Chapter 25: Unchanged, Even After Rebirth, Still Just a Salted Fish

Qin Jun had a knack for hitting people in the face without causing life-threatening injuries. He knew exactly what he was doing; he avoided the nose and eyes, focusing instead on the cheeks and forehead—he wouldn't even knock out a single tooth. A few solid blows now would only hurt, but by tomorrow, the bruising would be so severe the victim would look like a pig's head. At that point, not even his own mother would recognize him.

The saying that a widow’s doorstep is prone to trouble is no mere figure of speech. As things stood, if the village elders discovered what this punk had been doing, he wouldn't leave with his skin intact. This wasn't like the stories in some period dramas; under the clan system, a widow wasn't someone anyone could just bully. Take Xu Damao from the courtyard stories, often depicted in fan fiction as a human seed-spreader who would stir up trouble with every widow he encountered while showing movies in villages. Hah! That’s just pure fantasy. You think you can bully a widow in the countryside? Never mind whether the widow herself is willing—if the villagers found out, they’d break your legs!

In this era, unless you were a city dweller and had no other way to survive, you wouldn't end up as a "half-open door" woman. But in the countryside, if you had a bite to eat and still engaged in such behavior—well, do you know how the practice of parading people in the streets for illicit affairs came about? That was the mild version. Do you think the stories about being drowned in a pig cage from the old days were fake? It wasn't about the moral superiority of rural people; it was about reputation. Few families in the village were wealthy to begin with; if you ruined your reputation, how would your sons find wives or your daughters find husbands? Therefore, prowlers were the most detestable of all. If you truly liked someone, why not do it properly and send a matchmaker to propose?

Qin Jun treated the man like a punching bag. Once he was done, he didn't just stop there; he grabbed the man by the leg and dragged him toward the brigade headquarters. There was always someone on duty at night, usually the village militia. Lately, even the lime kilns had patrols. Fortunately, the headquarters wasn't far, and Qin Jun soon hauled the man to the main gate.

"Is anyone there? I caught a thief prowling around a house in the village. You handle him."

"What?" Qin Zheng happened to be on duty that night and came out to find Qin Jun.

"I was drinking at Uncle Jiu’s place. Not long after I left, I saw this guy lurking on the wall of one of our village houses. I gave him a beating. Take a look and see who it is, then interrogate him properly."

"Huh? Isn't this Zhang Ergui? Er-gou-zi, can’t you stop your thieving ways? You even dared to come to our village to steal?" Qin Zheng recognized him immediately.

"I wasn't stealing," Zhang Ergui gasped, his mouth still stubborn.

"Heh, if you weren't stealing, why were you climbing on someone’s wall? I think the beating was too light," Qin Zheng said with disdain. Ignoring Zhang Ergui’s excuses, he turned to Qin Jun: "No need for us to interrogate him. We’ll send him to the police station tomorrow; they’ll deal with him!"

Qin Jun nodded. Since it was a Zhang family member, there was no need for courtesy. In their village, beating a member of the Zhang family was considered politically correct. This was due to historical factors; the Zhang clan was the most populous in the brigade. A large population meant power, but the Qin family was united and refused to be bullied, leading to constant friction. When the brigade was eventually split into small teams, the Qin family was assigned to the Tenth Team, while the first nine were controlled by the Zhangs. Yet, the Qin family never feared them.

Qin Jun leaned in and whispered the situation to Qin Zheng. After all, the boy had been climbing a widow’s wall—there might be more to this.

"Leave it to me. You don't need to worry about the rest; I'll handle this garbage clearly," Qin Zheng said with a wave of his hand. Clearly, this wasn't an isolated incident in the village. Remarriage for widows had been encouraged for years, and there were policies in place, but implementing them was incredibly difficult.

Qin Jun didn't want to dwell on it; he felt a bit dizzy. This young body wasn't used to alcohol yet. He’d only had a couple of ounces, and now that the wind had hit him, it was going to his head.

"Qin Zheng, you dare beat me? I’m a state cadre now!"

"Hah! A hoodlum like you is a state cadre? I’m hitting you precisely because of that!"

"Stop! I'm serious. I’ve been assigned a job; I’m a state cadre. You didn't know before, fine, but now that you know, you’re still hitting me? Think about the consequences."

Seeing how adamant Zhang Ergui was, Qin Zheng didn't stop—in fact, he hit him even harder. Qin Jun joined in again, feeling that something wasn't right.

"With your sorry look, you got a state-assigned job?" Qin Zheng asked in disbelief while landing blows.

Qin Jun realized, "It must be one of those worker-peasant-soldier university spots from a few years ago."

"Right! Let me go! I’m a cadre eating from the state treasury and a city dweller now. You two better think clearly."

"Since you’ve been assigned a job, why come to our village? Does being a cadre mean you can climb the walls of ordinary commune members?" Qin Jun stepped closer, looking down at the disheveled Zhang Ergui on the ground.

"You’re the one who beat me? You’re ruthless, I’ll remember this."

Seeing Zhang Ergui’s defiant look, Qin Jun’s anger flared. He kicked him hard in the stomach. "What are you going to remember, you bastard? We’re sending you to the police station. We’ll make sure this sticks. You were caught climbing walls at night; don't dream of eating from the state treasury anymore—you can eat corn buns in jail!"

Qin Jun made his decision and looked at Qin Zheng. Since they had already offended him, they had to finish it. Qin Zheng wasn't a man to waver; with a hardened expression, he nodded.

But Zhang Ergui continued to shout, "Haha, I know what you’re trying to do! Trying to smear me? That’s wishful thinking! I’m a city person now, a state cadre. What’s wrong with coming to your village to find a wife? Climbing a wall? Who saw me? Who knows I was here? With my status as a city dweller, I’m worthy of even the most beautiful girl in your village, let alone a widow. I have all my limbs—as long as I put the word out, families with good daughters will be knocking down my door! Think clearly: you say I climbed a wall, but did I really? With my status, who would believe you?"

Qin Jun’s face turned grim because Zhang Ergui was right. During this period—or rather, the past twenty or thirty years—city dwellers could indeed pick wives in the countryside at will. Even a disabled person from the city could find a beautiful, eighteen-year-old girl in the village. They said farmers were glorious, but they couldn't compare to the working class.

Still, was this guy an idiot? If you wanted to find a wife in the countryside, you should have come openly! Qin Jun and Qin Zheng exchanged a look; they knew this guy was finished. Qin Zheng pulled Qin Jun aside and muttered a few words. Qin Jun realized that if they played this right, the guy might even face a firing squad. The fool was actually daring to deny it, thinking the justice system was playing house?

Qin Jun didn't want to deal with such an idiot. But it was true—a city dweller’s status really could make one this arrogant. A single worker’s quota could guarantee a life of comfort until the 90s, when the wave of layoffs hit. Even then, city life was better than the countryside. But none of that mattered to Zhang Ergui now.

He shook his head. Such fools were rare. He left the rest to Qin Zheng. If Zhang Ergui had committed other crimes, he might end up facing the ultimate penalty. And yet he was still shouting? The man clearly had something wrong with his brain.

Not wanting to deal with the mess anymore, Qin Jun walked home. As he walked, he reflected—he wasn't incapable of doing anything. Wasn't it just about being a "worker"? Private business was forbidden now, but collectives could operate. He had originally thought about just getting by, but it seemed his own ambition wouldn't allow it.

Back home, under the envious gazes of his second brother and fourth younger brother, Qin Jun lay down to sleep. Both brothers were surprised he didn't mention what good food he’d eaten tonight. Qin Jun didn't care for their jealousy anymore. He had been triggered by the "working class." What was so great about being a worker that they could look down on rural people? Looking down on them was putting it mildly—they were trampling on farmers! Why could a disabled city dweller marry the best girl in the village?

He, Qin Jun, had lived two lives and couldn't even land a wife, while these people could hook the most beautiful, capable girl with a flick of their finger. It made him furious. So, even after being reborn, he was still just an ordinary person? He had originally thought that with his memories, he could at least achieve financial freedom. But habits die hard. A successful person isn't defined by what they think, but by what they do. Execution was the key to success.

He didn't want to remain ordinary, because if he did, the things he found intolerable would remain intolerable. One had to change. Without change, rebirth was just being a salted fish—at best, a rich salted fish.