The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

The widow Qin's voice came through before she even arrived.

Upon entering, he was stunned to see the crowd of people in the courtyard.

Monkey used to come to her house alone, why are there so many people today?

"Widow Qin, what do you mean? What's wrong with those two soldiers coming to my house? My parents-in-law are still staying here."

Knowing that this widow had a sharp tongue, Bao Ya would definitely not let her off the hook.

"Your in-laws are still being all lovey-dovey with you right under their noses. Who would believe you two aren't doing anything?"

As Widow Qin spoke, she rolled her eyes. She could see it clearly; there was no way to fool her.

"Coming to my house means they're having an affair with me? They even stayed at Director Hou's house last night, does that mean they're having an affair with Director Hou too?"

Director Hou: ...

Many people saw Wang Xiao and Fang Mingda escorting the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law back. They were old comrades-in-arms with Director Song, and they had been drinking with him that night and stayed at his house.

"Widow Qin, stop stirring up trouble for no reason. Everyone knows you're a swindler. If I keep catching you in the act every night, I'll definitely send you to be paraded through the streets wearing a big hat."

The monkey was immediately unhappy when it heard that his mother had been involved.

"You...you can't bully people like this. You go to this little vixen's house every day, and then you turn around and blame her, throwing dirty water on her. Oh my, this is outrageous..."

As she spoke, Widow Qin was about to sit on the ground and throw a tantrum.

The monkey didn't react for a moment. How did this get involved? What did it have to do with him?

Zhang Kangmei, who was standing to the side, was displeased and pushed the monkey from behind:

"Why haven't you beaten her up yet? She's slandering you and Bao Ya for having an affair."

"What?! You damned old hag, how dare you frame me! I'll beat you to death!"

Monkey is a reckless and unruly person. He doesn't have any principle about not hitting women. Besides, this older woman can hardly be called a woman anymore.

The widow Qin, who was about to sit on the ground and throw a tantrum, straightened her bent legs immediately when she saw that the monkey was really going to beat her, and turned to run away.

Normally, if she ran away, everything would be fine, but today there was an even more troublesome Zhang Kangmei who blocked the gate of the courtyard early in the morning, preventing her from going out.

Unable to escape, Widow Qin could only hide behind others.

And so, she and the monkey began playing a game of cat and mouse in the yard, a game in which she could not escape.

Bao Ya was also angry at the sight of Widow Qin. She usually thought of her as a widow who was raising two children on her own.

She's always causing trouble for me; I'll teach her a lesson today.

Thinking this, Bao Ya walked up to the basin of pig intestines, picked up the large wooden basin, and shouted:

"Get out of my way!"

When they saw her carrying the basin over, everyone made way, leaving only Widow Qin in the middle of the courtyard.

Bao Ya seized the opportunity and splashed it over Bao Ya's head.

"what!"

The widow Qin, who had opened her mouth to shout, immediately shut her mouth upon sensing the foul odor.

"Jiang Yuan's wife, how dare you splash water on people like that? Look, you've gotten my clothes all dirty."

An old woman who had been caught in the crossfire was wiping the foul water off her arm and lashing out at Bao Ya.

"This is my house. Who let you in? Get out! Everyone keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't steal anything from my house."

The others had already fled outside the gate when the monkey was about to attack Widow Qin. After all, he was the factory director's precious son, and if they were accidentally injured, there would be no reason for them to complain.

That idiot is the only one left. She came to watch the show uninvited, and when the fight started, she didn't run away. She deserves to be splashed on.

The old woman looked around and saw that no one was around. She glared at Bao Ya and quickly ran outside.

Everyone made way for her when she came out, but she stopped at the door, took a prime spot, and continued to watch the excitement.

Widow Qin looked down at herself covered in pig intestines and foul-smelling water, unsure whether to cry or vomit.

After wiping the water off her face, she burst into tears.

"You guys, you're really bullying us! Wow!"

"I bullied you, so what? Go find someone to reason with if you dare."

Zhang Kangmei, with her chin raised, delivered another blow.

Wow~~~~

Seeing all the precious things belonging to the leaders in this courtyard, Widow Qin cried even harder, having nowhere to turn for justice.

"Alright, stop crying. Go home and wash up."

Director Hou said impatiently, "Among those who spread rumors, she's the most vicious. She deserves to be beaten."

"What are we going to do with our pig intestines? They're all ruined."

Ding Xiaopang was extremely depressed and said with a bitter face.

He had taken a bite last time and couldn't stop thinking about it. Today, he specially begged the monkey to bring him some pig intestines, but he ended up spilling them all over Widow Qin.

"Take them all down and wash them again. They'll need to be boiled in clean water later."

The monkey, however, was quite adept at the task. He directed everyone to pick up the pig intestines from the ground, and he even went over to take the ones hanging on Widow Qin's body.

Hearing that pig intestines were edible, everyone went back to their own business and ignored Widow Qin.

Widow Qin was waiting for Director Hou to say something, but Director Hou didn't even look at her before speaking to Bao Ya:

"Come in with me for a moment, I need to talk to you about something."

After saying that, he walked straight into the house. Bao Ya agreed and turned to the monkey, saying:

"Clean up what's on the ground, don't let the whole yard stink."

"Okay, I understand."

Then he followed them.

Director Hou paused when he heard Bao Ya's words. She was actually ordering her own son around, and the monkey was so obedient to him.

Is this still the same son she used to coax out of bed?

To Widow Qin, Director Hou's act of calling Bao Ya into the room was a clear indication that they were talking behind closed doors. It was obvious they were both hiding something.

Feeling she had grasped the key information, Widow Qin stopped crying, raised her chin, snorted, and swayed home. She'd have to find a chance to tell Jiang Yuan about it.

Director Hou went inside, found a seat, and without beating around the bush, got straight to the point with Bao Ya:

"Xiao Lin, I need your help with something. I think my son Yuanchao is receptive to what you say, so I'm thinking of having you persuade him to stop loitering around and find a proper job."

"Did he find a job?"

Actually, this question is unnecessary. How could the factory manager's child not be able to find a job?

Hearing her say that, Director Hou's expression became a little awkward, but he quickly recovered and continued:

"His father did find him a job, but I don't know who he heard it from, he wanted to go to the countryside, saying something about 'the vast countryside offers great opportunities,' and that he should go to impoverished areas to shine."

Old Song and I only have this one son. He's been in poor health since he was little, and I'm really afraid something might happen to him.

"Could you please help persuade him?"

Bao Ya understood; they didn't want their son to go to the countryside. But Monkey's adolescent delusions kicked in, and he wouldn't listen to a word his parents said.

That's easy. Just send him to the countryside to starve for a few days and do some farm work, and all his ailments will be cured.

Thinking of this, Bao Ya's eyes lit up. Why not take advantage of these free laborers? The summer harvest is almost here; she'll send these people back to the village to earn work points for her.

"Just talking about it won't do, I have a solution, but I don't know if you'd be willing to give it up, Director."