Chapter 14 A Slap Right Across the Face

Chapter 14: A Slap Right Across the Face

This morning, Sister He was knitting absentmindedly, constantly sneaking looks at Lu Yun from the corner of her eye. You could tell she had a guilty conscience about something.

Chen Qiao: "Sister He must be planning to secretly take orders and stiff you!"

Lu Yun mulled it over. It wasn't necessarily that Sister He had already taken orders on the sly—more like she had the idea but hadn't acted on it yet. When Lu Yun first started working with Sister He, she had considered this possibility. If that were the case, they could just stop working together. Lu Yun wasn't about to stress over it; there were other ways to make money besides this knitting gig. It all came down to what Sister He decided to do.

Lu Yun didn't plan to confront Sister He. If Sister He stuck to the deal, they could keep working together with trust on both sides. If Sister He didn't play by the rules, even if there was money in it, Lu Yun would have to watch her back for a knife in it. Her sweaters were nice, but they weren't the only ones in the world.

At lunch, the cafeteria served zhajiang noodles (fried sauce noodles). Their zhajiang noodles were seriously good, and today's cucumbers were extra crisp and sweet—tossed in the noodles, they were refreshing, no joke.

Chen Qiao: "I hate work, but I still love our cafeteria grub."

Even better news came in the afternoon—the factory paid out wages. Lu Yun took special note this time; the bonus was late too, and not just late—some folks got docked pay. People at the factory were raising a ruckus over it.

When Lu Yun got home, she counted her wages plus what she'd saved up—over seven hundred yuan in all. No wonder people said doing business was where the money was. If Lu Yun had to live on her salary alone, she wouldn't have seven hundred yuan to her name.

Lu Yun's dad got paid today too. After getting paid, he went all out on groceries on the way home. He was a little surprised Lu Yun had beat him home. He washed some fruit and went to find Lu Yun. Lu Yun waved her seven hundred-plus yuan in front of her dad, and he was genuinely dazzled.

Even though Lu Yun's dad handled the grocery shopping and cooking, he wasn't the one in charge of the family money. Every month when he got paid, he got to keep a little for groceries. To make sure the family ate well, he'd stretch every yuan like it was two and haggle over every cent at the veggie stand. The rest of his pay, plus her mom's, all went to her mom.

Lu Yun knew her dad had a little stash of his own. When she was little, he'd use it to buy her stuff. She hadn't gotten it back then, but now that she was older, she figured even his stash couldn't be much. And with the family eating so well, his pocket money sometimes had to go into the grocery pot.

Once, Lu Yun saw her dad asking her mom for pocket money, tallying up how much he'd spent on groceries out of his own pocket. Her mom gave him five yuan, and he was thrilled, saying he had spending money now. The next day, he blew it all on groceries again.

Lu Yun's dad: "Is this what you've been making lately?"

Lu Yun: "Plus my pay!"

Lu Yun's dad: "Even with pay, that's something!"

Lu Yun's dad wasn't naive enough to start figuring out how much she could make at this rate. If doing business were steady, he'd have opened a restaurant himself. He was tempted too, but he wanted something solid.

Lu Yun's mom came home and said she'd run into Sun Zhi riding off with bags and bundles of stuff. There was so much stuff she worried Sun Zhi could barely stay upright on his bike.

Lu Yun's dad: "Heading to his in-laws' place?"

Lu Yun's mom: "If he's not going to his in-laws', why's he hauling all that stuff?"

Something was up. Her parents had a secret between them, and it was about the Sun family. Lu Yun was dying of curiosity. Their family of three always gossiped together—how could these two have their own little secret?

Lu Yun: "What do you two know about the Sun family, exactly?"

Both Lu Yun's dad and mom piled food onto her plate. A young girl like her—no boyfriend, let alone a husband—why was she asking about stuff like that? As parents who doted on their daughter, they both cursed Sun Zhi in their heads again. Every time they thought about how Sun Zhi had once chased after Lu Yun, they couldn't help but curse him.

Aunt Li's son came back and asked around if anyone had seen Aunt Li. Usually at this hour, Aunt Li would've already been off work and had dinner cooked. He asked around and eventually ended up at the Lu family's door.

Lu Yun's dad: "Aunt Li? When I came back from buying groceries today, I saw her at home picking vegetables. She must have gone out for something again."

Aunt Li was currently on a bus heading to Hongqi Commune.

She was determined to find out the Sun family's secret. She had been a widow for so many years, and this was the first time someone had called her out to her face for thinking about men.

When Aunt Li arrived at Zhao Lan's parents' home in Hongqi Commune, she asked around, then hid outside the Zhao family's house. She waited and waited, and when she saw Sun Zhi carrying big and small bags, entering the Zhao house like a grandson, Aunt Li knew Sun Zhi was being controlled.

Aunt Li wanted to sneak in, but that shameless Sun Zhi was cautious and closed the gate behind him.

After waiting more than half an hour, Aunt Li finally saw Sun Zhi come out, and Zhao Lan came out with him. Sun Zhi's attitude toward his in-laws could only be described as fawning. He rode off on his bicycle with Zhao Lan.

Aunt Li was about to take the bus back when she realized she had missed the last one.

Lu Yun was about to go to bed when she suddenly heard a commotion outside the courtyard. Who would be making a fuss at this hour? Lu Yun wasn't a night owl, but she was about to go to sleep.

Aunt Li was pounding on the Sun family's window!

Today, Sun Zhi had planned to try things with Zhao Lan. Zhao Lan was reluctant but also held some expectation. Both of them were pleasantly surprised—but when Aunt Li pounded on the glass, Sun Zhi had a fright again.

Sun Zhi came out with a grim face. Aunt Li reached out and slapped him across the face. Before Sun Zhi could react, Aunt Li slapped him again right across the face.

Aunt Han rushed out and started fighting with Aunt Li.

Aunt Li didn't show Aunt Han any mercy either, landing several hits on her too.

From Hongqi Commune, she had taken an ox cart to the bus station, then a tractor to the Hongxing Commune bus station, and then walked all the way back. Did the Sun family know her feet were covered in blisters?!

Aunt Li: "I'll teach you to spread rumors! I'll teach your family to gossip! Do you know I got laughed at while buying groceries today?! What's wrong with me being a widow? I'm cleaner as a widow than your family, and cleaner than your man! When I first became a widow, the men in your family tried plenty to seduce me!"

Aunt Han reached out to grab Aunt Li's hair. "I'll teach you to talk nonsense! I'll teach you to gossip!"

Aunt Li's son came out. Sun Zhi saw Aunt Li's son about to join in, so he joined in too. Aunt Li's son was big—really big. He wrestled with Sun Zhi and sat down right on Sun Zhi's face, making it hard for him to breathe.

Sun Zhi tried to push Aunt Li's son off several times but couldn't. It was only when Aunt Han sensed something wrong and went to push Aunt Li's son away that she tried—she pushed once and couldn't move him, pushed twice and couldn't move him. When she went for a third push, Aunt Li's son stood up to check on Aunt Li, and Aunt Han slammed into the wall herself.

Aunt Li spat at Aunt Han. "If I ever hear you badmouthing me again, don't blame me for tearing your mouth apart! My husband and I had a good relationship—I'm willing to be a widow! But those stinking flies, married and still trying to sneak around!"

Aunt Li followed her son back. Her son asked where she had been. Aunt Li took off her shoes, looked at the blisters on her feet, and cursed the Sun family again.

Aunt Li: "It was all to put the Sun family in their place! Son, those Sun people are all bastards. They married a daughter-in-law who's a liability. And their daughter-in-law being 'virtuous'? Who are they fooling? When I cooked with her, one look at her clumsy cooking told me it was all an act—packaging, you understand! That whole family actually dared to reach for the stars, actually dared to want Lu Yun as their daughter-in-law."

Wanting Lu Yun as a daughter-in-law—it wasn't just the Sun family. But the ones with faces thick as city walls and ordinary yet confident were only the Sun family. Aunt Li had thought about it too. She felt her son had his merits—far more than Sun Zhi. Her son was obedient! If Lu Yun married her son, she guaranteed that if Lu Yun told him to go east, he wouldn't dare go west!

Did Aunt Li still think about it now? She didn't dare anymore. She had already tried once with the Lu family's attitude. She couldn't send her son to try again to see if he could marry Lu Yun and make her Aunt Li's daughter-in-law.

Aunt Li: "We'll definitely find a daughter-in-law better than Zhao Lan."

After saying that, Aunt Li spat again. Finding a daughter-in-law better than Zhao Lan was easy. They would find a good daughter-in-law, and then have two kids in three years, and show Aunt Han what true mother-in-law and daughter-in-law harmony looked like!

That morning, everyone in the courtyard watched as Sun's father came out to cook. There were scratch marks on his face. It was the first time they had seen this grown man come out to cook. Someone had already stepped forward to talk to him.

"Why is it you cooking today?"

"Your daughter-in-law isn't cooking, your wife isn't cooking, and you're the one who has to go to work cooking?"

Sun's father said righteously, "Why can't a man cook? The man of the Lu family cooks, doesn't he? Not only does he cook, he buys groceries too. I've run into him at the market several times."

If not for the scratch marks on Sun's father's face, who wouldn't call him a good man?

Aunt Jiang: "Old Lu's man has been in charge of cooking since he got married. You're not like that—how can you compare yourself to Old Lu's man?"

Speaking of Old Lu's man, who didn't envy him? Which woman in their courtyard didn't envy him?

Aunt Jiang took the opportunity to go find Aunt Li and ask if what she said was true. Aunt Li pushed Aunt Jiang away. "I'm in a hurry to get to work. Move aside. Do you think I don't have to work like you do?"

Lu Yun had been at work all morning. Because she was paying attention to Sister He, she noticed Sister He had looked at her at least dozens of times. If Sister He wasn't tired, Lu Yun was. Sister He had even made several mistakes in her knitting. With this kind of personality, continuing to work together wasn't entirely out of the question, but Lu Yun planned to give Sister He a subtle warning.

Lu Yun: "Sister He, you're knitting much slower today than before. You must be tired."

Sister He's lips trembled as she asked, "Slower? Is it slower?"

Chen Qiao chimed in, "Sure, it's slower, but so what? Now that it's only five sweaters a month, slow is fine. Lu Yun actually gives a damn about you—your old man probably doesn't care about you half as much as Lu Yun does."

Chen Qiao wasn't just making that up. Lu Yun was certainly worried about Sister He and kindly reminded her not to knit too many sweaters. As for Sister He's man, he might never have said such a thing.

Sister He didn't dare say a word. Did Chen Qiao bringing up her man mean they all knew? Were they trying to put the screws on her? This was about making money—how could Lu Yun not be keeping an eye on her?

She hadn't even made a move yet—how did Lu Yun find out?

Could there be a spy from their compound reporting to Lu Yun after listening in through the walls?

After Lu Yun and Chen Qiao finished talking, they started discussing what to eat for lunch—whether to go to the cafeteria or eat out. Since they had just gotten paid yesterday, Chen Qiao wanted to eat out. Last time Lu Yun treated, so this time Chen Qiao would treat too. Chen Qiao remembered a place with delicious Kung Pao Chicken and wanted to go there with Lu Yun.

Lu Yun and Chen Qiao went out just for a meal, but they walked right into a ruckus—and the center of it was Lu Yun's cousin.

Author's note:

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