80s Transmigration: The Young Widow's Hustle to Riches

After eating their noodles, Wu Jiafu and his two companions sat in the courtyard with Lin Changyou, enjoying the cool air and chatting.

They heard that after the household responsibility system was implemented here, one mu of land could yield seven to eight hundred jin. After handing over two hundred-some jin per mu for the public grain levy, the rest of the grain was their own.

The three of them all agreed the household responsibility system was a good thing. The work was only tiring for a few days, and during the off-season, they could do other things. At the very least, they’d have enough grain left over to eat white rice at every meal.

When Wu Jiafu heard Lin Changyou say that Wu Shufang’s family was also here, he looked at him in surprise. "They’re all here? Since when?"

Before Lin Changyou could answer, Wu Chunsheng also asked in astonishment, "The whole family is living in East Market? Without a household registration, where would they live? Where would they get the money to buy food?"

"Shi Song came first. Later, there was a landslide where Big Sis and the others were living..." Lin Changyou explained what had happened. "They took a letter of introduction to the police station to get a certificate, and that’s how they were able to settle down here."

Just then, Wu Shufang and her family walked into the courtyard. Wu Jiafu stood up, looking at them in surprise. "Big Sis, Brother-in-law! Second Brother-in-law said you were here too, but I didn’t believe him!"

Wu Shufang shot him a reproachful glare. "By the time you found out, we would’ve starved to death."

Wu Jiafu looked at her guiltily. "Big Sis, I didn’t know you’d had a disaster. If I’d known, I would have definitely come to see you."

Wu Shufang laughed. "I’m just teasing. You think I don’t know what your family’s situation is like?"

Wu Jiafu scratched his head, embarrassed. "Your little brother is useless. It’s a good thing you had Second Sister and her family to help you."

"I know your temperament, I’m not mad at you." Wu Shufang then changed the subject. "So what’s really going on with your Wen Hui? Why aren’t you two watching her more closely? There are human traffickers everywhere these days. If she gets sold off into the deep mountains, she’ll never be able to come home in her entire life."

’Her brother was a good man, just too henpecked. As soon as he got married, his wife had him under her thumb. After his sisters married, they never received so much as a single grain of rice from him!’

Wu Wenhui, who had just reached the kitchen doorway, heard Wu Shufang’s words and scurried back to her room in fright. She stared at her four companions lying on the bed and sat dazedly on the edge.

Wu Chunsheng said, "Big Sis, you should have seen her. When Ge Hongyu went back, she was dressed up like a female spy from a movie. She was even going around the production team, advertising high wages of fifty yuan a month to recruit apprentices."

"We adults know what kind of person she is, so we weren’t the least bit envious. Who would have thought those three foolish girls would be so shortsighted? She completely fooled them, and they snuck off with her."

Wu Shufen looked at the three men. "You knew Ge Hongyu was no good. What if someone you didn’t know came along, acting all respectable? Would you have believed them then?"

"Let me tell you, last year when Little Lan and Xiangyang went to the provincial capital to stock up on goods, they ran into a trafficker pretending to be an official from the capital, leading away several young women. Xiangyang’s friend who works at the Public Security Bureau said society is a mess right now. You absolutely can’t believe that good things will just fall into your lap."

Wu Jiafu and the other two felt like they were listening to a fairy tale. "Huh? They even dare to impersonate officials? Aren’t they afraid of going to jail?"

Lin Changyou looked at them. "Of course they’ll go to jail if they’re caught. But if they’re not, they can sell those girls for a lot of money. I heard from Ding Bang that selling them to men in the mountains isn’t even the worst part."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "What’s truly scary is if Ge Hongyu’s plan is to lock them up and force them into prostitution. At that point, they’d be living a life that’s neither human nor ghost."

"What? Isn’t that something only madams from the old society would do?"

The three men stared at him with their mouths agape, utterly shocked. They felt the city was a terrifying place. People in the mountains might argue and fight, but no one would ever do something so monstrous.

Lin Changyou said, "The big cities have opened up now. Some people will do anything for money. Xiuyun told Little Lan to never think about getting something for nothing. Those are just traps dug by swindlers. Once you fall in, you can’t get out."

Wu Jiafu nodded. "I get it. Don’t look for easy gains."

Wu Chunsheng looked at Lin Changyou. "Second Brother-in-law, I’m still worried. What are we going to tell the girls from the Xu and Zou families when they wake up?"

Lin Changyou replied, "What’s to say? Tell them the truth. If they don’t believe you, take them to the Public Security Bureau and let them see for themselves."

Wu Shufang nodded. "Exactly. They clearly knew Ge Hongyu was no good, yet they still let their daughters come out with her. The parents from those two families can’t be good people either."

Wu Jiafu said, "The girl from the Xu family has a stepmother, so that explains that. The Zou family had five daughters in a row before finally having a son, their sixth child, who’s only eight or nine this year. The three oldest daughters were married off to either widowers or old bachelors. The family is saving up the bride prices to build a big tiled-roof house for their son and get him a wife!"

"A stepmother’s heart is as vicious as a scorpion’s stinger." Wu Shufang sighed. "That poor girl from the Xu family."

Wu Shufen glanced at the time. It was almost midnight, and Wu Wenhui had been bathing for over half an hour. "Why is Wen Hui taking so long? I’ll go check on her."

"Second Aunt, I’m in my room. I finished washing up a while ago," Wu Wenhui said from behind the window.

"Dry your hair before you sleep." Wu Shufen then said to Wu Jiafu and the others, "You all have had a long day too. Go get some rest. We can talk more tomorrow."

"Alright." Wu Jiafu looked at Wu Shufang and her husband. "Big Sis, Brother-in-law, you two should head back and get some sleep as well!"

Wu Shufang smiled and nodded. "We’re living right across the way, in the first house by the bamboo grove. It’s Little Lan’s grand-uncle’s place. Come over for a meal tomorrow."

"Okay! I’ll bring Wen Hui over tomorrow," Wu Jiafu said.

Wu Shufen saw Wu Shufang and her husband out, then took Wu Wenhui to Lin Hong’s room to sleep.

Lin Changyou had the three men make beds on the floor in the main hall to sleep, which made it easier to watch over the four girls who had yet to wake up.

****

When Li Xiangyang got home, he saw that Lin Lan was already asleep. He picked up the magazine that had fallen beside the bed, placed it on the nightstand, and quietly slipped out of his shirt and shorts. Grabbing his pajamas, he headed for the bathroom.

"You’re back!" Lin Lan looked at him with sleepy eyes. "Did you find Wen Hui?"

"We found her..." Li Xiangyang turned and sat on the edge of the bed. He told her what happened on Osmanthus Street, then said softly, "Go back to sleep. I’m all sweaty. I’m going to take a quick shower before bed."

Lin Lan nodded. "Mhm! I found a magazine to read while I waited for you. I’m not sure when I fell asleep."

Li Xiangyang ruffled her hair, looking at her tenderly. "What were you waiting for me for! The doctor said the other day that pregnant women tend to sleep a lot."

Lin Lan smiled. "It’s true. Sometimes I feel like I could fall asleep standing up."

"With all that sleep, you’d think you’d have gained some weight!" Li Xiangyang said with a laugh as he stood up and walked toward the bathroom.

"What, you think I’m a pig!"

Laughing, Lin Lan got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and went to Little Douzi’s room. She turned on the light and saw that he had kicked his summer blanket onto the floor. "You little rascal. You kicked your blanket onto the floor again, and you still say you behave when you sleep."

Since the weather was hot, Little Douzi was sleeping by himself, saying it was cooler that way.

She picked up the summer blanket, gave it a few shakes, lifted the mosquito net, and placed it back on the bed. After checking to make sure there were no mosquitoes inside, she turned off the light, left, and returned to her room.