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

Old Mrs. Su took the lead, stepping forward two paces and starting to berate him with her hands on her hips:

"You have land, even if my daughter doesn't own it. You slut from Lizhuang (Lizhuang refers to Beishan Brigade, and Suzhuang refers to Nanshan Brigade, which was renamed when the production brigade was established), you're the kind of woman who sneaks into cornfields whenever you catch a man, and you still dare to put on airs in front of our Su family's daughter. Don't you even take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror?"

"You've given birth to a litter of bastards, yet you act all high and mighty. After a while, people will forget what kind of person you used to be. If you don't want to stay in our Su Village anymore, then go back to your Li Village. You shameless slut, you dare to act tough in front of me? Are you blind as a bat?"

Ten thousand words are omitted here.

Li Jinxiang did indeed crawl through a cornfield. When she was young, the Li family wanted to marry her off to a divorced man with five children, but she refused. So, she made a snap decision and dragged Lin Dahe into the cornfield.

Having tasted the sweetness of success, the two ventured into the cornfield a few more times, and were even spotted by a cowherd. The cowherd was from Lizhuang and didn't know Lin Dahe, so the rumor spread that she had gone into the cornfield with several men. Lin Dahe knew this, but others didn't, and it was difficult to explain to others. Over time, no one mentioned it anymore, but now that Granny Su had brought it up again, it caused quite a stir among the crowd.

"Was Li Jinxiang this promiscuous when she was young?"

"Oh dear, you were young, and you married into the family late. It caused quite a stir back then."

"I didn't realize Lin Dahe could be so patient. His head was covered in weeds, but he didn't say anything."

"Whatever he said, he went through it too."

"Then others went in too, tsk tsk tsk, they're all the same kind of people."

"No wonder his fourth daughter is like that too."

Lin Dahe, who came out a little later, felt a chill run down his spine as he listened to the discussions. He had attended a private school for a few years when he was young and was a promising young man in the village. That incident back then had a significant impact on him; otherwise, he could have been a contender for the position of brigade leader.

"you……"

Li Jinxiang was furious. That afternoon, Lin Baoya had forced her into the latrine, where she struggled for a long time. The more she struggled, the deeper she went, until the latrine was almost full. She could feel maggots crawling onto her buttocks. She howled in the latrine for a long time, but no one came. Just thinking about it now sends chills down her spine.

Now, this old woman had dug up her past misdeeds, and she was so angry she was about to lose her temper. She spotted the culprit, Lin Baoya, in the distance, giving her a provocative smile, and was about to pounce. Lin Dahe pulled her back, giving her a warning look. Turning to Granny Su, he said:

"Auntie, it's not as serious as you make it out to be. They usually get along very well as sisters-in-law. It's just that Siya's mother was a little short-tempered today. Please bear with her."

Bao Ya is young and can be naughty, but today it's nothing serious. She can just apologize to her aunt and it'll be over, don't you think?"

This means they've already decided that Lin Baoya was responsible for today's incident, without even asking her, and they've already convicted her. This is unacceptable.

"Uncle, what are you saying? How can you be so sure I pushed her? Besides, my grandma saw me leave. How can you pin the blame on me without even asking? Grandma, did you see what happened when I left at noon? Did my aunt fall into the latrine then?"

Hearing this, everyone's eyes turned to Granny Lin. She was already annoyed by the stench filling the yard, and was a little confused to be singled out.

Old Man Lin tugged at Old Woman Lin's sleeve and asked, "Old woman, did you see that?"

"Grandma, speak up! Did you see me and Mom leave?"

"Yes, I saw them leave." Granny Lin nodded, confirming that she had indeed seen them.

"Did you see my aunt fall into the latrine?"

"I didn't see it." She had been doing needlework in the house all afternoon, and Granny Lin was a little confused. She hadn't heard the two of them fighting, so how did she end up falling into the latrine?

"Look, my grandma was home the whole time; she didn't see her fall into the latrine. I was sleeping at my grandma's all afternoon, so how could I be the one who pushed her?"

After saying that, he turned to Li Jinxiang and said:

"Is your aunt still upset about me losing your clothes this morning? She's been nagging and cursing ever since I got back. I couldn't take it anymore, so I went to my grandma's house. Can't I even escape her now?"

She was facing Li Jinxiang with her back to everyone, and the look in her eyes when she looked at Li Jinxiang was not as innocent as she claimed.

"You...you pushed me down the path when you left!"

Li Jinxiang had lost her mind; all she could think about was Lin Baoya pushing her into the latrine. She couldn't hear anything else. All she could think about was that Lin Baoya had pushed her into the latrine.

"What? I pushed you into the latrine? That would have taken all afternoon, how come you haven't drowned yet? Besides, why didn't you scream? Were you eating shit in there? If Siya were home, wouldn't she have heard you? Did she not want to rescue her own mother?"

Upon hearing that she had spent the entire afternoon in the cesspool, everyone instinctively stepped back. To spend an entire afternoon in a cesspool—this person was truly extraordinary, as if being close enough would allow them to get some of the excrement.

If Lin Baoya really left a long time ago, then Li Jinxiang must be lying. A person who has been soaking in a cesspool for so long will either drown or stink to death.

Lin Siya shrank back when she heard this. She had heard her mother shout. She was in pain all over from being beaten in the morning, so she thought her mother was cursing again and didn't move. She lay down in the room and fell asleep.

Li Jinxiang's blood boiled, and she lost her senses. She'd never suffered such a loss in all the years she'd been married into the Lin family. She hadn't realized the word game Lin Baoya had played on her; Lin Baoya had subtly pushed her into a latrine, but everyone else thought she'd fallen into a cesspool—this was not the real latrine.

Pressing and pushing are two completely different actions; the openings of a latrine and a cesspool are vastly different. She couldn't explain to people in detail that she was pulled out naked, struggled in the pit covered in excrement, and that Lin Lao Er was the first to discover her.

Everyone thought it was illogical; if someone spent half a day in a cesspool, they would either drown or rot from the stench, so how could they be so lively and energetic?

The discussion then turned to how long one could stay in the cesspool.

Seeing that Lin Baoya was still trying to defend her, and that she herself couldn't explain herself clearly, Li Jinxiang slapped her thigh, sat on the ground, and started throwing a tantrum.

"Oh my God, this is terrible! My niece is going to kill my aunt! She wasn't satisfied with just beating us this morning, and now she's going to kill someone too."

"Aunt, you're right. Throwing a tantrum won't prove my guilt. I know you've always disliked our third branch of the family and have been trying to make trouble for us. If you want to separate the family, just tell Grandpa. He's so biased towards you, he'll definitely agree."

"Burp~"

Dividing the family property? What kind of division? Her second son hasn't started working or gotten married yet, and her youngest son hasn't graduated. If he gets into university, that will be another huge expense. If the family money is divided among the second and third wives, what will happen to her two sons? The eldest wife's family is the least willing to accept a share.