Lazy Stepmother of the 70s Island

Chapter 1: Infamous

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Hi! I like reading Chinese novels but sometimes I run out of translated novels to read. Unfortunately, I don't know how to read or speak Chinese/Mandarin so I rely on Google to translate the novels. I recently found out that ChatGPT does a better job in translating novels but you have to copy and paste it in the chat box and there's a character limit so it takes a bit of time. I'm translating the novels that I liked through ChatGPT and sharing them with you (people who like Chinese novels too).

English is my 2nd language so if you find any grammar mistakes, please bear with me. You can leave a comment so I can change them.

Thanks!

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May 1976.

Sun Aiju had just returned from the supply and marketing cooperative with a basket in her hand. She hurried along, and the blue cloth-covered basket swayed with her every step.

"Aiju, where did you get that from?" Two elderly women stood under the big banyan tree at the entrance of the village. One had narrow, slanted eyes, and the other had high cheekbones. They looked difficult to get along with.

Sun Aiju glanced over and saw that the two women were none other than the notorious gossips from Sangang Village.

Sun Aiju continued walking, plastering a smile on her face as she said, "Just strolling around."

After speaking, she disappeared from the path.

The woman with slanted eyes rolled her eyes. "Hmph, what's she pretending for? Carrying such a big basket and heading in that direction, she must have just come back from the supply and marketing cooperative."

The woman with high cheekbones spit out a watermelon seed from between her thin lips. "Sun Aiju is lucky. She married the village head of our village. The village head's family is so wealthy."

Another woman wearing a gray padded jacket walked up and continued the conversation. "Of course. Otherwise, who could afford to buy these old things from the supply and marketing cooperative during such hard times."

The woman with slanted eyes sneered, "Lucky? How can you say that? Even the two daughters of the Ning family, who are past prime age, can't get married."

"You're talking about Ning Xue and Ning Tang, right?" The woman in the gray padded jacket became interested and eagerly continued, "Ning Xue is divorced and can't find a husband. And what about Ning Tang? She's a spinster, and she can't find a husband even though she's already past her prime."

The woman with drooping eyes had eyes like black beans that emitted a gossipy light. She elongated her voice and said, "You don't know about this. Ning Tang, this girl, comes from a good family and looks good, but only has two flaws--"

"What are the two flaws?"

"She's lazy and gluttonous," the woman with high cheekbones cleaned the melon seeds in her hand. "She's 24 years old, can't cook, and can't even wash her own clothes. Tell me, which woman in our Shanggan Village can't do these things? If this reputation gets out, who would be willing to come and propose?"

"That's right," said the woman with drooping eyes. "What's the use of just looking good? The men in our Shanggan Village are all crafty in their hearts. If they marry Ning Tang, it's like bringing home a Buddha to worship."

"What about her cousin, Ning Xue?" The woman in a gray jacket had a son who was about the same age as the two sisters in the Ning family, so she couldn't help but ask more.