Chapter 42: Is Being a Bit Poor Okay?

Chapter 42: Is Being a Bit Poor Okay?

Mao Mao puffed out his cheeks in frustration and glared at Fu Mingze for a long time. Fu Mingze's expression remained unchanged. Mao Mao sighed like a little adult and said, "Forget it," then split the orange in his hand into two halves, giving one half to Zhou Zhaodi.

Unlike Mao Mao, Zhou Zhaodi didn't show any dissatisfaction for receiving a smaller and worse orange. In her impression, children were only supposed to get the worse things, or sometimes, nothing at all.

So she took the orange with sparkling eyes, carefully peeled a segment, and put it in her mouth. Then she smiled and squinted her eyes, probably finding it both sour and delicious.

Shen Moer glanced at Fu Mingze and smiled slightly. She imitated Mao Mao and split her orange into two halves, then handed one half to Fu Mingze.

Fu Mingze looked at the half of the bright red orange held by her slender fingers but didn't take it. He said, "Didn't I tell you to eat it yourself and not share it with others?"

Shen Moer directly stuffed the half orange into his hand. The brief touch of their skin made Fu Mingze's heart skip a beat. He heard her say calmly, "I didn't give it to someone else. I gave it to you."

Fu Mingze's heart skipped a beat. Shen Moer patted the heads of the two little ones and said, "Time for school."

Fu Mingze glanced at Mao Mao, who was watching them with big, curious eyes, and held back before saying, "I'll come find you later." Then he turned and walked away, holding the half orange.

Shen Moer raised an eyebrow. What did he mean by saying he'd come find her later? Couldn't he say whatever he needed to say now?

She smiled slightly and hurried the two little ones to school.

During the harvest season, almost everyone had gotten a bit tanner, including Shen Moer and Cheng Tao. Only Shen Lingling remained about the same as before. Every time they met in the office these days, Shen Lingling would sarcastically wave around a small piece of mirror and complain about how she had gotten darker.

Shen Moer couldn't help but think the office was missing a Zhang Zhiqiang. Otherwise, Shen Lingling wouldn't have been performing a one-woman show, and she and Cheng Tao could have enjoyed some entertainment during their breaks.

But today, Shen Lingling changed her tune: "Yang Daniu isn't someone you can easily handle. Just look at how she remarried and brought her son to Yangliu Brigade, and the Zhou family treats her previous son like a little prince. It's clear this woman isn't someone to be trifled with."

Shen Moer glanced at her, thinking that Zhou Xiaoshuan's house wasn't far from the Shen family's big tiled houses. She figured Shen Lingling must have heard the ruckus from their house.

"The Zhou family treating her previous son like a little prince has nothing to do with how capable she is. It just shows that the Zhou family has some issues, doesn't it?"

Shen Lingling's mouth twitched, and she was momentarily speechless.

Cheng Tao couldn't help laughing.

After school in the afternoon, Shen Moer stayed behind to give Mao Mao and Zhou Zhaodi some extra help. When it was about time, she locked up and left with them.

On the way, they ran into Yang Daniu, who was walking with her hands on her hips. Yang Daniu shouted, "Zhou Zhaodi, you've got a lot of nerve! I told you to come home right after school. What were you doing hiding at school?!"

Zhou Zhaodi glanced at Shen Moer and whispered, "Bye, Teacher Shen," before quickly running over. Yang Daniu immediately gave her two sharp slaps: "You lazy, worthless girl! Do you think you can get away with anything if I don't beat you for three days?!"

Seeing that Yang Daniu was hitting Zhou Zhaodi without restraint and showed no signs of stopping, Shen Moer instinctively rushed over and grabbed her hand: "If you want to talk, talk, but don't hit her. This is abuse!"

Thankfully, Comrade Fu Mingze had educated her on this. Otherwise, she wouldn't have known how to justify her actions so righteously and confidently.

She had to stop it. Zhou Zhaodi's face was already red from the slaps.

As soon as Shen Moer grabbed her hand, Yang Daniu started wailing without pause: "Help! She's hitting me! Bullying a pregnant woman!"

She even grabbed Shen Moer tightly: "Don't you dare run! My stomach hurts! Oh, my stomach hurts!"

At that moment, a figure rushed over: "What are you doing? Let her go! She's pregnant! Let her go now!"

The person charged straight at Shen Moer. If Shen Moer hadn't been quick to dodge, both she and Yang Daniu would have been knocked to the ground.

To avoid being hit, Shen Moer dodged while also kicking the person, knocking them to the ground before they could hit her.

Then, she raised the hand that Yang Daniu was still gripping tightly and said, "Take a good look. Who's holding onto whom?"

Zhou Xiaoshuan's face turned ashen with anger. He froze for a moment when he saw Yang Daniu gripping Shen Moer's hand tightly, then he roared furiously, "She's pregnant!"

"If she weren't pregnant, I’d have kicked her aside already," Shen Moer said calmly, looking at Zhou Xiaoshuan. "Uncle Zhou, you should know that it would be just as easy for me to kick her away."

Zhou Xiaoshuan's expression darkened, but it was true that Shen Moer had just kicked him to the ground with ease, so kicking Yang Daniu would be just as easy.

"Go on, kick me if you’ve got the guts! You teachers, holding the kids back at school and not letting them leave, and now you're bullying a pregnant woman. Do you think you're in the right?" Yang Daniu screeched, her voice sharp. "My stomach hurts! You can’t leave! You owe me money!"

Zhou Xiaoshuan, more concerned about Yang Daniu's pregnancy, tried to pull her away, but she refused to let go, insisting that Shen Moer pay her. Zhou Zhaodi stood crying on the side, while Mao Mao yelled in a panic, "You're the one holding onto Teacher Shen! Teacher Shen didn't hit you, you're lying!" But no one paid attention to the child's words.

Commune members (villagers) living nearby came out to watch, and soon a crowd had gathered around.

Just as Shen Moer was about to speak, someone stepped out from the crowd and stood in front of her: "Auntie Zhou, you can’t go around accusing people like that. I saw everything. You were the one who hit Zhou Zhaodi first, and Comrade Shen Moer only stepped in to stop you gently. Now you're turning the tables and blaming her. That's not right. Since I saw it, I have to stand up and tell the truth."

He spoke with a tone of moral authority.

Shen Moer glanced at him—it was Shi Wei, one of the educated youths.

She was sure Shi Wei hadn’t been around when Yang Daniu first charged at her.

But Yang Daniu, unlike Shen Moer, wasn't so sure. Her shrill voice faltered for a moment before she retorted, "You say you saw it, so you saw it? You’re lying, sticking up for that little witch!"

Before Shen Moer could react, Zhou ManCang, who had hurried over, bellowed, "Who are you calling a witch? Zhou Xiaoshuan, if you can’t handle your wife, take her and get out of Yangliu Brigade!"

Zhou ManCang looked as if he was about to explode with anger: "The kids are studying for competitions, and I’ve been crediting them with work points for picking rice. Haven't your families already benefited a lot from this? Didn't I tell you that Teacher Shen is sacrificing her own time to tutor the kids for free? Didn't I tell you to remember her kindness and treat her with respect? And this is how you treat her?!"

"She wouldn’t be putting in so much effort if there weren’t perks. Who knows what rewards she's getting from above!" Yang Daniu shot back, unapologetic. "The work points for picking rice were only before the city competition. Now that they're going to the provincial competition, they should be getting full work points every day! I’ve got so much to do at home, and I need that little brat to pitch in. If we don't get full work points, we're not doing it anymore!"

She glanced at Shi Wei, initially planning to demand compensation for Shen Moer's supposed mistreatment of her. But now that there was a witness, and with Chen Zhuangzhuang's kid shouting nearby, no one would believe her.

What a meddler.

Shen Moer finally got how the brigade leader had won those families over.

During the harvest, the kids who followed the adults to pick rice and pass it along also earned work points—not many, just three to five points a day. But for kids who weren't considered part of the labor force, it was quite a lot, especially if it added up over a month or more. For each family, it was a nice little bonus.

The brigade cadres must have discussed this, especially since the kids had won awards. Zhou ManCang had no problem bringing it up publicly. Those families had indeed benefited, but not everyone could enjoy such benefits. Others could only envy their good fortune.

Who’d have thought that even with all this, Yang Daniu still wanted more? On the surface, she was causing trouble today because she was unhappy that Zhou Zhaodi had less time to help at home, but in reality, she was aiming for full work points every day.

Zhou ManCang agreeing to that would be a pipe dream.

Zhou ManCang's face darkened. He ignored Yang Daniu and spoke directly to Zhou Xiaoshuan: "If you’ve got something to say, have your father come talk to me. You don't have the right. The competition is a collective honor for the brigade. If you keep hitting the kids or stopping them from studying, you're sabotaging collective interests. The brigade will deal with it as necessary."

At the mention of sabotaging collective interests, Zhou Xiaoshuan's face turned pale. In these times, that was a serious accusation, and being sent to labor reform would be the least of their worries.

He quickly pulled Yang Daniu away: "No, we won't hit the kids. We'll make sure they study hard. We won't cause any trouble for the brigade."

Yang Daniu tried to speak, but he covered her mouth.

Having a son was important, but they needed food to raise him. If the brigade really accused them of sabotaging collective interests and assigned them the hardest, least rewarding tasks, their family would starve!

At this point, it seemed unnecessary to worry about Yang Daniu being pregnant. Zhou Xiaoshuan covered her mouth and dragged her away. Zhou Zhaodi glanced cautiously at Shen Moer, then wiped her tears and followed her father.

Zhou ManCang heaved a deep sigh. What should have been a glorious event had turned into this mess.

They had already gained so much, yet they still wanted to take more from the brigade. If she succeeded, the brigade wouldn't be able to function anymore.

Standing on behalf of the brigade, Zhou ManCang comforted Shen Moer, emphasizing the brigade and commune's support and urging her to report any problems or difficulties directly to him. If anyone in the village caused trouble, she should let him know, and he would deal with them.

These words were actually meant for the surrounding commune members as well. Zhou ManCang was genuinely afraid that there might still be those dim-witted individuals who thought that Shen Laoqi and his daughter could still be easily bullied like before, and would cause trouble without thinking.

No one noticed Shi Wei's eyes flicker as Zhou ManCang spoke, giving Shen Moer a meaningful glance.

Aunt Chen and her daughter-in-law Li Xinmei hurried over only after the crowd had dispersed. Both had sharp tongues, and they accompanied Shen Moer all the way home, cursing Yang Daniu and Zhou Xiaoshuan up and down.

You should know, their family's Mao Mao winning an award and going to the provincial competition made them incredibly happy and grateful to Shen Moer. But after Yang Daniu's outburst, it made them seem like ingrates.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law said so many kind words along the way, nearly swearing on their lives that they absolutely did not have the same dirty thoughts as that damned Yang Daniu.

Shen Moer could only repeatedly assure them that she didn't mind and that she absolutely believed in their character.

She truly didn't mind, because even if the team leader hadn't shown up today, she wouldn't have been at a disadvantage. She was actually better at causing a stir than Yang Daniu, and she would never make the kind of clumsy mistakes that made her unbelievable.

It was just a novel sensation, a sense of gradually integrating into this village and this world.

Though this incident seemed aimed at Shen Moer, in reality, the Zhou family was targeting the brigade, trying to take advantage of the situation to gain something. Shen Moer saw it as a joke and put it out of her mind as soon as she got home.

Shen Moer measured out some rice and started cooking.

After all, she had been a bit startled, so she decided to treat herself. She didn't add any coarse grains, just a full bowl of rice.

While she was washing the rice, the courtyard gate was knocked. Shen Moer put down the enamel pot she was using to rinse the rice and went to open the door.

Fu Mingze stood outside, sweating profusely. He was wearing a white shirt and black pants, looking clean and upright, though the patched white shirt was soaked with sweat. He was holding a squawking and flapping rooster, which looked strangely charming in its awkwardness.

Shen Moer was momentarily stunned, then couldn't help but laugh: "Did you run here?"

She stepped aside to let him in, then habitually kicked the stone by the door to wedge it open.

Fu Mingze glanced down at the stone, his expression unreadable. Shen Moer followed his gaze, also looking at the stone, and couldn't help but smile as she thought of something.

Both of them silently avoided mentioning the stone. Fu Mingze walked into the courtyard as if nothing had happened and tossed the rooster into the chicken coop in the corner.

When they built the new house, they had also set up a chicken coop in the yard. But on one hand, they had been quite busy after the house was finished, and on the other, they lacked experience in raising chickens, so they had put the idea on the back burner.

However, Fu Mingze didn't seem to be asking her to help raise the chicken. After all, according to regulations, each household could only raise three chickens, and most people preferred to raise hens, occasionally keeping a rooster to slaughter during festivals.

Before Shen Moer could ask, Fu Mingze explained: "I got this through an under-the-table trade. The autumn harvest is exhausting, so I wanted to get something good to boost our energy. It's not feasible at the educated youth group, so I thought I'd trouble you and Uncle Seven to help."

The educated youth group really wasn't convenient, especially... thinking of Zhang Zhiqiang, Yang Qingqing, Shi Wei, and others, Shen Moer scowled. It wasn't just inconvenient; it felt quite dangerous.

"When should we cook the chicken?" Shen Moer asked directly.

"Whenever it's convenient for you. I'll call Zheng Jiamin over too; he chipped in with money and coupons," Fu Mingze said.

Shen Moer nodded; that was only fair: "Then tomorrow. It's too late today. We'll start stewing it early tomorrow, and you can come over after work. I'll prepare rice and vegetables."

Fu Mingze nodded, then looked at her carefully and changed the subject: "I heard Zhou Zhaodi's stepmother gave you trouble. You didn't come out worse, did you?"

Shen Moer suddenly realized and laughed: "Did you rush over worried I'd get hurt?"

Fu Mingze was momentarily stunned but didn't deny it: "Yes, I heard she was quite fierce. But by the time I got there, it was all over."

He wasn't very familiar with the villagers, and it would have been inappropriate to rush over and ask about the situation.

Logically, he knew she probably wouldn't suffer any losses. Ever since the grain confiscation incident, she seemed to have stopped suffering losses. But beyond logic, he was still afraid she might be like before, not daring to resist even when someone came to seize grain, or being too timid to stand up for herself against the village harpies.

Shen Moer raised her eyebrows: "Don't worry, I won't let myself be taken advantage of."

After a moment of thought, she added: "You know, I'm actually pretty strong and have good aim. I didn't fight back before because I hadn't figured it all out yet, but now it's different. Now I'll stand up for myself and won't be bullied anymore. Moreover, this matter isn't just about me. Even if I don't speak up, the village head and others will back me up."

Fu Mingze nodded: "Yes, I know."

Knowing is one thing, but worrying is another.

After a moment of silence, Shen Moer asked: "Stay for dinner, I'm just about to start cooking."

Fu Mingze shook his head: "No need, I'll eat back at the youth group's place."

But he didn't leave immediately, standing still for a while. Shen Moer glanced at him, noticing the beads of sweat still on his jaw, and suddenly remembered: "Let me get you some water, have a drink before you head back."

Fu Mingze was momentarily taken aback, then said: "Alright, I am a little thirsty."

He followed Shen Moer into the kitchen, watching her take a bowl from the enamel basin beside the stove. She first poured some cold water from the covered enamel jar, then added hot water from the thermos. Her slender fingers tested the temperature, then she screwed the thermos lid back on, placed it on the ground, and turned to hand him the bowl with a smile: "It should be just the right temperature."

Fu Mingze slightly lowered his eyes, took the white porcelain bowl, and slowly drank.

Shen Moer rinsed the rice again, poured it into the pot with some water, and then went behind the stove to light the fire.

Soon, the orange-red flames lit up the stove, casting a warm glow, reflecting on her delicate face, flickering and making her look stunning.

Sometimes, Fu Mingze was puzzled, why such a beautiful girl had gone unnoticed in the village before.

But he also felt somewhat relieved, glad that she hadn't attracted much attention before, otherwise, given her past demeanor, she might have faced more trouble and danger.

He wondered if her and her father's previous patience was due to such considerations.

After all, Fu Mingze thought, her father seemed to have a kind of wisdom in his simplicity.

Lost in thought, even though he drank slowly, he soon finished the water in the bowl. Fu Mingze stared blankly at a small patch of ground illuminated by the firelight, until Shen Moer looked up and asked: "Finished the water? Want a refill?"

"No need."

Fu Mingze stood up from the small stool, scooped some water from the water jar to wash the bowl, and placed it back in the enamel basin.

"Are you planning to make a cupboard?" Fu Mingze asked.

Shen Moer used the fire tongs to adjust the firewood in the stove, then took some cowpeas from the bamboo basket and snapped them into half-finger lengths: "Yes, but money is still a bit tight."

At this, she looked up and asked Fu Mingze: "Have you been to the commune recently? We still owe Brother Bao for the bicycle money, when will you give him the money?"

Logically, that rooster couldn't have been traded in the village, it must have been obtained from the commune.

Fu Mingze was a bit startled, he had actually forgotten about this matter, as he had already paid when he picked up the bicycle, and subconsciously didn't think about getting the money back... But, given his image as a struggling educated youth, there was no reason not to take the money.

But her family was financially strained, the money for the bicycle might have been intended for buying wood to make a cupboard, but because of the bicycle purchase, the plan to make the cupboard had to be postponed, and the bowls had to continue being kept in the enamel basin.

"Brother Bao has been away collecting things recently, we'll talk about it later."

Fu Mingze made an excuse, hesitated, and said: "I should go back now."

"Then come back tomorrow."

Shen Moer got up and walked him to the courtyard gate, watching him walk away before turning back to the kitchen to continue washing and cutting vegetables.

Stir-fried cured pork with yardlong beans, spinach with scrambled eggs, and a mushroom soup—two dishes and a soup served with white rice. Tonight’s dinner was set to be one of the finest in Yangliu Brigade.

Just as Shen Moer had soaked the wild mushrooms in hot water, she heard rapid footsteps outside the door. She turned around in surprise, remembering she had forgotten to close the courtyard gate when she saw Fu Mingze off. The footsteps didn’t sound like her father’s—

Then she saw Fu Mingze, who had already left, reappear at the kitchen doorway. His handsome face was beaded with sweat, his breathing hard and slightly out of breath, as if he had run all the way back.

"Is there something else?" Shen Moer asked in surprise.

Fu Mingze stood at the doorway, silently looking at her for a while, his deep eyes veiled with heavy, unreadable emotions.

Then, before Shen Moer could speak again, he suddenly asked, "Comrade Shen Moer, besides taking in a live-in son-in-law, do you have any other requirements for finding a partner?"

Shen Moer blinked in even greater astonishment.

Fu Mingze slightly lowered his gaze and asked again, "Is it acceptable if he's a bit poor?"

Shen Moer caught on, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but lift slightly.

Fu Mingze looked directly at her, his voice low but exceptionally clear to Shen Moer: "Would you consider someone like me, then?"

The world around her seemed to fall unusually silent. Shen Moer felt as if she could hear her own increasingly rapid heartbeat, mingled with the crackling of firewood in the stove, and perhaps, some other sounds as well.

But in the end, all she heard was Fu Mingze’s clear voice, earnestly asking again, "Is that okay?"