The educated youth incident brought indelible disaster to the entire village, so much so that the villagers became more wary and scrutinizing of those who had not yet passed the university entrance exam. Some villagers even secretly warned their younger family members not to associate with the educated youth, after all, the lessons of the past should serve as a warning for the future.
The strange atmosphere in the village did not affect Wuyou and Huang Siwen. Without Huang Siwen getting in their way at home, they were more at ease doing things. They prepared materials at home every day and went to the black market in town to buy and sell every few days.
Over the years, they had been trading on the black market without interruption, accumulating a large sum of money—over a thousand yuan, a considerable amount in those days. After marrying into the family, Huang Siwen always worked in the fields, her mind completely occupied by her work. Coupled with the cautious nature of both mother and son, they had managed to live in relative peace.
"Mom, I'm going to town." Zhao Hongjun carried a basket full of goods on his back and looked at Wuyou, who was busy running around, with great joy.
Regardless of Huang Siwen's situation, he still has his elderly mother and son.
"Go ahead, come back early, and remember to bring back some malted milk powder for Xinghe to help him recover." Wuyou wiped her hands and said with a smile. Malted milk powder is a rare commodity, and it's ridiculously expensive, costing more than twenty yuan!
Zhao Hongjun nodded emphatically, indicating that he would never forget that in the beginning, he couldn't get by in the black market and was too embarrassed to ask for help. He relied entirely on Wuyou's assistance. Gradually, Wuyou gave him more power, and with his honest face and businessman's heart, he gradually became very successful.
Two years ago, when China was strict in its control, they still managed to profit from it. In recent years, with increasingly relaxed policies, they have thrived even more.
Once everyone left, Wuyou calculated that it should be time. He opened the door to the west room, which was filled with a dazzling array of goods, all of which were vegetables they had acquired from the back mountain, purchased in town, or traded with villagers over the years.
After taking stock of everything, Wuyou waved her hand and put everything into her personal space, leaving the space empty except for some ground tofu.
“Right here…” A rustling sound came from outside the door. The woman’s voice was particularly clear. Wuyou raised an eyebrow, bent down and started soaking soybeans, as if she hadn’t heard anything.
"Open the door—" Three men in military green uniforms said with serious expressions, while a group of villagers in the distance pointed and whispered.
Soon the brigade leader arrived. As the person in charge of Qingshui Village, he naturally had to step forward.
"Hello comrades, I am the brigade leader of Qingshui Village. What brings you here?" Zhao Cheng asked with a friendly smile, rubbing his hands together.
"Hello comrade, we have received a report that Zhao Hongjun, a villager from Qingshui Village, is suspected of speculation and profiteering. Please cooperate." The square-faced man at the head of the group looked righteous and took out his identification to show it.
Zhao Cheng was startled, but he managed to maintain his composure, though a hint of worry still showed. "Comrades, you must be mistaken! The Hong family are all honest people, as everyone in the village knows. They would never do something like speculation."
"This..." The square-faced man saw the sincerity on Zhao Cheng's face and his heart began to pound. However, he could not ignore the public's report. Moreover, seeing is believing, and he could not come up empty-handed. He still said firmly, "Whether there is speculation or profiteering is not something that can be determined by words. We will not wrong an innocent person, nor will we let go of a bad person who is trying to catch the tail of capitalism."
After saying this, he glanced at the crowd without making it obvious, a hint of doubt creeping into his mind.
Zhao Cheng didn't know what to say, after all, he was just a minor brigade leader. The villagers around them were all talking amongst themselves, but one person stared intently at the Zhao family.
"Who is it?" Wuyou's voice came. She stepped forward, opened the wooden door, and was stunned to see the group of people. "What are you doing?" she asked.
Zhao Cheng quickly pulled Wuyou aside and said a few words, cautiously observing Wuyou's worried expression. Although the policy has been relaxed now, speculation is no small crime, and most importantly, it ruins one's reputation.
"What?!" Wuyou raised her voice, her eyes wide with astonishment, followed by boundless anger. She put her hands on her hips and slapped her thighs, cursing, "Which heartless jinx dared to slander my family's impeccable three generations of poor peasants? It's utterly outrageous! If I catch him, I'll skin him alive..."
She went on and on, hurling insults for a long time, vividly displaying the fierce and protective nature of a rural woman, behaving like a shrew in the street. Finally, the square-faced man couldn't take it anymore, stepped forward, produced his identification, and said coldly.
"Aunt Zhao, please cooperate with our search." If this continues, we won't finish this before dark.
Wuyou trembled slightly, looking somewhat frightened. After all, people in this era still had a certain instinctive fear of public officials. She wiped the moisture from the corner of her eyes and stammered, "Well... alright, please come in. Comrade, my family are honest, simple country folk. We would never do such a thing."
"Thank you for your cooperation." People with square faces and other rural women like Wuyou were very familiar with her and could deal with her with ease. They uttered four words and said no more.
The three men moved quickly, searching the Zhao family's courtyard and rooms. They didn't act as brutally as Japanese soldiers entering a village; they just rummaged around and made a mess.
The surrounding villagers lingered, whispering among themselves, reluctant to leave, finding it quite amusing.
About half an hour later, the three of them had almost finished searching. The Zhao family's belongings were all common items, and the quantities were within the range of those of an ordinary farmer, so there was no problem.
"What's in this room?" The square-faced man asked gravely, looking at the locked door of the west room.
"It's nothing, just some ordinary ground tofu." Wuyou said calmly, rubbing her hands together. "I'm fortunate enough to have learned a good skill in making tofu, and everyone in the village knows it. I occasionally use it to trade with villagers for other things. This can't be considered speculation, can it?"
The other villagers followed suit, as they relied on these to barter for food and other necessities. Because Wuyou was skilled, they would occasionally exchange these for something new to try.
“If that’s the case, then it doesn’t count.” The square-faced man shook his head. He wasn’t that heartless. It was normal for villagers to exchange things with each other, especially since the policies were more relaxed now, and it seemed that the higher-ups were saying that things might be liberalized in the future.
"Then please open the door. We can only make a decision after we've seen it." The square-faced man's expression softened a bit. They didn't want to get involved in these things either; they were busy to death and getting no credit, and it wasn't good for the town's reputation. But they couldn't forget their primary job.
"Okay." Wuyou pretended to turn around, subtly glancing at someone in the crowd, and readily agreed.
She took out the key and unlocked the large lock. A strong smell of soybeans wafted out, and besides the tools, there was tofu—it was all there was.
Huang Siwen, standing in the crowd, stared wide-eyed. How could this be? This old woman kept a close watch on the west room and never let her see it. She had even taken some good things from the west room before. How could she not have them? She must have hidden them or sold them.
Suddenly, a hand reached out from the crowd and grabbed Huang Siwen's shoulder. She immediately lost her mind and screamed, "Ah—"
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