Chapter 171. Chain reaction
Even if the whole village pointed and scolded her behind her back, she never explained a word.
Then she suddenly became a teacher in the community's junior high school.
In the future, not only will she get five work points, but also a monthly salary of more than ten yuan. This was simply more than old Fourth's earning.
With such an iron rice bowl, who would dare to talk Fourth's wife's shortcoming?
Use that old saying, what Fourth's wife did was called 'endure self-imposed hardships'.
What's more olf Fourth, that guy really makes one envy. He was able to make money before. But now he can't make money and got to dig field. However, his wife can make money.
Although it was only 13 yuan a month, which was far from what old Fourth earned before, there were still work points. After adding up those five work points, how much was that?
So old Fourth's life was pretty exceptional.
He married marry such a wife who can cook, take care of the family, and can make money. No one can compare.
Second Brother was emotional when he heard it. Second Sister-in-law wept even more sadly.
She wanted to compare with Lin Qing He, but she will never outmatch her in this life.
Second Brother can approximately grasp her thoughts and didn't bother about her. Once she cried it out, she'll think it through.
In fact, many in the village had the same feeling as Second Brother.
The village had kept on talking about Lin Qing He behind her back regarding the matter of her spending habits and never entering the field,
They have seen someone who didn't know how to live, but never to this extent. A perfectly fine person actually didn't work to support themselves. Can you believe this?
If the saliva can drown people, then who knows how many times the previous Lin Qing He drowned.
Who would have thought that Lin Qing He was studying in private by herself? And out of nowhere, she threw out such a big surprise.
In one swoop, all the educated youths were suppressed. They couldn't refute a word. She became the official staff of the community's junior high school.
This was really amazing.
They used to think that Lin Qing He dressing up as a city folk was very ostentatious. But now, the more they looked, the more they felt that this was the style that a teacher should have. She had studied, so she had that kind of temperament.
The two full scores were spread throughout the few production teams in the community. Not a false exaggeration added.
After all, all ten miles radius and eight villages had caught a wisp of Lin Qing He's reputation. She was the only strange one who won't go to the field.
Right now, when this was spread, it had become a legend. Without even needing Lin Qing He giving the script, everyone can make up the studious image of she studying hard for all these years without caring about the slanders outside.
When she goes out, people's gazes toward her were filled with admiration. And when they saw her, they were willing to say hello.
Lin Qing He wasn't that cold and clueless about socializing. When people greet her, she will also reply and not act too rude.
It's just that the generation gap was there. It was really impossible to communicate, so she didn't say much.
Her title had also instantly changed from Da Wa's mother to Teacher Lin.
Lin Qing He went home with a basket of wild vegetables on her back. Finally, she can breathe. It was very exciting to be a teacher in the community's junior high school. But it had been so many days, and unexpectedly, the heat of this still didn't drop at all.
What's more, she had been praised until she blushed when she heard it. Was that her? Did she have it that hard?
Still, Lin Qing He liked the title of Teacher Lin.
Not long later, San Wa came back. Lin Qing He was forming the dough in the kitchen and said to San Wa, who was outside the window: "San Wa, wash the wild vegetables. I will make wild vegetable dumplings for you tonight."
"Okay." San Wa answered, and then went to wash the wild vegetables.
This kind of work was already very familiar to him. Lin Qing He often got him to do chores, even if he was the youngest son of the family. What should be done was never cut down.
It's just in terms of food, Lin Qing He treated him very preferentially.
For example, when he wanted to eat milk mantou, Lin Qing He will make them for him even if it's troublesome.
"Mother, there are still many people outside who praise you." San Wa beamed while washing the wild vegetables.
With how glorious his mother was now, as her sons when they go out they felt they had a lot of face.
They all say 'this is Teacher Lin's youngest son. He is so good-looking, so handsome, and has beautiful eyes, etc...'
What they said was really pleasing.
Lin Qing He chuckled, "Had anyone praise you?"
"They did. They said Teacher Lin's youngest son looks like Teacher Lin. He must be smart in the future!" San Wa replied.
"Ain't that right. My San Wa is smart." Lin Qing He nodded.
Then she was a little helpless.
Really, the people in the village have never thought about it. Although she did well on the exam as a teacher, it didn't mean if she can teach students?
It seems that in their mind, if she can score a double hundred on exams, then she can definitely teach.
If this was another inexperienced person, they would be a little frustrated.
However, Lin Qing He didn't. She had worked as a tutor before. The grades of the students she taught had improved by leaps and bounds.
When she was in college, she had worked part-time. How could she rest when she had to rely on herself to support herself?
So she was really experienced in teaching students.
What's more, it was the first year of junior high school. She had already remembered it by heart. There won't be a problem. This wasn't a lie.
Da Wa and Er Wa will soon get off school.
The two brothers were also very high spirits these days. Lin Qing He had beat them down frequently- don't get too smug.
"Mother, what are we eating tonight?" Da Wa asked.
"Wild vegetables and pork dumplings." Lin Qing He answered.
Da Wa acknowledged and then went with Er Wa to get the candy. One for each person. As they snacked on it, they grabbed the pigweed basket and went out.
Both brothers had to go gather pigweed.
It was four o'clock now. They didn't come back until half-past five.
Lin Qing He let them be. She continued to work with San Wa. When the dumplings were all wrapped up, then she finished. Once the guys return, she'll cook it then.
Lin Qing He went to get the soles.
Mother Zhou brought little Su Cheng over and smiled when she saw that she was sewing the soles of the shoes: "Occasionally, take a break. I never see you rest once all day long."
When Mother Zhou said this, she felt ashamed.
It wasn't easy for Fourth's wife. She let her whole family lived comfortably and still had time to study and get grades to suppress the educated youths. Why didn't she(Mother Zhou) think of acting considerate before?
Lin Qing He didn't know what her mother-in-law was thinking, otherwise, she would have been speechless.
"It's okay. I must take advantage of the time I have to make two more pairs for Qing Bai as spares." Lin Qing He said.
Once the school start, then it'll be really busy.
"From now on, leave the needlework to Mother. You only need to take care of teaching. Mother is free to cook the meals." Mother Zhou smiled.
Prev ChapterNext ChapterReport chapterChapter 172. I'll wait for you at home
"Xiao Mei is going to give birth soon. At that time, you will be busy, Mother. You can manage the meal when the time comes. As for the dishes, wait until I come back to fry them." Lin Qing He said.
She felt a job was important for a married woman.
Just look. Mother Zhou's attitude towards her had changed drastically these days.
She wasn't saying it was bad before, but it just hadn't reached that level yet. Now it really had a feeling of being cherished.
This made Lin Qing He a bit embarrassed and emotional.
It was okay to let Mother Zhou make the meal. But when it comes to making the side dishes, the family will definitely not be used to it.
What's more, Zhou Xiao Mei was pretty far along in her pregnancy now. After giving birth to the child and having her post-natal confinement, the child will be brought back here.
Mother Zhou approximately understood what her daughter-in-law meant, so she nodded and just replied: "Then I will prepare all the vegetables. You can just cook it when you come back."
Lin Qing He agreed.
Once Da Wa and Er Wa came back from foraging pigweed, Zhou Qing Bai and Father Zhou also returned from work.
Lin Qing He went in and cooked the dumplings.
It was currently August. The weather was still very stuffy. In addition to dumplings, Lin Qing He also made mung bean soup.
It was best to drink it when it's around seven o'clock. As it can completely cool off all the heat.
After finishing everything and laid on the Kang, Lin Qing He told Zhou Qing Bai about this matter: "People outside are praising me to heaven. What if I can't teach the students well?"
"Won't happen." Zhou Qing Bai smiled.
"You're that confident in me?" Lin Qing He grinned.
"You did a wonderful job with Da Wa and Er Wa." Zhou Qing Bai replied.
Since she can teach both of their sons so well, how can she do badly with the students? It won't happen.
"Are there still people outside who say that you got such bad luck by marrying me?" Lin Qing He joked with him.
Zhou Qing Bai's eyebrows were gentle: "They all envy me."
That's right. Even his second and third elder brothers, they both envy him.
They used to envy how he was doted by his parents, even though he didn't have anything more than them. Even when he separated out and built this house, it was all from the allowance he earned.
Later, they envied his three sons and his wife's wonderful cooking. Now it was envying her ability to earn this time.
"How are they praising me?" Lin Qing He raised her eyebrows.
Zhou Qing Bai chuckled and pulled his wife into his embrace.
Lin Qing He listened to his heartbeat. It had a calming effect.
Asking this man to say something to make her happy was really putting him on the spot. His strength wasn't this and had never been.
However, he was very devoted to her. He always showed tolerance towards her. Even when she was occasionally overbearing, he would still use his broad heart to give her consideration.
Lin Qing He felt that meeting him might be her fate. It was really hard for her to imagine the life of marrying someone else other than him.
"Qing Bai, if the college entrance examination resumes in the future, I will take the exam. After the college entrance examination, I will go to college to study. I will come back a few times a year." Lin Qing He laid in his arms and said softly.
"I'll wait for you at home." Zhou Qing Bai stated.
Lin Qing He raised her face to look at him: "You know what I mean."
What she meant was that she wanted him to go to college with her, even if he has to rent a house outside.
"There's no source of income outside, and the burden will be heavy." Zhou Qing Bai looked at her and pointed out.
For some reason, he had unconditional trust in her words. Although he didn't know how she heard the news that the college entrance examination will be restored, but subconsciously, he believed her words. In the future, maybe, the college entrance examination will be restored.
But he never thought about going with her. If he does, sustaining their livelihood is a big problem.
"What's so heavy about it? We still have so much money and so many coupons. Also, there are subsidies for going to university. It doesn't require a penny. There is nothing to worry about." Lin Qing He responded.
"I'll wait for you at home." Zhou Qing Bai shook his head.
Seeing how he was, Lin Qing He didn't persist. She knew her man well. What's more, it's a matter of a few years later. There was no need to discuss it now.
This topic had come to an end.
Third Sister-in-law went into labor a few days into August on the solar calendar. It was delivered overnight.
When Lin Qing He learned about it, she gave a jin of brown sugar to her. In addition, there was also the usual pig trotter. Lin Qing He always kept this habit.
Except for Second Sister-in-law, no matter whether it was Eldest Sister-in-law or Third Sister-in-law who gave birth, they all received this pig's trotter.
Don't know if the two babies had pre-arranged it. Less than two days after Third Sister-in-law gave birth, Zhou Xiao Mei also gave birth.
This second child was also a son.
Altogether, it was two sons, which was pretty amazing.
Su Da Lin was still delighted. As for Zhou Xiao Mei, she was a bit disappointed. She wanted this child to be a daughter.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be another son.
When Su Da Lin shopped for post-natal confinement's items, he bought two of each.
Third Sister-in-law received a chicken, a basket of eggs, and two big fish. All were sent over by Su Da Lin.
Have to say, this kind of gift was quite grand. Third Sister-in-law was extremely happy.
And this time, Third Sister-in-law also birthed another son.
With this, it happened to be two sons and two daughters.
With so many things, her post-natal confinement was quite splendid.
Nowadays, it was also a season for catching fish. she got Third Brother to fish on his way back after his busy schedule. He occasionally brought back one or two fish to stew.
After the one-month post-natal confinement, Zhou Xiao Mei and Su Da Lin carried their second child, little Su Xun back.
The eldest son was called Su Cheng, and the second son was Su Xun. Got to say, Su Da Lin knew how to choose names.
Another basket of eggs and a chicken were also brought back together. All of these were obtained with the help of Su Da Lin's aunt. If it weren't for her, it would be difficult to get it.
When Zhou Xiao Mei and Su Da Lin sent their child back, Lin Qing He wasn't at home. She had officially started lessons at the school.
The last time Su Da Lin came back, he came and went in a hurry. He didn't know that Lin Qing He had already become a teacher in the community's junior high school.
So when the two heard about it, they both displayed a dumbfounded expression.
Especially, Zhou Xiao Mei, she held deep admiration: "My fourth sister-in-law is really amazing. I had said that among my sisters-in-law, no one's brain is as quick as her."
At the start, she was able to have this job was all thanks to her sister-in-law who told her to use the backdoor. If not, it might not have been her turn.
Su Da Lin also admired her.
The two of them never thought about whether Lin Qing He, a teacher who studied pretty late in life, would be able to handle the students of the community's junior high school. Or perhaps even be persuaded to retreat?
But it seems that the minds of this society were the same. As long as anyone can get recognized by the school, they got the ability to teach.
Prev ChapterNext ChapterReport chapterChapter 173. Better and better
But really, there was no problem with Lin Qing He's teaching at all.
The community's junior high schooly didn't trust her as soon as she started. They had her do a trial. The principal was listening outside the door.
It wasn't just the principal, Chen Shan, who was the substitute, did the same.
Have to say, whether it was the principal or Chen Shan, both didn't find a slightest flaw.
Moreover, it seems that the quality of teaching was quite impeccable. Lin Qing He was able to hold the fort.
This was a class of newly advanced students.
At this time, the junior high school also had an entrance exam. All those who got admitted achieved academically acceptable grades.
Also, there were really that not many students in the entire junior high school.
The junior high school only consists of the first year and second year. Third-year didn't exist yet.
There were four classes of first year and four classes of second year.
These were all the children in the community who attended junior high school.
There were 19 production teams in the entire community, and one production team had almost 20 households.
How was this household be counted? When the old Zhou family hadn't separated yet, the entire old Zhou family would be counted as one family headed by Father Zhou.
The counting method was different, but still, it was a large population of people.
People at this time were like a birthing machine. In the whole community, there were numerous amount of kids, but only so much attended junior high school.
In the end, not much attention was given to education.
As a teacher, Lin Qing He would uphold her responsibilities with the best of her abilities.
The content of each lesson will be broken down and explained to them. If they didn't understand, they can come and ask after the lesson. As for the other matters, like saying they must study, there was none.
At this time, the environment was still a bit strict.
In the past, teachers were criticized for being harsh.
Although Lin Qing He started from the bottom, she won't get criticized as the family member of a retired military force.
Still, Lin Qing He won't treat these students like a draconian.
After the lesson and handling all the questions that the students had come forward with after class, her task was completed.
Lin Qing He knew how to handle her speech.
Including her and the newcomer, Chen Shan, there were five teachers in the entire junior high school. Of course, this didn't include the principal.
The principal was also very busy. Sometimes he had to go to meetings and go to the city to listen to the progress statement. Usually, he didn't teach, but when the teachers get occupied, he would substitute.
Lin Qing He got along pretty well with her colleagues. It went without saying, she kept her distance from Chen Shan, the scumbag.
She constantly used the bicycle at home now. She rode it in the morning and rode it back at noon. Then she headed out in the afternoon and returned in the evening.
This was her approximate work schedule for the day. Basically, she can't stick to the stove.
She still took on the task of going back to cooking the dishes every day.
Mother Zhou helped out with the rest of the chores. Mother Zhou mostly stayed at home all day long. Only when it was time to breastfeed, she will carry little Su Xun over to her third daughter-in-law's place for breastfeeding.
Lin Qing He came back from work that day and started cooking. She mentioned, "I don't have to go to work tomorrow. I will go to the city to see if I can buy some peanut oil."
There was still a bottle of peanut oil in her space. She kept in mind to collect supplies from the black market.
No matter if it was eggs, meat, or oil, she will buy them and store them into her own space if she saw them.
Even though she privately sold pork, all of them were leftovers. There was very little good meat. Generally, she would reserve good meat for her own family.
Mother Zhou responded: "You're tired from work, it's a rare chance for you rest."
Lin Qing He replied, "It's still okay."
In fact, being able to have a career felt pretty good. Lin Qing He swiftly made a pot of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and then a big bone soup.
They were having rice today. Mother Zhou had already soaked them, so she can just simply steam it.
San Wa soon returned from outside. He turned into a dirty cat from playing. Trailing behind him was little Su Cheng.
Now, little Su Cheng can move around. He basically followed his brother San Wa all day long. And when sleeping at night, it was the same. He had to sleep with his brother San Wa.
"You two, hurry up and wash yourself." Lin Qing He's head ached at the sight of these two and sent them a glare as she ordered.
"Wash, wash." Little Su Cheng followed San Wa to get washed.
But how he could possibly wash himself clean. Lin Qing He washed them both together, and then said: "What did you play today?"
"We dug earthworms." San Wa answered.
"Earthworm." Little Su Cheng copied.
"Where did the earthworms go? Did you bring them home to feed the chickens?" Lin Qing He asked.
"Ah, the earthworms were given to Cai Cai." San Wa answered.
Cai Cai was a girl in the village. Her family was also quite decent. Children of this age always played together and usually didn't play separately until about seven years old.
Lin Qing He never thought that San Wa, a stinky boy who was only this big, knew how to treat the girls nicely.
It was no wonder that the heroine of the original book was attracted to him.
But in the end, he still can't escape the male side character's miserable fate.
He was only that big, so naturally, Lin Qing He wouldn't tell him off. She just said: "Next time, bring it back home and let the hen eat better. At home, only one egg gets laid each day."
"Okay." San Wa nodded when he heard this.
Su Cheng and Su Xun's household registration wasn't here, so they weren't counted. Their family had a total of seven people, including Father Zhou and Mother Zhou.
Although the policy was strict nowadays, it wasn't a lot for seven people to raise four chickens with the reliable Zhou Qing Bai here.
Speaking of the four hens, they were still very diligent in laying eggs. There were two or three eggs a day.
Sometimes all four chickens laid eggs together, so there can be four eggs a day.
Of course, this was also due to adequate food. When cooking pig food, these hens were never forgotten. They were different from other families' free-range style of raising hens. Her hens were really plump. One can be about four or five jins heavy.
However, despite having eggs laid every day, their consumption at home was large. From time to time, Lin Qing He still needed to bring some back from outside.
Soon Da Wa and Er Wa got out of school.
The primary school where the two brothers attended was located in a different direction to the community's junior high school. Since it was different ways, they go their own way.
When the two brothers came back, they immediately went to gather the pigweed. Now, this was the two brothers' task. They have to forage the pigweed every evening after school. When there's no school, they had to pick up cow dung or the likes.
Speaking of the situation in her family now, it was getting better and better.
Zhou Qing Bai obtained ten work points. The two pigs at home could be exchanged for a lot of work points. Raising pigs meant that there was fertilizer, which the can kept for their own field at home and don't need to exchange for it. If they can't use up the fertilizer, they can also choose to exchange it for work points.
Da Wa and Er Wa had also grown up. They don't earn much, but at least the two brothers can sometimes earn two work points altogether.
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Also, there was her five work points and 13 yuan salary.
Within this whole village, her family's life can't go badly.
What's more, since Lin Qing He became a teacher herself and her income was apparent on the surface, her initial order of three bottles of milk turned into four bottles.
Neither Father Zhou nor Mother Zhou got a share. The extra bottle was for Zhou Qing Bai.
Zhou Qing Bai didn't plan on drinking it. He urged her to drink it herself, but Lin Qing He didn't agree.
Even though his body wasn't in serious trouble now, Lin Qing He could never forget that his body had been severely injured.
Also, this man had a reticent person, even if he felt uncomfortable, he won't say anything.
Lin Qing He knew him very well.
She had often urged him to earn seven or eight work points, but he had never listened.
That's why Lin Qing He did her utmost to give him three proper meals a day. She feared that he would gain unseeable pain.
When they get old, good days will also arrive. She didn't want him to miss out on a good life.
As for Father Zhou and Mother Zhou, she won't bother.
It's not that she didn't want to buy it, but rather the two won't be pleased if she bought it. She needed to get approval from them, so Lin Qing He didn't even mention about buying it for both of them. That's why she only ordered an extra bottle for Zhou Qing Bai. What's more, she had to watch him down it before going to work.
Zhou Qing Bai was also helpless about this.
On the other hand, Mother Zhou was quite delighted in her heart, because she could see how Fourth's wife took care of her youngest son.
She was more attentive than her, the mother.
And this was also the money earned by Fourth's wife, so Father Zhou and Mother Zhou didn't say anything.
Zhou Qing Bai received the same treatments as his sons, drinking a bottle of milk every day. Even the villagers knew this.
But seeing how Zhou Qing Bai's rosy complexion and gleaming eyes, they were envious.
Some wives had lamented. They privately muttering about Zhou Qing Bai's capability in that area, as if they had experienced it and often envy Lin Qing He.
Lin Qing He, who was being envied, didn't know that she was envied.
And on the contrary, she requested Zhou Qing Bai to do it in moderation.
Especially when the annual autumn harvest arrived in the blink of an eye.
At the end of this month, the horn of the autumn harvest was going to be sounded.
At this time, it'll be extremely busy. The school also got a break. Usually, there were classes in the morning and received a break in the afternoon to participate in the autumn harvest to earn work points.
No matter if it was the primary school or junior high school, it was like this.
In the autumn harvest season, nothing was more important than the autumn harvest.
From now on, Lin Qing He had already had the mind to nourish Zhou Qing Bai.
Tomorrow morning she will have to go to Sister Mei to get the meat. In addition to leftovers, she had also ordered two jins of pork belly.
As for the meat in her space, there was really not much left to eat.
Zhou Qing Bai and Father Zhou came back with Da Wa and Er Wa. After they cleaned up, the whole family gathered together to eat.
Scrambled eggs with tomato were the main dish. With the rice soaked in soup, it was sour and sweet. Ah, how wonderful it tasted.
There was also a sponge gourd and bone soup to drink. The taste was also pretty good.
The whole family was very satisfied.
"Father, Mother, when you go back later, remember to take the eight-treasure congee I packed for you back." Lin Qinghe said.
She had made eight-treasure congee today.
There was only one bowl per person.
"Okay." Father Zhou responded.
After eating, their family went back. Mother Zhou didn't stay behind. She led little Su Xun and Father Zhou back with the food box of eight-treasure congee.
Little Su Cheng stayed at their home. He would eat and live with his three cousins now.
The little guy became round from eating. Have to say, he wasn't treated badly at all.
"I'm going to buy peanut oil in the city tomorrow. Do you have anything else you want to eat?" Lin Qing He asked Zhou Qing Bai.
"Buy yourself some vanishing cream." Zhou Qing Bai looked at her as he replied.
He had nothing to buy for himself.
Lin Qing He laughed: "I did apply the cream I bought for myself every day."
She had brought some skin care products over. There was still a lot left. As for the vanishing cream, she really didn't use it.
Zhou Qing Bai looked at her: "Swimming tonight?"
He loved to swim, but his wife won't let him go in broad daylight.
He stripped until one pant was left. Then, when he got up from the water, everything was completely visible. Lin Qing He didn't want some women in the village, who were held improper thought, to benefit at all.
So generally speaking, Zhou Qing Bai only went swimming at night.
"Go by yourself." Lin Qing He said.
Though she said this, she still went with Zhou Qing Bai to the riverside after nine o'clock in the evening, when it was almost dead at night and the children at home were all asleep.
There was really no one at this time.
But even so, Lin Qing He still entered the water fully dressed. For her, it was enough to soak at the side.
Zhou Qing Bai went swimming.
Then he came back to carry her out. Naturally, the couple would play around in the river.
If people caught sight of this, they would really comment, 'what atrocious behavior!'.
They really didn't do anything, it was just a couple sticking close in the water.
After the couple stayed for more than half an hour, Lin Qing He hid again to change into her clothes. Then she returned home with Zhou Qing Bai.
Only halfway home, they heard a sound that shouldn't be heard in that small wood
"Someone is stealing people ?" Lin Qing He opened her eyes wide and whispered.
Zhou Qing Bai obviously didn't expect this kind of sound in the middle of the night, and said: "Let's go back."
He clearly didn't want to get involved.
"No, I'm going to see who it is." Lin Qing He responded immediately.
She didn't plan to expose the person. She wanted to know who it was, so she could be on guard!
Seeing her like this, Zhou Qing Bai could only stealthily bring her over. Zhou Qing Bai checked first, and immediately covered his wife's eyes.
Lin Qing He had yet to see anything when Zhou Qing Bai pulled her away.
After putting a good distance away from the scene, Lin Qing He asked, "Qing Bai, who were they?"
It was really unfair. He didn't let her see at a glance, while he did.
"Old Ma's Third wife and Old Ma's Fourth." Zhou Qing Bai said.
"Huh?" Lin Qing He was shocked.
She knew who was Third Ma's wife. It was Wang Ling, who had a very good relationship with Second Sister-in-law. She often talked bad about her.
She actually had an affair with her younger brother-in-law?
Speaking of it, old Fourth Ma was twenty this year. Apparently, he was in the middle of seeking marriage. While Wang Ling was already 27 or 28 years old!
Moreover, the two were really bold. At this period, they dared to do this. They will be criticized. This was adultery and can get shaved yin and yang heads!
The price was too harsh.
Even though Lin Qing He disliked Wang Ling, modern education didn't allow her to break her bottom line.
So even when she knew of this matter, Lin Qing He treated like she hadn't.
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Zhou Qing Bai didn't say anything when he saw his wife was like this.
Old Ma family got quite a number of people in their household. Such matter was indeed immoral, but this was old Ma family's own business. It's better that they don't get involved.
Sooner or later, this matter will be like paper trying to hold the fire.
As this wasn't the first time, and it won't be the last.
When the couple returned home, Lin Qing He rinsed the clothes in water and hung them.
Zhou Qing Bai just needed to change his pants.
Once he fed the pigs again, he went to bed.
The next day, Lin Qing He had a day off, so she brought San Wa and little Su Cheng over to Sister Mei's side to get the meat. Then they came to the city.
San Wa was already five years old. Although little Su Cheng was only two years old, it wasn't a big problem.
And because she had to give lessons, she wasn't able to spend much time with the kids. So whenever she had the opportunity, she brought them along as well.
She bought a piece of ice cream for them to eat together. After eating, they waited for her on the bench at the supply and demand cooperative. Lin Qing He had also given a head up to Shen Yu. Shen Yu instantly agreed to keep an eye.
Whether it was San Wa or little Su Cheng, they were both very cute. Shen Yu was currently pregnant and her month was pretty far along. After a while, she should take time off to deliver the child. Now was the time when the motherly love breaks out. How could she not like children like these?
Lin Qing He went to sell the pork leftovers she had. Afterward, she came to the black market to buy a bottle of peanut oil.
Peanut oil wasn't cheap at all. The price of such a bottle, which was half a jin, was two yuan.
But Lin Qing He didn't act frugally. She bought two bottles of peanut oil.
As for the other items, only eggs needed to be bought. She had collected two more baskets of eggs. She currently didn't have much stock in her space. It was quite easy to use up these two baskets of eggs.
There were still mooncakes for sale in the black market. Since Shen Yu put aside a jin for her, she didn't have to buy them in the black market.
In the black market, the price was about 40% higher. Which was very dear.
After buying two bottles of oil and two baskets of eggs, Lin Qing He kept a bottle of oil out and took in the rest into her space.
Then she came to the supply and demand cooperative. She bought a jin of moon cakes and two packs of milk candy. The children at home would eat one every day. Lin Qing He would let them have them as long as they brushed their teeth twice a day.
She chatted with Shen Yu for a while before taking San Wa and little Su Cheng home.
The two lads were very ecstatic on the way. After all, being able to go on a trip so far to play was something to be delighted about.
When they got home, little Su Cheng was drowsy. In the end, he was still little. Lin Qing He carried him in to sleep. San Wa also went to nap with him for a while. In a bit, they'll wake up for lunch.
Lin Qing He put out a bottle of oil, while the rest was kept in the room. That way, Mother Zhou doesn't know how much she bought and what she bought. This is why Mother Zhou never said anything when Lin Qing He occasionally took something out.
Lin Qing He divided the two jins of pork belly she got from Sister Mei for two meals.
One jin today, one jin tomorrow.
Lunch was stewed pork and starch noodles and braised pork and cucumber for dinner.
As for tomorrow, it will be the fried-til-crispy and salty pork belly and cucumber.
There was really no other way. It wasn't easy to get some pork belly now. Lin Qing He had made a reservation with Sister Mei, to get more spare ribs for her next time.
The days passed quickly in Lin Qing He's work and home life.
It was the end of September in a blink of an eye. Lin Qing He had been teaching for almost a month and adapted quite well. Despite only teaching for a month, to those who never witnessed her teaching standard before will believe she's an experienced senior teacher.
And in the first monthly exam, the math scores of the four classes she taught were pretty good.
Five of them obtained full marks in math and the pass rate was also extremely high.
If there was an excellent teacher ranking, Lin Qing He might become number one. That's because the students in her class had a wonderful impression of her.
But at this time, there wasn't any teacher evaluation.
As soon as the horn of the autumn harvest sounded, the school started the half-day system.
However, because it was a half-day system, both the salary and the work points were halved.
Lin Qing He felt very glum. The paid vacation from later generations was much better.
Although half was deducted, there will be some food subsidies when the time comes. There wasn't much for each person, about a few dozen jins. It was better than nothing.
The autumn harvest horn blew, Lin Qing He didn't feel anything. She had become accustomed to it. And before this, she had already saved a lot of chubby eel and loach. A perfect way to increase Zhou Qing Bai's diet.
Since she only taught in the morning, Lin Qing He would prepare the lunch and deliver it.
Lin Qing He stood apart from the people of this era. Everyone ate so they can fill their stomachs, while Lin Qing He wanted Zhou Qing Bai to enjoy the process of eating as well as filling his stomach.
This was the biggest difference.
However, Lin Qing He did restrain herself. For lunch, it was just filling the hunger. Still, there was a bowl of mung bean soup. (T/N: just curious, did any of you ever had green mung bean soup? Or want to try it? It had come up in this novel quite often)
In the morning and evening, she would cook a more hearty meal for him to eat.
"Teacher Lin, can I ride on your bike back later?" said Wang Ling, who also came to deliver the meal.
Lin Qing He swept a glance at her. She had a bad relationship with her in the past. After learning that she had an improper relationship with her brother-in-law in private, she distanced herself away even more.
She never expected this person to have such a big face and still had the gut to come up.
"Can you afford to sit on my bike?" Lin Qing He glanced at her. Her rudeness was to the max when she said it. What's more, she wasn't afraid of offending people.
Sure enough, Wang Ling curled her lips at this. She said, "As a teacher of the community's junior high school, Teacher Lin has no sense of unity and friendship at all."
"Unity and friendliness for a person who often speaks badly about yourself. I don't know if there's a hole in your brain." Lin Qing He threw back.
Other fellow women had heard this. Some couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Since Lin Qing He became a teacher, people in and out of the village had made up a 10,000 words reason on their own for why she won't work in the field after she got married. Their impression of her was completely reversed.
But her treatment for Wang Ling was still the same.
Besides, Wang Ling had said quite a good amount of bad things about Teacher Lin. Everyone knew, so they didn't find anything wrong with Lin Qing He's words.
Lin Qing He paid no heed to others. After taking care of Zhou Qing Bai and the boys, she took the things home.
Wang Ling stuck to Second Sister-in-law to talk bad about Lin Qing He. However, Second Sister-in-law was very tired. She didn't have any free time. What's more, she thought it through now. She can't beat Fourth's wife in this life, so why make a fool of herself?
Lin Qing He, who returned home, started cleaning the pigsty and chicken pen. Then she prepared dinner. She can't be bothered with that Wang Ling. Heaven would take care of her one day.
Prev ChapterNext ChapterReport chapterChapter 176. Get a son
Zhou Qing Bai got one hell of luck this autumn harvest.
Only a few days into the autumn harvest, Zhou Qing Bai had already caught a big fat wild rabbit.
This wild rabbit of a good few jins made everyone in the production team envious.
In the past two or three years, Zhou Qing Bai was able to catch a rabbit in every autumn harvest. Have to say, he got quite a capability.
Some people on other teams had caught rabbits, but to be honest, it was never like Zhou Qing Bai, catching one every year.
The plump rabbit was carried home and handled by Zhou Qing Bai.
Then Lin Qing He received it and stewed it.
This year's rabbit was pretty big. It was braised rabbit meat stewed together with potatoes. The aroma can make the people, who wanted to catch a sniff in a corner, devour two more bowls of rice.
However, Zhou Qing Bai's luck this year was better than in previous years. Halfway through the autumn harvest, Zhou Qing Bai caught another one. This one was also particularly chubby.
Forget the one before, this was a must-keep for the family.
For this one, Lin Qing He stewed it with potatoes, and then gave a bowl to Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, and Third Sister-in-law's family.
Of course, the majority of it consisted of potatoes. There was definitely not much rabbit meat, only a few pieces. Still, there was a lot of soup, which was very tasty to eat with the main.
The relationship between Second Sister-in-law and Lin Qing He was so-so. However, Lin Qing He had a good impression of Second Brother.
So even if she didn't want to give it to Second Sister-in-law, she sent a share over with Second Brother in mind. Also, it was nothing. Just a bowl of it. Most of it was potatoes. Rabbit meat was five or six pieces max.
Even the potatoes only were extremely delicious. They are slick and oily. Completely soaked in the rabbit meat flavor, which was especially great for opening up the appetite.
"Why did Fourth Aunt bring this little? They got such a huge rabbit and our family only receive such a few pieces of meat." Said Zhou Liu Ni uttered.
Zhou San Ni reprimanded her: "Fourth Aunt was willing to give it and you still show disdain? First Aunt's and Third Aunt also got them, so how much can one be divided?"
"It's not like I'm eating your food, so why are you being so restless." Zhou Liu Ni wittingly retorted.
"If you find it too little, then don't eat it. Just give it to me." Zhou Xia said.
"Don't think about it!" Zhou Liu Ni immediately gobbled her share.
Second Sister-in-law just watched. She did not touch this dish, just remained silent.
As for Second Brother, he wasted no time at all. He gobbled it down like a hungry wolf. After working for the whole day and only had pancakes at noon, he was so hungry that his stomach was protesting a long time ago. How could he be bothered to care about anything else?
After finishing, Second Brother exhaled. He sentimentally remarked: "This rabbit meat is really delicious."
"Father, why didn't you catch a rabbit back like Fourth Uncle." Zhou Xia asked his father.
"You think rabbits are so easy to catch." Second Brother replied.
With how speedy the rabbits are, only a trained man like old Fourth can catch one accurately. How can it be so easy for other people?
He had to say, this rabbit meat was really just excellent.
But there wasn't much, only a few pieces per family.
Eldest Brother and Third Brother had also chowed down. Although it was just a few pieces, no one would show disdain.
Eldest Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law went over to personally thank Lin Qing He.
Lin Qing He said it was nothing. She urged them to cook some mung bean soup for Eldest Brother and Third Brother.
Lin Qing He persisted to cook this mung bean soup once a day.
Not to mentioning how thick it was, a bowl of gentle flavor mung bean soup can always relieve the heat.
With this ferocious autumn weather, it was exceptionally tough on people.
"If we can catch two rabbits like this autumn harvest in the future, we can keep our chickens to lay eggs to eat." Lin Qing He laughed.
Initially, she planned to kill a chicken this autumn and came into agreement with Mother Zhou. This had Mother Zhou's heart bleed.
Mother Zhou really felt distressed. Since the hen can lay eggs so often, why kill it?
Lin Qing He wanted to kill it to nourish Zhou Qing Bai's body, so she had nothing to say.
But now there was no need to kill it. With these two rabbits, he won't get undernourish.
Zhou Qing Bai answered: "I will keep an eye out."
Lin Qing He smiled and let him be.
Rabbits were certainly hard to catch. Although there were rabbits popping up in the following days of the autumn harvest, none were captured.
Third Sister-in-law Lin went into labor during the autumn harvest in October. This fourth child was finally a son.
When Lin Qing He visited, she not only brought two pig trotters and half a jin of pork, but also ten eggs and two cloth coupons.
"When this year's autumn harvest is over, get my brother to grab some cloth from the city and make new clothes for my nieces." Lin Qinghe said.
Since becoming a teacher, she was also issued cloths and food coupons. It can be said this benefit was really top-notch. No wonder those educated youths targeted this position.
"Third Sister, you brought too many things over," remarked Third Sister-in-law Lin.
"How is it too many? I will stew the trotters for you. The cooking length should be about enough when I leave. Trotters stewed with peanuts are perfect for you to eat right now." Lin Qing He said.
Third Sister-in-law Lin didn't need her to come over to assist in the postnatal confinement because her third brother's eldest daughter was already seven years old.
A seven-year-old girl from the country was already familiar with the stove and can also handle everything in and out of the house.
So Lin Qing He brought the things over and stewed the trotters and peanuts. The rest was left for them to handle. She had no intention of getting too involved.
In this era, the things she brought over were really a lot.
After chatting with Third Sister-in-law Lin for a while, Lin Qing He didn't stay much longer. She instructed her niece that the pig's trotter and peanut were almost done and went back.
When Lin Qing He came over, Third Brother Lin was not there. He only heard that his sister had come when he returned in the evening. What's more, she also brought so many things.
"Third Sister is eating with her mother-in-law now, will it be bad to bring so many things?" Third Sister-in-law Lin mentioned.
"It's okay. My sister is a teacher now. She got earnings." Third Brother Lin assured. Then he continued, "Once I'm free, I'll see if there are any pheasants. If there are, I will bring them to my sister?"
"That's only right. We can't make it difficult for Third Sister," responded Third Sister-in-law Lin.
She was naturally grateful that Lin Qinghe, the third sister, was able to bring so many things to her for her postnatal confinement.
She really wanted to keep this relative and Third Sister will be happy to help in the future.
So, naturally, they can't always let Third Sister be the one to gift something. If they obtained good things at home and send it over, even if it's not much, it's the thought that counts, right?
"By the way, Third Sister asked you not to buy more food this year. Just wheat, 30 jins is enough." Third Sister-in-law Lin said.
"Okay." Third Brother Lin agreed.
Prev ChapterNext ChapterReport chapterChapter 177. Becoming colder
Lin Qing He intended to keep 30 jins of wheat for her own family use.
As for this year, she didn't plan to ask Third Brother Lin to help collect grain. This year, she obtained an official job position and the people from old Lin's family were watching her.
So Lin Qing He had plans of getting Third Brother Lin to collect more. She could just get some more on her side. As for having Third Brother Lin to send some wheat, it was also to block Mother Zhou's mouth.
When the time comes, she'll just say it was her brother's gift.
This year's autumn harvest was really exhausting. After over 40 days of autumn harvest, Zhou Qing Bai became a shade tanner.
Father Zhou was also drained.
After all, he was getting older and his body was less able than the year before. He can't be the same as when he was young.
Besides, Father Zhou used to earn ten work points, but now he only reached eight work points.
No one said anything about this elderly man.
As for Mother Zhou. She hadn't gone to the field now. However, she will participate in matters like rubbing corn.
She would also bring San Wa and the rest over. They will be given work points after rubbing.
As for little Su Xun. When Lin Qing He was home in the afternoon, she would take care of him.
Like his elder brother, little Su Xun was also very easy to babysit. As long as he was full and his diaper was changed, nothing will crop up for a while. Leaving by himself, he can still play so merrily. Not long after playing, he would fall asleep.
On the last day of the autumn harvest, everyone was exhaled in relief when they finished.
The next step was to start drying grains in large quantities and then hand in the public rations.
During this period, the sun-drying area was never empty. Like the previous years, this year was also a good harvest. So the women in the village talked about finding some time to buy fabric back from the city to make two sets of clothes for their family.
Second Sister-in-law probably wanted to fix the relationship with Lin Qing He. When she ran into Lin Qing He, she asked her if she was going to buy cloth this year. If she(LFZ) was, she(Sec) can bring it back together.
Seeing that she was willing to converse with her, she replied, saying no need.
There was still a bit of cloth left at home this year. What's more, there was really no need to make any clothes at home, except for a new underclothes for Er Wa.
That's right, she needed to make another pair of panties for him and Da Wa.
No need for San Wa. He can just go commando.
That day, Lin Qing He got home from school, she also brought back a sack of grain.
This was the subsidy given to teachers for this autumn harvest, 30 jins of corn kernels per person.
Got to admit, how can one not want it when the food is free? It's just a pity that this month's salary and work points were halved.
After paying the public rations, the village hurriedly distributed the grains.
Every household can pick a lot of food for their own family. People nowadays were really afraid of hunger. They didn't have egalitarian meals like they did in the '50s. Who didn't want their own homes to have more food?
Her family had borrowed the cart from Zhou Dong and Zhou Xi again to transport them back.
This year, they got additional work points because of Lin Qing He. They were given more shares, but even so, Lin Qing He still bought a lot of food for herself.
Then she also complained to the production team about the children getting bigger day by day. They can really eat their family poor.
Due to her current improved reputation, she had to explain a bit.
Someone suggested to eat a little less at each meal.
Lin Qing He responded: "The children are currently developing, they can't eat less. Got to eat 90% full. If they starve now, what to do if they don't grow tall in the future?"
So they still need to eat more.
So Lin Qing He brought back a lot of grains such as wheat, corn kernels, and sweet potatoes for the family.
Then someone saw it when her transporting them to the city. Lin Qing He stated that the grains were sent to sister-in-law to eat. Who would doubt this?
Everyone knew Lin Qing He and Zhou Xiao Mei had a good relationship. Zhou Xiao Mei was married to the city, and the two children were still here for care.
Lin Qing He wasn't home when Third Brother Lin delivered the 30 jins of wheat. Zhou Qing Bai was at home to receive it.
Hearing that his wife allowed him to collect it, Zhou Qing Bai didn't refuse.
"Brother-in-law, this is one hundred yuan. I borrowed it from my sister. Take it." Third Brother Lin also took out one hundred yuan.
The scattered change added up to one hundred dollars.
Before when Third Brother Lin built a house, Lin Qing He lent it to him. The one hundred yuan wasn't actually used up. Because he built such a small brick house, it didn't require that much money. On top of that, he obtained some money when his family separated out.
Adding the savings he meticulously gained by being frugal in the past two years, the entire net worth of Third Brother Lin was here.
Since Third Brother Lin was allocated a lot of food this year, which was sufficient to feed the family, he brought the money.
"Next time you come over and tell your sister. I don't get involved in your sister's affairs." Zhou Qing Bai said.
He won't accept the money on behalf of his wife. He let his wife decide on her own whether to accept it or not.
Third Brother Lin understood his brother-in-law's character, so he didn't persist. After the winter wheat was planted, he brought the money over again with a pheasant.
Lin Qing He was at home this time.
She has already sold all of her grains. This year she has made a big profit. She had made a hundred yuan after reselling.
"How can it take one hundred yuan? I didn't give you the money for collecting grain before." Lin Qing He said and returned half of the one hundred dollars.
"Sister..." Third Brother Lin cried out.
"THat's enough. Take this money back. I gave your wife two cloth coupons. This year, you also made a gain. Go make a new outfit for your eldest daughter and second daughter." Lin Qing He urged.
Lin Qing He kept the pheasant. When Third Brother Lin departs, she gave him a pack of red dates, about a jin worth.
"The pigs are getting slaughtered in these two days, so I won't give you meat. Take this pack of red dates back and let the mother and daughters snack on them." Lin Qing He said.
Third Brother Lin surrendered. Every time he came over, his sister wanted to give him something.
After he went back, Lin Qing He began to boil the water and remove the feathers.
"Huh, where did the pheasant come from?" Mother Zhou asked when she came over with Su Xun.
"My brother brought it. Last time my sister-in-law was in postnatal confinement, I took some things over. I believed he long wanted to give me a pheasant. Never thought of feeding his family with this and brought it over." Lin Qing He explained. .
Mother Zhou naturally wouldn't criticize. Third Brother-in-law from old Lin family was indeed different from the rest. They can stay in touch with him.
Half of this pheasant was fried by Lin Qing He. The remaining half was stewed in soup.
With so many people in a family, one pheasant will naturally not last long. It was demolished in one day.
Now that the winter wheat was planted, the weather was really getting colder. Just in case that the rain and snow might arrive too fast, Zhou Qing Bai had ridden out early in the morning to gather firewood.
Prev ChapterNext ChapterReport chapterChapter 178. Adultery
The one he rode was the bicycle left by Zhou Xiao Mei when she got married. At that time, when Su Da Lin gifted the four major household gifts, Mother Zhou only kept this bicycle.
It had always been at old Zhou's side. Whichever Brother needed to use it, they can take it.
Zhou Qing Bai used it this time. Lin Qing He needed the family's bicycle to go to work.
But on the day of the pork distribution, Lin Qing He directly asked for a leave. Wasn't there still Chen Shan who can substitute. Can't let him get his salary just by sitting there.
With Chen Shan as the substitute. Lin Qing He can get two days of leave every month. She had never asked for leave before, so asking for one day wasn't a big issue.
As expected, it went without saying that the pork allocation was like the previous years. Lin Qing He's family was distributed a lot this year.
This year, Lin Qing He asked for an extra portion of pig blood due to her teaching position.
Having a bit of pig blood can also occasionally wash the chalk dust in the lungs.
As for the rest, Lin Qing He brought them back with her three sons, as well as Mother Zhou and Zhou Xiao Mei's boys.
Little Su Cheng was excited: "Eat meat, eat meat."
"Pig intestines fried with pickles are incredibly tasty." San Wa nodded.
Little Su Cheng's drool was about to flow out.
Da Wa and Er Wa were also delighted. The two brothers didn't need to study today. The production team's primary school get a day off since the production team were slaughtering pigs today
Mentioning this, it was extremely lax.
Like usual, Lin Qing He and Mother Zhou started to sort them out as soon as they got home.
The pig's large intestines and pork belly were handed over to Mother Zhou for processing. While Lin Qing He immediately began to cut the fat and extract the oil.
The oil at home was depleted quite fiercely. The two bottles she bought last time were all used up. The spare bottle that was taken out of the space was almost used.
So this time, she obtained a lot of fatty meat. She was able to boil two jars of white lard for use.
After a while, it'll be the New Year period and there will be more.
After the oil was extracted, the oil residue was taken out. A bowl was scooped for the boys, while the rest were reserved for cooking. The fried cabbage and chinese cabbage that was stir-fried with this was very aromatic and sweet.
The bowl of oil residue was shared between the kids. They all had a mouthful of oil and glittery satisfied eyes. This included little Su Cheng too.
The brothers, little Su Cheng and little Su Xun, were well-raised here. Lin Qing He didn't find them chubby. However, under the current social aesthetic point of view, anyone with eyes can see Lin Qing He had treated the two brothers very well.
Besides, Teacher Lin's character was very upright. One was one, two was two. She would never mistreat her sister-in-law's children in the shadow.
After dividing the meat this year, they will eat fried pork intestines with pickled veg.
As for the pork stomach, it had been stewed by Lin Qing He. This was set aside for the evening.
When Zhou Qing Bai came back at noon, there was still a bowl of pork intestine and pickled veg left. She left it for him as everyone else had eaten already.
"Will you still go tomorrow?" Lin Qing He asked.
Though the mantou wasn't hot anymore, it wasn't cold either. She kept it warm in the used pot.
"Still need to go for a few more days." Zhou Qing Bai replied.
They did receive a lot of things that can be burned. But still, their family consumed a lot of burning material.
People wash their feet only once every three to five days. At Lin Qing He's side, they basically have to wash their feet every day. What's more, it was with ginger water.
And this was just the children. Just herself, she had to boil water and scrub herself every other day. She also requested Zhou Qing Bai to wash up. She loved to be very clean, so how can it not consume firewood?
But Zhou Qing Bai had no objection to this. His wife had informed him that if they don't clean up before doing it, it'll be easy to get sick. She had asked the hospital doctor.
In order to be close to his wife in winter, it went without saying that Zhou Qing Bai started to prepare firewood at this time.
He went out early in the morning after eating and only came back now. Zhou Qing Bai was starving.
Four mantou accompanied by this dish was all gobbled up by him.
"Go and rest." Lin Qing He tidied up. She also planned to lie down for a while and then go to work later.
Zhou Qing Bai went to spread out the few bundles of firewood to dry and then went to rest.
Because of the meat distribution, the food for the next few days was naturally great.
Pig head, braised pork, and so on were all made in different ways.
So when Su Da Lin and Zhou Xiao Mei came back on their day off, they noticed Little Su Cheng gotten chubbier.
Zhou Xiao Mei tried to lift her son but couldn't, so she let his father carry him.
On the other hand, Su Da Lin held his son without letting go. When he saw how well-fed his son was, the smile on his face never disappeared.
"What did you eat?" Zhou Xiao Mei chatted.
"Eat meat." Little Su Cheng answered.
"My little brother likes to eat fatty meat. A big chunk of fat. In a meal, he gobbled up a lot. So he got fat." San Wa said.
"Did San Wa eat a lot too?" Zhou Xiao Mei grinned.
"I have." San Wa nodded: "Aunt, you bought us sweets again."
Zhou Xiao Mei brought back a package of milk candy. On top of that, two jins of eggs. Originally, there were about five jins. They were sent to Third Sister-in-law's side. Two of them were also delivered to there. Little Su Xun had to drink milk. (T/N: judging by the collective noun, them probably should be fish. Will never know since the author accidently left out a word.)
However, they also supplied food at this side. They brought back ten jins of white flour.
"Cheng Cheng's small mouthful don't need you two to bring so much food and supplies." Lin Qing He said.
"I know this kid. He's not big but still got a big appetite. To nurture to this degree, he must have eated a lot." Zhou Xiao Mei smiled. Then she asked about Fourth Sister-in-law's teaching matter. "I didn't know Fourth Sister-in-law studied so much in private that the educated youths can't beat you."
Lin Qing He coughed dryly. On this matter, the more she said, the more mistakes she made, so Lin Qing He didn't intend to say more. She just dismissed it with a few vague sentences.
Until now, Zhou Qing Bai hadn't asked her specifically.
After all, living under the same roof, he knew exactly when she started to study. As for studying before she came over? Never happened.
Su Da Lin and Zhou Xiao Mei arrived early in the morning. They couldn't spend the night and had to go back in the evening.
They went back after dinner there.
Little Su Cheng didn't display any reluctantness as he was very happy to live there. He just requested his parents to definitely bring him candy when they have free time.
Little Su Xun, the youngest son, was also well raised. He still mainly had milk from Third Sister-in-law.
As his appetite grew, Third Sister-in-law didn't have sufficient supply.
Third Brother would go fishing from time to time. If Zhou Dong brought fish and shrimps over, Lin Qing He would also send some to Third Sister-in-law. If not, there won't be enough now.
The kids' food(breastmilk) absolutely couldn't compare to those women in later generations because the difference in food was really big.
Su Da Lin and Zhou Xiao Mei went back the same day the came. Zhou Qing Bai had saved enough firewood for the family after ten consecutive days of gathering.
And when he didn't plan to get more firewood, it started to snow late that night.
And the next day, the matter of Wang Ling and her brother-in-law committing adultery spread throughout the Zhoujia village.
Prev ChapterNext ChapterReport chapterChapter 179. Classified as borrowing
Lin Qing He had the least grasp of the gossip in the village. She had no sources of information at all and seldom interacted with the villagers.
It was when she was leaving home to head to the school, she heard Huang Family's eldest daughter-in-law from next door talk about.
What's more, it was because Huang Da's wife came back with a perplexing face, Lin Qing He casually asked if there was any new news?
Then Huang Da's wife whispered the matter to her.
Only then Lin Qing He knew.
"You don't know, old Ma's family fought half of the night last night. I heard that Third Ma's youngest son isn't his, but rather Fourth Ma's." Huang Da's wife informed in a hushed tone.
Despite being shocked, Lin Qing He didn't find it difficult to accept.
She and Zhou Qing Bai had witnessed Wang Ling and Fourth Ma's affair long ago.
It's just that she hadn't exposed it. After all, her boys were still young. Since they'll bump into each other often in this area, she must leave an exit for others. Otherwise, what should she do if the dog gets forced to jump over the wall?
Therefore Lin Qing He never mentioned it.
And according to the pair's behavior, who knew when they started the affair.
Wang Ling had given birth to four daughters in a row. It was until the fifth one, she got a son.
Also, there was no real hatred between Lin Qing He and Wang Ling. A large part of it was due to Wang Ling being jealous that Lin Qing He lived better than her.
Because Lin Qing He had all sons for three in a row, while Wang Ling had daughters for four in a row. She often got scolded by her mother-in-law for not being good at laying eggs.
But once the fifth one was a son, she gained a firm foothold in the village ever since.
Lin Qing He was in a hurry to go to class, so she didn't have much time to inquire much. She purposefully headed ran over to ask Eldest Sister-in-law when she got off work at noon.
As expected, Eldest Sister-in-law knew about it.
If talking about how Wang Ling and her brother-in-law's matter got witnessed, then got to blame last night.
Didn't it snow last night? Nobody knew Wang Ling snuck into Fourth Ma's room without anyone knowing in the middle of the night.
It was Wang Ling's second sister-in-law who encountered the scene. She happened to get up in the middle of the night to relieve herself. She never thought that she would run into such a thing?
So shocked, she instantly went to find Second Ma.
The relationship between Second Ma and Third Ma had not been harmonious. They counted as brothers who fought the worst.
The blood-related brothers here often fought and some fought particularly fiercely. For example, Second Ma and Third Ma. They were similar to enemies.
When Second Ma encountered such a matter, how could Second Ma leave it like this?
He simply entered forcefully with a flashlight. It was said that he caught the naked buttocks of Fourth Ma and Wang Ling.
The entire old Ma family was shaken.
It went without saying, Third Ma got into a tussle with Fourth Ma. Second Ma just stood at the side, fanning the flames. He said that Third Ma's youngest son wasn't Third Ma and it was mostly Fourth Ma's.
They never thought much before because they were all brothers. Now they knew. It wasn't because they were brothers. This was clearly Fourth's Ma's seed ah.
The relationship between Second Ma's wife and Wang Ling was also terrible. She spouted that she could not give birth to a son with Third Ma, so she ran to borrow from Fourth Ma and forcefully get a son.
The entire old Ma's house had been chaotic all last night.
"Then how did they handle it now?" Lin Qing He was stunned.
With such a big family crowded together these days, it goes without saying there will be friction, right? But to expose the family's ugliness like they can't wait to let all surrounding areas know, how deep was the hatred?
"I don't know how they dealt with it. Third Ma is now wondering whether his son is his or Fourth's Ma." Eldest Sister-in-law replied.
"And Wang Ling?" Lin Qing He asked.
Eldest Sister-in-law said: "She got picked up by her old Wang Family. She was beaten badly by Second Ma last night."
At this time, Second Sister-in-law came out of her room. Lin Qing He raised her eyebrows and said: "The weather is pretty cold now. Everyone just finished with the autumn harvest and is worried about nothing to pass the time. Never thought this would occur in the old Wang Family. Second Sister-in-law, did you heard about it?"
Second Sister-in-law displayed a touch of awkwardness across her face. Then she stated decisively: "I have cut off contact with Wang Ling."
"It's good to cut off contact, otherwise your reputation will get stinky." Lin Qing He emotionlessly said.
Second Sister-in-law didn't say anything and went in to prepare the meal after washing the grain.
Lin Qing He ignored her and turned to Eldest Sister-in-law: "I was issued a few cloth coupons this year, but my family doesn't have any use of them for now. Eldest Sister-in-law, do you want to exchange?"
Eldest Sister-in-law's eyes slightly brightened, said, "I want, I want."
Zhou Da Ni was seventeen after the New Year, so she wanted to make new clothes.
The two sisters-in-law discussed the exchange price. Lin Qing He went back afterward.
Eldest Sister-in-law got Zhou Da Ni to bring the money and exchange for the few cloth coupons.
Mother Zhou had gone out to chat with little Su Xun in her hold. When she got home, she didn't bring up Ma Family's affairs.
"On such cold weather, aren't you afraid of little Su Xun getting cold, Mother?." Lin Qing He said.
"It's fine. I wrapped him in a big cotton coat." Mother Zhou assured.
Little Su Xun was already asleep. Mother Zhou carried the little guy into the room and then came out to help peel the potatoes.
Lunch was stewed pork and potatoes with mantou. Lin Qing He also cooked a carrot soup.
In the afternoon, the snow fell quite hard. Everyone had the self-awareness to not go to school in this weather. Lin Qing He didn't have to go to school either.
On the kang, she told Zhou Qing Bai about old Ma Family's matter.
Such a big situation, Zhou Qing Bai naturally knew about it. He stated, "They'll separate the family after spring start."
"It's still distasteful even when they separate." Lin Qing He said.
It truly was distasteful, right? They had already committed adultery.
Zhou Qing Bai patted her on the back without speaking.
"Did anyone come here to catch them?" Lin Qing He asked.
At this time, they were quite strict about this kind of thing. If anyone dared to have an improper relationship between men and women, they will be pulled out for criticism.
"Old Ma Family suppressed it." Zhou Qing Bai replied.
"How do you suppress this kind of thing?" Lin Qing He frowned.
Zhou Qing Bai noticed that she wanted to know, so he went over old Ma Family's matter with her.
Old Ma Family resolved the matter on their own. They also released the announcement that Third Ma had a fever after his fourth daughter was born and became unable to do it.
But this branch can't go without a son, so old Ma elderly couple took the initiative to let Wang Ling go to borrow from unmarried Fourth Ma.
This incident wasn't stealing people. Both Ma elders knew about it. It was borrowing.
Lin Qing He found it disgusting.
This old Ma elderly couple actually make this up? It sounded so fake!
"This kind of matter isn't uncommon in the countryside," Zhou Qing Bai explained.
Because they can't give birth to a son, women will borrow from other men.
What's more, due to the countryside's desire and importance for a son, what Wang Ling did with Fourth really didn't count as adultery.
Prev ChapterNext ChapterReport chapterChapter 180. Out of ordinary perception
Lin Qing He had never heard of such a thing. It was simply broke her lower limit.
The incident had actually been suppressed like this. Although it was known throughout the ten miles radius, no one came to make an arrest.
What was there to arrest? In order to let Third Ma have a son, the elderly couple got Wang Ling to borrow from her brother-in-law.
But this incident had let Lin Qing He truly feel that some customs in the countryside were really outdated.
Toward this matter, everyone's tolerance was quite good.
So the countryside was more than just pure and simple.
Lin Qing He didn't pay any more attention to this matter.
The current her had to ride a bike to class every morning. It was chilling to the bone.
Without any notice, Zhou Qing Bai brought her a simple hand warmer from the county city.
As long as the hot water was poured in, this hot water bag can keep warm for a long time. When one holds it in their arms, it can warm them up.
Zhou Qing Bai didn't need to go to work now. He cycled Lin Qing He over every morning. Lin Qing He won't let him. There was no need for one more person to come out. However, he insisted to, so she let him be.
"Teacher Lin, your husband really loves you." Teacher Xu, who had a good relationship with Lin Qing He, commented with a grin after Zhou Qing Bai departed.
Teacher Xu was the female teacher that was present when Lin Qing He suppressed the educated youth.
She was actually an educated youth. What's more, one with the oldest seniority. But now, she was married. She married a village cadre, which was quite good.
Lin Qing He smiled, "He's just idle with nothing to do."
She didn't say much on this topic, and said: "When will we have a vacation this year? The weather is too freezing. It's not easy for the children to come to study."
To come to the community, it would take the furthest village for more than two hours.
"In a while." Teacher Xu answered.
They had no choice in this cold weather. No one wanted to go out. But for the work points and the salary, they must come.
Despite having a coal stove in the classroom, it was still freezing cold. Lin Qing He examined a few students. Their faces were really blue from the cold.
The students, who did not go back home at noon, would eat hard pancakes or other things.
Lin Qing He couldn't stand it, so she boiled a pot of hot water. Then found that there was no cup.
Have to say, the children at this time were really suffering. The children of later generations can't imagine how difficult this period was.
Zhou Qing Bai came to pick her up at noon. Lin Qing He sat behind on the way home and said, "Is there an enamel cup in our house that we don't need?"
"Huh?" Zhou Qing Bai responded.
"I'll take it with me this afternoon, so my students can use," Lin Qing He explained.
"Okay." Zhou Qing Bai had no objection.
When Lin Qinghe came to class in the afternoon, she had brought the enamel cup with her. The hot water was drunk in turns. Truth to be told, a cup of warm water did improve everyone's complexion.
"Tomorrow, bring ginger from home. Everyone takes turns. Each person brings it once. It doesn't need to be much, just one piece. I will cut it for you to boil ginger water to drink." Lin Qing He told them.
Ginger was inexpensive. Every household had it.
The students agreed. Their gazes toward her were slightly shining.
When she came to the office, the second year's teacher asked Lin Qing He about this.
"There's no other way. The pancakes eaten by those children are similar to rocks. There's nothing else. But I can at least give them a sip." Lin Qing He said.
"What you say is right." Second year's Teacher Wang nodded.
"Don't know if the school still got any money. We can apply for benefits for the students?" The speaker was Chen Shan, who Lin Qing He disliked.
"What benefits?" Lin Qing He had a bad impression of Chen Shan, who tried to dig another's corner. Other teachers saw him in a god shade.
Including Teacher Xu and Teacher Wang.
"Schools can buy a few hot water bottles by themselves. One in each classroom and one cup in each classroom. That way the students can drink whenever they want." Chen Shan suggested.
"Teacher Chen talk about this so lightly. Is this something so easy to apply for?" Lin Qing He indifferently stated.
The method was good, but was a thermal bottle so easy to get at this time?
And one for each classroom. How many bottles do they need for the entire middle school?
"Then what to do?" It came to Chen Shan. He turned to Lin Qing He.
Lin Qing He ignored him and simply said to Teacher Xu and Teacher Wang: "How about asking the students to bring a bowl by themselves. Let the school boil some hot water. Whoever wants to drink, bring their bowl and pour it in. It's just a bowl. Not much trouble."
For those who can afford to go to junior high school, the conditions at home won't be too bad. What's more, they must the kind to dote their children. So it wasn't a big deal to bring a bowl to drink hot water.
The community's junior high school did not have a canteen yet. Only the county's high school did.
The students brought their own food to eat. However, in this weather, the school had to provide some hot water, otherwise, it would be impossible to eat.
Bringing a bowl here was more practical than Chen Shan's suggestion of having a thermal bottle in each classroom.
After discussing it, they brought this matter to the junior high school's principal. The principal didn't stop them and gave the go-ahead sign. Then the teachers were asked to make an announcement in every class.
"Teacher Lin's idea is good." Chen Shan encountered her on her own and praised with a smile.
Even though this person had hidden his true face, Lin Qing He had never talked nonsense with him.
"Teacher Chen should teach the students well. After all, this job is hard to come by." Lin Qing He blandly stated
"Teacher Lin's academic performance is so good, do you have any plans?" Chen Shan suddenly said.
Lin Qing He quietly observed him.
"Teacher Lin, the country is currently paying more and more attention to education. You have to continue to study hard. You may have more opportunities to serve the country in the future." Chen Shan lowered his voice and said.
Lin Qing He calmly looked at him. His eyes showed no signs of rebirth. Lin Qing He breathed out a sigh of relief within her mind and then said: "I don't understand what you are talking about. I am very satisfied with my current life."
She departed after saying this.
Lin Qing He knew very well what Chen Shan was talking about. As expected of the fellow who could become the first college student within the ten miles after the college entrance examination was restored. His perception was indeed out of ordinary.
He actually detected that education was apparently gaining more and more attention.
It should be the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers University that gave him the hint.
Lin Qing He didn't notice how hot Chen Shan's gaze at her back was.
He used to think that this was an ordinary rural woman. She just imitated the city folk everywhere, however she was neither fish nor fowl.
But don't know since when this woman seemed to be full of light.
When she goes out, no one will doubt it if they said she was a city folk. No matter whether if it was her speech, demeanor, or dress up, the average city girl can't compare to her.
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