Xu Qiaoqiao’s parents both worked at the machinery factory.
Her father was a technician in the factory, and her mother was an accountant in the factory’s finance office.
Her older brother and sister-in-law were also factory workers, so the family’s living conditions were considered quite good for the time.
Back then, because of factional struggles, her father was implicated, which is why Xu Qiaoqiao was sent to the countryside at such a young age.
But Xu Qiaoqiao going down to the countryside was completely different from Wei Nan’s experience.
Xu Qiaoqiao was sent by her parents to avoid danger, whereas Wei Nan had been sent entirely as a way to exchange for money.
Even so, Xu Qiaoqiao’s family felt guilty about the years of hardship she had endured.
Whether it was her older brother and sister-in-law or her younger siblings, they all treated her with extra care in daily life.
So when they learned that Wei Nan, her best friend, had come over to take the high-low bed they had available, the Xu family had no hesitation at all, they immediately agreed.
By the time Wei Nan and Xu Qiaoqiao returned, Xu’s eldest brother had already arranged the cart and was ready to help move the bed with them.
Wei Nan tried to force the fifty yuan she had prepared into Xu’s mother’s hands, but her mother refused.
After much back-and-forth, she finally allowed twenty yuan to be returned, saying that if she insisted on giving, they would only take a nominal “[1]“Wood money” refers to a token or symbolic payment, usually a very small amount, given not as actual compensation but more as a gesture of acknowledgment. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2020839_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2020839_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });wood money.”
The bed had been made by Xu’s father and brother, and after all this time, no labor costs could be charged.
Xu’s eldest brother pulled the cart in front, while Wei Nan and Xu Qiaoqiao pushed from behind. The three of them left the machinery factory’s residential compound together.
Because nobody had eaten, and Xu’s eldest brother would still need to help set up the bed at home, Wei Nan ignored Xu Qiaoqiao’s protests and stopped at a nearby restaurant to buy a large bag of buns on the way.
This made the journey take a little longer, and by the time they reached the textile factory, it was nearly one o’clock.
As soon as they turned into the residential compound, someone shouted at Wei Nan: “Wei Nan, where have you been? Hurry home, your grandmother and sister are fighting!”
Wei Nan was shocked and immediately looked in the direction of the voice, only to see that it was an older sister-in-law she didn’t know.
Seeing that Wei Nan hadn’t moved, the woman grew anxious: “Go quickly! Your grandmother is like that, your sister’s going to suffer!”
Hearing this, Wei Nan no longer hesitated. She left Xu Qiaoqiao behind to continue helping her brother with the cart and ran straight toward home.
Wei Nan had never realized just how well-known she was in the factory residential compound.
Along the way, several older women shouted at her: “Hurry back! Your grandmother’s too fierce, your sister can’t fight her!”
“Someone’s already gone to get the leaders. Wei Nan, quickly take your sister to the hospital!”
“Hurry, hurry! That old shrew of a grandmother of yours isn’t human, be careful yourself!”
Wei Nan’s heart pounded violently, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
She had never hated her own weak body so much, never hated that she couldn’t run faster; she even resented how huge the residential compound was, making it take so long to get home.
Finally reaching her home’s entrance, she saw the stairway packed with people even before she got close.
Everyone stepped aside for her, and someone shouted: “Wei Nan is back, Wei Nan is back!”
“Hey, grandmother, what’s your problem with your eldest granddaughter? What’s this about hitting Xiao Pei? How old is she?”
Wei Nan ran as fast as she could, her chest burning with pain. She bit her lips hard, pushed through the crowd, and dashed inside.
What she saw first was Wang Sanhua being forcibly held back by neighbors, pulled to the side.
The old woman struggled fiercely, still cursing with venom in her eyes.
Seeing Wei Nan, she became even more enraged, thrashing like a mad dog trying to charge at her.
But Wei Nan no longer cared about her. Her gaze went straight to the small room’s doorway, where her little sister clutched the corner of a blanket.
Yesterday, they had made the new cotton blanket, and now it lay on the floor between the inner room and the small living room. Xiao Pei’s half-body was pressed onto the blanket, the other half beside it, and both hands clutched it tightly over her body.
There were clear marks of dragging; a table that had been placed in the room was overturned, pressing down on the rear part of the blanket.
Next to Xiao Pei, two older women were holding a boy of seven or eight, struggling with him.
One grabbed his arm while the other tried to hold his waist.
The boy fought like a madman.
As Wei Nan got closer, she saw him suddenly break free from both women’s grip, rush to Xiao Pei, and stomp hard twice on her back as she lay on the floor.
This boy wasn’t like ordinary children of this era; he was tall and strong, easily twice as broad as Xiao Pei.
He stomped down with all his strength, and Wei Pei, who had already been unconscious, was jolted backward, letting out a small, animal-like whimper.
The two women shrieked in shock.
Wei Nan’s mind went blank with a deafening buzz!
She couldn’t think clearly at all and could barely see the people around her.
Like a gust of wind, she rushed to the boy, grabbed his hair, and slammed several hard slaps across his face.
The boy had no defense and was caught completely off guard.
He didn’t even have time to react before Wei Nan’s hands landed.
The slaps were heavy, with not a trace of restraint.
She poured all her anger into her hands, hitting with every ounce of strength she had.
Smack!
Smack, smack, smack!
She lost count of how many times she hit him; in her mind, there was only one thought: “Kill him! Kill him! Anyone who bullies Xiao Pei deserves to die!”
Then suddenly, she heard a piercing scream and felt a sharp pain at the back of her head, her hair was being yanked!
“Ah! You bastard! Ungrateful little witch! How dare you hit my precious grandson! You’ll die for this! Die, you black-hearted thing! Why aren’t you dead yet? Die now! How dare you touch my little treasure! I’ll tear you to pieces!”
Wang Sanhua had completely lost her mind upon seeing Wei Nan hit her beloved grandson.
Somehow, she mustered enough strength to break free from the crowd and lunged at Wei Nan.
She grabbed Wei Nan by the hair and, without any hesitation, slammed her palm down hard on Wei Nan’s head and face.
Wei Nan felt her scalp being pulled as if it would tear off, and fire seemed to burn across her face and body.
Her head buzzed, and she couldn’t even make out Wang Sanhua’s words clearly.
The world went dark before her eyes, with sparks flashing, and she could see nothing.
For a brief moment, Wei Nan felt as if she had left her body, floating in midair, watching this chaotic scene unfold.
Watching Wang Sanhua, even as she was stopped by the crowd again, still clenching Wei Nan’s hair in her hand, fists striking whenever she could, screaming and cursing hysterically.
Watching her grandson being held to the side, spitting at Xiao Pei with malicious, arrogant eyes, as if wishing the little girl dead.
A wave of despair surged in Wei Nan’s heart.
She couldn’t understand it, she didn’t understand what she was even doing. Why had she inexplicably ended up in such a terrifying world, forced to fight against such people?
Tired… destroy everything!
That thought suddenly erupted in Wei Nan’s mind.
She whipped her head around, enduring the ripping pain in her scalp, and bit down hard on the hand that was still clutching her hair!
Wang Sanhua screamed, instinctively letting go, then lifted her foot to kick Wei Nan, but was blocked by the neighbors.
Wei Nan seized the chance to break free.
Without a word, she dashed past the crowd into the kitchen, grabbed a sharp butcher knife, and charged back!
Gritting her teeth, she swung the knife toward Wang Sanhua’s head!
“Ah!”
“She’s got a knife!”
“Stop her!”
“Wei Nan, wake up, wake up!”
Screams erupted from the crowd. Everyone instinctively ran aside; no one dared block her path now.
By the time anyone tried to intervene, it was too late, they couldn’t stop her.
At this moment, Wei Nan was completely isolated from the outside world; she couldn’t hear or see anything else.
All she could see were the knife and Wang Sanhua.
All she could think was: “Kill her! If she doesn’t live, then no one should. Maybe if she dies, I can finally go home.”
Her mind flashed with her mother’s tearful eyes, her father’s and brother’s exhausted faces; countless grievances, anger, and despair intertwined, erasing everything else from her awareness.
She swung the knife with all her strength, not knowing where the energy came from. Even when three or four male neighbors rushed over to hold her, she broke free from all of them.
Her eyes were fixed only on Wang Sanhua!
Wang Sanhua herself was frightened by Wei Nan’s intensity. At first, she still cried out and cursed a little.
But then, after someone shoved her, she yelled angrily, “Run! Your granddaughter really wants to kill you, and you’re still standing there?!”
Only then did she realize—
Her usually timid granddaughter had truly gone mad!
She really was going to kill her!
“Ah! Help! Murder!” Wang Sanhua screamed as she turned and ran toward the outside of the building, shouting loudly as she fled.
The onlookers who had been watching the commotion were also stunned by the scene. Afraid of getting caught in the chaos, they scattered in all directions.
Meanwhile, Wei Nan had already broken free from the crowd and chased after Wang Sanhua with the knife raised!
No matter how strong Wang Sanhua was, she was already in her sixties or seventies. Moreover, she had already made a scene in Wei Nan’s home for quite a while.
At first, she still cried out a few times, but soon, she couldn’t even scream anymore.
Seeing her granddaughter with hair messy, eyes red, face full of rage, wielding a knife and chasing after her…
She was so terrified that her legs went weak and her whole body shook.
One misstep, and she fell hard to the ground!
Then she felt a wetness between her legs, she had lost control of her bladder.
Wang Sanhua was utterly scared; all the previous bravado had vanished without a trace.
She tried to get up, but her limbs felt like limp noodles, powerless to move.
“Nan… Xiao Nan… I’m your grandmother, I’m your grandmother! You can’t kill me, you can’t kill me!”
She covered her head and finally broke down, crying loudly.
Wei Nan couldn’t hear her.
She heard nothing at all.
Everything around her looked like a phantom in her eyes at that moment.
In her mind, there was only one thought: “No one should live, let’s all be destroyed together!”
She drew closer to Wang Sanhua, raising the knife high amid the gasps of the crowd…
At that moment, her lower back was suddenly gripped firmly by someone. No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t break free.
A man’s voice rang clearly and forcefully in her ear: “Leave it to me! Don’t be afraid, leave everything to me!”
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