Chapter 78: Second Watch

Chapter 78: Second Watch

The yard gate of Zhou Zhaodi's house was wide open, and a crowd had already gathered outside, pointing and whispering, but no one stepped in to intervene. Zhou Xiaoshuan was tight-fisted, and Yang Daniu was mean-spirited, so they didn’t get along well with their neighbors, and no one wanted to get involved in their marital disputes.

The ones fighting were Yang Daniu and Zhou Xiaoshuan.

Yang Daniu, disheveled and bruised, kept charging at Zhou Xiaoshuan, clawing at her face with both hands: "You shameless bastard! I went through so much to give birth to this child, and you dare to give her away? For crying out loud, even a tiger wouldn’t harm its own cubs, yet you coward are selling my daughter for the eighty bucks?!"

Zhou Xiaoshuan's face was already scratched up. Usually timid, he was unusually bold, dodging her blows while retorting: "Who told you to give birth to a girl? If it were a son, would I have given him away?! Didn’t you promise me you’d give me a son? Why did you have another daughter?!"

The more Zhou Xiaoshuan spoke, the more upset he became, nearly in tears.

He was truly heartbroken. He already had three daughters, and he was certain that Yang Daniu’s pregnancy would finally give him a son.

Yang Daniu’s previous child had been a boy, and she claimed that her siblings were all known for having sons, with daughters being a rarity in her family. That’s why, even though she was a second wife, he had paid the thirty yuan in bride price and treated Wu Jiabao as his own, hoping the child would know he cherished sons and be reborn into his family.

But no, it was another daughter!

Zhou Xiaoshuan was crushed. He felt the heavens were cruel and unfair to him. How could it be another girl?

Since it was a girl, why keep her at home just to waste food?

Zhou Xiaoshuan was determined to save his resources for a son. He had no intention of spending money on daughters.

Moreover, he could actually make money by giving away his daughters. He had experience in this—he had already given away two daughters, each time receiving some money.

This daughter was premature and weak, making her even harder to raise. It was fortunate that someone was willing to take her in and even pay for it. That was already a good deal.

Zhou Xiaoshuan didn’t see anything wrong with what he was doing. In the past, many families would drown their daughters in buckets or abandon them in the mountains. He wasn’t doing that—he was finding families to raise them properly. He didn’t feel he was wronging them at all.

He couldn’t understand why Yang Daniu was reacting so strongly. Didn’t she also want a son? Why would she want to keep the financial burden of a daughter?

"You coward, you can’t produce a son, and you blame me?" Yang Daniu was confident, refusing to believe that having a daughter was her fault. "Why did I have a son with my previous husband, but with you, it’s a daughter? Clearly, it’s your problem. Look at you—all your previous children are daughters. It’s definitely your fault, and you’re trying to pin it on me?!"

Zhou Xiaoshuan, hit where it hurt, broke down: "Ahhh, why? Why don’t I have a son? The heavens, why won’t you let me have a son?!"

He stopped hitting Yang Daniu and instead started pounding his own body.

Yang Daniu was startled and instinctively took a step back.

"Shut up! There’s no such thing as the heavens. That’s feudal superstition. If you keep shouting, I’ll send you to the Revolutionary Committee!"

Zhou ManCang walked in just in time to witness this scene and immediately intervened.

He glanced around the chaotic courtyard. Clothes that had been washed and hung out to dry were now scattered on the ground, covered in footprints. Further away were shards of a broken jar, along with some chicken feathers and droppings... The place was a complete mess.

Clearly, the "battle" had been intense.

Zhou ManCang was completely fed up with these two. First, they caused trouble when Zhou Zhaodi won an award and went to study in the county, and now they were causing a ruckus over having a daughter. How could they be so troublesome?

Zhou ManCang looked sternly at Zhou Xiaoshuan: "Zhou Xiaoshuan, someone reported that you’re selling your daughter. Tell me, is this true?"

At the mention of the Revolutionary Committee, Zhou Xiaoshuan immediately shut up. He knew he couldn’t engage in feudal superstition, but he had just blurted it out in his frustration!

As for selling his daughter, Zhou Xiaoshuan wasn’t stupid. After the founding of the nation, selling children was prohibited. He couldn’t admit to selling his daughter, so he stuck to his usual explanation: "No, the Captain, I’m giving her to relatives to raise. They love daughters, and we can’t afford to raise her, so we decided to give her to them."

"That’s a lie! How can you not afford it? With three working adults in the family, how can you not afford to raise my daughter?!" Yang Daniu spat: "If you really can’t afford it, why not give away Zhou Zhaodi? Why keep her and give away my daughter?!"

All at once, everyone inside and outside the courtyard turned their gaze toward Zhou Zhaodi, who was cowering in the corner holding a baby. Zhou Zhaodi’s face went pale instantly.

Zhou Xiaoshuan also glanced back at Zhou Zhaodi and spoke in a casual tone: "Zhaodi can already pitch in at home, and in a few years, she’ll be ready to marry. There’s no need to send her away to be raised by someone else."

Yang Daniu snapped: "What work does she do? She only comes home once a month, hardly has time to sit before she’s gone again. If it weren’t for my mother coming to help, I’d have to wash the diapers myself during my confinement! Have you lifted a hand? Your Zhou family are all no-good, I must have been blind to marry such a useless man like you!"

Zhou Xiaoshuan shot back: "If you had given birth to a son, of course I would have washed the diapers. Why bother washing them for a girl? You can’t even give me a son, yet you dare to yell at me here. You should be waiting on me hand and foot since you can’t give me a son!"

When the man’s nastiness was directed at others, Yang Daniu didn’t feel anything, but when it was directed at herself, she was furious: "Damn you, you spineless jerk, I went through hell to have your kid, and you want me to serve you? I’ll serve you by knocking you out first!"

With a roar, she charged at him again.

Zhou Xiaoshuan: "What are you so proud of after giving birth to a worthless girl? You dare to hit me? I’ll beat you to death!"

Well, the two of them were at it again.

Outside the courtyard, people couldn’t help but whisper: "They really are birds of a feather, these two."

"Zhou Xiaoshuan used to be such a pushover, but ever since Yang Daniu gave birth to a daughter, he’s become quite bold. Turns out he was only acting humble to get a son."

"Hasn’t he always been like this? When Zhou Zhaodi’s mother was alive, it was the same. At first, he was so submissive to his wife, but after giving birth to one daughter after another, he either beat or scolded her. Otherwise, Zhou Zhaodi’s mother might not have died in childbirth."

Wang Qiutong tugged at Shen Moer: "Zhaodi is so heartbreaking."

Shen Moer nodded, looking at Zhou Zhaodi, who was huddled in the corner with a look of utter despair. The little girl had become much brighter and happier in recent months. Sometimes she would run over to tell her stories about her experiences in the county town, saying she must study hard and draw well, make money to pay her back, and that she also wanted to be a teacher, teaching the village kids to read and draw.

She also said that when she had money, she would go get her two younger sisters back.

In the courtyard, Zhou ManCang glared at these two troublesome individuals, feeling completely worn out. Fight, fight, fight, that’s all they know!

Last year, their Willow Brigade had won multiple honors as an outstanding brigade. This year, a group of people were about to become workers in state-owned factories, and the brigade had set up experimental fields, which were also expected to yield results. It could be said that the entire brigade was getting better and better, and the commune members’ lives were visibly improving.

Everyone was doing well, striving for a new life, but there were always some bad apples causing trouble.

Some cheated the educated youths out of money, some wanted to sell their daughters, and instead of living a good life, they kept stirring up trouble and tarnishing the brigade’s reputation.

And yet, they still had the nerve to fight!

"Qingguo, Zhuangzhuang’s wife, come and help separate them," Zhou ManCang called for Zhou Qingguo and Li Xinmei to assist.

Li Xinmei, who was standing by the courtyard gate, quickly ran over and, together with Zhou Qingguo, pulled the two apart. Zhou Qingguo was holding his daughter in one arm and used his other hand to pull Zhou Xiaoshuan away, giving him a kick in the process: "You’re really something, hitting your wife and selling your daughter. Why don’t you just fly to the heavens?!"

Zhou Xiaoshuan didn’t struggle, knowing he couldn’t match Zhou Qingguo, who had been a soldier. He simply sat down on the ground and started wailing: "My life is so bitter, everyone has a son, why don’t I have one? Why, why don’t I have one?! It’s not that I want to sell my daughters, I can’t afford to raise them, I’m just finding them a way out. I didn’t abandon them in the mountains!"

Zhou Qingguo was speechless.

In this short time, he had been rendered speechless twice—once by his elder sister and once by his cousin.

Yes, their family was quite closely related to Zhou Xiaoshuan’s family.

Congcong, whom he was holding in one arm, looked down curiously at Zhou Xiaoshuan, who was sitting on the ground wailing. For some reason, she suddenly spat at him... though a child doesn’t have much saliva, it was the thought that counted.

Zhou Qingguo: "..."

He quickly carried his daughter away: "Congcong, let’s not listen to this dirty talk, let’s go further away."

Yang Daniu also sat down on the ground, wailing: "Why am I so unlucky? I married such a coward who can’t even bear a son and wants to sell his daughters. He’s not even human!"

"..."

Zhou Mancang was driven to distraction by their wailing and shouted, "Both of you, cut it out! Do you really want to go to the Revolutionary Committee or the police station?!"

At his roar, both Zhou Xiaoshuan and Yang Daniu fell silent.

Zhou Mancang spoke sternly, "Didn’t the commune propagandist come to our brigade to drill it into our heads that sons and daughters are equal, and that women can hold up half the sky? You’re carrying on like it’s the end of the world just because you had a daughter—are you afraid people won’t know how backward your thinking is? And you dare to sell your child? Didn’t the propagandist say that selling children is illegal? With all this nonsense, you still have the nerve to fight?!"

"I just don’t understand, what’s wrong with having a daughter? Zhou Xiaoshuan, take a good look at Zhaodi—what a promising child she is! If I had such a granddaughter, I’d wake up laughing in my sleep! Whether it’s a girl or a boy, if you raise them right, they’ll turn out just fine. I’m giving it to you straight, so you better listen up. Otherwise, with your level of ideological awareness, whether you end up in the Revolutionary Committee, the police station, or have your work points deducted, it’s up to you!"

The Revolutionary Committee, the police station, and the deduction of work points—Zhou Mancang’s three intimidating threats finally made Zhou Xiaoshuan and Yang Daniu behave, their faces showing a hint of anxiety and fear.

"Alright, get your act together and clean up. Zhou Xiaoshuan, don’t pull that stunt of sending the child away again. Don’t say you’re giving them to relatives; if you take money, it’s selling the child. Yang Daniu, you stop making a scene too. The child is definitely not to be sold. If he tries this again, don’t fight him, come to the brigade and find us. The brigade certainly won’t stand by and let him sell the child. We don’t give a hoot if you two squabble, but if you sell the kid or start brawling, that’s against the law, and you know what’s coming to you."

Zhou Mancang went on and on with his lecture before finally saying, "That’s it, don’t cause any more trouble."

Zhou Mancang stared at the two until they nodded, though it was clear they were reluctant. But as long as they showed some semblance of compliance, that was enough. The child was still there, and they hadn’t fought to the point of drawing blood, so all he could do was criticize and educate them.

He couldn’t stand to look at these two troublemakers any longer. He called out to Li Xinmei and Zhou Qingguo and started to walk away, but he hadn’t gone far before Zhou Zhaodi, holding a baby, stopped him. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with determination and hope, and asked, "Brigade Leader, can I separate from my father?"