Chapter 146 - 145: Chen Yanmei’s Glory
After escorting Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying to the Educated Youth quarters, Zhao Wendong and the others went back. Lin Zhiyin led Jin Xiuying inside, where the three other female Educated Youths were all looking their way.
They were still reeling from the shock of Lin Zhiyin’s sudden, stunning transformation from the day before. Now, seeing her bring back another beautiful young woman—who was supposedly Zhao Wenwu’s wife—they fell silent. Only they knew the complex mix of feelings churning inside them.
Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying found they had more and more to talk about as the night wore on. They whispered secrets to each other late into the night before finally falling asleep. With one’s family headed by a business magnate and the other’s by a high-ranking general, both had seen the wider world and had far too much in common.
Lin Zhiyin keenly observed that this new sister-in-law of hers was no simple woman. Her worldliness was not something an ordinary woman from the Central Plains could possess. But since the other woman wasn’t trying to hide anything, Lin Zhiyin didn’t press the issue. ’I’ll just ask Zhao Wendong about it in private later,’ she figured.
The next day, Chen Yanmei and Song Xiaoyu were careful not to wake Zhao Wendong and the others, tiptoeing around the outer room as they cooked. Once the meal was nearly ready, Chen Yanmei gleefully headed to the female Educated Youth quarters to call her daughters-in-law over to eat.
She ran into Aunt Wang on the way, who couldn’t help but ask when she saw Chen Yanmei hurrying along.
"Where are you off to in such a rush, Dashan’s wife?"
"I’m going to call my daughters-in-law home for breakfast!"
After Chen Yanmei had walked off beaming with joy, Aunt Wang muttered resentfully.
"What’s she so smug about? Isn’t it just that Zhao Wendong got lucky and snagged a catch? Dumb luck, that’s all, finding a girlfriend. So what if she’s pretty? Isn’t that fool Zhao Wenwu still going to be single? Not like my three sons—all of them strong, hardworking, and none of them will have trouble finding a wife."
With that, she spun around and went into her house, grabbing a broom stump and laying into her three sleeping sons.
"Sleep, sleep, sleep! All you know how to do is sleep! Can’t you get up early and do some work? If you’re so capable, go out and find us more to eat! Even that kid Zhao Wendong has landed himself a wife, and the three of you still aren’t worried?"
The house erupted into chaos. Aunt Wang’s three sons were a bit stunned by their mother’s sudden, unprovoked rage, but intimidated by her tyranny, they dared not voice their anger. They obediently got out of bed, put on their worn-out cotton jackets, and went outside—one to chop firewood, the others to fetch water.
After tormenting her sons, Aunt Wang stood in the courtyard with her hands on her hips, much of her irrational anger having finally subsided. But then she saw Chen Yanmei returning, flanked on the left and right by two beautiful young women who were supporting her by the arm. Aunt Wang’s eyes went wide, as if she had seen a ghost.
"Oh, Aunt Wang," Chen Yanmei said cheerfully. "Making the boys exercise so early in the morning? How diligent! Let me introduce you. This is Wenwu’s intended, and this is Wendong’s intended." Then, turning to the girls, she added, "This is your Aunt Wang."
"Hello, Aunt Wang!"
Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying greeted her in unison. One was stunningly beautiful, the other gracefully valiant. Aunt Wang’s head swam at the sight, and she could only nod mechanically.
"Yes, yes, hello to you..."
Only after watching the three of them enter the house did she erupt in anger, cursing under her breath.
"Just a minute ago she was running faster than anyone, and now she’s acting like she can’t even walk, needing her two daughters-in-law to hold her up. My, my, aren’t you putting on airs, Chen Yanmei!"
Turning her head, she saw her sons standing there as if dumbstruck, still staring intently at the entrance to the Zhao family’s home, drool trickling from the corners of their mouths. Aunt Wang instantly blew her top again.
"Stop staring! What the hell are you looking at? Those are other men’s wives! All you do all day is work, and for what? Even that damn Zhao Wenwu has a wife now, and you three useless bums don’t have a single one between you! Why did I give birth to three good-for-nothings like you?! You’re going to be the death of me! I swear I’ll beat you all to death!"
By the time Lin Zhiyin and the other woman arrived, Zhao Wendong and the others were also getting up. A sleepy-eyed Little Tuanzi opened her eyes and immediately dove into Zhao Wendong’s arms.
"Third Brother, carry me."
"You got it~"
Zhao Wendong blissfully picked up the little girl, letting her nestle in his arms. Little Tuanzi yawned and politely greeted Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying.
"Hello, Second Sister-in-law! Hello, Third Sister-in-law!"
The two women were also very fond of the little girl and smiled back at her in response.
"ROWFF~"
A fierce little cry rang out as a small, fluffy ball of fur with a tiger-like head poked out from under the little girl’s blankets. It was a mystery what sort of magic the little girl possessed, but all the animals in the house loved to be near her. The little tiger even insisted on sleeping with her under the covers at night.
The little creature caught Lin Zhiyin’s scent and scrambled over to burrow into her arms.
"A cat?"
The tiger cub had gone to sleep early the previous night, so Zhao Wenwu and Jin Xiuying hadn’t seen it. Now, they stared at the little cub in astonishment.
"Zhuangzhuang isn’t a kitty, he’s a widdle tiger," Little Tuanzi quickly explained.
"Huh?"
Jin Xiuying was dumbfounded. What kind of family raises a tiger?
Zhao Wenwu, however, grew excited.
"Quick, quick, messy girl, let me hold him too!"
Zhao Wendong was instantly displeased. "Second Brother, you’re the messy one, so don’t go calling other people that! From now on, call her Sister-in-law, you hear?"
"Okay, okay! Sister-in-law, quick, let me play! I wanna play with it!"
Lin Zhiyin knew about Zhao Wenwu’s condition, so she naturally didn’t take offense at his tactless words. She smiled and handed Zhuangzhuang over for him to pet. Just then, Zhao Wenjun arrived carrying Yadan and with Shitou in tow. The army of Zhuangzhuang-petters suddenly expanded, and the cub was petted to within an inch of its life. It finally gave up, flopped down on the kang, and went completely limp, resigned to its fate.
Zhao Weiguo stopped by at one point. He declined their offer to stay for a meal, only coming to tell Zhao Wendong to assemble the militia team according to the plan. Not long after the Zhao family had finished their breakfast, the village loudspeaker crackled to life, and Zhao Weiguo’s voice boomed out.
"Attention all militia members, assemble in front of the warehouse. Make it snappy!"
In households with militia members, everyone paused, wondering what the team was up to. But no one dared to slack off. They all hurriedly threw on their clothes and rushed to the assembly point. Zhao Wendong went as well, bringing Zhao Wenjun with him. Zhao Wenwu hadn’t been selected for the militia due to his intellectual disability.
When they arrived, all the committee members were there, and most of the militia had shown up. They gathered in clumps, speculating about the sudden assembly. In the crowd, Zhao the Sixth was particularly conspicuous, waving his hands and speaking in a voice loud enough for everyone around to hear.
"We can barely eat our fill as it is, and we’ve got no energy. Instead of letting us hibernate at home for the winter, they have to drag us out here for who knows what. With all this fuss, the rice porridge I ate this morning has gone to waste."
"For real, Sixth? Your family can still afford rice porridge? You sure it wasn’t just rice water?"
"Holy shit! You think my family, Zhao the Sixth’s family, drinks thin rice-water? It was proper rice porridge, the kind so thick you can stand a chopstick up in it."
"Hahaha, stop bullshitting, Zhao the Sixth!"
"Fuck you, who says I’m bullsh—"
Before Zhao the Sixth could finish, his eyes met Zhao Wendong’s, which held a hint of amusement. He immediately swallowed his words.
"Heh heh, Dongzi! You’re here!"
"What’s wrong, Uncle Sixth? I heard you weren’t too happy about the assembly?"
"You bet I’m not! You’re not happy either, right, Dongzi? I mean, don’t you think these committee guys have too much time on their hands? Messing with us instead of letting us rest up for the winter. That Zhao the Fourth, the Civilian Militia Captain, he’s not too bright either."
Zhao the Sixth was about to continue when Zhao Wendong suddenly grabbed him by the collar and yanked him forward. The surrounding crowd instantly fell silent.
"Zhao the Sixth, I’m on the committee too. In fact, I’m the new Civilian Militia Captain. Let me hear you run your mouth one more time, and I’ll send your front teeth to go keep my uncle’s company!"
After saying his piece, he dropped Zhao the Sixth and strode over to where Zhao Weiguo and the others were standing.
Zhao Weiguo had been watching with a smile and hadn’t said a word. Now that Zhao the Sixth had been put in his place, he raised his hand and shouted with a laugh.
"Alright, quiet down and form up! Let me introduce you to the new captain of our committee’s Civilian Militia, Comrade Zhao Wendong! Let’s welcome him with a round of applause!"
"Yeah!"
Zhao Wenjun led the applause and cheers. Many of the younger generation who were on good terms with Zhao Wendong joined in, and soon a thunderous applause rolled through the crowd. Zhao the Sixth, who hadn’t expected Zhao Wendong to actually become the Civilian Militia Captain, quickly began to clap for show when he saw Zhao Wendong’s gaze sweep over him. ’What’s he so smug about?’ he thought bitterly. ’I’ll just pretend to clap. I’ll make the motion without making a sound. That’ll piss you off, Zhao Wendong.’
"Next, let’s have Comrade Zhao Wendong address everyone!"
After Zhao Weiguo finished speaking, Zhao Wendong took a step forward and looked out at the forty-eight members of the Dragon King Pond militia standing before him.