Chapter 26 Wang Yuqing decides to sell fish

Ji Xuening frowned.

He Ruhua continued loudly, "You and she are not legally married and cannot live together. Even if you have exchanged gifts and both sets of parents agree to your relationship, it is still not allowed. Men and women should not touch each other. This is immoral, improper, and a crime."

Ji Xuening replied coldly, "I do not live with Comrade Wang Yuqing. She only lives in my house. We have not crossed any boundaries. Our relationship is completely innocent."

Wang Yuqing was speechless: "Does staying at a relative's house for one night mean you're immoral and have improper conduct? We didn't sleep together before marriage, nor did we get pregnant before marriage. What crime did we commit?"

He Ruhua glared at Wang Yuqing: "Comrade Ji Xuening is definitely upright, but you are different. What if you seduce him? You'll be charged with hooliganism, and you'll ruin him!"

"Shut up!"

Ji Xuening suddenly shouted, startling He Ruhua's plump body.

Even Wang Yuqing, who was standing next to him, was stunned. However, in this era, the word "seduction" was particularly serious, and it was probably because of this word that he became angry.

Ji Xuening stared at He Ruhua with a gloomy expression: "Comrade He Ruhua, you must not speak recklessly."

He Ruhua's eyes reddened, and she knew she had spoken too harshly. She pointed at Wang Yuqing and said, "Wang Yuqing didn't get a marriage certificate with you, and she's not from our brigade. So she can't work to earn food, and she'll definitely have to eat and drink your food. Your family is already in a difficult situation. Grandma Ji and her three children are not getting enough to eat or wear. You have to think about your grandma and her three children. What will you do when you can't even afford to eat?"

She then scolded Wang Yuqing: "You have such a thick skin, staying at the Ji family's house and not leaving, eating and drinking for free, without even thinking about them."

Wang Yuqing didn't lose her temper, after all, whether what she said was for the good of the Ji family or for the public good, it was indeed for the good of the Ji family. However, since she was criticizing her with ideology and conduct, she would criticize her with ideology and conduct in return.

She said with a smile, "Comrade He Ruhua, may I ask what your relationship is with Comrade Ji Xuening? Why are you so concerned about him? Don't you know the boundaries between men and women? Do you like him? You clearly know that he has a fiancée, yet you still come out and say these things. You are the one with a problem with your ideology and conduct."

"Although we haven't registered our marriage, we're already considered a couple. You're crossing the line like this and even insulting me. Are you trying to interfere?"

The term 'interference' is even more serious than 'seduction'; in this day and age, interfering in someone's relationship can lead to imprisonment.

He Ruhua's face changed drastically, and she stammered, "Don't talk nonsense, what am I interfering in?"

Wang Yuqing stepped forward, looked him up and down, and said sarcastically, "That's right, with your complicated features and low intelligence, you can't possibly squeeze in."

After saying that, she said to Ji Xuening, "Comrade Ji Xuening, let's go."

Ji Xuening followed behind her without hesitation, but kept his distance, afraid that it would affect Wang Yuqing and cause her to be gossiped about.

He Ruhua stomped her feet in anger, but dared not rush forward. She had indeed crossed the line, just as Wang Yuqing had said.

Just then, Zhao Si, the former production team leader, and his wife came to the brigade headquarters on some business and happened to overhear the conversation.

Zhao Si whispered a few words to his wife, Qian Juan, who understood and went over to whisper a few words to He Ruhua.

He Ruhua was first surprised by what she heard, then stared coldly at Wang Yuqing's back, muttering to herself, "Hmph, don't be so smug, just you wait and see."

Wang Yuqing encountered even more people on her way back, but no one dared to gossip about her in front of her anymore, and they didn't even dare to look her in the eye.

The impact of that stone strike made everyone afraid of her, and her fame spread far and wide. In just half an hour, her story had already spread throughout the Niushiwan production team.

When everyone was at work, they were all talking about her, and even during breaks, some people would imitate her.

Yuan Fang made a fool of herself, and many people around her made fun of her, which made her face turn a liverish color.

When Wang Yuqing got home, she told Grandma Ji about the brigade director's refusal to register her. Grandma Ji didn't say anything, but she went back to her room with her cane, touched the rice jar, and then picked up a portrait of Grandpa Ji from the bedside table. She said, "We owe her. Don't worry, even if I starve to death, I will leave her a bite to eat."

Wang Yuqing heard this from outside the door. Her nose tingled, and she didn't think too much about what she meant by "owe". She was just deeply moved.

She returned to her room, lay on the bed, and thought. It seemed that it would really be four years before she could finally relax. She would rest for the day and recharge her energy, and start making money tomorrow!

Ji Xiaoming and Ji Daming went to school today, while Ji Meimei was weaving baskets with her grandmother at the door.

Wang Yuqing slept until noon. Ji Xuening finished work and cooked corn porridge. Standing at the door, he remembered waking her up in the morning, but this time he was a little hesitant.

Grandma Ji saw him standing there dumbfounded at the door, so she stepped forward and gently knocked on the door: "Yuqing? Girl, get up and eat."

Wang Yuqing, who was in the room, heard this, but she was too embarrassed to eat lunch, so she continued to pretend to be asleep.

Seeing that there was no response from inside, Grandma Ji said, "Put her in the kitchen first, let her sleep a little longer."

Ji Xuening handed the corn porridge to Grandma Ji: "Grandma, have you eaten? When she wakes up, I'll cook her another bowl. We're out of food at home, but don't worry, I'll figure something out."

Grandma Ji nodded in agreement, then took out her handkerchief and wiped away her tears.

During his lunch break, Ji Xuening went up the mountain to cut down a lot of thick trees and dragged them back. He then took a woodworking saw, chisel, and axe and started chopping around at the doorway.

Wang Yuqing was a little unwell due to the change in environment and slept for more than two hours in a daze. After getting up, she decided to start a fish-selling business first.

She has plenty of time to fish when she's not working. The river is teeming with fish, so why not catch them? However, she needs to go fishing the day before the market day and then take them to the county market early the next morning.

Those cadres and workers were considered wealthy in that era; those with high salaries would likely buy all the necessary seasonings.

However, fish is nothing new, so whether it can be sold is the problem.

She went outside and found Grandma Ji still sitting at the door, weaving a basket. Although she was blind and could only see a blurry shadow, her hands were still very nimble. She just needed Ji Meimei to help her occasionally.

Wang Yuqing praised, "Grandma, you're amazing! It's so difficult, and you can weave it even if you can't see it, and it looks so beautiful."

Grandma Ji laughed and said, "Your grandpa is even more amazing. Back then, no one in the whole brigade could weave as well as him. Many people asked him for help. I also learned from him. But I've been weaving for decades, and I can weave even if I can't see."

After saying that, she took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from her left eye.

Wang Yuqing noticed that Grandma Ji's left eye was always tearing up. At first, she thought it was because she was sad or upset, but now she realized that she would cry whether she was happy or unhappy.