He looked quite cultured; one would never imagine he would have a wife like Lin Po.
Seeing a junior speak so bluntly, Old Lin felt deeply ashamed and indignant. In the past, when things went wrong, no one had ever spoken to his face with such little reservation.
"This isn’t the first or second time she’s been like this," Bai Jiu said. "Take my family, for example. Shortly after we arrived, I built a toilet, and she completely slandered me, ruining my reputation throughout the entire compound. If I hadn’t been strong, I’m afraid I would have long..." At this point, Bai Jiu feigned red eyes.
Aunt Xu, who had accompanied her, felt even worse seeing Bai Jiu like this. If her husband hadn’t told her to let it go, she really wouldn’t have let the matter drop. Wandering around the compound all day, gossiping about this family and that family—it was as if the woman’s mouth would rot if she didn’t speak.
"Old Lin, don’t blame Bai Jiu for speaking harshly. You know it in your heart too. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have... back then," Aunt Xu said with an indignant look.
Very few people knew about what had happened back then. Coupled with the past few decades where people had moved away or been transferred, not many truly remembered. Hearing Aunt Xu bring up the past, Old Lin’s face turned completely red from shame.
His current wife was his second marriage, introduced by a superior when he was working at a grassroots unit back in the day. His first wife, the one he truly loved, had passed away during childbirth, leaving behind a daughter. He had failed his daughter; he had failed Ai Juan.
Since there were outsiders present, Aunt Xu didn’t elaborate, merely hinting at it. "She can even be ruthless to her own people, let alone outsiders with no connections. Old Lin, it’s time to teach her a lesson. If you don’t, I’m afraid your family won’t be able to stay in the compound anymore," Aunt Xu shared her honest thoughts.
If it were her family, a woman like that would have been kicked out long ago. So what if she had given birth to a son? Couldn’t a daughter take care of her parents in their old age just the same? As long as the child was raised well, whether it was a boy or a girl didn’t matter.
Old Lin sighed and eventually left the Gao’s home with a hunched back.
Bai Jiu was a bit curious about the gossip, but she knew Aunt Xu’s character; there were some things she would talk about, and others she wouldn’t indiscriminately share.
"This matter is entirely up to you. Your situation is different from our family’s," Aunt Xu said. She didn’t stay long either, as she was feeling terrible and needed to go back and rest.
That evening, when Bai Jiu told Gao Zhijun about Old Lin coming over, he patted her head.
"You’ve been wronged. Teacher asked us to take a step back on this matter." Gao Zhijun was unwilling, but his teacher was right—they should give face to the older generation.
Hearing the word "teacher," Bai Jiu finally understood. No wonder he had left so quickly.
"Alright, I understand, but I won’t let her out so quickly either," she said. It was as if she didn’t have a temper, too.
Gao Zhijun hugged her dotingly and kissed her forehead. "It’s good to vent your anger."
The next day was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Bai Jiu wanted to get some pastry coupons, but before she could do anything, Chi came over.
"Are you busy, Bai Jiu?" Chi shouted from the door when he saw her watering flowers in the yard.
"Chi, what brings you here?" Putting down her things, Bai Jiu walked toward the door.
"Here are the professor’s and my food coupons. The professor traded for some pastry coupons and asked me to bring them to you. I also have two. Since we’re coming over to freeload a meal tomorrow, I figured I’d give them to you to cover our food coupons," Chi said with a naive smile.
Bai Jiu knew he was joking about covering the food coupons. He probably knew her family lacked pastry coupons, which was why he had hurried over to deliver them. She didn’t stand on ceremony with them.
"Alright, then I’ll thank you and the teacher. These pastry coupons are exactly what we need right now. Otherwise, I’d have no choice but to go buy some sesame mooncakes." She really disliked that kind of mooncake. Even though the sesame-flavored ones were rationed—each person could only buy one catty—families with many members naturally didn’t lose out. But Bai Jiu just couldn’t stand them. Who wouldn’t want to eat a bit better if they had the means?
"Then we’ll trouble you tomorrow. I’ll head back first; the professor needs someone around." After saying that, Chi left.
During his visit, Bai Jiu hadn’t invited him inside. It wasn’t that she lacked manners, but without a man at home, it was inappropriate for her to entertain an outside man. If it were a woman, it wouldn’t have mattered.
With the coupons Chi brought, Bai Jiu immediately ran to the supply and marketing cooperative. The school was on holiday today, and Zhengyang and Xiuxiu had long run off to who-knows-where. Now that they had made quite a few little friends in the compound, they were no longer as restrained as when they first arrived, staying at home all day.
Bai Jiu had been thinking of Aunt Xu’s family. Seeing that she had about twenty catties’ worth of pastry coupons in her hand, she spent them all.
Twenty catties of mooncakes was a lot, though naturally, they couldn’t compare to homemade ones. Mooncakes were truly expensive. Even with coupons, they cost two dollars and twenty cents a catty, showing that not every household could afford them. However, buying a catty just for a taste was still manageable. She had bought twenty catties all at once, which came to forty-four dollars—by no means a small sum.
She bought a few other things and hurried back with her goods. However, Bai Jiu didn’t go straight home. Instead, she went to Aunt Xu’s place. There, she happened to run into Deng Meina, who was visiting Aunt Xu.
"Oh, how come the busy bee is at home today?" Bai Jiu couldn’t help teasing when she saw Deng Meina.
Deng Meina had actually stopped by Bai Jiu’s house on her way over. Seeing the door locked, she had come straight here.
"No matter how busy I am, I still have to celebrate the festival." Seeing Bai Jiu carrying a large basket, Deng Meina quickly stepped forward to help her. "Wow, this is heavy. What did you buy?" Since it was covered with a cloth, she didn’t know what was inside, but it certainly smelled delicious.
"I bought some mooncakes. Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and because of that shameless old hag, I didn’t even get to make any. I had to buy some." Thinking about this, Bai Jiu felt deeply resentful.
Aunt Xu chuckled in response. "It’s all in the past. I assume she’ll restrain herself once she gets out this time." Despite her smile, no one knew how terrible she felt inside. But since her family had agreed to let it go, she couldn’t keep dwelling on it. At this moment, Aunt Xu blamed her husband immensely.
"I doubt it." Bai Jiu shook her head in disagreement.
Although Deng Meina had lived here for a few years, she had barely interacted with Lin Po. The main reason was that her house was quite far from this area. Bai Jiu’s home was arguably at the innermost part of the compound, while hers was at the very outer edge.
One shouldn’t assume this was just a simple research institute—the population here was actually quite large. There were no fewer than fifty courtyards like this, which showed just how many people lived here. Not only that, but the population was still growing; otherwise, they wouldn’t be constructing apartment buildings.
"I’ve heard of her reputation, but I haven’t dealt with her. Still, you really shouldn’t let her off the hook for this," Deng Meina said. Daring to break straight into someone’s home showed just how shameless the woman was.
Deng Meina’s family consisted of straightforward and righteous people; she absolutely despised things like this. If it were up to her, she wouldn’t let it slide even if it killed her. No matter who pleaded for mercy, it would be useless.
However, she kept these words to herself, afraid of upsetting Aunt Xu.
"Alright, let’s not talk about her. What did you buy to fill such a large basket?" Aunt Xu didn’t want to bring up the subject; it made her uncomfortable.