WBSGVS Chapter 63 V2

The original plot was set in a large brigade that oversaw several villages. The distances weren’t far, and it only took about ten minutes to walk.

Along the way, she encountered some familiar people.

When they saw Qing Li with a bag, they were surprised. “What’s going on? Already coming back?”

Qing Li casually nodded. “Yes, the trial marriage didn’t work out.”

They mumbled a bit but didn’t say much.

Qing Li thought the trial marriage system was pretty good. It was similar to a real marriage, except without the formal registration. People still valued a girl’s virginity, but not as much as in other areas she had been to.

Most trial marriages worked out, but a small number broke apart due to issues on either the man’s or the woman’s side. After breaking up, both parties’ marriage prospects were usually affected.

Qing Li didn’t care about that. She wasn’t concerned with reputation, and she certainly didn’t mind the opinions of others. It was 1978, and individual entrepreneurship was about to be allowed. There would be opportunities everywhere—if she worked hard and made money now, she wouldn’t have to worry for the rest of her life!

But the most important thing now was to retrieve the compensation money from her original father’s death.

After about ten minutes, Qing Li arrived at the original home.

Originally a three-person household, it had become a two-person home, and now, it was just the original owner living there alone.

Separation, whether by life or death, is always the hardest.

Standing in front of this seemingly small house, Qingli blinked her eyes, feeling a bitter ache in her chest, and her eyes became slightly moist.

A neighbor, Aunt Xiuhong from next door, seemed to have returned to fetch something and happened to come out at this time. She bumped into Qingli and, surprised, asked, “Eh? Isn’t that the girl from the Du family? What are you doing back here? Did you come to get something?”

Qingli smiled faintly, unlocking the door as she explained, “I came back. I’m not getting married anymore.”

“Ah?” Aunt Xiuhong was even more surprised, her concern growing. “What happened? Why aren’t you getting married? Did those people over there bully you?”

Qingli had already opened the door and nodded firmly. “Yes, Xiang Lifeng’s three children bullied me. I finally realized it—I’m a young girl. Why would I want to be a stepmother? It’s thankless and exhausting. Why bother?”

Aunt Xiuhong laughed. “You’re right. I had told your grandmother that it wouldn’t work. Xiang Lifeng may have good conditions, but he’s already a father of three. Even if you married him and had a few more children, would he be able to take care of you? Who knows how much affection he could give you?”

“You’re right, Aunt.” Qingli grinned.

Aunt Xiuhong nodded. “I said the same thing. Anyway, I’m heading home now. You should rest at home, but come over for dinner at my place tonight.”

“No, I’m going to my grandmother’s house.” Qingli shook her head and walked in.

Aunt Xiuhong acknowledged her and glanced at Qingli’s figure before heading off to the fields, walking faster than usual.

When she arrived, the area was filled with women working in the fields. They were talking and laughing, making the work seem less tiring.

When Aunt Xiuhong arrived, one of the women called out, “Hey, you’re finally here! We’ve fallen behind!”

Her work partner.

Aunt Xiuhong smiled apologetically. “Sorry, sorry, I got delayed with something.”

“Did you fall?” someone teased.

Aunt Xiuhong shook her head mysteriously. “You won’t believe what I just saw.”

“What? Come on, hurry up and tell me!” The woman shot her an exasperated look.

Aunt Xiuhong lowered her voice. “Du Shi’s daughter came back!”

“She’s back?” The person gossiping exclaimed, her eyes full of curiosity as she looked toward the area where Du Qingli had been, filled with excitement. “Is it what I think?”

“Exactly!” Aunt Xiuhong nodded. “I told you Xiang Lifeng was a poor match. Du Shi’s daughter is still a young girl. She would be at a disadvantage marrying a man with three kids! And, even though she doesn’t have parents, I’ve heard Du Shi had a lot of compensation money!”

“Right, right!” the others nodded in agreement.

Once they finished gossiping, the information spread quickly, and soon it reached the ears of Du Qingli’s aunt, He Dan, who was working in the fields with a hoe. She froze when she heard the news, unable to lift her hoe. She was uneasy.

Du Qingli came back?

She wasn’t getting married anymore?

Was it possible that the Xiang family had tricked her into returning to grab the compensation money?

He Dan nervously looked toward her husband, but he was too busy moving things around to see anything clearly, and there was no way to discuss it with him.

The person who had been gossiping nudged her, saying, “Hey, what do you think? Your niece isn’t getting married anymore. Isn’t that just messing around? She stayed for two days, and now she’s leaving. Her reputation is ruined.”

He Dan’s mind raced, and she quickly added, “Exactly, why didn’t she say something earlier? She stayed for two days before coming back. How is anyone supposed to propose to her now?”

The gossiping woman smiled. “What are you going to do about it?”

He Dan bit her lip, glancing at the reactions of those around her. She said, “Well, I’ll talk to her, tell her not to be so willful. What’s going on that made her come back like this?”

“Sounds like a good idea,” the woman nodded.

He Dan sighed in relief.

Marriage, at this time, was often like clothes—patched up and patched together until they could keep going. No one would easily give up unless something major happened.

Still, despite all of this, she couldn’t focus on the work at hand. With a nervous glance, she saw that the scorekeeper was coming over. She looked at the sky and realized it was still a couple of hours earlier than expected, so she made up her mind and rushed over. “Mr. Scorekeeper, I’ve got some family matters to attend to. Can you mark me as seven points today?”

Normally, women got eight points, but leaving early meant their work points would be reduced.

The scorekeeper looked at the field, then reluctantly nodded. “Alright, but you’ll have to make up for it tomorrow.”

“I will, I will,” He Dan smiled and nodded, then grabbed her things and headed home.

Meanwhile, Qingli was still packing. It felt like this house had been empty for two days, but now it felt even emptier.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just an illusion—it was empty!

Her wardrobe had been moved, the pots had been taken, and even some benches were gone.

She couldn’t believe it.

Qingli chuckled and arranged the original owner’s room, then went to fetch some water. She swept the floor and, with nothing else to do, found an old chair that hadn’t been taken, slouched into it, and waited lazily.

Soon, a familiar figure appeared in the distance, walking hurriedly. When the person got close, they slapped their thigh and exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, you came back? What is this about?”

Qingli smiled, “I don’t want to be a stepmother. It’s too hard, so I came back.”

He Dan’s heart skipped a beat. If it were anything else, she could have tried to persuade her. But saying she didn’t want to be a stepmother was harder to argue with. Still, she had to try. She glanced at Qingli with a sparkling gaze and smiled. “What kind of joke is this? Didn’t you know about the arranged marriage before? Now you say it’s too late? You’ve already lived there for two days.”

Qingli pouted. “Aunt, I’ve come back. I’m not going back.”

He Dan glared at her, slightly annoyed. “Marriage is no joke! If you wanted to stay for a couple of days, your uncle and I would be happy but don’t say things like that. What’s going on? Tell me, did they bully you?”

Qingli shook her head and sighed, looking a little embarrassed.

He Dan’s unease grew. Could it be that Qingli came back just for the compensation money? She nudged her. “Tell me, what happened? How would I know if you don’t say?”

Qingli furrowed her brows. “I knew they had kids, but didn’t you tell me they were all well-behaved? When I got there, I found out they were far from well-behaved! There’s nothing worse than those three kids! Now I can’t even stand looking at Xiang Lifeng. It’s better to just live alone. I’ll find a man I like slowly.”

He Dan’s face darkened. She wasn’t pleased. “It’s easy for you to say. A woman like you, who can’t even work the fields, how are you going to live on your own?”

Wasn’t she just relying on them for support?

Qingli smiled faintly and glanced up at her, her tone casual. “It’s fine. Didn’t my dad’s factory lose a thousand yuan? That should be enough to support me for many years, right?”

He Dan gasped in shock, staring at Qingli in disbelief.

She came back for the compensation money!