Chapter 23: Reputation in Ruins

In truth, Lin Jingyue was unaware that when her mother had her accident, not only did the factory make an exception and allocate Lin’s father a two-bedroom apartment, but they also gave him eight hundred yuan as compensation for bereavement, and reserved a job for her. In addition, the factory director privately handed him a hush money of five hundred yuan, and both openly and secretly provided Lin’s father with many benefits over the years.

All of this was because the death of Lin’s mother was not only to protect the factory’s property but, more importantly, to shield the factory director and his wife from responsibility, and, by chance, had even saved the director’s son’s life.

Of course, aside from Lin’s father and the director’s family, no one else knew about this matter.

This was also why Lin’s father could send Lin Jingyue twenty yuan every month and still have so much money left over.

Never mind all that they had squandered over the years.

Lin Xinrou’s telegram stirred up a commotion at the factory, and those who disliked him exposed everything.

He couldn’t escape the accusation of immoral conduct, and after a little maneuvering, he was directly suspended.

Even Hu Cuiqi wasn’t spared.

Ordinarily, with the factory director’s protection, no one could touch them, but fate had other plans. A deputy director had his eyes on the director’s position and used other leverage to bring him down.

With Lin’s father’s patron fallen, he too was finished.

The apartment was repossessed, the job lost, and the two slunk back to Hu Cuiqi’s family home in disgrace.

Lin’s father began to give up on himself. Over the years, Hu Cuiqi had provided her family with many benefits, not to mention the more than a thousand yuan. Lin’s father wouldn’t let the Hu family off until they returned it all.

So began a life of mutual torment and chaos.

The rest was Lin Jingyue’s speculation: Lin’s father and the Hu family were bound together by fate.

She burned the letter in one swift motion.

Only if they both suffered could there be some compensation for the original self—a life, after all.

Yet Hu Cuiqi was truly something; even under such circumstances, she still managed to send money to Lin Xinrou and Lin Xinjian. Tsk.

The next day, news somehow spread that the Lin family had sent money to Lin Xinrou, and the village women joked, “Guihua, since the educated youth Wang doesn’t fancy your eldest son, why not set your sights on little Lin, the educated youth? Her family’s not bad either, and she’s been touched by your eldest already.”

“That’s right, if she won’t marry your eldest, she won’t find anyone else,” they chimed in.

“Your luck’s not bad, always picking city girls,” someone added with a sour tone.

Their hearts truly brimmed with envy.

City girls might be pampered, but they had money. In the countryside, who would give their daughters dowries of dozens of yuan?

Qian Guihua, Aunt Sun’s name, narrowed her eyes and looked at Lin Jingyue, who was eavesdropping above, “Comrade Lin, did your family really send money to little Lin?”

Today, Lin Jingyue’s plot of land happened to be right next to Qian Guihua’s team.

She straightened her back, openly slacking off, “Seems so, but they didn’t send any to me.”

“You’re truly pitiful, living under your stepmother’s roof,” Aunt Liu remarked, striking just where it hurt.

Lin Jingyue’s lips twitched, “So petty.”

Was it really necessary to hold a grudge just because she’d stepped on her foot by accident that morning?

Qian Guihua’s eyes spun with calculation.

Lin Xinrou’s family must be doing well.

Seeing her scheming, Lin Jingyue said no more.

Sure enough, by the afternoon, rumors spread that Wang Xueping and Lin Xinrou had both been groped by Sun Zhiyuan.

Unbelievable!

Lin Jingyue’s mouth twitched—Qian Guihua’s moves were truly shameless. In her mind, either of these girls would make a fine daughter-in-law for her son. After all, scandals like this never harm the man.

“Fools,” Zhou Yan muttered, eating from a bowl of white rice and picking up some scrambled eggs, “Sun Zhiyuan’s in the military with a bright future, but his mother’s vision is laughably short.”

Jiang Xun said nothing, and Lin Jingyue just smiled.

On the other side, Wang Xueping and Lin Xinrou were sick with anger.

But there was nothing they could do—an old saying goes, “It’s easy to spread rumors, but impossible to dispel them.”

Quelling this would be no easy feat.

Compared to Wang Xueping, Lin Xinrou was even more miserable. Ever since she fell into the water, nothing had gone right.

And now, her reputation was ruined.

She nursed a deep grudge against Chen Chunlan, who had fought with her, and an even deeper one against Lin Jingyue. She seized an opportunity to coax Zhao Hua, and after much effort, finally managed to win him over.

Wang Xueping, on the other hand, was in a worse spot. When Qian Guihua brought people over again, she agreed to marry Sun Zhiyuan.

Qian Guihua left, proud as could be, never expecting that Wang Xueping would go to see Sun Zhiyuan immediately after.

No one knew what was said, but she looked much better when she returned.

By this time, Jiang Xun and Zhou Yan’s communal kitchen was no longer in use, and Lin Jingyue began eating separately.

That day, she didn’t have time to make breakfast and stuffed a rice ball in her pocket, planning to eat in the field.

She ate and listened to gossip: Sun Zhiyuan and Wang Xueping’s marriage had been arranged with lightning speed; the wedding would be held the next day, so quickly that Wang Xueping didn’t even have time to send word home.

Sun Zhiyuan had come home on leave specifically to find a wife, and upon reporting back, he sent a telegram and quickly received approval.

“Today the brigade leader even gave Wang the educated youth the day off to prepare for the wedding. I wonder what kind of dowry she’ll have,” Aunt Liu said, both sour and envious.

“City girls should have quite a dowry,” Aunt Hua added, obviously uncomfortable, but brightened a bit thinking of her own soon-to-be daughter-in-law.

“Ergou, you’re getting married soon, and still hanging around Comrade Lin? Aren’t you afraid your mother will break your legs?” Aunt Liu called out as soon as she spotted Ergou, drawing everyone’s attention.

Lin Jingyue rolled her eyes. So these were the two who’d just been gossiping—now, in an instant, they’d split into separate camps.

“Aunt Liu, are you looking for a fight?” she replied coolly.

Aunt Liu fell silent at once.

Aunt Hua glared at her, then looked worriedly at her own son, “Ergou, what is it?”

“Mum, I came to find you,” Ergou scratched his head, not daring to look at Lin Jingyue. “Mum, Cuihua said… she wants me to go with her to her aunt’s house in the county tomorrow—her cousin’s getting married.”

He blushed as red as a monkey’s backside.

“That’s wonderful, go ahead! I’ll ask the brigade leader for leave for you,” Aunt Hua agreed happily, pleased that her future daughter-in-law and son were on good terms.

Ergou nodded and ran off, but halfway there, he couldn’t help but look back at Lin Jingyue.

At eighteen, she was beautiful, her skin fair as snow, sitting in the field out of place—she seemed made for a life of privilege.

Ergou didn’t know why such thoughts came to him.

He shook his head, pushed aside his discomfort and bitterness, and left.

“Aunt Hua, when’s the wedding? Save a cup of celebratory wine for me,” Lin Jingyue called after finishing her rice ball, noticing Aunt Hua’s complicated gaze and smiling brightly.

Aunt Hua thought, what a brazen little girl.

“I don’t know yet, we’ll see,” she replied perfunctorily, thinking, I wouldn’t dare invite you—what if you ruin my daughter-in-law’s match, where would I go to cry?

Lin Jingyue, still smiling, looked away, put on her work gloves, and began weeding.

The weeds in this plot were impossible to clear with a sickle.

Poor hands of hers.

“Comrade Lin, your younger sister was driven to jump into the river by the Party Secretary’s wife, and you’re not even going to check on her?” a shrill voice suddenly sounded from the ridge, startling Lin Jingyue.