B5SB -Chapter 30 Gujia Village

“Have you heard? That Han girl from the Aidang family ran off with an old man!” said Jiawang’s wife as she pulled weeds.

The young wife in blue immediately put down her work and looked at her: “Really? How do you know?”

“Yesterday morning, someone from our village went with her to the commune, but when they came back in the evening, Old Niu’s cart waited for Han girl for a long time… she never came back,” Jiawang’s wife said mysteriously.

“Guess what, last night that girl didn’t go home at all, nor to school!” She gave a look that said, “Figure it out yourself.”

“Oh my, that girl is only thirteen, and she ran off with an old man? How starved for men must she be!” The young wife couldn’t control her volume; her voice echoed loudly across the empty fields.

The older women and young wives working nearby all lit up and collectively walked toward Jiawang’s wife.

Liu Zhaodi took the lead: “Jiawang’s wife, what are you saying? If it’s something good, tell us so we can all have a laugh.”

The young wife in blue looked at Liu Zhaodi and said loudly: “Sister-in-law Liu, it’s not good news—Han girl from the Aidang family ran off with an old man.”

The women around whispered to each other: “If people from other villages hear this, won’t they say our Gujia Village girls are improper?”

“Exactly, like a single rotten apple spoiling the whole barrel,” Jiawang’s wife chimed in.

“What are you all doing? Hurry up and work! Standing around won’t make money fall from the sky,” came the deep voice of the team leader, Gu Baoqing.

“Team leader, you have to think about the village’s reputation! That Han girl from the Aidang family ran off with someone,” said the young wife in blue eagerly.

Gu Baoqing looked at her with a teasing expression: “I say, Xiangdong’s wife, who told you that? Han girl got into vocational school and went to study there.”

No sooner had he said that than Liu Zhaodi’s sharp voice rang out: “Impossible! That loser girl getting into vocational school? Not likely!”

Gu Baoqing ignored Liu Zhaodi: “Get back to work. Gossiping won’t make your work points appear out of thin air.”

One of the women nearby said: “Getting into vocational school? That’s amazing! Then in the future, a girl from our village would have a secure job!”

Gu Baoqing started to walk away but was stopped by Liu Zhaodi grabbing his sleeve: “Team leader, how do you know that loser girl got into vocational school?”

Gu Baoqing shook off Liu Zhaodi’s hand with disdain: “Loser? You still think like you, valuing boys over girls. Besides, I issued her transfer certificate myself—her household registration has already moved to the school. How could I not know? When you’re free, earn more work points instead of talking nonsense.”

Liu Zhaodi was crestfallen: “Impossible! That’s a loser girl. She can’t be as smart as my son Jiaxing.”

A middle-aged woman nudged Xiangdong’s wife, Tao Hua: “Isn’t your father-in-law the village secretary? Don’t you know that Han girl transferred her household registration?”

Tao Hua glared at her angrily: “How would I know?” Then she turned and went back to pulling weeds.

The middle-aged woman muttered as she followed her: “Pfft, what are you pretending for?”

Soon, the whole village knew that Gu Yihan from the Aidang family got into vocational school, and it was rumored she would even have guaranteed placement after graduation.

At the Gu family, Gu Aidang and Chen Xiu hurried home.

Gu Aidang called out anxiously to his mother: “Mom, do you know that Gu Yihan got into vocational school?”

Grandmother slapped her forehead: “See, I’m old, my memory isn’t good… I forgot to tell you. Hanhan went to school yesterday.”

Chen Xiu, Gu Aidang’s wife, could no longer control her emotions and angrily said: “Mom, what are you doing? She got into vocational school, why didn’t you tell us and just let her go?”

Grandmother was also annoyed: “Isn’t it good that she got in? You didn’t even ask. Hanhan said she didn’t want you to know yet.”

Chen Xiu was nearly furious: “Mom, do you even know? That girl’s household registration has been transferred!”

Grandmother, fed up with being asked, said: “She got into vocational school, of course she had to transfer her registration. You think I don’t know that?”

Gu Aidang saw that his mother still didn’t grasp the seriousness of the matter and seriously said: “Mom, after the household registration is transferred, we won’t even know where she’s assigned after graduation. Losing track of Gu Yihan would mean all our efforts raising her were for nothing.”

Grandmother looked at her serious youngest son and angry daughter-in-law and waved her hand: “Hanhan said she’ll give me 5 yuan a month. Besides, she still comes home during holidays.”

Gu Aidang looked at his naive mother: “Mom, don’t you understand? That girl is ungrateful. Over the years, how many times has she even called me ‘dad’?”

“Besides, raising a daughter nearby means she can help her family often. If she goes far away, we get nothing.”

Grandmother didn’t fully believe him: “That’s because you don’t value her. Hanhan was raised by me, and she’s the most obedient and filial child.”

Gu Aidang’s wife sarcastically looked at grandmother: “Mom, I’ll wait and see if your granddaughter is filial to you. Looks like you won’t even need Aidang’s filial piety anymore.”

After saying that, Chen Xiu angrily dragged Gu Aidang straight back to the room, slammed the door hard, venting her frustration.

Gu Meng, in the kitchen, overheard that Gu Yihan got into vocational school, and her jealousy was uncontrollable. She ground her teeth and muttered: “How can she be so lucky?”

Liu Zhaodi went home and, seeing only Zhou Jiaxing thinking about food, angrily snatched the coarse grain bun from his hand and slapped him across the face.

“Eat, eat! All you know is eat! Are you some reincarnated glutton? Hurry up and study! You’re no match for a little girl!”

Zhou Jiaxing, terrified by his mother’s twisted face, shouted: “Grandma, my mom is possessed! She’s hitting me!”

Old Mrs. Zhou heard her grandson’s cry and came out, seeing Liu Zhaodi’s twisted expression still not softened.

“You dare hit my precious grandson? Do you want to die?” Old Mrs. Zhou charged and started beating Liu Zhaodi.

Liu Zhaodi didn’t dare fight back and could only dodge while saying: “Mom, I’m making him study! That Gu Yihan from the Aidang family is the same age as him. She’s already gotten into vocational school and will have a secure job in the future.”

Zhou Jiaxing, seeing his grandma hitting his mom, clapped and cheered: “Mom, I’m your and dad’s child. You two couldn’t achieve good grades, I obviously inherit nothing!”

This ungrateful brat couldn’t be disciplined; watching her being beaten, he didn’t even defend her.

Liu Zhaodi, fuming, glared at Zhou Jiaxing: “You’re not even as good as that little girl Gu Yihan.”

Zhou Jiaxing was the family’s only child, and Grandma Zhou loved him dearly. Hearing Liu Zhaodi’s words, she immediately said to Old Mrs. Zhou: “Grandma, see? She wants our Zhou family line to end! If I were a girl, you’d have no one to fight with in your old age!”

Hearing this, Old Mrs. Zhou grabbed a firewood stick from the ground and gave Liu Zhaodi a beating, the screams echoing far away.