Daily Life in the 70s-Chapter 165 Reminder

Yiguang frowned as he thought of something and then said to her, "Wife, people out there are complex. When we first start interacting with them, we can’t just agree to help them out on a whim."

Pei Min knitted her brows and looked at him, "Why are you suddenly saying this?"

"That Wen Qing seems like a deep thinker. You are innocent by nature and grew up in a simple environment; those complex human affairs, if we can avoid getting involved, we should. Don’t end up being sold out and even count the money for the buyer. And that Qiao Ying, is she after your craftsmanship or genuinely wants to be your friend? It’s hard to say. After all, we didn’t meet in the same familiar environment, and neither side understands the other well. Suddenly she wants to consult you about your skill, how can you know how sincere she is?"

He had been through the ups and downs of military life for over a decade and had long since learned to look beyond appearances. Sometimes he would even pay attention to the purpose behind actions, which on many occasions had helped him avoid some underhanded tactics.

Pei Min nodded her head, but she couldn’t just conclude that people had ulterior motives, "My skills aren’t anything special. Anyone can figure them out with a bit of thought. Aren’t we all just simple folk? Where would they get all these schemes?"

Yiguang didn’t say much more, "Just be a bit more cautious yourself. If anything comes up, remember to tell me."

Pei Min agreed.

As the light finally dimmed completely, Yiguang hastened her to take a bath and rest early for the night.

This man, newly indulging his appetite, was indeed not to be provoked.

The very next morning, she was woken up by the shouting and cursing from next door; it was just barely six o’clock. Pei Min felt the bed beside her and found it already empty.

Since she was awake, she got up. Next door, the cursing was relentless and didn’t seem to take a break—it was obviously Mrs. Cui having a fit again. It seemed like she had too much time on her hands since coming here, her only pastime left being to scold her daughter-in-law.

When Pei Min went out after washing her face, there were already several people gathered outside, some there to watch the spectacle or to mediate, and some even pulled her over to ask what was happening. Pei Min was puzzled, did they really think that just because she lived next door that she had firsthand gossip headlines?

But through Mrs. Cui’s shouting, some details emerged, "You shameless slut, no wonder you made such a fuss to become a Military Wife. It turns out you’re living the good life here, latching onto men and not doing a stitch of work. No need to care for the elderly at home, no fieldwork to do, not even producing an egg, yet you hoard all the good things from home. Just all hot and bothered, shameless wretch! Cry, you have the nerve to cry? If I were you, I’d just bash my head in and be done with the disgrace!"

Someone whispered to the person beside them, "Looks like she can’t stand to see her daughter-in-law living comfortably here. Back at home, she must be busy non-stop in the fields and at home, but here, she only has to take care of her husband’s meals, and she can eat her fill, be in charge of the finances; it’s like living in luxury. How could the old lady feel comfortable seeing that?"

"That’s one thing, but the most important is that Mrs. Cui hasn’t given birth to a son. That would cause gossip for anyone."

Pei Min was getting ready to go prepare breakfast when a warm-hearted Military Wife caught hold of her, "We’ve seen what’s going on; let’s go over and try to comfort Mrs. Cui. The last time we had a disturbance, the Political Commissar was informed and they called the men of those households in for a talking-to."

Mrs. Cui was standing on the bed, pointing and screaming at Gao Hong, who, without making a sound, just squatted on the ground covering her face and crying. Next to her on the ground were two shoes; it looked as though Mrs. Cui had used them to hit her. This was supposed to be a behind-closed-doors scolding, but it couldn’t be helped that there were two rambunctious children in the house who had opened the door, and once it was open, it couldn’t be closed again. Now people were trying to get in to mediate.

A sister-in-law from the Li family asked, "Auntie, what’s the matter? If you’ve got something to say, please speak calmly, don’t harm your own health. The household will still need you to watch over it in the future. It’s not worth getting upset over."

Mrs. Cui, seeing that this sister-in-law spoke so nicely, immediately took to her as a kindred spirit. She had her sit down and began pouring out her grievances, "My dear, my heart is heavy. Take a look, I traveled two days by train to get here. And for what? Isn’t it just to ensure my eldest son has an heir? I even brought my darling sons from my two younger daughters-in-law, hoping to pass on some good fortune so she could conceive sooner."

The sister-in-law from the Li family nodded in agreement again and again, "You’re absolutely right. Auntie, you have a heart full of motherly love."

Mrs. Cui patted her thigh and said, "Exactly, a heart full of motherly love. You’ve got to feel for my motherly heart. You have no idea what this shameless woman has done. She does nothing around the house, and since I arrived, I’ve even been helping with the cooking. She, on the other hand, does nothing but cozy up to men and shirks her duties!"

The sister-in-law from the Li family’s mouth twitched. As far as the military wives outside were concerned, no one thought Gao Hong was lazy. If she wasn’t putting the house in order and making everything run smoothly, then who was it that prepared your bathwater and washed your feet, not to mention your underwear? She even wiped your two little nephews’ bottoms. These are things that can’t be hidden from prying eyes; with houses so closely packed, it’s hard to keep secrets from the watchful neighbors, especially those sharp-eyed military wives.

However, from Mrs. Cui’s words, some explosive bits of gossip had surfaced, and the sister-in-law from the Li family couldn’t help getting excited as well, "What exactly happened? Auntie, Gao Hong has always been sincere. We’ve lived alongside each other for several years now, we’ve all seen how she is. What did she do to make you this angry?"

"You have no idea..."

"Mom! Stop it, I’ll do whatever you say... please, just stop talking..." Gao Hong, who had been silent up until now, suddenly looked up, her face pleading.

Mrs. Cui cursed again, "You’re ashamed now, are you? You know you’ve lost face? Why didn’t you think of that when you were doing it? You have no shame! It was a stroke of bad luck for my son to marry you, I’m cursed with bad fortune!"

Gao Hong bowed her head again, letting herself be scolded. As long as that matter wasn’t brought up, it was all bearable.

But Mrs. Cui stopped talking, and though the others felt itchy with curiosity, they said, "Alright, see Auntie, she knows she’s wrong. Let’s put this matter behind us, shall we? You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? Is it ready? Tell the younger sister to stop crying and hurry up and prepare it, the children are hungry too."

Hearing this, Gao Hong also quickly got up and rushed to make breakfast. Mrs. Cui, seeing her, became furious again, pointed at her retreating figure, and said to the sister-in-law from the Li family beside her, "Look at her, a lazy thing that won’t move unless ordered to. What kind of daughter-in-law is like her?"

Just as it looked like this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflict was coming to a close, Yang PeiMin was saying to the military wife who had come with her that it was time to go get breakfast.

But someone called out to her, "PeiMin, you’re here."

With no more drama to watch, the crowd dispersed, and Yang PeiMin’s view became clear. She saw Wen Qing at the entrance of the corridor, smiling gently.

"Wen Qing, good morning."

"Good morning, PeiMin. I came to see if you were here. I hope I haven’t disturbed you?"