Chapter 787 - 783: Ruining Her Plans

Jiang Baishu was unaware that Xu Wenwan had her eyes on him. He gathered his things and made his way back to Qingshan Team.

He had planned to use the ration tickets he had on his younger brother and sister over time, but now that he was leaving, they would be useless. He figured he might as well trade them for goods.

Dinner that evening was, of course, a feast.

There were pork ribs, pork belly, and two soup bones. Gu Jiaojiao didn’t cook everything, just a portion of each.

That afternoon, Leng Yuan and Chen JianShe had gone up the mountain again. Leng Yuan had bagged two pheasants and brought back a basket full of medicinal herbs for her, all of which were needed to make herbal tea.

So in addition to braised pork belly and ribs, the dinner table also featured a roasted pheasant and a plate of scrambled eggs with chives. It was already a bountiful spread.

The next day, Gu Jiaojiao woke up early to prepare some white-flour flatbreads and make a few jars of meat sauce.

With red-rimmed eyes, Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang understood that Jiang Baishu was leaving and sensibly said their goodbyes.

Jiang Baishu was filled with complex emotions.

He bowed to Leng Yuan and Gu Jiaojiao, gave a sharp military salute, then climbed onto the ox-cart.

Jiang Baishu’s departure wasn’t announced. Only the village chief and the team leader were aware; it was not made public.

It wasn’t until people realized they hadn’t seen Jiang Baishu for several days that they began to whisper among themselves. Only then did those in the know reveal that he had left.

The Qingshan Team was shocked.

They had all assumed Jiang Baishu would stay to look after Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang. They never expected him to leave after all.

Immediately after, gloatful whispers began to spread.

"Jiang Baishu is gone, so Leng Yuan and Gu Jiaojiao are still stuck taking care of Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang. That five hundred yuan from before is nowhere near enough to cover it."

Seeing that Leng Yuan and Gu Jiaojiao had gotten the short end of the stick, some of the villagers who relied on manual labor for their farm work spoke with a gloating tone.

Mrs. Sun was saying this while Chen Xiaoli was standing nearby. Upon hearing her, Chen Xiaoli shot her a glance.

"I wasn’t going to say anything, but I didn’t realize you had such a big misunderstanding, Auntie Sun. Jiang Baishu is a man of conscience. He felt bad about Jiaojiao helping to look after his siblings, so he’s going to send back twenty yuan every month as payment."

"What? Twenty?"

Twenty yuan a month? That’s over two hundred a year! And you ask if twenty is a lot? Of course it’s a lot!

Gu Jiaojiao only makes fifteen yuan a month as a teacher. You tell me if twenty is a lot or not.

With over two hundred yuan a year to raise two children, it would be a breeze.

Suddenly, the smiles vanished from the faces of those who had been waiting for a spectacle. Not only that, their eyes turned red with jealousy.

’How could Leng Yuan and Gu Jiaojiao be so lucky? Why do all the good things fall into her lap?’

Mrs. Sun was trembling with anger. Just as she opened her mouth to retort, she was scolded by Father Sun.

"We have all this work to do, and you’ve still got time to gossip? Looks to me like you’re not busy enough."

Father Sun’s reasoning was simple. Ever since Gu Jiaojiao arrived in Qingshan Team, anyone who went against her had met with a bad end.

Before, he had suspected Gu Jiaojiao was a lucky star; now, he was certain.

He decided that from now on, no one in his family would be allowed to speak ill of their lucky star. Anyone who badmouthed Gu Jiaojiao would be making an enemy of him.

After being chided by her husband, Mrs. Sun obediently lowered her head and went back to work, not daring to stir up any more trouble.

The busy harvest season in Qingshan Team was coming to an end, but it was still in full swing for other teams. Li Dashan came over every day, and each time he left, he would invariably walk off with something.

This left Chen Beiguo speechless with frustration. That kid’s nerve was thicker than a castle wall.

Aside from matters of the harvest, the next most urgent business was the sow in the pigpen, which was due to give birth.

Watching the sow give birth to one piglet after another, Chen Beiguo couldn’t suppress the broad smile on his face.

As a result, he now walked with a spring in his step every day.