CHAPTER 97: CHAPTER 97: GIRL, YOU HAVE A HARD LIFE!

"From now on, let the driver take you home. It’s really not safe for a woman to go home alone too late."

"Thank you, leader."

Now that that scumbag Wen Siyuan was no longer scheming, Lin Xiang was eager to take a car home, so her feet wouldn’t be sore.

However, she only let the driver drive to the village entrance; the roads in the village were not wide and difficult to maneuver.

Entering the village, Lin Xiang first went to find Yang Lihua, who had prepared potatoes early on, and together they went home.

On the way, Yang Lihua, looking gossip-minded, said, "Girl, you went to the town today, so you don’t know the outcome of that scumbag Wen Siyuan. It’s so satisfying!"

"Oh? Tell me quickly, let me enjoy some happiness too!"

"After investigation, the people from the Educated Youth Office found out that actually Wen Siyuan bribed some local thugs. He kept saying he wanted to ruin your reputation, but the thug claimed Wen Siyuan’s target was any woman without someone else, not specifically naming you."

"But that’s not important; what’s important is the Educated Youth Office has confirmed that Wen Siyuan is a morally corrupt scumbag. They’ve already sent him down to the farm."

The conditions at the farm are much worse than in the village. Once there, only by working hard can one maintain even the most basic subsistence.

This is Wen Siyuan’s comeuppance, Lin Xiang would not pity him at all.

It’s just that everything was self-inflicted!

"I’ll cook you a big bowl of spicy noodles later!"

Lin Family.

As soon as Lin Xiang got home, she heard Mrs. Lin moaning from bed.

Thinking she was sick, Lin Xiang opened the door directly, "Mom, are you okay?"

As soon as Mrs. Lin saw Lin Xiang, she immediately sat up, grabbed Lin Xiang’s hands tightly, and tearfully lamented, "Girl, you have such a hard life!"

Lin Xiang was about to cry too.

Indeed, hasn’t she had a hard life?

Working hard for many years, she finally bought her dream house, but because of a careless comment, she ended up in the 1970s. Although life is decent, it’s not what she wanted.

"Mom, I’m doing quite well now," Lin Xiang said insincerely.

Mrs. Lin started to whimper again, "Yu Fang stole the match I arranged for you!"

Lin Xiang: ?

"A match arranged for me? When did this happen, how come I didn’t know?"

"Just the last time we went to the cotton spinning factory, when you were busy and I chatted with the canteen chef who said his neighbor was a decent young man, with formal work at the glass factory, and both parents had formal jobs. Although not from a leader’s family, they only have three sisters with him as the only son, you wouldn’t be treated poorly if you married him."

Who would have thought that when I mentioned it in front of Aunt Lin, she took it as a cue and sold Yu Fang to their family.

Lin Xiang didn’t know what to say.

She silently pried off her mother’s clutching hands, "I’ll go cook spicy noodles, do you want some?"

"I want two big bowls!"

In the kitchen, Yang Lihua helped Lin Xiang, secretly noting down the steps as Lin Xiang casually tossed ingredients into the pot.

Once the spicy noodles were cooked, Yang Lihua wolfed down a big bowl.

Mrs. Lin, being unwell with hunger, only finished one and a half bowls.

"By the way, why didn’t I see my brother today?" Lin Xiang asked.

Sitting limply on a stool, Mrs. Lin replied, "No idea, he said he was going up the mountain to chop wood at noon, and hasn’t come back yet."

Lin Xiang glanced outside, the sky had darkened, and night was falling.

The dangers on the hill behind in winter were many, who knows how much wood Lin Yun planned to chop, staying out till now.

"I’ll go check the back mountain."

Mrs. Lin put down her chopsticks, "Check for what, he’s a grown man, it’s not his first time up the mountain. There’s no danger he can’t handle. You’d just be causing trouble if you went."

Lin Xiang recoiled because Mrs. Lin was right; she wasn’t familiar with the back mountain, and couldn’t tell directions at night, easily getting lost.

So she didn’t mention it again, just kept glancing at the doorway occasionally.

After dinner, Yang Lihua went home, and Lin Xiang began washing potatoes under the cover of night.

Mrs. Lin sat on a small stool in the courtyard watching Lin Xiang bustle, with no intention to help, instead prattling, "That match was really good, it’s a shame it went to Yu Fang."

"Mom." Lin Xiang sighed, "I’ve told you many times, I want to study, go to university, I don’t want to find a match! Can you stop focusing solely on this?"

Mrs. Lin pursed her lips, evidently not taking Lin Xiang’s words to heart.

When Lin Xiang had peeled the skin off half a bag of potatoes, and was just about to slice them, Lin Yun finally returned.

"What were you doing!"

Mrs. Lin leapt up from her stool when she saw Lin Yun, "The new clothes I made for you, how did this happen? Lin Yun, you don’t make money, don’t know how hard it is to earn money, stop ruining things!"

Lin Yun looked down at his padded jacket, scratched by sharp branches, with cotton poking out.

"Mom, I..."

"Don’t call me mom!" Mrs. Lin huffed, "Anyway, that’s your only piece of clothing, don’t expect me to make you a new one if it’s ruined!"

With that said, Mrs. Lin turned and went back to her room, slamming the door.

Lin Xiang noticed the scratches on Lin Yun’s face and his messy hair like straw, "Bro, did you encounter a wild beast?"

Lin Yun smiled wryly, "If I had, I definitely wouldn’t have escaped."

"I just wasn’t watching where I was going and tripped, my clothes got caught by a branch."

Lin Yun looked down at his ruined clothes, feeling really bad, "Such a shame, a good piece of clothing ruined by me."

"It’s not a big deal." Lin Xiang said, "We have plenty of fabric at home, I’ll get Fifth Aunt to make you a new one, after all the cotton is intact, we’re just changing the outer fabric. Bro, mom’s in a bad mood today, don’t take it to heart."

"Mm." Lin Yun responded, seeing Lin Xiang’s hands didn’t stop working, "Girl, what are you doing with potatoes?"

"Planning to make some potato powder. I’ve never done it before, don’t know if it’ll work."

Lin Yun rolled up his sleeves, "You rest for a bit, I’ll take over."

Bending over for nearly an hour, Lin Xiang was indeed tired, so she handed over the potato work to Lin Yun, "Bro, you haven’t eaten yet, right? What do you want to eat, I’ll cook it."

Smelling the aroma of spicy noodles, Lin Yun said, "I’ll just have some spicy noodles, it’s quicker."

Soon, Lin Xiang brought out a bowl of noodles, telling Lin Yun to put down his work and eat.

After eating, Lin Yun started working again.

"It’s already late, bro. Let’s continue tomorrow."

Lin Yun nodded, fetched some water for a quick wash, and returned to his room.

At night, tossing and turning in bed, he thought about what the head officer had told him, feeling extremely annoyed.