CHAPTER 15: CHAPTER 15: THE MONKEY WHO WAS MADE AN EXAMPLE

"Moreover, our Li Hua Team is quite a distance from the commune. Any sensible person wouldn’t come questioning me at such an early hour. Even if you waited until noon when no one showed up, it wouldn’t be too late to come to me. Your way of doing things, tsk tsk..."

Lin Xiang sighed and shook her head. "Wen Siyuan must have said something to you, right? Aunt Zhao, not to be mean, but you’re the women’s director of our Li Hua Team. How can you have no opinion of your own, just blindly follow whatever Wen Siyuan says? Although a mother-in-law tends to like her son-in-law more over time, your daughter and he aren’t married yet!"

"Lin Xiang!" Zhao Chunping yelled at Lin Xiang, "Say more nonsense, and I’ll tear your mouth apart!"

"Tear whose mouth? If you’ve got the guts, come tear mine!"

Mrs. Lin suddenly sprung out from somewhere. Seeing Zhao Chunping targeting Lin Xiang, she picked up a broom from the corner and charged forward.

Zhao Chunping always thought of herself as a leader, a civilized person, and not willing to stoop to the level of ordinary village women. Now, seeing Mrs. Lin with just a broomstick left, she backpedaled.

"I won’t stoop to your level! If by noon, the commune and electrical bureau people haven’t come, we’ll see what you, Lin Xiang, will do!"

Zhao Chunping shook her hands in anger and left.

Mrs. Lin threw the broom back into the corner. "Sister Niu, was Zhao Chunping deliberately causing trouble?"

Lin Xiang’s eyes rolled in her sockets, and she suddenly posed as if she was about to cry, covering her eyes with her hand, she said in a tearful voice, "Director Zhao has always cared for our Li Hua Team. I think she might be too worried that the telephone line won’t be installed properly, which is why she’s so anxious."

"But no matter how anxious Director Zhao is, there’s no reason to come to my house early in the morning to cause trouble. I think someone must have said something to her. Hey, what do you say about Smartie Wen doing such things? Stirring up emotions among our Li Hua Team members, what’s in it for him?"

"Exactly! I’ve always said there’s not a single good among those educated youths! They not only look down on us with their prideful attitudes but also have wicked hearts!"

"It must be Smartie Wen still holding a grudge against Sister Niu for previously exposing his improper behavior in front of the villagers, and he’s now trying to retaliate!"

After Lin Xiang exposed Wen Siyuan, Lin Yun fell seriously ill. Lin Xiang wanted to win Lin Yun’s favor to return to her world and didn’t focus on Wen Siyuan, but later heard from Lin Yun that Wen Siyuan was criticized by the team leaders.

However, the team leader always wanted Li Hua Team to be rated as advanced. If Wen Siyuan’s incident blew up and affected the team’s image, they certainly wouldn’t be rated advanced. So, Wen Siyuan was only criticized in a small circle, not publicly denounced in front of the whole village.

Even so, it’s a history he’s unwilling to recall with his pride, and didn’t he just come to loathe Lin Xiang?

But Zhao Chunping and her mother are truly foolish; a little thought could have clarified everything, yet how did they get used?

Just as Lin Xiang was about to shake her head and sigh, she saw Er Gouzi from the village running over, panting and shouting, "Sister Niu! The team leader wants you to go to the team office, the people from the town have arrived, asking to see you by name!"

"Okay, I’m coming!"

Lin Xiang returned to her room to change clothes and freshen up before heading to the team office.

Previously, those watching at the Lin’s house had now moved to the team office.

As soon as Lin Xiang entered, a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair stood up, with a warm smile on his face, extending his right hand towards Lin Xiang. "You must be Comrade Lin Xiang from the Li Hua Team, right?"

"Hello, Leader. I’m Lin Xiang."

Lin Xiang confidently shook hands with Director Qian from the commune.

"Secretary Wang has told me about your situation; having a phone would indeed make things much easier. I have brought the comrades from the electrical bureau; they’ll start installing the telephone line right away."

Finally hearing what she wanted from the leader, the team leaders were excited, jumping in place.

Director Qian had a couple of words with Lin Xiang before going to inspect the work.

The team leader sidled up to Lin Xiang and whispered, "Sister Niu, should we stay and let the leaders and electrical bureau comrades have a meal later?"

"Yes," Lin Xiang said, "It doesn’t have to be too extravagant; let’s just prepare some simple homemade dishes."

Too much extravagance might make Director Qian uncomfortable; it wouldn’t be good for Li Hua Team.

The team leader rubbed his hands together, "You see, can you be the one cooking the meal? Since you can even make Western dishes, surely you can handle making some home-cooked food?"

Their families could make homemade food, but the taste was average, since it’s for entertaining leaders, it couldn’t be too subpar, right?

"Rest assured, cooking this meal won’t go unrewarded, we’ll give you full workpoints for today!"

Lin Xiang touched her nose tip, "Team Leader, cooking a meal for full workpoints, then for my effort in getting the commune to install the phone line..."

"Of course, I’m not concerned about those workpoints. I just think that clear rewards and punishments can better motivate members to serve our team. I don’t mind being the monkey to kill the chicken for example."

The team leader felt Lin Xiang’s words were odd.

She clearly did a good deed, and the team office is rewarding her, how could it connect to killing the chicken to warn the monkey?

The team leader blamed it on Sister Niu not having studied much, messing up her idioms!

"Rest assured, you certainly won’t miss your reward. Once the phone line is installed, we’ll give you your reward."

"Alright, then I’ll go prepare the meal."

Installing the phone line didn’t take much effort, and the meal Lin Xiang prepared couldn’t be too complicated.

She checked the kitchen in the team office, finding only a few potatoes and some seasonal vegetables.

"Team Leader, I’ll go to the back hill and pick some mushrooms, I’ll be back quickly."

Lin Xiang hummed a little tune on her way to the back hill. Seeing mushrooms and fungus growing well, she eagerly picked them and filled her basket.

Suddenly, a foot wearing a mended shoe stepped inches away from her fingers.

Lin Xiang looked up, meeting Wen Siyuan’s bloodshot eyes.

"Lin Xiang, you’re quite something!"

"Thank you for the compliment, I know I’m great."

Ignoring the scum, Lin Xiang continued picking mushrooms, just changing locations.

It wasn’t that she feared Wen Siyuan, it’s just that seeing the scum so early spoiled her mood.

But Wen Siyuan clung to her like a stubborn adhesive patch; wherever Lin Xiang went, he followed closely behind.

Unable to tolerate any longer, Lin Xiang slapped Wen Siyuan’s face, "Are you a dog, sticking so close?"

"Lin Xiang, you shrew! You’re simply unreasonable!" Wen Siyuan raged impotently.

He really couldn’t understand why someone who liked him so much before suddenly seemed like a different person?