Jiang Taohua Builds a House
Several young men on the shore wanted to jump in to save her, but their mothers grabbed them and held them back.
This educated youth Jian was lazy, gluttonous, and cunning. Men and women should avoid physical contact—what if she clung to them after being rescued? They certainly didn’t want a daughter-in-law like that.
The production team leader’s brows furrowed into a deep, three-lined shape. As the person in charge, he couldn’t just stand by and watch someone die in front of him.
He took a puff of his pipe and was about to order Er Lian to rescue her when a loud splash echoed in his ears.
“Oh my goodness, it’s educated youth Shen—he jumped in to save her!”
Shen Zhou, who had leaped into the water, wore an expression as if he were constipated.
He had no desire to save this brainless woman, but just moments ago, for some inexplicable reason, his body seemed to be controlled by an outside force. Against his will, he jumped into the river, swam to educated youth Jian’s side, and began pulling her toward the shore.
Jiang Taohua, standing on the shore, took in Shen Zhou’s expression with keen interest.
How intriguing.
Judging by his expression, he clearly had no intention of saving her, yet his body had jumped in anyway.
Could this be the plot forcing its way forward?
Must the male and female protagonists be together?
The male protagonist saves the female protagonist, who then becomes overwhelmingly grateful, and the two develop mutual affection.
System 001 was exasperated. The Host’s imagination was truly something else.
Shen Zhou, his face dark with anger, roughly threw Jian Mingyue onto the ground. The back of her head immediately swelled into a large bump.
What the hell was going on!
What did it matter to him whether this woman lived or died?
“Cough, cough!” Jian Mingyue slowly opened her eyes, feeling dizzy and disoriented, with a sharp pain throbbing at the back of her head.
A cold wind blew, making her shiver uncontrollably. Her face had turned pale from the chill.
“Achoo!” Jian Mingyue couldn’t hold back a sneeze.
“Production team leader, someone kicked me into the water just now.”
The production team leader looked impatient. “Jian Mingyue, don’t make baseless accusations. You say someone kicked you—then tell me, who was it?”
“Well…”
Jian Mingyue hesitated. She hadn’t seen anyone and couldn’t name a single suspect.
Remembering how Jian Mingyue had called him an idiot, the production team leader completely lost his patience.
“Jian Mingyue, you’re soaked through. Hurry back and change your clothes. Everyone’s busy here—don’t disturb us while we’re catching fish.”
[Ugh, this damn old man! I was pushed into the water, and he still thinks I’m causing trouble. I’ll drag you down from your position as production team leader sooner or later.]
Jian Mingyue thought her thoughts were secret, but little did she know the entire village was already aware of them.
In the eyes of the villagers, she was now a woman with a delicate appearance but a venomous heart—hypocritical, two-faced, and utterly fake.
…
Before the sky grew completely dark, all the fish in the river had been caught. Indeed, many hands make light work.
Together, they dragged the fish to the front of the production team’s headquarters, where the production team leader began distributing them.
This year’s fish ranged from six or seven pounds for the largest to two pounds for the smallest. They had harvested over two thousand pounds of fish today, totaling 327 fish of various sizes.
The village had 108 households in total. Each family received three fish, and the remaining three were given to the educated youths at the educated youth point.
Once the fish were distributed, everyone eagerly hurried home with their share.
A little over an hour later, the air above Grape Gully Production Team was filled with the rich, savory aroma of fish.
Today, every household was eating fish, and the educated youth point was no exception.
They placed the three fish in an iron pot and simmered them over low heat, then added cabbage. Just before serving, they sprinkled minced garlic and cilantro over the dish.
The educated youths stared with eyes gleaming green, like starving wolves that hadn’t eaten in ages.
As soon as the fish hit the table, everyone scrambled for it—the quick got theirs, the slow got none.
“Hiss-ha, hiss-ha!”
Eating too fast, the fish too hot, Chen Hong kept puffing out steam, her lips reddened from the heat.
In just a few minutes, the group devoured everything with whirlwind speed, leaving only a few bare fish skeletons on the table.
Jian Mingyue wiped her mouth, finally remembering to express gratitude.
She looked at Shen Zhou and said, “Educated Youth Shen, thank you for saving me.”
As soon as she spoke, Shen Zhou’s face darkened further. He had acted like his brain was waterlogged, diving in to save her for no reason—utter humiliation. Glowering, he pretended not to hear.
The educated youths in the yard wore varied expressions.
[Shen Zhou, you dog of a man! I’m your future wife, what’s your problem? I thank you and you pretend not to hear? Pah! Once I marry you, I’ll give you one, two, three, four, five, six—count ’em—six cuckold’s hats!]
Shen Zhou’s face turned livid with rage. He knew this woman was no good.
The male educated youths looked at Jian Mingyue with strange expressions.
Educated Youth Jian had quite the ambition. Whoever married her in the future would be in for bad luck—thinking about giving her husband green hats even before marriage!
They secretly felt relieved that Educated Youth Jian had nothing to do with them.
The next day, the production team leader brought village masons to the educated youth point to build houses. Jiang Taohua and the others were responsible for providing three meals a day for these helpers.
They specially bought pork, preparing pork with cabbage, tofu, and stewed vermicelli for the helping villagers every day.
With meat to eat, the villagers worked even harder.
The houses were finished two days ahead of schedule. With plenty of sun, they’d be ready to move into after two days of drying.
Inside were earthen kang beds and even a stove, usable for heating in winter and for cooking.
Jiang Taohua and the other three rode an ox cart to the scrap collection station, planning to furnish their new home.
They arrived just in time—a new batch of scrap had come in today, all made of rosewood.
The four picked out rosewood wardrobes, tables, writing desks, stools, and washbasin stands. They hired an ox cart for a few dimes to haul everything back.
Jiang Taohua effortlessly lifted a writing desk with one hand and carried it into the yard.
Seeing how easily she handled it, Bai Jinchuan wanted to try too.
He picked up a solid wood wardrobe. Whoa, this is way too heavy! But no—as a man, he couldn’t lose face at a critical moment.
Gritting his teeth, Bai Jinchuan carried the wardrobe into the house.
“What are you doing?!”
Jiang Taohua’s voice exploded beside Educated Youth Jian’s ear. She straightened up in panic, stepping on something underfoot—her attempt to hide it was far too obvious.
“N-nothing!” Educated Youth Jian stammered.
Jiang Taohua set down the writing desk, strode over to Jian Mingyue in a few steps, and shoved her aside.
A rusty pair of scissors, hidden under Jian Mingyue’s foot, lay exposed in plain sight before Jiang Taohua’s eyes.
System 001 was indignant.
“Host, there’s a village legend: if you bury scissors under the house of someone you hate most, that person will grow increasingly unlucky and eventually die a miserable death. Educated Youth Jian was trying to bury these scissors under your house to harm you.”
Jiang Taohua scrutinized Jian Mingyue from head to toe. What was the author thinking, making such an idiot the female protagonist? Truly, it was like an old lady climbing stairs—you had to hand it to them.
Jian Mingyue felt uneasy under her gaze and forced herself to say, “What… what are you looking at?”
Jiang Taohua used her foot to hook out the scissors and kicked them toward Jian Mingyue’s feet, then suddenly grinned.
Jian Mingyue tensed up all over, like a bristling rooster, and shrieked sharply, “What are you laughing at?”
Jiang Taohua couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Jian Mingyue, has anyone ever told you that you embody two words when it comes to being moved by the scene?”
Jian Mingyue instinctively asked, “Which two?”
“Beast!!”