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Chapter 123: Chapter 117: Sneaking through the Cornfield
Everyone says that the June weather is as changeable as a child’s face, one moment it’s sunny, and the next it’s pouring with rain.
One day in lunar June, or July on the Solar Calendar, Shen Yunfang was cutting grass on the mountain when a sudden downpour caught her completely off guard.
She quickly gathered her belongings and hurried the sheep down the mountain.
Sheep can get sick from getting drenched in the rain, as they are considered public property, she couldn’t take the risk.
Upon reaching her own doorway, she let the flock continue towards the production team’s site and opened her courtyard gate. She started transferring the earthworms near her door inside the house. After moving them all, she wiped the rain from her face, locked the gate, and chased after the flock.
The sheep were familiar with the route, and by the time Shen Yunfang reached the production team, she saw that the flock had gathered at the entrance of the sheepfold, bleating loudly. She quickly opened the gate of the sheepfold, ushered them in, got everything in order, then secured the gate and ran back home.
As she passed by Uncle Shen’s house, she thought she heard faint crying sounds inside. She initially wanted to check on it but then noticed she was soaking wet all over, not a dry spot on her. Moreover, her chickens were still out in the rain, so she ducked down and rushed towards her own home.
After getting home, she went straight to the backyard and removed the barrier between the chicken coop and the fence, and one by one, the chicks scurried into the sheltered coop, huddling together for warmth. After settling the chickens, she checked on the pigs, who were smarter than the chickens and had already found shelter from the rain.
Then there were the sheep, two of which had lambed in April. Now the number of sheep in her family had grown to four. Normally, she let them roam between the backyard and the mountain, together with the chickens. With the rain pouring down, the adult sheep had led the lambs back to the sheepfold to take cover.
After finishing up these tasks, Shen Yunfang finally had a chance to go inside the house and change her clothes. She took off her wet clothes and soaked them in a basin, then filled the kettle on the stove with water.
Her hair, soaked by the rain, had to be washed clean, as it could get infested with lice otherwise. She wasn’t sure if it was true, but Shen Yunfang paid a lot of attention to personal hygiene and always made sure to wash herself thoroughly after being caught in the rain.
With plenty of water in the kettle, Shen Yunfang washed her hair, and while at it, she wiped herself down inside the house and felt refreshed. After dumping out the dirty water, she took a small stool to the doorway and began washing the clothes she had changed out of.
Before she could finish washing, she saw someone in the distance coming her way, wrapped in a plastic cloth braving the rain.
"Sister-in-law, what brings you here at this time? Is something the matter?" Shen Yunfang quickly dropped the clothes and went out to meet her.
On such a rainy day, not staying at home but heading to her place surely meant there was an issue.
Dashuan’s wife quickly shook her head, "No, nothing’s wrong, ah, that’s not right, it’s not that there’s nothing, oh dear, come on, let’s go inside, I’ll tell you about it."
Then Dashuan’s wife pulled Shen Yunfang into the house to explain in detail.
"Just now, Erzhu’s wife came to see me, and she told me something. Guess what it is?" Dashuan’s wife’s eyes shone with excitement, the fire of gossip burning brightly.
At first, Shen Yunfang was worried, but seeing the expression on Dashuan’s wife and hearing her mention Erzhu’s wife, she knew it wasn’t anything serious. This was just a visit for some village gossip.
"How could I have guessed? Spit it out," Shen Yunfang was also curious. She really wasn’t the gossipy type, but after truly finding herself in the shoes of an old farmer, she suddenly understood. In the monotonous gaps between daily labor, chatting about other people’s gossip is also a way to relax and relieve stress.
"Just now, Erzhu’s wife told me that this morning they caught two dogs, a man and a woman, burrowing through the cornfield..." Dashuan’s wife deliberately drew out her words.
Erzhu is a cousin of Wang Dashuan, so Dashuan’s wife and Erzhu’s wife were sisters-in-law and shared the same interests. As a result, they often exchanged news and gossip.
"Guess who it was?"
"You want me to guess?" Shen Yunfang’s mind started to race. At home, she was the type who didn’t like to socialize much. The villagers rarely interacted with her, let alone outsiders. So, when Dashuan’s wife asked this, it must definitely be someone she knew.
"It must be someone I know. Someone I know who could do something like this?" Shen Yunfang thought hard and suddenly exclaimed, "It couldn’t be Shen Yunxiu, could it?" In fact, there was another person on her mind, Shen Yunfeng, but considering the distance, Shen Yunfeng would likely be involved in something in the county town, not coming to the village to seek an affair.
"Smart, you guessed right, it’s her," Dashuan’s wife clapped her thigh with excitement.
"It’s really her? Who was she with? It couldn’t be that educated youth, could it?" Shen Yunfang thought back to the last time she visited her uncle’s house and felt there was something mysterious about the situation.
"You guessed right again," Dashuan’s wife clapped her thigh once more, thrilled.
Shen Yunfang started to frown at this point. It was a delight to dig into other people’s gossip, but now this involved someone clearly connected to her, which was less than ideal.
"Are you getting anxious? What’s there to be anxious about? This shameless woman is guaranteed to have a bad end," said Dashuan’s wife sharply. As for such loose women, everybody loathed them, especially the older women in each family. They were afraid these "damaged shoes" might snatch their own men away, so upon hearing this kind of news, their hatred was particularly vehement.
"I’m not worried for her," she replied. "I’m worried for my uncle and aunt. What can they do faced with such a situation with their daughter?"
"What can they do? They’ve had bad luck for eight lifetimes, that’s what. If it were up to me, a girl like that shouldn’t be kept. Just throw her out and let her fend for herself, leaving us in peace," said Dashuan’s wife.
Shen Yunfang shook her head; those were just angry words. Every parent cares deeply for their own child. Shen Yunxiu was cherished like a treasure by her mother. Now with this scandal, it was surely causing her parents much distress.
Thinking about it, she had just passed by her uncle’s house, where she heard crying. Could it have been because of this? Goodness gracious, she was lucky she hadn’t gone in; otherwise, it would have been so awkward. Her aunt would certainly try to cover this up, and if she knew that Yunfang was aware of it, she would probably hate her for it.
"Sister-in-law, you don’t know. I was just coming back from the production team and passed by my uncle’s house. It sounded like there was crying inside. I was even thinking whether to go in and check in case there was some issue. But then I thought about the chickens at home that weren’t rounded up yet, so I didn’t linger there and hurried back home. Gosh, I’m really grateful now. If I had gone in, my aunt would have skinned me alive," Yunfang said, patting her chest in relief.
"Oh my, they’re crying at home? Doesn’t that mean Shen Yunxiu has come back? How did she get out? I heard from Erzhu that when they were caught in the cornfield, they were taken straight to the commune," Dashuan’s wife said, quite curious.
"I guess they released her out of respect for my uncle’s family," she mused. "Protections always favor their own, no matter where you are. Hey, sister-in-law, just think about it, the corn is only so tall. They dive into a cornfield, and you can spot them right away. Doing such mischief without using their brains, huh?"
"Haha, they must lack experience. They’ll know better next time."
