“What happened? Why are you so happy?”
“Hey, Wenwu, did you find yourself a girlfriend or something? You’re grinning from ear to ear!”
His joy was written all over his face.
Jiang Wenwu flashed a bright, toothy smile. “Hehehe… I’m going to cover Brother Lin Zhen’s shifts for a while.”
“What?!”
The elderly women nearby immediately grew restless at this news.
“You mean Lin Zhen’s job is going to you?!”
Why hadn’t such good fortune landed on them?
“No, no. I’m just covering for him while he’s away. The job still belongs to him—I have to return it eventually.”
Even so, it was enviable. Lin Zhen’s job involved driving a large truck!
Just the thought of being able to drive a truck was enough to fill everyone with longing.
“What about the wages? How are you splitting the pay?”
Jiang Wenwu glanced at Lin Zhen before answering, “Brother Lin Zhen and I are splitting the wages fifty-fifty.”
This was what Lin Zhen had instructed him to say on their way back. Even if Jiang Wenwu were to keep all the wages, they had to publicly claim they were splitting them equally.
Otherwise, the entire village would be green with envy.
Jiang Wenwu wasn’t foolish, and he deeply admired Lin Zhen. Whatever Lin Zhen said, he would follow—it had to be the right thing to do!
“Wenwu, you’ve really hit the jackpot.”
The elderly women were both envious and slightly resentful. After all, who wouldn’t want such an opportunity to fall into their lap?
Even a fifty-fifty split would still mean over a dozen yuan per month.
Of course, they were also pragmatic. The brigade leader’s family had a close relationship with Lin Zhen’s family. Lin Zhen had been able to join the military back then largely thanks to the brigade leader’s support.
At the time, the military quota had been highly contested, yet the brigade leader hadn’t given the opportunity to his own son—instead, he’d given it to Lin Zhen.
When the quota was assigned to Lin Zhen, it had caused quite a stir. Old Lady Lin had even tried to force Lin Zhen to give the spot to Lin Youfu.
It was only under the brigade leader’s firm intervention that she’d abandoned the idea.
Now, Lin Zhen was offering the job opportunity to Jiang Wenwu, even if it was just covering shifts. It showed that he was someone who repaid kindness.
Their families didn’t have that kind of relationship with Lin Zhen. At most, they got along well with Song Wei, chatting and cracking sunflower seeds together—and most of those seeds were brought by Song Wei anyway. They had no right to feel jealous.
“You’re a good kid. Make the most of this opportunity. Even if it’s just covering shifts, you’ll still get to drive a truck. How impressive is that!”
“One of these days, we’ll come and watch you drive the truck.”
Jiang Wenwu grinned widely.
He pedaled his bicycle energetically, rushing home to share the news.
Lin Zhen pushed his bicycle, walking slowly alongside Song Wei at the back.
“After we finished the procedures at the transport station, I taught him how to drive the truck. The kid is clever—he picked it up quickly. He should have no problem getting the hang of it gradually.”
Many men had a natural affinity for vehicles and learned exceptionally fast.
“I asked a friend at the transport station to bring some fruit. Try it quickly.”
Lin Zhen retrieved a cloth bag hanging from his bicycle.
It was quite large, filled with various fruits.
Song Wei’s eyes immediately landed on the tangerines inside.
As she peeled one, a sharp, tangy scent filled the air.
It wasn’t unpleasant—instead, it made her mouth water.
The plump segments inside carried a unique, refreshing fragrance.
She broke off half and handed it to Lin Zhen. “You have some too.”
The tangerines were sweet with a hint of sourness, though the sourness was more pronounced. For Song Wei, who currently craved sour flavors, they tasted even better.
“Delicious!”
Whenever Song Wei ate something she liked, her eyes would unconsciously light up like stars.
Lin Zhen found it utterly captivating.
He peeled another tangerine and fed it to her.
“If you like them, I’ll see if I can get more. Tangerines can last for several days, so you can enjoy them slowly.”
Song Wei nodded. “Don’t just feed me—you should have some too.”
Side by side, they returned home, and Lin Zhen went to prepare other fruits for her.
Little did they know, the entire Ping’an Brigade was buzzing with excitement.
The elderly women loved gossip and were naturally chatty.
Once they learned about Jiang Wenwu’s news, there was no way they could keep it to themselves.
The spread of information among them was remarkably efficient.
In just one evening, word had traveled from one to ten, then to a hundred, until almost everyone in Ping’an Brigade knew.
However, as the news spread, it became somewhat distorted.
What had originally been Jiang Wenwu covering shifts for Lin Zhen gradually morphed into Jiang Wenwu replacing Lin Zhen and going to work at the transport station as a truck driver.
The next day, before Lin Zhen even arrived for work, everyone crowded around the brigade leader, asking if it was true that Jiang Wenwu had taken over Lin Zhen’s job.
The brigade leader’s face darkened.
“Take over? My youngest son is just covering shifts for Lin Zhen for a while. Once Lin Zhen returns, the job goes back to him. What nonsense are you spreading?”
“So Jiang Wenwu is really going to be a truck driver?”
Many men were green with envy. Driving a truck—such a fantastic opportunity! Why hadn’t it fallen into their laps?
If only they had built a better relationship with Lin Zhen earlier.
For a moment, many lamented their missed chances.
Someone, with a sly glint in their eye, decided to stir trouble: “Why did Jiang Wenwu get the opportunity? Brigade Leader, aren’t you playing favorites? Isn’t Wen Yong your son too? Logically, since Wen Yong has two children to support, why didn’t this good fortune go to him?”
Before the team leader could respond, Aunt Xinghua immediately planted her hands on her hips and fiercely pointed at the person’s nose, unleashing a torrent of criticism.
“Jiang Pandi, you’ve got too much time on your hands! Your heart is as dirty as your backside, stirring up trouble and meddling in our family affairs? You’re nothing but a vile-tongued, rotten-hearted troublemaker—no wonder you’re so unwelcome in your in-laws’ home!”
Jiang Pandi flushed crimson with rage at Aunt Xinghua’s words.
With a shrill cry, she lunged at Aunt Xinghua.
“Yu Xinghua, I’ll fight you!”
Aunt Xinghua rolled up her sleeves, grabbed Jiang Pandi’s hair, and delivered two loud slaps across her face.
“You think I’m afraid of you? Shameless gossip! You’ll say anything, true or not. How many conflicts in our brigade started because of your filthy, stinking mouth? Now you’re scheming against my family? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Pah! Let me tell you—it’s never going to happen. My eldest son and youngest son have a great relationship!”
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