Wu Dayong licked the tip of his fountain pen as he stubbornly continued writing in his notebook, then spoke up to reassure them.
“Don’t worry. Sister Guihua’s been hunting with my Uncle Hongshan since she was little. She’s got plenty of strength in her hands. No one can bully her.”
Thinking of his late old friend, Uncle Zhong felt a pang of grief. He gave a cold snort.
“Guihua’s a fool. Her mother-in-law’s bullied her for years, and she never said a word to us. But from what I can see, she’s finally come to her senses a little.”
Wu Dayong was about to say more when a bicycle bell rang outside.
“Anyone there? Come get your telegram! It’s for Li Hongyuan’s family in your village! Urgent message from the Military District—there could be big news!”
A squad leader who was nearest the door went out to collect the telegram and read it aloud without thinking.
“Guihua’s coming home. Bring three thousand in allowances.”
Everyone drew in a sharp breath.
“How much? Three thousand! Not three hundred—three thousand?”
“That’s a lot of money. Did Li Hongyuan send it home?”
“Did he make up for years’ worth of allowances all at once?”
Uncle Zhong’s face darkened. There was obviously no way to keep everyone from finding out now.
Just then, Old Madam Zhao, who lived next door to the Li family, came running over and shouted,
“Village chief, you’d better come take a look! Guihua left without Xiaojun’s Grandma. She’s got her mouth gagged, her hands and feet tied, and she’s been dumped at home. She nearly suffocated!”
With her daughter in tow, Wu Guihua made her way back to the village, stepping through the snowdrifts and breathing out white clouds. By the time she reached home, the Li family’s yard and the area outside it were packed with people again. Old Madam Li’s wails could be heard from far away.
“There’s no justice in this world! A daughter-in-law tortures her mother-in-law like this, and no one does anything about it! I’d be better off dead than living through this!”
Wu Guihua curled her lip. She hadn’t gagged her tightly enough. Next time, she’d add another rag!
The Zhao family’s daughter-in-law next door caught sight of her and immediately hollered,
“Sister-in-law Guihua’s back!”
She rushed over and started asking questions.
“Sister-in-law, I heard you brought back three thousand yuan. Is it true? That’s so much money—what are you going to do with it? My Tiedan’s getting married…”
“Oh, Hongmei, have some shame! What does your son’s wedding have to do with Guihua? My Daniu’s her nephew, if you think about it. Guihua can’t just ignore him!”
Auntie Liu shoved the Zhao family’s daughter-in-law aside and clung tightly to Wu Guihua’s hand.
“Guihua, I’m not asking for much. Just buy your eldest nephew a pair of thermoses. And a pair of red Double Happiness washbasins would be even better…”
“And me! Me too! Guihua, lend me two hundred so I can get married. You can’t just stand by and watch your uncle stay a bachelor his whole life, can you?”
“Guihua!”
“Guihua!”
Surrounded by the villagers, Wu Guihua felt like a piece of Tang Monk’s flesh, with everyone wanting to take a bite.
Wu Guihua sneered. Li Hongyuan and Wang Yun really never let her down.
She’d barely left the Military District before they’d sent word home, afraid she might hide the money and get the better of them!
She pulled a stick from beside the courtyard gate and swung it hard.
“Ow! Ow!”
The “flies” in front of her dropped in a heap, and Wu Guihua finally had some peace and quiet.
She tapped the Zhao family’s daughter-in-law on the forehead with the stick. “Remember this: once your son gets married, he’ll call me Mother and work for me. When he has children, they’ll call me Grandma!”
The Zhao family’s daughter-in-law’s eyes widened.
“Why should I?”
“Exactly! Why should you?” Wu Guihua said, smacking her on the rear with the stick. “Because I’m the one paying for his wedding!”
“It’s a loan! I’m borrowing it!” The Zhao family’s daughter-in-law clutched her backside and shouted as if she were in the right.
Wu Guihua gave her another whack.
“I’m not lending you a cent! I don’t care if I have three thousand or thirty thousand—I’m not lending you a penny! Anyone who wants to give me a hard time had better check whether their bones can take it!”
Wu Guihua snapped the stick in her hands, then hurled the broken piece at the Zhao family’s daughter-in-law. She screamed and clung to the old bachelor beside her!
The courtyard fell silent. At last, Uncle Zhong knocked the ash from his pipe and led Wu Guihua inside.
Old Madam Li lunged at her daughter-in-law almost at once and started hitting her.
“You heartless little bitch! Who gave you the nerve? You swindled three thousand yuan out of Hongyuan! Are you trying to make him sell everything he owns? Hand over the money, right now! If there’s even a penny missing, I’ll fight you to the death!”
Wu Guihua said nothing. She grabbed Auntie Liu and slammed her into the corner of the table again.
Old Madam Li wailed, clutching her chest, and finally rolled into a corner of the room.
One of the squad leaders was distantly related to Old Madam Li and opened his mouth to speak.
Wu Guihua had already untied her battered bundle and tossed out a black wooden box.
The lid flew open when it hit the ground, revealing a bright red velvet lining. But the medicinal herb it protected was what mattered.
“Is that… wild ginseng?” Uncle Zhong was the first to exclaim.
Wu Dayong leaned in too. “It has to be. I saw one once when I was a kid. This ginseng’s thicker than a thumb. It must be fifty years old, at least.”
Wu Guihua nudged the box with her toe. “An eighty-year-old ginseng root. I paid fifteen hundred for it! From now on, she’ll have a bowl of ginseng soup every day to build up her strength. That way, no one can wag their tongue and say I’m not a dutiful daughter-in-law.”
The squad leader hunched his shoulders and didn’t dare say a word.
Everyone else drew in a sharp breath, so envious they could have spat blood.
These days, a permanent city job paid only seventy or eighty yuan a month. Fifteen hundred was two years’ wages, and she’d just tossed it out like that!
Uncle Zhong and Wu Changyong both looked conflicted. They wanted to say it wasn’t worth it, but they couldn’t criticize Wu Guihua for being dutiful to her mother-in-law.
Wu Guihua paid no attention to them. She took out another five hundred yuan and handed it to Uncle Zhong.
“Uncle, use this money to hire people to replace the tiles on the main house’s roof, then build three rooms each in the east and west wings.
“And I want to extend the back yard by another three-tenths of an acre and put up a tall stone wall. Hongyuan’s away most of the time, so I’m a weak woman and need to protect myself, don’t I?”
Uncle Zhong glanced instinctively outside at the crowd of curious, frightened “chickens with their heads tucked in,” and gave them a… kindly smile.
Wu Guihua patted her daughter’s arm, looking immensely proud.
“My Lanzi got into the Normal University in the city. I’m taking her to school in a few days, so don’t expect me to help with the village work.”
The squad leader finally found his opening and shouted,
“How can that be? Spring plowing is important! If you don’t work in the fields, everyone else will stop too. Who’ll grow the grain?”
“Who grows the grain is none of my business! I’m not doing it!”
Wu Guihua slapped the ginseng box.
“I’ve got money. I can always buy grain to eat. If I’m lucky, I’ll go to the city and buy a job. And if all else fails, there’s Li Hongyuan’s allowance. He can support his sister-in-law and his nephew and niece, so why can’t he support his wife and children?”
Everyone’s eyes turned red with envy once more.
Li Hongyuan had sent three thousand yuan. Maybe he had six thousand or nine thousand in his hands. If they were in Wu Guihua’s shoes, they wouldn’t want to scratch a living from the soil either!
“No! Absolutely not!” Old Madam Li shrieked in protest. To her, money mattered more than life itself.
“Hongyuan’s money can’t go to you! I’ll make him divorce you!”