Chapter 60: My Son Can Take a Beating

"I heard you submitted an article to some newspaper? And they sent you money? You're really something!"
The women finishing their shift gathered around Lin Jingyue.
They lamented—this child may be lazy and violent, but she's a hen that lays golden eggs.
She can even write articles that earn money, oh my.
"Comrade Lin, are you really courting Comrade Jiang?" one woman asked, unwilling to let the matter drop.
Lin Jingyue...
Was there any connection between these two topics? The questions jumped so abruptly.
"Comrade Lin, you should reconsider. Our brigade has plenty of good young men. Take my son, for example. He's a top worker, earning twelve work points..." A plump woman squeezed forward, spitting as she spoke.
Lin Jingyue silently stepped back twice, wiping her face.
She truly felt the urge to hit someone.
"Go away, your son only knows how to work with his head down. He's not as capable as mine..."
"Shut up, your son lazes around all day. Can he support a family?"
"But he's tough! If Comrade Lin is supporting the household, she can take out her frustrations on him whenever she likes."
Lin Jingyue: "..."
The men finishing their shift: "..."
Jiang Xun was about to head back to the commune when he saw Lin Jingyue approaching and overheard the conversation, his face darkening.
"Comrade Lin, think it over. Comrade Jiang isn't someone you can build a life with. He—"
"What does Auntie think of me?" Jiang Xun's cold voice rang out. "Am I not tough enough?"
Lin Jingyue...
The woman felt uneasy under his gaze, but thinking of her sons, she summoned courage, about to continue, when her son pulled her away desperately. "Mother, please, spare your son."
He didn't think he was tough; at least, he couldn't withstand a double onslaught.
The young men felt Jiang Xun's gaze and shivered, quickly dragging their mothers away.
Everyone knew Lin Jingyue had earned ten yuan for just one article—what young man wouldn't be tempted?
But it took courage; not even Jiang Xun could handle Lin Jingyue, let alone the others.
The thought of being pinned down and beaten by their wives after marriage was hard to accept.
The departing women kept glancing back at Lin Jingyue.
"..."
Only the onlookers remained. Lin Jingyue ignored them as Jiang Xun pushed his bicycle. "Let's go home."

Lin Jingyue nodded. "What's going on? Did I get a response about my article?"
"There is one. It's the piece I mailed for you. The newspaper sent ten yuan as payment, along with the letter." Since the mail was delivered to the brigade office, everyone knew.
Jiang Xun had already collected the letter and money for her.
"I thought it would vanish without a trace." To be honest, Lin Jingyue hadn't held much hope.
"Good things come to those who wait." Jiang Xun smiled. "By the way, I'll introduce someone to you later."
He suddenly remembered his cousin who had dropped by that afternoon.
"Who?"
"Hello, Comrade Beauty, we meet again!" As soon as Lin Jingyue finished speaking at the commune gate, a person burst out from the yard.
"Brother, you actually have such a pretty comrade here! You're so lucky! I'm going to join your commune. I'm not going to the Kaoshan brigade." Xie Yunzhe said excitedly.
Jiang Xun raised his foot and kicked him. "Shut up!"
Xie Yunzhe...
Lin Jingyue was at a loss. "Is he your brother?"
Jiang Xun sensed something must've happened between Lin Jingyue and Xie Yunzhe and spoke decisively, "He doesn't have to be."
Lin Jingyue: "..."
Xie Yunzhe: "...You're really my brother!"
"Hahaha!" Zhou Yan laughed so hard he couldn't stand up straight. "Xie Yunzhe, your brother has always put women above friends, and now he's putting women above his own brother. I feel balanced now."
Xie Yunzhe stared, "She—she—she, you—you—you, is she your girlfriend?!"
When Lin Jingyue nodded, he clutched his chest in despair, gazing forty-five degrees up at the sky, calling out for his mother. His first love had died before it began.
"Get inside, stop acting." Jiang Xun frowned, giving Xie Yunzhe another kick.
Xie Yunzhe, "..." In the morning, your girlfriend threw me over her shoulder; in the afternoon, you kick me.
No human rights at all.
"Jingyue, his name is Xie Yunzhe, my unreliable cousin, stationed at the neighboring Kaoshan brigade," Jiang Xun said perfunctorily.
Xie Yunzhe had just arrived to escape some trouble at home.
He was supposed to come to Qingshan brigade, but found Jiang Xun too bothersome—always ready to fight—so went to Kaoshan instead.
"Oh, nice to meet you." Lin Jingyue greeted with a smile.
Jiang Xun gave Xie Yunzhe a chilly look. "Lin Jingyue, my girlfriend, with marriage as the goal."
"...That last part was unnecessary."
"Heh, Comrade Lin... nice to meet you." Xie Yunzhe forced a smile.

His brother's luck was unbelievable. Why couldn't such a pretty educated youth be assigned to Kaoshan brigade?
Jiang Xun ignored Xie Yunzhe's antics and went inside to hand Lin Jingyue the envelope and remittance. "The rest should get responses soon."
"Mm, it's fine if they don't." Lin Jingyue smiled.
Since Xie Yunzhe had joined them today, Lin Jingyue brought out a wild rabbit, planning to make spicy rabbit cubes, along with two vegetable dishes and a soup.
Everyone was numb to her frequent harvests from the mountains.
One pot cooked rice, another stir-fried dishes. Jiang Xun made Xie Yunzhe and Zhou Yan clean the rabbit, while he handled the rest.
As for Lin Jingyue, she was assigned to sit by the stove and keep the fire burning.
Jiang Xun handed her a pack of imported biscuits. "Eat a little to tide you over."
"I'm not hungry." Lin Jingyue's eyes curved with a smile.
"If you're not hungry now, just eat later." Jiang Xun put the rice in the pot and tended the fire himself.
"Wasn't I supposed to keep the fire going?"
"You might burn yourself."
Lin Jingyue's smile grew, while nearby Chen Chunlan, who was also cooking, heard this and pursed her lips. She glanced at Sun Liangdong, who lounged under the eaves waiting to eat, and suddenly felt irritated.
Why was her fate so bitter?
Since Wang Xueping and Yang Ming were ostracized by the commune, they rarely spoke to anyone, only exchanging a few words occasionally. To be honest, Wang Xueping was shocked to learn Lin Jingyue and Jiang Xun were dating.
It had always been obvious Jiang Xun treated Lin Jingyue differently, but seeing it for real was hard to believe.
In her memory, Jiang Xun was like a flower on a high mountain—unreachable, with an equally unattainable family background.
Most importantly, she remembered Jiang Xun never married or dated; aside from Zhou Yan, everyone else seemed invisible to him.
So, after her rebirth, she assumed...
But who knows? Wang Xueping looked deeply at Lin Jingyue. With Jiang Xun's family, it would be a miracle if Lin Jingyue married in. Maybe Jiang Xun was just playing around.
She was waiting for the day when the real drama would unfold.
Lin Jingyue was unaware of Wang Xueping's thoughts. She noticed Sun Jiabao outside the commune and felt curious. "Is he here to see us?"
"I'll go check."
"Let's go together."

PS: Jiang Xun: Everyone wants to steal her away! Do they think I'm dead?