Li Juan & Gao Le: …………
So that's what it meant.
Song Wei, with the bandage on her forehead, was successfully reassigned to yesterday's work.
But today was unlucky; besides the gossipy old women from yesterday, there was another woman in the group who didn't look so good.
As soon as Song Wei arrived, she launched into a tirade.
"A young woman like you, competing with us old women for corn-husking work, isn't she ashamed? This city educated youth is always lazy, good for nothing, and has a foxy face that knows how to seduce people.
Every household needs to keep a close eye on their young men, lest they be seduced by those scoundrels. We rural families can't afford such precious young wives."
Her mouth went on and on, making the old women around her look a little awkward. After all, they had just sat together gossiping yesterday, and it wasn't appropriate to chime in now.
"Aunt Niu is right."
Everyone thought Song Wei would argue with Granny Niu as before, but unexpectedly, she smiled and agreed.
Then, without any hesitation, she sat down next to Granny Niu by the pile of corn and started working quickly.
Granny Niu thought Song Wei was afraid of her and was feeling smug when she heard Song Wei continue.
"But laziness isn't just a woman's problem; men can be lazy too. It's okay if a girl is a little lazy; she can find a hardworking husband and things will get better.
But if a man is lazy, that's no good. After all, he's the pillar of the family. If the pillar of the family is lazy, the whole family will collapse.
Ladies, if you have a girl of suitable age, you must be very careful. If you marry a lazy man, all the housework will fall on the woman's shoulders.
If you have a wicked mother-in-law, you'll be tormented by her. This isn't living a normal life; it's practically pushing your daughter into a fire pit."
Song Wei didn't mention which families had lazy men.
The other women's expressions also became subtle.
The son and grandson of Granny Niu were notoriously lazy.
The key was that not only were they lazy, but the man couldn't control his lustful desires either.
Everyone in the village knew Granny Niu's personality;
although Song Wei hadn't explicitly named anyone, everyone suspected Granny Niu's family.
Granny Niu's face changed, turning ashen.
"You shameless educated youth, who are you calling lazy? Who are you calling a wicked mother-in-law!"
Song Wei looked innocent: "Ah? Granny Niu, why are you angry? I wasn't talking about you. I was just expressing my feelings. There are lazy women, and there are lazy men too. I just think lazy men are more harmful. How can you just insult me like that?"
Granny Niu's fiery temper was not one to tolerate, and she lunged at Song Wei, brandishing her claws.
Song Wei pretended to be startled and dodged, kicking Granny Niu's knee with a corncob under her foot.
Old woman Niu lost her footing and fell directly onto the corn pile. The corn stalks rained down on her, and a scream rang out.
The corn was hard and painful, whether you were hit on it or not.
Despite her age, Old woman Niu was surprisingly healthy; after all, she was only in her forties.
It was just the harsh rural life that made her look like she was in her fifties or sixties.
Old woman Niu had a very loud voice, and Song Wei, feigning panic, joined the others to rescue her from the corn pile.
The brigade leader happened to be passing by and, hearing the commotion, walked over with a stern face.
"What have you done now? Don't you want your work points anymore?"
Old woman Niu clutched her back, twitching her leg. Her wrinkled face was still marred by corn kernels hitting her, and the back of her head had also been struck. Her hands were busy trying to relieve the pain from all the ache.
She groaned and cried out rhythmically, pointing at Song Wei and starting to shift all the blame onto her.
"Brigade leader, it's her! It's all because of this educated youth, Song, who pushed me into the corn pile! I got hit and now my whole body aches! I can't take it anymore! Brigade leader, you have to help this old woman! You have to make her pay for my medical treatment!"
The brigade leader looked at Song Wei with a headache; how could she have gotten into trouble so soon after returning from the hospital?
Song Wei continued innocently, "Captain, I didn't! It was clearly Aunt Niu who tried to hit me, but she lost her balance and fell. I was just afraid of being hit and moved away. How could I push her when I was so far away? Besides, everyone around saw it."
"I saw it too, Aunt Niu fell down on her own."
"Hahaha... she fell flat on her face, lying there like a toad, it's so funny."
"Ouch, ouch, my back, my face, my leg..."
The village's mischievous kids all came from their grandmothers. Threshing corn was an easy job, and they could help watch over the kids at home. They were all three or four years old, the kind of age where everyone hates them but also loves to imitate others.
They gathered together, not only laughing at Aunt Niu's fall, but also imitating her by covering her back and face and hopping on one leg.
Granny Niu's face contorted with rage: "Get out! Get out! A bunch of ill-mannered brats!"
"Granny Niu, what do you mean? My Er Gouzi is telling the truth. You were the one who lunged at me. I saw it clearly, Song Zhiqing didn't touch you with a single hair."
They hadn't spoken up for Song Wei before because they were from the same village, but Granny Niu's insults towards their children were unacceptable.
"That's right, Song Zhiqing didn't say anything. Why are you so impatient? You know your son and grandson are lazy, don't you?"
"Captain, I can vouch for you, Song Zhiqing didn't touch Granny Niu at all."
Granny Niu was furious: "Even if she didn't push me, I fell because of what she said. That little bitch deliberately said those things to provoke me, so she has to pay compensation."
Granny Niu wasn't one to suffer a loss easily.
The brigade leader, his face stern, demanded, "What did Song, the educated youth, say?"
This time, instead of having the older women speak for her, Song Wei herself, in a high-pitched voice, vividly recounted what Granny Niu had said after she arrived, as well as what she herself had said afterward.
Finally, she stood obediently beside the brigade leader.
"Uncle Brigade Leader, that's how it is. I didn't say anything about Granny Niu."
Her expression was as innocent as could be.
The brigade leader: ………
You didn't name names, but you practically plastered the words on Granny Niu's forehead!
But she hadn't actually pointed at Granny Niu's family and cursed them; Granny Niu had started it, and she hadn't even laid a finger on Granny Niu—it was all just her bad luck that she fell.
"That's it, let's not make a fuss anymore."
Granny Niu, still unconvinced, insisted that the brigade leader uphold justice.
"Fine, then tell me how I can get justice for you. Did Song Zhiqing even insult you before you rushed to admit your husband was lazy? Besides, you were the one who started it. You weren't paying attention and fell. Song Zhiqing didn't lay a finger on you. And you still want to pay compensation? What do you think our brigade is? A den of bandits?"