Jiang Yue only warned him: “If you want to live long, speak less and work more. Knowing too much won’t do you any good.”
Zheng Xiaoliu sensed a killing intent in these words, feeling a chill creeping up his neck.
It wasn’t until early morning that Zheng Xiaoliu returned.
He sneaked over to knock on Jiang Yue’s window, and the two began moving things.
Dawn was approaching, and villagers rose early. If anyone spotted them, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself even with a hundred mouths.
They had exchanged for quite a bit of cotton cloth, some eggs, and a few pounds of black pork—which was actually wild boar meat with a gamey smell that made it rather unpalatable.
Jiang Yue declined it. Her body was still weak, and she couldn’t stand the smell.
“Third Aunt, you don’t want the pork?”
“I don’t want wild boar meat. Keep an ear out for me—if any Commune is slaughtering pigs, use some connections to have them save some for us. Keep these cigarettes and liquor at home; they’ll come in handy. I want meat with both fat and lean, remember?”
Jiang Yue gave him a bottle of liquor and ten cigarettes. Any more would be risky—if discovered, he wouldn’t be able to explain it.
Zheng Xiaoliu nodded. “Understood. Here’s the money from the exchange—five yuan and sixty cents in total.”
Jiang Yue took the money and handed him the sixty cents. “This is for your hard work. Let’s keep things clear between us.”
Zheng Xiaoliu grinned from ear to ear. “Great! Following Third Aunt means meat to eat.”
After he left, Jiang Yue stored everything in her Space Supermarket.
She couldn’t eat much by herself anyway, and since she had rice, flour, and oil in her Space Supermarket, there was no need to exchange for supplies for now—unless it was for money.
But she wanted to wait on that. The current situation was unstable, and both supplies and money had to be handled discreetly, which was quite troublesome.
She entrusted the task of making small clothes to Lu Er Sao, paying her for the work.
Since the family hadn’t divided the household, they all ate from the same stove, making it impossible to separate expenses. Getting paid directly was the most practical solution.
What she didn’t expect was that the happiest person about Lu Er Sao getting paid was actually Lu Lao Er.
After observing for two days, Jiang Yue discovered that this Lu Lao Er of the Lu family was a gambler who went out every night.
Gambling and prostitution often went hand in hand.
Men and women crowded around gambling tables in small rooms, laughing, teasing, and roughhousing—a perfect recipe for trouble.
But that was none of her business, and she wouldn’t say a word about it.
The next morning, when all the Lu family members had left for work, Jiang Yue noticed the sunlight was nice in the yard, so she carried her child out to sit and bask in the sun.
The courtyard gate was half-open, and she noticed someone lurking suspiciously outside.
Holding her child, Jiang Yue suddenly walked over and pulled the gate open, startling the person outside.
“Who are you…?”
Standing there was a young woman in a clean white shirt and black straight-leg corduroy pants, her hair braided into a single plait draped over her shoulder, looking intellectual and elegant.
Jiang Yue searched her memory for this woman’s information.
Her name was Wu Jiahui, an Educated Youth in the village.
Many unmarried young men in the village fancied her, but in Jiang Yue’s view, she was quite the tea master—rejecting advances on one hand while batting her eyelashes on the other.
Then there were always men scrambling to do work for her or stand up for her.
Such a vivid memory surely had a reason.
Sure enough…
Wu Jiahui’s face was full of hesitation and uncertainty. “I… I have something to ask you.”
“But I don’t want to hear it!” In her previous life, Jiang Yue had hated brainless dramas the most—where even the obvious was played dumb by the female lead.
Her reaction completely caught Wu Jiahui off guard.
This wasn’t following the script!
“Do you have anything else? If not, I’m closing the gate.”
“Stop, I really have something to ask you.” Wu Jiahui reached out to hold the door open. “Do you really want to divorce Lu Jingzhou?”
Jiang Yue laughed, a radiant smile spreading across her face. “What does it have to do with you?”
Great, another charge to add to Lu Jingzhou’s list of offenses.
“No, I was just asking casually.”
“Sorry, I don’t want to answer casually. Why don’t you wait until Lu Jingzhou returns and ask him yourself?”
“What? He’s coming back?” Wu Jiahui grew excited, her eyes gleaming.
“Yes! He’s coming back to divorce me. Doesn’t that suit your wishes? Probably in the next few days. You can wait at the village entrance—you might run into him.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I don’t care what you meant. I’m just telling the truth.”
“Jiang Yue, please don’t misunderstand. I’m just concerned about you. Is this your newborn child?” She tried to lean in to look at the baby girl.
Jiang Yue shifted sideways, blocking her view. “My daughter is still young and doesn’t want to see strangers. Can you leave now?”
Wu Jiahui felt humiliated, inwardly cursing Jiang Yue for being ill-bred, rude, and utterly lacking in grace.
If Lu Jingzhou really became an officer in the army, how could someone like Jiang Yue—illiterate, crude, and impolite—be fit to be an officer’s wife? Besides, she hadn’t even borne a son. Her in-laws disliked her too. She was completely worthless!
On her way back, Wu Jiahui meticulously listed Jiang Yue’s flaws, growing more convinced that Jiang Yue was unworthy of Lu Jingzhou.
If—just if—Jiang Yue really divorced Lu Jingzhou, then his remarriage would be perfectly legal and proper. No one could gossip about it.
Could she then openly follow Lu Jingzhou as an army spouse? Could she escape her current hardships and live a comfortable life from then on?
She had missed her chance once before. She didn’t want to miss it again.
Yang Huaihua, having just finished gathering wild vegetables, was returning from outside the village with her basket when she noticed Wu Jiahui’s distracted state. “Jiahui! What’s wrong with you?” she called out loudly.
Startled and guilty, Wu Jiahui’s heart raced, though she feigned gentleness. “Huaihua, it’s you! I… I was just thinking about something.”
Yang Huaihua glanced in the direction she came from and immediately understood. “Have you also heard about Jiang Yue making a fuss about divorcing?”
“What? I… I haven’t…”
“Don’t hide it. Everyone in the village knows. Who told her to shout so loudly that day? She’s always talking about divorce—has she no shame?”
“Huaihua, don’t say that. Jiang Yue… must have her reasons.”
“Pah! What reasons? I think she’s just craving male company. With Third Brother Lu away, she can’t stay idle. Hmph! As if nobody knows! Just wait until Third Brother Lu returns—I’ll make sure to tell him everything.”
Instead of feeling pleased, Wu Jiahui grew alarmed. “Huaihua! Stop talking! Be careful—loose lips sink ships!”
In these times, gossip wasn’t something to spread lightly. A single misstep could lead to tragedy, dragging countless people into the mess.
Besides, she had her own guilty conscience to worry about!
“Why can’t I say it? If she dares to do it, why fear others talking?”
Yang Huaihua had inherited her mother’s coarse temperament, freely spewing vulgarities about feces, urine, and flatulence.
Her mother, when quarreling, would even charge into the outhouse, scoop up a ladle of night soil, and chase people to splash them.
Reasoning with such a person was impossible, and winning against her was out of the question.
In local terms, she was a real troublemaker.
So, even though Wu Jiahui detested her deep down, she didn’t dare offend her and always had to put on a polite front.
After all, Yang Huaihua wasn’t afraid of Jiang Yue—with her strength, she could still overpower Jiang Yue.
Wu Jiahui’s mind was tangled like a mess of hemp, unable to sort out her thoughts. Still, she couldn’t resist. After the midday meal, instead of heading to the fields, she lingered by the village entrance.