“What do I want?” Lu Qiqi let out a cold, sharp laugh.
“You made all sorts of fine promises—that you would raise him as your own son. And look at him now! You know perfectly well what kind of life he has endured under your roof. Let me say this plainly: if you do not hand over one hundred yuan today as compensation, I will take him straight to the commune and let the authorities judge this matter fairly! I should very much like to see how they respond when they hear you have abused a child.”
She turned as if to march straight there.
Li Guilan paled in alarm and scrambled to block her path. “Wait—wait! Lu Qiqi, do nothing rash! We can talk this over!”
“Talk this over? That was hardly your attitude a moment ago! Either pay one hundred yuan in compensation, or we go to the commune right now!”
Lu Qiqi kept walking. Li Guilan grabbed at her sleeve and shouted frantically toward the house: “Husband! Come out quickly! She’s taking the boy to the commune to report us for abuse!”
Sun Laoda rushed out in a panic and caught Lu Qiqi by the arm. “Qiqi—we are family! Let us speak calmly. There is no need whatsoever to involve the commune.”
He disliked the boy for being unrelated, yes—but he also knew the adoption had never been formally registered, only agreed upon verbally. More importantly, the boy was male. Raised to adulthood, he would one day provide for them in old age and see them buried. The thought of having no one to perform those final rites was shameful enough—and he was far more concerned about face. If Lu Qiqi truly went to the commune and showed the authorities the bruises covering the boy’s body, explanations would be impossible. The truth would speak for itself.
Lu Qiqi glanced at the flustered Sun family and gave a short, cold huff.
“Uncle Sun, the injuries on my brother’s body are real and plain for all to see. He needs medical care and proper nourishment to recover. One hundred yuan will barely cover it. I am asking this only out of consideration for the time you have housed him. Pay the sum—or we shall let the commune decide.”
Sun Laoda balked. One hundred yuan was no small amount. He tried to bargain. “Qiqi… that is far too much. We have no such money. Can you not reduce the sum somewhat?”
“Not one copper!” Lu Qiqi replied firmly. “After all this abuse, one hundred yuan is generous. If you have no cash, pay in grain and provisions—goods to the exact value of one hundred yuan. Not a single fraction less.”
She stepped forward again. Sun Laoda hurried to block her way and shouted back into the house: “Bring the money! Hurry! If she goes to the commune, we shall be the laughingstock of the entire village!”
Li Guilan protested inwardly, but saw no choice. She rushed inside and returned clutching fifty yuan.
“Qiqi… this is all we have. Take this fifty yuan now, and once we are able, we shall send you the remaining fifty. Is that not reasonable?”
Lu Qiqi looked at the notes in her hand and sneered.
“Fifty yuan? Aunt Sun, do you take me for a beggar? Hand over the full one hundred yuan—or we are going to the commune.”
She bent to pick up her bundle, then looked toward Gu Mufeng. “Let us go.”
The Sun family moved to bar the way. “Wait! Do not be hasty! We shall pay! We shall pay!”
Sun Laoda hurried inside and returned with a second carefully concealed fifty-yuan note. He pressed both into Lu Qiqi’s hands.
“Here—one hundred yuan exactly. Take it. From this day forward, our families owe each other nothing. The boy belongs entirely to you. He is no kin of ours whatsoever.”
Lu Qiqi accepted the money without so much as glancing at it and tucked it into her pocket.
“Agreed. He is no longer your concern. But remember this: if any of you ever dare trouble him in the future, do not expect me to show you mercy.”
She turned and walked toward the village entrance. Gu Mufeng followed close behind, carrying Lu Chuan in his arms. The three soon left Sunjiazhuang far behind.
Night had fully fallen. They walked in darkness for nearly half an hour before reaching the city. Lu Qiqi turned to Gu Mufeng.
“Gu Mufeng… thank you.”
Had he not been there, she would never have gotten Lu Chuan away unharmed. She might well have been beaten alongside him.
Gu Mufeng looked down at the boy in his arms and shook his head gently.
“There is no need to thank me. You are my wife. His sister is my wife—so he is my brother as well. It is too late to travel tonight. There will be no tickets left. Let us find an inn near the railway station for tonight. At first light tomorrow, we shall begin the journey back to our village.”
Lu Qiqi nodded. “Very well. But his wounds need attention first.”
“I noticed a clinic near the station as we came in,” Gu Mufeng said earnestly. “Shall we take him there?”
After a moment’s thought, Lu Qiqi nodded. “Yes. Let us go.”
Gu Mufeng brought them to the small clinic near the station. The lamplight was dim—but even so, Lu Qiqi saw clearly the terrible pattern of bruises old and new covering Lu Chuan’s body. Her heart clenched, and a fierce, quiet anger rose within her.
The doctor—a middle-aged woman—looked up and greeted them warmly. “Come in, come in! Are you here for treatment? Step inside.”
Lu Qiqi nodded, her voice trembling slightly. “Doctor—please examine my brother. He has been badly abused.”
The doctor’s expression turned grave at once. She examined Lu Chuan carefully, frowning repeatedly and shaking her head as she went. Lu Chuan bore it all in perfect silence, as if pain had long become familiar to him.
When the examination was finished, the doctor sighed heavily.
“These injuries are quite serious. We must tend to them at once. I shall clean and dress the wounds, and prepare medicine for him to take home.”
Lu Qiqi looked at her with genuine gratitude. “Thank you, Doctor. We are in your debt.”
The doctor shook her head sadly.
“No debt at all. The child is innocent. How could anyone strike him so hard? These are mostly surface wounds—but they must not be taken lightly. Worse still, he is severely malnourished and frail. You must ensure he eats well and regains his strength from now on…”