won and a young girl—hopped onto two bicycles and set off together.
They might not be fond of Aunt Zhou, but they have no issues with Wang Zhaodi. She’s always hanging out with them, and everyone’s gotten used to it.
This ti, they were heading to the outskirts of town.
Yes, that sa barren hill where Zhao Guihua had struck gold before.
Earlier in the year, she had sold a lot of fish and used the money to buy a bicycle, with so left over. Since then, she’s made several more trips, and now there’s even a string of salted fish hanging at ho. It’s a real treat.
Even though the fish pond had dried up after the neighborhood kids blabbed about it, it’s been about three months now, and Zhao Guihua wanted to check it out again.
Of course, they weren’t making the trip for no reason.
It had rained the day before yesterday and yesterday, so they could also gather so mushrooms.
The four of them arrived at the outskirts. Compared to the crowds from before, there were only a handful of people around now. Ever since the pond stopped yielding fish, most people had stopped coming. The ones who still showed up were mostly locals looking to pick mushrooms. After locking up their bikes, they got to work.
“Zhao Guihua, look at all these mushrooms!” Aunt Wang exclaid, delighted.
And why wouldn’t she be?
With supplies being tight these days, anything you can get your hands on is valuable.
Zhao Guihua said, “Let’s get to work!”
She added, “I’ve been wanting to co here for a while, but I was too afraid to leave the house. I was worried soone would break in. Sotis, even when I went out for a short walk in the morning, I’d have to ask Wang Zhaodi to keep an eye on the place. It’s been a real pain.”
The others could relate.
Wang Zhaodi, being the newcor, hadn’t experienced it firsthand, but she’d heard about the exploits of the three troublemakers.
Zhao Guihua said, “You haven’t seen it for yourself. While we were out catching thieves, Jinlai took the opportunity to break into our house. He even fell into the toilet while running away…”
Aunt Wang chid in, “Aunt Zhou got caught by the security guards for trying to take over Uncle Lan’s house, and Jinlai snuck into her place in the middle of the night…”
Aunt Sui wasn’t about to be left out. “The Bai family’s doors and windows were smashed, and they crawled through the hole to break in…”
There were plenty of other examples like these.
Wang Zhaodi hadn’t witnessed any of it because she arrived too late. But after getting beaten up a few tis, she at least learned not to ss with her neighbors.
Wang Zhaodi was stunned.
She said, “If they keep stealing like this, they’re bound to get caught soday, right?”
Zhao Guihua shot her a look. “Take out the ‘right.’ They *will* get caught. But what does that have to do with us? Their family actually brags about their kids’ antics. Anyway, it’s great to co up here after the rain. These mushrooms are a real find.”
Aunt Wang agreed. “Absolutely.”
She had also gathered quite a bit. “If this hill were closer to our place, I’d co up here every day. It’s really sothing.”
“Aunt Wang, the other day I saw Yang Lixin carrying a big bag of cornal ho. You bought a lot, didn’t you?” Aunt Sui asked. She lived in the back courtyard, just like Aunt Wang.
Aunt Wang glanced at Zhao Guihua before replying, “Well, it’s been a rainy sumr. I’m worried the harvest might not be good. If that happens, it’s not just about prices going up—it’ll be hard to buy anything at all. So, I thought I’d stock up a bit. Whether it’s useful or not, it’s peace of mind. Besides, cornal doesn’t go bad. We’ll just eat it if we have to. That bag might look big, but with so many n in the family, you know how much they can eat. It’ll go fast.”
“That makes sense.”
“Of course it does.”
Zhao Guihua added, “I bought so too.”
Wang Zhaodi whispered, “I did too.”
Aunt Sui chuckled. “Well, I can’t fall behind.”
When it cos to hoarding food, they don’t need much convincing. At the slightest hint of trouble, whether it’s justified or not, they’re quick to act. It’s the kind of determination that cos from having experienced real hunger.
And as it happens, all of them have been through it.
These days, it’s rare to find soone who hasn’t.
Very rare.
Wang Zhaodi had noticed Zhao Guihua going out to buy food, so she quietly ntioned it to Jiang Lu. Without hesitation, Jiang Lu allocated so money, and the task of going to the black market fell to Aunt Zhou. Soone like Wang Zhaodi had no business going to the black market.
Aunt Zhou, on the other hand, moved with the stealth of a shadow, never missing a beat.
It’s no wonder that, even though the neighborhood has settled down recently, there haven’t been any major incidents.
This is why.
Aunt Zhou spends her days figuring out how to buy food without being noticed. The thing is, it’s not that she can’t be seen buying food—it’s that she can’t let anyone know *how much* she’s buying.
If people knew how much she had, they might co asking for loans.
So, Aunt Zhou is very good at keeping things under wraps. It’s understandable—a widow raising her only son has to be cautious. Wang Zhaodi helps out, running errands and navigating the black market.
Zhao Guihua laughed. “We’re just speculating here. Don’t go spreading this around. If soone catches wind of it, they might accuse us of causing unrest.”
“Right, right. We won’t say a word.”
“After all, we’re not farrs. We don’t really know how this works. We’re just guessing.”
Wang Zhaodi said, “I think the speculation makes sense. I’ve worked in the fields before. When there’s this much rain in the sumr, especially heavy rain, it’s bad for the crops. Based on past years, this kind of weather definitely leads to a smaller harvest. The question is just how much smaller.”
She paused, scratching her head. “But other places might not have had as much rain.”
On this point, Zhao Guihua had so insight. “It’s been raining elsewhere too. My eldest saw it in the newspaper at work.”
“Ah, then we should definitely stock up.”
Zhao Guihua nodded in agreent.
Zhao Guihua wasn’t the type of person who, after achieving a good life for herself, wished misfortune upon others. Those who took pleasure in others' misfortunes were people like Aunt Su and Aunt Zhou. She wasn’t like that. The reason she didn’t spread the word widely was to avoid causing trouble for herself.
Gossiping among a few elderly won and then buying so grain wasn’t a big deal. But if she were to make a big fuss and tell everyone, it could escalate into sothing serious, even being labeled as undermining social stability and unity. Zhao Guihua had no intention of stirring up such trouble.
However, she had inford a few close acquaintances whom she knew wouldn’t cause trouble. She had already ntioned it to Uncle Lan from the sa courtyard and reminded her daughter-in-law’s mother. That was enough.
As for Liang ifen’s family, it had nothing to do with her. Whether they lived or died, she couldn’t care less!
Liang ifen herself seed unaware of this. It made sense since, after getting married, daughters rarely returned to their parents' ho. Liang ifen hadn’t visited much before either, as her younger brother usually ca to ask for favors.
Now that her brother had taken her job, he naturally stopped coming.
The communication between them had dwindled.
Zhao Guihua had no interest in reminding this family. Yes, that was just how she was.
“Hey, Guihua, why didn’t you pick these mushrooms? They’re delicious.”
Zhao Guihua glanced back and said, “I was afraid they might be poisonous.”
“No, no, I’ve picked these before.”
Zhao Guihua showed her: “Look, I only pick the ones I’m familiar with. If they look even slightly unfamiliar, I leave them alone.”
“You’re really cautious, huh? Well, more for then!”
Zhao Guihua chuckled, “As long as they’re tasty.”
Although she had been reborn and quickly adapted to the rhythm of life in the 1970s, so things were still a bit unclear after such a long ti. For example, she might have recognized these mushrooms in her previous life, but after fifty years, her mory had faded. Their lives had improved so much that they hadn’t picked mushrooms in ages. So, for anything that looked even slightly unfamiliar, Zhao Guihua didn’t take any chances.
Eating the wrong thing could land you in a coffin, so she played it safe, aiming for stability over quantity.
“Guihua, did you get your hen from Aunt Lian nearby?”
Zhao Guihua: “Yes, Aunt Zhou and Aunt Wang from our courtyard also got theirs from her.”
Aunt Sui: “Then show the way soti. I’ll go get a couple too.”
“Wait, didn’t you already have two?”
“Yes, but they’re not laying eggs well. I see your hen laying eggs every day, but mine only lay every few days. It’s so frustrating. I want to slaughter them and get new ones.”
“That’s bold of you.”
“I have a relative who’s just given birth and wants so hen soup to recover. This works out perfectly.”
“That’s great.”
Zhao Guihua: “Hey, look over there. Is that an apple tree?”
“Holy cow! It really is. Let’s go!”
“Wow, this is amazing!”
Wild apples, though small, were still apples. And finding them this early in the season was a real treat. The group was overjoyed. This trip was definitely worth it.
Zhao Guihua: “I wish I could co here every day.”
“Who doesn’t?”
Everyone was in high spirits. Zhao Guihua urged, “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
“Right, right!”
They all got to work. Wang Zhaodi was the star of the group, not holding back at all. Aunt Sui remarked, “You’re really good at this.”
Wang Zhaodi smiled shyly, “I used to do a lot of work at ho.”
She added, “And the mountains near our place don’t have such good stuff.”
In her hotown, whether it was spring, sumr, autumn, or winter, anything remotely useful on the mountains would be picked clean. It wasn’t like here, where you could still find good things. City folks really had it good.
Zhao Guihua didn’t explain that this mountain’s location made it unappealing to most people—too much effort for too little gain. Only retired folks like them, who had the ti and transportation, could make it worthwhile.
She didn’t ntion this, figuring Wang Zhaodi might not understand anyway. Instead, she said, “We’ve had a good harvest today. Tomorrow should be good too.”
“Agreed.”
Everyone nodded in unison.
With two bicycles and four people, taking turns riding wasn’t too tiring.
They worked diligently, picking the apples and then heading up the mountain. It wasn’t that they were foolish enough to carry heavy apples uphill. Divided among the four of them, the load was manageable, and they handled it with ease.
When they reached the pond, they found it mostly deserted.
They sat by the pond to rest and observe. After a while, they didn’t spot a single fish. Zhao Guihua had a hunch this would happen, as it had been the sa in her past life. Still, she held onto a sliver of hope.
Sure enough, nothing had changed.
It wasn’t that they had completely wiped out the fish population. There were always a few that escaped, but they were so few and far between that catching them was nearly impossible. The pond needed ti to recover, and who knew how long that would take.
As they rested, Zhao Guihua’s eyes sharpened, and she suddenly asked, “Do you all eat snake?”
“Who doesn’t?”
Zhao Guihua smiled, “There’s a small grass snake over there. If anyone wants it, go ahead. I’ll pass.”
She didn’t mind it herself, but Ming i, who was pregnant, found the sll nauseating. To avoid making her uncomfortable, Zhao Guihua decided to skip it. She prided herself on being a considerate mother-in-law.
“A grass snake? Where?”
Zhao Guihua pointed, “Over there.”
“Let’s go check it out.”
Everyone rushed over, but Zhao Guihua stayed put. She had already said she didn’t want it, so she didn’t bother joining them.
“Guihua, Guihua, co here! Does this look like a rabbit hole? The snake’s gone, but this seems like a rabbit hole.”
At Aunt Wang’s call, Zhao Guihua sprang up, “Where?”
“Here, here! Look.”
None of them had much experience, but Zhao Guihua was practically a rabbit-catching expert. From spring until now, she had caught at least eight rabbits. When it ca to rabbits, she was the go-to person.
“How do we catch it?”
“It’s not easy!”
“They’re so fast.”
Zhao Guihua reassured them, “Don’t worry. Listen to . With so many of us, we can use fire. That’s the most effective thod.”
“But we don’t have matches.”
“I brought so.” Zhao Guihua always carried small tools like this. Opportunities favored the prepared.
She grinned, “Let’s keep looking…”
They quickly got to work…
******
At the bus station.
Ming i tidied up the registration forms and got up to pour herself so water.
Her current job was much easier than her previous one, making it ideal for her pregnancy. As she stepped out, she saw Jiang Baohong. Recently divorced, Jiang Baohong had beco even more gloomy and stricter with her subordinates.
So strict that she bordered on being harsh.
In the past, people had tolerated her out of respect, but now everyone knew the truth about her husband.
So things you think are secret, but in reality, everyone knows.
Now, when she made unreasonable demands, no one complied. After all, no one wanted to do extra work for no reward, just to boost their boss’s reputation. Dream on!
Jiang Baohong, oblivious to the change, tried to assert her authority as before. But soone reported her to higher-ups for “oppressing” workers, and she was promptly demoted.
While so things were harsh, that was just how it was. If Vice Director Cai were still in power, her actions might have been brushed off with a simple “let it go.” But that wasn’t the case anymore.
Moreover, Jiang Baohong’s divorce had given off the impression of abandoning ship in troubled tis.
How to put it?
Many n had their own flaws, but even so, they didn’t want their wives to act like Jiang Baohong. Similarly, if faced with a crisis, they might make the sa choice as her. But since it hadn’t happened to them, they could comfortably condemn her from a moral high ground.
n, after all, wanted wives who could share both joy and hardship.
So Jiang Baohong’s divorce rubbed many the wrong way—both n and won.
For this reason, she is no longer the person in charge of the train crew but has been demoted to a train attendant.
However, if you think Jiang Baohong is pitiable, she really isn't. In fact, she brought it upon herself. Although others did target her, she also caused her own downfall. After her divorce, she was desperate to prove herself, but instead of working hard and excelling at her job, she resorted to her old ways of stepping on others to climb up. Who would tolerate that?
She had previously relied on the influence of Vice Director Cai, but now that she's been stripped of that power, it's no surprise she's been reduced to this.
When she first returned to work—before being completely demoted—she eagerly approached Ming i, trying to persuade her to join the train crew. She even tried to pressure her with moral argunts, but given that Ming i was pregnant, her reasoning fell flat.
Ming i wasn't having any of it. She imdiately reported Jiang Baohong to their supervisor. Ming i had no patience for such selfish people and wanted nothing to do with her.
Because of Ming i's complaint, Jiang Baohong was reprimanded.
This incident made everyone realize that they didn’t have to put up with Jiang Baohong’s antics. So, when she tried to stir up trouble again, the entire team banded together to shut her down.
Having lived a life of comfort for years, Jiang Baohong struggled as a ticket seller. She made nurous mistakes, and every ti she returned to reconcile the accounts, she was scolded. After just four or five days, she couldn’t take it anymore and went to complain to the supervisor.
She thought that since she had once been a leader, she should at least be given so respect.
But she had no idea how much everyone disliked her. She was completely delusional about her own importance.
Jiang Baohong was full of confidence as she went upstairs, only to run into Ming i. She sneered, "Oh, what are you doing here? Slacking off during work hours? I guess being pregnant really gives you a free pass, huh?"
She resented Ming i for refusing to join the train crew. If Ming i had just cooperated, Jiang Baohong could have solidified her position.
But Ming i wasn’t so helpless pushover. She smiled and retorted, "If fetching a glass of water counts as slacking off, then you must be harsher than a feudal landlord. Is Zhou Bapi your relative? He had his rooster crow in the middle of the night, and now you’re banning water breaks during work hours. Thank goodness I don’t work under you. Otherwise, as a pregnant woman, I’d be scolded for drinking water and accused of abusing my 'free pass.' Oh wait, I forgot—you’re not a leader anymore. And I’ve never worked under you. So, I guess I’m just lucky to avoid strange people like you."
Throwing shade? Ming i could do that too.
Ming i continued cheerfully, "I should thank my baby. If it weren’t for this little one, I might have had to deal with so truly ridiculous people at work."
After saying this, she ignored Jiang Baohong, who was trembling with anger, and headed to the water room. When she returned, Jiang Baohong was gone. Back in the office, several of her colleagues gave her thumbs up, saying, "You’ve got quite the sharp tongue, girl."
Ming i chuckled softly. "That’s just how I am. If people don’t provoke , we can get along just fine. But if they ss with , I won’t back down. This is a new era—we’re not living in the old society anymore. Who do they think they can boss around? I was raised under the red flag, and I’m not afraid of petty people."
"Oh, by the way, Ming i, were you born after liberation?" one colleague asked.
Ming i nodded. "Yes, right on the cusp of it."
"You got married pretty early then."
Ming i had married as soon as she reached the legal age, which was considered early for soone from an ordinary working-class family.
Ming i replied, "We hit it off during our blind date. Everyone thought since we were both aiming for marriage, why not just go for it?"
"That’s because you’re both good-looking and compatible. Not everyone’s like that. Oh, did you hear? Our station is organizing a matchmaking event."
Ming i nodded. "Yes, I’m the one who connected the machinery factory with our union."
Ming i puffed up with pride, feeling like she had done another good deed.
She said, "My husband works in the propaganda departnt at the machinery factory. They have a lot of single n, and we have a lot of single won here. It’s a perfect match. But they have more people, so I heard they’re also inviting female teachers from schools. It’s going to be a big event."
"Oh, that’s great! Do you know if family mbers are allowed to attend?"
Ming i shrugged. "I’m not sure. If you’re curious, you should ask the union. I just helped make the initial connection. They’re handling the rest."
"Then I’ll definitely ask."
As the colleague hurried out, Ming i shook her head with a smile.
She checked the ti—it was almost ti to clock out.
She started wrapping up her work, wondering what to have for dinner.
Dinner…
anwhile, Zhao Guihua and the others were happily heading ho. It seed like fate was on their side—they had gone out together and managed to catch four rabbits, one for each of them.
Compared to the last ti Zhao Guihua had gone alone and struggled, this ti, with four people, they had no trouble at all.
There’s strength in numbers.
In those days, at was a rare luxury, so who wouldn’t be thrilled with free rabbits?
The group returned in high spirits, imdiately catching the attention of everyone in the courtyard.
"Wow, you’ve been out all day. Did you go up the mountain?"
"Look at those rabbits—they’re so plump!"
"Where did you catch them? Out in the countryside? And you’ve got apples too? That’s amazing!"
Everyone gathered around, their eyes filled with envy. Aunt Su was among them, as was Aunt Zhou. Aunt Zhou was thrilled to see Wang Zhaodi holding a rabbit and exclaid, "Oh my, my dear goddaughter, you’re so capable!"
Aunt Zhou had recently taken Wang Zhaodi as her goddaughter and had even handed out candies to the neighbors to celebrate.
The reason Aunt Zhou had taken Wang Zhaodi as her goddaughter instead of Jiang Lu taking her as a younger sister was obvious—living with a godmother sounded much better than living with a brother-in-law.
Aunt Zhou inspected Wang Zhaodi’s haul and was delighted to see that she had gathered just as many mushrooms as the others. "You’re such a hard worker," she praised.
Wang Zhaodi smiled shyly, her lips curling upward.
Aunt Zhou declared, "Tonight, we’re having rabbit for dinner!"
She had no intention of saving the rabbit. Zhao Guihua and Aunt Wang felt the sa way. Why?
Because they already had two chickens at ho, and keeping a rabbit on top of that would be too much. Even if they didn’t eat it, the rabbit had to go.
Aunt Wang said, "I’m not going to eat mine. I’ll slaughter it and dry it for the winter. It’ll make a good addition to our als then."
"Yes, that’s a good idea."
"Ugh, why didn’t I go up the mountain with you today? I missed out!"
"Sa here!"
The neighbors were filled with envy. Aunt Su, in particular, couldn’t take her eyes off the rabbits. If only she could get one for her family—she could make a pot of rabbit stew for her three sons. And if she could get all four rabbits, they’d have enough for several als!
Aunt Su’s mind raced as she tried to think of a way to get her hands on those rabbits.
She glanced around. The others weren’t easy to deal with, but even the most soft-hearted among them wouldn’t give away a rabbit out of pity. Her eyes darted back and forth.
"Grandma, I want to eat rabbit at! I want so!" Tonglai started crying.
The kids had just gotten ho from school and were about to go play when they saw the rabbits.
" too! Grandma!" Yinlai joined in.
Aunt Su imdiately put on a pitiful expression. "What are you kids saying? These aren’t ours. We can’t eat them."
"No, no! I want it! I want it!"
The children started throwing tantrums, rolling on the ground.
Aunt Su glanced at the others, who seed unmoved. She quickly hugged Tonglai and started crying herself. "Our family is so poor. We don’t even have mushrooms, let alone rabbits. Don’t cry, my dear. Grandma wants to give you the best, but we’re just too poor. At the end of the month, when your mom gets paid, we’ll buy so at for you."
Zhao Guihua sneered and said, "Aunt Su, I’m not trying to criticize you, but your family really doesn’t know how to manage your finances, do you? It’s only the beginning of the month, and it’s been just a few days since payday—three or four days at most. You’ve already used up all your at ration coupons? You’re really squandering things, aren’t you?"
Aunt Su was stunned for a mont before realizing they had just received their wages not long ago.
But she didn’t hesitate to reply, "We spent a lot of money last month because of a hospital stay. Life has been tight, and even though we just got paid, it’s already gone to cover debts. It’s tough."
Zhao Guihua shrugged, carrying the rabbit back to her house to slaughter it.
The others who had rabbits certainly weren’t going to give theirs to her.
Aunt Zhou, who also had a rabbit, was naturally unapologetic: "Oh, co on, Aunt Su, how can you be in debt? Isn’t the money you borrowed supposed to be free?"
"Don’t listen to nonsense from others. We didn’t borrow money from anyone. Our family gets by because my daughter, Xiuer, works hard. Otherwise, how could we survive like this?"
"I want at! I want at! I want rabbit at!"
Tonglai continued to roll on the ground, throwing a tantrum.
Aunt Su hugged the child and cried, saying, "It’s my fault as a grandmother for not being capable."
She gritted her teeth, seemingly making a tough decision, and looked up, saying, "Aunt Wang, could you spare so of your rabbit for ? I’ll pay for it. I can’t bear to see the child suffer like this. He’s so deprived!"
Aunt Wang didn’t believe she would actually pay, and besides, at was hard to co by. She had two grandsons of her own to feed.
She said, "That’s not possible. I have children to feed too. No, no."
Aunt Su pleaded, "Please, help out. I’m begging you…"
Aunt Zhou chid in sarcastically, "You just said you had no money, and now you want to buy a rabbit? Who knows what’s true and what’s not, huh?"
Aunt Su explained, "I do want to buy it, but… but I don’t have the money right now. I’ll pay you back at the end of the month when I get my wages."
Oh!
Now everyone could see what she was trying to do—she was trying to get sothing for nothing.
If she kept insisting she had no money, who could force her to pay?
The way people looked at Aunt Su changed.
As the saying goes, people used to believe her because she hadn’t crossed their interests. Her family and Bai Fendou’s family were like two sides of the sa coin—one willing to take advantage, the other willing to be taken advantage of. But now, Bai Fendou’s elderly parents were bedridden, and the younger generation had cut ties with them.
The Su family’s "cash cow" was no longer reliable.
They had no choice but to look elsewhere.
Taking advantage of the neighbors too often, even if it was just for a green onion or a garlic bulb, quickly made people resentful. After all, no one was living comfortably these days.
Tonglai was still rolling on the ground, crying, but the others imdiately changed their expressions and scattered.
Let him cry—he wasn’t their child, after all.
Zhao Guihua was the first to leave, already starting to skin the rabbit.
She wasn’t going to save it; they’d eat it tonight.
It had been a while since they’d had rabbit, so it would be a nice change.
"Granny Zhao, give so rabbit at to eat!"
Tonglai cried pitifully, calling out to Zhao Guihua. Zhao Guihua looked at him disdainfully and said, "We don’t even have enough for ourselves. If you want at, tell your grandmother to go buy so."
"Waaah…"
Tonglai continued to wail.
Aunt Su said, "Alright, stop crying."
She also started to cry and said, "Go out and play. I’ll go find your mother later and see if I can borrow so money to buy at. We’ll have at tonight."
She was truly at her wit’s end.
These people were so cold-hearted.
"Okay."
Tonglai imdiately got up.
Jinlai said, "Grandma, I’ll go find Mom."
"Fine, all three of you go."
Aunt Su gave her instructions and then noticed that the Zhou family had also started slaughtering their rabbit. She glared at Wang Zhaodi, her eyes filled with resentnt. That little wretch didn’t even rember who had brought her to the city in the first place, and now she didn’t care about their family at all.
That damned girl.
She had even thought about stirring up trouble to send Wang Zhaodi back to her village, just to see who would do the Zhou family’s work then. But she quickly dismissed the idea—not because she was kind-hearted.
She knew that Wang Zhaodi’s family was so poor that even if she went back and worked, her family wouldn’t appreciate it because she ate too much.
After all, they had plenty of daughters who could work.
So Wang Zhaodi’s family would never agree to let her return. Besides, Wang Zhaodi had gained a little weight since coming to the city and didn’t look as malnourished as before. If she stayed in the city and got healthier, she could fetch a better bride price when she went back to the village.
A skinny, malnourished girl wouldn’t command much of a dowry, but a plump, healthy one would.
That was exactly what Wang Zhaodi’s parents were counting on.
Aunt Su wasn’t just speculating—this was what Wang Zhaodi’s parents had said when her eldest daughter, Su Zhaodi, had brought Wang Zhaodi to the city. They didn’t know if their daughter could bear sons, but even if she couldn’t, life in the city was better. If she was well-fed and healthy, she’d be more marriageable when she returned.
So Aunt Su knew that trying to stir up trouble with Wang Zhaodi’s family would be pointless.
If it weren’t for that, she would have already found a way to get rid of her.
If Wang Zhaodi wasn’t going to help their family, she certainly shouldn’t be helping the Zhou family.
Those shaless Zhous—why should they get all the benefits?
She glared resentfully at the Zhou family and then at the Zhuang family, muttering, "I hope you all choke on that rabbit at. I hope your pregnant woman eats it and gives birth to a child with a cleft lip. Heh heh heh."
She laughed darkly, but it wasn’t a happy laugh.
Life had been hard for her family lately, and she couldn’t find much joy in anything. The Bai family was no longer reliable. For the past few months, they’d been getting eight yuan a month from Hu Huihui, but this month, Hu Huihui had suddenly left without a word.
That made things even harder for them.
Before, they could skim off Hu Huihui, but now there was no one to take advantage of.
That Hu Huihui—she left without a second thought, showing no gratitude. What an ingrate.
Aunt Su muttered to herself, feeling deeply unhappy. Everything in their lives lately had been going wrong.
It was all so frustrating.
She couldn’t be bothered to cook and just lay down, knowing that Wang Xiangxiu would take care of it when she got back.
Why should she do the work?
No way.
Aunt Su lay at ho, cursing her neighbors for not letting her take advantage of them. anwhile, Jinlai and his two brothers had already left the house. Yinlai asked, "Big brother, aren’t we going to the factory to find Mom?"
Jinlai shook his head and said, "Mom doesn’t have any money. What’s the point of finding her? Borrowing money isn’t easy."
He was a bit older than his brothers and understood things better.
He said, "Don’t worry, I have another plan."
"Another plan?"
Jinlai grinned confidently and said, "We’ll catch a stray dog and have dog at tonight."
Yinlai hesitated, "Is that a good idea?"
Tonglai shook his head firmly and said, "No! Stray dogs eat poop. If we eat stray dogs, doesn’t that an we’re eating poop? Big brother, I don’t want to eat poop…"
Jinlai facepald and said, "You idiot."
Tonglai cried, "I don’t want to eat poop!"
If Tonglai hadn’t said anything, the idea might have seed fine, but now that he’d brought it up, it was impossible to ignore how gross it sounded.
Yinlai said, "Big brother, I don’t think it’s a good idea either."
Jinlai shrugged, "Then what do you suggest? You know how hard it is to steal things. And even if we manage to get into soone’s house, like yesterday, their place was so empty it wasn’t even worth the effort."
They didn’t know which households in the neighborhood had money and which didn’t. Even if they managed to sneak in, they might not find anything to eat.
Plus, these days, everyone in the neighborhood was on guard. As soon as they got close, people beca suspicious. It just wasn’t working out.
Jinlai said, "Actually, our own courtyard would be the easiest to steal from. We know exactly what everyone has. But unfortunately, they’re all on guard against us."
"Exactly, they’re so selfish."
"Yeah, so selfish."
The three of them were feeling frustrated, but suddenly, Jinlai’s eyes lit up, and he said, "I’ve got a great idea."
"What is it?"
Yinlai and Tonglai imdiately looked at him.
Jinlai grinned and said, "We’ll go to the slaughterhouse and steal so at."
"Wow!"
"Think about it, they're public property. Grandma said, what belongs to the public isn't personal. Only a fool would work hard for it. When we go steal, it's not like it's their own stuff. Maybe they won't chase us because we're just kids."
"Right, right! Grandma also said adults are lenient with kids. Even if we get caught, we can just cry and act pitiful." Despite being the youngest, Tonglai had more tricks up his sleeve than his two older brothers.
No wonder Jinlai and Yinlai always ended up in trouble, while he managed to live comfortably thanks to a wealthy aunt.
"Little brother is right."
"The slaughterhouse isn't far from here. If we go now, it's perfect timing."
"Right, right!"
The three kids hurried toward the slaughterhouse, but when they got there, they were a bit confused. After all, slaughterhouses usually kill pigs early in the morning before dawn. Who slaughters pigs at closing ti?
The kids had no idea. They climbed onto the wall to peek inside, but there was nothing to see.
Well, not exactly nothing.
There were a few live pigs.
These were scheduled to be slaughtered the next day. Since it was inconvenient to transport them early in the morning, they were brought in a day in advance.
The kids knew nothing about this, but that didn't stop them from staring excitedly at the fat pigs.
"Brother, look! Look!"
"What do you think we should do?"
"Brother, I want at! Pork tastes better than rabbit." Tonglai couldn't stop thinking about it.
Jinlai: "But it doesn't look like they're slaughtering any pigs..."
"There's no one in the yard. If only these pigs were ours."
"There's no one in the yard, but we can't slaughter pigs either." Jinlai admitted honestly. Even though he liked acting tough in front of his brothers, this was beyond him.
Yinlai and Tonglai exchanged glances. After a long pause, Jinlai ca up with an idea: "What if we cut off the pigs' tails?"
"Ah!" The two younger brothers' eyes lit up as they looked at their older brother.
The more Jinlai thought about it, the better the idea seed. He quickly explained, "Think about it. We definitely can't slaughter the pigs, and we're just kids—we can't carry them away! But we can cut off their tails and take those."
He gazed at the pigs inside the slaughterhouse, daydreaming: "We can cut off all the pigs' tails. Then we'll have plenty of at."
"Brother, you're amazing!"
Jinlai was pleased. "You two keep watch here. I'll go ho and get a kitchen knife."
"Okay!"
Jinlai declared confidently, "Tonight, we're having braised pig tails with noodles."
"Aweso!"
The three kids got to work. anwhile, Wang Xiangxiu was showering at her workplace. The faucet at her factory was more convenient than the one in the courtyard—it was indoors, essentially a small washroom.
She unbuttoned her shirt, let her hair down, and wore only a small undershirt as she began wiping herself with a towel.
She had been working here for a while now. Since none of the leaders were particularly helpful, she had to stick with it. Although her work was diocre, she managed to get by. After all, she could always find soone to lend a hand.
Bai Fendou definitely wouldn't help, but Wang Xiangxiu had used her charm to get others in the logistics departnt to help her with the dirty work. However, cleaning the toilets was sothing she had to do herself. Admittedly, the sll was quite strong, and even she found it unpleasant. So, every day before leaving work, she would co here to clean up and go ho fresh.
She didn't want to go around slling bad. If she did, she wouldn't be able to "earn" any money in the future.
When she was out and about, she absolutely couldn't be dirty or slly.
Wang Xiangxiu moved gracefully, putting on a bit of a show. Of course, if this were her own ho, she would have just wiped herself down quickly. The reason she acted this way was because the windows of the washroom were visible from the office building across the way, especially from the higher floors.
The washroom windows were high, so people outside couldn't see in. But from the right angle on the upper floors, the view was crystal clear.
Wang Xiangxiu hadn't known this at first. She just noticed that so people looked at her strangely, with unspoken thoughts in their eyes. After observing for a while, she discovered this "secret." But even though she knew, she had no intention of stopping.
After all, being looked at didn't cost her anything. As long as she pretended not to know, there was no problem.
This was also a good opportunity to win over a few generous spenders.
Even if more people found out or if this matter ca to light, she could always claim she had no idea. Over the years, Wang Xiangxiu had learned that as long as no one caught her in the act, there wouldn't be any major issues.
This was why Wang Xiangxiu had never been exposed.
She had never been caught in the act. The only close call was with Vice Director Cai, but since there were no other witnesses and she had evidence of her previous encounter with Yu Baoshan, she could pin the bla on Vice Director Cai, claiming she was a victim of coercion. Vice Director Cai would have no choice but to take the fall.
The only witness, Bai Fendou, wouldn't testify against her—after all, he had injured Vice Director Cai.
So Wang Xiangxiu felt invincible.
In this era, such matters were taken very seriously. But Wang Xiangxiu was careful, and since she hadn't been caught, she remained "innocent."
As she wiped herself, Wang Xiangxiu deliberately lifted her leg, putting on a show.
anwhile, in the office building, a few n with ulterior motives stood by the window, murmuring appreciatively.
"Wang Xiangxiu is so fair-skinned."
"Old Chen, who used to clean the toilets, always stank. Bai Fendou did too. But look at Wang Xiangxiu now—she slls so good."
"Right, right! I ran into her the other day after work. She slled amazing—she must use scented soap."
"Move over, let see too..."
"Let's not talk about this in front of the female colleagues. If Wang Xiangxiu finds out, she might stop washing up here."
"Got it, got it..."
The n watched eagerly, though most of them were all talk and no action. However, a man nad Old Hei had a different idea. He quietly slipped downstairs...
The bell signaling the end of the workday rang. Wang Xiangxiu tied up her hair and walked out briskly, feeling refreshed. Before she reached the gate, she saw a dark-skinned man approaching. "Sister Xiu, I heard you have three boys at ho. I happened to get a pound of at coupons. Why don't I give them to you?"
Wang Xiangxiu understood imdiately but still said, "A pound? My kids have big appetites. That might not be enough. Do you have more? If you do, I'll go with you to get them."
"Yes, I have more. Let's go..."
The two of them walked out one after the other.
Zhuang Zhixi: "..."
Why did he always run into things like this? He really wanted to gouge his eyes out.
He got on his bike and rode off in a hurry.
If he saw any more, he wouldn't be able to eat dinner tonight.
This kind of business had even reached the workplace.
He quickly rode to pick up Ming i. As he turned a corner, he saw the two of them heading into a small alley... Seriously, couldn't they at least find a small hotel?
He didn't want to see any more. He had to get out of there fast!
Zhuang Zhixi sped away, afraid that another glance would blind him.
But he didn't know that Wang Xiangxiu, clutching a pound of at coupons and five yuan, was smiling triumphantly.
It had to be said, Old Hei was much more useful than Zhou Qun.
After finishing up, she hurried ho, thinking about buying a pound of at tomorrow to make dumplings. It had been a long ti since her family had eaten them...
anwhile, the three brothers, also thinking about pork, finally found a dog hole by the wall. Jinlai said proudly, "I rembered there was a dog hole here. I was right!"
He instructed, "Tonglai, you keep watch outside. Yinlai, co with ."
Yinlai: "Got it. I'll follow your lead, big brother."
Although they hadn't started yet, the three of them were already flushed with excitent. Jinlai went in first, carrying the kitchen knife, and headed toward the pigpen. Yinlai followed closely behind. The pigs in the slaughterhouse were indeed fat.
Jinlai looked around and decided to start with the one that seed the most docile.
He took a step, then another, gritting his teeth: "I, I, I..."
Yinlai: "Big brother, are you scared?"
Jinlai: "Who says I'm scared?"
He raised the knife with all his might and brought it down!
"Oink, oink, oink..."
The pig, struck by the knife, let out a loud squeal and started running around.
Jinlai was quite lucky and didn’t get hit.
Yinlai: “Big bro, hurry, keep going!”
Jinlai: “Oh, oh, okay!”
He quickly tried to chase after it, but the pigs were already in chaos. Without thinking too much, he swung his knife at the nearest one. It must be said that a well-fed kid has so serious strength. His family always ate well, and this kid actually managed to cut off half of the pig’s tail with one swing. Following his instincts, he quickly added two more slashes.
The pig’s tail fell to the ground with a thud, and the pig let out a blood-curdling scream.
Jinlai hadn’t expected to succeed, but this victory gave him hope. He knew he was capable. He picked up the pig tail and tossed it outward, saying, “Here!”
Yinlai quickly stuffed it into the bag they had brought from ho.
Having tasted success once, Jinlai grew bolder and chased after the second pig with even more determination.
The big fat pig wasn’t one to be trifled with, though. With a powerful shove, Jinlai was sent sprawling to the ground, and the kitchen knife flew out of his hand. “Ah…!”
He couldn’t help but cry out, not caring if anyone heard him.
The fat pig stomped on Jinlai’s stomach, and he scread, “Ahhh! Help!”
Yinlai: “Big bro, don’t be scared, I’ll save you!”
He quickly picked up the kitchen knife and, seeing the pig about to attack his brother again, swung the knife at the pig’s tail with a few loud thwacks.
It has to be said, their family really stayed true to their roots. Even in this situation, they were still fixated on pig tails.
Yinlai didn’t even bother with his brother anymore and charged straight at another pig. Despite being just a kid, he was surprisingly ferocious. In just a few strikes, he managed to chop off another pig’s tail. Jinlai stumbled and crawled away, clutching the pig tails, and all three tails were now secured.
Yinlai: “Watch the skills of Axe King Yinlai!”
He thought to himself that he was better than his brother. After all, his brother had only managed to get one tail, while he had taken down two. That clearly ant he was the stronger one.
Yinlai arrogantly chased after another pig…
Thankfully, these were just dostic pigs raised for at, so they weren’t very aggressive. If they had been even slightly more spirited, the brothers would have been done for.
However, at that mont, the big fat pig kicked out with its hoof, sending Yinlai crashing to the ground. In an instant, he was trampled several tis.
Jinlai: “I’ll save you… ah!”
He, too, was knocked down by the big fat pig.
“Ah…”
The commotion they were making wasn’t small, and it was impossible to hide.
Over in the office, a few n had been playing cards. They usually didn’t have much to do in the afternoon and were in the middle of a ga when they suddenly heard the pigs squealing from the backyard. Since this was a slaughterhouse, it wasn’t unusual for the pigs to make so noise. But this ti, the screams were particularly horrifying.
And it seed like there were human voices mixed in.
The n exchanged glances and imdiately knew sothing was wrong. Grabbing their iron rods, they rushed outside…
From north to south, no one had ever dared to steal pigs from a slaughterhouse, so they hadn’t thought of that possibility at first. But as the noise grew louder, it beca clear that sothing was up.
The burly n sprinted out of the building and headed straight for the backyard.
When they arrived, well…
It was just two little thieves.
The two kids were now surrounded by several pigs, each one about to trample them to death. The scene was absolutely terrifying. And then they noticed a cloth bag nearby, with pig tails sticking out…
“Damn it, these little brats ca here to cut off pig tails…”
“Forget that for now, save them first!”
“Ugh. If the pigs don’t kill them, I might just beat them to death myself.”
“Enough talk, let’s pull them out.”
The n used their iron rods to whack the pigs a few tis, and the herd quickly scattered. The two kids, now barely breathing, were dragged out.
The leader said, “Call the police. These little punks dared to steal from us…”
“Enough, call the cops.”
After a pause, he added, “And check if there’s anyone outside keeping watch.”
“Got it!”
Tonglai, who had been pressed against the wall, heard this and imdiately bolted. Forget his brothers—his own life was more important.
Wuwuwuwu!
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