“Hey, Tian Tian. Didn’t you take the day off? Why are you at the supply and marketing cooperative? Here to buy something?”
As soon as Tian Tian walked through the door of the county supply and marketing cooperative, Sister Qian greeted her.
“Sister Qian, have you eaten? I’m not here to buy anything. I happened to pass by and realized I left a piece of clothing in the office, so I came back to get it.”
With that, Tian Tian casually waved to Sister Qian and headed toward the office in the back.
It was the middle of the day. Sister Qian was the only one manning the counter. Everyone from the office side had gone to eat, so it was very quiet.
Tian Tian didn’t waste any time. She went straight to her desk, sat down, took out her keys, opened the drawer, and pulled out the account books that had been sitting there for days.
In her previous life at this time, she had just been a naive rookie who had graduated from school a little over a year ago. She hadn’t understood many of the twists and turns hidden in the account books. When her superiors assigned her the task of filing and safeguarding receipts and vouchers, she just followed orders.
But after being reborn, she had gained ten years of work experience. Although her later job hadn’t been closely related to finance, she could now understand quite a bit of accounting.
The account books in front of her were the ones she had been handling for the past couple of days. She had noticed something suspicious as soon as she took over, but there were some fundamental issues she hadn’t been able to figure out.
But today, after the fisherman let something slip, Tian Tian immediately saw the connection. Sure enough, after coming back to check, she was one hundred percent certain that there were rats in their supply and marketing cooperative—and fat rats at that.
Just then, Sister Qian’s loud voice sounded from outside, followed by footsteps.
Tian Tian quickly stuffed the account books back into the drawer and locked it. Then she picked up a jacket that had been left in the office. Just as she turned around, she heard someone speak at the door: “Xiao Tian, what are you doing in the office at this hour? Have you eaten? Didn’t you take the day off today?”
Tian Tian looked at the person approaching. “Section Chief Xu, have you eaten? I just happened to be passing by and came back to get a jacket.” She held up the jacket in her hand, then stood up to leave.
Section Chief Xu nodded slightly. “Oh, then head back early. The finance office is an important area. Remember to lock the doors and windows when you come and go.”
“Got it!”
Watching his retreating figure, Tian Tian wiped the forced smile off her face, locked the door, and walked out.
Sister Qian saw her and warmly called out, “Heading back, Xiao Tian? I just heard your voice—were you talking with A-Fen?”
Tian Tian shook her head, but immediately recalled some gossip from her previous life. She decided to test the waters. “Xu Lifen didn’t go to the cafeteria to eat?”
Sister Qian said, “No, she didn’t!” Then she looked around, lowered her voice, and said, “Let me tell you—you weren’t at work today, so you didn’t know. First thing this morning, when Sister Liu went to the warehouse to pick up goods, she gave A-Fen a hard time again. Guess what happened next?”
Tian Tian said, “Sister Liu got scolded, right?”
Sister Qian chuckled. “See, this is why everyone says you’re smart. When Sister Liu was giving A-Fen a hard time this time, Section Chief Xu from procurement and Warehouse Supervisor Liu happened to walk by. You should have seen it—Sister Liu got chewed out so badly she almost burst a blood vessel. Heh heh, let’s see if she dares to act so high and mighty after this!”
Having both worked as salesclerks for many years, Sister Qian and Sister Liu had never gotten along. They had been rivals ever since joining the supply and marketing cooperative as young women. They competed for personal honors, job titles, and raises. After getting married, they started comparing husbands and children. But Sister Liu had married a successful man, so she often came out ahead in these competitions.
Riding on her husband’s status, Sister Liu often bullied others openly or subtly at work.
So when Tian Tian had stood up to her a few days ago, no one had come to Sister Liu’s defense. And today, being scolded by the leadership—even less so.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t even get to be a salesclerk much longer. Best-case scenario, they transfer her to clean toilets.”
Tian Tian smiled but didn’t chime in. Transferring her to clean toilets was unlikely. Although Sister Liu’s husband wasn’t any big leader, she’d heard he was a small-time boss at the tax bureau.
The tax bureau was a powerful department. Usually, no one wanted to offend them without good reason.
Still, Tian Tian was pleased to hear that Sister Liu had been scolded. And this incident further proved that Xu Lifen had already started getting her revenge on Sister Liu.
A dog-eat-dog drama unfolding before her eyes.
Tian Tian had to say she was quite satisfied with how things were playing out.
Just then, the screech of tricycle brakes sounded from outside.
Tian Tian saw her father waving at her from the tricycle’s cargo bed, quickly said goodbye to Sister Qian, and hopped onto the back of the tricycle in a few quick moves. They drove off.
“Girl, everything go smoothly?”
Although he didn’t know why his daughter had needed to stop by the supply and marketing cooperative first, Tian’s father guessed there must be an important reason. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked him to handle loading up the salted fish by himself.
It wasn’t convenient to talk on the tricycle with the driver sitting right up front. Tian Tian just shook her head. “Nothing. I’ll tell you when we get home.”
The tricycle made good time and soon entered the village.
At this hour, most villagers were already out working. As they saw father and daughter sitting in the tricycle’s cargo bed packed full of burlap sacks, everyone was curious and called out greetings, asking what good things they had bought.
Tian’s father happily waved his hand, saying he’d tell them once they got home.
So from the village entrance onward, more and more people trailed behind the tricycle. By the time they reached home, half the village had gathered outside their gate to watch the commotion.
Tian Tian found the scene a bit ridiculous.
Her father, however, cheerfully revealed the answer to everyone: “Nothing fancy—just salted fish…”
“You’re kidding! The whole tricycle bed is packed. If that’s all salted fish, it must be over a thousand catties!”
Some people didn’t believe Tian’s father and thought he was hiding some real goodies.
Tian’s father wasn’t bothered. “Oh, don’t believe me? No problem. Come unload it yourselves and see. No use me talking till the cows come home.”
A few people actually started unloading the sacks themselves.
Tian Tian swallowed the retort that had been on the tip of her tongue. She thought to herself how honest people were in these times. They really just started unloading the goods. And her father just stood there empty-handed, chatting away about how lively the county town was.
After unloading everything, the few who had helped ended up covered in the smell of salted fish. They had no choice but to confirm that everything was indeed salted fish.
Their faces were quite sour.
Tian’s father cheerfully said, “See? I told you not to go around doubting everything. Why would I lie to you? I traded these salted fish for our peanut candy. Look what a great deal I got!”
As soon as he said this, the gathered villagers gasped in surprise.
“Baomin, did a water buffalo kick you in the head?”
“Min, did water get into your brain?”
Tian’s father didn’t appreciate that.
And he wasn’t the only one unhappy. Tian’s eldest uncle’s wife, watching from next door, was also displeased.
—
Ever since Tian Tian’s family started making peanut candy, the eldest uncle’s wife had been waiting at home. Days passed, and still no one from Tian Tian’s family had brought any peanut candy over.
That was the custom around here.
Whenever a family made something special—meat dishes, zongzi, candy, meatballs—or bought any special treats, they would share a portion with their siblings’ families. The eldest sibling usually got the biggest share.
So even though there had been some tension over the matchmaking introduction, the eldest uncle’s wife had remained confident that the second brother’s family would send them peanut candy.
Her old sisters in the village had been coming by one after another, hinting and asking how much peanut candy the second brother’s family had sent to her house.
The eldest brother’s wife had heard that the second brother’s family made three hundred catties of peanut candy. Doing the math, she was sure they’d send twenty or thirty catties to the first brother’s house.
But she waited and waited. Even when the second brother’s yard filled up with salted fish, there was still no peanut candy.
Now the eldest uncle’s wife was furious.
But she had always been good at playing nice. Her image in the village was that of a kind and understanding elder sister. So instead of cursing and shouting, she stared at the yard full of salted fish and began complaining to the old sisters who had gathered to watch the excitement.
“Second brother is really something. He has no respect for his elder brother. He made all that peanut candy and wouldn’t spare a single piece. All those years when his elder brother worked like an ox, slaving away to support Second Brother’s family—all for nothing.”
As she spoke, the eldest uncle’s wife put on a pitiful, miserable expression.
Some of her old sisters thought she was suffering. Some thought she was being treated unfairly. Others thought something about her words didn’t quite sit right. But that didn’t stop them from all acting indignant on her behalf.
The reason was simple: they had been waiting for peanut candy too.
The peanut candy made by Tian Tian’s family wasn’t sold retail to the villagers. They wanted to get some at a bargain, so they planned to buy it from the eldest uncle’s wife.
Yes, they all believed that Tian Tian’s family should send peanut candy to the eldest uncle’s household. Even if not a lot, ten or eight catties would do. Then they could buy it cheaply from the eldest uncle’s wife.
A win-win. Everyone would get a deal.
But now, today, their peanut candy had vanished into thin air.
“No way, Chen Xia. You and your husband Tian Baoguo are just too honest. That’s why you get pushed around by a good-for-nothing like Tian Baomin.”
“Exactly. Look at him—he’d rather trade his peanut candy for salted fish than give any to his own elder brother and sister-in-law. Someone like that doesn’t deserve to be part of our Tian family.”
“That’s right, Chen Xia. You can’t just let this slide. You need to take this to the elders. Make Tian Baomin pay back all those years he’s taken advantage of your family.”
“Exactly. They’ve got money to buy all that salted fish, so they definitely have money to compensate you. You can’t just let all your sacrifices go for nothing. Our Tianwu Village doesn’t raise ungrateful people like that.”
The eldest uncle’s wife had only wanted to play the victim. When these women started dragging her off to see the village elders, she actually got a little scared. She just wanted sympathy—she didn’t want to blow things up. But the moment compensation was mentioned, she immediately felt tempted.
The reason was simple: she had always thought the family division back then was unfair.
If she could stir up some compensation, maybe her son’s fine for having a second child could be covered.
So the eldest uncle’s wife prepared to say a few token words of objection, then pretend to be dragged off against her will to complain to the village elders. She’d put on a pitiful act and let her old sisters do the talking.
She was daydreaming happily about how well this would work out. What she didn’t know was that Tian Tian had already overheard their entire scheme.
Watching these women about to dispense their “justice” and her aunt putting on her performance, Tian Tian thought about how she was planning to head to Shenzhen after the New Year anyway. It would be better to get the conflict with the eldest uncle’s family settled sooner rather than later.
So Tian Tian raised her voice and said, “Aunt, what are you saying? That our family has been bleeding yours dry? That my family owes you money?”
Her voice was loud enough to silence every villager who had been discussing the salted fish.
Tian Tian’s father stopped telling everyone how great a deal he’d gotten on the salted fish. He hurried over in a few quick steps. “Girl, what’s going on?”
Tian Tian’s mother stopped her cheerful chatter as well. She ran over and asked the same question.
The other villagers were equally confused.
Ignoring the expressions on those few women’s faces, Tian Tian repeated their conversation in just a few sentences—even mimicking their tones perfectly. Her sour, jealous delivery was so spot-on that the watching villagers burst out laughing.
Because Tian Tian had absolutely nailed that bitter, resentful tone.
So spot-on, in fact, that those women got furious.
—
“Did we say anything wrong?” one of them shot back. “Everyone in this village—no, everyone in this whole town—knows that Tian Laoxiao is a lazy good-for-nothing. He doesn’t work a day in his life but lives comfortably. He still managed to get a wife and send his daughter to school. If it weren’t for Chen Xia and her husband working their butts off to support the family, would Tian Laoxiao have that kind of ability?”
The crowd fell silent.
Because a lot of people in the village genuinely believed that. Sure, most of them were surnamed Tian and worshiped the same ancestors. But how could anyone know the ins and outs of another family’s household affairs? They just looked at the surface and listened to gossip.
And on the surface, Tian Laoxiao really didn’t seem to do much farm work. If he could afford a wife and send his daughter to school, surely he must be taking advantage of the eldest uncle’s family.
Seeing everyone’s reactions, Tian Tian let out a dry laugh. This was exactly why she needed to get the truth out early. Otherwise, she’d be morally blackmailed later on.
In her previous life, that was exactly how her job had been taken away. A job worth over a thousand yuan had been sold to Tian Xin for just five hundred.
At the time, she had thought that since she was going out to work, it would be better if her parents had her eldest uncle’s family to rely on. Plus, so many relatives had come to persuade her, saying the eldest uncle’s family had done so much for hers.
But now, she was Tian Tian 2.0. There was no way she would let that happen again.
In her previous life, she had thought family matters shouldn’t be aired outside. Now she was going to air them out—so that everyone would know.
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