The tone of shock was almost accusatory.
Because the person who had taken Zhang Qian hostage had been caught, the gossipy women hiding in the courtyard came out one by one to watch. Seeing the police’s attitude, they immediately whispered among themselves.
“Did they catch the wrong person?”
“It must be a mistake! Wang Guifen injured someone with an iron arrow—this time she’s going to jail for sure.”
“Wang Guifen caught all the fish in Tanghe. Can we not even scold her? Let’s see how she dodges this one.”
“Exactly.”
Their voices weren’t quiet. Their own sons and daughters-in-law had spent all day fishing in Tanghe and hadn’t caught a single fish, while Wang Guifen caught seven at once. Their jealousy made them wish Wang Guifen would be taken away.
Su Yi was about to get up, but Wang Guifen held her back. She then stepped forward and slapped several of the gossiping women across the face.
The women clutched their faces, shouting.
“Comrade police, it’s her! Wang Guifen caught the person! We didn’t dare say a word!”
“Yes, yes! Arrest her! Put her in prison!”
“Comrade, look at the arrow in the person’s shoulder—it was Wang Guifen who shot it! We all saw it!”
“Silence!” Brigade Chief Wang Jiadong scolded them. Normally they could chatter away, but how dare they babble nonsense in front of the police?
“Comrade, did you catch the wrong person?” Wang Jiadong cautiously asked.
The lead officer frowned, glancing at Wang Guifen and Su Yi, then at the slapped women. Finally, he asked Wang Jiadong, “Who said we caught the wrong person?”
“This is a saboteur sent to cause trouble, gather intelligence, and steal secrets. Several times he escaped, but thanks to this auntie, we caught this cunning spy and rescued the hostage unharmed.”
“Not the wrong person? But weren’t they just wrong?” a Tanghe village woman said, holding her bruised face in disbelief.
The police leader’s smile vanished. “What? Is this auntie questioning the ability of our police to distinguish right from wrong?”
The women immediately shrank back two steps, awkwardly smiling. “I—I, comrade, it’s a misunderstanding. That’s not what I meant.”
“Good. Aunt Wang caught an important spy—he’s a loyal comrade of the state and the Tanghe Brigade. If he had escaped, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Next time anyone talks nonsense, be careful. Your mouths can get you into the station.” The officer warned the women who had just been slapped.
“We won’t dare again. Never again,” they said, shaking their heads.
The officer then clasped Wang Guifen’s hands. “Comrade, you’ve helped us greatly.”
Wang Guifen returned the grip. “Comrade, you must thoroughly interrogate this spy. He came to Tanghe Brigade secretly, not earlier, not later, right when the educated youths arrived. Something must be his motive.”
The police leader looked at the captured spy. “Don’t worry, auntie. We will interrogate him thoroughly. Your actions are exemplary for the brigade.”
Wang Guifen smiled, feeling a little nervous seeing the police for the first time. After voicing her suspicions, she didn’t know what else to say.
Su Yi steadied her. “Comrades, we trust the state and the organization. Reporting and capturing spies is our duty and responsibility. If something like this happens again, we will act just as we did today, actively supporting the police.”
“Hahaha, excellent! The Tanghe Brigade comrades are very conscientious.” The officer patted Wang Jiadong on the shoulder and walked forward. “Take this spy back.”
“Yes, sir.”
Wang Jiadong glanced at the pale-faced Zhang Qian. “Qiulan, take her back and find a doctor.”
“All right.” Wang Qiulan wiped her tears and supported Zhang Qian home.
“Aunt Wang, we owe you a huge debt. Otherwise, the consequences would have been terrible,” Wang Jiadong said, still shaken.
Wang Guifen waved it off. “I already said—it’s our duty and responsibility. Luckily, no one was hurt.”
Everyone around felt relief.
Wang Guifen glanced at the sky. “It’s getting late. Let’s go back and make dinner.”
Wang Jiadong nodded. “Everyone, let’s head back and prepare dinner. Everything here is settled.”
People gradually made their way home in small groups, chatting about how Wang Guifen had caught the spy.
“Wang Guifen is fearless—she actually threw an iron arrow and hit the spy. Lucky it hit his arm!”
“Yes, she’s always been a tough woman in the brigade. Don’t mess with her.”
“I think she was just lucky. If she had missed, Zhang Qian would have been hurt, Wang Qiulan wouldn’t forgive her, and the spy would have escaped but she’d be responsible.”
Others nodded. “Exactly! And she even caught seven fish at once.”
..
Wang Guifen went inside and first drank a bowl of water. She stared blankly out the window. The spy from her past life had been caught; the young educated youth would not die, and she herself would not be stabbed.
But why would a spy risk being discovered just to harm a youth at Tanghe Brigade?
Su Yi knelt in front of Wang Guifen, holding her hands. “Mom, are you all right? Were you scared?”
Wang Guifen came back to herself. “Daughter, I can’t figure it out. Why would the spy want to harm a youth?”
Su Yi brought a small stool and sat down. “Mom, I don’t know why the spy wanted to harm the youth, but… if that’s really the case, it means the youth must have something he wants… or some skill he possesses. Either is possible.”
Otherwise, the spy wouldn’t be so bold.
Wang Guifen nodded. “Forget it. The spy is caught, and the youths are safe.” She stood up, stretching her hands. “Yi Yi, what do you want for dinner?”
Seeing her mother-in-law regain her spirit, Su Yi smiled. “Mom, let’s steam fish. There are two left. I’ll start the fire.”
“All right.” They lifted the curtain and went to the kitchen.
Wang Guifen cleaned and steamed the fish, putting sweet potato cubes into the pot with the brown rice.
“We should raise a few chickens at home. Later we’ll have eggs. Once your pregnancy is bigger, we can kill one every ten to fifteen days. Hen soup is very nourishing.” Wang Guifen stirred the rice and sweet potato cubes together.
She paused her work. “Also, fish scraps can feed the chickens.”
“But Mom, will we have enough money at home?”