The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 106: Be on Guard (460+)_1

Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Be on Guard (460+)_1

He Tiantian looked curious and said, "Sister Jingli, what troubles have you encountered? Tell me, if there’s any way I can help, I’ll do my best."

Seeing how naive He Tiantian was, still caring about her, Huang Jingli finally made up her mind and said, "Tiantian, be careful. The other day, I saw Lin Xiaoru writing a letter, and it actually had your name in it. It was a letter to the commune, and I guess it must have been Lin Xiaoru reporting you."

He Tiantian was stunned. Since arriving in Qijia Village, although she had had a few disputes with Lin Xiaoru, none had escalated to the point of denouncing or exposing each other.

Was Lin Xiaoru’s mind so malicious?

At the same time, He Tiantian also complained to herself, was she, such a kind-hearted girl, naturally a magnet for trouble?

Qi Jianguo and the Qi family were grievances of a past life, not worth mentioning!

But did she and Lin Xiaoru have such a deep hatred?

She, He Tiantian, had neither desecrated her family’s ancestral graves nor stolen her man, so was there a need for such scheming behind her back?

"Did you see what she reported me for?" He Tiantian asked curiously. She wanted to know what kind of explosive material Lin Xiaoru could have had on her.

Huang Jingli made up her mind, took out a crumpled piece of paper from the bottom of the wardrobe, which had been torn and pasted back together, and handed it to He Tiantian, "Take a look for yourself!"

After reading it, He Tiantian became enraged. Wasn’t this spreading rumors? When had she messed around with Niu Dajun? Was taking a ride on Niu Dajun’s bicycle enough to be accused of an affair?

"That’s absolute nonsense!" He Tiantian fumed, "How can Lin Xiaoru make such wild accusations? I have no quarrel with her at all."

Huang Jingli gave a bitter smile, "Don’t even mention it. She and I are from the same place, and we were junior high classmates before. Yet now, she still threatens me at every turn!"

He Tiantian’s attention shifted to Huang Jingli, in disbelief, she asked, "You have been so kind to Lin Xiaoru, she actually threatens you?"

"Yeah, it’s unbelievable," Huang Jingli replied with a wry smile, "Do you know? My family was from a rich peasant background before the liberation. To avoid being sent for re-education, my family sent me on the train to the countryside. Lin Xiaoru knows my background, and whenever we have a disagreement, she threatens to report me for my rich peasant origins, accusing me of being work-shy, gluttonous, lazy, and acting like a landlord’s wife."

This time, He Tiantian was dumbfounded! Was Lin Xiaoru so dishonest, reporting even her own friend with such a malicious heart?

"Sister Jingli, I returned to Nan City a few days ago. Things have gotten a bit better there. There’s no more re-education on the streets. For now, you can be at ease. About Lin Xiaoru, though, you better be careful," He Tiantian consoled, "I’m touched you shared this information with me. If you ever encounter any trouble in the future, feel free to tell me. Whatever I can help with, I won’t hesitate."

Huang Jingli nodded, "Thank you. I’m just afraid that Lin Xiaoru will harm me one day, and I’ll have no friends to speak up for me. She saw you riding on the back of Niu Dajun, the postman’s bicycle, and slandered you. But nobody has made a rule against sitting on the back seat of a male comrade’s bicycle, so you probably won’t be punished because of Lin Xiaoru’s denunciation letter. But these kind of demeanor issues, they’re disgusting, and they get twisted as people talk about them."

He Tiantian understood this principle too, and nodded, "I understand, Sister Jingli, thank you. Can you give me that piece of paper? Don’t worry, I definitely won’t confront Lin Xiaoru about it."

"Alright, I believe you." Huang Jingli was a shrewd one, and this piece of paper was pretty much her pledge of allegiance to He Tiantian.

"Oh, why is it just you today? Where’s Lin Xiaoru?" He Tiantian asked, not that today she was going to denounce her, right?

"She and Li Mingkai went to the county town to shop; I didn’t have any money, so I didn’t go," Huang Jingli said. She had sent all her money back home, hoping to relieve some of the family’s financial pressures.

"Keep these treats for yourself; don’t give them to them anymore. It’s better to finish them before they come back. If they see them, they will probably give you a hard time again." He Tiantian handed the oil-paper-wrapped package back to Huang Jingli, "It’s getting late; I should head back."

Just then, He Tiantian heard someone entering from outside, and upon listening carefully, it was Lin Xiaoru and Li Mingkai coming back.

Huang Jingli quickly hid the snacks and gave He Tiantian a meaningful look, saying, "What are you doing here? A weasel paying a New Year’s visit to a chicken, surely no good intentions."

He Tiantian was secretly shocked at how quickly Huang Jingli could change her tune; Lin Xiaoru was truly formidable to have worn her down like this.

He Tiantian quickly stepped back and said, "I just came for a visit, nothing more."

"Alright, you’ve seen enough; time to leave," Huang Jingli said curtly, signaling He Tiantian with a look to hurry out.

He Tiantian came out of the house and bumped into Lin Xiaoru, who was all smiles.

"What’s going on with you guys? Can’t handle a word and ready to fight?" Lin Xiaoru asked with a laugh, as Li Mingkai also looked on with interest.

He Tiantian had no desire to engage with someone as two-faced as Lin Xiaoru and said, "Who knows? It’s all nonsense!"

Without another word, she ran out of the Youth League office.

Sister Wu, Wang Lei, and others heard the commotion and saw He Tiantian leaving on her own, so they followed her out to send her off.

"Tiantian, what happened? Did Huang Jingli bully you?" Sister Wu angrily asked, thinking it was too much for Huang Jingli to scold Tiantian after she had kindly offered them snacks.

Only after they had walked some distance from the hostel did He Tiantian respond with a smile, "It’s alright. Huang Jingli and I put on a show so Lin Xiaoru would think our relationship is awful. But it’s not like that; Huang Jingli is actually not a bad person. She told me today that Lin Xiaoru wrote a letter to report that I and the postman Niu Dajun were having an illicit affair. I’ve heard that you don’t have a good relationship with Lin Xiaoru either, so be careful. Although what she said is fabricated, these kinds of things won’t kill you but they’re really annoying."

"What?" Sister Wu exploded in anger, "That piece of trash is framing you like that? Let’s see if I don’t tear her mouth off when I get back."

He Tiantian quickly grabbed hold of the agitated Sister Wu and said, "Sister Wu, don’t stoop to that kind of person’s level. Even if we beat up Lin Xiaoru, it wouldn’t help. We are the noble ones, while she plays dirty; it would also make it difficult for Huang Jingli. That’s why we decided to put on the act together."

Wang Lei laughed and said, "You women sure are thoughtful, but in the future, we do indeed need to be wary of that Lin Xiaoru. Going head-to-head, we’d be accused of bullying the weak. Let’s wait for the right opportunity to deal with Lin Xiaoru."