The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

When Little Dog Egg came back after playing enough, he brought some shocking news: Li Jinxiang had fallen into the latrine.

Bao Ya quickly stopped him, telling him to wait until they finished eating before talking, as the conversation sounded too disgusting to eat.

Upon hearing this, Little Dog Egg quickly began to eat, and everyone at the table also sped up their eating.

As soon as they finished eating, Aunt Pang rushed in.

"Bao Ya, is Bao Ya home?"

"Auntie Pang, have you eaten yet?"

Auntie went to greet her and handed Auntie Pang a stool.

With such a big spectacle to watch, who cares about eating? Auntie Pang sat down and caught her breath before speaking.

"Not yet, we'll eat later. Baoya, your aunt said you pushed her into the latrine, and now your uncle and the others are going to settle the score with you."

Upon hearing this, Grandma Su's eyes twitched. She knew it; her granddaughter wouldn't have come back so obediently without causing some trouble.

Before Lin Baoya could speak, Old Mrs. Su slammed her chopsticks on the table and began to rant: "That's utter nonsense! Baoya has been here all afternoon. The baby isn't fully recovered yet. She took some medicine at noon and has been sleeping ever since."

"That's right, we came over right after lunch. When did she fall in?"

Su Ruyi chimed in, her mind not thinking too much, only remembering that she and Bao Ya had come out together that afternoon.

"I heard it from someone when I finished work; they had just pulled it up."

Aunt Pang assumed it was really Lin Baoya who did it. She had a good relationship with the Su family and had even arranged Baoya's marriage, so she came specifically to deliver the news. But now, seeing Baoya's rosy cheeks, as if she had just woken up, she was a little unsure. After all, Li Jinxiang wasn't exactly a good person either.

"We came here a while ago. My grandma saw us when we left. She's so good at framing people. She's holding a grudge because I washed her clothes and they got lost."

Bao Ya added at the opportune moment, "Just a heads-up, her feud with the Lin family goes beyond this."

"Ha, so she spent the whole afternoon in a cesspool, how come she didn't drown? No way, I need to have a serious talk with her. Ever since Bao Ya got engaged, she's caused quite a bit of trouble."

As she spoke, Granny Su got up and called to her two daughters-in-law, her son, and her grandson to go to the Lin family's house. Bao Ya naturally followed along as well.

Aunt Pang glanced at her house, then at the line ahead. She hadn't eaten yet, and her stomach was growling. But she knew she'd have to see this spectacle. Finally, she gritted her teeth and joined the queue.

The old lady led her family to the Lin family's door in a menacing manner. She wanted to go in, but stopped when she smelled the stench. She set up her stance at the gate and started cursing.

"Li Jinxiang, you wretched old woman, get out here! You deserve your punishment for being so immoral, falling into a cesspool, and you're still blaming it on the children. How can you be so shameless? Do you think I don't know how you've bullied my daughter and my granddaughter all these years? I didn't want to bother with you, but that only made you more lawless. Today, if I don't skin you alive, I'll take your surname."

"You damned piece of trash, come out here right now...!"

The Su family's wives were no pushovers either. They stood with their hands on their hips, ready to start cursing inside. The air was thick with the smell of excrement from the latrine. Bao Ya found a sheltered spot behind the group and watched.

Inside the main house, things were in a chaotic state because Li Jinxiang had soiled herself. Second Aunt Zhang Laidi was boiling water in the kitchen and hadn't even had time to cook rice yet, and probably wouldn't be able to eat it anyway. Wuya and Liuya were keeping their distance.

Lin Siya wanted them to help wash Li Jinxiang's clothes, but Wuya said that Grandpa said that one should wash one's own clothes and then hid inside the house and wouldn't come out.

Lin Siya resignedly took her excrement-stained clothes to the back plot of land to wash, and had to carry buckets of water back to the backyard. Now, both the front and back yards were filled with a nauseating stench. Granny Lin also closed the doors and windows tightly, continuing to mutter curses under her breath.

The eldest son had to close the doors and windows tightly because Li Jinxiang wanted to take a bath, which trapped the smell inside. Lin Dahe couldn't stand the smell and ran to his son's room to hide.

At this moment, the Su family mother-in-law and daughters-in-law were shouting and cursing at the door, but no one came out from inside. It was unclear whether they couldn't hear them because the doors and windows were closed too tightly, or whether they were deliberately ignoring them to avoid confrontation with the Su family.

At this moment, Simao said, "Grandma, they're not coming out, why don't we rush in!"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent for a moment. Aunt glared at this troublemaker. How could he possibly rush in like that? The stench outside was enough to kill a person, and it would probably be even worse inside.

For a moment, everyone hesitated.

"Don't rush in. Just smash things in the yard to vent your anger."

Someone said this, and quite loudly, so that everyone around could hear it clearly.

"Yes, smash it up, let them learn their lesson."

Some people in the crowd joined in the commotion, and for a moment it was impossible to tell who was speaking.

Those inside the house heard the commotion outside and, hearing that things were going to be smashed, couldn't stay still. Old Man Lin hurriedly came out of the house and greeted the Su family with a beaming smile.

"Our in-laws are here! We didn't hear you from inside. Please come in and have a seat."

Although she was speaking to the Su family, her eyes still darted towards Su Daqiang. Seeing this, Su Daqiang preemptively spoke up before his mother could:

"Uncle, don't be so polite. We heard that your eldest daughter-in-law fell into the cesspool. Some people said that Baoya pushed her, so we came to ask. Baoya went to my mother's place with her mother after having lunch at your house."

When did you push this? Ever since Bao Ya came back, your family has been constantly arguing; the child's reputation has even worsened.

Old Man Lin could also hear the accusation in these words. The child had been raised by other families for over ten years without any problems, so why has there been no peace since he came back to your family? Are you doing this on purpose?

Old Man Lin was hesitating to speak when Li Jinxiang burst out of the room with a loud "Aow!"

"That little bitch pushed me in. Tell her to come here and tell me herself, was it her? Where are you hiding? Lin Baoya, come out here."

She had just finished showering, and her clothes were still damp. She had run so fast that the towel on her head had fallen off, and her hair, still wet, was hanging loose in clumps. Her face was contorted with rage, making her look like a complete madwoman.

Su Ruyi was also displeased by these words, and even though she was not good with words, she still had to say a few words:

"You're talking nonsense. Who saw my daughter push you? We were at my mother's all afternoon, and she saw it when we left. You're blind and fell into the latrine, who can you blame? It's just that I didn't wash your clothes this morning, why are you putting all this blame on the child?"

"You're talking nonsense! She was the one who pushed you. Get out of here, you have no right to speak."

Ever since Li Jinxiang gave birth to three sons, she has disregarded her other two sisters-in-law. She puts on a good show in front of outsiders, but today she lost her temper and couldn't stop herself.

Upon hearing this, Granny Su and several of the Su family's wives were indignant. They thought, "She dares to be so arrogant in front of us; who knows what she'll do behind our backs?"