Transmigrated as My Aunt in the 70s
Chapter 89 - 086 Rich Peasant

"Ouch, Ah Nan must have felt so aggrieved. Eat more snake meat tonight for revenge," Old Man chuckled along with his granddaughter.

"No way, I’m not eating snake meat, it’s disgusting," Tian Sisi exclaimed in distaste.

"Ha ha ha!" Old Man and Tang Tieshan burst into roaring laughter, sounding like a bell. Tang Tieshan’s face had grown fleshier, and his back straighter after a few days’ good food and good drink, faintly regaining some of his old battlefield heroism.

Before lunch was even finished, Tian Xinhua and Tian Qinghua sneaked over. Tian Xinhua secretly whispered in Tian Sisi’s ear, "I’m going catch loaches with Zhong Anping and the others. Do you want to come?"

Tian Sisi’s eyes lit up, "I want to go, wait for me."

She shovelled the rice from her bowl into her mouth and rushed to put her bowl in the kitchen. Then she asked Old Man and Granny Zhao for permission to go out. As soon as Granny Zhao heard it was to catch loaches, she immediately got nervous, "Ah Nan, don’t go, weren’t you scared enough last time you fell into the river? Stay away from the water."

"Aunt, don’t worry. We’re not going to Crying Girl River, just to the ditch in Zhongjia Bay. The water is very shallow, Ah Nan will be fine," Tian Xinhua explained with a smile.

"Then go ahead. Ah Nan and Xinhua, catch more so we can have a drink, and it would be best to catch some river snails too, I’ve been craving them for days."

Old Man waved his hand in agreement. How could you keep kids cooped up at home all the time? Ah Nan used to be weak because she stayed indoors too much. Haven’t you seen her getting healthier with rosy cheeks after running outside these past few months?

Tian Sisi happily kissed her grandpa on the cheek and ran upstairs to change into rain boots. Donghua and the others also wanted to go, eagerly looking at Old Man. Old Man, having received a sweet kiss from his granddaughter, was in a good mood and agreed without thinking twice. When he saw Tang Qiubai standing by, he said, "Qiubai, you go play too. No need to work this afternoon. Kids should play more, it’s good for them."

Tang Qiubai wanted to refuse, but Tang Tieshan spoke up, "Qiubai, listen to Grandpa Tian. Young people should hang out with other young people, what’s the point of sticking with us two old men all the time?"

Tang Qiubai had to agree. Actually, he really wanted to join in the fun. At 12 years old, he was at the age of relentless playfulness. Hearing his friends were going out to play, how could he not be envious?

"Who are you going to catch loaches with?" Zhu Aiqing suddenly asked.

"Zhong Anping and his siblings. Aunt Four, don’t worry, there won’t be any problems," Tian Xinhua stiffly said.

Aunt Four was pretty good in other aspects, just too fixated on class status. As long as someone was of good character, they could be friends. Besides, he didn’t believe the world would forever be like this. Didn’t the storyteller on the radio always say how fortunes change? Even a princess might become a commoner someday, and a beggar could become an Emperor. Nothing in this world is so absolute.

Zhu Aiqing looked uncomfortable, not understanding what got into her family members, one after another getting fond of socializing with wealthy peasants. Her in-laws did it, and now the younger ones too, such interactions would surely bring trouble sooner or later.

Just as Zhu Aiqing was about to object to Donghua and the others going, Old Man spoke up again, "Hurry up and go, come back after an hour, and be careful."

"Got it, great-grandpa. Just ease your mind," Tian Xinhua smiled at Old Man, grabbed the shoed-up Tian Sisi, and they ran out of the yard. Zhong Anping and the others were still waiting.

Donghua and the rest followed, carrying buckets and nets. Little Baoguo tottered behind them. Donghua, halfway there, remembered and shouted towards the foot of the mountain, "Chengsi bro, we’re going to catch loaches!"

He Chengsi, with keen ears, immediately dashed out, laughing and catching up with Donghua.

Inside the house, Zhu Aiqing looked at the Old Man disapprovingly, "Daddy, we can’t let Ah Nan and the kids from the Zhong Yubai family associate anymore. People in the village are already talking behind our backs."

"What’s there to talk about? Let them say it to my face," the Old Man said nonchalantly, dismissing a few idle gossips as trivial.

"Daddy, after all, they’re wealthy farmers. Being too closely associated with them is never good," Zhu Aiqing argued patiently, not noticing Tang Tieshan’s face turning somewhat unnatural on the side.

The Old Man hadn’t thought about it, but it was Tian Manjin who realized it and loudly reprimanded his wife, "What’s with all the nonsense, woman? What’s wrong with being wealthy farmers? They haven’t done anything to wrong our family. I think you’re really being a busybody,"

While speaking, Tian Manjin made eye gestures to his wife. Zhu Aiqing came to her senses too. To say it’s not good to associate with wealthy farmers would be understating the issue at hand. To speak of this in front of others, it’s really... Zhu Aiqing quickly took the cue, "Alright, alright, I’ll stay out of it."

Tang Tieshan’s embarrassment was brief, and soon he was chatting and laughing with the Old Man again. However, he had made up his mind to reduce contact with the Tian Family as much as possible. He should not be too frequently involved with the Tian Family. Man Yin’s wife was right; it could bring trouble to the Tian Family. Although he enjoyed good food and drink at the Tian’s, he could not be selfish and bring trouble to them because of temporary comfort.

In fact, Zhu Aiqing had a lot of reservations about the Old Man bringing Tang Tieshan and his grandson to their home, it’s like having a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. Once his father-in-law decides on something, not even eight horses could pull him back. Being merely a daughter-in-law, she was helpless.

The Old Man glanced at his daughter-in-law. He wasn’t upset at heart; she was just worried about the family. He felt it was not appropriate to explain too much to her. From his estimation, Old Tang seemed to have been abandoned. Having been in Yuequan Village for some days, the Rebel Faction only came to show their faces on the first day and had not come since. Old Tang was supposed to submit a self-criticism report every week, but after several reports, no one had come to collect them.

Therefore, the Old Man inferred that Old Tang had escaped danger and was forsaken, although for what reason, the Old Man did not know. He could only assume that Old Tang had a stroke of great luck. That’s why the Old Man dared to boldly bring Tang Tieshan home. Otherwise, he would not be someone to ignore the life and death of his family.

Tian Sisi was being pulled towards Zhongjia Bay by Tian Xinhua. The sun was blazing at its peak at that time. After running a bit, she was sweating all over. Tian Sisi adjusted the large broad-brimmed hat on her head. Such a hat was very large and could provide complete shade for the whole body when worn, excellent for both sun and rain. This type of hat would seldom be seen in future generations, and there would be few people capable of making them.

He Xuewen had long bought a pretty sun hat for his daughter, with pink ribbons, which looked very pretty when worn. However, this type of sun hat, while good-looking, provided little relief from the sun. To shade oneself effectively, although not as visually appealing, this other hat was more effective.

At this time, the villagers were all resting at home, so there were hardly any people on the road. Crossing the stone bridge over Crying Girl River, Tian Sisi was shocked to see Zhong Yuying washing clothes under the bridge pier. After her fall into the pit, she had wanted to teach the woman a good lesson. However, Tian Xinhua told her that he had already taught her a harsh lesson, so Tian Sisi didn’t bother anymore. Counting the time, it had been over a month since she last saw Zhong Yuying.

The Zhong Yuying before her was dark and lean, with disordered hair and tattered clothes. Where was the freshness of the past? She was the spitting image of how Zhong Juying used to be. At the moment, Zhong Yuying was surrounded by a large bucket full of clothes, laboriously pounding them with a mallet, her body wet with either sweat or river water, drenching a large area of her clothes.

Seeing Tian Sisi staring at Zhong Yuying, Tian Xinhua, fearing she might soften, quickly said, "Ah Nan, don’t go sympathizing with her again. Zhong Yuying doesn’t deserve it. Besides, she isn’t so pitiful now, is she? Just doing a bit more labor. Which girl in the countryside doesn’t live like this?"

"I wouldn’t," Tian Sisi retorted, "I’m not that Mr. Dong Guo. I was just a bit surprised at her change in appearance."

"Wow, that’s right; even knowing about Mr. Dong Guo," Tian Xinhua secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hmph, do you think I’m like you? I’ve already agreed with Grandpa, as long as I score more than 90 points in two subjects at the end of term exams, I don’t have to go to school next semester. Then I’ll be able to sleep in, making you jealous," Tian Sisi said excitedly, finding the exams so simple that it’d be embarrassing not to score above 90. Thinking of sleeping in later made her happy.

They walked on, laughing and talking, while only Tang Qiubai trailed behind. He looked at Zhong Yuying a few times with a sense of sympathy. During this time, he had learned many things about Tian Sisi, such as the current situation of Zhong Yuying.

Tang Qiubai didn’t believe that Zhong Yuying, such a frail young girl, would commit murder. There must have been a misunderstanding. In his view, Tian Sisi seemed to be a spoiled girl, probably not very pleasant. And the sudden break with her once good friend would be intolerable for anyone. Moreover, with the Tian Family’s position in the village, even if Tian Sisi were at fault, no one would blame her, and Zhong Yuying would be the one shouldering the criticism. This was the nature of humans to idolize or criticize others.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it with a recommendation ticket or a monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)