The Vicious Ex-Wife Stripped Me Bare, and Now the Commander Is Seeing Red Every Day - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Using Connections to Rent a House; Illusions Outside the Cowshed

Lin Ning found the Village Chief’s house without much effort. Perhaps because her “paper person” consciousness had awakened, she felt as if she knew this world like the back of her hand the moment she arrived. However, there was a catch: she only knew things that had been explicitly described in the original text. For instance, since the Gu family’s hidden treasure hadn’t been detailed in the book, she hadn’t known its exact location.

Liu Hong, the Village Chief of Da Liu Village, was a lean, sturdy man in his forties. He loved his liquor; bringing a bottle to discuss business with him always yielded twice the result with half the effort.

When Lin Ning arrived, the Village Chief’s family was having lunch. As luck would have it, he had just run out of liquor and was sending his wife out to buy some.

The Village Chief’s wife, Madame Wang, opened the courtyard gate and saw a pretty young girl standing there. “Who are you?” She didn’t recognize her, so she couldn’t help but feel a bit wary.

Lin Ning spoke up: “Excuse me, is this the Village Chief’s house? I’m a newly arrived Educated Youth, here to report to the Village Chief.”

“An Educated Youth?” Madame Wang froze. She hadn’t heard anything about new arrivals. She looked Lin Ning up and down, her eyes lingering on the brown sugar and white liquor in her hands. Pausing for a moment, she said, “Come in.”

Madame Wang opened the gate wide to welcome her, asking casually, “Where are you from, and what’s your name?”

Lin Ning maintained a well-behaved demeanor: “I’m from Nancheng, my name is Lin Ning. You must be the Village Chief’s Wife. My sister and I have just arrived; we hope you and the Village Chief will look after us in the future.”

Madame Wang loved her polite manner, especially being called “Village Chief’s Wife” over and over; it bloomed like flowers in her heart. “No need to call me that. My surname is Wang, just call me Auntie Wang.”

With that, Auntie Wang led Lin Ning into the main room. Seeing the untouched dishes on the dining table, Lin Ning’s face showed a small startle: “Oh, my timing is poor. I’ve interrupted your meal.”

Liu Hong hadn’t quite grasped the situation yet. His wife had gone out for liquor—how did she return with a young girl instead?

Auntie Wang waved her hand, “No interruption at all! Have you eaten, Lin-zhiqing? Why don’t you stay and have a bit?”

“No, no, we ate on the way.” In this era, food and warmth were the top priorities, and no one had surplus grain. Lin Ning wouldn’t dream of staying to eat.

Liu Hong looked back and forth between the two women, waiting for someone to explain. Seeing this, Auntie Wang spoke first: “This is a new Educated Youth from Nancheng, here to report to you.”

Lin Ning stepped forward, handing over her certificates and documents. “These are the certifications for my sister and me.” As she spoke, she placed the brown sugar and liquor on the table. “This is a small token of our appreciation. Please don’t take offense, Village Chief and Auntie Wang.”

The Village Chief looked through the documents, then raised his head: “From Nancheng? They said you’d arrive in three days. Why are you so early?”

Lin Ning replied, “Because my sister and I don’t want to live at the Educated Youth Point. I wanted to ask if there are any vacant houses in the village we could rent.”

Both the Village Chief and Auntie Wang were stunned.

“Rent a house? The Educated Youth Point is built specifically for you. Why rent?”

“Exactly! The buildings there were just repaired this year; the environment is decent. There’s no need to waste money on rent.”

The couple spoke one after another. They understood the meaning behind the liquor and sugar, yet they were sincerely advising her against wasting money.

Lin Ning, however, shook her head with a stubborn sadness: “Chief, Auntie, my sister and I have no relatives left in the city, and we haven’t thought about whether we’ll ever go back. To tell you the truth, if possible, we’d rather buy a place. When we eventually find an honest man to marry, at least we’ll have a home of our own!”

She lowered her head, projecting a sense of helplessness. The Village Chief and his wife exchanged glances, and Auntie Wang’s sense of justice flared up instantly.

“Good child, we do have vacant houses in the village. But forget about buying for now; as you said, when you marry an honest man, his family will have a house. For now, just rent. I think Liu Daqiang’s house at the end of the village is good. It’s sitting empty anyway; might as well rent it to Lin-zhiqing.”

Auntie Wang comforted Lin Ning with the first part and proposed the idea to her husband with the second.

The Village Chief thought it over, still a bit hesitant. He looked at Lin Ning: “Lin-zhiqing, Daqiang’s house has two bedrooms, a main hall, an outer kitchen, and a large courtyard enclosed by red brick. The rent isn’t cheap—it’ll cost at least thirty yuan a year. Are you sure you want to rent it?”

Hearing the description, Lin Ning felt the house was perfect for them. Thirty yuan was indeed expensive for the time, but she nodded firmly: “We’ll rent it, Chief. We’ll rent it.”

The couple looked at each other again. “Fine then. Since you want it, I’ll take you to see it. It’s only been empty for six months, and everything is still inside. You can clean it up this afternoon and move in immediately.”

The Village Chief stood up, forgetting his lunch. Auntie Wang followed as they led Lin Ning toward the end of the village.

As they passed the Educated Youth Point, Lin Ning introduced them: “This is my sister, Lin Rou. Rou-rou, these are Village Chief Liu and Auntie Wang.”

Gu Rou had seen them approaching from a distance. She stood nervously by the bicycle and greeted them: “Hello, Village Chief. Hello, Village Chief’s Wife.”

The Village Chief nodded, while Auntie Wang looked her over with a smile, teasing, “You two sisters are truly beautiful. Just like your sister, just call me Auntie Wang.”

Gu Rou nodded and followed behind them. Lin Ning and Auntie Wang chatted all the way, leaving Gu Rou unable to find an opening to speak.

As they reached the end of the village, the first thing they saw was a row of cowsheds. In front of the sheds, oxen were tied; in the back, people lived.

Lin Ning looked at the cowsheds and asked the Village Chief, “Chief, are there also ‘Black Five Category’ people being relocated to the cowsheds in our village?”

Thinking she was worried about their safety, the Village Chief nodded and reassured them: “Those relocated to our village are mostly old people. The only young one is a cripple with a broken arm and leg; there’s no danger. Besides, we have ‘Red Armband’ patrols. If you’re truly afraid, just don’t go near the cowsheds and stay far away from those people.”

Having obtained the information she wanted, Lin Ning nodded: “I see. Then I’m relieved.”

They arrived at Liu Daqiang’s courtyard gate. The Village Chief took out the keys to open it, and the group walked inside.

Meanwhile, inside the cowshed they had just passed, Gu Yan—who had a broken arm, a broken leg, and was delirious from a high fever—seemed to be experiencing a hallucination!

Otherwise, how could he have heard Lin Ning’s voice?

He struggled to open his eyes, his throat parched and stinging from the fever. He wanted a drink of water, but unfortunately, he couldn’t move his arm or his leg, and there was no water. Staring at the thatched roof above him, he thought of his current state and wondered how his family was faring!

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