Chapter 4

The member responsible for the gossip naturally didn’t have the face to step forward, only shifting the topic and pretending not to know.

Xie Tingyu had no intention of providing everyone with after-meal tea-time gossip. He said indifferently, “Since no one is speaking up, I’ll take it that you all understand that some things shouldn’t be said. I’m giving you a warning first. If I hear it again, don’t ask me why I take action. Dismissed. Get back to work.”

Xie Tingyu looked refined and cultured, but no one expected him to be so imposing.

The bystanders who were watching the commotion had initially assumed that a young intellectual from the capital would look down on a rural girl like Ye Qingshui. Maybe he’d even laugh at her along with everyone else. But that wasn’t the case—now, the gossiping village women didn’t know whether to envy Ye Qingshui for getting such an advantage or to criticize her for being shameless and improper.

Xie Tingyu’s stern warning left the female educated youths feeling uneasy and indignant.

Such a good man, and in the end, he married such a shabby-looking wife.

As a result, Ye Qingshui found herself the target of even more jealous, resentful, and sour glances.

Yet, she felt completely at ease.

In her past life, Ye Qingshui had been so shy and self-abasing that she bottled everything up, silently enduring all the malice.

Back then, she always thought: these women were educated, knowledgeable, and she couldn’t compete with them. If she got into an argument, what if she ended up making her grandmother and mother sad? What would she do then?

But malice doesn’t disappear just because someone chooses to endure it.

In her past life, Ye Qingshui believed that “suffering losses is a blessing.” But now, she believed in “if people don’t provoke me, I won’t provoke them; if they do, I’ll strike back!” If someone overstepped, she’d raise the knife and cut them down!

The midday sun was scorching, so the production team leader let the workers off early. After returning the farming tools, Xie Tingyu silently followed behind Ye Qingshui. He had watched her remain quiet the entire morning and figured she must be feeling terrible.

Ye Qingshui didn’t know that in just a short walk, Xie Tingyu had already made up a whole emotional drama in his head.

When Ye Qingshui got home, she took out all her savings. She frowned deeply as she stared at the scattered banknotes. Though they looked thick, they only added up to ten yuan and fifty-three cents.

Every cent of it had been painstakingly saved. She counted out one yuan and handed it to Xie Tingyu, following the market price.

Xie Tingyu looked at the money, feeling confused.

Ye Qingshui explained, “Your flour and rice together weigh about ten jin. I don’t have enough to pay for the bits of pork and everything else, so I’ll return it when I have more money. I’ll keep track of the grain coupons too.”

It was the first time Xie Tingyu had ever taken money from a woman, especially one who looked so determined. He lowered his head and saw his reflection in her clear black eyes. Her gaze was calm—gone was the passionate and intense affection from before.

So, Xie Tingyu lazily said, “Do you think I’d actually take your money?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t you? You are you, and I am me. It’s better to keep things clear. You’re being so kind to me, even wanting to take responsibility for providing for my family—are you planning to stay in my Ye family forever?”

Ye Qingshui teased him without looking at his reaction, simply folding the stack of notes and stuffing them into his hand.

Xie Tingyu froze.

He instinctively took the money and replied blandly, “Little girl, you dare to say such things?”

She was just a seventeen-year-old girl, still full of youthful innocence, yet she was speaking so seriously, as if warning him not to treat her too well—or else, he’d end up staying in the Ye family.

Xie Tingyu nearly laughed out loud.

…

Ye Qingshui racked her brain, thinking of ways to make money. After much consideration, she decided to rely on her old skills. But in these times, doing business wasn’t called “doing business”—it was considered “speculation and profiteering.” If she got caught, she’d end up in prison.

She had to test the waters first before making any moves.

The next day, it was the weekend.

Ye Qingshui planned to try her luck in the county. She walked two miles to catch a bus, which cost five cents.

A single cent could stump a hero—when she pulled out her crumpled banknotes, she hesitated. In her mind, she equated the five cents with half a jin of rice.

Her mother hadn’t eaten rice in days. In her past life, she had grown used to a good life and became physically delicate. She gritted her teeth, then snatched the money back.

“Sorry, I won’t take the bus after all.”

The bus ticket seller gave her a “Are you kidding me?” look as he watched the little girl suddenly bolt out the door.

By the time she arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, her back was drenched in sweat, and her face burned from the sun.

She had been frugal with her transportation, but once she arrived, she still bought a jin of flour.

That little bit of flour wouldn’t last long—it was too light. But she was poor and didn’t have grain coupons. The production team didn’t distribute grain coupons; at the end of the year, the commune would distribute food based on the labor points earned.

After buying the flour, she also got five liang of sugar and three liang of oil, spending a total of fifty-eight cents.

After making her purchases, she felt a little more at ease, clutching her goods like they were her lifeline. These supplies were her hope for making money and supporting her family.

Just as she finished her shopping, she ran into an acquaintance.

She hesitated for a moment, intending to keep a low profile, and stepped back to hide.

But Shen Weimin had sharp eyes and exaggeratedly exclaimed, “Oh wow, Brother Yu, look over there—it’s your little wife!”

Ye Qingshui had been openly exposed, so pretending to be oblivious was no longer an option. Fortunately, the things she was carrying weren’t too much—still within her purchasing ability—so they wouldn’t attract too much attention. She frowned slightly in secret, making a mental note to be even more cautious the next time she came to the county to buy grain.

So, she simply nodded at them. “Hello.”

Shen Weimin scoffed and turned his head away.

Xie Tingyu looked her up and down, as if he always caught her in the most miserable situations. Either drowning or looking pitiful and disheveled like now, sweat rolling down her cheeks, lost in the crowd, barely noticeable. He glanced at the queue—she was near the middle-to-back. If she kept waiting, the store would probably close before she even got a chance to buy anything.

So he asked, “Do you need to buy anything else? I can bring it back for you later.”

Ye Qingshui still needed one more thing—baking powder, essential for making pastries and other wheat-based foods. But she didn’t want to buy it in front of Xie Tingyu, so she replied vaguely, “No need.”

“I’ll just wait in line.”

She knew there was a chance she wouldn’t be able to get everything she needed. Supplies were far too scarce in these times—demand outstripped supply. People would go crazy fighting over a single cabbage. If you didn’t line up early, you wouldn’t get any food at all.

Xie Tingyu thought for a moment, then called out, “Monkey.”

A skinny, sharp-chinned man quickly squeezed his way out of the crowd. “Brother Yu, what’s up?”

“Make some room in the line for her,” Xie Tingyu said.

Monkey responded with an “Oh” and turned around to handle it. A spot soon opened up near the front of the line.

It turned out that Monkey’s family ran the supply and marketing cooperative—his father was the director. Those arrogant, high-nosed shop assistants who usually acted superior had no choice but to comply with Monkey’s requests.

Before she knew what was happening, Ye Qingshui was being pushed to the front of the line by Monkey, feeling completely out of place. He patted her on the head and said, “What are you standing there for, little sister? Hurry up and buy!”

Forced into this situation, she had no choice but to accept the special treatment and begrudgingly bought a pack of baking powder.

Meanwhile, Xie Tingyu turned and walked toward the department store.

Monkey squinted at her. “This little sister looks kinda familiar.”

Before he could continue, Shen Weimin smacked him on the head. Through gritted teeth, he muttered, “Read too many banned books? ‘Familiar’? You even ate at her wedding banquet!”

In just a few seconds, Monkey’s demeanor shifted from that of a friendly older brother to someone ready to pick a fight.

“I—What the hell—”

He choked on his words, then pointed at Ye Qingshui’s nose with wide eyes. “Hey, little sister, how many pounds of powder did you slap on your face at your wedding? I almost didn’t recognize you!”

What he actually wanted to say was: A scheming, manipulative woman looks like this? Are you kidding me?

She was just a simple, rustic little village girl!

Ye Qingshui felt a bit awkward. That wedding had been a foolish mistake from her younger, more naive years. But now, she simply shrugged indifferently. “I don’t really remember.”

Author’s Note:

Mini Theater:

Brother Yu: Another day of being too handsome and worrying about getting too much attention.

Shui-ya: “…”

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