Chapter 117: Yun Jingjing, I Never Expected You to Be This Kind of Person

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Han Li was busy for quite some time before finally steaming all the dried meat until it was thoroughly cooked. He then hung it back in its original place.

The next day, he boiled water, practiced his punches, washed up, ate breakfast, and waited for Yun Yingying to come and call him to work.

The village was even busier than usual. People were sharpening sickles, mattocks, and plowshares; repairing and maintaining flatbed carts, wheelbarrows, and every other necessary tool; and cleaning the stone rollers.

None of that had anything to do with the educated youths, however. They still followed the crowd out to the fields to work.

While working that day, Han Li learned from the village women that the autumn harvest was the most important event of the year. Everything else had to give way to it. Even the children studying at the commune and county schools would be given leave to help with the harvest. Anyone who was still capable of moving would be assigned some kind of task.

One of the older women sighed as she recalled that, one year, snow had begun falling just as the autumn harvest started. All the crops were buried beneath the snow. The entire village had to cut soybeans, dig up sweet potatoes, and gather corn in the snow. By the time everything had finally been brought in, nearly all the elderly and children in the village had fallen ill. The others were so exhausted that it was as though they had lost half their lives. Many were left with chronic illnesses, and it took everyone a very long time to recover.

Another auntie reminded them that it would be best to find a whetstone and carry it with them in advance. Whether a sickle was sharp or not was extremely important. A dull sickle made the work both harder and slower, and beginners like them were especially likely to cut their own hands.

Although the warning was well-intentioned, it placed tremendous pressure on many of the newly arrived educated youths.

The atmosphere among the newcomers was rather heavy that day. Following the advice of the older educated youths, those who had ration coupons planned to buy a pair of gloves, while those without coupons began looking for scraps of cloth to sew themselves a thick pair.

Harvesting soybeans was different from other kinds of work. The stalks were covered with tiny thorns, and carelessly grabbing them could easily leave one's hands bleeding. If one was pricked too many times, one's working speed would be seriously affected. Not only would such a person fail to earn work points, but they might even have points deducted for holding everyone back. It was hardly unusual for someone to work an entire day and end up with a negative total.

After work that day, Jia Sisters, Hao Hongmin, and He Mi all began sewing gloves for themselves.

Unless one managed to buy the industrial protective gloves made by the steel mills, ordinary gloves were not nearly as durable as the ones they made themselves.

Yun Yingying offered to sew Han Li a pair, but he refused. Gloves were of no use to him.

After years of practicing boxing, Han Li's sensitivity to external forces had become astonishingly keen. Those tiny thorns could not possibly pierce his palms.

Still, there were certain things Yun's sisters needed to know. At the very least, it would give them some peace of mind.

“After we eat, I’m going out. I’m going to find that friend from last time and get some more meat.”

“Don’t we still have a piece of cured meat at home?” Yun Yingying asked.

“The autumn harvest will last a long time, and the work will be extremely strenuous. One piece of cured meat isn’t enough for the three of us. If I let you two eat poorly, then I’d be a complete failure as your man.”

“Han Li, you’re so good to me.”

“You’re my woman. Isn’t it only right that I treat you well?”

The atmosphere between them was growing increasingly intimate when Yun Jingjing, who had been cooking in the outer room, coughed once and pushed open the door.

“Han Li, I’m glad you think that way. It proves my sister chose the right man. But this matter does carry a certain amount of risk. Even if you can exchange for the meat, you still need to find a way to spread that risk around.”

“What do you mean?”

“No one is truly worth trusting, but Hao Hongmin and He Mi are on good terms with you. For now, they’re people we can rely on. It’s like what we did with the bathhouse: bring them into this, form an alliance of shared interests, and have everyone protect the secret together. That way, we won’t stand out too much.”

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“What if one of them betrays us and tells everyone?” Han Li asked.

Yun Jingjing replied confidently, “Even if someone does betray us, the proportion of witnesses still matters. You’ve helped He Mi and Qi Zhaodi before. From what I’ve observed, both of them are the kind of people who repay kindness. Otherwise, He Mi wouldn’t disregard gossip and keep bringing you vegetables and cooking for you, and Qi Zhaodi wouldn’t come help you wash clothes and do housework whenever she had time.

“Hao Hongmin seems cheerful on the surface, but I can see the weight on her heart. People like her dislike causing trouble, which actually makes them the most reliable. The only variable is Yang Xiuying, that bigmouth. But with Hao Hongmin keeping her in check, she generally won’t spread it around.

“Almost everyone in Shanghe Village goes into the mountains to set traps. Even if Yang Xiuying accidentally lets something slip and someone questions us, He Mi, Qi Zhaodi, and Hao Hongmin would all be witnesses in our favor. Over a trivial matter like this, the village Party branch would ensure the dispute died quietly within the village.”

Han Li stared at Yun Jingjing in a daze. She did not know that he and He Mi had exchanged saliva, or that Hao Hongmin had once handed him toilet paper, but there was no denying that her reasoning was nearly flawless.

At the same time, he felt immensely relieved that it had been Yun Yingying who had thrown herself at him back then. If it had been Yun Jingjing instead, how would he ever have found any other confidantes?

Han Li was still marveling when Yun Jingjing paused briefly and continued.

“This matter carries a little risk, but its benefits will gradually become apparent. We don’t know when we’ll be able to return to the cities, and we’re not exactly on good terms with the educated youth compound. In circumstances like these, many grains of sand make a tower, and repeated rumors can become accepted as truth. If everyone can keep this secret together, we’ll form the beginnings of a group.

“That group will gradually grow firm and dependable around you, making our lives much more comfortable during these uncertain days.”

At that moment, there was only one phrase in Han Li’s mind: damn it.

He also had a question. Was this the subtle influence a family had on its children? But Yun Jingjing had not finished astonishing him. She seemed to be waiting for him to digest what she had said. After a brief pause, she continued.

“With that in mind, we can forget about the older educated youths. They’ve all become too slick and worldly. But you said the newcomer Zhang Xiangjun was a decent fellow. I suggest using this opportunity to make contact with him. If he proves reliable, we can gradually accept him into our circle.

“After all, drops of water form rivers, and trees together make a forest. Without taking one small step at a time, no one can travel a thousand miles. It will be difficult for just the few of us to gain any influence in Shanghe Village, so gradually bringing in people we trust is important.”

A thousand—no, countless mythical beasts seemed to thunder through Han Li’s mind. He sat there in a complete stupor.

Was this the supportive power of a capable wife? No, wait. Was this even something a wage slave and shut-in like him ought to be thinking about?

Seeing his expression, Yun Yingying laughed and nudged him.

“I’ll go call them over. Before you leave, we can make a rough estimate of how much everyone wants. Later, you can contact Zhang Xiangjun separately.”

The two sisters left together, while Han Li remained in an extremely bewildered state.

At last, he slapped his own head several times and kept repeating to himself:

Impossible. Absolutely impossible. His ultimate goal was merely to wait for the college entrance examination to resume, build up some connections at school and at work, eliminate some of the troubles he might face in the future, and eventually become a carefree landlord living off his rental income.

What was his future brother-in-law-to-be trying to do? Was she trying to force him into a position he had never wanted?

Impossible. He absolutely would not allow all this miscellaneous nonsense to become entangled with him.

Unfortunately, before he could sort any of it out, Hao Hongmin and Yang Xiuying had already arrived.

After a great deal of loud fussing from Yang Xiuying, the two women stated how much they wanted to exchange and handed the money to Han Li.

Then He Mi came over. The first thing she did was hand him a fairly large pair of gloves. They were obviously meant for a man.

“I just finished making these. Keep them for the autumn harvest.”

Her tone was extremely flat. Perhaps it was only Han Li’s imagination, but he thought he saw a trace of sadness in her eyes.

Neither of them said much more. Han Li accepted the gloves, and He Mi told him how many pounds she wanted.

Han Li nodded, picked up his backpack basket, and left. He did not go to the educated youth compound to find Zhang Xiangjun, however.

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Instead, he walked straight out of the village. He sat down beside the river, lit a kiln of wood to make charcoal, and watched the stars overhead.

The air was fresh, and there was far less pollution than in the modern world. Combined with the crisp autumn weather, the night sky at that time was undeniably beautiful.

But Han Li’s mind was different from before. He was not completely absorbed by the splendid sky.

He waited until it was nearly time before carrying the basket back home.

By then, it was already filled with a great deal of cured meat. Only a few dogs remained at the house.

The Yun sisters, Hao Hongmin, and He Mi had already returned to their own homes to rest. The cured meat would have to wait until the next day to be distributed.

After a night’s rest, the tangled thoughts in Han Li’s mind had disappeared.

The next day, he once again went to work with Yun Yingying. Everything seemed unchanged.

The village was still making preparations for the autumn harvest. When work ended that morning, Han Li deliberately sought out Zhang Xiangjun.

He tactfully mentioned that a friend of his had some cured meat and asked whether Zhang Xiangjun wanted any. Han Li could handle the exchange for him.

Zhang Xiangjun immediately agreed. They settled on the time and quantity.

When Han Li returned home, Yun Yingying was still sewing gloves, while Yun Jingjing was cooking. Han Li walked over to her and asked, “Zhang Xiangjun is still living at the educated youth compound. Your suggestion may bring us a great deal of trouble.”

Yun Jingjing set down the fire poker and looked at him.

“So what? After the autumn harvest, educated youths from well-off families will spend the winter resting. Zhang Xiangjun can build a house of his own, which shows that his family conditions are fairly good. When else will you have a chance to sound him out?”

“Why do I need to sound him out?”

“Even if he can’t become an ally, shouldn’t we at least learn what kind of person he is as an ordinary friend? If he can’t even keep this small matter under control, then we’ll have no choice but to keep our distance from him in the future.”

Thanks to Lazy to Think of a Name for the 500-point tip.

Thanks to Southern Mountain God for the 100-point tip.

End of Chapter