This girl from the Wang family had good conditions and no parents. Wasn’t that a piece of fat meat?
The ones with decent thoughts were just thinking about approaching Wang Ying for a marriage proposal, seeing if she’d take a liking to their sons. But some with darker intentions, with hearts as black as coal, were already scheming how to get Wang Ying into their hands.
Wang Ying, on the other hand, had no idea she had already caught the eye of so many. She was still thinking about what Xu Shuang had said.
The two of them, both had their own shortcomings.
Wang Ying had no family to back her up and was afraid of marrying the wrong man—so she insisted on a husband joining her household.
Xu Shuang, for all his qualities, came from a “bad class” background, so he needed to find someone with a “good class” status.
When they put their heads together, this marriage arrangement actually fit like a glove.
Wang Ying thought, others might marry her for her house, her money, or because she was a high school graduate. But after marriage, who knew if they’d treat her well?
But Xu Shuang was marrying her for her social class background.
That felt safe.
To put it bluntly, even if the Xu family had bad intentions, they wouldn’t dare mistreat her because in this political climate, if others wanted to divorce, they’d face obstacles, but for someone like her and Xu Shuang, no one would lift a finger to stop them.
And Xu Shuang would be marrying into her household…
Wang Ying thought it was like a pillow arriving just when she was getting sleepy. The more she thought about Xu Shuang’s conditions, the more suitable he seemed.
And then, remembering she was a disaster in the kitchen, Wang Ying was even more satisfied with Xu Shuang.
These days, she hadn’t just been recovering her health—she’d also visited the commune and Xipo Town a few times. She originally thought she could find a job with a canteen, but she soon realized that was an unrealistic dream.
Except for the thermos factory and government offices in town, nowhere else had a canteen!
Wang Ying was already worried about food. She didn’t have much money—buying braised food once a week wouldn’t last. But her own cooking skills were terrible, downright lethal.
She figured, at the very least, marrying Xu Shuang would mean she wouldn’t have to worry about food.
Late at night, country folks went to bed early. There was no electricity in the village, and people relied on oil lamps—but even oil had to be used sparingly.
So once it got dark, even if they didn’t sleep, households would sit in the dark chatting to pass the time.
Wang Ying lay in bed, thinking over everything, and for the first time in a while, found herself struggling to sleep.
But behind the Wang house, a sneaky figure quietly appeared.
The person was small and thin, and moved awkwardly. He made his way down the mountain path and almost tripped on the stones along the way. He crept up to the back of a window.
He first pressed his ear against one window, and when he heard a man snoring inside, he knew that wasn’t the one.
It was too dark—he couldn’t remember if he’d been told to look at the east or west side.
But the snoring helped. He crept around the outer wall of the house, feeling his way to the next window.
What he didn’t know was that Wang Ying had already detected someone outside the window as soon as she heard the footsteps. Her hearing was exceptionally sharp. At first, she thought the steps were headed toward Wang Yongshun’s place and was confused—it sounded like someone was targeting the older couple.
But then, the person turned back quickly, obviously having made a mistake.
Wang Ying quietly got off her bed and grabbed a long stick.
She had crafted the stick herself from a tree branch in the mountains, exactly for situations like this.
Wang Ying thought this wasn’t good—after Xu Shuang clashed with Wang Yongshun and his wife, and she flatly refused to help them, it must look to others like she had broken off ties with her uncle and aunt.
Even though the relationship had soured long ago, they had kept up appearances. But this time, she didn’t stand with Wang Yongshun at all. That meant their dispute was now out in the open.
They had just argued yesterday, and tonight someone was already creeping around her door.
Wang Ying was really annoyed.
She hadn’t expected the intruder to actually do anything to her—most likely, they thought she had money and came to steal.
But Wang Ying miscalculated. She didn’t know that over the past day and a half, the people in the brigade had already weighed and measured her worth like they were measuring gold.
Now, she herself was worth far more than anything inside her house.
This brazen man was an old bachelor from the Seventh Brigade, commonly called “Old Dog” by others.
Old Dog was thirty-seven this year. Back when he was of marriageable age, his family was so poor they were about to sell their blood to survive. His mother was very fertile and gave birth to seven sons in a row. His father had been overjoyed at first, thinking it meant the family was thriving.
But in the end, they couldn’t afford to raise so many sons.
Out of the seven, two were sent off to marry into other families, one starved to death during a famine, two ran away from the unbearable poverty. The remaining two—after scraping and saving—the family could only afford to marry off one.
Old Dog was the leftover one without a wife.
He was furious about it and ended up moving out.
But once he left home, he became even poorer, barely scraping by. He often didn’t know where his next meal was coming from. Over time, things got a bit better, and he at least wasn’t starving anymore. But by then, he was getting old and still penniless—no chance of getting a wife.
Year after year passed, and Old Dog remained a bachelor.
He had given up hope and was thinking maybe he’d save up some money and buy a wife one day. Even though the new society banned such things, if he did it secretly and claimed she was just a girl from another village, the brigade wouldn’t press the issue.
But yesterday, when the news about Wang Ying spread around the brigade, it lit a fire in Old Dog’s heart.
Wang Ying’s situation—wasn’t she born just for him?
She had everything—except a man.
And he had nothing—wasn’t that a perfect match?
Though he was older, young girls didn’t know better. Older men knew how to care for a woman, right?
That’s what Old Dog thought to himself. But he also knew he had no real chance.
Right now, all the young men in the brigade had their eyes on Wang Ying. In a few days, someone would surely come to propose marriage.
Old Dog felt like he was being eaten alive by jealousy—this was his chance!
Otherwise, why had he been a bachelor for all these years? It had to be fate—for this exact moment!
He’d overheard people talking, and even though some said Wang Ying would probably want a husband who would marry into her family, even then, he didn’t stand a chance.
In the village, there are many young and strong men, some from families with several brothers who aren’t concerned about having more children.
Adopting a son-in-law? Why not!
You get a beautiful wife and a brick house for free. What’s there to complain about?
Old Dog was anxious; he couldn’t wait any longer.
He made up his mind to do something heartless.
He decided to take action first—if Wang Ying wouldn’t marry, then she’d have to.
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Old Dog was startled.
How could a good person do such a bad thing? After all, there was no escaping hell for such deeds.
But Old Dog reasoned that he’d suffered enough—at 37, still unmarried. Shouldn’t he blame heaven for this? If going to hell was the price to pay, so be it—as long as he could have a wife and a big house.
He convinced himself that once married, he’d treat Wang Ying well. After all, a little girl like her would be easy to handle.
Old Dog sneaked to Wang Ying’s window, feeling excited as if the good life was just around the corner.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared, followed by a punch that nearly knocked out his front teeth.
Old Dog was in so much pain that he teared up, speaking in a quiet voice, trying to beg for mercy.
“Good man, good man, please stop! You also came for Wang Ying, didn’t you? I’ll back off, just take her!”
Old Dog didn’t even think to ask who it was; anyone sneaking around a young girl’s window at this hour couldn’t be up to any good.
“I’ll back off!”
Old Dog quickly backed down, realizing that too many people were after Wang Ying. Even if he became a beast, there wouldn’t be any room for him.
But the person didn’t respond, continuing to swing punches.
The punches were so fierce they cut through the air!
Old Dog felt aggrieved—he had barely touched the window for ten seconds!
This beating was entirely unfair!
The person moved swiftly, and Old Dog was nearly beaten to death. He lost consciousness, the pain too intense to handle.
Wang Ying had been waiting for someone to push open her window but was instead hearing this commotion outside.
She had thought, like Old Dog, that it was just some lecherous men gathering.
But the sounds of the fight grew more intense, clearly not a scuffle between competitors. Wang Ying cautiously pulled back the curtain. Her house had a glass window in the back, and the last time she broke windows, it was in the courtyard, not the rear.
Through the transparent glass, Wang Ying’s sharp eyesight could make out the figures under the moonlight.
Xu Shuang had knocked the man unconscious and was dragging him to one side.
Wang Ying pushed open the window, and Xu Shuang turned around to look at her.
“Did I wake you?”
Wang Ying scratched her head. “I was already awake. Is he okay? He came to steal money, right? You didn’t beat him up too badly, did you?”
Even from a distance, Wang Ying recognized him as the village’s old bachelor, Old Dog.
Xu Shuang replied, “He didn’t come to steal money.”
Wang Ying said, “He didn’t come to steal money, but to steal… Wait, what!”
Wang Ying couldn’t help but curse.
It wasn’t her fault. After coming to this place, her impression of most people in the village had been good. Someone like Old Dog, though, she had never considered as a potential partner. For a moment, she hadn’t thought to consider him.
Wang Ying ground her teeth and said, “Wait here, I’ll come out and teach him a lesson.”
Old Dog had passed out. In his foggy state, he thought he was still being beaten, not realizing that the last blows were from Wang Ying.
Wang Ying swiftly climbed out of the window and gave Old Dog a severe beating.
Afterward, she spat on him and said, “Beast!”
The man, nearly fifty, was still so disgusting; he truly deserved it.
Wang Ying turned to Xu Shuang and said, “Thanks.”
It wasn’t really necessary to thank him. If Old Dog had gotten inside her window, she likely would have beaten him just as badly, though that would have been a bit too much.
Xu Shuang noticed that Wang Ying was treating this as an isolated incident and couldn’t help but offer a word of caution: “You should pay attention to these things. With you and your uncle’s family having fallen out… a lot of people in the village have their eye on you.”
Xu Shuang didn’t want to bash everyone in one go. Among those who wanted to pursue Wang Ying, some genuinely saw her as a potential wife.
Not everyone, like Old Dog, had bad intentions. Some were simply interested in Wang Ying herself.
Xu Shuang understood this would only add obstacles for himself. Previously, no one had approached Wang Ying for marriage, so she had a limited range of choices. Now that her situation was known, and she had cut ties with Wang Yongshun’s family, everyone knew it was her they could pursue.
There were likely even some young men with better conditions.
Xu Shuang told Wang Ying about the recent developments in the village. After the altercation with Wang Yongshun’s family, some people had resumed contact with his family. It wasn’t that they’d never wanted to talk to them, but they had struggled with how to approach things.
After the argument with Wang Yongshun and his wife, the excuse was handed to them on a silver platter. Some elderly women who used to gossip with Xu’s grandmother came to visit, not mentioning Xu Ming’s matter, acting as if it never happened, and resumed interactions as they had before.
Yesterday, everyone saw that Xu Shuang, the youngest son of the Xu family, could still hold things together. Xu’s grandmother wasn’t someone to be easily taken advantage of. Mother and son would soon be able to turn things around, likely by finding a daughter-in-law with a better background to smooth things over.
This had long been known among the villagers as a way to improve one’s social standing. Some middle-class and wealthy farmers had done the same—just tough it out, have a child or two, and they’d be no different from the others.
The gossiping elderly women quickly spread the news that the whole village was talking about Wang Ying.
Xu Shuang, however, thought differently from these women. He immediately sensed that this might be dangerous for Wang Ying.
That’s why he was lying in wait tonight. Who would have thought someone would act so quickly?
After Xu Shuang finished speaking, Wang Ying’s expression was complicated: “So, you’re saying… my situation is so good that it has all the young men in the village interested?”
Xu Shuang: “It’s not that… Some of the aunts from our brigade have gone back to their natal homes today.”
Wang Ying was devastated, meaning that under such circumstances, other young men from other brigades could still be interested in her?
Xu Shuang: “Some of them are even planning to hire a matchmaker, so it’s probably only a few days before someone comes knocking. You can think about it carefully…”
Wang Ying made an immediate decision: “No need to think about it! It’s you! When are we getting married?”
Wang Ying watched as Xu Shuang, under the moonlight, revealed a smile. He used to always have a stern face, but when he smiled like this, it was surprisingly attractive.
Wang Ying blushed a little at his smile: “You’re not lying to me, are you?!”
What with the talk of all the young men in the brigade planning to pursue her, and some guy planning to come over tomorrow to fetch water for her…
Xu Shuang stopped smiling, but his face still showed clear signs of ease and mockery: “Lying to you? That’s for puppies.”
Wang Ying never expected Xu Shuang to have such a side to him. She said, “Alright, then. You go find a matchmaker and hurry up.”
What with the matchmaker crowding in, and many young men trying to court her. Another heroine might have enjoyed it, but Wang Ying really couldn’t care less.
She was seriously looking for a partner, not trying to show off how charming she was.
And was this charm even really hers?
Wang Ying knew very well that she hadn’t fully recovered from her past losses, her looks hadn’t returned to their peak, and in the countryside, even clam oil was rare—how could she make herself look all that good?
In the end, it still came down to conditions.
Wang Ying couldn’t be bothered to tell whether people were after her as a person, or after her circumstances, or maybe a bit of both. But so what?
It was hard to differentiate between these things anyway.
It was better to rely on Xu Shuang, who was after her for her background.
Xu Shuang promptly agreed: “I’ll have my mom go find a matchmaker tomorrow.”
Wang Ying didn’t ask about things like the betrothal gifts or other random details—after all, Xu Shuang was marrying into her family. Technically, it should be her who provides the dowry.
But considering their actual situation, these things weren’t necessary.
Wang Ying kicked the old dog on the ground: “What about him?”
Wang Ying thought about just throwing the dog back to its own home. After all, she had beaten it, and her anger had been vented. It was a failed attempt, but there was nothing more to be done.
Xu Shuang handed her a bundle of things and said, “You don’t need to worry about it.”
After speaking, he lifted the old dog onto his back and quickly walked up the mountain under the cover of night.
Wang Ying had no idea how Xu Shuang would handle the dog, but with all this fuss, there was no way she could sleep tonight. She was still disgusted by the things Xu Shuang had said earlier. Who knows if he really was so kindhearted, but she decided to just stay up through the night.
After Xu Shuang had invited the matchmaker and clarified things, probably no one else would come knocking.
Wang Ying turned back inside the house, lit the oil lamp, and opened the heavy package she had been holding. Because Xu Shuang had pressed the paper bundle to his chest, it was still warm inside.
The package weighed about two or three pounds, wrapped in newspaper and layered with dry lotus leaves. When Wang Ying saw what was inside, her heart swelled with happiness.
A roasted chicken!
The golden-brown skin, glistening with oil, smelled unbelievably good.
Wang Ying didn’t care about anything else and immediately tore into it. The chicken had been cooked for a long time, and the bones separated easily with a gentle pull. The meat wasn’t dry; it was salty and savory, with juice inside. The skin was slightly crispy, suggesting it had been fried before being stewed.
Wang Ying ate with great satisfaction, picking the chicken bones clean.
A chicken weighing two or three pounds—Wang Ying ate until she was full and then lay down on the bed.
Suddenly, she felt that the future might have something to look forward to.
The old dog was discovered early the next morning. The villagers woke up early, and by the time they went to the village’s only public well to fetch water, they found the dog at the threshing ground, reeking of alcohol and battered.
The first to find the dog was Uncle Tian’s son, who had gone out to fetch water early. When he arrived at the well, he saw the dog lying at the threshing ground, stinking of alcohol and bruised.
It was cold that night, and freezing for a whole night was no joke.
Uncle Tian’s son hurried to find the Party Secretary. At this time, the Brigade Leader Tian Youfu might not have gotten up, but the Party Secretary Song Dagui, being older and a light sleeper, was already awake.
When Song Dagui arrived, the dog was still lying on the threshing ground.
More and more people gathered around, but no one dared to touch the dog, afraid it might be dead.
Song Dagui puffed on his tobacco pipe and muttered, “Coward!”
He was old and wasn’t afraid of this kind of thing. He went up to the dog and checked for a pulse.
Feeling the dog was still cold but breathing steadily, Song Dagui knew it wasn’t dead.
He casually pointed at two young men: “Lift him up and bring him inside.”
The young men, not understanding at first, protested: “Why bring him into the office? Just take him back to his house.”
Although it was called an office, Song Dagui and Tian Youfu were not the type to focus on formalities, so they had simply divided the building into front and back sections.
The back sections were for the office and storage, while the front rooms were large and served as a meeting room.
This arrangement was more practical for various group discussions or family events like banquets, and the locals were used to it.
Other brigades didn’t have such privileges, so everyone respected this arrangement.
When hearing they were about to bring the stinking old bachelor into the meeting room, the young people weren’t happy. That was the public meeting room, after all!
What if he vomited in there?
Song Dagui scolded the nearest young man: “Can’t you smell the alcohol on him?”
Sending him back now would just leave him abandoned, and if something else happened, it would be harder to explain.
Song Dagui had his standards. As the Party Secretary, if he decided to intervene, he had to see it through to the end and ensure the person left alive and well.
Besides…
“Did he even have the money to buy alcohol?”
Old Dog had always been one of the poorest in the brigade—he never had more than fifty cents on him.
And now, out of nowhere, he had managed to get drunk—Song Dagui couldn’t help but think deeper about it.
Grain was precious these days, and alcohol was a waste of grain. City folks had to rely on ration quotas to buy alcohol, and in the countryside, most people drank homemade yellow wine.
But the smell just now—Song Dagui could clearly tell it was strong liquor. Yellow wine couldn’t possibly be that potent.
After carrying Old Dog into the meeting room, they laid him on two wooden planks. Song Dagui searched all over him and finally found a glass bottle in his pocket.
“Damn it! This guy drank the medical alcohol from the office!”
Song Dagui was furious. The brigade had used public funds to buy two bottles of medical alcohol and some bandages—basic medical supplies meant for emergencies.
They were all kept on the windowsill in the office, and no one paid much attention to them.
Who would’ve thought someone had their eye on them!
Song Dagui was livid. Whether or not the alcohol was expensive didn’t matter—Old Dog’s actions were theft of public property. The money for that alcohol came from everyone’s contributions, and he’d taken it all and chugged it down himself!
“Go get a barefoot doctor!”
Who knew if drinking medical alcohol could kill someone!
Song Dagui pointed at Old Dog: “You better wake the hell up!”
If the guy turned out fine, Song Dagui would make sure to settle the score. If he didn’t… well, that was on him!
The barefoot doctor arrived quickly. After checking him over a bit, he managed to wake Old Dog up. It didn’t take much effort, and the doctor made an easy twenty cents.
Old Dog woke up not even knowing where he was, his whole mind still fuzzy.
Song Dagui stood there with a stony face: “You’re awake?”
Old Dog suddenly jerked up and shouted at the top of his lungs: “I stole the medical alcohol! I drank it! Even if the Jade Emperor himself comes, I’ll say the same thing!”
Song Dagui: “……”
I am just a novice translator and Chinese is not my native language. I try my best to translate the chapters as accurate as possible.
If there are any mistakes then kindly comment and remind me. Your support means a lot.
