Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 15

“Niu Laomu, you’ve just come back and don’t know that Liu Sanmei is a real shrew.” The woman who had been the first to get angry during the fight pulled the two old women beside her and stepped forward, pointing at Liu Sanmei’s nose while cursing loudly. Her arms shook with fury, and she could hardly catch her breath. “How dare you say we bullied her? It was obviously Liu Sanmei who started it first.”

The old woman was truly confused. Niu Laomu had been working in the furniture factory for too long, and his eyes were clouded with sawdust. How could he possibly think Liu Sanmei was the one who’d been bullied?

“I started it first.” Liu Sanmei grabbed Niu Laomu’s sleeve, stopping him from speaking on her behalf. Her face was full of grievance and forbearance.

Strictly speaking, Liu Sanmei hadn’t been the one to start the fight. She had only provoked the gossiping women with words, which caused them to lose their temper and retaliate. But Liu Sanmei insisted on saying she’d started it. 

After admitting that, Niu Laomu trusted her character even more.

“You attacked first? There must have been a reason.”

Niu Laomu felt that Liu Meizi had a noble character, unlike the women who used their numbers to gang up on her, always avoiding responsibility. Even though Liu Meizi claimed she started it, based on his understanding of her, Niu Laomu felt she probably wasn’t the one who provoked the fight. If she had, it was only because the women had done something that made her so angry she had no choice but to strike first.

So sometimes, the power of preconceived notions is stronger than reason.

“You… you…” The group of women was so angry at Niu Laomu’s unthinking response that they trembled, struggling to get their words out.

“Then tell me, why would Liu Meizi attack you for no reason?” Niu Laomu asked them back.

“…”

The words hit them like a bucket of cold water, and for a brief moment, they snapped to attention.

Strictly speaking, they had been the first to gossip behind Liu Sanmei’s back, but how could they admit that? Even if they were wrong, in their minds, Liu Sanmei was still more to blame.

Another old woman, trying to defend herself, stepped forward. “We only heard that Liu Sanmei always went to your house asking for money, and we thought it wasn’t right, so we tried to persuade her.”

It was a nice story, putting herself in the role of the righteous one.

Niu Laomu was stunned. When had Liu Meizi ever come to his house asking for money? He understood that he was an old man living alone, and she had often offered him advice about life in the countryside, like how to start a fire to save firewood. If she had taken advantage of him in any way, it was only in the form of offering help. 

Unfortunately, outsiders didn’t know that. All they saw was Liu Sanmei leaving his house looking triumphant, and with their already negative impressions of her, rumors spread that she was there to take advantage.

People believed those rumors without questioning them. To them, it fit perfectly with the image of someone as shameless as Liu Sanmei.

“They didn’t try to persuade me at all. They were just talking bad about me behind my back, and when I caught them, they got mad.” Liu Sanmei spoke quietly, “Forget it. I don’t care about this. After all, I’m a widow. Whatever I do is wrong.”

When Niu Laomu heard that, he felt a surge of anger. If he didn’t defend Liu Meizi now, he thought, this poor woman would be bullied to death.

“Where did you hear these rumors from? When did Liu Sanmei ever take advantage of me? You’ve all made up stories that I, the master, don’t even know about!” Niu Laomu didn’t expect that Liu Sanmei had her reasons for her actions. This only made him feel more sympathy for the vulnerable woman standing behind him. 

A number of people who had gathered to watch began to look awkward. Many of them had also spread the rumors. In fact, they hadn’t verified if Liu Sanmei had ever taken advantage of Niu Laomu. They had just heard the gossip, and combined with their usual perception of her, they had assumed it was true.

“No… no advantage…” The woman who had started the rumors lost her confidence and looked nervously between Niu Laomu and Liu Sanmei. Suddenly, something seemed to click in her mind. Her eyes flared with fire, and she straightened her back. “Who knows? You’re a widow, and Niu Laomu, you’re a widower. You’re so protective of Liu Sanmei—could it be that she’s trying to charm you? Damn it, Liu Sanmei is the widow of a martyr. You’re so shameless, doing this to dishonor your late husband…”

The woman’s smug expression suggested she thought she’d caught Liu Sanmei in a scandal.

As soon as the words left her mouth, the crowd erupted in noise.

The idea of a widow often arouses lewd fantasies, but at Liu Sanmei’s age, being involved with a widower didn’t just fuel such speculations; it made people think she couldn’t control herself, which was simply absurd.

Niu Laomu was left speechless. It wasn’t guilt that had silenced him, but the realization that if he defended Liu Meizi again, it would only make people believe there was something between them. He knew the truth, but others would dismiss it, just as they had with the rumors before.

“You’re talking nonsense!” Liu Sanmei, who had been hiding behind Niu Laomu, stepped forward from behind him. “I, Liu Sanmei, have been a widow since I was 24. At that time, many people advised me to remarry and leave my son with my in-laws, but I refused.”

As she spoke about the past, Liu Sanmei’s emotions became evident.

“I thought, even my own parents would choose their child over a distant relative. Why should I ask the Zhen family to raise my son like their own? And if I remarried, why should I expect a stepfather to love him as his own? He’s my son, and I can raise him myself!” Liu Sanmei spoke with conviction. “Back then, it was so hard for a widow to raise a child. I walked hours every day to the city, begging to wash clothes for people. My hands were cracked from the cold, but I didn’t feel the pain. I just knew that if I could wash ten pieces of clothing, my son would get one more meal. If I could wash a hundred, I could save enough for my son’s future…”

Her voice wavered as she continued. “That child was so sensible. Every day, when I came back late from the city, tired and needing to work the fields, he would wait for me on the field ridges. As he grew, he started helping me, working alongside me. Later, when the war ended, he became a team leader, got married. I thought, ‘Now I can finally rest.’ I would help take care of my grandchildren, make this family prosper…”

At this point, Liu Sanmei’s voice broke as tears welled up in her eyes. 

The crowd’s chatter quieted, and no one seemed in the mood to watch the drama anymore.

Everyone knew what came next. Zhen Shankun had died in the mountains, leaving behind only one son and another child on the way, whose gender was unknown.

There were only two children—so young—and whether they could be raised properly was uncertain. Life in the countryside wasn’t kind to widows, and without a man to support them, Liu Sanmei and her mother-in-law would have been left vulnerable.

“After Kunzi passed away, I wanted to join him, but my daughter-in-law was still pregnant and my grandson was crying. I knew I couldn’t give up; I had to keep this family going. I knew what you all said behind my back. You called me a scoundrel, a robber who took everything—call me whatever you want. All I know is I have to feed my children. Your insults won’t take food from me. If I just let things be, what would happen to my grandchildren? They’re already fatherless; I can’t let them starve or freeze…” Liu Sanmei wiped her eyes, determined not to let tears fall. “You say I betrayed my husband, but I’ll go to hell with him. I, Liu Sanmei, have been more than worthy of him. For over fifty years, except for the first ten years, the rest of my life was spent in the Zhen family!”

She pointed at the old woman who had accused her of dishonoring her late husband and said through gritted teeth, “Don’t you dare talk about me and Niu Laomu. Even if there was something between us, so what? We are both widowed. What’s wrong with that?”

Every word hit the hearts of the crowd.

Yes, even in the countryside, it was common for widows to remarry, especially those who had been widowed at a young age. Even with children, society couldn’t prevent them from living as widows for the rest of their lives.

The shock they had felt earlier stemmed from the fact that Liu Sanmei wasn’t young anymore. They had subconsciously believed that older people shouldn’t act in such ways, that it was somehow indecent.

But when they thought about it, Liu Sanmei had waited so many years for her late husband. Couldn’t she live for herself now? Was it illegal for an old widow to remarry?

“If you, Wang Juanhua, have the guts, go to the patrol team and ask them to arrest all the widows who’ve remarried. Ask the Revolutionary Committee to bind their feet and build chastity arches for them. You, Wang Juanhua, think you’re so noble—do you dare to tell me that from now on, every woman in your Wang and Zhang families will never remarry? That they’ll remain faithful for life? If you can’t do that, then you, Wang Juanhua, are nothing!”

Wang Juanhua was hit with a spray of saliva in her face. She trembled, wanting to raise her finger to point at Liu Sanmei in rebuttal, but her mind was a chaotic mess, and she couldn’t think of a single word to say.

Would she dare to retort? Of course not. If she dared, she knew her family—especially the brothers who had daughters—would sever ties with her, and no girl would ever want to marry into their families.

Liu Sanmei’s words were like poison, directly throwing her into the flames. Foot binding and chastity arches? Those were remnants of feudal society, symbols of oppression. If this word got out, Wang Juanhua would be branded a typical reactionary element.

Lately, their production team had sent a group of bad elements for reeducation. These people were forced to live in the cowshed, sweeping cow dung and performing all the dirty, exhausting work. They were paraded around the county every few days to be publicly criticized by the masses.

Just imagining that situation was enough to frighten the old woman, who had little experience with such public shaming.

“I… I didn’t mean it like that…” Realizing where this was headed, she could only blush and concede.

Her granddaughter, hearing the truth behind her grandmother’s words, couldn’t hold back her tears and burst into loud sobs.

Old Lady Liu had always been a strong woman. In front of her beloved granddaughter, she would only speak fondly of Baobao’s father, reminiscing about how good he was when he was still alive. She often spoke of how, if he had lived, he would have let them ride on his neck to pick dates like other fathers and would have let them ride the kang as a big horse at night during the off-season, always replenishing the image of a loving father in the child’s heart. 

She would tenderly stroke her granddaughter’s head and say, “Bao is such a poor little thing, having no father to love her since birth. But I promise, I’ll make sure you get double the love from me and Bao’s mother to make up for your father’s absence.”

But Old Lady Liu never spoke about the pain of being a woman who had raised her son with great difficulty only to lose him forever.

Baobao wiped her tears, but it felt like the valve of her tear ducts had broken. Before she could even wipe the tears she had shed, more followed, flooding down her face, until her eyes swelled up like steamed buns.

“You’re not allowed to bully my grandma!” Unable to hold it in any longer, Baobao rushed forward, her small body blocking her grandmother from view. She stretched her arms wide to protect her.

It was somewhat comical for such a small, thin child to act so fiercely, but those watching were both surprised and relieved, happy to see Baobao defend her grandmother.

Just as the crowd was about to smile sympathetically, the little girl picked up a large stone from the ground and squeezed it with all her might.

In an instant, the stone shattered into fragments, and dust and rubble slipped through her fingers.

The crowd’s smiles faded as they swallowed hard. 

How could they forget that the Zhen family had this little terror, who could kill a wild boar at the age of three? Over the years, she had been specially trained by the army, participating in various drills and tests. 

At this point, Zhen Baobao could probably take on an entire squad.

This tearful little girl had the power to make them cry even harder, with more desperation than their own tears.

No one dared to provoke her. The onlookers took a cautious step back, reflecting on their past actions.

As for the few old women who were the direct targets of the threat, their legs trembled, and they nearly collapsed to the ground.

“Everyone, go home.” Zhen Shanfeng, ever the latecomer, made his appearance. “The work in the field isn’t finished yet. Why are you all gathered here? Do you still need work points?”

Over the years, Zhen Shanfeng, as the team leader, had developed a certain level of authority. His mention of work points was enough to drive the men who hadn’t finished their tasks away, and some of the women, angered, also began to leave.

“Aunt, I know what happened today. Don’t worry, I’ll handle this and make sure you get justice.” Zhen Shanfeng’s face flushed slightly as he spoke. 

He, too, had once believed the rumors and had even gone to the Niu family to make indirect inquiries.

He had heard the whole story, including Liu Sanmei’s reflections on the first half of her life. Now, he felt guilty.

Yes, for years, they had criticized Liu Sanmei and Xu Panhao for this and that. As the captain and a member of the Zhen family, Zhen Shanfeng had often been bothered by the presence of an aunt who was always seen as taking advantage of situations. Sometimes, he had even felt that her existence, and that of his cousin’s wife, brought shame to the Zhen family.

But now, as he thought about it, if Liu Sanmei and Xu Panhao had not been so determined, would they have been able to support two children?

If he were the husband of these two women, and he died in an accident, leaving behind children and a difficult situation, would he prefer his wife to be polite, gentle, and virtuous, or a woman like Liu Sanmei and Xu Panhao, who armed themselves with fierce tempers, refused to give up any advantages, and even took the initiative to grab what they could?

He thought about it and realized he might prefer the latter. It wasn’t that the former type of woman was bad, but the latter could better support the children. He didn’t know if those children would grow up to be fierce, cunning, or selfish, but at least they would survive. Survival, after all, came first. Other things didn’t seem as important. 

Besides, from what he had seen, Liu Sanmei and Xu Panhao had raised their children well. The older one, Baoli, was honest and simple, while the younger, Baobao, was smart and sensible.

If they could raise children like that, it was clear Liu Sanmei and Xu Panhao were not immoral people.

After some thought, he realized he didn’t know what Shankun’s aunt was like when her husband was alive, but Xu Panhao’s name, even from the beginning, hadn’t been bad. Liu Sanmei had always looked for a daughter-in-law who was both virtuous and capable. 

When Zhen Shankun was alive, Xu Panhao had been both a master at home and in the outside world, focusing on caring for the family and rarely engaging in quarrels.

Her fierceness had likely been forced upon her.

Liu Sanmei watched Zhen Shanfeng and the disheartened old ladies leave, her eyes cold, holding her granddaughter in silence. Today’s incident had been enough.

“Brother Niu, I’m sorry. They’ve disliked me for a long time. I’ve dragged you down, and now we’re both being gossiped about together.” Liu Sanmei’s fierce defiance vanished in an instant, replaced by a soft apology to Niu Laomu, like any ordinary old lady. “Over the years, I’ve gotten used to it…”

Those eight simple words spoke volumes of hidden grievances.

Niu Laomu had been in a daze, initially stunned by the forceful Liu Sanmei, who had shown him a side of her he hadn’t expected. Before, he had thought of her as a gentle and virtuous woman, but now she seemed like a warrior, tough and unyielding.

He didn’t find it odd that these two contrasting personalities coexisted in one person.

Now, he understood why so many people in the village said that Liu Meizi had been tarnished when she first arrived, and why his brothers and their wives had advised him to stay away from her.

But instead of distancing himself from her, Niu Laomu felt a deep respect for Liu Meizi, especially after her heartfelt words just now. She was resolute and courageous.

Even though Liu Meizi was clearly wronged, she still thought of him, the old man, and apologized to him first. 

This made Niu Laomu feel very moved. “Sister Meizi…”

He was full of tenderness, wanting to advise this kind-hearted woman to be more careful in the future, to stop being so kind to others and think more of herself.

“Burp——”

Just as she finished speaking, Baobao, who had been crying so pitifully, let out a burp and blew a bubble of snot from her nose.

Liu Sanmei couldn’t help but suspect that her granddaughter’s dramatic reaction was somehow planned to bring this moment about.

Sure enough, old tricks never fail.

Liu Sanmei, with practiced ease, took out a handkerchief and gently wiped Baobao’s face, her expression softening into one of deep affection.

From that day on, Liu Sanmei began to take her grandson out every day to teach him new skills. Perhaps it was because Niu Laomu had stood up for her that day, clearing away the resentment caused by the gossip.

Zhen Shanfeng didn’t waste time this time. He used the loudspeaker at the brigade office—the one typically used to announce work and meetings—to publicly criticize the main people in the village who had spread false rumors.

Among them was the daughter-in-law of the Lin family, Lin Rui’s mother.

Lin Lei had only learned his craft for less than a month when Niu Laomu sent him back. The old man didn’t want to accept a child who was taught by a woman who had been gossiping about him.

The Lin family was clearly at fault. Lin’s father had brought eggs to the Niu family, but Niu Laomu had stood his ground, and Lin Lei returned home in tears, leading to another quarrel.

In the end, Lin Lei had no choice but to drop out of school. He wasn’t cut out for studying, and at his age, his father found him a job in the team. It wasn’t too strenuous, and he earned half the work points of a strong laborer.

Most of the children sent to the team for education still had to return to farming eventually. Lin Lei’s case was just a few days earlier than the others. Many children in the village began working at a young age, having never attended school.

Still, Lin Lei resented his mother, and the relationship between them grew cold.

The villagers continued to gossip about the Lin family. They weren’t like the other families. Though a few years had passed, everyone still remembered how Zhen Shankun had died. 

It was one thing for others to make up stories about the Zhen family, but what right did the Lin family have to do the same?

Lin Rui couldn’t understand it either. Her mother had spoken enough at home, but now she was gossiping outside. And now, because of her mother’s actions, one of her brother’s hopes for a better future had been dashed, and their lives in the production team had become noticeably harder.

No one knew if Lin’s mother regretted her actions, but Lin Rui understood one thing—she and Zhen Baoli would never be connected again. The idea of them marrying, something once joked about, would never be mentioned again.

“I want to announce something.” A few months later, Liu Sanmei invited Xu Panhao to her home for dinner for the first time. It was a rare occasion when the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sat down together for a meal, which happened to be on the day of the pig-killing feast in the production team. “But you have to wait for a moment.”

Liu Sanmei served a bowl of hot egg custard before removing her apron and carefully smoothing her hair behind her ears.

She sat at the head of the table, waiting expectantly for someone at the door.

Hao Niang and Baobao probably guessed what the old lady was going to announce that day, but Zhen Baoli simply stared at the hot egg custard in confusion.

What was she waiting for?

Oh, grandma must be worried the egg custard would burn their mouths, so she wanted it to cool down first.

Baoli panted harder, thinking that if he breathed enough, the custard would cool faster. 

He was truly a clever boy.