Chapter 39

Chapter 39

As Shen Banyue threw the note, she had already silently darted over to another tree. She watched Shen Aizhen pick up the note, and after reading its contents, her face went through a series of changes before finally settling into a gleeful smirk.

Shen Aizhen then quickly ran out of the yard, making a beeline for the tree where Shen Banyue had been hiding earlier. She looked around, searching for something, but found nothing. After standing under the tree for a while, she hurried back into the yard only when Hu Huaihua started bawling her out from inside.

Shen Banyue waited until Shen Aizhen entered the kitchen before silently slipping down from the tree and taking off swiftly in another direction.

Having spent so much time in the village, she had a pretty good idea of its layout and knew where Auntie Liu’s place was.

After leaving the eastern end of the village, Shen Banyue went directly to Auntie Liu’s home.

Auntie Liu had two children: the eldest, Zhao Rui, was already married with children, and the younger one, Zhao Yingzi, was around Shen Aizhen's age.

Both Zhao Yingzi and Shen Aizhen had been going to junior high in the commune, but after the Shen family split up, Shen Aizhen had pretty much stopped going to school. Zhao Yingzi was still studying, but it was said she often skipped classes and stayed home.

Regardless of whether Zhao Yingzi was attending school or not, she was definitely home today because it was Saturday, and there was no school on Sunday.

Sure enough, Shen Banyue pulled the same trick as before. After waiting outside Auntie Liu’s house for a short while, she found an opportunity to throw a note to Zhao Yingzi.

After reading the note, Zhao Yingzi had a look that was not just gleeful but downright excited.

This girl’s personality was, well, a bit like she thrived on chaos.

With both notes delivered, Shen Banyue quickly ran back. However, even though she moved fast, she'd still had to go from one end of the village to the other and back, which took quite a bit of time.

As soon as she entered the yard, Wang Guizhi cornered her: “Where have you been running off to? Dinner's been ready; we had to hunt you down.”

Shen Banyue glanced at Lin Mian standing behind Wang Guizhi. Seeing him point toward the outhouse and then cross his arms, she bit back the excuse she was about to give and instead said, “I figured dinner wasn't ready yet, so I went out to play for a bit.”

Kids will be kids, and even though Shen Banyue was usually quite reliable, in Wang Guizhi’s eyes, she was still a kid who could catch fish and get into fights. So Wang Guizhi didn’t find it strange and simply said, “Hurry up and wash your hands for dinner. We’re having corn porridge tonight, and everyone gets half a piece of the pancake made this morning.”

Corn porridge didn't take long to make, which was why it was ready even after her little trip.

Meat was tasty, sure, but it was a rare treat. In these times, people mostly ate coarse grains.

Shen Banyue, who had experienced the apocalypse—drinking dirty water, gnawing on hardtack, and scavenging for food among zombies—wasn't picky at all.

The Shen family’s cornmeal was finely ground, so it wasn't gritty. Wang Guizhi had also added a tiny bit of salt pork to the porridge. The subtle sweetness of the corn mixed with the savory flavor of the cured meat actually made it quite tasty.

Besides, it was quite entertaining to listen to Wang Guizhi nag Shen Guoqing while they ate, urging him to make a good impression on the girl.

As dinner was nearly finished, Wang Guizhi suddenly said to Shen Guoqing, “Since you’re going to the commune tomorrow, you can skip tidying up the private plot. Your dad and I will take care of it later.”

Shen Banyue looked up at the mother and son, giving a slow blink.

Shen Guoqing finished his last bite, set down his bowl, and said, “I can’t sleep in anyway, so I’ll have plenty of time to finish the work before heading to the commune. Besides, if I tidy everything up now and get all the chores done, it’ll be easier for you guys after I move to the county.”

Even though the old couple was in good health, they were still getting on in years. Shen Guoqing, figuring he was young and strong, believed he could handle more work.

Wang Guizhi thought for a moment and said, “Alright then. I suppose you really can’t sleep, so you might as well go work.”

Shen Guoqing: “…”

He had said he couldn’t sleep in, and his mother had taken it as a given… But he scratched his head and chuckled, thinking about how excited he was to make things official with Zhou Yaoyao the next day.

Over the past couple of days, he had passed by the commune several times, but he was always rushing or had other business, so he hadn’t had a chance to look for Zhou Yaoyao.

Otherwise, he would have gone to find her right after sorting out his work procedures.

Shen Guoqing busied himself clearing the table, while Shen Banyue propped her chin in her hands, watching his busy and excited back with a complicated, wordless feeling.

The gears of fate seemed to have almost jammed earlier, but now they were turning smoothly again.

The night passed quietly.

Before dawn, Shen Banyue heard very light footsteps in the yard. She opened her eyes, lay still for a moment to shake off the sleep, then quietly got up, dressed, and slipped out of her room after hearing the faint creak of the yard gate.

Everyone else in the yard was still asleep—in fact, most of the brigade was still asleep, and the entire village was quiet.

Once outside the gate, Shen Banyue trailed Shen Guoqing from a distance.

Perhaps because he was really jazzed about having a girlfriend, Shen Guoqing had woken up even earlier than usual. It was still dark outside.

She wondered if those planning to set him up would be caught off guard and miss their chance to ambush him.

Soon, Shen Banyue realized she had underestimated the determination and perseverance of those intent on doing harm.

As they neared the Shen family’s private plot, Shen Banyue spotted the people she was looking for. She silently approached a cluster of trees not far from the plot, vaulted up effortlessly, and perched on a branch like a weightless bird, hiding among the leaves.

Beneath the tree where she was hiding, a man and a woman were concealed in the weeds. With Shen Banyue’s sharp eyesight, she could clearly see that the woman was Hu Caidie. The man, however, she had never seen before—likely the educated youth Zhu Juncai that Nie Yuanbai had mentioned.

The weather was already quite cold, especially at this early hour. Shen Banyue could even see the two of them shivering slightly from the cold, though she had no idea how long they had been hiding there.

Shen Banyue was actually quite curious. Shen Guoqing was a young man who had been doing farm work for years, so he was undoubtedly strong. In contrast, these two educated youths looked like the type who had never done manual labor and couldn’t tell one grain from another. Where did they get the confidence to think they could “ambush” Shen Guoqing?

But before that, Shen Banyue was more curious about the choices Shen Aizhen and Zhao Yingzi would make.

The note she had thrown to them yesterday contained the same sentence: Shen Guoqing is having an affair with someone early in the morning at the private plot.

This was what she had deduced, based on the characteristics of the era, as the scheme Hu Caidie and Zhu Juncai were planning against Shen Guoqing.

Shen Banyue wasn’t necessarily looking to cause trouble for Shen Aizhen and Zhao Yingzi. Throwing them the note was actually giving them a choice.

If they had any kindness in their hearts or simply didn’t want to get involved, they could ignore it, and Shen Banyue would let them off the hook without causing them any trouble.

If they harbored malicious intentions, Shen Banyue planned to teach all these scheming individuals a lesson today.

She scanned the surroundings from among the leaves and soon spotted Shen Aizhen behind a small mound of earth and Zhao Yingzi hidden in another patch of weeds.

It just goes to show—never underestimate the determination and perseverance of those intent on doing harm.

Completely unaware of everything, Shen Guoqing hoisted his hoe over his shoulder, walked with light steps, and even whistled cheerfully as he headed toward his family’s private plot.

During this season, the vegetables in the private plot were thriving, their leaves growing densely together. Under the gradually brightening sky, Shen Guoqing carefully avoided stepping on the flourishing plants.

The whistling grew closer. Just as he approached the cluster of trees where Shen Banyue was hiding, he seemed to stumble, lost his balance, and fell to his knees.

In that instant, the people hiding in the weeds rushed out. Hu Caidie wrapped her arms around Shen Guoqing from behind and cooed seductively, “Brother Guoqing.” Startled, Shen Guoqing struggled to break free. At that moment, Zhu Juncai pounced, covering Shen Guoqing’s mouth with his hand. Shen Guoqing struggled futilely for a few moments before going limp.

From her perch in the tree, Shen Banyue saw clearly that the male educated youth was holding something like a handkerchief.

She narrowed her eyes. Sure enough, those daring to do evil wouldn’t come unprepared.

The moment Hu Caidie called out “Brother Guoqing,” Shen Banyue caught a glimpse of Shen Aizhen, who had been hiding behind the small mound, sprinting back toward the village. Meanwhile, Zhao Yingzi, hidden in the weeds, took the opportunity to creep closer.

Hu Caidie and Zhu Juncai were already starting to remove Shen Guoqing’s clothes.

From Zhao Yingzi’s angle, she could probably only see the rustling movement in the grass. This girl was far too curious—she actually inched even closer, sneaking around. Whether Hu Caidie and Zhu Juncai were too nervous or too busy, they seemed completely unaware that an “audience” was intensely curious about their “performance.”

Shen Banyue thought for a moment. Letting them strip Shen Guoqing's clothes would mean having to help him get dressed later, which was too much trouble. So she made a quick decision. Pushing off lightly from the tree branch, she silently dropped down behind Zhao Yingzi.

Zhao Yingzi felt a gentle breeze brush the back of her head and was about to turn around when a sharp pain shot through her neck. Everything went black, and she fainted.

Shen Banyue effortlessly picked up Zhao Yingzi and bolted toward Hu Caidie and Zhu Juncai. Hearing the noise, the two turned around just in time to see a disheveled figure lunging at them.

Dawn was just breaking, and the light was dim and hazy. The fields were silent, except for the distant calls of unknown birds from the hills.

In that setting, the two who had just committed a misdeed turned and saw a wild-haired figure charging at them. They screamed in terror, "Ahhh—a ghost!" before being bowled over to the ground by the "ghost."

As they struggled to push the "ghost" off, a sharp pain struck their necks. Their vision went dark, and they both passed out.

Those who fainted never had the chance to see that behind the "ghost" stood a small, slender figure.

—

One, two, three, four—all unconscious.

Shen Banyue glanced at them, first picking up Zhao Yingzi. After studying the girl for a few seconds, she hauled Hu Caidie over.

She raised Hu Caidie's hand like a fly swatter and slapped Zhao Yingzi's face ten times—five on each side. Zhao Yingzi's face immediately swelled up like a pig's head.

Shen Banyue hauled Zhao Yingzi to the edge of the field ridge and casually plopped her into a pose.

She then rummaged through Zhao Yingzi's pockets and pulled out a small, tattered note covered in pencil smudges. Shen Banyue gave it a few more crumples, making the already blurry handwriting even more illegible.

Next, Shen Banyue walked back and looked down at Hu Caidie and Zhu Juncai sprawled on the ground. She tousled Hu Caidie's hair, stripped off her outer layer, and unbuttoned a few buttons of her inner shirt. Then she placed Hu Caidie in the weeds, arranging her in another pose.

As for Zhu Juncai, Shen Banyue couldn't be bothered to undress him. She simply ripped his clothes open, carried him to the edge of the grass, and arranged him in a pose as well.

She also placed the handkerchief that had been thrown on the ground back into his hand.

Once everything was done, Shen Banyue crossed her arms and admired her "creation," a satisfied expression on her face.

Truth be told, Shen Banyue felt she had quite a talent for "creation." The characters' movements were harmonious and natural, and the overall composition told a story.

Only then did she pick up Shen Guoqing, scooped up the hoe that had fallen on the ground, and effortlessly walked off in another direction.

She took a detour, placed Shen Guoqing by the side of another road, and arranged him in a pose as if he were deep in thought while holding the hoe. Then she quickly slipped back into the village and soon returned to the Shen family courtyard.

Just as Shen Banyue pushed open her door, the door next to hers suddenly opened. Lin Mian stepped out and, seeing Shen Banyue, seemed taken aback. "Sister Yue?"

Shen Banyue turned and smiled at him. "I went to the outhouse. I'm still a bit sleepy, so I'm going back to bed."

Lin Mian, still groggy, nodded. "Mm, I'm going to the outhouse too." With that, he scurried off, his footsteps pattering away.

Shen Banyue: "..."

Back in her room, Shen Banyue really took off her clothes, crawled under the covers, and went back to sleep.

The characters and story framework were in place. Now it was up to the audience to fill in the blanks—none of her business anymore.

By the time she woke again, daylight was streaming in. As soon as Shen Banyue opened her eyes, she heard a childish voice beside her. "Sister's awake!"

Shen Banyue turned to look. Xiao Dizi had woken up at some point, probably having clumsily put on a piece of clothing herself. The garment was twisted and bunched up around her neck like a large scarf.

Likely feeling cold, most of her body was still tucked under the quilt, except for the "scarf" part. She looked like a giant mushroom growing on the bed.

"Xiao Dizi, tummy hungry!" The little one patted her belly from under the covers.

Shen Banyue chuckled. "If you're hungry, why didn't you get up?"

Xiao Dizi immediately grinned, revealing her tiny millet-like teeth. "Xiao Dizi, can't do it, wait for sister."

Shen Banyue ruffled her hair, got up to dress herself, then took off the little one's clothes and put them back on properly. Only then did she pick up Xiao Dizi and head outside.

Several people were sitting in the courtyard: besides Wang Guizhi and Shen Guoqing, there were also Shen Zhenhua and Shen Wenyi.

Shen Banyue paused slightly, discreetly glancing at Shen Guoqing. Before anyone noticed, she quickly carried Xiao Dizi out of the courtyard to the outhouse.

After returning and washing up, Wang Guizhi said, "Call Xiao Jie and the others to get up and eat. I heard them making noise in their room."

The colder the weather, the harder it is to get out of bed—this holds true in any era.

Children are especially prone to this; they often wake up but refuse to leave the warmth of their blankets.

Shen Guoqing nodded and stood up to wake the children, though he seemed oddly dazed and disoriented.

"What's wrong with Uncle? Didn't sleep well?" Shen Banyue sat down on a small stool with Xiao Dizi, feigning curiosity. "Why hasn't he gone to the commune yet? Didn't he agree to go with Nurse Zhou?"

Wang Guizhi laughed. "You're such a little busybody, worrying about everything."

Shen Banyue said seriously, "It's not easy for Uncle to find a partner. He must be attentive and make a good impression."

Wang Guizhi laughed even harder—these were exactly the words she had said to Shen Guoqing the night before.

Shen Guoqing woke all the children and returned to sit on the small stool.

Shen Banyue simply asked him, "Uncle, what's wrong?"

Shen Guoqing glanced back at her, thought for a moment, and lowered his voice. "Xiao Yue, let me tell you, there really are immortals in this world."

Shen Banyue: "..."

Wang Guizhi slapped Shen Guoqing on the back. "What nonsense are you saying? You'll corrupt the children!"

Shen Guoqing was unusually firm this time. "How is that corrupting them? I'm not making it up. Otherwise, explain this: I clearly walked to the private plot, even tripped and fell, and someone covered my mouth and knocked me out. So how did I wake up by the roadside in the Fifth Team area, far away from the private plot? I couldn't have flown there after passing out, could I?"

Shen Zhenhua rarely frowned, seemingly equally puzzled, though he clearly didn't believe in immortals or ghosts.

He asked, "Could it be that you woke up too early and dozed off while walking?" The part about tripping and being knocked out might have just been a dream.

Shen Guoqing retorted, "Who falls asleep on their way to work? I had to finish my chores and go to the commune—why would I sit down and sleep halfway? Besides, I never take the Fifth Team road when I go to the private plot!"

Shen Zhenhua hesitated, then suggested, "Then maybe someone saved you and carried you there?"

Shen Guoqing shook his head. "If someone saved me, why not just splash water on my face to wake me up? Why go through the trouble of carrying me all the way there?"

That indeed didn't make much sense.

Shen Guoqing declared firmly, "So it must have been an immortal who saved me."

Wang Guizhi immediately slapped his back again. "Oh, ancestors, just keep quiet! Aren't you afraid of being reported to the Revolutionary Committee? If that happens, forget about your job—you'll be waiting for daily criticism!"

Shen Guoqing pressed his lips together and fell silent.

After all, he was about to start working at the factory. If such talk spread, it could indeed affect his job.

"Regardless, don't mention going to the private plot this morning ever again. If anyone asks, just say you realized your hoe was broken halfway there and went back home. Whatever you do, don't get involved with anything related to the private plot."

Shen Zhenhua thought it over and added, "Whether it was a deity or someone else who helped you, it's a good thing either way. We should just keep it to ourselves."

Then he turned to Shen Banyue with a smile and said, "Little Yue won't go telling outsiders, right?"

Shen Banyue nodded, then waved her hand dismissively. "If I told people Uncle met a god, nobody'd believe me anyway!"

Apart from Shen Guoqing, the other adults laughed.

Shen Wenyi, who was usually quite talkative, remained unusually quiet today. Shen Banyue didn't pay him any special mind either. Seeing that Lin Mian and the others were up, she headed into the kitchen to get some food from the pot.

Shen Wenyi said, "I'll go give Xiao Yue a hand," and followed her into the kitchen.

Shen Zhenhua wondered, "Since when is Wenyi so chummy with the little girl?"

Wang Guizhi chuckled. "Exactly! The two of them are really close, whispering and snickering together, and they won't let anyone listen in."

Shen Zhenhua shook his head with a wry smile.

In the kitchen, Shen Banyue first banked the firewood that had been keeping the rice warm in the stove's ashes. Shen Wenyi sidled over and squatted beside her, saying in a hushed voice, "Xiao Yue, did you know? Zhao Yingzi and Shen Aizhen have landed in hot water."

His expression was complicated. "We were just discussing how to teach them a lesson yesterday, and now, early this morning, they've gone and screwed themselves over."

Shen Banyue finished banking the firewood, stood up, took a stack of bowls to the stove, and began ladling porridge while saying, "Uncle Wenyi, you're acting so sneaky. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the one who taught them a lesson."

Shen Wenyi replied, "...How could that be? I don't have it in me!"

He sighed and continued, "Let's just forget about what we discussed earlier. If anyone finds out, they might really think we're involved in this mess. Anyway, they're already in trouble. Since heaven has punished them, let's just leave it at that."

Shen Banyue glanced at him and nodded readily. "Alright."

Then, with a curious look, she asked, "What kind of trouble did they get into?"

At this, Shen Wenyi's face immediately showed a mix of emotions. "There's a pair of educated youths in the village... uh, they wanted to do some bad things that you kids wouldn't understand. Those two girls, for some reason, went to watch the commotion."

Shen Banyue blinked and innocently said "Oh," tactfully not asking what "bad things kids wouldn't understand" meant.

Shen Wenyi breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "One of those girls—maybe by that pair of educated youths, who knows—got beaten until her face was swollen like a pig's head. The other one not only watched the commotion but also ran back to the village to call people over. Then, all three people in the private plot felt she had set them up, so they rushed at her without a second thought and gave her a beating and left her with a face swollen like a pig's head too."

Shen Wenyi sighed regretfully. "I got up late this morning and missed the whole thing. I heard it was quite a fierce fight. If the villagers hadn't pulled them apart, someone would've gotten seriously hurt."

If he had known such a scene was happening, he would have definitely dragged himself out of bed to watch!

He couldn't help but exclaim, "As the old saying goes, the early bird catches the worm."

Shen Banyue twitched the corner of her mouth, unsure whether to applaud Shen Wenyi's dedication to spectating or to feel speechless on behalf of the respectable Shen Zhenxing for having such a son.

In truth, Shen Banyue didn't need to inquire much; the incident soon spread throughout the brigade.

However, there were several versions of what actually happened circulating in the brigade.

One version claimed that the two educated youths were caught in an illicit affair by Shen Aizhen and Zhao Yingzi. The educated youths caught Zhao Yingzi and beat her up, while Shen Aizhen ran away. Zhao Yingzi, angry that Shen Aizhen had fled, then joined forces with the educated youths to beat up Shen Aizhen.

But this version couldn't explain why Shen Aizhen and Zhao Yingzi went to the private plot so early in the morning.

Another version said that the male educated youth had ill intentions toward the female educated youth, which were discovered by Shen Aizhen and Zhao Yingzi. One of the girls stayed behind to fight the male educated youth, while the other ran back to the village for help.

But this version couldn't explain why Zhao Yingzi ended up beating Shen Aizhen.

Yet another version claimed that several girls had taken a liking to that fair-faced male educated youth. The female educated youth tried to seduce him, wanting to 'eat the grass by her own nest,' but was discovered by Shen Aizhen and Zhao Yingzi, leading to a four-way brawl.

But this version couldn't explain why Shen Aizhen ran back to the village to call everyone over.

...

As for the version the four individuals gave at the brigade headquarters, the brigade cadres found it even more absurd after listening.

The male and female educated youths claimed they simply couldn't sleep and went out to find a place to recite poetry, only to be ambushed and knocked unconscious.

Zhao Yingzi and Shen Aizhen, however, swore that someone had told them Shen Guoqing was having an illicit affair with someone in the private plot. They claimed they went to catch the adulterers out of a sense of justice, and both insisted they had seen Shen Guoqing. One said she ran back to the village to call for help, while the other claimed she was ambushed and knocked unconscious.

But Shen Aizhen said she had burned her note, and the note Zhao Yingzi had stuffed in her trouser pocket was illegible when retrieved.

In contrast, the male and female educated youths firmly stated they had never seen Shen Guoqing.

After hearing all this, the brigade cadres felt none of the four were telling the truth. But they didn't care to find out more. Since the female educated youth stated the male educated youth hadn't assaulted her, the brigade couldn't be bothered with the rest.

However, the incident was still a bad influence. After discussing, the brigade cadres decided to punish all four by assigning them three months of manure-digging duty each, using the reason of "unprovoked fighting and disrupting brigade production order." They were divided into two groups, which conveniently meant the brigade's manure-digging work for the next half year was taken care of.

Additionally, since Hu Caidie and Zhu Juncai had been seen in that state, the brigade didn't hint anymore—they outright stated that if the two were in a relationship, they should get married quickly. Otherwise, if someone reported them for having an illicit affair, it would affect the brigade, and they could be sent for reform through labor.

Outside the cowshed at the east end of the village, Nie Yuanbai gazed thoughtfully toward the west side of the village and murmured, "The Shen family really knows how to work things. Given a piece of information, they can extrapolate and turn the tables."

Shaking his head, Nie Yuanbai ducked back into the cowshed.

In these troubled times, it was best for him to lay low for a while too.