Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 14

“Baobao, let’s go. Your brother is old enough now. He can get home on his own.” Liu Sanmei stormed away from Niu Laomu’s house with a foul expression.

It seemed that the people were judging her face that day, comparing her to an old tree root!

“Grandma…” Baobao bit her lip and carefully examined her face.

After all, she wasn’t a real child. Baobao quickly pieced together the change in her grandmother’s mood over the past few days.

Could it be that Zhen Baobao was now expecting a grandfather at the age of eight?

But, given grandma’s mood today, this grandfather seemed a bit uncertain.

“Tsk, did you see Widow Zhen’s ugly face? Looks like she didn’t get anything from Niu Laomu today.”

“Of course. She may not mind losing face once or twice, but she won’t let him take advantage of her repeatedly.” A group of women living near Niu Laomu’s house watched Liu Sanmei walk away in anger, exchanging knowing glances.

“Do you think Widow Zhen has been going to the Niu family too often lately? She’s a widow who dresses up and always visits a widower’s house. Is she interested in him?” One woman accidentally hit the nail on the head.

“How could Niu Laomu like her? He’s lived in the city for decades and has high standards. Besides, she’s a retired worker and a shrewd widow. How could they match? Niu Laomu must be blind to be interested in someone like her—unlucky with her husband and children, with a life full of misfortune.” The woman who spoke clearly had a grudge against Liu Sanmei and spoke disdainfully.

However, when she mentioned Liu Sanmei’s husband and son, the others in the group paused. 

Despite whatever Liu Sanmei might be like, her son had done a lot for the villagers. Regardless of how people felt about her, it seemed unkind to speak ill of her deceased husband and son.

The group chuckled and shifted the conversation.

But one thing was clear—everyone seemed to agree that Niu Laomu had no interest in Liu Sanmei.

After dinner, Lin Rui approached her brother, Lin Lei, who was fiddling with a piece of wood.

“You should practice your skills with Zhen Baoli on weekdays.”

Lin Lei raised an eyebrow and chuckled at his sister’s suggestion. “You’re kidding, right? Zhen Baoli?” He couldn’t help but laugh at the thought. “That guy is the slowest among all of us. What makes you think I should learn from him?”

In Xiagou Village, Zhen Baoli had never been considered a role model by the adults. He wasn’t particularly bright, and he had a simple, honest personality. Even after starting school, he always ranked at the bottom of his class. He hadn’t passed a single exam since the first grade.

When the villagers spoke about Zhen Baoli, they would say, “He’s a good kid, but unfortunately, he’s a bit slow. He probably won’t amount to much in life.”

And yet, his sister was now suggesting that he practice with Zhen Baoli. How could he not find it funny?

“Brother, don’t make fun of him. He might be the most promising one among you in the future.” Lin Rui pouted. 

She felt uncomfortable seeing her brother mock her future husband in her past life. Being someone who knew part of the future, she understood how much Zhen Baoli would accomplish in the future.

When they married, Zhen Baoli could earn a hundred yuan a month from wood carving. By the time of her rebirth, his monthly income had reached nearly two hundred. At that point, everyone in the village thought Zhen Baoli might be the first millionaire to come from the village.

“Hahaha, how do you know that?” Lin Lei laughed, holding his stomach. He thought his little sister was just being silly and cute.

“I dreamed about it.”

Lin Rui wasn’t particularly gifted. Before her rebirth, she had just become a mother. It was the early 1980s, and she hadn’t yet fully experienced the wave of reform and opening up.

She was just an ordinary person with a little selfishness—not a strong, cold-blooded woman who could kill and lie without hesitation after rebirth.

“Anyway, don’t worry about how I know. I just know he’s going to be really successful in the future,” Lin Rui said in a rush. 

In truth, she didn’t know Zhen Baoli that well. Their marriage had been arranged by both their parents. They had only met a few times, and while they didn’t have any strong feelings for each other, they had agreed to marry.

She only knew that Zhen Baoli had learned the craft from Niu Laomu and could earn a good income every month. But how Zhen Baoli had learned the craft over the years, and whether he had made any remarkable progress at the beginning, was beyond her knowledge.

“Is Zhen Baoli’s performance not good?” Lin Rui thought that since Zhen Baoli turned out so well later, he must have shown his talent from the start.

“He’s been learning for a while now, and he’s still just planing wood,” Lin Lei replied dismissively. Niu Laomu had taken on several apprentices, and now there were seven apprentices studying with him. Lin Lei, being one of the more talented ones, naturally felt confident about his own progress. “But the teacher seems to favor Zhen Baoli the most. I don’t understand what’s so special about him.”

At this, Lin Lei looked at his younger sister with a strange expression in his eyes. 

She had also praised Zhen Baoli. Could it be that the fool knew some trick to charm people?

“Master Niu favors the Zhen family kid?” Mother Lin came out with a basin, ready to wash dishes in the yard, when she overheard her son’s complaint.

“Yeah, he’s different from the rest of us. The teacher didn’t charge him tuition. He just asks him to fetch water and chop wood. And after giving us a few instructions, the teacher usually sits beside Zhen Baoli. He doesn’t teach him much, but we all feel like the teacher is closer to him.” Zhen Baoli was simply planing wood calmly. 

What could Niu Laomu possibly teach him? He only gave a hint when Zhen Baoli’s technique wasn’t quite right. Yet, the bond between the two felt closer than with the other apprentices, and the children could sense it.

“We paid the apprenticeship gift.” Mother Lin was a little annoyed. 

They paid five catties of food per month, while the other children in the family only spent fifty cents per semester for their schooling. The cost of studying with Niu Laomu for half a year was enough to cover an entire year’s tuition for other children in the family.

Meanwhile, the Zhen family hadn’t contributed anything. They only chopped some firewood and fetched some water, both of which were tasks that didn’t cost them anything. Yet Zhen Baoli had been learning the craft for free, which felt like a real bargain.

Mother Lin was upset. She couldn’t understand why Niu Laomu, who had just returned to the village and had no relationship with the Zhen family, would favor them.

“Tomorrow, when you go to your master’s house, tell him we can also help chop firewood and fetch water in the future?” Mother Lin asked her son, since those tasks could be used to pay for the tuition, there was no need to waste food.

“I won’t do it. It’s too embarrassing. You go if you want.” Lin Lei’s face soured. 

As the eldest son of the family, he had been the favorite child when his parents were still alive, and he was more arrogant than the other children. Now, his mother was asking him to go to the teacher and tell him that they didn’t want to pay tuition and hoped to use firewood and water-fetching to pay for food. How could he possibly say that?

“We don’t need the food that badly.” Lin Lei was visibly upset. 

Their family wasn’t as poor as the Zhen family. The Zhen family was made up of widows and children, with no strong laborer to earn work points. The old widow Zhen had done many shameful things in the past, and although his family might stoop to such a thing for a little food, he couldn’t do it.

With that, Lin Lei threw the piece of wood he was holding on the ground in frustration and stormed back to his room.

“This child… why is he so angry? I’m doing this for the good of the family!” Mother Lin felt wronged. 

If her son hadn’t complained about Niu Laomu being partial, would she have even thought of this?

“Mama, my brother is still young. He’ll be more sensible when he grows up.”

In truth, Lin Rui didn’t agree with her mother’s approach, but now that her mother was upset, she didn’t want to make things worse.

“You’re younger than him,” Mother Lin shouted toward her son’s room. It turned out that her son wasn’t as caring as her daughter.

“The Zhen family is shameless. If I hadn’t stopped your father, our family would have gotten tangled up with those two widows.”

She didn’t want to blame her children, so she took out her frustration on the Zhen family instead.

Her husband had worked alongside Zhen Shankun in the past. Zhen Shankun hadn’t returned from the mountain alive, and people expected those who were in the same team to take some responsibility. But why didn’t they consider that it had been Zhen Shankun’s idea to go up the mountain? He was the captain with hunting experience and should have ensured the safety of everyone.

When she thought of the two widows of the Zhen family sitting in their homes, asking for food, it made Mother Lin angry. Even though she had been somewhat grateful at first, that feeling had worn off over the years.

“Your father wanted to marry one of you sisters to that fool Zhen Baoli. Fortunately, he only mentioned it casually, and no one brought it up again over the years. Otherwise, you sisters would have been in trouble.” Mother Lin continued muttering under her breath.

The Zhen family isn’t a good match. Zhen Baoli is simple and dull, and he’ll never amount to much. But it doesn’t matter. Nowadays, everyone thinks that as long as a man is strong and can earn work points, that’s enough. Zhen Baoli is strong, so he should be able to earn plenty of work points. Besides, a less intelligent man won’t have too many tricks up his sleeve, making him easier to control.

It’s a pity that apart from this, Zhen Baoli has no other advantages.

The Zhen family consists mainly of women. When the old widow Zhen passes away, the martyr’s subsidy that the old man Zhen received will vanish. The girl in the Zhen family seems to be favored by the army and might join in the future, but what use is that? A woman who will get married sooner or later—can she still use the money she earns for her family?

In the end, Zhen Baoli’s work points will have to support his wife, children, and his widowed mother. I’m afraid he won’t even be able to save enough to build a house for his future children.

The only asset the Zhen family has now is the old house left by Grandpa Zhen. But it’s an ancient house, one that’s been around for decades. What family would marry off a daughter-in-law without at least renovating two rooms? 

Mother Lin figured the Zhen family probably couldn’t even afford a decent dowry.

“Why are you talking to the child about this?” Father Lin walked out of the house and sighed helplessly.

“Am I wrong? You and the young ones, all of you make me worry.” Mother Lin retorted, “Tell me, are you still blaming me for stopping you from helping the widows of the Zhen family? Do you have some hidden intentions toward Xu Panhao? I’ve seen it before. The look in your eyes wasn’t right back then.”

“Look at you, you’re getting more and more muddled,” Father Lin replied, not expecting that such a simple statement would bring trouble his way. “Alright, I won’t say it anymore,” he added with a stern face and drooping eyebrows, turning back toward the room. 

If only he hadn’t helped the two Zhen widows with some physical labor out of guilt. He had done so thinking it was the right thing to do, but he now saw it as a mistake.

He was a man with a wife, and the other was a widow. Their closeness led to unpleasant gossip. Over time, his wife began to complain. 

Every time he thought about helping the Zhen family in recent years, his wife would certainly get upset.

For the sake of peace in his own home, Father Lin had to go against his conscience and ignore the Zhen family’s situation.

Fortunately, Liu Sanmei and Xu Panhao were tough women. No matter the method, they had raised both children well. One was learning a craft, and the other was going to join the army in the future. Father Lin felt less guilty now.

“Hmph.” Mother Lin flashed a victorious smile. “At least with me around, my daughter won’t marry into the Zhen family and suffer.” She shouted at her husband’s retreating back, like a proud hen that had just laid an egg.

Lin Rui, who had been watching, felt conflicted.

In her past life, her mother had never said anything like this. Or perhaps she had, but it had been when Lin Rui was very young, and she had long forgotten it.

After Zhen Baoli became successful, her mother had strongly supported the verbal marriage contract and never expressed any reluctance.

From one perspective, her mother only felt sorry for her sisters and feared they would suffer if they married into the Zhen family, so she eventually agreed to the marriage after seeing the Zhen family rise.

But from a darker viewpoint, her mother’s completely different attitude might have been selfish.

Lin Rui was shocked. After she began to understand the complexities of marriage, her mother often told her about how much her father had helped the Zhen family in those years to repay the favor. She also spoke about how much food the family had borrowed when Xu Pan couldn’t support her sick daughter.

In Lin Rui’s understanding, it was true that her father-in-law, Zhen Shankun, had indirectly saved her father, but her family knew how to repay the favor and had already done so.

Yet, it was clear now that the facts were different from what her mother had said.

But from her mother’s perspective, maybe she truly believed that the things she had done were enough to repay the favor.

Lin Rui began to reflect on herself. Everything she thought about her mother-in-law’s favoritism, her sister-in-law’s indulgence, and her husband’s lack of opinion… She had felt rejected and ignored by everyone in her husband’s family. 

Was it possible that her perceptions were distorted?

Was it true that, in some sense, she and her mother were the same kind of people?

Lin Rui’s expression became bitter. She lowered her head. 

As the night deepened, Mother Lin didn’t notice the change in her daughter. After venting her anger, she took the wooden basin and went to wash the dishes.

******

“Hey, Bao, do you want to play basketball with us?”

That day, Baobao had just finished a series of physical exams and tests in the usual order and was about to leave the army when Huo Jun, who had been waiting in the indoor training center, stopped her.

“My name is Baobao.” Baobao pouted; how could she casually give someone a nickname?

“I know, Baobao.” Huo Jun nodded seriously. He knew that this Zhen Baobao was the real deal. She was clever, unpredictable, and definitely not as obedient as a rag doll.

“Are you scared? Scared you can’t beat me?” Huo Jun provoked her.

Baobao thought he was a bit childish. She gave him a graceful roll of the eyes. “Yes, I’m so scared. I’m scared I’ll lose control and blow up your basketball with one hit.”

The petty Baobao still remembered that it was this very boy in front of her who had laughed and said that even a Category 10 hurricane couldn’t blow her away.

She clenched her fist, mimicking a threatening gesture in front of Huo Jun.

“You’ve changed!” Huo Jun still had a stern face, “You should say,’Waaaaah’, brother, I’m so worried I’ll break your basketball.'” 

Baobao inhaled sharply. When did this man learn the Lotus Language by himself? This level of skill should at least pass the Level 4 exam.

“You’re such a fake doll,” Huo Jun laughed. He thought he had figured out Baobao’s tricks.

“Hey, are you two arguing?” Xu Hua drove over and saw Baobao shaking her little fist at Huo Jun. He quickly stopped the car and got out to break it up. This little girl wasn’t just showing off; her fist could break a person’s ribs.

“You, too. Why provoke Baobao?” Xu Hua knew Huo Jun well.

Not long after he joined the compound, he defeated a group of guys and became the king of the place. The two kids had seemed to get along well before. Why was Baobao suddenly picking a fight?

“Baobao, you’re the younger sister, so give in to your brother.” Xu Hua grabbed Baobao’s fist, afraid she might swing it out of control.

Looking into Xu Hua’s sincere eyes, Baobao felt helpless. She was only trying to scare him, not actually hit him. Besides, what Uncle Xu said was problematic. Wasn’t it supposed to be the brother giving in to the younger sister?

Xu Hua saw the thought flicker across her face and winked at her. 

Didn’t she know how much strength she had? Not even Huo Jun, the king of children, could handle her strength. Even the king of soldiers would have to ask her to hold back.

Baobao felt a little injured. She glanced at her small arms and legs. What was wrong with her? Was she some kind of female dinosaur from the Jurassic period? 

She took a deep breath and kept smiling. She should stay calm and not get irritated.

“Uncle Xu, there’s no quarrel between Baobao and me. We’re fine.” Huo Jun knew Xu Hua. He was the one who discovered Baobao and had been measuring her various data over the years. “Can I take the test with Baobao in the future?”

Huo Jun had never met such an interesting and unpredictable little girl. He thought she was very intriguing.

“As long as she doesn’t cause trouble,” Xu Hua sighed in relief, but Baobao calling her ‘Bao’? That nickname was interesting. “If you’re willing, you can come for the test anytime.”

Xu Hua was fine with Baobao being friends with Huo Jun. After Huo Jun’s mother, Captain Yu Nan, came to the Xihuai Military Region, she received an order to form a female special training team. If nothing unexpected happened, Baobao would most likely become Yu Nan’s soldier in the future.

In the end, the two didn’t play basketball. Xu Hua still had a mission, so he had to take Baobao home quickly.

As they were leaving, Baobao sat in the front seat, pressed her face against the car window, and made a face at Huo Jun. Her small, thin face pressed against the glass suddenly looked round and plump, making her look very cute.

“Puff, puff, puff—”

Huo Jun burst out laughing. He laughed until he couldn’t see the car anymore, then left with the basketball in his arms.

“Who’s been gossiping about me? If you’ve got guts, stand up and say it to my face.” Liu Sanmei stood on the riverbank holding a wooden basin, her eyes fierce.

“No, no one said anything about you, Auntie.” The women, who had been chatting happily just moments before, went silent as if their acupuncture points had been hit.

They hadn’t expected to run into the old widow Zhen on the riverbank at this time.

You should know that the Zhen family had a deep well. They usually used it for washing clothes and cooking, so it was rare for the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to take their clothes to the riverbank to wash them.

And this wasn’t even the usual time for washing clothes. They had just been lucky. The mud puddle at home had dirtied their clothes, so they hurried to the river after work to wash them, hoping to hang them up to dry overnight so they’d be ready by morning.

“You’ve got the guts to say it, but not to admit it!” Liu Sanmei threw the wooden basin onto the ground, regretting it immediately. 

She had paid for the basin with an egg, asking a man from the village who knew some carpentry to make it. If it broke, she’d have to spend money to repair it—completely not worth it. But now that it was on the ground, she had to maintain her momentum. 

The old woman stood tall, full of murderous intent, not showing any sign of backing down.

“You said my grandson took advantage of Niu Laomu, so what? Did Niu Laomu say that to you personally? Did he tell you my grandson took advantage of him? I’m surprised the master didn’t say anything, but you gossipers are all talking behind his back. My grandson didn’t pay the apprenticeship gift, but he chopped wood and fetched water for Niu Laomu. Doesn’t that show his respect for his master?” Liu Sanmei put one hand on her waist and pointed at the women’s noses with the other.

Recently, there had been a lot of gossip about her family in the village. Today, Liu Sanmei had specifically chosen this moment to confront the three women by the river. They were all about the same age as her, and were notorious gossips when they were younger.

Liu Sanmei intended to use these women to send a message: Widow Zhen was not someone to mess with.

“You also said that I went to Niu Laomu’s house begging for money and was despised. You weren’t at the art troupe rehearsals, yet you’ve been making up stories. You speak as if you were at Niu Laomu’s house every day, knowing his thoughts better than the worms in his stomach.”

Her words were harsh, making the gossipy women appear as if they were having an affair with Niu Laomu.

“Liu Sanmei, I respect your husband and your son as men, but don’t be shameless.” A woman blushed with anger. 

If Liu Sanmei hadn’t acted improperly, would everyone be gossiping like this?

“Oh, I’ve lived a life of integrity. Even without my husband and son, I’m still a woman in this world. I’m not like you, who gossip behind others’ backs and eat all the food out of your mouths.”

“Ah, Liu Sanmei, I’m going to fight you!” The angry woman threw down the clothes in her hand and ran toward Liu Sanmei, shouting.

Fights between women in the village weren’t uncommon, and the other women thought Liu Sanmei’s words were too harsh. 

They exchanged glances, shouting for them to stop fighting, but subtly taking sides.

“If you want to fight, then do it quickly. With your procrastinating ways, you wouldn’t even be able to eat something hot when it’s ready.” Liu Sanmei was tough. Even if she was fighting against several others, this old woman wasn’t afraid.

After hearing this, the woman most provoked by the insult became even more aggressive.

A group of old women grabbed hair, necks, and wrestled together in a messy heap. “What are you doing? We’re all from the same production team. Why can’t we talk this out? Why fight?”

More women who were washing clothes by the riverbank gathered around, and the noise quickly attracted a crowd, including several men still working to earn extra work points.

Niu Laomu’s house was near the entrance of the village, and he heard the commotion.

“It’s going to be a good show.”

A group of people stood nearby, watching Niu Laomu walk toward the riverbank, clearly anticipating the drama.

Liu Sanmei’s recent behavior hadn’t gone unnoticed by anyone. Many people had seen that she seemed interested in the newly arrived retired worker.

They wondered if Niu Laomu might have thoughts about her now that she was showing her fighting spirit.

The crowd wasn’t in a hurry to break up the fight. After all, Liu Sanmei had started more than one fight in the past. She was strong for an old lady, and they figured she’d be fine.

Xu Hua was driving home with Baobao. As they passed the riverbank, Baobao saw her grandmother fighting with someone through the car window and immediately asked Xu Hua to stop the car. She couldn’t bear to see her grandmother in trouble. 

The little girl rushed out of the car like a firecracker.

At this point, Liu Sanmei’s hair was disheveled, and the top button of her collar was torn off. There were scratches on her face and neck, but the other old women she’d fought with were in worse shape. The handful of hair she was holding in her hand had been pulled from another woman’s head.

“What are you doing!” Niu Laomu shouted. 

When Liu Sanmei heard his voice, her movements froze. The other women took the opportunity to scratch her arms a few more times.

Although Liu Sanmei realized she had let herself go too far, this was the first man she had developed feelings for since her late husband. How could she not care about her appearance in front of him?

But it was too late now. Liu Sanmei decided to give up and stop holding back. She wasn’t the type to let herself be pushed around, so she was prepared to return the blows.

However, Niu Laomu quickly strode forward and blocked her, standing in between Liu Sanmei and the others.

In recent days, Liu Meizi hadn’t come to his house to pick up the child. Niu Laomu had been puzzled. He couldn’t figure out why, though he felt too embarrassed to ask Zhen Baoli why his grandmother hadn’t been around.

While still reflecting on this, Niu Laomu suddenly saw the scene before him.

Liu Meizi was fighting with three women, and they were using their numbers to bully her.

Niu Laomu didn’t think Liu Sanmei had been too cruel in her retaliation. On the contrary, he felt that the women must have done something terrible to provoke someone as gentle and good-natured as Liu Sanmei into fighting back.

“You’re too much!” Niu Laomu stood in front of Liu Sanmei, feeling a surge of protectiveness. He suddenly felt like a young man full of ambition, standing tall against a crowd. In that moment, he believed he was a hero, defending a vulnerable woman from being bullied by the shrews. “Liu sister, don’t be afraid. I won’t let these people bully you.”

The crowd, who had gathered to watch, was stunned. 

The gossiping trio, known for their sharp tongues, was also frozen in shock. 

Baobao, who had run from a distance, almost tripped in disbelief.

This was nothing like what they had expected. What kind of filter did the old man have? Liu Sanmei wasn’t losing at all in her fight against three women. How could someone so fierce and capable of defending herself possibly be bullied?

“Well, I’m not afraid anymore.” Liu Sanmei was momentarily stunned, and a blush crept into the corners of her wrinkled eyes.

She lowered her head, quickly fixing her messy hair and collar. No longer looking fierce, her voice softened, and her eyes filled with trust and dependence.

As soon as she spoke, she seemed to transform into the image of a demure old white lotus. 

The women who had been fighting her looked at her pretentious appearance and nearly spat blood in frustration. What a shameless woman. If she had any guts, she would show her true face to Niu Laomu.

Oh, but they had forgotten—Niu Laomu was blind and couldn’t see.

Baobao suddenly realized where she had inherited her lotus-like nature from.