Eighties Sweetheart Wife
Chapter 274: Is the Inspection Group Coming?

Chapter 274: Chapter 274: Is the Inspection Group Coming?

Song Yunuan thought that Gu Jin wouldn’t come, but to her surprise, he actually followed.

After taking a tour around the village, he even mentioned that this place somewhat resembled a utopia.

Erdao River Village today isn’t just a fleeting gust of wind; after passing, it returns to its former state.

Once Chu Zizhou tasted the sweetness of this utopia, he genuinely wanted to select it for the spiritually civilized village award, not just within the whole commune but also the entire county, and even the nation.

With such a lofty goal set, they couldn’t relax for a moment, and Chu Zizhou was determined to turn it into a habit for them.

Now, the villagers had a lot of faith in Chu Zizhou.

Not to mention, after the second hat-selling event, every household had some savings.

Soon, Chu Zizhou planned to bring back some coarse grains, and those families without food would surely be grateful to him.

Therefore, they carried out Chu Zizhou’s orders with unwavering determination.

Today, in Erdao River Village, every household was very clean, and some homes had front yards planted with colorful flowers that really looked like little gardens,

like the Song family’s place.

Although the village still had thatched houses, the spirit was different.

Naturally, this left many people feeling shocked and curious.

Today, Erdao River Village seemed to have a tour group visiting.

Those who had been out working in the fields gradually returned, carrying their hoes, along with two technical staff members from the county. Chu Zizhou warmly invited the two of them to have a meal at the production team’s headquarters.

The technical staff, seeing Kou County and Deputy County Mayor Zhao following a group that clearly included some big shots, felt nervous. Was Erdao River Village hosting an inspection group?

Being able to dine with them filled them with joy, but also some unease.

But Chu Zizhou was such an approachable person that they didn’t consider themselves outsiders and joined in the activities cheerfully.

Since there were many people today, Chu Zizhou didn’t let the Song family host alone.

Instead, he changed the venue to the production team’s canteen.

There was no shortage of food or drink, and several cooks had come as well.

Not everyone knew each other here originally, but by the afternoon, they all became acquainted.

Gu Huai’an was busy with matters and, as the production team’s building had many rooms, a temporary office was set up for him. Upon returning from the county, he got busy dealing with official work. Of course, before he got down to business, he called the base, which had several labs, one of which was on the edge of the base, perfectly suitable for Xia Xindong’s experiments.

Seeing his nephew too busy to pay attention to him, Gu Jin didn’t mind and silently went to look for Song Yunuan upon entering the village. Anyway, he needed to clear things up or else he’d be in trouble if his father asked him and he couldn’t give a clear answer.

Unfortunately, he didn’t even catch a glimpse of Song Yunuan.

Song Yunuan had run off to find Zhou Xiaohua.

She had just finalized arrangements with Kou County: Zhilan Garment Factory would have a counter on the second floor of the department store in the clothing, shoes, and hats section.

She also secured a bed in the staff dormitory, which was a special accommodation.

As for meals, they would be at the department store’s canteen, with Zhilan Garment Factory covering the meal tickets.

Of course, the salary had nothing to do with the department store.

But the treatment was on par with that of workers.

The terms were very good.

So Song Yunuan went to the Zhou family to find Zhou Xiaohua.

Before she even entered the yard, she heard the crying of Zhou Xiaohua. What was going on? Song Yunuan was taken aback for a moment and stood awkwardly with one foot inside the door and the other still outside.

Several people were standing in the courtyard.

Old Mrs. Zhou, Zhou Xiaohua’s aunt Zhou Xia, and Zhou Xiaohua’s parents were there.

Zhou Youfu, Zhou Xiaohua’s father and the eldest son of the Zhou family, was not tall, not good with words, and had a bad leg. Zhou Xiaohua’s mother, Liang Cui, looked very old, always keeping her head down because she felt ashamed for having given birth to six daughters.

Added to that, Old Mrs. Zhou had a bad temper, which also made life difficult for her at home.

Old Mrs. Zhou only had this one son.

It seemed that the hope of continuing the family lineage might not be realized.

She wore a sullen expression every day and found everyone disagreeable to her eyes.

As far as Song Yunuan knew, two of Zhou Xiaohua’s older sisters had been sent away without any news thereafter; nobody knew what had become of them.

Of the three remaining sisters, two were married, and the fifth was engaged, apparently about to wed soon.

Zhou Xiaohua was the youngest, the same age as Song Yunuan.

Zhou Xiaohua squatted on the ground crying, while Zhou Xia slapped her legs and cried out in grievance, "Big brother, have you forgotten how you got married? It was our mother who sold me to an idiot, and then you were able to get a wife. Mom, you ruined my life—shouldn’t you and my big brother compensate me?"

Old Mrs. Zhou’s face was grim, and she remained silent.

"Jinbao is about the same age as Xiaohua. Our two families becoming in-laws would be an added bonus, so why does everyone disagree?" Zhou Xia’s face twisted with ferocity as she said, "Big brother, you must agree to this even if you don’t want to. You owe me a lifetime of happiness. If it weren’t for getting you a wife and ensuring that Old Zhou’s family line continued, would I have married an idiot?"

She then jeered, "Always dreaming of having a son, but in the end, you gave birth to a string of six daughters. Mom, you sold your daughters just to get him a wife. And what’s the result? Where is your eldest grandson?"

She then turned to weeping Zhou Xiaohua and scolded, "Why are you crying? Isn’t it good to marry your cousin? I’ll be your mother-in-law, and I won’t mistreat you. Once you give birth to a grandson for me, I’ll treat you like a treasure."

The sons born to Zhou Xiaohua’s sisters were almost all boys, so no one mocked them for possibly taking after their mother.

Some people, when they get rained on and see someone else with an umbrella, would rather tear that umbrella to shreds than be left out in the rain.

Zhou Xia was probably one of those people.

At her words, Zhou Xiaohua felt a mix of shame, anger, and fear, stamping her feet as she cried out, "I won’t marry my cousin. I would rather die than agree."

Zhou Xia said viciously, "Then go die. Isn’t your fifth sister still there? If she cancels her marriage, I’ll just say that you all have been slept with by my Jinbao."

As these words were uttered, Zhou Xiaohua was so frightened she forgot to cry, while Zhou Xiaojuan stood aside, her face pale, casting hopeful glances at her parents in the courtyard.

She couldn’t marry Jinbao—he was not only an idiot but also violent and would beat people mercilessly.

She and her sister had suffered a lot because of him.

What should she do now?

Zhou Xiaojuan’s tears streamed down relentlessly.

Old Mrs. Zhou still kept silent.

Zhou Laifu moved his lips but ultimately said nothing, squatting there with his head in his hands in silence.

Eventually, Liang Cui raised her head, her voice trembling, "My sister-in-law, I know you’re bitter, but how could Jinbao possibly take a wife?"

Zhou Xia cried out, "Why not? If I could marry an idiot, why can’t your daughter marry my son? Liang Cui, you owe me this!"

Song Yunuan had actually heard about Zhou Xia’s situation from Zhou Xiaohua before. Her father’s marriage was difficult, and they were forced to break up Zhou Xia’s relationship with a young man from the neighboring village simply because that family was poor and couldn’t afford a hundred yuan as a betrothal gift.

Then, they accepted a hundred yuan from the idiot’s family as a betrothal gift, which allowed Zhou Laifu to marry Liang Cui.

But fate is cruel—the poor young man joined the army, did well for himself, and got promoted. After being discharged, he found work at a steel plant, and it was said he even became deputy plant manager. His family was later brought to live with him.