Chapter 42, Profit Sharing
The next morning, as Lin Qingqing and Li Juan were having breakfast in the canteen, a female educated youth came over after getting her food and asked curiously, "Is the Xie family's bride price really two hundred? And you even bought three major items for your wedding?"
As she spoke, the other educated youth in the canteen either looked over or pricked up their ears to listen.
After yesterday's engagement banquet, the news that the Xie family gave Lin Qingqing a dowry of two hundred yuan and would also buy three major wedding items spread like wildfire throughout the brigade. The educated youth team had been discussing it for a long time, but Li Juan and Wang Fengxia's explanations were vague, and Lin Qingqing had returned late last night, so they only found an opportunity to ask her now.
The dowry list was read aloud in front of so many people yesterday, so it's no secret. After hearing it, Lin Qingqing said, "The dowry is two hundred, but for the three major items, we'll only buy a watch before the wedding. We'll see if we need to buy the other two when we go to the military base."
Another educated youth asked, "I heard that the Xie family gave you the money and ration coupons for buying bicycles and sewing machines?"
"Yes, it's for me." Lin Qingqing nodded.
A collective gasp filled the cafeteria: "You gave them all to you? That must be several hundred!"
Lin Qingqing didn't answer, but everyone already knew the answer in their hearts. Their eyes were filled with envy and jealousy as they looked at her. Some people, sensing the implication in her words, asked curiously, "Are you sure you want to go with the military after you get married?"
Before Lin Qingqing could answer, someone said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Of course you should go with the army if you can."
It's great to be with a soldier; not only do you avoid being separated from your spouse, but the organization can also arrange a job for you. Isn't that why so many female educated youths had designs on Xie Wei before?
Lin Qingqing smiled and said, "If nothing unexpected happens."
To everyone, Lin Qingqing's answer was tantamount to affirmation. Xie Wei was still so young, he definitely wouldn't change careers now. Since that was the case, there was no possibility of an accident. Immediately, many people started to have their own ideas.
After Lin Qingqing settled in Xingfeng Brigade, she no longer needed to work in the fields and had to report to the brigade headquarters every day. Some people in the brigade had already started talking about it, and some bolder ones even went directly to ask Xie Baoshan. But at the time, Xie Baoshan said that Lin Qingqing was a member of the Women's Federation and directly passed the question on to Director Yang.
When questioned, Director Yang directly stated that Lin Qingqing was one of her subordinates and listed the things Lin Qingqing had done recently, effectively shutting down the questioner.
If Lin Qingqing leaves next year, will her position become vacant?
Thinking of this, these people silently concealed their emotions, afraid that others would see what they were thinking, because the more people who knew, the more people would compete for the position.
Li Juan was straightforward and hadn't thought of this. She was only saddened by Lin Qingqing's departure. After returning to the dormitory, she said, "What will I do if I miss you after you join the army?"
“You can write to me,” Lin Qingqing said. “Besides, it’s not like I’m not coming back.”
Li Juan thought about it and agreed. Seeing that she was about to leave, she asked again, "Aren't you off today? Oh~ are you going on a date with Commander Xie?"
"I was with Xie Wei, but it wasn't a date," Lin Qingqing said as she sat on the edge of the bed, putting on her leather shoes.
"Then where are you going?" Li Juan asked, puzzled.
Lin Qingqing put on her shoes and winked at Li Juan: "Guess."
...
Lin Qingqing was not going on a date, but rather to a meeting at the Linjiazui Brigade.
When Lin Qingqing settled in Xingfeng Brigade, Lin Hongwei, the brigade secretary of Linjiazui Brigade, promised that she could take with her the grain and money she was entitled to based on her work points from the previous year. The grain was distributed after the autumn harvest, but Lin Qingqing's grain was taken to the Lin family's house, which is why Xie Wei went to the Lin family's house to ask for the grain on her behalf.
At the end of the year, the brigade would hold a meeting to settle the year's harvest, determining whether there was a profit or loss. If there was a loss, the previously distributed grain would be considered an advance payment from the brigade by the members, and they would owe the brigade money. If there was a profit, the cash equivalent of the grain would be deducted, and the remainder would be distributed as dividends to individuals.
Lin Qingqing went to the Linjiazui Brigade meeting precisely to collect this dividend.
This wasn't originally a troublesome matter. Lin Hongwei had already made his promise, so it was impossible for him to renege on his share of the profits at the last minute. Therefore, Lin Qingqing originally planned to go alone. However, Xie Wei was worried about her going to Linjiazui Brigade alone. Although almost two months had passed, who knew if the Lin family would hold a grudge and insist on going with her?
Yesterday, Li Xingfang heard about this and also disagreed with Lin Qingqing going alone. After some persuasion, the two of them finally agreed to go.
Lin Hongwei sent someone to notify him at nine o'clock in the morning. Xie Wei timed it perfectly, and at 8:59, he parked his bicycle outside the drying ground of Linjiazui Brigade.
By this time, quite a few people had gathered on the threshing ground, and upon seeing the two of them, they all looked over. Seeing so many people, Lin Qingqing didn't let Xie Wei go over and went to the threshing ground alone. But as soon as she entered, she was surrounded by enthusiastic members of the Linjiazui brigade, who all chattered about:
"Qingqing's here! Is that your boyfriend? Oh, he's a very handsome young man!"
"I heard you got engaged yesterday? You're such a good girl, not even bothering to come back and tell us about something this big. Even though you've broken ties with the Lin family, we've watched you grow up, haven't we?"
I heard
"The Xie family received two hundred in betrothal gifts alone, and there were three major wedding items to consider. Did you keep all that money?"
Among those who exchanged pleasantries with Lin Qingqing, some were genuinely happy for her at first, but most of these people were honest and were quickly pushed to the periphery by the more eager ones. The people who squeezed in seemed even more enthusiastic, telling her not to be distant with them, the elders, and that she should tell them about such a big event as her engagement so they could support her, as if they were her own daughter.
But the heartwarming words were just a formality; they quickly moved on to more pressing questions, such as whether the Xie family had actually given her two hundred yuan as a bride price, or whether she had actually received the three major gifts in cash.
After asking these questions, they began to persuade her, saying that as a young woman, it was inappropriate for her to prepare her own dowry, and that she should give the money to them so they could help her prepare. They also said that although she had settled in Xingfeng Brigade, it wouldn't be proper for her to live in the educated youth settlement, so she should come live with them, and they would send her off on her dowry and support her in the future.
At first, Lin Qingqing was in the mood to deal with it, but later she found it all ridiculous and began to wonder if she was a fool in their eyes. She had just escaped the wolf's den of the Lin family; how could she possibly jump into their fire pit?
Her face turned cold as she said, "Second Uncle, Third Uncle, Fourth Aunt, I'm willing to listen to you for the sake of your age, but don't try to fool me. You promised to prepare a dowry for me? I'll give you two hundred yuan as a bride price, can you even prepare something worth twenty yuan? You say you'll support me, but if I really fall on hard times, I'm afraid you'll run away faster than anyone else!"
Her words were so blunt that the person she named immediately looked rather displeased.
"How can you talk like that, child? We are your elders, would we ever harm you? If it weren't for your own good, I wouldn't bother with this trouble!" Aunt Si muttered.
Someone nearby overheard her mutterings and scoffed, "For her own good? More like for her money!"
"If this is troublesome, I'm happy to be troubled like this every day!"
Aunt Si's face turned pale and then red. Just then, Lin Hongwei came over. The captain told everyone to stand up straight, then left with a sheepish look on his face, saying, "I'm too lazy to argue with you."
As soon as Aunt Si left, the people around Lin Qingqing also dispersed and headed towards the positions set up by the brigade headquarters.
Lin Qingqing followed and found a stool to sit down. She felt someone staring at her, so she turned around and saw Li Chunlian in the back row. She hurriedly lowered her head.
...
Lin Qingqing had just gotten off Xie Wei's bicycle when Li Chunlian saw her.
Seeing that she was wearing a new cotton-padded coat, and recalling the news that came back from Xingfeng Brigade, Li Chunlian clenched her hands tighter and looked at her with increasing resentment.
After Old Lady Lin was arrested, she verbally berated Lin Qingqing, but in reality, she was very happy.
Old Mrs. Lin was fierce. If she hadn't been arrested, Li Chunlian would have been suppressed indefinitely, working long hours and eating little. After she was arrested, although the rest of the group pointed fingers at the Lin family, saying they were the descendants of bad elements, Li Chunlian was not one to be trifled with. She directly confronted them, saying that she had already severed ties with Old Mrs. Lin and sent them packing.
Li Chunlian was domineering internally. By opening Lin Laotai's cabinet and severing ties with her, she obtained the money Lin Laotai had hidden and the right to distribute the family's grain from Chen Xiaocao.
She had a wonderful time during that period!
Not only did they not have to work in the fields to earn work points, but they could also make Chen Xiaocao do chores, and every time they ate, they received the largest portion of food...
But the good times didn't last long, and Lin Qingqing came asking for food.
Li Chunlian had long considered that grain as her own, and to share it with Lin Qingqing would be tantamount to tearing out her own flesh; it pained her to the core!
But she had no choice. If she didn't want Lin Hongwei to accuse her, she might get criticized. Li Chunlian was scared, so she had no choice but to give her the grain. But Lin Qingqing was insatiable; she wanted the quilt too. That quilt was the one that Old Madam Lin had used before; it was the best quilt in the Lin family, and she was even planning to use it herself. But Lin Qingqing forcibly took it away.
Even now, Li Chunlian can't help but grit her teeth when she thinks about it!
But that wasn't the end of it. Lin Qingqing snatched away the food and blankets, and trouble broke out within the Lin family—the soft-hearted eldest son and his wife stood up and said they wanted to divide the family property!
Li Chunlian was in charge of the money, and since they lived together and Chen Xiaocao did the housework, how could she agree to separate the family!
But Lin Weimin, who was usually honest and unassuming, changed his tune. He claimed that as the eldest son, if the family didn't split up, the money and grain should be handed over to him and his wife for management. Li Chunlian, of course, refused to hand over the money to the eldest son and his wife, and the two brothers argued fiercely over it. In the end, they called Lin Hongwei over to mediate and settle the matter.
Lin Hongwei was so annoyed by the mess in the Lin family that after asking both sides for their opinions, he directly decided to divide the family property.
Seeing that there was no hope of turning things around, Li Chunlian said that dividing the family property was fine, but the second wife had to take the lion's share. However, Chen Xiaocao, who was usually honest and kind, changed her attitude just like her husband and only agreed to an equal share.
In the end, the two brothers divided the money, food, pots and pans, and even the house they lived in equally, and the family was completely divided into two families.
Before the family division, Li Chunlian felt that even though Lin Qingqing took most of the fine grains, her purse would still be bulging.
There was enough grain for her to eat alone. But after the family split up, the grain was divided equally between the two families, and there wasn't even enough coarse grain to eat for the next six months, let alone refined grain.
Li Chunlian ate even worse and less, and had to work in the fields and do housework. Lin Weiguo also realized that as long as he didn't make any mistakes, the old lady's troubles had nothing to do with him, so he became domineering towards his wife again. Not only that, he also spent his days gambling and drinking. In less than a month after the family separated, he had squandered all the money, and people came to the door to collect debts every few days.
In an instant, Li Chunlian's life plummeted, becoming even worse than before Old Lady Lin was arrested.
Thinking of the nearly empty grain in the cellar, and how Lin Qingqing, the instigator, not only got new clothes after leaving Linjiazui Brigade, but also found such a good partner, with a dowry of several hundred yuan, how could he not feel resentment!
...
Li Chunlian hated Lin Qingqing to the core, but Lin Qingqing didn't care much about the Lin family.
Although Old Lady Lin was not good to the original owner's adopted daughter, she was completely devoted to her own children. With her watching over them and the Zhao family's help, the Lin family's life naturally got better and better in the original story.
But now that Old Lady Lin has been arrested, without her supervision, can the Lin brothers still maintain the facade of harmony?
Lin Qingqing thought this wouldn't work. Some people can only share wealth but not hardship, and the Lin family is bound to cause trouble. Once they calm down, Lin Ying and her daughter should be back soon... At that time, the Lin family will probably be even more lively.
On stage, Lin Hongwei shouted, "Lin Qingqing, last year you earned a total of work points... and you are entitled to a dividend of thirty-four yuan and fifty-two cents."
Lin Qingqing stood up, walked up to the platform, took the dividend money from the brigade accountant, and then went down from the other side, heading straight for Xie Wei who was waiting outside the drying ground.
Lin Hongwei sat on the platform, watching Xie Wei ride his bicycle and take Lin Qingqing away from afar, and was so moved that he wiped away his tears.
He no longer has to see Xie Wei!
Just then, Lin Hongwei's eyelid twitched again.
Author's Note: Second update.
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