Chapter 086 Case Conclusion
Jiang Mancheng didn't take it seriously. "Whenever you have time, just go meet that old woman. She's probably a tough nut to crack. Think about it, a woman in her fifties or sixties, she probably wouldn't care even if she was kept in a cage. The shameless one probably thinks it's better to have food and drink and people to take care of her in there than to be all alone out there. She doesn't have any special skills, so if she's released she'll definitely go back to her old ways. It's useless to catch her."
Jiang Nan knew it was difficult, so she wanted to ask her father if he had any good ideas. After all, her father was always cunning. However, seeing her father said so, Jiang Nan was not disappointed and immediately looked at Zhou Zhixing.
Zhou Zhixing had no choice. At this point, an elderly person, especially one who was willing to take risks, could never be treated lightly or seriously. He shrugged, expressing his helplessness.
Jiang Nan was helpless: "Okay, let's catch them in the act first."
She started asking other questions: "Mom, have Grandpa and the others gone out exploring? If not, why not come to West River Bank and play? There are so many cherries in the brigade! Even if Grandpa and the uncles went there, they wouldn't be able to eat them all."
Chen Jinhua: "It's spring now, so they're definitely out exploring. Let's trade some in the village and make some cherry jam. We can send it over along with the fresh cherries when the time comes."
While the cherries from the West River Bank aren't as sweet as those sold in the system mall, they're still delicious, with a uniquely sour and sweet flavor. These days, with fruit being a hardscrabble, the cherries from the West River Bank are a huge seller, providing a significant source of income for the brigade. Cherries are grown not only on the West River Bank but also on the East River Bank. Both brigades sell their cherries primarily to the commune and the production office, earning them a hefty price tag.
Thinking of this, Jiang Nan asked, "Are there any fruits grown in Shan'aozi and Kaoshantun?"
Jiang Mancheng, a native of Zaohua Commune, thought for a moment and said, "It seems that peaches are grown in Shan'aozi, and apricots are grown in Kaoshantun. However, these two brigades are located in the valleys, with inconvenient transportation. The fruits they grow are eaten by themselves and cannot be transported out."
Jiang Nan picked up a piece of stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts and asked, "Now that oil has been discovered, we should be able to sell it to the oil workers, right?"
"Maybe. Ask your mom. She's in the union and is in charge of employee benefits."
Jiang Nan looked at Chen Jinhua, who smiled, "It's not that simple. These days, employee benefits basically have fixed suppliers, and they won't change companies easily. But..."
She thought for a moment and then hesitated, "If any employees want to buy it, they can pay a deposit now. Our union will take the lead and contact the two brigades on a public-to-public basis. We'll find a way to ship it out, and then everyone can pay the balance."
Jiang Nan nodded and smiled. "That's great! I love peaches the most! Mom, talk to the union and tell them to do this this year. We can buy more and can can the leftovers to eat during the winter."
Chen Jinhua smiled and said, "Okay, I'll bring it up with my boss tomorrow. Now, let's eat. If we eat too late, we won't be able to sleep well tonight."
Seeing that Zhou Zhixing hadn't said anything, Chen Jinhua picked up two pieces of food for him with her chopsticks and asked, "Xiaoxing, is the food not to your liking?"
Zhou Zhixing shook his head and said with a smile, "Aunt Chen, please stop being busy. I just suddenly thought of something else and got distracted."
In reality, he'd heard about the fruit and thought about the layout of the Baishui City rural commune. Unlike other brigades that set aside areas for fruit orchards, the land in Baishui City was fertile and entirely used for growing crops. Cherries, peaches, and apricots were grown in every household's yard. The geographical location of the East and West River brigades yielded exceptionally high-quality cherries, prompting every household to cultivate them. When ripe, they were harvested and exchanged for cash in the brigades, becoming one of the most important sources of income for each household.
According to Shi Hong's behavior during the interrogation, she hated the Shi family and her parents. Could it be that she buried the bodies of the two men under the cherry tree in the Shi family's yard in revenge?
Since Shi Hong has a way to make knockout drugs, then she probably has knockout drugs too, right? It's not impossible to do this secretly without telling the Shi family.
Moreover, he always felt that Shi Hong was a deeply evil person. Having been repressed and saved, her psychology had become extremely perverted. Zhou Zhixing didn't hesitate to assume the worst of Shi Hong. In his view, Shi Hong was the kind of person who would whip and repeatedly torture corpses.
The more he thought about it, the more likely it was. But he still didn't want to say it at the dinner table. He smiled, lowered his head, and quickly ate his dinner.
On the second day, Zhou Zhixing told Lan Qingshan about his suspicions, and Wen Qiang and others were stunned.
"This woman wouldn't be so perverted as to bury the body in the yard, would she?" Wen Qiang unconsciously rubbed his arm and uttered a cry, "Oh my god, I remember she was washing clothes under the cherry tree in the yard at that time, right? No way..."
He trembled, and Wang Zilii and Wang Gengsheng also thought of it and their faces turned pale.
Lan Qingshan scoffed. "Alright, is that all the courage a police officer has? Shao Yong, Zhou Zhixing, you two teams have been leading this case. The interrogation is almost complete. Take your men to the Shi family compound. Whether the body is buried under the cherry tree or not, dig it up first. When you go, find Captain Guo and explain the reason. With him leading the way, the work will be much easier."
The two team leaders agreed loudly. They were also very curious whether the body was in the Shi family yard.
Obviously, yes.
The two teams hadn't been digging in the Shi family's yard for long when they unearthed two skeletons. They appeared to have been dead for at least a month, and the bodies were so decomposed they couldn't be identified. However, with Shi Hong's confession, the two teams made some inquiries in the village and confirmed the identities of the two skeletons.
Two groups of officers, dressed in police uniforms, marched into the village, led by Captain Guo himself. The Shi family's courtyard was already crowded with people. Shi's mother, who had been released, hadn't dared to speak a word when she saw the crowd trying to touch the cherry tree. She now trembled at the sight of the police in uniform. When the bones were unearthed, Shi's mother fainted from fright. The rest of the Shi family was also terrified. The two men, Shi Lan and Shi Qing, were pale, their lips trembling. Shi's eldest sister-in-law held onto the courtyard wall to prevent herself from collapsing.
The villagers watching were also stunned. When they heard Shi Hong was arrested yesterday, they thought she was being taken to the police station for questioning. After all, no one believed a woman could be a murderer. But when they saw the body in Shi's yard early this morning, they were finally convinced that a murderer had been found in their Donghe'an Brigade.
Someone murmured in a trembling voice, "Did Shi Hong really...really kill someone? No way, didn't Widow Liu run away with Guangshun? How could she be dead?"
Some people were terrified: "Oh my God, I... I cursed Shi Hong before. Luckily she was arrested, otherwise she would have killed me. Oh my God, it's a good thing the police arrested her."
Some people also commented after the fact: "I told you Shi Hong was evil! She always kept her head down, looking at people with a sinister look, not like a good person. You said I was overthinking it, but look, it's come true, right? She's not a good person! I once saw her killing a silly roe deer in the mountains. She took a knife and stabbed it over twenty times, blood gushing out. Oh my god, that look in her eyes, it makes me shudder just thinking about it."
"I've seen it too. Every time she brought home a wild rabbit or pheasant, it was covered in blood. I asked her what happened, and she said she fell. Now that I think about it, she must have killed them. How cruel!"
"She even dares to kill people, what's the big deal about rabbits and pheasants?"
......
Captain Guo was thinking further. The cherries on the east bank of the river were almost ripe. With so many people witnessing the body being dug up under the cherry tree, word would spread sooner or later. Wouldn't that affect their brigade's cherry sales? After all, the income from the cherry sales kept their brigade well off every year. If they lost that income this year, would they be facing hardship again?
The villagers on the east bank of the river had their own concerns, but the solemn police officers working their shifts were unable to care. Xie Yongping, the medical examiner, performed a preliminary autopsy at the scene. Because there were so many people around, he remained silent, simply raising his hand to signal that the body could be carried back.
Shao Yong, who had a lot of experience, took off his gloves and took the lead in extending his hand to shake hands with Captain Guo.
Captain Guo hesitated for a moment, his lips trembling, and then he stretched out his hand tremblingly.
Shao Yong was stunned for a moment, then spread his hands and laughed heartily: "Don't worry, Captain Guo, I was wearing gloves when I touched the bones. My hands are clean, and nothing will happen. Thank you for your cooperation. We will go back now. Come back if you have any questions."
Captain Guo withdrew his hand, scratched his head awkwardly and smiled apologetically: "Then you go ahead and do your work."
Shao Yong waved his hand and was the first to walk out of the Shi family yard.
Because a new body was discovered, the case was tried for another two days. By the time Shi Hong was transferred, it was already Saturday.
Before leaving get off work, Shen Mingguang and Lan Qingshan called together all the field staff and announced the decision on the division of responsibilities with the commune police station.
Simply put, there were no results. These days, police at the grassroots level of the commune are stretched thin, and when workers from the various brigades report crimes to the oilfield police station, the police are happy to turn a blind eye. But the oilfield police station is also understaffed, and besides, they don't want to take on so many cases. They still remember how busy Shi Zhanpeng, a team leader, was when they first went to the commune police station.
The general principle of the police station this time was that if someone reported a case, if it was about oil workers, they would take it, but if it was purely a production brigade matter, such as a dispute over oxen and farmland, it would still be handed over to the commune police station, and they could not overstep their authority.
Shen Mingguang concluded, "We might be a bit busier in the future, but we're all young people, and the busier we are, the greater our chances of promotion. Come on, our Oilfield Police Station won't lose to the Commune Police Station, right?"
The responses were sparse, but Shen Mingguang didn't care. He drew two more small cakes and then let everyone go.
The murder case was solved. A week later, the police station went to work and re-completed the information. During this period, they arrested the cunning old lady who sold drugs. As expected, he was a tough guy. He threw a tantrum at the police station and was sent to the detention center. The detention center staff saw that he was an old acquaintance and didn't want to accept him. It was really speechless.
By the time all these were done, it was almost Qingming Festival.
How does the poem say it? It rains heavily during the Qingming Festival. It couldn't be more correct. The day before Qingming Festival, the sky began to drizzle with spring rain.
This year's Qingming Festival fell on a Friday, so the Jiang family only needed to pay their respects to their long-deceased grandfather. The Chen family's grandmother, Jiang Nan's, was buried not near the operations office but at headquarters. Every year, Chen Jinhai and Chen Jinyang were responsible for the memorial service, so Chen Jinhua didn't have to worry much. Zhou Zhixing's situation was more complicated; his original incarnation's parents were martyrs, and he had to attend their memorial service.
As someone who traveled from the past to the present, Zhou Zhixing attached great importance to the rituals of burning paper. He secretly ordered paper money a few days in advance and insisted on taking Jiang Nan with him, saying that since he had taken over the original body, he must be filial to the original body's parents. As he said this, his expression was more serious than ever. Jiang Nan, aware of his insistence, nodded in agreement.
Fortunately, the two cemeteries are not far from each other, otherwise they would be exhausted just by riding their bikes in the early morning.
Yes, they decided to set off in the early morning so that they could burn paper money in the dark. Otherwise, what would they do? It would not be safe to go at night. They would have to hide and by the time they arrived, it might be too late.
These days, although the crackdown on such things is not strict, if you get caught, it will always be a stain that will have some impact on your future career, so you have to be extremely cautious. So, the cautious four people quietly set out at dawn, preparing to pay their respects to the old man of the Jiang family first, and then to pay their respects to Zhou Zhixing's parents.
Mrs. Cao's husband had passed away, and she had to burn paper for him with her eldest son. Zhou Zhixing was engaged to Jiang Nan this year, and he went to her family's house to pay his respects first. Mrs. Cao couldn't say anything.
It was easy to convince Old Lady Cao, but Zhou Zhixing knew his own business: he wasn't Old Lady Cao's grandson, and he didn't want to be with her. Standing before the graves of the two fallen martyrs, he felt guilty.
So the two groups separated. Old Mrs. Cao wiped her tears and took her eldest son to burn paper for the old man.
In the early morning of April, the weather was still a bit cold.
Riding a bicycle, Jiang Nan tightened her collar; it was still quite cold. She put her hands back on the handlebars. On either side of the handlebars hung long net bags, filled with stacks of folded paper money. Four people, four handlebars, that's eight large net bags, quite impressive.
Jiang Nan made small talk: "Dad, are grandma and the others going in the morning or in the evening?"
Jiang Mancheng: "Let's do it at night. They're close by and won't be with us. Let's burn it first and don't have to wait for your grandma and the others."
Jiang Nan nodded: "Okay." There was no other way. If there was a way, who would want to burn paper separately and disturb the ancestors? Burning paper together and then bowing together would be better. But there was no other way.
It was barely one in the morning, and the road was completely deserted. They encountered a few people here and there, their shoulders hunched and their heads lowered from a distance, fearing recognition. The sky was gloomy, the road too dark to see clearly. The four of them didn't dare ride fast, fearing they might hit someone. Halfway through, Jiang Mancheng stopped, strapped a flashlight to the hood of his bike, and used it to illuminate the entire journey.
The four of them rode for nearly three hours, a distance that usually takes two hours. By the time they reached the foot of the hill where the graves were buried, it was nearly three in the morning. They found a tree, locked the bikes, covered them with dead branches, and then carefully climbed the hill.
It had rained for several days, and the mountain path was extremely muddy. Jiang Mancheng walked ahead, tapping the ground with branches, taking deep and shallow steps as he advanced. The Jiang family was a small family in the village, so the location of their cemetery was naturally not very good, halfway up the mountain. Normally, the constant comings and goings of people would disturb the ghosts' tranquility. However, this time, it made things easier for everyone, and after walking for a while, the four of them stopped.
It is shady here. Usually people go up the mountain to pick up mountain products and dig wild vegetables, but they don’t come here. No one steps on it, so the wild grass grows very densely.
Jiang Mancheng put down the paper money and began to clear the weeds from the grave. Seeing this, the other three also joined in. Strength in numbers, the weeds on the grave were quickly cleared. Jiang Mancheng picked up the enamel basin, knelt on the ground, and began to burn paper.
Although Jiang Mancheng was only three years old when the old man died, he had a cervical spondylosis and could remember things from the moment he was born. In just three years, he had truly felt the old man's love for him. Therefore, his recollection was particularly sincere and heartfelt.
"Dad, your oldest son is here to see you. Are you doing well down there? I bought a lot of gold ingots this year, and I'm going to burn them all for you so you can have a good life down there. Perhaps you don't know, but oil has been discovered on the west bank of the river. Every room in the Jiang family now has workers, and life is getting better. Rest assured down there."
"Dad, Xiaonan is a police officer now. She's really promising. A few days ago, she was talking to everyone about how to prevent abduction and trafficking. You wouldn't know how popular she is. Even the director of the police station likes her very much. She has a bright future. Oh, and Xiaonan is engaged this year. Look, it's that big, silly guy. They got engaged in mid-September last year. He's an okay guy, so please help me keep an eye on him. I only have one daughter, and I can't trust the wrong person with her."
"Dad, I've been transferred to the construction team and now work as a materials clerk, responsible for building houses. Don't worry, I will definitely build your granddaughter's new house solidly so she can live in it for decades."
"dad,......"
Jiang Mancheng kept on talking, and without Jiang Nan and Chen Jinhua having to speak, he explained the family's situation over the past year in a clear and understandable manner. Jiang Nan kept saying "yes, yes, yes" throughout the whole process, and was very cooperative.
After burning four net bags of gold ingots, Jiang Mancheng finally finished his nagging. He picked up a handful of dirt from the ground, covered the sparks in the enamel basin with it, dug a hole to bury the ashes, and then asked everyone to leave.
In the past, we didn’t use basins to burn paper here. But one time, someone from the oil field went to a grave and almost caused a forest fire when burning paper. Since then, everyone has brought a basin when burning paper, and it’s safer to burn it in the basin.
The four of them descended the mountain, quickly found their bikes, and huffed and puffed their way to the East Riverbank Cemetery. It took them half an hour to reach the site. By then, daylight had begun to rise, and a silhouette could be seen faintly about twenty meters away. Carrying their gold ingots, the four of them took the less-traveled path and soon arrived at the cemetery.
Because Zhou Zhixing's parents were martyrs, the cemetery was built very neatly. Not only were blue bricks piled on the grave mound, but even the tombstone was made of marble. Red bricks were laid within two meters around the grave mound, making it look very clean and beautiful.
After trimming the weeds a bit, Zhou Zhixing knelt in front of the tomb, burning gold ingots and muttering to himself.
"Uncle, aunt, you also know that I am not the original Zhou Zhixing, right? Don't worry, the real Zhou Zhixing is currently living a good life and is a great hero. Now that I have taken over your son's body, I will help him to be filial to you and grandma. Grandma is in good health now, so you don't have to worry."
Before coming, Zhou Zhixing specifically asked about the original body's situation. Although the system did not explain it in detail, Jiang Nan understood that the original body was living a very good life and had become a great hero.
Zhou Zhixing continued, "I'm a police officer now, and I've become a team leader. Don't worry, I'm very capable. I'll be extra careful when catching thieves and won't harm this body. Besides, I'm engaged to Jiang Nan, and she's here to see you too."
Jiang Nan knelt before the two martyrs without any pressure. She said, "Uncle, aunt, I'm Jiang Nan. Don't worry, although Zhou Zhixing and I are partners, we will live a good life."
Zhou Zhixing glanced at Jiang Nan sideways, then turned around and continued nagging.
The two men chattered one after another, and by the time the four of them got down the mountain, it was almost 5:30 in the morning.
As they returned, the streets became more crowded, most heading to the hills near the oil fields. As daylight grew, the four of them sped up, and soon they were near the oil fields.
Jiang Nan narrowed his eyes, sighed, and whispered, "Is that person at the foot of the mountain ahead Dong Jiaojiao's sister? I think her name is Dong Tingting?"
The other three slowed down. Chen Jinhua took a look and said affirmatively: "It's her. I saw her when I was handling Dong Jiaojiao's funeral." Although Dong Jiaojiao always said that she was from the headquarters, her hometown was actually in the operation department, otherwise she would not be buried here.
Jiang Mancheng immediately jumped out of the car and whispered, "Let's go over and see what's going on."
He wasn't just gossiping, but Dong Jiaojiao's death was so bizarre. It was Qingming Festival, and the Dong family sent Dong Tingting alone to burn paper. Who wouldn't be surprised? And Dong Jiaojiao and her sister had a connection. Don't forget, Dong Jiaojiao had an affair with her brother-in-law. How could Dong Tingting not hold a grudge? Now she's burning paper for her sister—how bizarre!
It's not gossip.
The four people, who were not gossipy at all, quietly walked around Dong Tingting.
At this moment, Dong Tingting was explaining the reason for burning paper.
"Jiaojiao, I love you the most. I didn't care about you having an affair with that Mediterranean guy Lao Yang. I even sent you here. But you shouldn't have come here and acted so presumptuously. I told you a long time ago that you should be low-key when hooking up with men and not let everyone know about it. But you didn't listen and thought I was jealous of you."
Dong Tingting smoothed her curly hair and sneered disdainfully, "Sister, I'm much more popular than you. How could I be jealous of you? You're just spoiled by Mom! Oh, no, you don't know, Mom doesn't spoil you at all. Look, you died so tragically. Dad, Mom, and my two brothers were afraid of getting caught and losing their jobs, so they didn't dare to come and burn paper for you. Wasn't it me who risked my life to come here?"
She chuckled twice more before throwing the last ingot in the bag into the burning basin. She turned around and tore open another bag, saying coldly as she did so, "Is sister still the best? Hey, when we were little, I was wrong. I thought it would be great if you were kidnapped and never came back. So when I saw your hairband in that big yard, I didn't give it to the police. You don't blame me, do you?"
She said slowly, "You were rescued later, so you definitely won't blame me. Look, how good I was to you, wasn't it? You wanted your brother-in-law to help you, but it was me who whispered in your ear. You wanted to seduce men, but it was I who taught you how to seduce men. It's a pity that you didn't learn the skills well and only cared about your own comfort!"
She was very disdainful: "Can a man's good looks be enough to make a living? You said you hooked up with men, so you must have something in mind, right? Because they are good-looking? Haha, you are just too naive! Well, you are dead anyway, I won't say anything to you, just go with peace of mind, reincarnate well, and live a good life as a man in your next life. As women, no matter how well we live, it is not as carefree as the life of a stupid man."
"You don't know yet? My sister is divorced. That bastard Old Yang, I don't know who he offended, was forced out of office. Even a broken ship still has three thousand nails. Now that he's out of office, won't those who were persecuted and persecuted by him be retaliated against? I'm going to hide in the homework office recently. If you have a spirit, please bless me to be safe and sound. I'll come to burn paper for you every year, okay?"
Jiang Nan, who was eavesdropping: "......"
Jiang Mancheng, Chen Jinhua, and Zhou Zhixing: "..."
I had a hunch that it was going to be windy again in their No. 1 Courtyard.
It's still bloody.
The four of them tiptoed away. After a long while, Jiang Nan whispered, "Dong Tingting is even more scheming than Dong Jiaojiao."
Jiang Mancheng nodded and added: "She is more ruthless than Dong Jiaojiao and is a difficult person to deal with. There will be more interesting dramas in the courtyard in the future."
The three nodded in agreement. Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing looked at each other bitterly. They were local police officers, and the more interesting dramas there were, the busier they were.
They returned to the family compound in a miserable state. When the other people in the compound saw the four people coming back from outside, they all turned their heads and pretended not to see them. No one asked any more questions.
After all, who doesn’t burn paper at home? Asking this is just asking for trouble.
Not long after returning, footsteps could be heard in the building. Although it was Qingming Festival, people still had to go to work. Burning paper would not make any difference.
If I were to say there were some differences, there were some. Perhaps it was because of the special day, there were fewer trivial matters these past two days. Perhaps I was afraid of being possessed by a ghost?
Jiang Nan shook her head. When did she become so superstitious?
The next morning, on the weekend, Jiang Nan didn't sleep in. Instead, he woke up early. They were going to pick cherries along the West River. If they went early, they might even be able to explore the mountains and pick some wild fruits.
"Sister Xiaonan."
"sister."
Jiang Nan opened the door to find Zhou Zhidao, Chen Xingwei, and Zhou Zhixing already in the living room. Chen Xingwei had just been admitted to the oilfield as a worker the previous year, while Zhou Zhidao hadn't made the cut, but he was studying for the job exam after the Lunar New Year. One of them was Zhou Zhidao's cousin, and the other was Jiang Nan's cousin. It would be a shame to go to West Riverbank without them. After work yesterday, Jiang Nan went to the young workers' dormitory to inform Chen Xingwei, while Zhou Zhixing went back to inform Zhou Zhidao.
Look, the two of them came here excitedly early in the morning. Chen Xingwei was pestering Zhou Zhixing to tell him about the murder case.
"Oh my god, it was a woman who did this." Chen Xingwei's eyes widened with disbelief. "How could there be such a cruel woman? Oh my god, this is unbelievable."
Zhou Zhidao had heard it once before, but he was still shocked when he heard it again. He nodded repeatedly, "I've heard it a second time, and I still find it incredible. Don't offend women in the future, or you'll die without knowing how."
Jiang Nan knocked the guy on the head and said, "What are you talking about? Men and women are all the same. You can't discriminate."
"How could I!" Zhou Zhidao complained. He had lived in the building for six or seven years and had known Jiang Nan longer than his brother, so they had a pretty good relationship. "I was saying women are powerful, Sister Xiaonan, don't accuse me unfairly. Oh, go eat quickly, we still have to go pick cherries on the west bank of the river."
Chen Xingwei was distracted. He had never picked cherries before, so he said, "Sister, go and eat them. I borrowed a bicycle from a colleague, so you can ride there by yourself."
Zhou Zhidao wailed when he heard this: "Among us, I'm the only one without a bicycle."
Jiang Nan ignored them and went to wash up and have breakfast.
Jiang Mancheng and Chen Jinhua went to the supply and marketing cooperative early in the morning to grab some food. With so many people returning to West Riverbank, they couldn't go empty-handed. Even though Zhou Zhidao and Chen Xingwei were carrying things, they had to show some appreciation, so the couple got up early, hoping to grab some meat to take back.
Breakfast consisted of millet porridge, pickled cucumbers, and a steamed bun made of cornmeal and white flour. Jiang Nan crunched the cucumber and finished his meal in five minutes. By the time he'd finished washing the dishes, Jiang Mancheng and Chen Jinhua had returned, carrying the large bone.
Jiang Mancheng started muttering as soon as he entered the room: "I didn't get any meat, only bones are left."
"Dad, I'm done. Let's go?" Jiang Nan jumped over to his grumbling father and complimented him with a smile. "The bones aren't a big deal. Grandma will definitely know what's going on. It's not that we don't want to buy them, it's that we can't."
"Okay, does Dad need your comfort?" Jiang Mancheng rolled his eyes. "I finally got up once, and I didn't buy anything good, so I feel unbalanced."
In reality, he wanted to suggest that they go to the black market to find Tang Xi, but since there were so many people at home, he held back. After picking up the meat and snacks, the six of them hurried out, hopping on their bikes and heading towards the west bank of the river. Along the way, the trees had already turned green; spring had arrived, and everything was vibrant with life.
Zhou Zhidao sat on the back of Zhou Zhixing's bicycle, complaining all the way: "When I save enough money, I will buy a bicycle too!"
Chen Xingwei became interested and asked in the wind, "How much money have you saved?"
Zhou Zhidao rolled his eyes and said, "I won't tell you."
"Hey, you must not have saved a penny, you're just bragging." Chen Xingwei held his head high. "I've saved almost a hundred yuan, you definitely haven't saved as much as me."
Zhou Zhizhi's face fell. He really didn't save as much as this guy. However, he immediately cheered up and said, "When I pass the worker exam this year, I will definitely save more than you!"
Zhou Zhixing watched the two rookies arguing with each other, his heart as calm as an old dog. Jiang Mancheng and Chen Jinhua didn't join in the young people's conversation. The six of them walked leisurely all the way to the west bank of the river.
Because the Jiang family lived at the foot of the mountain and had a large yard, they planted nearly ten cherry trees. Village regulations required them to keep only one cherry tree for themselves; the rest had to be handed over to the production team. However, since the trees were in their own yard, they had plenty of room to grow them.
The six people entered the Jiang family, put down their gifts, and didn't say a few words. When they heard that they were here to pick cherries, Du Hehua didn't keep them talking. She found her two granddaughters-in-law, Yao Guihua and Luo Tao, and asked them to take them to the yard.
Yao Guihua was the eldest grandson's wife, carefully selected by Du Hehua. She was a very kind person and took good care of Jiang Gui's new wife, Luo Tao. The two sisters-in-law got along very happily.
"Sister-in-law, how many cherries can we leave at home this year?" Jiang Nan pulled Yao Guihua and asked softly.
Yao Guihua smiled and said, "The cherries are growing well this year, and we can keep about 100 kilograms at home. How many do you want? If you want more, I'll go ask around in the village, and I'm sure we can give you some more."
"That's great." Jiang Nan said happily, "I'm going to send a big box to grandpa and uncles, and I want to take some home. Zhou Zhixing also wants to exchange it. Sister-in-law, can you go to the village and talk to me? I want..."
She thought for a moment and said, "I need at least 20 kilograms. Zhou Zhixing will probably take 10 kilograms. No, I need more. I also need to make cherry jam for cherry wine."
Luo Tao, the new bride, had been listening quietly. She interrupted and said, "If you like it, I'll go back to my parents' house and ask for some. My family doesn't like cherries because they think they're sour."
Jiang Nan took Luo Tao's arm and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, really? That's great. You don't know how much I love cherry jam. I make several bottles every year."
Luo Tao smiled shyly and nodded, "No problem, I'll go home and talk about it." Then she was about to go out.
Jiang Nan quickly grabbed the person and turned around to smile at Yao Guihua.
Yao Guihua was a simple and honest person, and she didn't think her sister-in-law was stealing the limelight. Seeing that the two of them were getting along well, Jiang Nan was genuinely happy for Du Hehua. She pulled Luo Tao into her room, took out a five-foot-long piece of cotton cloth she had brought with her, and handed it to her, saying, "Second sister-in-law, take it. You can't take your cherries for nothing."
Luo Tao waved his hands quickly: "This is too expensive, I can't accept it."
Jiang Nan handed it over and said with a smile, "Second sister-in-law, take it. It's not a good fabric. My colleague's father works in a textile factory and can often buy defective fabrics."
As he spoke, he unfolded the cloth and pointed to a spot where it had been stained by water due to improper storage. Jiang Nan continued, "Look, sister-in-law, there's a flaw here. The color has faded. It's not worth much. Take it."
Luo Tao's cheeks flushed slightly. Seeing Jiang Nan's insistence, she quietly thanked him and accepted the gift. She was proud to be able to return home with the cloth. Everyone knew that even if it was defective cloth, without connections, even at a high price, it was still a good thing. In the countryside, even used, patched cloth, let alone defective cloth, was highly sought after. These days, cloth was the most scarce commodity in the countryside.
Jiang Nan smiled, knowing the gift was the right one, and walked out of the room with Luo Tao. Luo Tao, clutching the cloth, happily returned to her parents' home. Yao Guihua's family wasn't on the East and West Rivers, and they didn't have cherries at home, but she wasn't jealous of her younger sister-in-law. Every year, her eldest cousin's family would exchange cherries, so it would be better to give those gifts to Luo Tao's family rather than give them to outsiders. At least the two families were still relatives.
After deciding on the source of cherries, Jiang Nan picked up his basket and started picking cherries. Jiang Mancheng was a lazy person and sat in the main room chatting with Du Hehua. Chen Jinhua couldn't sit still and said a few words before getting up to pick cherries.
Little Jiang He was the happiest. Whoever picked the red fruits would feed him a few bites. The little guy was always happy, and the laughter never stopped floating over the Jiang family's yard.
Ma Honghua had been in a good mood the past two days. She didn't show any displeasure when she saw her brother-in-law and his family. Instead, she picked cherries and chatted with Jiang Nan about gossip. "Do you remember Ye Chunping, the educated youth? She was the one who wanted to marry Xiaogui, but our family found out and tricked her into marrying Wei Fengnian instead."
Seeing Jiang Nan nod, Ma Honghua laughed out loud: "She was kicked out by the Wei family!"
Ma Honghua made no secret of her dislike for Ye Chunping. She said, "Serves her right! She's not a quiet person. She came out to have an affair late at night and got kicked out by the Wei family, right?! Humph, she even tried to frame my Xiaogui. What a toad wanting to eat swan meat."
Jiang Nan asked tentatively, "Who are you having an affair with?"
Ma Honghua shrugged. "I don't know. The Wei family didn't say. But they were just those second-rate guys. Who else could it be? They worked for Ye Chunping before she got married."
She curled her lips and said, "Fortunately, she didn't marry in, otherwise our family would be so embarrassed."
Jiang Nan thought for a moment and asked, "I remember she was pregnant, wasn't she? Why didn't her belly seem to be big the last few times I saw her?"
"She had a miscarriage," Ma Honghua said disdainfully, "She wasn't feeling well, and the baby couldn't sit still."
Jiang Nan: "Where does she live now?"
Ma Honghua pouted and said, "The Youth House. You don't know, when she went back, several of the other female educated youth were unwilling to go. She's a troublemaker, causing unrest wherever she goes. Now it's even worse."
She looked around and saw that everyone else was concentrating on picking cherries. Then she lowered her voice and said, "She's doing that business now! She's so shameless. She'll sleep with whoever works for her and pays her. Isn't that disgusting? Our village should send these educated youth back. We can't let them ruin the atmosphere of the brigade! The brigade leader is just soft-hearted. Just wait and see, something bad is bound to happen."
Jiang Nan frowned. If that were true, then there was a real chance that a single bad apple would spoil the whole bunch. It was just a village matter, and she had no say in it. Jiang Nan, a self-disciplined person, quickly let the matter go and focused on picking cherries.
Perhaps because she had finally met someone who knew nothing, Ma Honghua was in high spirits and continued, "Jinhua, Xiaonan, did you know? There's another wave of educated youth coming to the village!"
Jiang Nan thought about the disturbance in the building caused by the trip to the countryside and asked, "How many people came? Where did they come from?"
Ma Honghua: "Six, three men and three women. They're all from the capital, so arrogant. Tell me, what are they thinking? Why would they stay in such a great place like the capital and come to a small place like ours? I really don't understand."
"Second Aunt, even if they want to stay, they can't. Sending to the countryside is a policy, and it's definitely more strictly enforced in the capital. There will definitely be more educated youth in the future." Jiang Nan thought for a moment and added, "But our brigade probably won't have any more. We won't be considered a rural area anymore, so the "Sending to the Countryside" program won't come to us."
"That's right." Ma Honghua was very proud of this. With the discovery of oil on the west bank of the river, it would become part of the oil field. Maybe in two years, she could become a city dweller eating commercial grain.
Before Ma Honghua could boast, Luo Tao, who had just returned from her mother's home, came trotting over and said excitedly, "Xiao Nan, sister-in-law, the Dong family who executed someone for their homework are causing trouble on the East Bank of the River! I heard they brought a lot of people with them and are going to smash up the Shi family. Many people in the village have come to watch the fun!"
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