Chapter 63: Any "Junk" Today?

"You hurried back overnight?" Lin Jingyue emerged from her space at the sound of activity.

The two of them squatted by the well, washing their faces.

She quickly lit a fire and stir-fried a simple dish, while another pot warmed some steamed buns.

"Let me do it," Jiang Xun said, drying his hands.

"It's no trouble, you take a rest," Lin Jingyue replied with a smile.

Jiang Xun didn't argue with her and pointed to the side of the stove, where about ten or so catties of meat and pork ribs were placed. "Didn't leave too much this time—five catties of meat, six of ribs. It's hot, can't keep them for long."

Even so, they'd have to eat them quickly.

"Mm-hmm. I already took care of the rabbit and pheasant from yesterday. Let's salt this meat first and eat it gradually," Lin Jingyue said as she cooked.

She had pulled up some baby bok choy from the field and stir-fried it with garlic, sliced a bit of meat for a loofah and pork stir-fry, and made an egg soup. It was more than enough.

After the hot meal, Zhou Yan called out a goodnight and went to bed—having stayed up all night, exhaustion took over.

Jiang Xun joined Lin Jingyue in her room and spoke with her. He took out the money and vouchers. "Three pigs, live weight nine hundred thirty-six catties, sold at sixty cents per catty. I rounded up the total—they gave five hundred. The rest of the money I exchanged for vouchers..."

Five hundred yuan was easy to divide among the five of them—one hundred each. But Jiang Xun intended to give all the vouchers to Lin Jingyue, and the others had no objections.

However, both Xie Yunzheng and Sun Jiabao refused their share.

Especially Sun Jiabao—no matter how much he coveted the money, he had some pride. He hadn't contributed, so it wouldn't be right to take a share.

Mainly, if it had been someone else, he might have taken it, but since it was Jiang Xun, he felt uneasy accepting it.

In the end, seeing he truly didn't want it, Jiang Xun smiled, satisfied. He didn't mind for himself, but one of the wild boars had been brought down by Lin Jingyue—she deserved a larger share.

Still, Sun Jiabao hadn't been entirely useless—he'd provided the cart and helped carry the pigs.

So Jiang Xun finally gave him twenty yuan.

Sun Jiabao refused over and over, but Jiang Xun pressed it into his hands and told him there would be more for him to do.

Only then did Sun Jiabao accept, grinning from ear to ear all the way home—twenty yuan in a day! He decided, come hell or high water, he'd stick with Brother Jiang.

Xie Yunzheng also received twenty, and like Sun Jiabao, at first refused.

But then he thought, if he didn't take the twenty, wouldn't that put him beneath Sun Jiabao?

Thus, out of the five hundred, forty was given out; Jiang Xun gave Zhou Yan one hundred sixty, and the remaining three hundred went to Lin Jingyue, along with a pile of vouchers.

Zhou Yan ended up with ten more than the others, but no vouchers, not that he minded.

"All of it for me?" Lin Jingyue eyed the crisp hundred-yuan bills and colorful vouchers on the table.

"Yes, all for you." And even myself, for you. The words hovered in Jiang Xun's mind, but he didn't say them aloud—he wasn't quite bold enough yet.

"It's better if I just take my share. You keep yours for yourself, but leave the vouchers with me, I'll use them to buy food," Lin Jingyue replied with a smile.

She believed in financial independence; before marriage, it was best not to entangle their finances too much. Call her cautious if you will—she wasn't short of money herself, nor did she want to spend someone else's.

A shadow flickered in Jiang Xun's eyes, but he didn't press the matter. He nodded, "Alright."

No rush. One day, she would willingly take his money.

"This is for you." He produced another package.

Lin Jingyue's lips quirked. She could refuse the money, but presents were a must.

Jiang Xun had bought two catties of White Rabbit milk candy, a catty of peach crisps, two catties of egg cakes, and a length of gray-blue plaid fabric.

Because Lin Jingyue liked rice, he had also bought ten catties of it.

Lin Jingyue shook her head in resignation. "I already have rice. Next time, don't buy any more—I have my own supply channels."

"Alright," Jiang Xun agreed, though he would do as he pleased next time. In his mind, what belonged to Lin Jingyue was hers.

At noon, after work, Aunt Liu arrived at the gate and suddenly caught a whiff of meat in the air. She inhaled greedily and grumbled, "Who's cooking meat again? May their behinds rot—they're always tempting others."

She pushed the door open and saw Sun Jiabao in the yard, legs crossed, holding a bowl of chicken.

"…"

"Ma, you're back! Where's Dad? Hurry, it's time to eat—we're having chicken today," Sun Jiabao beamed.

Aunt Liu almost choked. "You good-for-nothing! I don't even nag you about loafing around, but now you resort to stealing chickens? Where did you get it?!"

"Lin—my Brother Jiang gave it to me. Ma, keep your voice down." Sun Jiabao shot his sister, who was cooking, a look to close the door.

He pulled Aunt Liu aside and whispered to her for a while, and Aunt Liu's face lit up with joy.

Her son was finally showing promise!

Looking at the five yuan in her hand, Aunt Liu felt a surge of pride—a sense that her son was finally grown.

In the blink of an eye, two days passed. That day, as Lin Jingyue returned from gathering pigweed and was about to continue her writing, she heard the postman's bicycle bell ringing.

She stepped outside.

"Is Lin Jingyue here? You have a remittance slip."

Wang Xueping, who hadn't gone to work, looked up with a start. Another remittance slip? Lin Jingyue must have received payment for another article.

"Hello, I'm Lin Jingyue," she said, signing for the slip.

It was from the newspaper Jiang Xun had sent her work to—eight yuan in manuscript fees, not a bad sum.

In high spirits, she locked the door and headed to town to collect the money.

She collected that ten yuan from last time as well, and planned to visit Zhou Mingxue and Old Huo.

Zhou Mingxue had said she wanted to take her somewhere, though she hadn't explained where.

After establishing her relationship with Jiang Xun, Lin Jingyue had inquired about the Zhou family.

Zhou Mingxue's father was deputy director of the Public Security Bureau, and her mother was a deputy section chief in the economic office—a very good background.

The Zhou family seemed decent enough; worth befriending.

As Lin Jingyue left the zhiqing compound, Wang Xueping's expression soured, shifting between gloom and resentment. If Lin Jingyue could do it, so could she. Wasn't she, who had been reborn, more capable than some brute?

Elsewhere, Lin Xinyou, out for a stroll, caught sight of Lin Jingyue's departing figure on her bicycle. Jealousy and hatred churned in her eyes.

That wretched Lin Jingyue had actually dared to slap her!

She had inherited the original host's memories but had never truly suffered Lin Jingyue's beatings. That slap had awakened the deepest resentment she harbored toward Lin Jingyue.

One day, she would make her pay!

But Lin Xinyou didn't yet know that the backer she'd pinned her hopes on had already set out on a path utterly different from the one in her previous life.

He was on his way home from demobilization.

In the county seat, Lin Jingyue, carrying a bag of apples, first went to the scrap collection station.

This time, she didn't make a big fuss. When she saw Old Huo, as unruffled as ever, she broke into a radiant smile. "Old man, I'm here again. Where were you last time? I didn't see you when I came by."

Old Huo was actually pleased to see her, though he made a show of disdain, curling his lip. "You just have lousy timing. What did you bring me this time? If it's not good, I won't take it."

Lin Jingyue's mouth twitched. "Big, red apples."

Seeing the old man already crunching away at an apple, Lin Jingyue grinned and sat down beside him, resting her chin on her hands. "Old man, any 'junk' for me today?"

PS: Lin Jingyue: A kid who doesn't like picking up scraps isn't a good kid!