Chapter 32: Bullied

"Lin Xiang!" Great Aunt Lin, utterly unable to best Lin Xiang in an argument, could only lash out in helpless frustration. "I never imagined you’d turn into such a person. It’s true what they say—without a father’s discipline, a child is bound to be wayward!"

"Yes, yes, of course. Your daughter had a father to raise her, and yet she still manages to behave so boorishly. I suppose that just goes to show her father isn't much to write home about either!"

Great Aunt Lin clutched her chest, struggling to catch her breath. What kind of karmic debt had she incurred to be spoken to this way by a junior like Lin Xiang? She had thought bringing reinforcements would change things, but it only seemed to make Lin Xiang even more relentless.

Great Uncle-in-law, feeling he could no longer stay, felt the persona he had carefully maintained for so long being stripped bare by Lin Xiang today. He grabbed his wife’s arm and hauled her away. Before leaving, Great Aunt Lin didn't forget to hurl a final threat: "Lin Xiang, don't you ever think of me coming to your house again! Even if you beg me, I won't set foot in here!"

Lin Xiang blinked innocently. "Didn't we already burn that bridge ages ago? Besides, with your habit of fleecing everyone you encounter, I wouldn't dare let you into my home anyway. Beg you to come? Where on earth do you find the nerve?"

Great Aunt Lin left covering her face; whether she was crying or not, Lin Xiang couldn't say.

Once they had gone, Lin Xiang bowed deeply to those who had stood up for her. "Aunts, thank you so much. If you hadn't spoken up for me, I don't know how much my aunt and uncle would have bullied me."

"It’s not just me saying it, but your aunt really is something else! Never mind the past, how can she be so thick-skinned as to keep coming back to demand a quota over and over again?"

"Perhaps they think my mother and I are easy targets."

"Speaking of which, do you really not have a quota? You helped the textile mill land orders from foreign guests—didn't the mill give you any perks?"

Lin Xiang straightened her expression, looking serious. "Auntie, that’s not the right way to look at it. I was there as a translator. The foreign guests partnered with the mill because of the mill's own capabilities. If it were just because of my chatter, they wouldn't have placed an order; those guests aren't fools, are they?"

"Besides, being chosen as a translator is thanks to the trust of my superiors. Being able to contribute my strength to this project is an honor; how could one measure that with material gains?"

With these words, Lin Xiang’s image in the eyes of the villagers was completely transformed. However, the fact that she received no material rewards seemed to put the villagers at ease. Jealousy was everywhere, and Lihua Brigade was no exception.

After chatting a bit more with the women, Lin Xiang went home and headed straight for the kitchen. There wasn't much starch left in the house, so she went to the cellar, hauled up ten pounds of sweet potatoes, washed the skins, and began preparing them for starch.

"Doing this by hand is way too tedious; I can't even make a few pounds a day. I really need to build a simple machine to free up my hands," Lin Xiang muttered. Her hands kept moving, repeating the same mechanical motions so intently that she didn't notice the person standing beside her.

Just as she finished straining the starch and was about to lift the winnowing basket, she realized someone was there. She jumped, startled, and nearly dropped everything on the floor.

"Yang Lihua, what are you doing? You scared the life out of me!"

Yang Lihua touched the tip of her nose. "I saw you were so focused on your work that I didn't want to disturb you. I didn't mean to scare you."

Lin Xiang set the basket down, clutching her chest, and took a closer look at her. She looked different today; her eyes were red and puffy, as if she had just been crying. "What’s wrong? Did something happen?"

The issue was that she and Yang Lihua weren't exactly close—they were once "love rivals," and Yang Lihua had caused her no end of trouble because of it.

"Waaaah..."

No sooner had the words left Lin Xiang's mouth than Yang Lihua broke into loud, racking sobs, as if trying to cry out all the grievances in her heart. Fearing the fence wouldn't block the sound and that others would think she was bullying her, Lin Xiang quickly pulled her inside, shut the door, and muffled the crying.

She sat Yang Lihua down on a stool and thoughtfully poured her a glass of water. "What is it? Did someone bully you?"

Yang Lihua continued to sob.

"Don't just cry, say something. It's giving me a headache." Despite her words, Lin Xiang tried her best to console her.

After a while, Yang Lihua finally stopped crying. She looked at Lin Xiang with swollen, red eyes and asked in a congested voice, "You ran into Wen Siyuan today, didn't you?"

Lin Xiang immediately raised her hands. "Heaven is my witness, there is nothing between me and Wen Siyuan. The Brigade Captain can testify—I gave him a sound scolding."

"Do you know why he went to the brigade office today?"

Lin Xiang shook her head. She had so much to deal with every day; how could she care about a piece of trash like Wen Siyuan?

Yang Lihua sobbed, "The commune issued a few spots for returning to the city, and our Lihua Brigade got one. Wen Siyuan heard about it and came to me, hoping I would beg my mother to give the spot to him."

Yang Lihua had naturally refused. Ever since that day at the brigade office when Lin Xiang had scolded her, her perspective had shifted. She finally saw Wen Siyuan for the piece of trash he was and was currently plotting how to get back at him—why would she ever give him a favor?

Besides, the brigade only had one spot, and everyone was eyeing it. Her mother was only the head of the Women's Federation; where would she find the power to secure it for Wen Siyuan? Even if she could, it would require a lot of effort and money. Wen Siyuan couldn't even feed himself—if he couldn't afford it, was she supposed to subsidize him?

Most importantly, if Wen Siyuan returned to the city, he would never come back to the Lihua Brigade. What would all her effort in getting him that spot amount to? Would it make her a fool? Did Wen Siyuan still think she was that gullible young girl?

"Isn't this a good thing? You've woken up and won't be deceived by him anymore. That's a good thing! Why are you crying? Don't tell me you're upset because you're breaking things off with him?"

"Am I that kind of person!"

Lin Xiang nodded heavily. If she were being honest, Yang Lihua looked exactly like the type who suffered from severe romantic delusion.

Yang Lihua rolled her eyes. "I'm not crying because he's leaving. It's because he... he bullied me..."

The last few words were whispered so softly that Lin Xiang would have missed them if she hadn't been listening closely. Her eyes widened. "Bullied? Do you mean... in that way?"

Yang Lihua hesitated, then gave a slight nod. She bit her lip hard, tears welled up in her eyes again, and her hands gripped the hem of her shirt tightly.