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Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Women’s Chit-Chat
Tong Yao noted down Lin Fengying’s words silently, meanwhile brimming with curiosity, "Mom, they’ve done so many bad things, has no one ever reported them to the city?"
Though many people in this era are uneducated, being oppressed like this, there should be some resistance, right?
"Of course people have!" Lin Fengying sighed, "Someone reported them last year, but before even making it to the city, they were stopped halfway and beaten up. They’re too powerful for ordinary folk like us."
At last, Lin Fengying came out with a sigh of relief, "Luckily he’s not from our village, if he were, our village would have caught the big trouble."
The Jia family, with six or seven brothers, were the rulers of the village. Their father, Mr. Jia, was also the village head with connections in their city; ordinary people could never oppose them!
"Who says not?" Tong Yao went along, and then reminded her: "Mom, I was inquiring about the Jia family, don’t say anything to outsiders."
Confidentiality must be maintained before carrying out a big deed, otherwise it could easily go bad. Take the example of the person Lin Fengying just mentioned; if he hadn’t broadcasted his intentions to report Mr. Jia, would he have been intercepted and beaten halfway?
If one cannot keep secrets to themselves, who can they blame?
If you expect the bad guys to have a conscience, then what is the purpose of police?
"Why would I talk about these things, I am not a gossiper." Lin Fengying didn’t take these things to heart at all. To her, it was just everyday chitchat among everyone. What was occupying her mind were her children, "Yaoyao, if Xiaohui misbehaves and causes you problems, feel free to scold her or punish her, she’s spoiled and headstrong."
Tong Yao responded in a crisp voice: "Mom, don’t worry about Xiaohui. She’s been pretty obedient in the city and hasn’t caused any trouble."
Although Lin Fengying sounded nice about how Si Xiaohui could be scolded or beaten when she misbehaved, the moment she did, Lin Fengying would show a different attitude. Tong Yao knew that Lin Fengying wasn’t dull; she was a relatively good mother-in-law.
However, when it came to her daughter and daughter-in-law, her heart definitely leaned more towards her own daughter. Tong Yao wasn’t stupid and she didn’t take Lin Fengying’s words too seriously.
The two of them chatted for a bit before Tong Yao made an excuse to hang up the call.
"Fengying, your son suddenly called, isn’t he planning to take you to live with him in the city?" A few women from the village, sitting under the big tree to escape the heat, saw Lin Fengying coming out of the village chief’s house and couldn’t help teasing her.
Lin Fengying laughed: "It was Yaoyao who called, just checking on my health."
When asked about this, Lin Fengying suddenly remembered that aside from asking about the Jia family, Tong Yao didn’t really chat about anything else.
Earlier, when Tong Yao had said that her elder son had requested to know about the Jia family, Lin Fengying never questioned it, but now she was becoming suspicious. Why would her perfect son be interested in the matters of the Jia family?
Chen Jinlan, sitting in the crowd of women, noticed Lin Fengying’s subtle change in expression. She sneered and said, "Fengying, Could it be that Tong Yao didn’t even mention about taking her to live in the city?"
Lin Fengying’s expression froze for a moment, then she responded with a forced laugh, "They are busy doing business in the city, I would only be in the way. And besides, someone needs to take care of things at home, I would feel much more comfortable here in the village."
Chen Jinlan grinned and chimed in, "Fengying, you can’t say that. Whether you choose whether to live in the city or not, and whether or not the children have thought about it, are two different matters. Your son and daughter-in-law make so much money in the city, much more than what you make here on your small plot of farmland. They are enjoying their lives in the city while leaving an old lady like you toiling away in the village. If word gets out, people will talk about how unfilial they are. It wasn’t easy for you to raise three kids on your own."
After saying that, Chen Jinlan purposely turned to the other women and asked, "Am I right or not?"
"Who would disagree with that? Fengying, you’re just too accommodating, always thinking about your children. Have you ever thought about whether any of your three children ever consider your feelings?"
"Your daughter-in-law doesn’t seem very trustworthy, I get the feeling that the reason they haven’t brought you to the city is because of her."
"Fengying, I’m telling you! You should feign illness, see if your three children even care about you."
Everyone chimed in with playful insults, and Lin Fengying’s smile began to falter. Although in her heart she knew her children to be dutiful, she couldn’t stand the barrage of light-hearted ridicule from the other women!
Particularly since Tong Yao really hadn’t mentioned anything about bringing her to the city, just like Chen Jinlan said. Whether she wanted to go or not is one thing, but whether her children ever asked her to come is a completely different matter.
Although her heart was injured, Lin Fengying still managed to hold on to the small part of her sanity. She forced a dry laugh, "Yaoyao isn’t like that."
"If she really isn’t like that, then why hasn’t she brought you to the city?" Chen Jinlan stroked her chin, and continued to stir up trouble, "In my opinion, us country folks should marry country girls. Look at your eldest daughter-in-law, back when she was in the village she acted like a princess, always complaining about everything. You made a wrong choice once, you can’t let your second son marry a city girl as well, or else you’ll end up becoming their nanny!"
Lin Fengying smiled bitterly, "It’s hard enough to find a girl in the village, imagine trying to find a girl in the city!" Matchmakers had introduced several girls to her second son, but they all looked down on her family for being too poor.
"There must be someone who doesn’t mind! There are many girls in our village who are of the same age as Boyi." Similar to Chen Jinlan, there was a hidden message in her words, but Lin Fengying, being a simple woman, did not catch on.
A woman sitting nearby did, however. She immediately followed up, "Jinlan, isn’t your daughter Lijuan about the same age as Boyi? Your two families are neighbors, Xiaohui and Lijuan get along very well, and Lijuan even calls Fengying ’Auntie’, I think they would be quite suitable."
Lin Fengying, who wasn’t very good with words, didn’t know how to respond when someone suggested this right in front of Chen Jinlan. She stood on the side awkwardly, only able to force a dry laugh.
Chen Jinlan snorted at Lin Fengying and intentionally said loudly, "The government is now promoting what, marriage freedom, right? Lijuan will decide her own marriage in the future, I as a mother, don’t have any objections who she chooses to be with. It’s convenient to marry someone we already know." The underlying message was, as long as Lijuan liked Si Boyi, she would be agreeable.
The nearby woman laughed and said to Lin Fengying, "Fengying, did you hear that? If your second son can win over Lijuan, this matter is almost certainly assured. Lijuan is hardworking and capable, anyone who marries her is really blessed. You should treat Jinlan well in the future, you might end up being relatives."
The women of the village loved to joke around whenever they had some free time. Although it seemed from their demeanour that everyone didn’t take these words to heart, they actually did think the two families would be quite suitable.
Their village was quite large, with hundreds of households. Many of them were refugees from the past, with no familial relations to each other, which didn’t affect marriages at all. There were quite a few cases of inter-village marriages.
