Xu Wenwan didn’t yet know Village Chief Xu was coming over the next day. She was, however, quite happy that Yun Hao had gone to the commune to take his exam.
After all, being a teacher came with a monthly salary. It would be good for the family to have some income.
So that evening, Xu Wenwan made dinner without Yun Hao having to ask and casually inquired about his exam.
Yun Hao was full of confidence.
"Don’t worry! The questions weren’t hard. I’m confident I passed."
Xu Wenwan’s eyes lit up. She immediately placed a piece of bok choy in Yun Hao’s bowl with her chopsticks. "That’s great! If you pass, Qingshan Team will have more than just one teacher in Leng Yuan. Say, do you think we should write couplets this year, too?"
Writing couplets wasn’t free work. The villagers would either give you eggs or twenty cents. No matter how you looked at it, it was a source of income.
Besides, Yun Hao had beautiful handwriting, so she was sure it would work.
Yun Hao’s mind stirred at her words.
Ever since his parents sent a letter cutting him off, they truly hadn’t sent him a single cent. He used to be able to rely on their money to buy meat occasionally, but now he couldn’t even afford that.
If he could earn money by writing couplets for the villagers, that would be a great opportunity.
"Leng Yuan has always been the one to do that."
Xu Wenwan pouted. "So what? Just because he does it, no one else can? Worst case, we’ll just charge less. If he charges twenty cents, we’ll charge ten."
Yun Hao thought it was a viable plan and nodded. "Alright. I’ll get the ink out tomorrow. You can have your dad spread the word for us."
He had some influence among the educated youths, but he wasn’t particularly close with the villagers. Xu Wenwan had even fewer friends. For this to work, they’d have to rely on his father-in-law.
Xu Wenwan thought for a moment before agreeing. "Alright, I’ll talk to my dad tomorrow."
’It’s not a big deal,’ she thought. ’My dad will definitely help. I’m a daughter of the Xu Family, after all.’
If Gu Jiaojiao were here, she would have laughed out loud. Cutting off ties when things are fine, only to claim being a daughter when you need something—what a convenient daughter to be.
The next morning, Village Chief Xu arrived shortly after Yun Hao had left for the day.
Xu Wenwan was just about to find Village Chief Xu to discuss the couplets. Seeing him come to her, she immediately smiled and went to greet him.
Just as she reached him, before she could even speak, Village Chief Xu’s hand flew out.
With a crisp SLAP, Village Chief Xu’s face filled with bitter disappointment.
"Have you forgotten you’re a married woman? Have you no sense of shame?"
Xu Wenwan was completely stunned. The slap was bewildering enough, but Village Chief Xu’s accusations left her even more confused.
’How have I been shameless?’
’Did Yun Hao go and complain to my dad?’
’But that incident was days ago. The bite mark on my neck has already faded. It wouldn’t make sense for Yun Hao to tattle now.’
After racking her brain, Xu Wenwan still couldn’t figure out what she’d done wrong. She covered her stinging cheek, feeling utterly wronged.
"Dad! What did I do wrong this time? You barge into my house and hit me! How is that fair?!"
The anger Village Chief Xu had suppressed all night finally erupted. "What did you do wrong? Why did you go to Leng Yuan’s house? Why?!"
Xu Wenwan looked baffled. "What’s wrong with me going to Leng Yuan’s house? We’re neighbors. Can’t I go over and say hello?"
Village Chief Xu let out a humorless laugh. "Neighbors? The distance between your houses is greater than the length of the entire village. You don’t even say hello to your own next-door neighbors, yet you go all that way just to greet Leng Yuan? Do you even believe that yourself?"
"I wouldn’t believe you if you told me you weren’t up to something."
Xu Wenwan was momentarily speechless. ’It’s true I’m after something from Leng Yuan,’ she thought, ’but I’m after his good fortune, not the man himself!’