Chapter 77 Part 1 (Revised)

Chapter 77 Part 1 (Revised)

Zhou Chuntao didn’t believe this matter could be explained clearly. It was a fact that Xu Wei and Zheng Jiamin were close, and it was also a fact that Zheng Jiamin had given Xu Wei a lot of money. As long as they insisted the two were dating, Zheng Jiamin wouldn’t be able to explain himself even if he had a hundred tongues.

When Xu Wei mentioned that Zheng Jiamin had asked her for money, Zhou Chuntao had already thought about it. The Zheng family was well-to-do, and he had given dozens of yuan at once. Even if Xu Wei really married him, they wouldn’t lose out.

So Zhou Chuntao had made up her mind early on. If Zheng Jiamin didn’t come to ask for the money, that would be fine. If he did, she would go all out and make this matter official.

If they were openly in a relationship, given the Zheng family’s financial situation, the dowry wouldn’t be small.

Perhaps Xu Wei could even follow him back to the city, and she and Xu Qi might also get to enjoy city life.

Zhou Chuntao had it all figured out, so she wasn’t convinced by Fu Mingze’s words. However, soon a group of elementary school students rushed into the brigade office—Shun’er, Meimei, Xiaoyezi... and many of their friends.

"Mr. Fu, I know! I know what Brother Jiamin and Sister Wei usually talk about!" Shun’er rushed in, raising his hand and shouting, "Sister Wei said the Xu family are all greedy and ruthless, and they didn’t give us anything except a few pieces of clothing. My family doesn’t even have a pinch of salt, and Comrade Zheng said it’s okay, he’d lend me some to get through the tough times."

Not only did he mimic their words, but he also imitated Xu Wei’s pitiful and delicate demeanor, making Xu Wei blush with embarrassment: "I... I was just sharing my feelings with Comrade Zheng. How could you kids understand life’s hardships?"

Zhou Chuntao’s expression darkened slightly, feeling that things were slipping out of her control. She hurriedly said, "How can we trust what children say?"

Hearing this, the students were upset. Shun’er glared at her and shouted, "We are honest children, we never lie!"

The other children also chimed in: "We are the proud successors of communism, we don’t lie! Auntie is mean, Auntie is lying!"

Meimei raised her hand high and shouted, "I heard it! I was digging for worms in the field and heard Sister Wei say that Xu Qi broke his leg and needed to go to the county for treatment. She also said their family was so unlucky—her mother was sick, and Xu Qi had an accident. They had no money and couldn’t survive. Sister Wei said she sometimes wanted to jump into the river so she wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. Brother Jiamin then gave her a ten-yuan note and told her to use it first and pay it back when she had money."

Earthworms are called "drilling mud" in the local dialect of Jiangbei County. Children often dig them up to feed the chickens, as chickens that eat worms lay eggs more easily.

Meimei thought for a moment and added in confusion, "But Xu Qi just sprained his ankle. He just needed to rest at home for a couple of days."

Xiaoyezi also raised her hand high and said, "I heard Sister Qiu Tong ask Brother Jiamin if he was going to date Sister Wei. Brother Jiamin said no, Sister Wei is still too young for that. Brother Jiamin said Sister Wei was pitiful."

Others also raised their hands: "Me too! Sister Wei said if she couldn’t borrow money, her mother would hit her. Her mother is so mean!"

"And also, Brother Jiamin asked Sister Wei for money. Sister Wei cried and said she didn’t have any, and asked Brother Jiamin if he could lend her two more yuan to buy matches. Her family didn’t even have two yuan to their name, they’re so poor."

"But Xu Qi has milk candies! I saw a lot of milk candies in his pocket that day. He even called me a good-for-nothing. So annoying!"

"I saw him pulling Congcong’s hair! He took a piece of torn leaf and traded it for all the peanuts in Congcong’s pocket!"

...

It was surprising to hear how much these kids knew.

Actually, although people usually tried to avoid being overheard when talking, they often overlooked the kids, especially these mischievous kids who’d squat in corners playing in the dirt or digging for worms. It was really hard to notice them.

Fu Mingze had once almost been caught hiding something by a mischievous child, which was when he realized this issue.

So earlier, not only had he sent someone to call Zhou Chuntao and Xu Wei, but he also had someone ask the village children. He hadn’t expected these kids to know so much.

It wasn’t surprising, though. Zheng Jiamin never thought he needed to avoid people when interacting with Xu Wei. Sometimes when they talked, they might just find a quieter spot, which was how these little ones overheard them.

Some of the children simply recounted what they heard, while others imitated vividly. Some even started talking about Xu Qi. But precisely because their accounts were so messy and clearly not coached, they seemed even more credible.

From their words, the truth of the matter could be pieced together. It was clear that Xu Wei had borrowed money from Zheng Jiamin multiple times, citing family difficulties, and Zheng Jiamin had lent her money out of pity, wanting to help her.

Zhou Chuntao’s face turned grim: "Brigade leader, what do children know? Are we really going to let my daughter suffer based on their nonsense? My daughter may not bear the Zhou or Shen surname, but she is now a member of the Yangliu Brigade!"

Shen Hehua chimed in: "Exactly, how can we take children’s words seriously? How can we let our own people suffer like this?"

This statement implies that Zheng Jiamin is merely an educated youth, not a commune member, so the brigade leadership doesn't need to side with him.

Shun'er suddenly turned to look at Shen Hehua and shouted, "Grandma Hehua, I saw Aunt Congcong bring you meat, you're in on it together!"

Fu Mingze raised an eyebrow, remembering how Shun'er had protested last year when he got two fewer candies.

Shen Hehua immediately blushed, "Child, how can you talk nonsense? You must be mistaken. She's in such a difficult situation herself, how could she possibly bring me meat?"

By now, Zheng Jiamin had also thrown caution to the wind and said nonchalantly, "They borrowed over a hundred yuan from me, and there were three pounds of meat ration coupons in total."

Shen Hehua naturally couldn't admit it, "Whether her family has meat or not is none of my business. You can't just baselessly accuse brigade cadres, you..."

"Enough, what are you still rambling about? Do you think everyone else is stupid?"

Zhou Mancang interrupted Shen Hehua with a dark face. He had been wondering why Shen Hehua kept speaking up for Zhou Chuntao, and now it seemed the two had colluded beforehand.

"Zhou Chuntao, return the money you borrowed. Don't give me all these excuses. If one child's words can't be trusted, can the words of so many children also not be trusted? Besides, just look around in the surrounding villages, who spends so much money on a relationship? If you don't return the money, that's fine, just transfer your household registration back to Dongshan Brigade! If you want to stay in Yangliu Brigade, you must follow Yangliu Brigade's rules, otherwise, go back to Dongshan Brigade."

Zhou Mancang didn't want to hear any more arguments and made a decisive statement.

Zhou Chuntao, of course, was unwilling. She looked at Zhou Qingguo, "Qingguo, I'm your own sister, are you just going to watch us mother and daughter get treated this way?"

Zhou Qingguo touched the soft hair on Congcong's head, recalling what a child had just mentioned. He really didn't know that Xu Qi would mistreat Congcong behind his back. In front of him, Xu Qi always played the role of an older brother and treated Congcong quite well.

Zhou Qingguo suddenly realized that he didn't seem to know his own sister's family very well.

The children's words were already very clear. Essentially, Xu Wei had borrowed money from Zheng Jiamin citing family difficulties, and now that Zheng Jiamin wanted the money back, they were unwilling and simply claimed they were in a relationship.

But what Zhou Qingguo didn't understand was why Zhou Chuntao would act this way.

After all, the two brothers had not only set aside a room for Zhou Chuntao but had also each given her thirty yuan and some grain. This money and grain were enough for the mother and daughter to establish themselves in Yangliu Brigade. As long as Zhou Chuntao and Xu Wei worked hard, their life wouldn't be luxurious, but they could definitely make ends meet.

How had it come to the point of deceiving people for money?

What stood out was, looking at Zhou Chuntao's attitude, she clearly didn't think she had done anything wrong.

Zhou Qingguo couldn't understand Zhou Chuntao at all but quickly made his stance clear, "This isn't about bullying or not. If you've done wrong, you must admit it. If you've borrowed money, you must return it. I agree with the brigade captain's decision."

Zhou Chuntao had guessed that Zhou Qingguo wouldn't speak up for her, but hearing him say it still made her so angry she could clench her teeth.

Zhou Chuntao wanted to lash out at Zhou Qingguo, but she was a very pragmatic person. She knew that not returning the money today was impossible. Given the situation, there was no need to strain relations with Zhou Qingguo.

If her family wanted to continue living in Yangliu Brigade, they couldn't afford to have a falling out with Zhou Qingguo, the militia captain.

Since the money had to be returned anyway, it was better to do it directly. Zhou Chuntao was full of resentment but still said, "Maybe we misunderstood. Xiao Wei is young, she thought Zheng Zhiqing wanted to be in a relationship with her, but apparently he didn't mean it that way. Qingguo, since you, as her uncle, have said so, fine, we'll return the money."

Zhou Qingguo's expression eased slightly, "Good, then return it today."

Zhou Chuntao's heart ached as if bleeding. That was all the money she had saved for her son. Her Xu Qi was only ten years old, and whether it was for his current schooling and living expenses or his future marriage and career, money was needed everywhere!

Thinking of this, Zhou Chuntao genuinely cried.

Zhou Mancang didn't care about Zhou Chuntao's crying. As long as she agreed to return the money, the matter was resolved. He turned to Shen Hehua and said, "And you, Shen Hehua, think about what you just said. Your stance is completely biased! Threatening educated youths, undermining unity, accepting gifts from commune members—these actions are not what a brigade cadre should do. I don't think you're fit to continue as the women's director. I will report this to the commune tomorrow."

Shen Hehua didn't expect the fire to burn her as well and angrily retorted, "Zhou Mancang, I just spoke up for a widow and her child a couple of times. They said they were in a relationship, and I just believed them. What did I do wrong that you want to strip me of my position as women's director?!"

Zhou Mancang didn't want to argue with her and directly said, "I can't strip you of your position, I don't have that authority. But I will apply to the commune for a re-election of the women's director."

Shen Hehua was stunned. She had taken a piece of meat from Zhou Chuntao and promised to speak up for her. But it was just a few vague words. How did it get so serious?!

She wanted to reason with Zhou ManCang again, at least to talk him out of reporting to the commune. But at that moment, Maomao suddenly burst in, out of breath.

The kid was surprised to see so many people in the brigade office but quickly said, "Grandma Hehua, there's a fight at Zhou Zhaodi's house. Her father wants to sell her sister. My grandma told me to get you to come and see!"

These things are supposed to be handled by the women's director. But Shen Hehua was already upset and snapped back, "I'm not going. I'm about to lose my job, why should I go?"

Maomao blinked, confused. "Then who will go?"

Just as one problem ended, another began. Zhou ManCang's face turned dark again, but he was too fed up to say anything more to Shen Hehua. If she didn't want to deal with it, fine. Zhou ManCang stood up and said, "Qingguo, let's go and see."

Zhou Qingguo scooped up Congcong with one arm. The little girl yanked his hair, and Zhou Qingguo winced in pain, patted her, and strode out.

"Should we go check it out too?" Zheng Jiamin nudged Fu Mingze.

Fu Mingze was at a loss for words. This guy really didn’t take things seriously. They had just been in the middle of a dispute, almost getting hitched, and now he was in the mood to watch the drama?

But Fu Mingze still got up and walked out. It was Zhou Zhaodi's house, and he had a feeling his wife would probably go there too.

Sure enough, as soon as they turned the corner, they saw Maomao yelling in front of his house, calling out his wife and a group of women.

A crowd, including Shun'er and the other rowdy kids, headed towards Zhou Zhaodi's house.

Only Ding Shouchang, Shen Hehua, and Zhou Chuntao and her daughter remained in the brigade office.

Watching everyone leave, Shen Hehua’s eyes filled with despair. "I'm going to lose my job, I'm going to lose my job..."

As she spoke, she suddenly lost it.

At this time, Zhou Chuntao and her daughter were also preparing to leave. Why stay? Wait for Zhou ManCang to come back and scold them again? Besides, they still had to go home and gather the money.

Just thinking about it made her heart ache—over a hundred yuan!

At that moment, Shen Hehua suddenly rushed behind them, grabbed Zhou Chuntao's hair, and started scratching, "Damn it, it's all your fault, you bitch. It's all because of you, it's all because of you. My good job is about to be gone..."

Zhou Chuntao was caught off guard, giving Shen Hehua the upper hand. But she wasn't really weak, and she was also feeling frustrated and heartbroken, so she quickly fought back.

Zhou Chuntao struggled hard, then elbowed Shen Hehua in the stomach. Taking advantage of Shen Hehua's momentary weakness, she broke free and started scratching Shen Hehua's face, "You greedy bitch, you ate my meat, and you still want to ask me for flour. How dare you! I'll beat you to death!"

She also called for Xu Wei to help, "Xu Wei, are you a block of wood? Hurry up and beat this bitch to death!"

Then she continued to curse, "You useless bitch, you took so many things from me, what did you do for me? Give my things back!"

Xu Wei, of course, couldn't just watch her mother being beaten and quickly joined the fight.

Shen Hehua was outnumbered, but she was also very fierce and didn't back down.

The three of them were locked in a fierce battle in the brigade office.

Ding Shouchang: "..."

Wait, he was still there!

But Ding Shouchang didn't dare to intervene, he didn't even dare to make a sound.

He tried to minimize his presence, pretending he wasn't there.

These three women were too fierce, not holding back at all. He was afraid that if he made a sound, they would turn on him!

He was shaking with fear.