Chapter 48

Chapter 48

The three Red Armbands had their injuries treated, but the bruises on their faces remained, making their already unpleasant expressions even more sinister. They didn’t look like they were there to preside over a struggle session—more like they had a score to settle.

Their gazes, especially when directed at certain people in the meeting hall, were downright sinister and terrifying. Even the commune members who were always cracking jokes couldn’t help but clam up.

You could cut the tension with a knife.

Though the expressions might differ, the feeling was largely the same. The commune members who had been laughing and joking the night before clearly sensed a different atmosphere today. Many exchanged uncertain glances, their faces filled with doubt.

Qian Tao let out a villainous sneer before announcing, “Today, we have received seven verbal or written denunciations. The content of these accusations varies widely, but they are all very typical. Indeed, Zhu Juncai’s case is not an isolated incident. The fact that such morally corrupt sent-down youth could emerge indicates serious issues with the ideological conduct within Xiaodun Brigade.”

The commune members, who had been subdued by the strange atmosphere, immediately broke into an uproar.

“Bullshit! What does Zhu Juncai have to do with us? His moral corruption started in Beijing—what does that have to do with us?”

“What’s this punk getting at? Damn it, he’s pinning this kind of label on us. How are the young people in our brigade supposed to get married in the future?”

Of course, the most critical issue was that a traitor had emerged from among the people!

“Damn it, which son of a bitch ratted us out? Are they out of their minds?”

Qian Tao slammed the table and roared, “Quiet! Quiet! If you keep making noise, I’ll request higher authorities to have you all sent for reform through labor!”

He was so angry that veins bulged on his forehead. Ever since becoming a Red Guard, wherever he went, he had always been met with reverence or even fear. He got off on the feeling of controlling others’ fates and being feared.

But for some reason, the members of this brigade seemed to have taken courage pills—they weren’t afraid of them at all.

Damn it, this was the first time he’d been injured while visiting a brigade.

Swearing under his breath, Qian Tao pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and read aloud, “First accusation: Shen Wendong, Zhao Xuehai, Xiao Yue, and others were denounced for privately digging up materials in the willow grove and claiming they would sell them for money. This is not only a despicable act of fleecing Socialism but also a manifestation of petty bourgeois ideology.”

Every single commune member present wore a bewildered expression.

What the hell? Who is Shen Wendong? Oh, he’s Shen Zhenhua’s kid. Zhao Xuehai? Oh, Zhao Yongjun’s kid. Xiao Yue? Isn’t she the girl Wang Guizhi is fostering for the commune?… Many people in the village knew these kids went to the willow grove to collect scrap. It’s called scrap for a reason—are we not allowed to pick it up?

And this counts as fleecing Socialism and petty bourgeois ideology?

Even if the kids were wrong, couldn’t they just be criticized by their teacher or spanked by their fathers? Why did it have to come to denunciation and criticism?

Qian Tao was oblivious to the reactions of the commune members and continued reading, “Second accusation: Shen Wendong, Zhao Xuehai, Xiao Yue, and others were denounced for acting suspiciously with sent-down personnel, allegedly discussing how to fleece Socialism.”

Once again, every single commune member present wore a bewildered expression.

So, did they actually fleece Socialism or not? If you don’t even know, why are you talking nonsense?

Qian Tao sneered and said, “These commune members—Shen Wendong, Zhao Xuehai, and Xiao Yue—are quite bold, aren’t they? They’re looking for opportunities everywhere to fleece Socialism and sap its foundations!”

Shen Banyue was speechless.

She looked around and realized that neither Shen Wendong nor Zhao Xuehai were present.

Well, if she were Shen Zhenxing or Zhao Yongjun and heard about these accusations, the first thing she’d do would be to keep the kids at home. Shen Wendong was one thing, but if Zhao Xuehai were here, God only knows what he'd say.

The expressions of the commune members present had shifted from bewilderment to numbness.

Wait, don’t you even investigate the accusations you receive? The so-called ‘bold commune members’ you’re talking about are just kids. If little hellions aren’t bold, who is?

Qian Tao remained completely oblivious, but the two Red Armbands beside him exchanged glances, sensing that something was off.

“Third accusation: Shen Dechang and Wang Guizhi were denounced for bourgeois hedonistic tendencies, frequently feasting on fish and meat at home.”

Shen Dechang was startled. He looked nervously at the stage, opened his mouth but said nothing, then turned to Wang Guizhi. Wang Guizhi responded with a cold sneer, expressing her disdain for the accusation.

“Fourth accusation: Liu Jianyi was denounced for cutting corners when repairing pots and skimping on materials to resell them.”

Old Liu, the pot repairman, bellowed angrily, “Goddamn it, if you have the guts, don’t come to me for pot repairs again!”

…

There were three more accusations: Wang Daniu was denounced for shortchanging people when distributing meat; the village’s “coquettish widow,” Wang Xueqin, was denounced for improper conduct, frequently flirting with male commune members; and Zhao Yingzi and Shen Aizhen were denounced for fighting over a man early in the morning in their private plots.

After finishing the announcements, Qian Tao added, “The commune members who filed these accusations are excellent. They have proactively exposed the problems hidden within Xiaodun Brigade. Of course, these issues are still somewhat superficial, but that’s fine. We still have five days to dig deeper and conduct more thorough criticism.”

From Shen Banyue’s perspective, she could just see the brigade cadres standing off to the side. Every one of them wore an expression that seemed to be fuming inwardly. Accountant Zhao Youliang, in particular, looked both furious and somewhat guilty—after all, the Red Armband with a screw loose on stage was his wife’s nephew.

“Next, those who were denounced will come on stage for self-criticism. Shen Wendong, Zhao Xuehai, Xiao Yue, Lv Fang, Xie Tingqin, Nie Yuanbai, Shen Dechang, Wang Guizhi, Liu Jianyi, Wang Daniu, Wang Xueqin, Zhao Yingzi, and Shen Aizhen—all of you, come up.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the hot-tempered Old Liu stood up and shouted, “Motherfucker! I’ve been repairing pots my whole life and never once cut corners. Which immoral idiot denounced me? What self-criticism?!” Though he said “what self-criticism,” the old man still walked to the front of the stage.

Next was Wang Daniu, a tall and burly man who rolled up his sleeves and charged forward. “Let me see who denounced me! Damn it, no one distributes meat more fairly than I do. If I find out who it was, I’ll whup their ass!”

Wang Xueqin stood up and began to cry. “Boo hoo… Which bastard falsely accused me? I’m as proper as they come…”

Nie Yuanbai and the other two, however, obediently stepped forward to the stage.

Then came Wang Guizhi, Shen Dechang, Zhao Yingzi, Shen Aizhen, and Shen Banyue. Zhao Yingzi and Shen Aizhen clearly hadn’t expected to be included, and their faces turned extremely unpleasant.

When Qian Tao saw Shen Banyue step forward, a vein twitched at his temple, and an inexplicable sense of foreboding washed over him. He couldn’t help but point at Shen Banyue and ask, “What are you doing up here?”

Shen Banyue blinked and gave him an innocent smile. “I’m Xiao Yue!”

After a pause, she added, “Big brother, when we went to the willow grove to collect scrap today, the wind was too strong. Shen Wendong and Zhao Xuehai seem to have caught a cold. I’m here to ask for leave on their behalf, and I’ll handle their self-criticism for them too.”

Qian Tao: “…”

He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was slipping out of his control.

Shen Banyue paid him no mind and continued, “Since we were the first to be denounced, I’ll start. I engage in deep self-criticism. I should not have gone to the willow grove to collect scrap with my friends during the school break when I had nothing better to do. Even though that scrap had been buried in the mud for who knows how long, we should not have dug it up without a second thought and considered taking it to the commune’s recycling station.

I engage in deep self-criticism. I should not have assumed that just because there’s a recycling station in the commune, we could sell scrap there. I failed to recognize that this line of thinking betrays a petty bourgeois mindset.”

The round-faced Red Armband couldn’t help but interject, “Wait a minute! The commune’s recycling station was established by the public sector. It doesn’t have petty bourgeois tendencies. Don’t talk nonsense, little girl!”

Shen Banyue glanced at him and readily agreed. “I engage in deep self-criticism. I should not have assumed that the recycling station had petty bourgeois tendencies just because you wouldn’t let us sell scrap there.”

The round-faced Red Armband: “……………………”

Shen Banyue continued, “I engage in deep self-criticism. I should not have gone to play behind the cowshed when I had nothing better to do. I especially should not have secretly asked the sent-down personnel for candy when I saw them. Next time I ask for candy, I’ll do it openly and honestly, so no one will think I’m acting suspiciously. Additionally, I once again engage in deep self-criticism. I didn’t realize that asking people for candy counts as fleecing Socialism. Next time… next time… I’ll continue to reflect, but I’ll still ask for candy.”

Nie Yuanbai, who had been standing there with his head bowed, lifted his eyelids slightly and glanced at her.

By saying this, she had also explained the issue involving the three of them. There was no fleecing of Socialism—it was just a child asking them for candy.

The commune members below howled with laughter. Someone shouted, “Little Yue, Auntie will get you some candy tomorrow. You won’t have to ask for it.”

Shen Banyue smiled sweetly and said, “Thank you, Auntie.” Then she turned to the three Red Armbands and said, “Big brothers, I’ve finished my self-criticism.”

The three of them: “…”

What the hell was that 'self-criticism'? Is that even self-criticism?

Goddamn, who would've guessed? Names like Shen Wendong and Zhao Xuehai sound like such proper adult names, but they're actually just kids?

How could they possibly tell the kids not to play in the willow grove, not to take scrap they find to the commune recycling station, and not to ask the sent-down folks for candy... Seriously, these people have been sent down, and you little brats are still asking them for candy?

Before the three could react, Wang Guizhi took over: "My turn, right? Let me do some deep self-criticism too. As a poor peasant, I shouldn't have accepted things my two sons gave me out of filial respect and indulged in eating and drinking. I should have maintained the fine tradition of hard work and plain living, eating chaff and wild herbs every day, saving things for those more in need."

Another round of laughter erupted from below. Someone shouted, "Give them to me, I need them!" and was immediately told he had no shame.

Hearing that self-criticism could be done this way, Old Liu, who had been cursing and grumbling earlier, stopped and eagerly continued: "Me, me, me, my turn. I deeply criticize myself for repairing some people's pots too well, letting them get so full they had nothing better to do than come report me. I won't repair them anymore, okay?"

Someone immediately said, "Hey, that won't do, Old Liu. My family's pot seems about to break."

Old Liu waved his hand angrily, "Get lost!"

Wang Daniu immediately followed: "My turn, right? I deeply criticize myself for giving a whole catty when the quota was half a catty, and two catties when the quota was one catty during meat distribution, failing to satisfy those greedy people. Next time we slaughter the New Year's pig, whoever wants to do it can do it, I'm not doing it anymore!"

Wang Xueqin sobbed, "Wuwuwu, I deeply criticize myself for not agreeing to the matchmaker to meet potential partners. What was I thinking, being a widow? What was I thinking, raising kids? I should have remarried, then you people wouldn't be able to slander and bully me, wuwuwu..."

That left Zhao Yingzi and Shen Aizhen. The two exchanged glances, their expressions showing both guilt and resentment. Why were people still harping on the past?

Zhao Yingzi spoke first: "I deeply criticize myself for not stopping Shen Aizhen from liking that ugly guy, Educated Youth Zhu, and because of that, just because I saw Educated Youth Zhu and Educated Youth Hu together and followed them. But I really don't like that ugly Educated Youth Zhu!"

Zhao Yingzi had long realized that no matter how much she explained she went to the private plot to catch Shen Guoqing having an affair, it was useless. No one would believe her.

Just now, in her nervousness, it suddenly clicked. Since explaining didn't work, why not shift the blame onto someone else?

Shen Aizhen was dumbfounded. After stammering for a moment, she shouted, "I didn't, I didn't!" She didn't even bother with self-criticism anymore, reaching out and grabbing Zhao Yingzi's hair, smacking her twice. Zhao Yingzi screamed and immediately grabbed Shen Aizhen's hair. And so, the two started fighting again.

The criticism meeting once again turned into a brawl.

The three red armband wearers had actually wanted to stop this farce of self-criticism since earlier, but none of them had managed to.

Because right after the self-criticism session started, they began feeling a sharp, needle-like pain in the soles of their feet. Whenever they tried to move, the pain intensified.

It felt as if countless needles were piercing through their thin shoe soles, stabbing into their flesh.

The three couldn't help but shuffle their feet constantly, even secretly lifting their soles to check, but there was nothing under their shoes.

Lifting their feet did ease the pain a bit, but as soon as their feet touched the ground again, the stinging sensation not only returned but grew even stronger. Eventually, the pain was so intense it made their faces twist.

But everyone else was focused on those giving self-criticisms and didn't pick up on their odd behavior.

Just as Zhao Yingzi and Shen Aizhen started fighting, the three simultaneously felt the stinging pain disappear. They all quickly moved away from their original spots. Unfortunately, the round-faced red armband wearer accidentally strayed into the "combat zone" of the two women and suffered collateral damage, receiving a hard slap from Zhao Yingzi.

The round-faced red armband wearer, already pushed to the brink from the foot pain, didn't think twice and kicked Zhao Yingzi. Zhao Yingzi was no pushover, and being in the heat of the fight, she let out a howl, released Shen Aizhen, and lunged at the round-faced red armband wearer.

Shen Aizhen, the "warrior" who dared to splash boiling water on her grandmother, seeing the round-faced red armband wearer and Zhao Yingzi fighting, immediately saw a chance to be sneaky and tried to land a cheap shot. Instead, she ended up slapping the long-faced red armband wearer who came to help. Soon, the four were in a tangled brawl.

As for Qian Tao, not only did he not step forward to help, he quietly sidestepped to avoid the fray.

Shen Banyue, who had been enjoying the spectacle, gave Qian Tao a deep look. This guy sure knew how to ditch his teammates decisively!

Shen Zhenxing was speechless.

He was even starting to wonder if the commune revolutionary committee sent these three troublemakers to conduct ideological criticism or to sabotage their brigade's production and unity?

Without a word, his face darkening, he turned and left.

The commune members saw the brigade leader leave and thought, why should they stay? So, whether on stage or below, they all left too.

Even those who had stayed last night to watch the fun got up to leave.

Fights every day, nothing interesting to see.

Wang Xueqin walked away, sobbing and muttering, "They say I flirt with men. Isn't it just as bad, these two young women fighting with two young men like this? Wuwuwu, it's just because I'm a widow, because they think a lone widow with a child is easy to bully!"

The commune members deeply agreed.

Hu Huaihua's eyes darted. Instead of retreating, she advanced, carrying her small stool and rushing forward: "Oh dear! My Aizhen is still a pure, unmarried girl! Comrade, what are you doing holding her like that? Do you want to marry her? If you want to marry her, that's fine. My family only asks for the 'three rounds and a sound' and two hundred yuan in bride price!"

The long-faced red armband wearer she pointed at shuddered all over and quickly pushed Shen Aizhen away: "What nonsense! Who would want to marry that ugly thing!"

They made a living out of twisting facts and extorting people, but they never expected this woman to be even better at it than them.

The round-faced red armband wearer heard this too and pushed Zhao Yingzi away: "Damn it, don't you dare try to pin this on me!"

At the meeting room door, Wang Guizhi patted Shen Banyue's shoulder: "Still watching? If you keep watching, they might drag you back."

Shen Banyue said with a grin: "Not watching, not watching. These red armband wearers really love fighting, and they come up with new ways to fight every day. Tsk tsk tsk."

Wang Guizhi: "..."

They definitely don't want to fight. It's just that, for some reason, things always escalate into a brawl.

"Alright, looks like it might rain or snow tonight. Hurry back."

Wang Guizhi urged the kids who were craning their necks to look. Just then, the small team leader came out, saw them, and gave Shen Banyue a thumbs up: "You little girl, you're really something!"

Shen Banyue waved her hand, borrowing Zhao Xuehai's catchphrase: "Just average, just average, third in the brigade."

—

Why did the criticism meeting always turn into fights and brawls? This question also puzzled Qian Tao and the other two.

The three of them were put up in an empty house in the village. This house originally belonged to the village's 'five-guarantee' household who passed away the year before last. The brigade had been taking care of the house since. Even though the brigade had tried its best to tidy it up, rural conditions being what they were, in the eyes of the three, everything looked rundown and shabby.

If it weren't for Zhu Juncai's incident causing such a big stir, if it weren't for the director paying special attention to this matter, if it weren't for them wanting to impress the director and angle for a team leader position, why would they come to this remote corner?

Suffering was one thing, but damn it, getting beaten up every day was another.

"Why is this Xiaodun Brigade so creepy?" The long-faced red armband wearer, named Yan Lei, touched his cheek, feeling like it was swollen. He couldn't help but say, "Qian Tao, you bastard, you just stood there watching while we fought, right?"

Qian Tao chuckled: "Two men fighting two women. If I went up to help, wouldn't that mean I didn't think you could handle it?"

The round-faced red armband wearer, named Jin Liangcai, touched his neck, which had been scratched who knows how many times, and said, "This Xiaodun Brigade is weird. Damn it, every single one of them fights with incredible skill and ruthlessness. This is the first time I've ever been scratched up like this."

Unlike other places, where they could find any excuse and the women would be at their mercy.

Speaking of weirdness, Qian Tao pondered and asked, "Back in that meeting room, did you guys feel anything in the soles of your feet...?"

The other two exchanged glances and said in unison, "...Foot pain?"

Jin Liangcai slapped his thigh, pointing at Yan Lei and Qian Tao: "You felt it too, right? Damn it, I thought I accidentally got needles in my shoe. I checked carefully again just now, nothing, absolutely nothing!"

Yan Lei's expression was somewhat unnatural. He wanted to say maybe this Xiaodun Brigade was haunted, but given his position, he kept his mouth shut.

Even though the three of them were colleagues, if any real leverage fell into the hands of these two, they'd surely be done for.

Qian Tao shot a suspicious glance at Yan Lei and Jin Liangcai. He actually suspected it was these two who were behind it, but he couldn't figure out how they had managed to pull it off.

Each nursing their own schemes, the three failed to reach any conclusion. However, they did agree on one thing: starting tomorrow, they would abandon this genteel, civilized form of criticism. Instead, they would launch more intense struggle sessions meant to really hurt people, to break their bones.

—

Shen Banyue's eyes opened in the dark. She first turned her head to look at Xiao Dizi beside her. The kid was fast asleep, emitting soft, light snores. Shen Banyue smiled, then carefully and quietly got up.

Standing by the door, she paused to listen, confirming that everyone in the courtyard was in a deep sleep. No one was getting up at this crucial moment. Gently opening the door, she slipped out like a night cat, moving nimbly to the courtyard wall and swiftly scaling it.

The entire village seemed to have been muted, enveloped in silence. Only the sound of wind rustling through leaves and the creak of a window rattling in the wind could be heard.

It really looked like it was going to rain or snow. The moon was nowhere to be seen in the sky, leaving the village not only quiet but also pitch black.

Even if someone had come out to look around at that moment, they likely wouldn't have been able to make out Shen Banyue's figure darting swiftly away. Her thin, small frame seemed to melt into the night, only to reappear suddenly outside the house of the "Five Guarantees" household.

Having lived before, Shen Banyue knew her history. She knew that during this particular era, struggle sessions were not gentle affairs of criticism and self-criticism. Naturally, they couldn't simply be muddled through with antics.

Those three had been publicly "slapped in the face" for two consecutive days. Tomorrow, they might very well make an example of someone.

Standing outside the door, Shen Banyue first envisioned her "script," then easily picked the lock and entered.

In the dead of night, during the deepest phase of human sleep, the three men inside remained completely unaware of the "uninvited guest." Their snores rose and fell in a chorus.

Shen Banyue started with the round-faced red armband—Jin Liangcai. A swift chop to the neck, and she yanked him out of his warm bedding. She positioned him near the doorway in a pose suggesting he had "gone out to use the latrine in the middle of the night, accidentally bumped his head on the doorframe, and fainted on the spot." Considering the cold weather and the needs of her plot, she meticulously dressed this guy in his padded jacket and trousers.

Next was the long-faced red armband. Another sharp blow to the neck, and Shen Banyue rolled him up in his quilt and dumped him at the foot of the bed. This created the impression that he had "rolled out of bed in the middle of the night while wrapped in his quilt, got a bump on his head from the fall, and then, failing to cover himself properly, curled up from the cold."

As for the last one—Comrade Qian Tao, the esteemed cousin of their classmate Zhao Jinshun—after delivering the same neck chop, Shen Banyue did just one thing: she drove over a dozen long needles into the soles of his feet, ensuring he wouldn't be able to walk when he woke up tomorrow. Once finished, she flicked her wrist, and the needles dissolved back into base metal and seeped into the dirt floor.

After completing all this, Shen Banyue stood still for a moment, admiring her handiwork. She was quite satisfied with her "plot" arrangement.

Just look, how fair she was.

If you avoided freezing, you didn't escape injury. If you avoided injury, you didn't escape freezing. A little bit of cold for a little bit of pain.

She hoped they would appreciate this arrangement.

If not, well, too bad.

Shen Banyue clapped her hands together, walked out of the room, closed the door, and used a thin metal strip she had prepared earlier to easily slide the door bolt back into place from the outside. Only then did she turn and melt back into the night.

—

During the winter break, Shen Banyue slept in every day.

Her current body was thin and small, clearly malnourished and underdeveloped. If she didn't sleep plenty, how could she grow tall?

Of course, whether she could actually sleep in depended on objective factors. For instance, today she was awakened by waves of excited shouts: "It's snowing!"

It hadn't been snowing when she went out last night, so it must have started in the early morning. Shen Banyue glanced out the window; snowflakes were still swirling down.

"Sister, it's snowing!"

Xiao Dizi was also awake, snuggled under the quilt, craning her neck to look out the window. Shen Banyue was amused by her look of being both cold and eager to see. "Alright, let's get up and go outside to look."

A few minutes later, Shen Banyue led Xiao Dizi out of the room.

The three boys were already playing with the snow in the courtyard. Xiao Jie and Xiao Shitou were especially excited—clearly southerners. Lin Mian, on the other hand, looked utterly unfazed, a sure sign of someone raised in the north.

"It's too cold this morning. Have something warm. I made dough drop soup. Go wash up and eat quickly." Wang Guizhi walked out of the house, shaking her head with a smile as she watched Xiao Jie raising a bamboo pole, trying to knock down the icicles hanging from the eaves of the kitchen. "You kids really aren't afraid of the cold!"

Shen Banyue scooped up a small handful of snow from the courtyard and stuffed it into Xiao Dizi's hand. The little girl shivered all over from the cold, dropped the snow, patted her hands, and said, "Sister, let's eat!" She learned her lesson without needing to be taught.

Shen Banyue's lips curved into a smile. "Mm, let's go eat."

The weather was cold, and with fewer people in the household now, Wang Guizhi had long since moved the dining table into one of the unused rooms. Just as Shen Banyue was leading Xiao Dizi toward the room, someone suddenly rushed in through the courtyard gate, shouting as they ran: "Extra! Extra! The red armbands are in trouble!"