Transmigrated into a fat wife, farming, raising children, and picking up husbands

Inside the dilapidated house, the light from the oil lamp cast distorted shadows of several people onto the mottled earthen wall, like ghosts.

A sinister and ruthless revenge plot, intended to use someone else to kill, was brewing in this atmosphere filled with pain and resentment.

This time, their retaliation is no longer a simple act of vandalism and venting their anger; rather, they intend to use the power of the authorities to gradually erode and coerce the government.

They were determined to drag Lin Xiuer and her family into the mire.

While the insidious plot was still brewing over there, Hu Yidao, who had just finished lunch, was...

He washed the greasy smell off his body and hands with well water and changed into a clean, slightly worn outfit.

He found a medium-sized basket, wrapped the good pork belly he had left for Lin Xiuer that morning in fresh lotus leaves and put it in, along with two large bones with tendons attached.

After thinking about it, I also put in the unsold offal such as pig liver and pig heart from the morning.

"The money that Sister Lin earns still comes from Zhao Yanwang's high-interest loans. Look how thin she's lost lately, her family must be struggling to make ends meet."

He muttered to himself, then shouldered the heavy basket and went out.

The sun was still quite strong. He put on a straw hat, locked the shop door, and slowly walked towards Qingshan Village.

Hu Yidao used to come to Qingshan Village to buy and sell pigs, so he was quite familiar with the village. However, he didn't really know where Lin Xiuer's house was.

Upon entering the village, he stopped an old man resting under a big tree to ask for directions.

"Brother, could you tell me where Lin Xiuer, Lin Dafu's sister, lives?"

The old man looked up at the sound and saw a strange, burly man. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Hu Yidao, the pig butcher from town.

"Is that Butcher Hu? What do you want with Fatty Lin?"

Hu Yidao didn't think much of it and wiped the sweat from his brow: "Oh, she ordered meat from me at noon and forgot to pick it up, so I brought it over."

"Meat delivery?" The old man's voice wasn't loud, just loud enough for the women around him to hear. "These days, meat sellers even offer home delivery? That's really strange."

The old man pointed in a direction: "It's the most dilapidated courtyard at the west end of the village."

Hu Yidao frowned, didn't reply, only said thank you, and turned to walk towards the village.

He didn't notice that several women who had been doing needlework and cooling off under the shade of a tree behind him were exchanging glances and had expressions that suggested something was going on.

Once he was out of sight, the women immediately huddled together, whispering amongst themselves, their heads almost touching.

"Hey, ladies, do you see that? Isn't that Hu Yidao, the pig butcher in town?" A thin, long-faced woman whispered, her eyes fixed on Hu Yidao's back.

"It's him! I've seen him come to collect pigs before. What does he want with Fatty Lin?" another round-faced woman chimed in, her tone full of curiosity.

At this moment, a woman with a pointed chin coughed, cleared her throat, raised her chin high, and had a superior look on her face that said, "I know the inside story."

Upon seeing her expression, the group immediately understood and gathered around her.

Seeing the eager expressions on their faces as they stared at her, the woman cleared her throat and nodded in satisfaction.

"You guys don't know this, do you? I've heard that Hu Yidao is a gambling addict!"

"Huh? Really? It doesn't look like it..." the round-faced woman exclaimed in surprise.

"How could that be fake?" the woman with the pointed chin said with certainty. "Let me tell you, my sister-in-law's cousin's brother-in-law lives on the same street as him."

"I heard it from him! This Hu Yidao used to have a wife, and she was quite good-looking! It was just that he was a compulsive gambler, and his wife couldn't stand it anymore, so she ran off with a peddler from out of town!"

"What's even more amazing is..."

She paused deliberately as she said this.

She glanced at the people around her, seeing that they were all eagerly grabbing her sleeves and urging her to speak quickly. Having whetted everyone's appetite, she then continued speaking with satisfaction.

"I also heard that when his wife ran away, she was pregnant with another man's child! She really cheated on him! Tsk tsk tsk..."

A murmur of suppressed gasps and knowing clicks of the tongue rose from the surrounding area.

"I really didn't see that coming..." The thin, long-faced woman shook her head. "But then again, what good can these gamblers be? They're useless themselves, and their wives ran off with other men—they deserve it!"

"Exactly! Birds of a feather flock together! Wasn't that Fatty Lin a gambling addict before?"

"Now, I don't know what methods she used, but not only did she secretly keep a gigolo at home, she also seduced that old bachelor Hu Yidao, and even had him personally deliver meat to her door..."

The woman with the pointed chin spoke in a sour tone, filled with undisguised contempt, "Look at that basket on its back, so heavy, who knows how many good things it's filled with! A worn-out woman, an old bachelor, ptooey!"

The women huddled together and whispered amongst themselves, their murmurs gradually turning into undisguised speculation.

These two innocent people, Hu Yidao and Lin Xiuer, were instantly transformed into adulterers who had been having an affair for a long time in their mouths.

Hu Yidao naturally couldn't hear these idle gossips.

Following the old man's directions, he quickly found the small, dilapidated fenced courtyard at the west end of the village, which was noticeably more run-down than the others.

The courtyard wall was low, and in some places it had collapsed and broken, revealing wild vegetables, mushrooms and other things drying inside.

He stood outside the courtyard gate, cleared his throat, and called out loudly, "Sister Lin! Are you home?"

A moment later, the courtyard gate creaked open, and Wang Shi poked her head out.

"Who are you looking for?" Wang asked warily, sizing up the burly stranger outside the door.

Hu Yidao quickly forced a simple, honest smile and bowed slightly: "Auntie, I'm Hu Yidao, the butcher in town. This must be Lin Xiuer's house."

Seeing that although he was tall and strong, his face was not fierce, he spoke politely, and he was carrying a heavy basket on his back, Wang's vigilance eased a little.

"What do you want with Xiuer?"

"Oh, you must be Xiuer's mother. At noon, Sister Lin ordered meat from me, but they left in a hurry and forgot to pick it up. I was worried about delaying her business tomorrow, so I brought it over."

Ms. Wang remembered that her daughter seemed to have mentioned that the stall was set up next to a familiar person's meat stall, so she stepped aside with some skepticism.

"Oh...it's Manager Hu, please come in."

Hu Yidao quickly thanked him and followed him into the courtyard.

He glanced around the yard as he entered. Although the yard was old, it was cleaner and tidier than he had imagined. There was a stack of firewood in the corner, and two chicks were scratching for food in the corner.

"Please have a seat, Manager Hu." Madam Wang brought over a small stool. "Xiu'er and Ping'an went to the back mountain to gather spices; they won't be back for more than half an hour. How much is this meat? I'll go get it from inside."

Hu Yidao didn't sit down; he first put the basket into the kitchen.

He took out the pork belly and large bones wrapped tightly in lotus leaves, and then took out a string of cleaned offal, placing them on a clean cutting board.

"Auntie, no rush." ​​He waved his hand. "The meat money isn't urgent. This pork belly is the same as yesterday's, so pay the old price."

"The pork bones and offal didn't cost much; I gave them to Sister Lin to add flavor to her soup. When she gets back, I'll let her decide how much to pay; I trust her."