Chapter 65: Xiao Ming might wake up laughing in his sleep (…

Chapter 65: Xiao Ming might wake up laughing in his sleep (...

"Cousin, are you really going to hire that woman? I heard people around saying she has a bad temper and a poor reputation. Won't she cause you trouble later?" Zhao Tingting asked worriedly as they walked back.

Shen Moer smiled and said, "She might cause a little trouble, but she has her strengths."

She herself had traveled from another world and didn't understand many things about this one, but Liu Yingshuang was different. Liu Yingshuang knew the future development of this world, and although she had a bad temper, it was clear that she was very filial to her grandfather.

When a person has a weakness and is pushed to a desperate situation, and then given an opportunity to earn money and live a good life, she would definitely work hard.

Fu Mingze carried the purchased items to the donkey cart first, while Shen Moer led Zhao Tingting to the co-op again. They bought some oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, candies, snacks, and pastries. There were freshly baked egg cakes, which were expensive but didn't require coupons. Shen Moer bought two pounds and immediately shared a piece with Zhao Tingting.

Zhao Tingting was amazed. She had heard her mother, Shen YinYin, complain that her uncle's family had built a house and held a wedding banquet, incurring a lot of debt, and that she should be more considerate when staying at her uncle's house.

But during her stay, she found that her uncle's family actually ate better than most families. However, her uncle had also mentioned that they were almost starved to death after their grain was stolen, and now they certainly wouldn't skimp on food.

Zhao Tingting looked at the increasingly well-stocked items in her uncle's house, scratched her head, and felt that something was off.

But after nearly starving to death, it wasn't surprising that their mindset changed.

When they returned to the donkey cart, most people had also come back, all carrying large and small packages. It seemed that everyone had heard that the black market might be shut down, so even though it was still some time before the New Year, they tried to buy as much as possible.

Wang Qiutong and Zheng Jiamin also returned. Zheng Jiamin was carrying a large piece of meat, which was quite noticeable, but the villagers knew his family was well-off, so it wasn't surprising.

When everyone who had come by cart was present, Uncle Liu was about to drive the cart away when suddenly a bicycle came from afar: "Uncle Liu, Uncle Liu, wait for me!"

It was Shen Lingling.

Zhang Junliang dropped her off and rode away. Shen Lingling, carrying a bag, got on the donkey cart, squeezing herself between Shen Moer and Zhao Tingting, whether intentionally or not: "Tingting, move over a bit and make more room for your sister."

She touched her belly, glanced at Shen Moer, and said, "My sister's body isn't feeling well, so we can't squeeze her."

Although there was a local saying that one shouldn't announce a pregnancy within the first three months, Shen Lingling either didn't care about these "superstitions" or something else, as she came to tell Shen Moer about her pregnancy just over a month after finding out.

She kept saying that women shouldn't earn so much money, and that raising children was the proper thing to do, leaving Shen Moer and Cheng Tao dumbfounded.

Yes, she had said this in the village school office, and Cheng Tao was also there.

Shen Moer almost wondered if Shen Lingling's high school diploma was fake. Her mindset was even more "old-fashioned" than Shen Moer's, who was from "ancient times."

Shen Lingling, for some reason, seemed to regain her sense of pride after getting pregnant, walking around with her head held high in front of Shen Moer, and often asking if she was pregnant yet. Shen Moer didn't mind at all, but Fu Mingze, who overheard it a few times, always looked grim.

They weren't rushing to have children, especially since the ninth workshop wasn't built yet, and there were a lot of things to handle. But Shen Lingling kept coming to ask, which made Fu Mingze uncomfortable. Every time he heard it, he would keep Shen Moer awake until late at night.

Shen Moer rolled her eyes, leaned closer to Fu Mingze, and secretly squeezed his hand to comfort Fu Zhiqing.

Fu Zhiqing glanced at her, turned away, and pretended not to see Shen Lingling.

To everyone's surprise, Zhang Zhiqiang suddenly shouted, "Uncle Liu, stop for a moment. I'll get off and walk back."

Uncle Liu, confused, pulled the reins: "Huh?"

As the cart slowed down, Zhang Zhiqiang jumped off the donkey cart and said firmly, "I'll walk back."

He hadn't gone to the commune to shop today. A while ago, he was lucky enough to catch two wild rabbits in the mountains. He secretly asked Aunt Chen, the most helpful woman in the village, to help him prepare and dry them, and today he came to send them to his family.

So while others returned with bags full of goods, Zhang Zhiqiang had nothing in his hands, and walking back wasn't a big deal.

After the cart moved forward for a while, someone whispered, "Zhang, the educated youth, is really considerate. Even after all this, he still made room for Shen Lingling."

Shen Lingling immediately said, "Auntie Guan, don’t spread rumors, or it might reach my husband Junliang’s ears."

Auntie Guan pursed her lips and remained silent.

Despite her words, Shen Lingling felt quite pleased inside. Even after getting married, her charm hadn’t diminished. Zhang Zhiqiang might not voice it, but deep down, he probably still harbored feelings for her.

What Shen Lingling didn’t know was that after Zheng Jiamin had a big feast at Shen Moer’s house that night, he returned to the educated youth group and gossipingly asked Zhang Zhiqiang if he still had lingering feelings for Shen Lingling.

Zhang Zhiqiang’s face darkened, and he said, "I just didn’t want to share the same donkey cart with such a heartless woman!"

His words were firm and decisive.

Zheng Jiamin was amazed that Zhang Zhiqiang could have such a sudden change of heart.

Not long after, the school started its winter break. Although the weather was getting colder, the children seemed unfazed, running around the village all day long, while the adults became even busier.

There wasn’t much work in the fields, but they still had to spend time tidying up every day. Besides that, they were busy preparing winter supplies, firewood, and clothing. Families with someone in embroidery training were even busier, as they were short one main laborer, and the others had to take on more responsibilities.

The construction of the ninth workshop at the South Province Embroidery Factory had already begun, and the county even set aside a special fund to repair the road from Liuqiao Commune to the county town before the New Year. Paving a concrete or asphalt road wasn’t an option—the county didn’t have that kind of money—so they just leveled the existing dirt road with some gravel.

However, Shen Moer had never visited the construction site.

The future workshop director, Mao Jianxin, and another Deputy Director, Jin Caifei, had already taken up their posts. Shen Moer had met them, and both were quite polite, but she could clearly sense their wariness of her, the "local authority."

When Shen Moer asked about the workshop construction plan, they dodged the question, avoiding the topic. In short, the factory had already prepared detailed blueprints, and there were people in Jiangbei County specifically assisting with the work. Shen Moer didn’t have to concern herself with anything; she just had to wait for the workshop to be built and operations to begin.

Having come all the way to Jiangbei County for work, both in their prime, around thirty years old, it was obvious they were here for their careers. Shen Moer guessed they were afraid of being sidelined by her and losing real power, so they wanted to firmly grasp the initiative from the start of the workshop construction.

As it happened, she really didn’t want to deal with any of this.

After the weather turned cold, she didn’t like going out anymore. Even her father sighed every morning before going to work.

Although he had a bicycle, the northwest wind in winter made riding even colder than walking. Shen Shaoyuan truly endured hardship during his daily commute.

Shen Moer felt deeply sympathetic for her father. Having grown up in luxury, he had never endured such hardships. Before he managed to buy a scarf and gloves, his hands would be red and frozen every day when he returned home. After finally getting them, things were a bit better, but it was still cold!

Sympathizing with her father, Shen Moer became even more determined to avoid the construction site. What if she went and then had to go every day?

Since Mao Jianxin and Jin Caifei were so enthusiastic about their work, she could just leave everything to them. After all, she was in charge of personnel and business matters. She could just focus on training people at home, right?

After more than two months of intensive practice, the learning progress of the Yangliu Brigade had clearly varied. The slower ones had only mastered the basics, while the faster ones were already quite skilled.

Incidentally, two more people had started learning embroidery during this time.

One was Liu Yingshuang. The day after she ran into Shen Moer at the sparrow market, she came over. When Shen Moer suggested she learn embroidery and become a seamstress, her expression was initially reluctant, but she eventually gritted her teeth and agreed.

Once she started learning, Shen Moer understood why she had been hesitant. Liu Yingshuang truly lacked talent in this area. The simplest tasks that others could learn in a day took her three days to barely grasp at 70-80%.

Despite the challenges, Liu Yingshuang still persevered and came to Yangliu Brigade early every morning.

The other was Sister Qiao. That day at the commune, after Shen Moer and Zhao Tingting went to the supply and marketing cooperative, Fu Mingze left the items at the donkey cart and went to the textile factory dormitory. He hadn’t seen Brother Bao at the sparrow market, so he went to Sister Qiao’s place to find him, planning to ask Brother Bao to help send the items Shen Moer had bought to his family.

When he arrived at Sister Qiao’s house, he found out that Brother Bao’s usual route for collecting goods in the countryside had been cut off. Someone had reported them out of jealousy. Although they hadn’t been caught, all the goods they had collected this time were confiscated, resulting in heavy losses. Moreover, the people who had been working with Brother Bao were so scared that they refused to continue.

As if misfortunes never come singly, Sister Qiao’s business had also failed, and Brother Bao’s trade was no longer viable. Both of them were at a loss.

They certainly had some savings, but if they didn’t find a way to earn more, their future would be tough.

Fu Mingze talked to Shen Moer about it, and Shen Moer suggested that Sister Qiao also come to Yangliu Brigade to learn embroidery. In any case, she could give it a try and see if she had any talent. If she passed the assessment when the factory was built, she could become a worker in the factory.

Sister Qiao was quite the opposite of Liu Yingshuang. She was quite skilled in sewing and mending, could make simple clothes, and progressed very quickly in learning embroidery.

The Shen family's courtyard was bustling with a group of ladies every day. They not only learned embroidery but also helped out with any chores around the Shen household, such as the year-end cleaning and washing this and that. Shen Moer barely did a few things before others took over the work. Shen Moer told them not to be so formal, but they refused, saying that since Shen Moer was teaching them hands-on, she was essentially their teacher, and it was only right for apprentices to help out at their teacher's home.

Helping with work wasn't enough, and during the pre-New Year period, they also frequently brought things to Shen Moer's home—self-made tofu, pickled shallots, dried mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots, and homemade sweet potato noodles. Some gave a little, others gave more, and the collective amount was quite substantial, ensuring that the Shen family of three would have more than enough for the New Year.

At the same time, in Yijia Village in a western province.

Fu Zhiyuan squatted on the ground, exerting all his strength to fan the stove, but thick smoke continued to pour out. He coughed incessantly, and his glasses fogged over.

Yin Xiuwen got up from the straw-stuffed wooden bed, grabbed a handful of straw, and walked outside, covering her mouth as she coughed. "Alright, take a break. I'll handle the fire."

Fu Zhiyuan watched as she used the fire tongs to pull out two pieces of firewood, then stuffed some straw into the stove. Soon, flames lit up inside, and the smoke immediately lessened. He couldn't help but say, "A temporary fix."

It had rained a couple of days ago, and the firewood they had stacked outside the thatched hut had gotten wet. Every time they tried to light a fire these past two days, it resulted in thick smoke.

The straw used for the bed was dry and could be used to start the fire, but they only had so much straw. If they used it all to start fires, they'd end up sleeping directly on the wooden boards at night, and they'd surely freeze.

"We can only focus on the immediate problem for now," Yin Xiuwen said as she added chopped sweet potato strips to the pot.

Just then, someone outside the thatched hut called out softly, "Old Fu?"

Fu Zhiyuan squatted on the ground, holding a package, and walked in. This was Yin Zhanlin, a dark-skinned man and Yin Xiuwen's distant cousin from her maternal family. As soon as he entered, he closed the door behind him and said, "Something's arrived from the southern province."

Yin Xiuwen's eyes lit up, and she quickly wiped her hands on her clothes, quickly stepping forward. "Is there a letter?"

Yin Zhanlin smiled. "You'll have to open it and see."

Yin Xiuwen took the package and saw that the sender was Chen Zengbao from Liujiao Commune, Jiangbei County, Lingjiang City, in the southern province. She carefully opened the package with a pair of scissors she retrieved from under the bed.

There were quite a few items inside—two pairs of cloth shoes, two pairs of cotton pants, and some dried fish, bamboo shoots, and sweet potatoes. Yin Xiuwen rummaged through the items and found a small note tucked inside one of the shoes. The handwriting wasn't her son's; it was crooked and messy, likely written by Zengbao.

The note first asked how they were doing, then mentioned that this year had been a good harvest. It also mentioned that their neighbor Xiao Ming had gotten married and was living a good life. Xiao Ming's father-in-law, a third-generation poor farmer, had luckily become a cadre at the commune-run kiln factory. His wife was even more impressive, having won an award in the provincial capital for teaching village children to paint and was about to join a state-owned factory. Zengbao wrote that he often thought about how Xiao Ming must be laughing in his sleep at night, having married such a beautiful and capable wife, and that he himself was very envious.

Yin Xiuwen chuckled and, after reading the note carefully, handed it to Fu Zhiyuan.

Yin Zhanlin curiously said, "Your family's friends for generations are quite loyal, daring to send you things in this situation."

Yin Xiuwen's eyes flickered, and she smiled. "Indeed, even though it's a life-saving favor, it's rare for them to remember us in such times. Just like you, cousin, helping us collect things is also risky. We're truly grateful. If it weren't for you and Auntie's support, our lives would be even harder."

She felt around in the shoes and pulled out a rolled-up fifty-yuan bill. She handed five yuan to Yin Zhanlin. "Buy some candy for the kids."

Yin Zhanlin waved his hands repeatedly. "That's not necessary. You're in a tough spot too. It's not easy for someone to send you money. You should keep it for yourselves."

Yin Xiuwen stuffed the money into his pocket. "We'll need your help with many things in the future. Besides, this is for the kids, not for you."

After some back-and-forth, Yin Zhanlin finally accepted the money. Yin Xiuwen also gave him some of the dried fish she had received. Yin Zhanlin felt even more embarrassed and said as he left, "I'll quietly bring you some straw tomorrow."

After all, Yin Xiuwen had been sent back to the village. Although many in the village knew they were related, they couldn't openly help. Besides, the village was poor, and there was only so much they could do.

After Yin Zhanlin left, the couple sat on the wooden bed and sighed.

Although they hadn't heard from their younger son, they assumed he was fine with his grandparents and uncle. Their elder son, however, had sent three letters. In the last letter, he mentioned that he was planning to get married, which had shocked Fu Zhiyuan and Yin Xiuwen. They knew their son well and had thought that despite the family's earnest advice before he left, telling him to consider settling down in the countryside, Fu Mingze would likely ignore it. They had expected him to remain single for five or ten years.

But to their surprise, he had gotten married just one year after being sent to the countryside.

And that stubborn child, every letter he wrote was extremely brief. The previous letter had only mentioned that he was planning to get married, with no other details. Fu Zhiyuan and Yin Xiuwen had almost wondered if he had been tricked or forced into it by someone in the village, and they had been worried ever since.

Thankfully, here's the second letter.

"Looks like our daughter-in-law is quite something, beautiful and capable," Yin Xiuwen said with a pleased smile.

Fu Mingze pushed his glasses up and shot a suspicious glance. "Do you think Fu Mingze is living off his wife's good looks in Liuqiao Commune? I'm not so sure about that. The father-in-law is a cadre in the commune-run factory, and the wife is a teacher who's about to start working at a state-owned factory. These are very good conditions in the countryside."

They're living in the countryside themselves, so they have a pretty good idea of how things work there. In this village, Yinjia Village, only four people work in the commune. Three are temporary workers, and the regular worker got the job thanks to family connections.

Only young people with at least a junior high school education can become commune workers, and they're almost always guys. They'd never seen a family where both the father and daughter had jobs in the commune.

If both the father and daughter have jobs, wouldn't they be living in the commune? How did Fu Mingze get involved with them?

Yin Xiuwen wanted to believe it was impossible; her son wasn't the type. But after taking another good look at the letter, she had to admit her husband's suspicions might be right.

Wasn't Fu Mingze supposed to be pretending to be poor while queueing? As a poor educated youth, what would the other party see in him?

It must be because of his good looks.

Yin Xiuwen thought to herself, if it's because of his looks, then so be it. If he could use his good looks to win a daughter-in-law, she would be satisfied. "You see, thankfully, I gave him a handsome face!"

The couple sighed for a while and then got up to tidy the things Fu Mingze had sent. As they did, they felt a vague sense of oddity. Were they, in a way, also living off their son's "good looks"?

A thousand miles away, on the frontier.

Fu Boyuan walked into the courtyard with a package. The old lady who was sunbathing in the yard looked up. "Oh, where is this from?"

Fu Boyuan only replied when he got closer, "It's from Liuqiao Commune in the Southern Province."

The old lady immediately stood up and followed her youngest son into the house, muttering to herself, "Is it Mingze? Did Mingze send this? This child, why didn't he write earlier? Why did he suddenly send such a large package? Hurry, hurry, let's open it and see if there's a letter."

When the package was opened, it contained items similar to what had been sent to Yin Village. The letter was also written by Brother Bao, but it was longer than the one sent to Yin Village. It detailed Fu Mingze's marriage, described how Shen Moye led her students to win an award in a competition, and mentioned how she brought the South Province Embroidery Factory to build a workshop in Liubridge Commune. In short, it praised Shen Moye extensively.

The old lady, who was unaware of her eldest grandson's marriage, listened in shock and couldn't help but ask Fu Boyuan, "Is the 'Little Ming' in the letter Mingze? Could it be that Zengbao is just making things up to amuse us?"

Fu Boyuan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, "I don't think so, but the letter is indeed quite humorous."

The old lady called out, "Old man, old man, come here! Mingze got married!"

In the other room, where Grandpa Fu was telling stories to his three grandchildren, he turned his head and listened for a moment, then frowned, "There must be something wrong with my ears. What did your grandmother say? I thought I heard that Mingze got married."

Sitting in a chair with a book in hand, Fu Mingzhuo looked up at his grandfather and calmly said, "Grandpa, you didn't hear wrong. Grandma said that Big Brother got married." He stood up, "Let's go take a look."

Grandpa Fu's first reaction was, "How could that be? Your grandmother must be losing her mind."

A few minutes later, looking at the photos the old lady had found in the package, Grandpa Fu adjusted his reading glasses and said in disbelief, "He really got married?!"

The old lady smiled, "The girl is very beautiful and capable. Zengbao is envious."

Fu Boyuan added, "Their family background is good, three generations of poor peasants. His mother-in-law passed away early, leaving only father and daughter to rely on each other. His father-in-law works in the propaganda department of a commune-run factory, and his wife was originally a private teacher. She participated in a competition in the provincial capital and connected with the South Province Embroidery Factory. They were impressed by her skills and specially built a workshop in Liubridge Commune. Once the factory was built, she became the deputy director of the workshop."

"The South Province Embroidery Factory is an export-earning unit, isn't it? I remember it also produces gifts for state leaders," Grandpa Fu furrowed his brow, thinking.

Fu Boyuan, "That's right. A college classmate of mine works there. It's a key enterprise in South Province."

Grandpa Fu clicked his tongue, "What does this girl see in Fu Mingze?"

The old lady chuckled, "She likes how handsome he is. Our Mingze may not have much else going for him, but he is truly good-looking. I always said that with that face, he could find himself a wife. Look, he did, didn't he?"

Grandfather Fu: “...”

Fu Boyuan laughed and said, "Mom, Mingze is not only good-looking but also an excellent child."

The old lady was already happily trying on the shoes, responding casually, "Excellent, excellent. Our Mingze has been smart since he was little, both smart and good-looking. He even knows how to find a wife for himself. Isn't that excellent? Oh, these shoes are so comfortable, and they fit perfectly. They're really nice. What's the point of having grandsons when granddaughters-in-law are better? These things must have been picked out by the granddaughter-in-law."

Grandfather Fu silently took the shoes and tried them on. They fit well and were comfortable. He instructed his younger son, "Send some things to that child before the New Year."

Fu Boyuan smiled and said, "Sure."

It seems everyone is quite satisfied with the granddaughter-in-law!