"You old fart, don’t be too cocky! Just you wait, I’m going to the village chief! To the commune! Let’s see what you can do then!" An Ping stood at the doorway and yelled back at him.
"The town mayor is my brother-in-law! What good will going to the village chief or the commune do for you!" He thought to himself, why else would Li Wangfu be able to strut around the village like a bully for so many years without anyone daring to provoke him? His backing was indeed formidable.
"That’s enough, An Ping! Arguing with someone unreasonable is pointless! Just consider today as if you were bitten by a dog that didn’t know any better! Let’s leave!"
After leaving Li Wangfu’s house, An Ping finally exploded with rage, shouting at the top of his voice before kicking a newly sprouted sapling by the roadside and snapping it in half.
"Sis! Why are you holding me back? Did you hear what he said? I damn well want to tear his mouth apart! Has he ever done a good deed in the village? Always pestering cats and dogs—recently when Dad and I went out for a walk, we accidentally discovered him fooling around with that young widow from our village in the woods. Afraid that Dad would talk, he vindictively accused Dad of slacking off at work and docked his work points! Appointing this scoundrel as the team leader, the village leaders must be blind!"
An Hao was also fuming with anger, holding back a stomach full of ire, "What goes around comes around! An Ping, I really want to rip his mouth off too! It feels good at the moment, but it would only make things worse! There’s a saying I don’t know if your teacher told you ’All roads lead to Rome.’ If brute force doesn’t work, we can take another path."
"Sis, do you have a better plan?" Hearing An Hao speak , An Ping’s anger subsided somewhat.
An Hao thought for a moment, and a smile slowly appeared at the corner of her mouth, "An Ping, come back home with me. I have a plan. We can give it a try! As for wanting to beat him up, that’s not impossible either!"
"Really?" An Ping couldn’t believe it.
"Mm-hmm," An Hao nodded vigorously.
When the siblings returned home, An Hao went straight into her room and took out a box of Snowflake Cream from inside, putting it in her pocket before heading out again.
An Ping, fearing she would be at a disadvantage if she went to Li Wangfu’s home alone, insisted on following her, but An Hao refused.
In this rural community, he wouldn’t dare to do anything to her openly!
Upon leaving the house, An Hao didn’t head straight to Li Wangfu’s home but instead went to the village dye house. Li Wangfu’s wife, Lun Ying’e, worked there as an accountant, managing the books.
Saying she was an accountant was really just keeping track of numbers.
How much white fabric was bought, how much dye was used, how much did the costs total, how many bolts of fabric were produced, how much was a bolt sold for, and the total revenue.
Anyone with a primary school education wouldn’t have a problem with this math.
Li Wangfu was famously henpecked at home; his wife, Lun Ying’e, was the town mayor’s youngest aunt, and it was only thanks to her that Li Wangfu could become the production team leader.
So, Lun Ying’e actually held a higher status at home.
Moreover, she was one of the village’s fierce "Four Lionesses from East of the Dahe River," often giving Li Wangfu a good scream when she was unhappy, even using the sole of her shoe for some ’target practice’ on her husband’s backside when she was upset.
An Hao was on her way to find her!
Arriving at the dyeing house, she was in luck—the day’s orders had all been fulfilled, and the workers could rest for half a day. Lun Ying’e was at that moment stacking the account books for the final count.
"Auntie," An Hao called out, standing in front of her with a beaming smile.
"You are..." Though their families were in the same production brigade, Lun Ying’e rarely left the house and so didn’t recognize many people.
As soon as An Hao introduced herself, Lun Ying’e knew who she was.