Chapter 431 - 374: Lin Liuping Returns to the Village
Chapter 431: Chapter 374: Lin Liuping Returns to the Village
Xiao Man went to the county seat to visit her teacher, see old classmates, and attend to some other matters, so she expected to stay for a few days. Tang Qingyun took Tang Haocheng and Gu Shaoqin to have a look around his workplace. Da Zhi and Dapeng wanted very much to go with them, but it was the busy farming season. In addition, nearly thirty *mu* of herbs in the garden needed to be harvested and sold. There was simply too much work, so they couldn’t go.
By the time Xiao Man returned from the county seat, Grandpa had already sold a batch of the herbs, and the entire family had mobilized to begin the rice harvest.
Xiao Man joined the work as well. The village team was still operating on a system of mutual aid: whichever family drew the use of the threshing machine, everyone would help them harvest their grain, usually in two-day rotations. Mo Jiabao drew the first slot, a time when people’s morale and spirits were soaring. Almost all the able-bodied workers in the team came to help. Grandpa and Grandma were never stingy when it came to feeding their neighbors. They wouldn’t skimp on lunch, bringing out large platters of fish and meat. In the evening, there were not only freshly prepared chicken and duck but also good wine and tea. It felt like a banquet. Eating and drinking well put everyone in a great mood, and they didn’t spare any effort in their work. In just two days, they had finished harvesting the ten-odd *mu* of rice.
After that, they began drying the grain, another massive undertaking. The harvest from over ten *mu* of fields yielded two huge mountains of grain. It all had to be thoroughly dried under the scorching sun. Once dried, they would deliver the public grain quota, deal with the surplus, and then store the remainder in the granary.
The work of drying the grain was mainly handled by Grandma, Dapeng, and Qiuyan. Grandpa still had his herb garden to manage. The couple, Mo Jiabao and Yu Wumei, went to other families’ homes each day to repay the labor they owed. Xinghua and Xiao Man assisted Grandma with housework while also taking Da Zhi’s place watching the cattle out in the fields. Da Zhi had to plow and harrow the paddies in preparation for planting the late-season rice... This was how busy July and August were in the countryside. Everyone raced against time, trying to take advantage of the weather and keep pace with the seasons. Families with plenty of laborers could manage a bit more easily, but for households short on help, this time of year was incredibly stressful. If you couldn’t get the late-season rice seedlings planted before the first autumn frost, you wouldn’t get a harvest at all.
In mid-August, Tang Haocheng and Gu Shaoqin returned. This time, Tang Qingyun couldn’t escort them personally, merely having his driver drop them off right at the front door of the home in Gongdao Village. They brought back quite a lot of mountain goods: wild mushrooms and fungi, dried mountain bamboo shoots, and air-dried pheasant, wild rabbit, and wild boar meat. Grandpa and Grandma remarked that they had all these things in the countryside and told Yu Wumei to sort and store them. Later, Sister Xiao Man and her brothers could take them back to Beijing to share with friends and family, so they could have a taste of the local mountain specialties.
By now, thanks to the family’s united efforts, the "double-rush" peak farming season had come to a victorious end. The public grain quota had been delivered. Xiao Man, Xinghua, Da Zhi, and Dapeng began going to the fields to pick ears of corn, stuffing them into burlap sacks, tying them shut, and pulling them home, one load at a time, on a handcart.
Tang Haocheng and Gu Shaoqin helped pick corn for two days until the harvest was complete. Then, the weather took a sudden turn. For four or five days, heavy, medium, and light rain fell in succession. The river rose, its turbulent rapids filled with danger, yet it was also a paradise for boys with a natural love of adventure. Seeing that he couldn’t keep the kids in line, Mo Jiabao had no choice but to become their leader. He led Tang Haocheng, Gu Shaoqin, Da Zhi, Dapeng, and their back neighbor, Qiu Xiaohu, to the riverbank each day to cast nets for fish and shrimp. Their efforts were quite fruitful; every day they managed to catch half a bucket of fish and shrimp of all sizes. In the countryside back then, chemical fertilizers and pesticides were not yet in widespread use, so the water and soil were unpolluted. The fresh flavor of the river fish and shrimp was truly pure and natural. Whether simmered in a clear broth, pan-fried, or braised, the taste was simply unforgettable.
While the boys could go fishing by the river on rainy days, the girls could only stay at home. Xiao Man and Xinghua would visit the herb garden once in the morning and once in the evening, but they never stayed for long. With the rain, everyone had free time and liked to come over to see Xiao Man and chat. These visitors, fellow villagers, included both elders and peers. The herb garden wasn’t a place for socializing, so they had to go back home. At home, they would make snacks for everyone to enjoy while they talked and laughed. They’d turn the television on, too. It was crowded, lively, and noisy, but it came with one great advantage: the guests, while watching TV and chatting, would automatically grab a basket of corncobs. As they talked and laughed, they would strip off the kernels. By the time the gathering broke up and everyone left, a huge pile of corncobs in the main hall would be greatly diminished, leaving behind basket after basket of corn kernels. This unintentionally lightened the workload for Grandma and Yu Wumei, as shucking corn was a time-consuming chore.
It was on one of these leisurely, rainy days that Lin Liuping returned to Gongdao Village.
Her complexion was as lovely as ever. She carried a large, red, oil-paper umbrella and wore a pale green dress with a pink floral print. Her face was wreathed in smiles, her eyes bright and lively. The moment she stepped through the door, she called out loudly, "Grandpa, Grandma, come and greet me!" Her laughter came in clear, melodious peals. From the looks of it, she was getting along well with her in-laws; her personality had become much more vivacious.
When a married daughter returns to her natal home, it’s bound to be a lively affair. Everyone gathered around Lin Liuping, chattering away as they eagerly asked all sorts of questions. After all, she had married someone from another county, and with her husband away in the army, she was living with just her parents-in-law. The neighborhood aunties were most concerned about things like her husband’s family’s financial situation, the state of her relationship with her mother-in-law, and whether her life was happy and smooth.
As it happened, Guan Ailan and Mo Linghui were also there. Since they had been keeping in touch through letters, they already knew a bit about Lin Liuping’s situation. Seeing that the aunties’ questions were getting a bit too nosy, they stepped in to ask questions on everyone’s behalf. Lin Liuping didn’t keep them in suspense, either. With a cheerful smile, she readily gave a clear report on all the matters they were concerned about.
Xiao Zhao was an only son; his two sisters worked in other cities and were both married. His parents were also salaried cadres who received state-supplied grain rations, so their family’s financial situation and standard of living were quite good. Xiao Zhao’s parents had worked in their county seat for decades and had a fair number of connections. At first, they hadn’t been keen on their son dating a rural girl from another county, but he was insistent on marrying her, so the old couple had no choice but to agree. Later, when they saw that Lin Liuping was not only beautiful but also gentle, sensible, and well-behaved, they grew very fond of her. After she moved in, they used their connections to arrange a job for her. This was during the aftermath of the great wave of "educated youth" returning to the cities, and many of them were just happy to find any job that would allow them to make a living. For Lin Liuping, who was transferring her household registration from agricultural to non-agricultural, finding a job was bound to be even more of a struggle. She had previously worked as a temporary ticket seller at the movie theater and thought she would be stuck there. But on this visit, she excitedly told everyone the news: she had started working at a bank—the Agricultural Bank—and would soon become a permanent employee!
Everyone couldn’t help but gasp in amazement, loudly remarking on how lucky Lin Liuping was. "Working in a bank? Hasn’t she fallen into a pot of gold?"
Xiao Man was also happy for Lin Liuping. ’Even if it is a pot of gold, as the wife of a soldier, Lin Liuping is more than deserving of it! Her in-laws made the right call using their connections; they’re very farsighted. A job at the Agricultural Bank is definitely better than one in a factory. At the very least, it guarantees she won’t be affected by the wave of layoffs a decade from now. Lin Liuping is young and smart. She can use her spare time to study and earn some certifications. She has a very bright future ahead of her!’
Now that she had a proper job, Lin Liuping didn’t have much free time. This trip, taking Sunday plus two days of leave, she could only stay in Gongdao Village for two days before she had to go. She stayed the night at Grandpa’s house. The group of ’sisters,’ having not seen each other for so long, were reluctant to part. Xinghua simply spread bamboo mats on the floor to make a large pallet, so no one would sleep in the bed. They all lay on the floor mats together, talking until the middle of the night before finally falling asleep. The next day, Lin Liuping went to her uncle’s house to visit her maternal relatives. That afternoon, she boarded the bus to Wancheng, and on the third day, she would travel from Wancheng back to her mother-in-law’s home.
Their farewell was full of reluctance. Lin Liuping said she would come back to see everyone again when she got time off during the holidays.
She never went to the Lin Family’s home. In fact, she didn’t even let the Lin Family know she was back in the village. It wasn’t until she was on the bus pulling away that her biological father and stepmother got word. They came rushing over with her younger siblings, chasing the bus and screaming. If one listened closely, you could hear what they were shouting: "You wretched girl! Did we raise you for nothing?! Give us money! Give us money!"
Thankfully, the bus was moving quickly. Otherwise, if Lin Liuping had heard them, she might have died from pure anger and frustration right there on the spot.