Chapter 74 - 073 Gao Hongmei
Tian Sisi was quite satisfied with Jin Duofu’s performance. She handed him a few fruit candies, about four or five, which delighted the boy immensely. He wasn’t selfish either; when no one was paying attention, he stealthily placed two candies into Zhong Juying’s desk. From Tian Sisi’s behavior earlier, it seemed she and Zhong Juying had a good relationship. Since that was the case, sharing the candy with Zhong Juying should make Tian Sisi happy, right?
A slight smile curled at the corners of Tian Sisi’s mouth. This guy wasn’t too bad; he had a clever mind. She wondered what fortunes this boy might have had in his past life. Recalling the tales her mother used to tell about the past, Tian Sisi tried to remember if there was anyone named Jin Duofu who had achieved great success. And thinking about it, she did recall a story.
In the past, her mother had mentioned a dramatic incident that occurred at Luoling Primary School. A male student from Jinkeng Village, bored during a break, had folded a piece of homework paper into a telephone and, placing it to his ear as a joke, uttered a phrase. It was this phrase that plunged the boy into a deep abyss, causing him thereafter to live a life of extreme distress.
What the student said was, "Hello, where are you? Is this Taiwan?" Normally, it would have been just a child’s joke and overlooked, unless someone decided to report it. Unfortunately, a girl in his class, who loved to stir up trouble, overheard him. This girl, from Moon Spring Village and named Gao Hongmei, the daughter of the village accountant, rushed off to inform her uncle in the town, who was a member of the Rebel Faction. As one might guess, the student was then accused of being a spy for Taiwan and was severely persecuted, nearly losing his life along with his family’s.
However, Tian Sisi couldn’t quite remember the name of that male student. She only remembered that it happened during her current class period, approximately around the time people would eat Qingming Cakes, as mentioned by her mother. Could that tragic student be this Jin Duofu? Tian Sisi couldn’t help but glance at him more intently, just in time to see him sniffling again and sucking in his snot. "Disgusting," Tian Sisi immediately turned her head, determined not to look at this repulsive fellow again.
She decided she’d better keep a closer eye on Jin Duofu. If she ever saw him folding a paper phone, she’d immediately stop him from uttering those dangerous words. Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-level pagoda! Tian Sisi was deeply moved by her own compassion. Where could one possibly find another girl as beautiful, kind, and intelligent as her?
Thinking further about the girl named Gao Hongmei, Tian Sisi remembered her as well; the original host of her body had a best friend and a nemesis. The best friend was of course Zhong Yuying, and the nemesis was this Gao Hongmei. Gao Hongmei, two years older than Tian Sisi at age 12, was short, chubby, and robust—stronger even than boys her age. She resembled her mother, Tian Chunfang.
Gao Hongmei’s mother, Tian Chunfang, was a stout, dark-skinned woman, quite popular in the countryside for her robustness. However, Tian Chunfang was somewhat fame-hungry, the type that was obsessed with maintaining appearances. Despite having meager meals at home, she would smear a piece of fat pork on her lips before going out, making her lips glossy to boast about how delicious and plentiful their meat was, claiming it was so much that it nearly burst their bellies. Considering her and Gao Hongmei’s well-fed appearances, many believed her, joking that all the meat at home was devoured by her and her daughter while the others looked as skinny as firewood sticks. This lie lasted several years until someone caught her smearing the leftover skin from their kitchen fat on her mouth, bursting her pretentious bubble.
Besides being competitive and overly concerned with face, Tian Chunfang was relatively harmless. However, her husband, Gao Yuzhu, was not so admirable. He was a sneaky man; although a resident of Tian Estate, he was among the few outsiders who had settled there, having moved to Tian Estate begging with his grandpartents and parents. As such, in Moon Spring Village, his family was considered a weak group, constantly keeping a low profile.