In this era, the moonlight is so bright that you can see people clearly from a great distance.
Lin Chen had good eyesight and always felt that the figure by the pond looked familiar.
"Could it be a thief?" Jiang Ning tightened her grip on Lin Chen's hand.
Lin Chen patted her hand and said, "Don't be afraid, I'm here, I won't let you get hurt."
As the two drew closer to the shadowy figure, Lin Chen suddenly shouted:
Who is it?
His voice was loud and deep, which startled the dark figure so much that he fell to the ground.
After a long while, the shadowy figure spoke:
"Oh my god, Brother Chen, you almost scared me to death!"
He stood up and patted his butt, and Lin Chen then recognized him as Gao Baoliang.
"What's the cat doing by the pond?" Lin Chen asked with a dark face.
Seriously, I almost scared my wife.
Gao Baoliang quickly hid the handkerchief behind his back and stammered, "It's nothing."
To justify his presence here, he continued:
"Be careful lately, there's been a thief in the next brigade."
Lin Chen scoffed, "You seem more like a thief than a sneaky person!"
Too lazy to argue with him, he pushed his bicycle home. The night was short, and he had more important things to do.
......
The next day, Jiang Ning accompanied Wang Xiufen to visit Captain Gao's house, where they overheard people discussing the thief.
Captain Gao's house is located in the center of the village, in front of a large pond. There is a relatively wide road along the pond, which is the only way for most commune members to return to the village.
The ground in front of his house was also very large and spacious, and many villagers liked to visit him. It was a popular spot for gossip in the village.
Here, there's nothing you can't hear, and sometimes, whoever shouts the loudest at night will be the subject of a joke.
Wang Xiufen didn't go out much before, but today she was dragged over by several of her aunts who knew her.
Gao Qiang's wife, Li Ying, is a feisty woman with strong likes and dislikes. After thinking it over, she realized something: if Jiang Ning hadn't discovered it early, Xiao Long would probably be dead!
Gao Qiang even went to her house to blame her and demand compensation.
What a terrible thing to do! She quickly bought canned fruit, weighed out some fatty meat, and led Gao Qiang to the Lin family to apologize.
After that, he would visit the Lin family from time to time, and they became very close.
Hearing that Wang Xiufen was making clothes, he offered to lend her his own sewing machine.
"Sister-in-law Xiufen, I heard that the thieves are rampant this time, breaking into houses at night while people are asleep. There was a house next door where a man got up to urinate and discovered them. Instead of running away, he grabbed a carrying pole from the corner of the wall and knocked the man unconscious."
Li Ying held her hand and gave her some instructions.
Wang Xiufen smiled and nodded: "I heard from Achen that the militia are also looking for him!"
That thief is really bold; he's not even afraid of being bitten.
Li Ying chimed in, "Money makes the world go round! Your family especially needs to be careful. Ningning's family recently sent her money, and your family suddenly acquired two bicycles. You might be attracting unwanted attention."
In those days, everyone was poor, so adding a big item to someone's home was a very big deal.
Jiang Ning frowned and asked seriously, "Sister Li, I have a question. If you catch a thief red-handed and beat him to death, will you go to jail?"
In her past life, she had seen a news story about a thief who broke into a house to steal things. When the homeowner discovered him, the thief quickly hid outside the window, but he lost his footing and fell to his death.
Later, the thief's family sued the other family, and the other family paid more than 200,000 yuan in compensation.
At that time, her values were completely distorted.
I wonder how such cases would be judged in this day and age?
Upon hearing this, Li Ying burst into laughter.
“The way educated youth think is different. Why go to jail? Petty theft is undermining socialism, it's openly opposing the commune members, that's what you get punished for. Killing him would be too good for him.”
Jiang Ning was relieved. If the thief dared to come to her house, Lin Chen would beat him to death!
Wang Xiufen laughed along, "My daughter-in-law is not only beautiful, but also very smart. Take this wedding for example, she personally selected the menu, and she also prepared many things at home. She's very capable!"
Another day of praising my daughter-in-law.
Li Ying was so tired of hearing it.
However, Jiang Ning really looks like she has good fortune, and she is especially lucky for her husband. She and Lin Chen have only been married for a short time, but their family has been blessed with continuous wealth.
Her husband must have been out of his mind to offend her; he really doesn't know what's going on.
Three or four meters away from them, Yu Xiaofeng was also chatting with someone. When she heard Wang Xiufen praising Jiang Ning, she rolled her eyes and showed a disdainful expression.
"He talks about his daughter-in-law all the time, praising her to the skies. She even cooks for him and cleans for him. But he still treats her like a free maid. I thought he was living the good life!"
Someone nearby chimed in, "Your Xiao Tao isn't young anymore, it's time he found a wife. If you find a better educated youth than Jiang Ning, wouldn't that be just what makes them jealous!"
“What’s so great about being an educated youth? You can’t lift a finger. My Xiao Tao will find a city worker, give him all his wages, and do his laundry, cook for him, and take care of him every day!” Yu Xiaofeng said with a smug look on her face, completely oblivious to the fact that she was a toad trying to eat swan meat.
Lin Tao has already told her that he has found a way to make money, and soon the family will be rich, and then they can pick any city girl they want.
Everyone burst into laughter, just enjoying the show.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went to visit each other, while Lin Qiao went to the educated youth settlement to find Meng Jiao.
They were both rather introverted people, and they read similar books. When they heard that Meng Jiao had "How the Steel Was Tempered," they came to borrow it.
Meng Jiao smiled serenely: "Come, come and sit in my room."
Not only did they find "How the Steel Was Tempered," but they also brought out books like "Red Crag," "The Hurricane," and "Around the World in Eighty Days," letting her choose whichever she wanted.
Lin Qiao was overjoyed. "Sister Meng, these are all things I want to see. Can I take them all? I promise to study them late into the night and return them to you as soon as possible."
Meng Jiao smiled wryly: "No need to rush. Reading by kerosene lamp at night is too hard on the eyes. Sometimes I lie in bed, close my eyes and think about some plots in the book, and then I fall asleep."
Lin Qiao nodded vigorously: "Sister Meng, we are so alike. I like it this way too. Sometimes I even wonder what the ending would be like if the protagonist made a different choice?"
"Then you can try writing a different ending..."
While the two were chatting, they were unaware that Gao Baoliang was leading a militia team past the educated youth settlement.
As Ma Huijuan went out, she ran into them, and her eyes met Gao Baoliang's for a couple of seconds...
She shyly looked away, her heart pounding.
Good heavens, these days, the militia company commander has been leading his troops around the educated youth settlement. Could it be that he has taken a liking to her?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com