“That’s not my daughter. That’s my niece, Lu Chunya.”
Bai Su looked out the window and saw Lu Chunya, dressed in a floral-patterned outfit, hurriedly trying to hide among the bamboo.
“Chunya, what are you doing here?”
“I-I came to gather some tender bamboo shoots…”
Lu Chunya glanced guiltily at Bai Su before turning and running away.
If she had come to gather bamboo shoots, why wasn’t she going into the bamboo grove? Why was she running toward the Lu family’s house instead?
Bai Su curled her lips as she watched Chunya disappear, then turned to Educated Youth Zhou.
“Are there many bamboo shoots growing on the slope behind the medical station?”
“Plenty. It’s bamboo shoot season right now. I walked around the edge of the grove this morning without going too far inside and gathered a handful. I steamed them with some chili and pork cracklings. They were delicious with rice.”
“Really?”
The corners of Bai Su’s lips lifted into a smile. “Then lend me a basket. I’ll gather some more to take home and dry for later.”
After seeing off the elderly woman who had come to the medical station to have her dressing changed, Bai Su borrowed a bamboo basket from Educated Youth Zhou and entered the low-growing bamboo grove on the slope behind the building.
Educated Youth Zhou had already picked through the area closest to the medical station. The shoots Bai Su found there had either only just emerged from the ground or had grown too tall, leaving their lower sections rather tough.
She followed the stream running through the valley and ventured farther into the grove. As she went deeper, the bamboo shoots became increasingly plentiful.
The shoots growing among the bamboo near the stream were particularly thick and long, yet still wonderfully tender.
No one seemed to have ventured into this patch of low-growing bamboo beside the water. When Bai Su couldn’t reach some of the shoots, she simply removed her shoes and socks and stepped into the stream.
Before long, she had filled more than half her basket. Only then did Bai Su carry the heavy basket back onto the bank and sit on a large rock beside the stream to put her shoes and socks back on.
“Sister-in-law, I’ve finally caught you!”
Just as Bai Su was about to stand up, a rustling sound came from the low bamboo grove. The eldest son of the Lu family emerged and blocked her path.
His gaze fell on Bai Su’s feet as she finished putting on her shoes and socks. He stared fixedly at the small section of fair, delicate ankle still exposed and swallowed greedily.
It was around the time everyone should be finishing work and heading home to prepare lunch. Yet the eldest son had left work early and suddenly appeared beside the bamboo grove where she was gathering shoots. Seeing the hungry gleam in his eyes, Bai Su warily took a step backward.
“Why are you here? What do you want?”
“What do I want? Don’t you know? You were smiling so shamelessly yesterday.”
The eldest son’s expression darkened as he advanced toward Bai Su.
“Sister-in-law, Lihua didn’t even end up marrying Liu Laizi, yet you dared attack Mother and your sister-in-law with a sickle. You even went to the town commune to report them and had the police arrest them.”
“Who gave you the nerve?”
“My good-for-nothing younger brother died years ago. As his elder brother, I’ve helped raise you and your daughters for all these years. Isn’t it time you repaid us?”
“Those worthless girls have been eating the Lu family’s food for years without contributing anything. They’ve wasted so much grain! Dajun needs money to get married, so it’s only right that they do their part for the family.”
“But you had to make a fuss!”
The eldest son moved closer and closer, staring at Bai Su with a sinister expression.
“Not only did you cause trouble yourself, but you dragged Lihua and the others into it too.”
“Sister-in-law, you’re becoming more and more disobedient!”
“Did you think there was nothing I could do about you? Never imagined you’d end up alone with me, did you?”
“Yesterday, when you served that slaughtered chicken at the dinner table, you were smiling so wantonly. I couldn’t do anything to you in front of Lihua and Chunya. But now there’s no one in these mountains except the two of us, and Mother and your sister-in-law aren’t at home either. It’s time I taught you to behave.”
“You’ve been without a man for so many years. Once I’ve had my way with you and taught you a lesson, you’ll learn to obey…”
Educated Youth Zhou, who was concealed nearby, was so furious at these vile words that the veins on his forehead nearly bulged.
When Bai Su had borrowed the basket to gather bamboo shoots, he had just finished scooping out rice and was preparing to cook.
But he had found it strange that Lu Chunya had finished work so early and come sneaking around the brigade’s medical station, secretly peering inside.
Surely she hadn’t come to see him?
Although he was indeed good-looking, he generally kept to himself. Apart from treating the brigade’s commune members, he rarely interacted with the local people.
As a result, he attracted far less attention than Sun Mingyuan, the handsome, smooth-talking young man at the educated youths’ residence.
The events involving the Lu family over the past few days had become the subject of endless gossip throughout the brigade. He had heard all about them from the commune members who came to the medical station for treatment.
He Yan had specifically reminded him that Bai Su was his, Zhou Changqing’s, great benefactor. It was only because she possessed medical skills that the brigade leader had agreed to let him take the worker-peasant-soldier university admission place.
He had promised He Yan that when Bai Su came to the medical station to learn the work, he would make sure to look after her.
Lu Chunya’s sneaky behavior had still bothered him. Since he needed to go up to his private vegetable plot on the slope behind the medical station to pick some vegetables anyway, he had decided to follow her into the bamboo grove.
After hearing the eldest son of the Lu family spout those disgusting words and seeing him lunge toward Bai Su, Educated Youth Zhou finally understood that Lu Chunya had been keeping watch for her father.
What a thoroughly revolting father and daughter!
Bai Su swung her bamboo basket full of shoots at the eldest son and kicked him.
When Zhou Changqing saw the man get up from the ground and lunge at Auntie Bai again, his anger erupted.
He grabbed a fallen branch and charged forward.
“What are you trying to do to Auntie Bai, you filthy pervert!”
“Take that, you pervert! Take that!”
“Help! Somebody come quickly! There’s a man assaulting a woman!”
Attacked from both front and back, the eldest son of the Lu family took several heavy blows before collapsing to the ground.
Did he think that was the end of it?
Not at all!
At Zhou Changqing’s shouts, He Yan came charging out of the mountain hollow carrying a large machete, accompanied by Li Xiangyang, who was dragging a length of bamboo.
“Educated Youth Zhou, who’s assaulting someone?”
“In broad daylight? Someone actually dares to assault a female commune member from our brigade?”
Li Xiangyang was an ambitious young man with an exceptionally strong sense of justice. When he saw Bai Su lying on the ground with her hair disheveled and her eyes vacant, he immediately began punching and kicking the eldest son of the Lu family.
“You bastard! You filthy old lecher! How dare you assault a woman! How dare you!”
He Yan joined in with several more kicks, deliberately aiming at the man’s most vulnerable areas.
As he kicked, he shouted, “You dare lay your filthy hands on Auntie Bai?”
“You shameless old beast! You disgusting scoundrel!”
“Thank goodness I came to help Xiangyang cut bamboo for his fence and happened to catch you! Otherwise, Auntie Bai would have been violated by a beast like you!”
By the time they finished beating him, the eldest son of the Lu family was barely breathing.
He Yan flung his machete onto the ground.
“Li Xiangyang, now that we’ve caught someone committing an indecent assault in our brigade, shouldn’t we report him to the police, have him arrested, and send him off for reform through labor?”
“Of course we should! Tie him up!”
Li Xiangyang dropped the bamboo he was carrying.
“I’m going to fetch my father and the brigade secretary right now.”
The eldest son of the Lu family had assumed no one would be around in this secluded mountain hollow. Not only had Educated Youth Zhou appeared, but He Yan and Li Xiangyang had also stumbled upon the scene while cutting bamboo.
And Li Xiangyang was the brigade leader’s son!
If this incident became public, the police really might arrest him and send him to a labor farm for reform through labor.
Terrified, the eldest son no longer cared that his face was bruised and swollen from the beating.
“Xiangyang, Educated Youth Zhou has misunderstood everything! I came to find my sister-in-law and bring her home to cook. I was only helping her carry the bamboo shoots.”
“Sister-in-law, say something for me! I was only trying to frighten you. I didn’t mean anything else.”
The eldest son shot Bai Su a meaningful glance.
“It wouldn’t look good for anyone if word of this got out…”
“You’re not human!”
Bai Su trembled all over, her eyes turning red.
“I don’t want to live anymore! I’ll take you down with me!”