Chapter 186: Chapter 186: A Cunning Plan—Wang the Cripple’s Scandal

“Mom, from now on, just pretend you never had a daughter like me! I won’t let you sell me off again.

Stop pretending it’s for my own good—I don’t need it.” Yan Lijun strapped her luggage to her bike, swung her leg over, and rode off without a backward glance.

Yan’s mother sobbed her heart out behind her. In the end, she’d lost her daughter.

But what she was crying for wasn’t just her daughter—it was more about the uncertainty of the future. She didn’t know if choosing her son over her daughter was the right decision.

Yao Hongjuan pulled a handkerchief from her pocket. “Mom, don’t cry. Big Sis is just angry right now. She’ll get over it after a while.”

Yan’s mother clung to this hope like a drowning person grabbing a straw.

“Really?”

“Of course. There’s no such thing as a grudge that lasts overnight between parents and children.” Yeah, right. Yao Hongjuan knew very well that if her parents had treated her like that, she’d go crazy. Frankly, she hoped her big sister would never come back.

But her words still comforted Yan’s mother.

Yan Lijun applied for a dorm at her workplace and squeezed in with a few colleagues. She didn’t set foot in her family home again until just before the New Year.

Every Friday after work, she’d ride her bike back to Xuhuai Village overnight.

Xu Huaiyu’s wounds were healing day by day, and her pregnancy symptoms were starting to show.

Life was busy but peaceful.

The Yan family’s drama caused a huge stir in the village. With Yan Lijun’s story as a cautionary tale, everyone started discussing dowries and how much the bride could keep or bring back before getting engaged.

If things weren’t clear, there’d be no wedding.

Yan Lijun’s reputation in the village wasn’t great, but she didn’t have many friends anyway, so she didn’t care much.

Liu Guifang was fiercely protective of her own. As time passed, she started treating Yan Lijun better, even scolding those who gossiped behind her back.

Lin Xiaomeng was always looking for a chance to get at Yan Lijun, but she never found an opening. Yan Lijun was very cautious—once, Lin Xiaomeng tried to give her a pastry, but she didn’t eat it and brought it home for Xu Huaiyu instead.

Now that the two families ate separately, it was even harder to do anything to her.

Lin Xiaomeng wanted to steal Yan Lijun’s good fortune, make her suffer, and ideally cause her to miscarry. She was willing to wait.

Every time she saw Yan Lijun carefully protecting her belly, she seethed with hatred. If it weren’t for Xu Huaiyu, her own baby would be several months old by now.

Why should Xu Huaiyu’s child live when hers was gone?

During the winter lull, Zhong Zijun and Ji Linhai started seeing more of each other.

Because of Wang the Cripple’s lecherous intentions, Ji Linhai came up with a plan to deal with him.

He found out that although Wang the Cripple had never married, he was having an affair with Widow Yuan. Her husband had died young, but her in-laws were still alive and had never allowed her to remarry.

So, behind their backs, she’d had ambiguous relationships with several men in the village. The men all preferred a bit of “wildflower” over their own wives, so they kept her secret. Widow Yuan’s in-laws had no idea.

Wang the Cripple was one of her regular visitors.

Ji Linhai deliberately used Wang the Cripple’s name to invite Widow Yuan to his house.

As soon as the two met, they didn’t waste any time—passion flared, and they tumbled into bed, not even bothering to close the door.

Ji Linhai found a kid and sent him to fetch a few of the village’s most gossipy aunties.

The moment the aunties heard the sounds coming from inside, their eyes lit up with the fire of gossip. After all, Wang the Cripple was a bachelor—who was he fooling around with?

In broad daylight, at home, no less! They had to catch him in the act.

The aunties quickly organized themselves—some guarded the door, others ran to spread the news and gather a crowd.

Ji Linhai didn’t even need to do anything else. The whole village was soon in an uproar.

Everyone dropped their work in the fields and rushed over to watch the show.

Even Widow Yuan’s in-laws came to see what was going on.

It had been years since anything this scandalous had happened in the village.

People remembered that in the early years of the Cultural Revolution, a pair of lovers caught in the act had been dragged to the commune for public shaming—it was a miserable sight.

When the crowd burst into Wang the Cripple’s house, the two were still tangled up, unable to part.

A few aunties thought to themselves, “Don’t be fooled by Wang the Cripple’s bad legs—he’s got stamina in bed, way better than my useless husband.”

When they heard the door being smashed open, the lovers snapped out of their passion. Widow Yuan hurriedly wrapped herself in the quilt.

Wang the Cripple, bare-chested, shouted, “Who the hell is it?” Turning around, he saw the house packed with people. He was so scared he went limp—what was happening?

He grabbed his clothes from the kang and tried to cover himself, completely stunned.

A few aunties rushed to pull the quilt off Widow Yuan. She couldn’t fight them all, and soon her bare back was exposed.

She lay face-down on the bed, too ashamed to show her face.

Some of the men turned away, while others ogled her body with lecherous eyes.

Honestly, Wang the Cripple was lucky—his mistress was pretty fair-skinned.

One man, Wang Erniu, stared at the mole on her waist. Why did it look so familiar?

Of course! It was Widow Yuan! No wonder she looked familiar.

He slipped away quickly, afraid of being implicated.

A few other men in the crowd also quietly made their escape.

“Aunt Youhua, pull the quilt off her face! Let’s see who’s so desperate they’d even sleep with Wang the Cripple!” someone joked.

“Yeah, let’s see!”

Everyone laughed and jeered.

…

The aunties forced Widow Yuan to show her face.

“Widow Yuan?!” Aunt Youhua exclaimed.

The crowd exploded. Widow Yuan? She always seemed so proper, always dressed in drab clothes—who would’ve thought she’d do something like this?

She couldn’t even wait—Wang the Cripple was a cripple, and she still came to his house in broad daylight for this.

Widow Yuan’s in-laws didn’t believe it. They pushed forward for a look, and sure enough, it was their daughter-in-law.

No matter how careful you are, some things just can’t be prevented.

Widow Yuan’s mother-in-law slapped her thigh. “Damn you, Yuan Cuicui! How could you be so shameless? My son’s only been dead a few years and you’re already cheating on him? You’re that desperate for a man? You’d even go for Wang the Cripple? I’ll tear you apart, you shameless hussy!”

She rushed up and slapped Widow Yuan across the face.

Widow Yuan stayed silent, clutching the quilt to cover herself, her heart churning with hatred.

She wanted to cuckold that dead man, and not just once.

Wang the Cripple, to his credit, had some backbone. He hurriedly pulled on his shorts and grabbed Widow Yuan’s mother-in-law’s hand.

“You crazy old bat, what’s your problem? I wanted to cuckold your son, and you didn’t even know it. I’ve been with your daughter-in-law for more than a day or two!” Since they’d been caught, he figured he might as well go all in. He grinned smugly.

Widow Yuan’s in-laws, Wang the Cripple, and Widow Yuan all started fighting, the scene descending into chaos.

Widow Yuan was almost completely exposed, but at this point, she didn’t care.

Some people rushed in to “break up the fight,” but really just wanted to take advantage of Widow Yuan. Disgusting.

Never underestimate the darkness in people’s hearts.

Ji Linhai watched from a distance, satisfied that his plan had worked, and left leisurely.

The farce only ended when the village party secretary arrived. Everyone started talking at once, explaining what had happened.

Widow Yuan was beaten until she looked like a madwoman, kneeling on the ground with her hair in a mess, completely broken, her eyes unfocused. She was wrapped in a blanket someone had thrown over her, looking utterly miserable.

Adultery was considered a moral failing and had to be reported to the commune. They’d post big-character posters and organize public denunciations—there was a whole process for this.

It hadn’t happened much in recent years, so people had almost forgotten about it.

The party secretary didn’t want to report it, to avoid tarnishing the village’s reputation, but he had no choice. If anything happened, he didn’t want to be held responsible.

So in the end, both Wang the Cripple and Widow Yuan were dragged to the commune, tied to a post, and each had a worn-out shoe hung around their neck.

Once they were tied up, the villagers took turns denouncing them.

Rotten vegetables, clods of dirt, sand, dung balls, shards of glass—anything and everything was thrown at them.

Widow Yuan was utterly hopeless, wishing she could just die. She was covered in filth and stank. Someone even dumped a bucket of manure on them—disgusting beyond words.

Wang the Cripple’s injuries hadn’t fully healed to begin with; now they never would.

After three rounds of public denunciation, they were finally let go.

But the damage wasn’t just physical—it was psychological, too.

Back in the village, they were forced to do the hardest, dirtiest work, just like those living in the cowshed.

Don’t think winter means there’s nothing to do—there’s still plenty of work.

Team Leader Duan, because of the gifts Gu Qinghuan had sent him earlier, made sure to assign Wang the Cripple the heaviest, most thankless tasks.

While everyone else huddled at home for the winter, Wang the Cripple, still injured, worked nonstop every day, nearly collapsing from exhaustion. He finally had no time to bother Zhong Zijun, which made Ji Linhai very satisfied.

Widow Yuan was also worked to the bone, but even worse was the constant oppression from her in-laws."

"Chapter 187: Zhong Zijun and Ji Linhai

Widow Yuan’s parents-in-law were the epitome of old-fashioned, traditional elders from the old society. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have kept such a tight leash on their daughter-in-law, refusing to let her remarry. Before, they had no idea about her affairs; now that they knew, it was as if the sky had fallen.

Not only did they verbally abuse her in every possible way, but at night they would often tie her up with ropes, afraid she’d sneak out again and bring shame to the family.

By day, Widow Yuan had to go out and clear snow from the roads in the village; by night, she endured this inhuman treatment. If she dared say a word in protest, she’d be beaten, and there was no one to pity her or speak up for her.

Her own family had washed their hands of her years ago.

She was truly isolated and helpless.

All her old lovers kept their heads down, terrified she’d name them and they’d be dragged out for public denunciation too.

When Wang the Cripple and Widow Yuan were publicly denounced, everyone went to watch. It was a shocking sight—who could endure such torment?

It’s always easy to ignore suffering when it’s not happening to you.

As the saying goes, “Those who are pitiful must have something detestable about them.”

After dealing with Wang the Cripple, Ji Linhai could finally breathe a sigh of relief; otherwise, he’d always have that worry hanging over him.

Zhong Zijun’s family finally managed to prepare enough food and firewood for the winter before the cold set in.

Around the start of winter, several nearby villages organized a collective firewood gathering. After each household handed in their required share, whatever was left they could keep for themselves. With Ji Linhai helping out both openly and behind the scenes, Zhong Zijun was able to turn in her quota and still bring back plenty for her own use. This year, she didn’t have to worry about burning extra firewood to keep the kang bed warm.

During the village’s winter hunt, they were given a cut of meat—about a pound, with a ratio of three parts fat to seven parts lean.

Later, when the New Year pig was slaughtered, they got another cut—about two pounds of lean meat.

Basically, it was all the meat that other families didn’t want, and it ended up with her.

But Zhong Zijun was quite satisfied. She wasn’t short on pork fat—her daughter had left her a big basin of pure white lard before leaving, enough to last the whole winter and then some.

She cut the meat into small pieces and stored it in the natural “big freezer” outside, taking out a piece whenever she needed it.

Her daughter had also left her quite a bit of meat before she left, and these days Ji Linhai would occasionally bring them some game. So, there was no shortage of meat in the house.

Zhong Zijun quietly took care of it all, freezing it for the winter so they could eat it slowly.

As for grain, their share this year was the same as last year—not much, and all coarse grains, just enough to get by.

But they’d had less work in the latter half of the year, so the whole family had a chance to rest and recover. Now, they were all in good health and hadn’t fallen ill all winter, which was better than anything.

She didn’t realize this was thanks to Gu Qinghuan’s spiritual spring water; she just thought it was because they were eating better.

The family’s cotton-padded jackets and pants, as well as sweaters and woolen trousers, had all been prepared by Gu Qinghuan before she left, so there was no need to make new ones—saving a lot of trouble.

The new cotton-padded jackets for the Ji family father and son were made by Zhong Zijun and Cheng Shuying together, just in time before the deep freeze set in. Zhong Zijun quietly delivered them, and they fit well, with enough room to wear extra layers underneath.

She was quite handy with needlework, mostly because when Gu Qinghuan was little, she loved making her all sorts of dresses, and that’s how she honed her skills.

She also made a pot of pork and white radish soup to bring over. Actually, lamb would have gone better with radish, but since there was no lamb, pork would have to do—it was better than nothing.

This was the first time in years that the Ji father and son had worn new, warm winter clothes.

And with a sip of that fresh, hot radish and pork soup, they felt warm all over.

Life was getting better and better.

Old Man Ji looked at Zhong Zijun with shining eyes—she was skillful, could sew, cooked delicious food, had a good heart, and knew how to repay kindness. What a perfect daughter-in-law she’d make!

Thinking of this, he shot his son a look.

Ji Linhai, that boy, always said that with things the way they were, he could barely take care of himself and didn’t want to drag anyone else down.

Sigh!

Ji Linhai didn’t notice his father’s look at all, just kept his head down, drinking his soup earnestly.

He finished the whole bowl in one go, using his actions to show Zhong Zijun just how delicious her cooking was.

Old Man Ji praised, “You really do have a knack for this. In our house, no matter how good the ingredients, it never tastes right.” (The real problem, of course, was that they were missing a daughter-in-law.)

Zhong Zijun smiled, “As long as you like it, I’ll bring you a taste whenever I make something good.”

Ji Linhai put down his bowl and wiped his mouth.

“Don’t spoil him,” he said. “With all this snow and cold, it’s not easy to make a trip back and forth. It’s already good enough to have something to eat—no need to be picky!” The last part was directed at Old Man Ji.

Old Man Ji rubbed his nose awkwardly. “I’m not being picky! Think about what you make—it’s barely edible! Xiao Zhong, don’t take it to heart, I’m just saying. The boy’s right, it’s not worth running back and forth in this cold.”

Of course, Zhong Zijun took it to heart. From then on, whenever she made something good and it was possible, she’d always bring some over to the Ji family.

Even Zhong Weiqian had come over twice to help deliver food.

Although the two old men—one scholarly, one martial—shouldn’t have gotten along, they actually hit it off. Zhong Weiqian even made a friend, often coming over to play chess and chat with Old Man Ji. Sometimes, the two of them would go ice fishing together.

The two families grew closer and closer.

As time went on, with all this back-and-forth, Ji Linhai did start to develop some special feelings for Zhong Zijun.

It was the first time in his life he’d felt a protective urge toward a woman—softness beneath the tough exterior.

He didn’t want to deceive himself, but after being single for so long, he really didn’t know how to react.

On one hand, he wasn’t ready—he was still a political outcast and couldn’t offer Zhong Zijun any stability, let alone security. So, he felt powerless, unable even to confess his feelings.

On the other hand, it was a matter of male pride—he wanted to be in a better place before expressing his feelings to her.

Besides, it was clear Zhong Zijun hadn’t developed feelings for him yet. If he confessed rashly, he was afraid of being rejected, or worse, ruining their friendship.

So he kept his feelings to himself.

Zhong Zijun, for her part, hadn’t thought about it at all. After the nightmare of her first marriage, she had no interest in men—she just wanted to live a good life with her family and wait for better days.

The vegetables in the Gu family’s backyard garden in Xujia Village were harvested by Ji Linhai and Zhong Zijun together. The perishable ones were split between the two families, while the rest were stored in the cellar by Ji Linhai.

Zhong Zijun didn’t know when her daughter and son-in-law would be back, so she helped harvest the vegetables to keep them from freezing.

Ji Linhai had also saved up quite a few animal pelts from hunting—mostly rabbit, but also some roe deer.

He’d specially asked the old hunters in the village how to tan the hides, and quietly processed them all himself. Then he delivered them to Zhong Zijun’s house so she could make warm clothes—fur was both warm and soft.

Zhong Zijun hadn’t expected this from him, and the pelts were well-prepared.

“These two white ones would make a lovely hat for Huanhuan,” she thought. “And this gray one could be made into a muff to match.”

She really liked the pelts, but felt a bit embarrassed to accept them, since he’d worked so hard to get them.

To put her at ease, Ji Linhai said he was a grown man and it wasn’t suitable for him to wear them, and it would be a waste to throw them out, so he was giving them to her.

Zhong Zijun was reassured and accepted them, but tried to give him ten yuan in return—she didn’t want him to lose out.

Of course, Ji Linhai refused the money, saying she could just cook him some good food in the future instead.

That way, he’d have more chances to see her.

After accepting the pelts, Zhong Zijun made a plan.

She used the roe deer fur to make hand warmers for the Ji father and son and her own parents.

She made a hat and a pair of gloves for Gu Qinghuan.

For her two grandsons, she made gray fur mittens—she’d wanted to make hats, but was worried about the sizing since they were still growing.

Of course, she didn’t forget her son-in-law, Xu Huaiyu—she made him a hat with ear flaps.

And her own son—even though she hadn’t seen him in a long time, she still thought of him. She made him a hat, using Xu Huaiyu’s size as a guide, and felt sad for a long time.

Although the pelts looked like a lot, once she made something for everyone, there wasn’t much left.

With the leftover scraps, Zhong Zijun pieced together a hand warmer for herself.

When Ji Linhai received the hand warmer she’d made for him, and saw the one she’d made for herself out of all the leftover bits and pieces, he sighed inwardly.

He’d hoped she’d use the pelts to make herself a new coat, but in the end, she only used the scraps for herself. At times like this, he wished she could be a little more selfish.

Now that the mountains were snowed in and hunting was difficult, Ji Linhai decided that if he got the chance next year, he’d hunt more rabbits and make her a rabbit fur coat.

The people involved are often the most oblivious, while outsiders see everything clearly.

Zhong Zijun didn’t notice anything different about Ji Linhai, but Zhong Weiqian and his wife saw it all.

This Ji fellow was just too good to their daughter—there was a fire in his eyes that couldn’t be hidden. It would be strange if he didn’t have intentions.

But they didn’t say anything. Zhong Zijun clearly had no such feelings for Ji Linhai, and he hadn’t said anything either, obviously having his own concerns. So, they decided to let things take their natural course.

The children’s affairs should be left for them to decide.

After all this time, they actually didn’t know much about Ji Linhai’s past, since their family wasn’t the gossipy type—they never pried into others’ business, preferring to keep things simple and live in the moment.

They did, however, often hear Old Man Ji complain about his son being single.

Ji Linhai was tall, steady, and reliable. Even with his beard, you could tell he had good features. How could a man like that still be single?

But none of that mattered. The key thing was, even though Zhong Zijun seemed happy every day, she kept her heart tightly guarded—it would be hard for her to open up to anyone.

If Ji Linhai could truly win her heart, then that would be their fate.

So, they decided to keep quiet and watch from the sidelines, letting things unfold naturally.

Before they knew it, the end of the year had arrived. Zhong Zijun counted the days, often going to Xujia Village to see if her daughter’s family had returned, and also to bring some hot food to the Ji father and son.

She figured her daughter probably wouldn’t make it back for the New Year. There had been a letter before, saying the house had been reclaimed and that Gu Yunchuan, that heartless man, had finally been brought to justice.

That letter had made her cry her heart out.

There’d been no news since.

She’d thought about sending them some things—there was plenty of game stored up this year.

But then she thought, her daughter was always so capable and never let herself go without, so she decided against it.

She never expected that just a few days before the New Year, Gu Qinghuan would return, bringing with her the son she’d been longing for, her niece, and others.

It was Ji Linhai who went to tell her right away—he knew Zhong Zijun was always waiting for news from that side."

"Chapter 188: Finally Home