Chapter 38 Chapter 38 New Neighborhood Portraits

After her mother left in the morning, Lin Beibei couldn't sleep.

Having just arrived in a new environment, he was unfamiliar with the surroundings. He waited for his sister to wake up, then he squatted at the door of the house with his sister, staring at the intersection.

During this time, some people came up to talk to Lin Beibei and Lin Nannan, asking where they were from and why they had never seen them before.

Lin Beibei remembered her mother's words that she should not talk to strangers, so she ignored everyone who came.

Seeing her mother coming back, Lin Beibei almost cried, "Mom, why were you gone for so long?"

"Because I'm waiting in line to buy meat for you." Jiang Qiuyue said goodbye to Bai Xiuxiu and took the children into the yard.

There was firewood in the kitchen, but not much. Jiang Qiuyue asked Bai Xiuxiu whether to buy firewood or coal briquettes. Tomorrow, Jiang Qiuyue would also have to buy some coal briquettes and firewood.

In the morning, Jiang Qiuyue simply cooked some sweet potatoes. After they were full, Jiang Qiuyue asked Lin Beibei to take her smoked fish to the next door to give to Bai Xiuxiu. Since she had taken someone else's dates yesterday, she had to give someone something to eat today to show her goodwill.

Not long after Lin Beibei went out, she brought Zhao Shufen with her.

Zhao Shufen had been very curious about what Jiang Qiuyue looked like since yesterday. When she saw Jiang Qiuyue as soon as she entered the room, she thought that she was just as others said, a vixen.

The way she looked him up and down made Jiang Qiuyue feel uncomfortable.

"Sister-in-law is really pretty. I heard yesterday that a beautiful lady came to our family compound. Today I saw you and it was true. Look at your big butt. It looks really good." Zhao Shufen's eyes were very direct. "Sister, aren't you from the countryside? Why do I think you are more delicate than the city people?"

She herself came from the countryside, and the women there were all very dark-skinned. Even if they were white when they took off their clothes, they would still be tanned black from working in the sun every day. Her husband, Bai, often told her to be more polite when she was at home and not to swear all the time.

Bah, her three generations ago were all poor peasants, how could she be elegant?

Jiang Qiuyue understood why Bai Xiuxiu tried so hard to get away from her uncle and aunt. She looked at Zhao Shufen with a fake smile, "My Zhengrong treats me well. He sends me living expenses every month and doesn't want me to do farm work."

This was half true and half false. Anyway, Lin Zhengrong was on a mission now and couldn't hear what she said.

To Zhao Shufen, it sounded like Jiang Qiuyue was deliberately showing off, "Sister-in-law, what you said is wrong. The masters love you, so you should love them too. Shouldn't you save the money and take good care of your man and children first?"

"Sister-in-law, I still have things to do." Jiang Qiuyue and Zhao Shufen couldn't get along, and it was obvious that she ordered them to leave.

Zhao Shufen didn't want to leave yet, "Besides, you still have your parents-in-law and brother-in-law, so you don't have to give them money?" She didn't believe that Lin Zhengrong gave all his money to Jiang Qiuyue. Anyone from the countryside had to send money back to their hometown every month. She was the same. She had a large family, but she had to give her husband's family ten yuan a month, but her family didn't get any benefits. She was angry when she thought about it.

"Sister-in-law, I'm really sorry to disappoint you. I really don't need to give you money." Jiang Qiuyue looked at Zhao Shufen with a smile, and then asked the two children to go back to the room.

She turned around and closed the door. Zhao Shufen saw through it and went out angrily.

Bai Xiuxiu saw her aunt coming out of the Lin family with a gloomy face, and hurried to find Jiang Qiuyue, "Sister-in-law, I saw my aunt leave very angrily, what happened to her?"

"She and I couldn't agree, so I hinted that she should leave. When she refused, I closed the door," Jiang Qiuyue said.

Bai Xiuxiu frowned, "If you chase her away, she will definitely say something bad about you."

"Don't be anxious, let her speak first. Time will tell if she is a real person. If she dares to talk nonsense, I will deal with her sooner or later!" Jiang Qiuyue said, smiling and raising her eyebrows with Bai Xiuxiu.

Bai Xiuxiu was still a little worried. "Although they don't dare to be too presumptuous, there are too many rumors. If someone finds out, it will be troublesome."

Jiang Qiuyue poured tea for Bai Xiuxiu, "You don't have to worry about me, there's a lot of time. And do you think I'm easy to be bullied because I speak so softly?"

Bai Xiu Xiu nodded and said yes.

"Don't worry, I'm a good fighter in my hometown. I'm gentle to you, but I won't show mercy to those gossips." Jiang Qiuyue was not afraid.

Just as Bai Xiuxiu said, Zhao Shufen had already arrived at the pavilion where everyone usually gathered. Before she even walked in, she shook her head and said, "This is terrible! The new guy next door is such a slut!"

When everyone heard her say this, they all looked over. Those who were picking vegetables stopped what they were doing and asked what was going on.

"I thought since there was a new neighbor, I should say hello, so I went to take a look. But as soon as I walked in, the neighbor looked down on me and asked me who I was in a fierce manner."

Zhao Shufen was good at making up lies. "I went to see her with good intentions and wanted to ask her if there was anything I could do for her, but she ignored me and said she was busy and closed the door. When I just walked out of the door, I saw her flirting with another man."

"Is it true?" someone asked.

Zhao Shufen said, of course it’s true. “You know me. I’ve lied before. When you see her, you’ll know I’m telling the truth.”

"How could there be such a person? Our family compound has always been fine, but now a vixen like this has come. What should we do in the future?"

"Yeah, we are both honest people, she won't hook up with my man, right?"

"Who knows? Anyway, you all should be careful with her and keep a close eye on your men." Zhao Shufen said.

There were also different opinions at this time. Wu Shuangshuang, who lived across from Jiang Qiuyue, snorted coldly, "Wei Meihua, your man looks like a pig. Even if you send him to bed, he won't look down on you, right? And you, Zhao Shufen, aren't you the best at lying? You sow discord all day long and say something if you don't like someone."

"Wu Shuangshuang, what are you talking about? When did I ever sow discord?"

"Yes, Wu Shuangshuang, why does my man look like a pig head?"

Wu Shuangshuang patted the crumbs on her trouser legs and stopped sewing her clothes. When she first arrived at the family compound, Zhao Shufen was the one who started talking about her, so that now she doesn't have a single friend she can get along with.

She ignored Zhao Shufen and the others and left with her basket.

Zhao Shufen was so angry at being scolded by Wu Shuangshuang that she scolded for more than ten minutes before stopping. "You see, this Wu Shuangshuang is really not a good person. When did I say anything about her? It's just because she only has a daughter, I introduced the folk remedy to her with good intentions. Does she blame me for meddling in other people's business?"

"As expected, mean people can't have sons. I think this is how Wu Shuangshuang's life will be. It's impossible for her to have a son!"

Wei Meihua nodded and said, "That's right, my man is just a little bit fatter, this is a lucky sign, what is a pig head?"

She felt very sorry for her man. If a woman could gain weight these days, it meant her family was well-fed and others would be jealous of her.

"But Sister Shufen, are the new neighbors you mentioned really that shameless?"

"Of course, she has a face that attracts men. I'm telling you, don't let men go to her house, otherwise don't blame me for not reminding you." When Zhao Shufen said this, the old lady in the corner rolled her eyes, packed up her things and went home.

Weng Yuan and Lin Zhengrong were from the same unit, and Weng Yuan was going to the Lin family for dinner tonight. When Granny Weng heard what Zhao Shufen said, she hurried back and did not allow her son to go for dinner that night.

Weng Yuan didn't understand, and he asked his wife to go check after lunch to see if she could help. "Mom, don't listen to what others say. I've already agreed. Zhengrong is such a good man, his wife must be good."

"Listen to my advice. Don't go to the Lin family. Your wife is such a coward. What if someone seduces you away?"

Granny Weng didn't mince words, just in case her daughter-in-law couldn't hear. "Anyway, you are not allowed to go. Mom will follow you today. If you dare to go to the Lin family for dinner, Mom will overturn the Lin family's dining table!"

Li Pandi, who was busy in the kitchen, did not dare to refute her mother-in-law's words. She knew her mother-in-law was capable of such a thing. She was a child bride in the family. She was sent to the Weng family by her parents when she was eight years old. She worked hard for so many years. When her mother-in-law looked at her, she immediately wondered if she had done something wrong.

"Did you hear that?" Seeing her son remained silent, the old lady yelled.

"Mom, where did you hear this gossip?" Weng Yuan was speechless. Chen Guowei was praising Lin Zhengrong's lover yesterday, so why is someone saying something bad about him today?

"Don't worry about where I heard it from. Anyway, you are not allowed to go. You know me. I can do what I say!" Grandma Weng said harshly, and went to the kitchen to find her daughter-in-law, cursing, "Didn't I tell you to make the rice thinner today? You spendthrift woman, you don't make money, so you can spend it lavishly, right?"

Li Pandi wanted to say that it was already very watery, but she swallowed her words and silently added a ladle of water into the pot.

"Add another scoop. You stay at home all day, so drinking some rice soup is enough. It would be a waste of food if you eat too much." After saying this, the old lady stared at her son again.

Weng Yuan felt uncomfortable with his mother's stare, so he could only say that he would not go. Grandma Weng was satisfied and went out to continue listening to people's gossip. She felt that she was very smart, never actively participated in those topics, but could hear some important things, and could also control her daughter-in-law. What mother-in-law could be as powerful as her?

When the old lady arrived at the pavilion, there were not many people there. It was dinner time and most people had gone home to cook.

Jiang Qiuyue was also cooking. She cut one third of the pork belly into cubes and stir-fried it in a pan. After the oil came out, she added the chopped sauerkraut.

This is her last pickled cabbage. She will make some kimchi in a few days. She likes to eat something sour and spicy. And when she is too lazy to cook, she can make a plate of stir-fried pickled cabbage for a meal.

The aroma of stir-fried sauerkraut and minced meat wafts out of the kitchen. It is especially fragrant because of the addition of meat.

People nearby couldn't help but smell it more after passing by.

"Whose cooking smells so good?"

"I don't know, it smells like fried pickled cabbage. Why does it smell like meat?"

"No way, who would be willing to stir-fry sauerkraut with meat?"

The small courtyard was separated by a wall. Several families were cooking. With different smells wafting around, it was difficult for everyone to locate Jiang Qiuyue.

At noon, Jiang Qiuyue just wanted to have a simple meal, so she cooked some porridge and ate it with sauerkraut, minced meat and sweet potatoes.

After dinner, Lin Beibei and Lin Nannan went to wash the dishes, while Jiang Qiuyue washed the clothes that she had taken off in the past two days.

The train was stuffy and her clothes smelled of sweat. Jiang Qiuyue applied more soap and took her clothes to the river.

There was electricity at home, but there was no running water. It was too troublesome to fetch water to wash clothes. Jiang Qiuyue asked Bai Xiuxiu where to wash clothes and went to the river with a bamboo basket.

When Jiang Qiuyue arrived, she found that someone was talking in a low voice after seeing her. She didn't hear it clearly at first, so she didn't care.

"She is indeed fair, with such fair skin, she doesn't look like she is from the countryside at all."

"Yeah, looking at her like this, I thought she couldn't do anything, but I didn't expect she would come to do the laundry. Tell me, Shufen said she was a vixen, is that true?"

"How would I know? She is indeed pretty, but I don't see her flirting with any man when I see her now."

"Meihua, are you confused? There are only women and children by the river, where are the men?"

“That’s right.”

After hearing this conversation, especially the word "Shufen", Jiang Qiuyue immediately understood what they meant.

Good people are often bullied. If she endures it, everyone will know that she is easy to bully in the future.

Jiang Qiuyue stopped washing clothes and walked over with a smile, "Two sisters-in-law, I am the family of Deputy Head Lin. We will be neighbors from now on. Whose family are you?"

Seeing Jiang Qiuyue like this, the two thought that Jiang Qiuyue was trying to show her goodwill. Wei Meihua first said that her man worked in the cafeteria.

"So it's the cafeteria. The sister Shufen you just mentioned told you that I was a vixen. What did she say?" Jiang Qiuyue's attitude was still very good. Wei Meihua and the others didn't expect her to ask so directly and they were both embarrassed.

"I am a decent person who does things and behaves honestly, and no one has ever called me a vixen. If my sisters-in-law don't tell me, now that I know who you are, why don't I go to your homes and ask, are you always wrongly accusing others like this?" Jiang Qiuyue put away her smile. It was just a joke, she was not a pushover.

When she heard that Jiang Qiuyue was going to their house, Peng Yan immediately said, "Good sister, we didn't say anything to you, it was Zhao Shufen who said that. She said that you look down on people and that you only smile at men, so she told us to look for good men."

For fear of getting into trouble, Peng Yan repeated everything Zhao Shufen said in the pavilion.

Jiang Qiuyue snorted in her heart. Bai Xiuxiu was right. She squatted down and washed the clothes quickly.

Seeing that she was not angry, Peng Yan and Wei Meihua thought she was being bullied and breathed a sigh of relief.

But what they didn't expect was that Jiang Qiuyue just didn't want to make an extra trip, so she washed the clothes, went home to dry them, and then took the laundry mallet and knocked on the Bai family's door.