As soon as she arrived at the commune gate, she saw Master Li standing at the canteen entrance, looking around. When he saw her, he quickly came up to her and said, "Wanqiu, you've finally come! I was afraid you wouldn't come today."
Lin Wanqiu handed over the cloth bag: "Master Li, the vegetables today are even fresher than yesterday, please take a look."
Mr. Li took the bag, opened it, and his eyes lit up—the vegetables were a vibrant green, with dewdrops still clinging to the leaves, and next to them were two bright red tomatoes, standing out starkly in the winter air. He exclaimed in surprise, "Late Autumn, where did you get these tomatoes? Tomatoes at this time of year are rarer than meat!"
Lin Wanqiu had already prepared her explanation: "These were sent by someone from my family home. They said they were grown in a greenhouse. There were only two, and I thought I'd let you try them."
Master Li quickly waved his hand: "This won't do, it's too valuable, I can't accept it."
"Master Li, please don't be so polite with me," Lin Wanqiu said with a smile. "I haven't even thanked you for helping me harvest the vegetables yet, these two tomatoes are nothing. Besides, I'll need your help in the future."
Seeing her sincerity, Mr. Li stopped refusing. He took the tomatoes and put them in his pocket, then weighed the vegetables: "Twelve pounds in total, 15 cents a pound, that's 1.8 yuan." As he spoke, he took out some money from his pocket, counted out 1.8 yuan, and handed it to her.
Lin Wanqiu took the money, her fingertips burning again. She'd earned three yuan and thirty cents in just two days; at this rate, she'd soon have enough to build a house. As she was thinking this, she suddenly heard someone call out behind her, "Master Li, who's this? Why do they seem so familiar?"
Lin Wanqiu turned around and saw a man in a blue cadre uniform walking towards her with an arrogant expression. It was Zhao Jianjun, the son of the brigade secretary. A few days ago, Zhao Jianjun had come to her door to force her to marry him, but she had refused. She never expected to run into him here.
Master Li quickly smoothed things over: "Comrade Zhao, this is Lin Wanqiu from the Hongqi Brigade. She grows some vegetables at home and is bringing them to the canteen."
Zhao Jianjun sized Lin Wanqiu up and down, his eyes filled with ill intent: "Lin Wanqiu? Who do we have here? It's you. You're a widow, where did you get vegetables to sell? Did you steal them?"
Lin Wanqiu sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm: "Comrade Zhao, you're wrong. I grew these vegetables myself and earned them through my own hard work. How does that make it stealing? Does Comrade Zhao think that widows can only starve?"
Zhao Jianjun was taken aback, his face turning bright red: "Don't try to argue with me! Let me tell you, not just anyone can deliver food to the commune canteen. If you don't have a legitimate source, I'll have you arrested!"
Master Li quickly stepped in to stop her: "Comrade Zhao, it's a misunderstanding. I've checked all the late autumn vegetables, they're very clean and from the right source. Please don't make things difficult for her."
Zhao Jianjun glared at Master Li: "Master Li, don't be fooled by her! How can a widow grow such good vegetables? There must be something wrong with this!" As he spoke, he reached out to snatch the money bag from Lin Wanqiu's hand.
Lin Wanqiu dodged to the side, her eyes turning cold: "Comrade Zhao, if you continue to act recklessly, I will report you to the commune for abusing your power!" She knew that although Zhao Jianjun was arrogant, he was also afraid that things would escalate and affect his father's reputation.
Sure enough, Zhao Jianjun's hand froze in mid-air, and he glared at Lin Wanqiu hatefully: "You just wait!" After saying that, he turned and left.
Watching Zhao Jianjun's retreating figure, Lin Wanqiu breathed a sigh of relief, beads of sweat already forming on her forehead. Master Li also breathed a sigh of relief: "Wanqiu, don't take it to heart. He's just spoiled by his father. Next time you deliver vegetables, if you run into him again, just avoid him."
"Thank you, Master Li," Lin Wanqiu said gratefully. "I'll be going now, and I'll bring you more vegetables tomorrow."
"Okay, be careful on the road." Master Li waved his hand, watching Lin Wanqiu's back, and couldn't help but mutter, "This Lin Wanqiu is different from before. She used to be afraid to look people in the eye, but now she even dares to talk back to Zhao Jianjun. She's really become more formidable."
Lin Wanqiu didn't hear Master Li's mutterings. She carried her money bag and walked into the village, but in her heart she was thinking: Zhao Jianjun will definitely not let this go. I have to be more careful when delivering vegetables in the future. It would be best to find a hidden route so that I don't run into him again.
Just as she reached the village entrance, she saw Zhang Lan carrying a basket, sneaking towards the commune. Zhang Lan also saw her, her eyes immediately glued to her purse. She paused, then pretended not to see her and hurried on.
Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat—what was Zhang Lan going to the commune for? Could it be that she was going to complain to Zhao Jianjun? She quickly quickened her pace and walked home. As soon as she reached the door, she saw Shen Nian'an lying on the threshold, her little face all scrunched up, as if she was about to cry.
"An'an, what's wrong?" Lin Wanqiu quickly ran over and picked up her son.
Shen Nian'an hugged her neck and whispered, "Grandma came just now and said she wanted to see Mom. I didn't open the door, so Grandma scolded Mom for being a bad woman."
Lin Wanqiu's anger flared up instantly—Old Mrs. Shen was truly persistent; she had just earned money during the day and was already showing up at her door that very night. Just as she was about to comfort her son, she heard Old Mrs. Shen's loud voice from outside the courtyard gate: "Lin Wanqiu! You come out here! What kind of skill is it to hide inside!"
Lin Wanqiu put Nian'an inside, telling him not to come out, then took a deep breath and opened the courtyard gate. Old Mrs. Shen stood at the door with her hands on her hips, and Zhang Lan stood next to her with a smug look on her face; it was obviously Zhang Lan who had complained.
"Mother, did you need something from me?" Lin Wanqiu asked coldly.
Old Mrs. Shen pointed at her nose and scolded, "You little whore! You think you're all grown up now? You dare to secretly sell things and make money behind our backs! Tell me, what are you selling? Where's the money?"
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