Chapter 34: False Joy

Lin Jingyue glanced at him with a hint of deeper meaning. Jiang Xun’s expression was calm, but the flicker of tension in his eyes betrayed him. Suddenly, an inexplicable fear crept into him, though he couldn’t say what exactly he was afraid of. Still, there was far more resolve than apprehension in his gaze.

Lin Jingyue smiled, her probing look fading as she accepted what Jiang Xun handed her. “I understand. Thank you.”

She didn’t say what she understood, but Jiang Xun seemed to know her meaning regardless. He smiled too, the laughter softening his features, radiant and clear.

In her room, Lin Jingyue looked at the imported biscuits and chocolate in her hands and let out a quiet chuckle. This man… Ahem, he was quite good.

“Brother Jiang, did you succeed?” On his end, Zhou Yan spotted Jiang Xun coming in with a broad smile and grinned widely himself.

Why did he feel even more excited than Jiang Xun?

Jiang Xun reined himself in. “Succeed at what? You spend your days with your head in the clouds.”

“So… it didn’t work out?”

“Do you think it’s that easy?” Jiang Xun wore a mysterious air, as if saying, You just don’t get it.

Zhou Yan rolled his eyes. “Got happy for nothing. I think you’re the problem—Lin Jingyue is a fine girl. It’s normal if she doesn’t take to you.”

Jiang Xun snorted, “Heh.”

Zhou Yan immediately shut his mouth. He couldn’t afford to offend someone who could take on five people at once.

Still, did Lin Jingyue really turn Jiang Xun down? That would make for an interesting show.

Jiang Xun had no idea why Zhou Yan’s mood shifted so quickly, but he couldn’t be bothered to care.

The next day, Lin Jingyue took her basket and sickle and headed up the mountain, continuing her pigweed-gathering enterprise. After tasting the benefits of cutting pigweed, who would want to go back to working the fields?

“Sister Lin!” Tie Dan and Da Wa spotted Lin Jingyue and bounced over, with three more little companions in tow.

They all knew Lin Jingyue had candy.

“Sister Lin, we can help you cut pigweed too!”

“Alright then, today we’ll gather three full baskets of pigweed!” Lin Jingyue clenched her fist, looking ready for a grand endeavor.

The children cheered and jumped for joy.

There were plenty of children gathering pigweed on the mountain, and when a group of girls saw Lin Jingyue, they looked on timidly, their eyes full of envy.

Lin Jingyue didn’t bother herself about it. The preference for sons over daughters had always been the norm—there was nothing she could do to change a parent’s mind. Still, she could at least give the girls a few candies.

She beckoned to them. “Girls, come over if you want some candy.”

The girls nervously clutched the corners of their clothes, their baskets starkly contrasting with their thin frames. In the end, they mustered the courage to walk over to Lin Jingyue.

“Sister Lin… we can help too.” They had learned from a young age that without labor, there would be no reward—not even a sip of thin gruel, let alone candy.

“Wonderful.” Lin Jingyue smiled; she hadn’t planned to give it away for nothing. “Let’s all cut pigweed together today. We’ll clear out all the pigweed on the mountain!”

She waved her hand dramatically.

Everyone laughed, the children’s laughter echoing far across the hills.

While Lin Jingyue led the children in gathering pigweed, trouble brewed back in the village.

Wang Xueping and Sun Lanlan got into a fight.

Wang Xueping, in a fit of rage, completely overpowered Sun Lanlan, who ended up wailing and battered. When the crowd gathered to watch the commotion, Wang Xueping grabbed Sun Lanlan’s hand, staggered, and fainted dead away.

Sun Lanlan was stunned.

“What a sin! The Sun family’s gone too far—Qian Guihua smeared Comrade Wang’s reputation, Sun Zhiyuan abandoned her after taking advantage, and now Sun Lanlan’s beaten her senseless!” Aunt Hua and Aunt Liu, always at the front lines of gossip, wailed dramatically.

Though the two of them were usually at odds, they always stood united against Qian Guihua.

“It’s true, Comrade Wang is really suffering.”

The crowd began to whisper among themselves.

“You’re all talking nonsense! She hit me—I didn’t lay a finger on her!” Sun Lanlan’s eyes were red with anger.

“Who’s the one unconscious now? Comrade Wang.”

“How should I know why she fainted? I didn’t even touch her—she was the one hitting me!” She lunged as if to grab the collapsed Wang Xueping.

Aunt Hua and Aunt Liu held her back.

Just then, the Party Secretary arrived, glaring fiercely at his own daughter. “Enough with the nonsense! Get her to the hospital!”

After all, it was the Sun family that had wronged Wang Xueping.

She’d been a decent girl, but because his own son had saved her, her reputation was ruined. Worse yet, thanks to his wife’s meddling, they couldn’t even mention the life-saving favor anymore, and just when they were about to get married, it all fell apart. Who could stand it?

The Party Secretary was at his wits’ end.

Wang Xueping was taken to the hospital, and everyone else went back to their business—but Sun Lanlan’s bullying, especially against Wang Xueping, became the talk of the village.

Back on the mountain, with several extra helpers, Lin Jingyue completed four tasks and earned six work points.

Six work points just for pigweed—the scorekeeper gave her a peculiar look. But since the children working with her had all met their quotas, he had nothing to say.

Lin Jingyue sent the children back up the mountain while she stopped by the educated youth compound to put her clay pot in the basket and grab a kitchen knife and some salt before heading back up.

“Today, I’ll stew some soup for you.” Indeed, she’d found another wild pheasant.

Though the bird was barely alive, there was nothing wrong with it—it was still edible.

The children, rarely getting a taste of meat, were delighted at the prospect of meat soup. They all pitched in to gather firewood and start the fire.

Soon, the clay pot was bubbling, and Lin Jingyue had already chopped the chicken into small pieces and tossed them in, covering the pot.

“It’ll be about half an hour. Go home and get a bowl—I’ll wait here for you.” Lin Jingyue smacked her forehead, realizing they’d need bowls to eat the soup.

The five boys and three girls sped off at a run.

No one suspected that Lin Jingyue might abscond with the pot.

“You wretched girl, why are you just getting home? Hurry up and wash your brother’s clothes!” At Zhaodi’s house, her mother greeted her with a fierce scowl the moment she walked in.

Timidly, Zhaodi glanced at her mother, then slipped into the kitchen, grabbed a bowl, and dashed out.

She knew she’d probably get beaten later, but for a taste of meat, it was worth it!

“Useless girl, nothing but trouble—where are you going with that bowl? Don’t even think about eating today!”

Aside from the boys, nearly all the girls who went home were scolded, and one even got her ear twisted.

Lin Jingyue considered the situation. There were eight children—growing boys could eat a lot.

She pulled a few potatoes from her space and chopped them into the pot.

If anyone asked, she’d just say she found them in her basket.

The first to return was Zhaodi, whose home was closest to the mountain. “Sister Lin…”

A rare light shone in Zhaodi’s eyes.

Would she finally get to taste meat?

Faced with such a look, even Lin Jingyue’s hardened heart softened. The girl was frail—at nine, she looked no older than six or seven, nothing but skin and bones.

“It’s almost ready. We’ll eat when everyone is here.”

“Mm-hmm.” Zhaodi stared at the clay pot, swallowing repeatedly.

The eight children trickled back. Tie Dan even brought two buns. “Sister Lin, my grandma told me to give these to you.”

The other children flushed with embarrassment—they hadn’t brought anything at all.