Misplaced Devotion

Episode 35: Misplaced Devotion. Lin Yuzhu, on the other hand, remained much calmer.

The older women asked her whether Zhang the Widow's cries had really been that wanton.

After a moment of silence, Lin Yuzhu shook her head. "I don't know, Aunties. Why don't you demonstrate what wanton sounds like for us, so we have something to compare it to?"

"What does wanton even mean?"

The older women were left speechless.

Only after those women failed to get any entertainment from her did Lin Yuzhu finally feel some peace around her ears.

Watching the aunties still discussing it with great enthusiasm, Lin Yuzhu secretly shook her head. Zhang the Widow probably would never be able to hold her head up in this village again.

Zhang the Widow and Li Erhe had been beaten half to death the previous night. Only after everyone dispersed did their respective families dare carry them home.

Lin Erhe's family had long since split up. His elders had already passed away, so the scandal he caused did not implicate many people. Only his own family would be unable to hold their heads up.

He was, after all, the pillar of his household, so someone naturally had to care for him. His family carried him back after it was over.

Zhang the Widow was different. She had not split from the family and had a youngest son who was only ten years old. A child that young could not handle anything. Her two sisters-in-law dragged and hauled her home, then tossed her into the courtyard to fend for herself.

Would the Zhang Family hire a doctor for her?

Impossible. The old man and old woman of the Zhang Family wished she would hurry up and die, so she would stop bringing shame upon them.

As for Zhang the Widow and Li Erhe, Lin Yuzhu neither mocked nor sympathized with them. She merely pitied the lives they would have ahead of them.

In an era like this, getting beaten by one's family might once have settled the matter. Now, however, they had to endure a beating from the entire village. Did they think that was the end of it?

No. Whenever the village needed examples to crack down on improper conduct, they would be dragged out and paraded around. In the years to come, their lives would be stripped of all dignity. It was a little pitiful, but they had chosen this road themselves, and they would have to crawl it on their knees if necessary.

Lin Yuzhu had not expected Auntie Li Si to be so petty. She had not even wanted the two eggs.

Auntie Li Si was still holding a grudge over what had happened that day. Lin Yuzhu became more wary of her—not because she intended to retaliate, but because she wanted to learn about Auntie Li Si's family and stay alert, lest she be plotted against without even realizing it.

Once she asked around, she found that the whole family was truly a pack of awful people. From Deadbeat Li down to his daughter and sons, not one of them was decent.

The only promising one was their youngest son, who was said to have joined the army. No one knew what his character was like. Maybe a good falcon really could emerge from a thicket of bamboo.

Time flew by. The villagers seemed to have forgotten all about Zhang the Widow and Li Erhe as they threw themselves into the harvest. The village elders predicted an approaching storm, followed by a rainy season lasting at least forty-five days. With bad luck, it might rain on and off for half a month. If they did not hurry and bring in the crops, the grain could rot in the fields.

And so, Lin Yuzhu faced a true nightmare.

From the moment the harvest began, Lin Yuzhu felt that her waist no longer belonged to her, and neither did her mind.

She only knew how to swing her sickle, cutting wheat one stalk at a time and moving forward constantly. Sweat ran into her eyes, and she could only wipe it roughly with her sleeve. Wheat chaff filled her collar, prickling her skin until it itched and hurt, but she had no time to deal with it. If she slowed down, the people gathering fallen ears of wheat behind her would urge her on.

Several times, her sickle nearly cut her leg. And that was with her being as careful as possible!

During that time, she heard shouting in the distance. Later, she learned someone had cut their leg with a sickle, bleeding all over the ground. The village chief had someone apply the prepared plant ash, and only then did the bleeding stop.

The news made Lin Yuzhu's hand tremble as she cut wheat, and she became even more careful.

When the Summer Palace bell rang, Lin Yuzhu slowly straightened up, baring her teeth at the agonizing ache in her lower back.

On her way back, fields of wheat still seemed to sway before Lin Yuzhu's eyes. That morning had exhausted her completely.

Only after returning to the Educated Youth Dormitory did she learn that the person whose leg had been cut by the sickle was Zhang Yanqiu. Wang Xiaomei stood beside her, wiggling her brows with undisguised glee. Lin Yuzhu did not know what to say.

Was this Zhang Yanqiu's tragic fate as a cannon-fodder female supporting character?

Honestly, Lin Yuzhu felt that Zhang Yanqiu had not had a single pleasant day since coming to the countryside. Everyone was exhausted now, and no one took the initiative to show concern for her. Lin Yuzhu's relationship with her was only average, so upon hearing that she was injured, she had no plans to visit her.

With Zhao Xianglan around, even good intentions could be twisted into something bad. Lin Yuzhu could not be bothered wasting the effort.

Wang Xiaomei let her imagination run wild and decided that Lin Yuzhu was loyal. Since they were close, Lin Yuzhu had refused to visit Zhang Yanqiu in the front courtyard.

Watching the three of them return to the back courtyard, Zhao Xianglan entered the room and immediately gossiped to Zhang Yanqiu. "Now that they know you're hurt, those people in the back courtyard did not react at all. Forget Wang Xiaomei, but those other two came here with you. They should at least look after one another."

"Look at them. They cannot even maintain the barest pretense anymore. Sigh."

After saying that, she kept shaking her head, looking as though she felt it was not worth it for Zhang Yanqiu.

Zhang Yanqiu lay on the kang, pale and weak, her eyes red with hatred. She said sharply, "They're all living so comfortably. Why would they care about me? They're probably afraid I'll latch onto them."

To be fair, whatever their reasons, all three of them really were afraid she would latch onto them.

A trace of satisfied pride flashed through Zhao Xianglan's eyes. "Oh, don't overthink it. Maybe they're just young and don't understand how to treat people properly."

"I'd say they were all raised in families that spoiled them."

Naturally, those words did not include Wang Xiaomei.

Sure enough, Zhao Xianglan saw intense jealousy flash through Zhang Yanqiu's eyes, and she felt immensely pleased.

See? She was not the only one jealous of them. They flaunted themselves so much—how could people possibly not envy them?

Who told them to show off so much? Building houses, buying meat, eating refined grains at every meal.

Especially the expressions Li Xiangwan and Lin Yuzhu wore whenever they ate coarse grains. It was as if they were terrified people would not know they were unaccustomed to it.

What were they putting on airs for?

Were they the only ones with family support? The only ones with money? Were they so disgusted by the rest of them that they had to move out and live on their own?

Hmph!

Why was it that they were all female educated youths, yet she had to suffer so much?

Whenever Zhao Xianglan thought about how Zhang Yanqiu hated them even more than she did, and how someone else was suffering more bitterly inside than she was, she felt indescribably delighted.

Zhao Xianglan quietly watched Zhang Yanqiu and thought, How nice it would be if this fool could do something satisfying. Didn't she only get to live so comfortably by seducing men?

Pah!

Zhang Yanqiu said bitterly, "On the day Li Xiangwan moved, I saw Brother Xiangbei carrying a bag over to her place."

"When he came back to the Educated Youth Dormitory to pack his things, I happened to see that bag. It was stuffed full of ration coupons and money."

At the thought that all that money and those coupons had gone to Li Xiangwan, Zhang Yanqiu's heart burned painfully. She wanted to rush out and tear apart Li Xiangwan's fox-spirit face and see how she would seduce men after that!

If it were not for her, would Brother Xiang Wei belong to Zhang Yanqiu instead?

Dong Mimi, who had been working in the kitchen, ran into the room and asked curiously, "Who seduced a man?"

"Li Xiangwan or Lin Yuzhu?"

"It can't be Wang Xiaomei, can it?"

Zhao Xianglan smiled awkwardly and explained, "Heh, it's not certain. Who else could it be? The prettiest one among the three of them."

"With Wang Xiaomei being so short and stubby, she wants to hook up with a man? Dream on!"

Zhang Yanqiu spoke with a mocking expression, her eyes full of venom mixed with madness.

Dong Mimi did not know about the conflict between Zhang Yanqiu and Wang Xiaomei, nor could she be bothered to learn about their relationship. She only knew that the fox spirit Zhang Yanqiu was talking about had to be Li Xiangwan.

Her interest immediately stirred. If Li Xiangbei found out that Li Xiangwan was promiscuous, would her older sister have another chance?

"Who did she seduce?" Dong Mimi asked casually, looking very curious.

Zhang Yanqiu fell silent.

Dong Mimi grew anxious and pressed her in a less-than-pleasant tone. "Come on, say it!"

"You stopped halfway through. You're making people itch with curiosity."

Zhao Xianglan watched the two coldly. She had long understood their little schemes and could not help feeling amused.

Li Xiangbei really was a prized catch. One after another, they were practically throwing themselves at him.

What was so good about him? In Zhao Xianglan's eyes, the other person was much better.

Thinking of the person in her heart, Zhao Xianglan's gaze drifted toward the doorway.

There, she happened to see Zhou Nan sitting in the courtyard reading a newspaper.

Zhao Xianglan's eyes became entranced. She thought Zhou Nan was truly beautiful. Even sitting quietly with a newspaper in hand, she was so captivating.

She seemed to love books and newspapers. She must be very talented, right?

It was a pity Zhou Nan did not like talking. Since coming here, she had barely spoken a few words with Zhao Xianglan. At that thought, Zhao Xianglan smiled again. The other female educated youths could speak with Zhou Nan even less. Compared with them, she was doing far better.

While Zhao Xianglan was lost in thought, Zhang Yanqiu suddenly spoke in a ghostly tone. "Wang Yang's family seems quite wealthy. I saw them together in private... ah, forget it. Maybe I only saw it wrong."

Dong Mimi naturally knew about Wang Yang's family circumstances. They had all grown up in the large courtyard at the front of their alley, so she knew him well.

Originally, her older sister had planned to go after Wang Yang if Li Xiangwei did not work out. Hearing this, Dong Mimi narrowed her eyes. Li Xiangwan really had a clever plan. Did she even have the ability to pull it off? Did Brother Xiangbei know about this?

"Sigh, such sincere feelings given to the wrong person. I never expected Sister Xiangwan to be that kind of person."

After speaking, Dong Mimi shook her head, looking as though she regretted it on Li Xiangbei's behalf.

Zhang Yanqiu lowered her eyes, her lashes trembling as she said with apparent heartache, "Brother Xiangbei truly chose the wrong person."

Zhao Xianglan laughed without restraint as she quietly watched the two of them. They really were so adorable.

After hearing the gossip, Dong Mimi hurried to the vegetable garden behind the house. Seeing Dong Tiantian picking beans among the bean trellises, she quickly slipped inside. The trellises were nearly as tall as a person, and once inside, people outside could not see her, nor could she see them.

That way, when she spoke, it would not seem as though she had come specifically to pass along the news.