I Became Rich by Eating Melons in the Era of Literature (1970s)

　　Not long after Xu Manqiu left, Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei started to eat. Before they were full, Zhao Yonglan rushed in.

　　"Stop eating, stop eating. Hurry up, let's go to Xu's house. A fight has started. A fight has started."

　　"Which Xu family?" There are quite a few families with the surname Xu in Liushugou.

　　"It's the home of that lucky star Xu Baozhu." As soon as Zhao Yonglan said this, Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei could no longer sit still. They stood up and ran after Zhao Yonglan.

　　In an age when entertainment was scarce, it was nice to have something exciting to watch, so Li Yunying and the others put on their coats and went out.

　　On the way to Accountant Xu's house, they met a lot of people. Everyone looked at each other and they were all there to watch the fun. Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei were afraid that Xu Manqiu would suffer, so they walked very fast.

　　They met Xu Dazui, Fourth Aunt Jiang, and Second Aunt Zhang near Xu's house.

　　When they saw Jiang Youtao, they came up to her and said, "Youtao, I haven't seen you for a few days."

　　Since she stopped working as a bamboo shoot maker, Jiang Youtao hasn't met Xu Dazui and the others. After all, they are still housewives and have to earn work points.

　　"We haven't gone out much these days," said Jiang Youtao.

　　Xu Dazui leaned close to Jiang Youtao and asked in a low voice: "Tao'er, how are you doing in school? Our Liu Xiaoyan and Xiaoqiang always rank last in the exams. I heard that the county will recruit from junior high school students this year, and it depends on their grades. I was thinking if I could ask you to help with the tutoring. We don't want your help for nothing. If we give you money, people might say that we are giving you food."

　　Xu Dazui is not particularly patriarchal. In her family, all grandchildren are treated the same. Her eldest granddaughter and grandson were born to her eldest son's wife and second son's wife respectively. They were born at the same age and the same year respectively, and they go to school together. Now they are both in the second year of junior high school, and the next year they will go to high school.

　　Their family doesn't plan to support him anymore. Since his academic performance is not good, it would be a waste of money to go to high school. But if he can really take part in the county's job recruitment exam, no matter whether he succeeds or not, it will always be a way out.

　　Spending some food in advance to find a teacher for them to give them extra lessons can be considered an advance investment.

　　Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei looked at each other and said, "Aunt, just ask them to come tomorrow during the day. We are also bored and have been studying recently."

　　The grandchildren of Aunt Jiang Si and Aunt Zhang Er are about the same age as those of Aunt Xu, but they obviously have no plans to let them take the county factory exam.

　　Family members understand each other. Those monkey-like children in their family, while others go to class, they insist on running to Hetao to play. They don't even know when the exam will be. They have studied for several years, but I'm afraid they can't even do addition and subtraction within 100. Sending them to cram school would be embarrassing and a waste of food, so they didn't mention it.

　　At least keep some dignity for yourself.

　　She said nothing about what Xu Dazui and Jiang Youtao talking about.

　　Jiang Youtao asked Xu Dazui: "Aunt, is the job recruitment information you mentioned accurate?"

　　"How can it not be true? My niece from my mother's side is married in the county town, and her husband works in a state-owned restaurant. The news is accurate."

　　Li Yunying was very excited beside Xu Dazui: "Aunt Xu, can our educated youth participate?"

　　Li Yunying and other educated youth have been working in the countryside for many years, but because of poor communication, they cannot participate in the unified enrollment in the county every time. The few places available in the commune are rarely for them, as there are not enough places for everyone in the commune.

　　It was already very good if one educated youth was recommended by the commune to work as a worker in the county every two or three years. Liushugou Brigade was not outstanding in any aspect, and the educated youth in Liushugou Commune had never been recommended.

　　Now that she heard the accurate news of recruiting, how could Li Yunying not be excited?

　　Although Pingyang County is a small county, it is still a county, right? Working as a worker in a county is better than farming in Liushugou, right?

　　Xu Dazui shook her head and said, "I didn't ask that. If you really want to know, go to the county and see for yourself. It's the Red Star Cannery."

　　There are many yellow peaches in Pingyang County. Five years ago, the Red Star Canning Factory was built under the leadership of the county party secretary. Due to the good quality of the yellow peaches and the sweet canned food made from them, it has created a lot of income for the county.

　　In five years, the factory has grown from a staff of 50 to 60 people to more than 300 people. They heard that the performance this year is particularly good, and if they recruit more people this year, they will have 400 to 500 people.

　　Because the factory needs to recruit a lot of people, Xu Dazui told Jiang Youtao and the others. Anyway, whether they can succeed or not depends on their own abilities.

　　Li Yunying thanked Xu Dazui and ran towards the educated youth site without bothering to watch the fun.

　　She wanted to go back and tell Wang Shanxi and the others the good news.

　　Xu Dazui went to talk to someone he knew well. Jiang Youtao whispered to Gu Nianwei, "Weiwei, do you want to work in the canning factory?"

　　The status of workers is very high in this era, but in Gu Nianwei's era, workers were no longer a popular occupation.

　　Gu Nianwei had never thought about entering the factory: "I don't plan to go, what about you?"

　　Jiang Youtao didn't plan to go either: "I won't go either."

　　Jiang Youtao has spent her winter and summer vacations in various factories since junior high school, and she has done a lot of work on factory assembly lines.

　　She repeat the same work every day, working hours are at least twelve hours, but she don't earn much money.

　　Every time after working in the factory during the winter or summer vacation, Jiang Youtao would tell herself that she must study hard and must not be like her brothers and sisters in the orphanage who entered the society without even finishing junior high school.

　　Jiang Youtao has no intention of breaking the ambition she made in her previous life in this one.

　　Besides, she felt that even if educated youth like them who came from other places were lucky enough to get into the factory, the work they did would not be easy.

　　Zhao Yonglan and Zhang Huihui didn't say anything. They still couldn't adapt to life in the village. If they could really work in the factory, they would be willing to do so.

　　As they were talking, they arrived at Xu's house.

　　There were a lot of people gathered outside the Xu family's house. Jiang Youtao and the others followed the path opened by Xu Dazui and squeezed inside.

　　Xu Baozhu cried in the arms of Old Lady Xu, while Xu Manqiu stood in the middle of the yard with his head down, not saying a word. The rest of the Xu family, including Accountant Xu, were either sitting or standing, just watching from the sidelines.

　　"You little bastard, you ungrateful bastard! Your sister is so good to you and even thinks of you when buying clothes for her. How do you treat her? Ah? She's giving you face, isn't she?" As gentle as Old Lady Xu's expression was when she comforted Xu Baozhu, as dirty as the words she used to scold Xu Manqiu.

　　Old Lady Xu was getting angrier and angrier as she spoke: "Tell me, what exactly are you dissatisfied with your sister for? Tell me directly, let me see what you, an ungrateful person, are thinking. If I had known you were such a person, I should have strangled you to death."

　　From the time she had a quarrel with Xu Baozhu until now, no matter how harshly Old Lady Xu and the Xu family cursed Xu Baozhu, Xu Manqiu always kept her head down and did not refute. But when Old Lady Xu said this, she suddenly raised her head.

　　"Then why didn't you strangle me to death? Why didn't you strangle me to death back then?" Xu Manqiu was accustomed to the abuse from Old Lady Xu. She had heard such questions many times, such as why she didn't strangle her to death, drown her, or throw her to death.

　　Sometimes it was Old Lady Xu who said it, and sometimes it was she who said it to Xu Baozhu's biological mother Li Yinfeng.

　　Every time they said this, Xu Manqiu would think, yes, why don't you strangle me to death? Since the twins only want Xu Baozhu, the lucky star who has been blessed with good fortune, why don't you strangle her to death? Wouldn't it be better to strangle her to death?

　　Old Lady Xu was expressing her passion, and she had never thought about hearing Xu Manqiu's question in return. Over the years, she had become accustomed to Old Lady Xu not fighting back or responding when she was beaten or scolded.

　　The Xu family, including the villagers who were watching, were all stunned.

　　They often saw Xu Manqiu being beaten and scolded by the wife, Old Lady Xu, but they had never seen Xu Manqiu resist.

　　Old Lady Xu was stunned, and then she became angry because her authority was challenged: "You little bitch, you still talk back, ah, you still talk back."

　　She let go of Xu Baozhu in her arms, picked up the stick by the door and rushed towards Xu Manqiu.

　　Jiang Youtao and other onlookers all changed their expressions. The stick must be as thick as a man's arm. What would happen if it really hit someone? Could Xu Manqiu's frail body withstand it?

　　Jiang Youtao wanted to rush out, but someone was faster than her. Jiang Youtao retracted her steps and looked at Liu Manzhu who rushed out to stop Old Lady Xu.

　　Xu Dazui's expression changed immediately and she rushed forward: "How are you? Did it hit you?"

　　Liu Manzhu is Xu Dazui's husband and is also the current captain of Liushugou.

　　Liu Manzhu first reached out and patted Xu Dazui's hand, then gave her a comforting look.

　　As a loving couple for many years, Xu Dazui understood what his eyes wanted to express and she breathed a sigh of relief.

　　Liu Manzhu turned to look at Old Lady Xu and said, "Auntie, you can talk and scold her, but it's too much to just hit her, right?"

　　Liu Manzhu's words sounded familiar, and she suddenly remembered that Jiang Youtao had said the same thing yesterday when she sent Xu Manqiu, that jinx, to do the laundry.

　　Old Lady Xu took out the anger she had suffered from Jiang Youtao on Liu Manzhu: "Manzhu, you've only been the team leader for a few days, and you're already acting like an official in front of me? Are you qualified?"

　　Old Lady Xu has always been proud. She was sold to the Xu family as a child bride before liberation, but before being sold to the Xu family, she was a maidservant of a daughter of a wealthy family in the city, and she always thought she was superior to others.

　　Her proud character did not change after she became a child bride of the Xu family. Accountant Xu's parents liked that spirit in her very much. Accountant Xu also felt that she was different from ordinary village girls and was extremely caring towards her.

　　Later, during the reform and opening up, as a maid who was sold by her former master, she received unanimous condolences from the county leaders. She was also invited to give a speech in the commune. The main content of the speech was about the oppression of them by the landlord family at that time.

　　As the first old lady in Liushugou to give a speech in the commune, Mrs. Xu looked down on the people in this village.

　　Old Lady Xu's shameless words made Liu Manzhu look at Accountant Xu a few more times. Accountant Xu's face changed drastically, and he finally stopped pretending to be a quail: "What are you talking about, woman?"

　　Accountant Xu smiled at Liu Manzhu and said, "Manzhu, your aunt is getting old and confused. She doesn't know what to say. Don't bother with her."

　　Accountant Xu had been an accountant for his whole life, and he was too timid to do anything with the accounts. After Luo Xuemin and Su Changshan were dismissed, he did not get along well with the new Liu Manzhu, mainly because he was too timid. During the meetings at the brigade headquarters, he would refute any suggestions made by Xu Manzhu without even thinking about it.

　　They had just had an unpleasant experience in the army this morning. The main problem was that the Liujiawan Brigade drained the water from the fish pond last year and bought a large number of fish fry from other places. This year, the money from selling fish alone has created a considerable income for their brigade.

　　Liu Manzhu used to be a team leader. He was very enthusiastic about the idea that people could become officials in middle age. Seeing that the people in Liujiawan Brigade were making money, he wanted to organize the people in the village to learn from them. He also wanted to help the people in Liushugou to find some side jobs to generate income.

　　Accountant Xu spoke out against Liu Manzhu's words as soon as he heard them. Not only did he oppose them, he also poured cold water on them. His general meaning was that they should not learn everything from the people in Liujiawan. They were able to succeed because they had a particularly large river bend and had good innate conditions.

　　They have nothing in Liushugou, so it's useless to learn anything.

　　To be honest, his words made Liu Manzhu and others extremely angry. After all, they were discussing enthusiastically at that time, as if they had already seen the perfect prospect of rapid development of Liushugou. Accountant Xu's cold water dampened their enthusiasm.

　　Liu Manzhu is a man who clearly distinguishes between public and private affairs. He will not bring unhappiness in work into his personal life, and he will not get angry about what Old Lady Xu said. For many years, Old Lady Xu's mouth has not changed. She always spews shit when she opens her mouth.

　　Liu Manzhu was shocked when he saw her being so friendly to Xu Baozhu for the first time.

　　"Uncle, you are also an old revolutionary in Liushugou. You have never missed a single study session organized by the commune every month. Why don't you spread the instructions from your superiors at home when you come back?"

　　"The country has said that children are the future of the country and women hold up half the sky. Why is it not the case in your family? Manqiu is not even fifteen years old. If she is compares with other women, she is still a child and if she is compared to a children, she is not that old either. There should be a limit to how biased your family is, right?"

　　In the past, Xu Manqiu never made a fuss when she was beaten, which resulted in some families in the village being unable to help her. At most, they could just say a few words to ask them to stop beating her.

　　While Liu Manzhu was talking to Accountant Xu, Xu Dazui pulled Xu Manqiu aside, and Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei immediately surrounded them from the left and right.

　　After seeing this, Xu Baozhu pursed her lips, with deep displeasure in her eyes.

　　She had stopped crying as early as when Old Lady Xu was about to hit Xu Manqiu. The confrontation between Liu Manzhu and Accountant Xu made her unable to cry at all. Seeing that everyone was so concerned about Xu Manqiu, she was particularly unhappy.

　　She and Xu Manqiu are twins, but she has particularly hated Xu Manqiu since she could remember. In her heart, she always felt that Xu Manqiu should not exist. She should be the most loved and most noticed child in the Xu family and even in Liushu. The existence of Xu Manqiu diverted some of the love and attention she felt.

　　She also felt that Xu Manqiu was a stain on her perfect life. She was a lucky star and had been extremely lucky since she was a child. In the years when she had the best luck, she could pick up money and jade just by sitting on the ground while walking on the street. But Xu Manqiu was so unlucky that even a sip of water would get stuck in his teeth.

　　When people talk about them, they would first envy her good luck, and then they would definitely talk about Xu Manqiu, as if Xu Manqiu's bad luck was more interesting to them than her good luck.

　　Xu Baozhu was extremely dissatisfied, so she always showed her dislike for Xu Manqiu intentionally or unintentionally. If she was in a really bad mood, she would become even worse. As soon as Xu Manqiu approached her, she would say that she felt uncomfortable. Over time, Xu Manqiu's situation in the Xu family became worse and worse.

　　But Xu Baozhu also has times when she is in a good mood. Whenever this happens, she will give Xu Manqiu the things she doesn't want anymore. She doesn't care whether Xu Manqiu likes it or not, as long as Xu Manqiu uses the things she gives him.

　　Xu Baozhu also discovered one thing: whenever her luck was not so good, she would give Xu Manqiu something she had used personally, and her good luck would come back, and Xu Manqiu would become even more unlucky.

　　It has been ten years since Xu Baozhu discovered this, which is why she insisted on studying in the commune instead of in the county town.

　　Two months had passed since she last let Xu Manqiu use her personal belongings. Xu Baozhu clearly felt that her luck was not very good, as evidenced by the fact that the two female educated youth refused to buy her vanishing cream without showing any sign of bad luck.

　　Seeing Xu Manqiu surrounded by the two educated youths who rejected her, her grandmother lost her usual arrogant attitude after her grandfather scolded her. Xu Baozhu was a little anxious. She held the old lady Xu's hand and tears flowed like a water dragon, saying, "Grandma, does Qiu'er not like me? She doesn't want the clothes I bought her."

　　When Old Lady Xu saw Xu Baozhu's tears, she felt so distressed: "Don't cry, Bao'er. It's that bitch who doesn't know how to appreciate your kindness. Let her accept the things you gave her."

　　Old Lady Xu came over and dragged Xu Manqiu away from Jiang Youtao and the others. Her movements were so quick that Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei didn't have time to react.

　　Xu Baozhu was worthy of being Mrs. Xu's good granddaughter. She turned around and ran back to the room. When she came out, she stuffed the clothes she was holding into Mrs. Xu's arms, and Mrs. Xu stuffed them into Xu Manqiu's arms.

　　"Your sister gives you things because she thinks highly of you. Don't be ungrateful."

　　Xu Manqiu opened her hands, and the two red clothes fell to the ground. Xu Manqiu looked up at Xu Baozhu, who was secretly proud of herself, and stepped on the clothes, crushing them hard with her foot, saying hatefully: "Take your dirty things away, I don't want them."