Chapter 116: Let Your Little Brother-in-law Be the Scapegoat
Yes, Yun Qinghuan’s letter was a report. In any era, it was never easy for someone with no power, no backing, and no evidence to report someone.
Especially now, the Bai family was barely getting by; she couldn’t afford to offend anyone too openly. Otherwise, the Bai family might suffer even more bullying here.
She didn’t know exactly who the men were that had bullied Lu Juan, but judging from her mother’s tone and what that old man had said, Yun Qinghuan couldn’t stop her mind from racing. Still, her rationality told her that more than one man had assaulted Lu Juan.
Some of them were probably people she would never have suspected. If they found out she was the one who reported them, they would likely retaliate.
But doing nothing at all… every time Yun Qinghuan thought of the trusting look in Lu Juan’s eyes, she couldn’t even sleep well.
So she picked a quiet afternoon when few people were out and slipped the letter into the mailbox outside the brigade office.
It was scorching hot outside, the sun blazing like fire, making people feel lazy and sleepy. Since there was no farm work to do, many villagers were napping at home with fans in hand, and very few people were out.
She didn’t run into anyone along the way, but Yun Qinghuan didn’t dare relax. Before heading out, she had deliberately worn a loose, old robe that the original host rarely wore, as a sun cover, plus a straw hat and a towel wrapped around her face. She even walked differently from usual to avoid recognition.
Don’t be fooled by her casual disguise; she was, after all, a skilled actress. The moment she stepped out, her entire aura changed. Anyone who didn’t know her very well wouldn’t recognize her face-to-face.
If she did encounter someone, she would deliberately avoid them. She finally reached the office, which was quiet, probably because the brigade leaders were napping in the heat. Not daring to linger, she quickly stuffed the letter into the rusty old mailbox and left immediately.
Even after the deed was done, she didn’t head straight home. Instead, she deliberately detoured in the opposite direction, took off the shabby robe and stuffed it in her bag, tied up her hair, and pulled out a large black umbrella to block the sun. In an instant, she transformed back into the refined, beauty-loving female educated youth.
She happened to pass by a stream, and rather than hurrying home, she took off her shoes and dipped her bare feet into the cool water. The chilly current rushing past her toes felt wonderfully soothing.
She played with the water, humming an unfamiliar tune, feeling rather pleased. She thought she’d done something good.
Just as she was playing, a sharp pain stung her toe. She cried out in surprise and looked down instinctively, only to find a crayfish had latched onto her toenail with its big claw.
Yun Qinghuan: “…”
In an instant, her playful mood vanished; but instead of being angry, her lips curved into a grin, and excitement lit up her eyes.
Crayfish! What a treasure! Who would have thought such a poor village would have something this good?
Upon closer inspection, she noticed the rocks in the stream were covered in moss. And snails!
Back at the Bai family courtyard, once the gate was shut, Liu Yuzhi exchanged a worried glance with her son.
Liu Yuzhi spoke first, “I keep feeling like something happened to Qinghuan yesterday. She’s been distracted all day today.”
The man shook his head. “I don’t know. But since she hasn’t mentioned anything, it’s probably something she can handle on her own; or maybe something she doesn’t want us to know.”
“You’re probably right.” Liu Yuzhi nodded. Her daughter-in-law was resourceful. If she kept quiet, there was likely a good reason.
Yun Qinghuan returned home with a bag full of crayfish and snails.
By the time she finished collecting them, the once-sunny sky had already dimmed. The villagers, who had been cooped up all day, started to come out for a stroll.
Quite a few women were surprised to see Yun Qinghuan carrying those things. “Educated Youth Yun, what are you doing with those? They don’t even taste good.”
Yun Qinghuan was surprised too. She thought crayfish were delicious! She replied, “I think they taste pretty good. I plan to take them home and make a dish.”
“Alright then,” one of the women responded with a complicated expression and a strange look in her eyes.
Later, when Yun Qinghuan ran into Jiang Wenxiu, she learned the reason behind their reactions; apparently, the villagers didn’t eat crayfish or snails. Not only did they think they had little meat, but when cooked, they also had a strong, fishy smell and tasted terrible.
Unless a family was truly starving, no one would bother catching those. If they had free time, they’d rather go fishing or catch a loach—anything was better than crayfish and snails.
They were time-consuming, unappetizing, and not filling.
Only some greedy village children would occasionally roast crayfish over fire until they were burnt. The burnt flavor slightly masked the stench, but there was even less to eat that way, just gnawing on shells.
That explained why there were so many crayfish and snails in the river. Since no one wanted them, Yun Qinghuan had picked them up for free.
But Jiang Wenxiu knew Yun Qinghuan could cook. If she bothered to bring so many back, she must have known how to make them tasty. She felt her mouth water. “Are they really good?”
Yun Qinghuan chuckled. “They are. If you don’t mind, I’ll have An’an bring some over to your house later.”
“Alright, then I won’t be polite. My husband had good luck fishing yesterday and caught two fish. I’ll give you one. We also just made some tofu. I’ll bring over two pieces. Perfect for fish stew.”
“Well then, I’m in for a treat.”
Yun Qinghuan didn’t refuse. She planned to give Jiang Wenxiu extra crayfish. Though delicious, they were time-consuming and oil-consuming to make. Letting someone eat for free wouldn’t sit right with her. A trade felt more comfortable.
As they chatted, Jiang Wenxiu suddenly said, “Hey, remember that girl Xia Mei who wanted to be matched with your little uncle?”
“Of course. It wasn’t that long ago.”
Judging by Jiang Wenxiu’s tone, there was gossip to be shared.
Sure enough, Jiang Wenxiu glanced around, then leaned closer and whispered excitedly, “You won’t believe it—Xia Mei’s pregnant! I saw her this morning, and even in loose clothes, her belly was starting to show. She’s skinny, but the bump is obvious. Shameless, isn’t it?”
Yun Qinghuan frowned. “If that’s the case, then she was already pregnant when she tried to get engaged to Naihan?”
“Exactly! I just figured it out. Back then, her mom was in such a rush to finalize the wedding with your little brother-in-law—she must’ve wanted him to be the scapegoat! Good thing your mother-in-law had sense and didn’t agree. If they’d gotten married and only then found out she was pregnant, he’d have no choice but to accept the child. That’s so humiliating.”
“I always thought Xia Mei looked healthy, but it turns out she had other motives,” Jiang Wenxiu scoffed.
Yun Qinghuan silently agreed; thank goodness her younger brother-in-law hadn’t married Xia Mei. Otherwise, he’d be wearing a bright green hat by now.
[T/N – I guess this means he’d be utterly humiliated/embarrassed; not knowing where to hide his face then.]
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Translated with love by _ ꕤ🌼Yourheartbeat🌼ꕤ
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