Guo Youning whispered a few words into her younger brother's ear, then timidly stood behind the crowd.
Wan Baojia snarled viciously: "The quiet ones are always the most dangerous. That mute dog of yours got my mother arrested by the Red Armband and dragged to the police station. She still hasn't been released. Where else should I cause trouble if not at your house?"
All family members' eyes converged on Guo Youning. Meanwhile, neighbors in the residential compound had been drawn by the commotion and came out to watch.
Amid the chaos, Guo Youning noticed her clever younger brother slipping out of the crowd, causing a slight curl at the corner of her mouth.
Collecting herself, she stepped forward pretending to be fragile, speaking softly: "Who are you calling a mute dog?"
Seeing her appear, Wan Baojia's anger intensified. "I'm calling you a mute dog! You need to go to the police station immediately to clarify things and get my mother released."
The crowd burst into laughter, thinking to themselves that Wan Baojia was indeed the real "mute dog" here.
Guo Youning gently patted her chest, swaying unsteadily while feigning resilience. "I didn't harm Third Grandma. She was the one who spoke recklessly with low ideological awareness, and the red armband auntie overheard her. Many neighbors can testify."
Bystanders who witnessed the incident that morning spoke up:
"Third Grandma was truly wrong this time – she falsely accused Second Girl of feigning illness to avoid rural labor."
"She called farmers 'mud-legged peasants'!"
"She cursed that the child would suffer and die in the countryside like Xiao Fang from the neighboring compound!"
…
Hearing these accounts, the Guo family clenched their fists tightly. They never imagined Guo Youning had endured such great injustice without their knowledge.
How dare the Wan family show up here to make trouble?
Tang Xin stroked Guo Youning's head, tears streaming down her face. She knew her Ningning had been terrified of rural labor since Xiao Fang's death, which caused her prolonged illness.
Who would have thought Third Grandma would dare to stab the child right in her deepest fears? How despicable!
Choking back tears, she said: "Ningning, why didn't you tell us about this injustice? These troublemakers still dare to come here – we can't let this matter rest."
Nearly every watching neighbor had children sent down to the countryside, their hearts constantly worried. If anyone cursed their children to die in rural areas, they'd surely break that person's head.
They collectively glared at the troublemakers with shared indignation.
The oblivious Wan Baojia curled his lip and said: "My mother is over sixty, old enough to be Second Girl's grandmother. What's wrong with an elder saying a few words? It won't cost you any flesh. Was it necessary to make such a big issue and send her for re-education? If anything happens to my mother, I'll never let your Guo family off!"
The fool Wan Baoguo waved his fist in agreement: "Never let your Guo family off!"
The two daughters-in-law who came along remained silent. From Guo Youning's understanding, these two women lived miserable lives as punching bags who probably wished their malicious mother-in-law would never return.
Guo Aiguo and Guo Youjie could no longer restrain themselves and rushed forward with raised fists, soon entangled in a brawl.
Fearing her father and elder brother might be at a disadvantage, Guo Youning seized the opportunity to mediate, alternately throwing punches and kicks that made the Wan brothers howl in pain.
When faint voices mentioned the police were coming, Guo Youning had a clever idea. She secretly ruffled her hair, smeared mud on her face, and pretended to be injured, collapsing to the ground.
Tang Xin and eldest sister Guo Youyan, seeing Guo Youning suddenly fall, immediately abandoned their efforts to block the Wan sisters-in-law.
Tang Xin plopped down on the ground, pulling Guo Youning into her arms, her words frantic and incoherent with worry. "Ningning… Ningning… where are you hurt…"
Soon, several police officers followed Guo Youran to the scene, shouting as they separated the individuals. The Wan brothers attempted to resist but were swiftly tied up.
Then the process of understanding the situation began. The Guo family gathered around Gu Youning, recounting the incident.
Neighbors eagerly chimed in with additional details, thoroughly criticizing the Wan brothers until their arrogance completely deflated.
The police officer glanced at Guo Youning, who looked haggard as she nestled in her mother’s embrace, and felt a wave of pity.
He asked gently, "How badly are you hurt? If you can’t hold on, we can take you to the hospital first. Do you want to press charges?"
Guo Youning, her eyes red-rimmed, spoke haltingly, "I’m so sleepy… so tired… Am I going to die? But I haven’t even been to the vast expanse of heaven and earth… to contribute my strength…"
As she spoke, her body went completely limp, sending the Guo family into a panic.
Tang Xin, especially, desperately pinched her philtrum, causing Guo Youning such pain that she nearly broke character. She quickly gave her mother a subtle, hidden pinch to signal that she was fine.
Her plan was simply to scare the Wan brothers, extort some money from them, and teach them a lesson.
At first, Tang Xin was confused, but she soon caught on. As she pretended to pinch her daughter’s philtrum, her crying grew even more genuine.
Guo Aiguo scooped Guo Youning up and rushed toward the hospital. Passing the Wan brothers, he kicked them fiercely a couple of times. "You’re coming too. If anything happens to my daughter, you’ll be rotting in jail."
The neighbors, aware that she had been seriously ill just days before and had now suffered both humiliation and injury, didn’t doubt her fainting spell.
They even voiced their sympathy for her, exclaiming, "What a tragedy! She’d just started recovering from her illness, and now she’s been tormented like this. Get her to the hospital, quick!"
Seeing the situation escalate, the police escorted the Wan brothers to the hospital as well.
Only then did the Wan brothers begin to feel genuine fear. They realized that if something really happened, they would surely lose their jobs and end up in prison—regrets washed over them intensely.
They resolved that as long as the Guo family didn’t pursue the matter, they would agree to any form of compensation.
About ten minutes later, the large group arrived at the hospital. While the doctor was examining her, Guo Youning pretended to gradually wake up.
At Guo Aiguo’s insistence, every possible test was run, revealing several issues: anemia, physical weakness, malnutrition…
In this era of scarcity, most people suffered from one ailment or another, especially since this body had just survived a life-and-death crisis.
Hearing that she was scheduled to go to the countryside despite her poor health in just two days, the doctor felt additional sympathy. He made an exception and prescribed over thirty yuan worth of quality medicine and various nutritional supplements, also recommending she stay overnight for observation.
All these expenses were, of course, covered by the Wan brothers. Under the watchful eyes of the police, they didn’t dare cause any trouble.
After several rounds of negotiation, they compensated Guo Youning an additional fifty yuan for nutritional expenses, finally settling the matter.
The police and neighbors gradually left.
The Guo family, however, clustered around Guo Youning, unwilling to leave. The doctor said helplessly, "The child isn’t in serious condition. One person can stay to accompany her. Please don’t disturb the other patients."
In the end, Tang Xin stayed behind. Her older brother and sister would bring daily necessities later.
Guo Youning truly wished she could stay alone at the hospital—it would make sneaking out at night to handle important matters much easier—but that was impossible.
After all the commotion, night had fallen. After a quick wash, she climbed into bed with her mother. Reflecting on the day’s events, she thought it had been far too eventful; her small frame felt completely worn out.
A one-meter-wide wooden bed with two people squeezed together on a hot summer night was hardly a pleasant experience.
Perhaps it was exhaustion, or perhaps it was the comfort of having family nearby, but she fell asleep as soon as she lay down.
She slept soundly until the spatial alarm clock rang. Guo Youning glanced at her sleeping mother, slipped out of bed quietly, and carefully tiptoed out of the hospital room.
Entering the restroom, she disguised herself as she had for her morning trip to the black market, then left the hospital without a sound.