Back to the 60s: The Struggle Career of a Charmed Wife
Chapter 398 - 0398: Reaping the Consequences 2_1

Chapter 398: Chapter 0398: Reaping the Consequences 2_1

Wang Zhengguo’s already freezing heart turned icy cold in an instant. Yet, he still managed to wear a reassuring smile on his face. "I didn’t know where you were living, do you remember? Little brother. You moved to the city more than a decade ago, and in the first couple of years, you would occasionally return home to collect grain. But then, for ten straight years, there was no sign of you. We were worried sick, yet we had no idea where you lived. It wasn’t until last year when your family invited us to Mingxuan’s wedding that we learned you had been transferred from the coal mine to the Bureau of Mines. It was a relief to know everything was alright with you," he said.

"I don’t want to hear it!" Wang Zhengjun interrupted him with a low growl, his face turning increasingly grim, "Yesterday when I sought you out, you simply turned and walked away. And today, you come to my workplace - have you come to mock me?"

He glanced around, feeling somewhat eased by the fact that there were not many people lingering nearby.

"Why would I do such a thing?" Wang Zhengguo looked genuinely surprised. "Don’t you remember that our niece had to see me urgently yesterday? Oh, I forgot - you don’t know your own niece. You only saw her once last year at my daughter’s wedding. It’s entirely reasonable that you don’t remember. As I told you yesterday, the reserve grain is a lifesaver for everyone - it belongs to the collective. I can’t make the decision to lend you several hundred pounds of it. What I’ve brought you today is my own family’s grain. I’ll see if I can bring you more when the grain is distributed next year."

"Don’t bother coming back!" Just a little bit of grain – it was hardly even worth losing face over.

Wang Zhengjun had assumed he’d brought a generous amount of grain on the donkey cart. But upon actually seeing the pitifully small pile, he was astonished. To deliver it in a donkey cart like this, making a big deal out of delivering such a measly ration, was embarrassingly misleading.

Wang Zhengguo widened his eyes in surprise, "Are you worried that my delivering it here embarrasses you? Don’t worry, I’ll make a change next time. Leave your address with me and I’ll deliver it directly to your place next year. That way, no one will know that you asked me for grain."

"That won’t be necessary," Wang Zhengjun responded coldly.

How could he not know what these country bumpkins were thinking? If he revealed his home address, they would undoubtedly become bothersome. Once Wang Zhengguo knew, Miao Fengqin would inevitably find out too. If she knew, then their other brothers and sisters-in-law certainly would too. News would spread, and pretty soon everyone would know his home address. That would invariably lead to unexpected visits from his rural relatives asking for grain, cloth and sugar ration tickets, cash, or to help find them a job or access to rationed food supplies.

If he didn’t oblige them, they would spread damaging rumors about him. But if he did, well, he was barely making ends meet as it was! He wished he could slice up the roots of cabbages and boil them in water every day, let alone provide for others!

Wang Zhengguo stood there helplessly, a spectacle for any sympathetic viewers.

Wang Zhengjun was the younger brother, dressed in fine clothes, wearing a Badaling brand shoe, and a gemstone flower ring, his hair slicked back with oil. He stood in a high-ranking position with a pompous air, while Wang Zhengguo, his elder brother, was a rough man with a weather-beaten face and mended clothes. He was merely a pitiful figure who bowed and scraped.

"Comrade Wang Zhengjun, you really shouldn’t speak to your brother this way," said Li Dazhu, the gatekeeper, who couldn’t stand it any longer. Of course, he was doing it deliberately. He was disgusted by Wang Zhengjun’s ingratitude, "Your brother meant well. Country folks like him are honest and simple-hearted. You can’t expect him to be as shrewd and considerate as city folks."

Upon hearing Li Dazhu’s voice, Wang Zhengjun managed to squeeze out a smile, "Yes, yes, you’re right. My mood has been off, and I spoke harshly. Big brother, I’m sorry. You’re not mad at me, are you?"