Chapter 11 What kind of man won't you find in the future?
"Taozi, you're telling me that Lin Baozhu was lying to us! If we had known she had this ability, we would never have broken off the engagement! Look at us now, we can't even get a bite of wild boar meat!"
Old Mrs. You sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), slapping her thigh and sighing, filled with regret. She had previously thought Lin Baozhu was just an ignorant country girl, never imagining she could kill a wild boar! If the engagement hadn't been called off, given how much Lin Baozhu adored Taozi, she would have at least sent her a pig's leg as a token of respect. Now, however, she received nothing at all.
After hearing this, Bi Yuntao felt a little regretful, but it was too late to say anything now.
"Why say such useless things? No matter how capable Lin Baozhu is, she's just a strong village girl. Zhao Xiaoyu is different. She's from Beijing, and her family all have government jobs. Her grandfather used to follow a high-ranking leader across snow-capped mountains and grasslands; he's a very important figure. Her coming to our countryside is just a formality; she'll be back in the city soon. I'll take this opportunity to get our marriage certificate, and when she goes back to the city, I can also get a Beijing residency!"
Upon hearing this, Old Lady You felt much of her pent-up frustration dissipate. Indeed, so what if Lin Baozhu hunted a wild boar? She'd still marry a peasant anyway. Her daughter-in-law would be a resident of Beijing, and her son would benefit from that, becoming a city dweller—that would be the greatest honor!
The Bi family and the Lin family are no longer on the same level.
But then she thought about it again, and realized that her family had lost 1,300 yuan today because of the annulment of the engagement, and she felt really upset.
Lin Baozhu hunts wild boars to sell for money; this is speculation and profiteering, undermining the country's interests!
Pooh!
I'll go to the commune and report her first thing tomorrow morning!
When the Lin family members were taken away for criticism
During the fight, she would always carry a handful of broken stones and throw them at Lin Baozhu's face—so that the little vixen wouldn't flaunt that alluring face all day long!
Seeing her eyes darting around, Bi Yuntao knew without a doubt what wicked idea she was plotting. He immediately warned her in a cold voice, "Mother, we don't have much influence in Da Geba Village. Don't do anything foolish right now! If you cause trouble, our whole family will be ruined!"
"You're a full-time employee now, why are you afraid of the Lin family?" Old Mrs. You muttered unconvinced.
Bi Yuntao glanced at her sideways, his tone heavy: "Lin Erlang knows how I got this job. Once this gets out, do you think I'll be in good shape? Don't cause me any trouble at this critical juncture!"
If someone were to sue the Lin family, his mother would be the first suspect. Given the Lin family's vengeful nature, they would surely tear him apart.
Grandma You wanted to argue, but when she met her son's gloomy eyes, she swallowed the rest of her words.
Sigh! Ever since my son became a factory worker, he's been like a completely different person. Not only has he lost all respect for her, but he also holds onto his wages tightly and refuses to hand them over to the family. It's true what they say, once a son grows up, he doesn't care about his mother anymore.
But no matter how dissatisfied she was, she dared not argue—if that matter were to be exposed, her son would probably be shot.
*
Lin Baozhu cut a palm-sized piece of pork belly and busied herself at the stove. It was already dark when the villagers who bought the meat happily went home with their bags full. Before long, the aroma of meat filled the village, attracting dogs from half the street to wag their tails and bark greedily from time to time.
This wild boar was large and plump. Although only half of it was kept, Lin's mother still rendered several earthenware jars of lard, stored it in jars, and sealed them. It was enough to last until spring.
Lin Baozhu was helping her mother prepare dinner when she noticed that the rice jar was almost empty. So she simply picked up the jar and poured all the remaining broken rice into a basin.
"Oh dear! You silly girl, are you not going to live a normal life from now on?" Lin's mother slapped her hand anxiously.
Lin Baozhu smiled and said, "Mom, I have a classmate who has connections and can get grain for 13 cents a pound, and no coupons are needed. I'll go to town in a couple of days to ask her about it."
"What? Thirteen cents?" Lin's mother stopped wielding the spatula, her eyes lighting up. "That's more than half the price of the black market! Daughter, is your classmate reliable? Or is he a scammer?"
"You'll know once you go buy it." Lin Baozhu didn't give a definitive answer—if she said too much, her mother would surely become suspicious.
"Let's buy a small amount first, just twenty catties to test the waters. If it works, our family won't have to worry about food anymore!" Lin's mother rubbed her hands, her eyes finally showing hope.
As the mother and daughter were talking, a hearty voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Baozhu, Daddy's back! Come and see what Daddy brought you... Oh my! My dear mother!"
Immediately following was a loud crash, accompanied by the sound of a bicycle falling to the ground.
"My back! Old woman, what a mess the house is! Can't you tidy it up? Look what you've done to me!"
Lin's mother and Lin Baozhu rushed out of the kitchen and saw a tall, thin man lying face down on the ground, one of his cloth shoes flying off, and a dilapidated bicycle lying next to him, the back wheel still turning "gurgling".
Lin Baozhu: ...This is her father? He seems a bit unreliable?
Lin's mother grabbed the man and, holding up the iron ladle, began to grumble, "You old fool, you're finally back! Our Baozhu has really made something of herself; she hunted such a big wild boar up the mountain today!"
As he spoke, he spread his arms wide, making an exaggeratedly large circle, his pride impossible to hide.
Ever since her daughter gave up on Bi Yuntao, her luck seemed to have turned around. While other girls might only manage to gather a basket of wild vegetables when they went up the mountain, her daughter went and carried back a whole wild boar! Not to mention girls her age, even the village's veteran hunters might not have that kind of skill. [She's very proud of herself.]
Lin's father wiped the dust off his face, his nose still stained with blood, but ignoring the pain, he ran up to Lin Baozhu and presented her with an oil paper package like a treasure: "Daughter, this is your favorite fermented rice cake! It took a lot of effort to get it, I even got chased by the town's wild dogs for two miles on the way! Eat up, Dad's going to check on that wild boar!"
The oil paper package was crushed, and a lot of pastry crumbs were scattered, but the aroma still wafted into my nose.
Lin's father ran to the basket of meat, circled it twice, and slapped his thigh: "As expected of my daughter! Such a big wild boar, if it were me, I'd probably run away with my tail between my legs like a dog! Hmph [smug hmph], with our daughter's abilities, what kind of good man won't she find in the future?"
He spoke with great bravado, but a hint of worry lingered in his eyes. As soon as he entered the village, he heard that his daughter had almost been driven to suicide by the Bi family that day.
That bastard! He didn't hold a grudge against Bi Yuntao before because of his daughter. Now that things have come to this, why should he be polite?
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