Chapter 47: Careful, or I'll ruin your reputation

From the moment she woke up in the morning, Auntie Sun had been keeping a close eye on the neighboring yard.

Sure enough, by the time she had gone back to soak some rice to cook porridge and returned, the young girl next door was already busy laying the courtyard wall.

Those pieces of high-quality red brick—even poor families wouldn't dare use red bricks for building houses, yet the neighbor was using them for a courtyard wall; it was quite extravagant.

Even capitalists weren't as wasteful as this family.

"Young lady, are you building a courtyard wall?"

Despite Auntie Sun's face being covered in smiles, Leng Hui could sense no goodwill from her. A sharp glint flashed in her narrowed eyes, filled with nothing but calculation.

Leng Hui scraped at the wall with a brick trowel, causing dust to fly everywhere.

A face full of dust and grit hit Auntie Sun. She hurriedly brushed the dust off her face while spitting repeatedly on the ground.

"Auntie, stand further back. I'm working here; blades and tools have no eyes!"

Leng Hui shoveled a scoop of mud onto the wall, placed a red brick on top, and tapped it a few times with a "thud, thud, thud." Another brick was set.

Seeing how efficient Leng Hui was, Auntie Sun felt satisfied in her heart, and her attitude grew bolder.

She pulled out the classic routine of an elder lecturing a junior: "You young girl, you can't act without using your eyes! Can't you see I'm standing outside the yard? With all that commotion, what if the dust gets in my eyes? I've noticed you young people these days have absolutely no sense of respecting your elders. You've eaten so much food all these years for nothing."

Leng Hui rolled her eyes. She picked up a brick and tossed it into the air. The brick flipped several times before she caught it steadily, pressed it onto the wall, and tapped it a few times with the trowel. Another red brick was set.

Leng Hui looked at Auntie Sun, who had taken a step back for fear the brick might hit her head. "I do have eyes, and they aren't blind—unlike certain people who clearly have eyes but act as if they're blind, insisting on hovering around and being a nuisance while others are busy. If you get accidentally injured, it's your own fault."

"Hey! How dare you speak to me like that?" Auntie Sun froze for a moment, rolling up her sleeves, truly wanting to rush into the yard to fight her.

She had never encountered such an arrogant young girl; the girl's rapid-fire verbal onslaught left her unable to get a word in.

"What about me? It's not like I'm eating your rice. What's it to you? Get lost! Stop standing in front of my yard being a nuisance!"

Auntie Sun trembled with rage. If Leng Hui weren't standing inside the yard and at a higher elevation, she would have wanted to poke her face with her finger. "Such a sharp-tongued, mean girl! I'll see who dares to marry you in the future. You can just wait to become an old maid!"

These words didn't hurt Leng Hui in the slightest. Instead, she provocatively let out a whistle toward Auntie Sun. "Don't you worry about that. Even if no one wants me, I'll still be more popular than a lonely old widow like you!"

Hearing herself called an old widow, Auntie Sun's anger was so great she nearly fell backward. Whose undisciplined mad dog had been let loose to bite people like this?

Leng Hui vs. Auntie Sun.

First round: Auntie Sun suffered a crushing defeat!

***

"Who made you so angry?"

When Sun Dahai returned from using the toilet and entered the house, he was startled to see his mother clutching her chest as if she were about to collapse.

He hadn't provoked her at all since he woke up.

Still fuming, Auntie Sun pointed toward the door and accused her son, "It's too much! That wench next door is pushing it too far! I used to think about letting her be your wife, but now that I know what kind of creature she is, I wouldn't let her through the door even if you beat me to death!"

Sun Dahai hadn't expected his mother to still be thinking about that "red-clothed hanging ghost" next door. "Mom, you're overthinking it. I've never had eyes for them anyway. It's a waste of your energy to worry about it. Why bother getting worked up?"

Unable to vent her anger, Auntie Sun raised her fist and started hitting him. "Who am I doing this for? It's all for you, you debt-collecting brat! You were born to anger me, and your wife angers me too. None of you are good people!"

"Mom, don't talk nonsense. If others hear you, it'll cause big trouble."

"I'll say what I want! What are you going to do about it, old lady?"

Sun Dahai fled, covering his head as he ran. "Mom, I'm going to see a friend for something. I won't be back for lunch!"

Auntie Sun chased him to the courtyard gate, leaning against the doorframe and panting heavily. Watching her son's retreating figure, she cast a resentful glare at Leng Hui, who was still standing on the wall laying bricks.

Leng Hui gave her a look as if she were an idiot, her hands never stopping as she neatly laid the bricks one by one.

***

Jiang Jingtao pushed his bicycle into the yard. Seeing the neatly laid wall, he exclaimed, "What time did you get up to do this? How have you built so much already?"

Leng Hui jumped down from the scaffolding and carried a bucket of mud to the side to refill it. "Building a wall is the simplest task. There aren't many complex angles; you just need to lay it in a straight line. How could it not be fast?"

With Jiang Jingtao's help, the pace of the wall-building increased.

Although Jiang Jingtao didn't know how to lay bricks, he could help mix the mud and carry the bricks. It was hard work, but it required no skill—just strength.

At noon, they cooked two bowls of noodles on a simply constructed stove. After eating and resting for a while, they continued building.

After Tang Lin returned the bicycle to Jiang Jingtao, she didn't come back for lunch because the yard was too far from the machinery factory; she would only return after finishing work in the afternoon.

By the afternoon, Leng Hui had become more proficient, and her speed increased.

Jiang Jingtao spent the entire afternoon busy carrying bricks and mixing mud, and he was exhausted.

By the time Tang Lin returned from work, he was slumped on the ground, unable to get up.

"Auntie Tang, please help her out for the rest of the day. I'm done for. I haven't had a moment's rest all afternoon. I'm dead tired."

Tang Lin smiled, took the gloves from his hands, put them on, and began carrying bricks.

The speed of someone used to physical labor is vastly different from an amateur.

Tang Lin carried over a dozen bricks at a time, making trip after trip without showing any signs of fatigue.

Seeing this, Jiang Jingtao wiped the sweat from his forehead with a guilty feeling. It turned out he was the weakest of the three.

Today, he had carried eight bricks at a time and was so tired his waist almost wouldn't straighten.

Yet Tang Lin, an older woman, carried twice as many bricks per trip as he did. Without comparison, there is no damage, but Jiang Jingtao felt he would never be able to hold his head up in front of this mother and daughter again.

Looking at the nearly completed second wall, Tang Lin said, "At this rate, you should be able to finish the entire courtyard wall by tomorrow."

"If we work until dark today, we should be able to finish it by tomorrow morning." Leng Hui turned to look at the demoralized Jiang Jingtao. "Jiang Jingtao, you've worked hard all day. My mom is here to help, so you should head back early."

Jiang Jingtao stood up, waved to them, and pushed his bicycle out. Physical labor was too exhausting.

Right now, he couldn't wait to get home; even his stride as he left the yard seemed lighter.

Passing by the state-run restaurant, he stopped his bike, ran in, and ordered a bowl of shredded pork noodles. Only after having food in his stomach did he feel his strength returning.

As he emerged from the restaurant and prepared to push his bike, an unexpected figure suddenly collapsed toward him. Instinctively, he reached out to catch her.

"Thank you, Brother Jiang." Leng Mei's face was flushed as she struggled to stand up using her crutch.

However, the more nervous she became, the harder it was to stand.

Hearing someone call him "Brother Jiang," Jiang Jingtao realized the person in his arms was Leng Mei. He immediately pulled his hands back in shock.

"Ah!"

Leng Mei landed hard on her backside. The pain shooting through her tailbone made her brow furrow deeply.

Jiang Jingtao's face turned red with anger. "How can you be so shameless? Why are you throwing yourself at me? Are you trying to extort me?"

Thinking that Leng Mei, like Leng Hui, was unemployed, he worried that if she couldn't find work this year, she might be sent to the countryside next year. Was she trying to use him as a sucker to avoid being sent down?

Leng Mei felt stifled with resentment, cursing Jiang Jingtao's lack of tact in her heart, but her eyes turned red with feigned grievance. "Brother Jiang, you're overthinking it. I was just having trouble with my crutch and accidentally stepped on a stone..."

Once Jiang Jingtao decided she had ulterior motives, he refused to listen to her explanation. "Since you're using a crutch, why didn't you just stay home? Why did you insist on coming here? And don't tell me you didn't come here specifically to intercept me!"

Leng Mei looked long-suffering, biting her lower lip. "Brother Jiang, I just hadn't eaten enough for lunch and wanted to buy a steamed bun to tide me over. I had no other dirty intentions. Why must you humiliate me like this!"

Jiang Jingtao noticed people approaching and, not wanting to get entangled with Leng Mei, gave a cold snort of warning. "You know the truth yourself. If you try to play tricks on me again, watch out—I'll make sure your reputation is ruined!"

"Young lady, are you alright?" An older woman stepped forward to help Leng Mei up.

Leng Mei shook her head. "Thank you, I'm fine."

The kind woman helped brush the dust off her pants. "That young man just knocked you down; why did he run off without helping you up?"

"He... he must have been in a hurry, right?" Leng Mei watched Jiang Jingtao walk away, the warning still ringing in her ears, her heart gnashing with hatred.

"No matter how much of a hurry someone is in, they should help you up before leaving." The kind woman shook her head. "If you ask me, the manners of young people these days need improvement. The elderly, the young, the sick, and the disabled should be cared for, yet he knocked you down and didn't even help you up or apologize."

Leng Mei felt a surge of annoyance; this woman was truly treating her like a cripple.

After thanking the kind woman, Leng Mei entered the state-run restaurant, ordered a steamed bun from a waiter, and sat at a table to eat slowly.

When Qi Da entered, Leng Mei had just finished her bun and was wiping her mouth.

"Do you want to order another one?" Qi Da poured a bowl of water and placed it in front of her.

Leng Mei took a few sips of water, set the bowl down, and gestured for Qi Da to sit. "How did the inquiries go?"

Qi Da didn't want to disappoint her, but things hadn't gone as planned; he hadn't been able to find any information during this period.

"Housing in the city is very tight right now. No one has extra rooms to rent. Even if they do, they are single rooms; there are no suites available, and small courtyards are even rarer."

In this era, workers with assigned jobs relied on their units for housing. City dwellers without units generally lived in ancestral homes. It was extremely difficult for outsiders to settle in the city; there were basically no opportunities.

Setting aside the source of livelihood, the issue of single housing was something outsiders simply couldn't solve.

Leng Mei frowned deeply, feeling resentful that Leng Hui and Tang Lin had snatched up that dilapidated courtyard last time.

"Do you think there's any way to make them voluntarily return that courtyard?"

"That would be very difficult. Housing is hard to find as it is. Who would be foolish enough to return a house they've already secured to their unit?"

Besides, Qi Da had visited that dilapidated courtyard this morning. After a few days of repairs, it was barely habitable. If it were him, he wouldn't move out easily either.

"How many single rooms are available for rent?"

"Only two. And those are from families who are barely squeezing out a room just to earn a little extra rent to supplement their household income."

Qi Da explained the situation of the two single rooms to Leng Mei.

As soon as Leng Mei heard the addresses, she knew where they were. That area was famous in later years for being dirty, chaotic, and poorly managed, with narrow alleys, illegal constructions, and a mixed population.

Setting aside the living conditions in that area, the mixed population meant life there was likely a constant, chaotic mess.

Seeing Leng Mei's grim expression, Qi Da hesitated for a moment before saying, "How about... I make a room in my house available?"

The Qi family had three rooms. His grandmother and sister shared one, he had one, and the remaining one served as the dining room. They had no kitchen, so they could only cook under a simple makeshift shed under the eaves.

Many families lived under such conditions nowadays; no one could judge anyone else.

If he were to vacate a room for the Leng family, he would have to convert the dining room and move the dining table into his bedroom.

While it would be a bit crowded, the advantage was that he could be with Leng Mei day and night.

Leng Mei didn't need to guess the small calculation in Qi Da's heart, but in the face of reality, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.

At least, until other housing options appeared, she couldn't say no.

Compared to the living conditions of those two single rooms, the conditions and location of Qi Da's home were clearly much better.

"Thank you. I need to go home and discuss this with my family before making a decision."

"You should discuss it with your family. If you need anything, you can tell me anytime." Seeing that she hadn't refused him outright, a look of relief finally appeared on Qi Da's face.

It had not been easy for Leng Mei to walk to the state-run restaurant on her crutch; Qi Da used his bicycle to take her back.

When she arrived home, Sun Xiaojuan was lighting a fire to prepare dinner, Old Lady Leng was gluing paper boxes as usual, and the dishes from lunch were still sitting on the table unwashed.

After Tang Lin moved out, the task of cleaning up after meals fell to her. Her own mother didn't care at all whether she was currently an injured person.

"Where have you been fooling around all afternoon? Hurry up and clear the dishes on the table and wash them in the washroom. If there are no clean bowls for dinner, I won't let you off!"

After only a moment's hesitation, Sun Xiaojuan's shouting could be heard from outside the door.

She sounded like a grim reaper, her voice irritating to the ears.

Seeing that she was still dawdling, Old Lady Leng looked up and glared at her—that lazy, good-for-nothing girl.

"In the future, if you have nothing to do, help me glue paper boxes at home. What kind of propriety is it for a young girl to be running around outside all the time!"

Returning home once again, this house still made Leng Mei feel suffocated. She took a deep breath and retorted defiantly, "Grandma, I'm an injured person now. I'm only going out for appropriate exercise."

"It takes a hundred days for bones and muscles to heal. Exercise my foot! Sitting still and gluing paper boxes with just your hands won't affect your bone growth."

Old Lady Leng pursed her lips, looking displeased. Having someone help glue paper boxes meant they could earn a few more cents a day.

Everyone was poor in this era; who would turn away money?

Leng Mei had no energy to argue. She gathered the dishes into a basin and wiped the table clean.

It was certainly inconvenient for someone on crutches to carry a basin of dishes to be washed.

Leng Mei glanced at Old Lady Leng, who was slowly gluing paper boxes, and her eyes brightened. She spoke with a smile, "Grandma, you've been sitting all day, you must be tired. Why don't you get up and stretch your limbs a bit?"

Old Lady Leng glared at her crossly. "You know I'm tired, yet you don't help. You only know how to be slippery and lazy."

"Grandma, I'm fast. I'll help you glue them now."

Leng Mei smiled and squeezed in beside Old Lady Leng, forcing the old woman to stand up.

"I'll tell you, sitting still all afternoon has made my whole body feel stiff." As Old Lady Leng stretched, her joints made popping sounds.

"Grandma, look how fast I am. I'll help you glue the boxes. Since you're idle anyway, why don't you help me wash the dishes?"

"..."

Old Lady Leng's movements froze, and she nearly threw out her old back.