“You’re no good at studying, and your character is just as bad! A child who steals needles will grow up to steal gold. Someone like you, who snatches things from others whenever you see them, will sooner or later become a highway robber and a disgrace to our new society.”
“Why should I give you any of the food I prepared for Guihua and Meihua?”
Lu Dajun at least knew how to put on a respectable front, but Lu Erjun was different. With Old Madam Lu treating him like her most precious treasure, he had become domineering and overbearing, bullying Guihua and Meihua mercilessly. The bruises from his pinching had never had a chance to heal.
As more students gathered around the school gate, Bai Su grew even more outspoken. “Your grandmother gives you half again as much food as Guihua and Meihua receive combined. Why haven’t I ever seen you share even a mouthful with them?”
“If you dare snatch anything from the sisters again, just see if I don’t beat the daylights out of you when we get home!”
Having fiercely defended Guihua, Bai Su patted her shoulder. “If he dares steal anything from you or Meihua, report him to your teacher. Yesterday, your grandmother and eldest aunt nearly sold your older sister. I came to the town commune today specifically to report them to the police.”
“If Lu Erjun dares steal your things, that’s a crime. I’ll report him to the commune police as well and have him face a firing squad.”
After receiving such a fierce scolding, Lu Erjun was completely dumbfounded.
He couldn’t understand why his aunt, who had always been gentle and accommodating toward him, had suddenly started scolding him.
And with such harsh words, too!
By now, his classmates had gathered around him, pointing, whispering, and making judgments about him. Lu Erjun felt so humiliated that he burst into tears and ran away.
Guihua gazed at Bai Su with shining eyes, practically overflowing with excitement and admiration.
But when she heard Bai Su say that her grandmother and eldest aunt had tried to sell her older sister, Guihua became frantic with worry. “Mom, is my sister all right?”
“Of course she is! I’m here to protect her. What could possibly happen?”
“They didn’t succeed. Your grandmother and eldest aunt were even taken to the brigade’s threshing ground for ideological education.”
“If Lu Erjun dares bully you at school, don’t hold back. Give him a taste of his own medicine.”
The bell rang for class. Bai Su gently pushed the deeply moved girl toward the school. “From now on, you’ve got Mom to stand up for you. No one is allowed to bully you girls. Hurry back to class.”
Carrying her bag of food, Guihua walked away, looking back every few steps. Only then did Bai Su head toward the town commune.
First, she took the medicinal residue to the police and filed a report against Old Madam Lu and her eldest daughter-in-law for attempted murder and human trafficking.
Next, she went to the post office and sent a telegram to Lihua’s maternal uncle.
Then, taking the money and ration coupons she had seized from Old Madam Lu, she went to the supply and marketing cooperative[1]A supply and marketing cooperative (供销社) was part of the rural distribution network through which villagers obtained many everyday goods and sold agricultural products. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3694783_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3694783_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. There, she bought cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other seasonings, along with several jin of white flour, red dates, brown sugar, sponge cakes, and a length of cloth.
Once she had used up all her ration coupons, the money she had left wasn’t enough to buy anything else. Only then did Bai Su reluctantly stop shopping and return to the commune office, carrying a basket filled with purchases.
He Yan was quick to notice her and hurried over to help carry the basket. “Auntie, how did everything go?”
“Pretty well!”
The medicinal residue served as physical evidence, while the brigade’s commune members were witnesses. The police at the commune office had said they would visit Heping Production Brigade shortly to investigate. If the accusations proved true, they would show no leniency.
Human trafficking and deliberately administering medicine with the intention of killing someone were both extremely serious crimes, acts that undermined the progress of the new society.
Bai Su knew that with Old Madam Lu and the Lu father and sons being as vicious as they were, they wouldn’t simply swallow the humiliation they had suffered. They would undoubtedly continue tormenting her, Lihua, and the other girls.
In that case, she might as well strike first!
If her police report led to an investigation and prosecution, those black-hearted human traffickers would suffer terribly, even if they managed to escape death.
And if nothing came of it, that was fine too.
At the very least, she could throw the Lu family into chaos and ruin their reputation. Meanwhile, she would retain the moral high ground, keeping those awful people so busy dealing with their own troubles that they wouldn’t have the energy to harass her. That would give her an opportunity to break free from that family of bloodsuckers once and for all.
Once the police finished verifying the situation at Heping Production Brigade and showed up at the Lu family’s house, the real show would begin!
With her plan progressing so smoothly, Bai Su was in an excellent mood and happily struck up a conversation with He Yan, whom she now considered a fine young man.
The people the brigade leader had sent He Yan to collect from the commune were two educated youths, a man and a woman, along with an elderly man who had been assigned to live in the cowshed. The old man’s health was extremely poor, and he looked so frail that he might die at any moment.
The young man accompanying him, however, was exceptionally handsome. He Yan was already the best-looking young man in the village, but this newcomer was no less attractive. He had a refined, scholarly bearing and an air of nobility about him.
From the moment Bai Su climbed onto the tractor, the young man had been visibly guarded. Bai Su therefore treated him as though he were invisible and continued chatting casually with He Yan.
The sickly old man supported by the young man had a pale complexion and seemed to be struggling to catch his breath.
After the two educated youths returned from buying things at the supply and marketing cooperative, the tractor set off. But after they had traveled for a short while, the old man’s condition appeared to worsen. He clutched his chest, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
The young man supporting him grew frantic and called out to He Yan, “Comrade, could you stop for a moment?”
Before He Yan could respond, the female educated youth with the flat nose complained unhappily, “It’s bad enough that we have to ride on the same tractor as you people. Why do you have to cause so much trouble? We can’t stop! If we do, we’ll be late reporting to the brigade.”
The male educated youth glanced at the old man, whose face was growing paler and whose breathing was becoming increasingly labored.
Unable to bear watching him suffer, he said, “We should stop. He looks seriously ill.”
“Have you forgotten what kind of people they are? Get involved with them, and you’ll only bring trouble on yourself.”
The female educated youth scolded her companion irritably. “What terrible luck! I didn’t want to ride on the same tractor as them in the first place. If the tractor stops, I’ll walk to Heping Production Brigade myself.”
The elderly man’s hair was streaked with gray, and he was clearly having difficulty breathing. His face had turned frighteningly pale, and he clutched his chest as though he might collapse at any moment.
With chest tightness this severe, the slightest delay or mishap could have disastrous consequences.
Although the young man guarding the old man was so wary that his attitude was rather off-putting, what stood before Bai Su was a living human being whose life was in danger!
Her professional ethics as a doctor would never allow her to stand by and do nothing.
In the end, she couldn’t restrain herself and snapped at the troublesome female educated youth. “Then walk to the brigade yourself!”
“I think sharing a tractor with you is what’s truly unlucky! Haven’t you ever heard of respecting the elderly and caring for the young?”
Bai Su called out to He Yan, “Xiao He, stop the tractor! This elderly comrade isn’t doing well.”
He Yan had suffered enough because of his family’s class background. Originally, he had only wanted to complete the task the brigade leader had assigned him and had no intention of getting involved in anyone else’s business.
But because Bai Su had told him that having a landlord or rich-peasant family background wasn’t something to be ashamed of, he was now willing to listen to whatever she said. When the two educated youths argued, he hadn’t intended to stop. Yet the moment Bai Su called out, he hurriedly brought the tractor to a halt.
From the moment the old man fell ill, the young man accompanying him had been rummaging frantically through their luggage for medicine after asking He Yan to stop.
As soon as the tractor stopped, he hurriedly helped the elderly man lie down with his head resting on his lap, then clumsily tried to administer the medicine.
“This elderly comrade’s face is pale, and he’s having difficulty breathing. He’s been clutching his chest since the attack began, and he’s suffering from severe chest tightness. It looks like he’s having a heart attack.”
It was thanks to this woman that the comrade driving the tractor had stopped.
Otherwise, his grandfather’s condition could have become critical, putting his life in danger.
Yin Fan was no longer quite as guarded toward Bai Su as he had been initially. He nodded and murmured an acknowledgment.
The medicine would take some time to work, and the elderly man’s condition showed little improvement.
Bai Su turned to the young man and said, “If you’re willing to trust me, let me take a look at him.”
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