"I……"
He opened his mouth, but swallowed the words back. The arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released. He didn't believe that Jiang Wanqing could have anything more advanced than his radio; maybe she was just making a fuss.
He hesitated for a moment, then pressed the power button on his own computer.
"Sizzle..."
A sharp, piercing electrical hum rang out, and Jiang Xiu instinctively covered her ears, looking at Yuan Zhong.
He frantically pressed other buttons, but to no avail; the electrical noise grew louder and louder.
"This... seems... seems to be broken." He made up an excuse for himself.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiu became even more excited, pointing at Jiang Wanqing and Xue He.
"Fine, you steal things, fine, but you even dare to break them! I knew I couldn't open it! You'll have to pay for it!"
She had an arrogant demeanor, as if she had caught someone red-handed.
However, Jiang Wanqing remained calm and said softly to her mother, "Mom, you open it for them to see."
She bought the radio from a passing vendor. Because it was broken, he offered it cheaply, exchanging it for some agricultural products. Jiang Wanqing repaired it and modified it a bit. She only told her mother how to use it, so naturally no one else would know.
"Hmph, don't joke around. Even Yuan Zhiqing said it was bad, how could your mother possibly..."
Before the words were even finished, the clear and melodious sounds of traditional opera came from the radio, leaving everyone stunned.
"Jianwei's wife actually opened it!"
"This opera is really good..."
"Wasn't this supposed to belong to Yuan, the educated youth? He couldn't open it, but Jianwei's wife, whose education level isn't as high as his, could. What does that mean?"
"So even educated youth lied and wronged people."
...
The murmurs among the crowd continued, and Yuan Zhong's face turned red. Jiang Wanqing stepped forward again.
"If you don't want to listen to opera, we can listen to the news. Yuan Zhiqing, why don't you change the channel?"
Her mockery made him look even uglier. He knew he didn't know how to do it, so he could only watch helplessly as she skillfully operated the radio, changing the news and storytelling whenever she wanted, with great ease.
"You...how could you..."
Chen Guixiang couldn't believe it. Jiang Wanqing used to be so timid and submissive that she would be startled even by the sound of the village radio, let alone the radio.
"Because this radio is mine, of course I know how to use it. On the contrary, Jiang Xiu and Yuan Zhiqing, shouldn't you explain your behavior?"
Yuan Zhong pushed Jiang Xiu's hand away: "Let her explain!"
"You said your radio was stolen and you couldn't give it to me. Explain yourself! Where did your radio go? Did you give it to another woman?!"
She screamed and didn't think of anything else, only remembering that she had seen him getting close to another female educated youth before, and assumed that he had given her away to someone else, making her lose face.
"Don't talk nonsense, I didn't..."
"Oh, they've started fighting."
The people outside started to jeer.
"Yuan, the educated youth, was quite dashing. He hooked up with village girls, seduced his classmates, and flirted with women. Tsk tsk tsk..."
"Sure enough, every pot has its own lid. Xiuer, don't ask anymore. We country folk don't need such fancy things. But Wanqing is different. Her husband is a battalion commander, so it's normal for her to have a radio."
"Yeah, Xiuer, who told you to be blind?"
"Hahaha……"
Just when everyone thought the farce caused by a radio was over, Jiang Xiu wouldn't let it go and insisted on going to the educated youth's residence to take a look.
Everyone was eager to continue watching the spectacle, and before Jiang Xiu could even walk ahead, they went ahead of her.
The final result was that Yuan Zhong's radio was found in another male educated youth's trunk. Fearing punishment, he thought that he could be treated leniently by confessing, so he confessed to gambling.
Several educated youths pleaded with the commune, saying they would do more work, write self-criticisms, and just not call the police.
The commune, fearing it would damage the village's reputation, agreed.
Jiang Wanqing had a few days of peace and quiet, and she took advantage of that time to secretly send a letter...
Life in the village was bound to be chaotic. Jiang Xiu became a laughing stock in the village because of the radio incident, and she was even more afraid to go out, because if she did, people would talk behind her back.
One day, feeling bored, I took the opportunity to get some fresh air while everyone was busy in the fields. I met a man asking for directions.
Where does Comrade Jiang Wanqing live?
Upon hearing Jiang Wanqing's name, she felt a surge of hatred, tearing at the foxtail grass in her hand.
"What do you want with her?"
The man's eyes darted around as he explained, "We're conducting a background check on military dependents to understand their family dynamics and daily life."
Hearing him say that, Jiang Xiu's eyes immediately lit up. She swallowed hard and tentatively asked a question in return.
"Will this have any consequences?"
"Uh... if she has an immoral lifestyle or engages in any bad behavior, we have corresponding systems in place to punish her."
The man immediately said that country bumpkins don't know much and are easily fooled. He said that since he was paid to do things for people, he had to do them properly to have a chance to do them again.
However, Jiang Xiu believed it and immediately guided the man to sit under a large tree nearby.
"Comrade, actually I am Jiang Wanqing's cousin. I know her situation better than anyone. Ask me, I know everything."
"real?"
“Really, if I’m lying, I’ll never get married in my life,” Jiang Xiu said.
In this era, getting married is a very important life event for a woman, and this vow is quite solemn, so the other party believed her and started chatting with her.
"Then tell me what Comrade Wanqing does on a daily basis."
"she……"
She used to do laundry, cook, and work in the fields, but now she either stays in her room all day or takes care of her parents. If she were to say these things, it would only bring honor to Jiang Wanqing, and she wouldn't want that.
“She’s incredibly lazy! She expects to be waited on hand and foot, especially after she married Battalion Commander Cheng. She’s become even more outrageous, never leaving the house. Even my mother, who is her aunt, has to put up with her temper, and my grandmother even got sick from her temper.”
"Is it that serious?"
"Yes, and she's not exactly a model citizen either. She used to have an affair with a former educated youth, and she's also had ambiguous relationships with young men in the village. She's had a history of staying out all night."
Jiang Xiu got more and more excited as she talked, making up one lie after another, which shocked the other party, who wrote them all down.
After chatting for nearly half an hour, Jiang Wanqing came out of the courtyard and walked this way. She immediately got up and patted the person.
"Look, that's my cousin. She's here. She's quite the actress in front of people. You'd better leave quickly, or she'll know I told you about her and I'll be in big trouble. Last time she even used her status as a military dependent to say she'd send me to jail."
As she spoke, she pretended to wipe away imaginary tears, as if she had truly suffered a great injustice.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you, comrade. I will report this to my superiors truthfully."
That person himself wasn't exactly honorable. When he saw Jiang Wanqing coming over, he grabbed his things and left, as the information he had was sufficient.
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