Starting as a Train Driver to Enter the Ministry
Chapter 9 - Payback is a Must!

Chapter 9: Payback is a Must!

Chen Shi had thick eyebrows, bright eyes, a tall nose bridge, and fair skin. He was even taller than Jia Dongxu!

What a shame his family was so poor.

And his temperament—anyone could tell he was lazy and unreliable. Marrying a loafer like him would only bring endless suffering.

Qin Huairu tugged at Shen Youchu’s sleeve. “Youchu, are you sure you want to marry him? He seems unreliable and jobless. What will you even eat after marriage?”

Shen Youchu replied softly, “I have hands and feet. I won’t starve.”

Qin Huairu didn’t expect Shen Youchu to be so stubborn. She fell silent but secretly thought, This silly girl is in for a world of suffering.

Both she and Shen Youchu came from Qin Village, both were marrying into the city, and both would live in the same courtyard. But their futures would be worlds apart.

Chen Shi watched Qin Huairu’s scheming gaze and smirked. She pities Shen Youchu now, but she doesn’t know Jia Dongxu is destined for an early grave.

She’ll be a widow soon.

Who’ll have the better life? That’s still up for debate.

“The bus is here!”

Now that Chen Shi had awakened his past-life memories, everything in this era fascinated him.

Like the bus before him—a U.S.-made T234 Dodge, shipped to Jinling after the war and converted into 100 passenger vehicles in 1947. After Jinling’s liberation in May 1949, 88 of these buses were transferred to the capital, along with 248 management, driving, and maintenance staff.

The Dodge was an iron-and-wood hybrid, eight meters long, seating 70 passengers. Its 95-horsepower, six-cylinder gasoline engine roared as the driver—seated on the right—manually slid open the double doors. The bus was painted light yellow on top and red below, fueled by Shanxi coal.

Chen Shi bought a ticket and boarded. The moment the bus started moving, he grimaced.

This thing has no suspension!

Every bump rattled his bones.

He’d taken this trip to spite Yi Zhonghai, but this was “winning the battle but losing the war.” I’m adding this to that old hypocrite’s tab!

Shen Youchu noticed his discomfort, her eyes glistening with worry. “Are you okay?”

Chen Shi forced a grin. “Just a bit shaky, that’s all.”

[Comparison Task: Marriage Speed—Chen Shi vs. Jia Dongxu. Victory grants attribute rewards.]

Chen Shi’s pupils contracted. A comparison task?

The first time he’d won a comparison, he’d gotten a 10-cubic-meter storage space. After that, the system had gone silent.

He’d assumed these tasks only triggered during major life events.

But in this era of envy and cutthroat competition, a comparison system was a godsend.

Marriage speed?

Chen Shi’s eyes gleamed. This aligns perfectly with my plans.

Qin Huairu watched him and thought, Good thing I didn’t pick Chen Shi. If he can’t handle a bus ride, how would he manage farm work?

After two hours of swaying and jolting, they finally reached Qin Village.

The rural land reform had just concluded. Every family now owned land, and granaries were full. The village thrived.

On the walls, slogans read:

“Complete the Three-Anti Plan!”

“Run Winter Schools!”

“Promote Rapid Literacy—Eradicate Illiteracy!”

As they stepped off the bus, elderly villagers—some smoking pipes, others stitching shoe soles—looked up.

“Hey, isn’t that Qin and Shen’s girls back from their matchmaking?”

“Look, there’s a young man with Shen’s girl! Did they hit it off?”

Qin Huairu greeted them. “Uncle Dan, Aunt Niuwang, Granny Three… Not working the fields today?”

“Not with this land survey going on. We’re just waiting around.”

“Hey, Huairu, who’s that handsome lad? Did your matchmaking in the capital work out?”

Before Qin Huairu could answer, Chen Shi stepped forward.

“Uncles, aunties, grannies—hello! I’m Chen Shi, newly engaged to Shen Youchu! We’re here to get the paperwork for our marriage certificate!”

“Oh-ho! City boys are different—so sharp and good-looking! Even handsomer than those opera stars!”

“Youchu’s blessed! Not just marrying into the city but landing such a fine man! Huairu, you’re our village’s flower—don’t tell me you struck out?”

Chen Shi grinned. “Oh, she did better than Youchu! She’s marrying Jia Dongxu, a worker in our courtyard! He’s got a city house, a master fitter as his mentor, and a monthly wage of over 300,000 yuan! His mother even wears a gold ring!”

(Note: 1952 used the first currency series, where 10,000 yuan = 1 yuan in 1955’s second series. So “300,000” was actually ~30 yuan—still a fortune for farmers.)

The villagers gasped.

“300,000 a month?! How could anyone spend that much?”

“I’ve never seen that much money in my life!”

Qin Huairu sensed something off but couldn’t pinpoint it. Soon, her parents arrived.

“Huairu, is it true? Is your match that rich?”

Her siblings’ eyes gleamed with greed.

Flattered, Qin Huairu mumbled, “I’m not sure… but Chen Shi lives in their courtyard, so maybe?”

Her father, Qin Datian, grabbed her arm. “Then we can’t just let you marry like this! We’re going to the city to negotiate—they’d better give us betrothal gifts!”

Her mother added, “Our mutual aid group needs an ox. If they buy us one, we won’t have to sell six acres!”

Qin Huairu bit her lip. “But we never discussed this before—”

“What, you’re siding with them already? After all we’ve done for you?”

Tears welled in her eyes, but she stayed silent.

Chen Shi smirked. These farmers still think they can sell land?

The higher-ups are already planning cooperatives to stop land sales.

Good luck with that.

Mission accomplished, he hummed a tune and led Shen Youchu toward her home.

Now, let’s see Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu bleed.

If I don’t make them pay, I’ll change my surname!

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.