With Tian Youfu watching him closely, Wang Yongshun hastily agreed, “Alright, alright, I’ll go get it right now! Sanya, Uncle is sorry—really. I’ll make it up to you in the future, please don’t hold a grudge against your uncle.”
He rushed into the house to rummage for the documents, but as soon as he did, someone started to sense something was off.
“Why are Yongshun and his wife living in the house that used to belong to Yongfu and his wife?”
The Wang family lived on the outskirts, and with Li Chunjuan being such a bothersome person, the villagers had long known that the dividing wall in the Wang family courtyard had been torn down. Still, they’d never come to check. But for Wang Yongshun, as the elder brother, to be living in the house of his younger brother and his late sister-in-law…
Tian Youfu’s expression grew darker and darker.
The real kicker was that even after Wang Yongshun rummaged through the room, he still couldn’t find the certificate. He was sweating anxiously from head to toe.
Wang Ying “kindly” reminded him, “Uncle, could it be that Aunt put it in Yaozong’s room?”
Yes, yes! Wang Yongshun smacked his forehead. His wife liked to move things into their son’s room—maybe she had stashed it there.
He turned and went into another room.
“…Isn’t the room Yaozong lives in the one Wang Ying used to live in?”
The people around them started to feel a bit awkward.
Wang Yongshun searched his son’s room again, but still came up empty-handed. When he came back out, he was already frantic.
Wang Ying said, “Uncle, maybe you should ask Aunt about it.”
At this point, Li Chunjuan’s eyes were practically spitting fire, but everyone seemed to have forgotten about her—no one even mentioned removing the rag stuffed in her mouth.
At this point, when Wang Ying made the suggestion, Wang Yongshun instead firmly refused: “No, no, I’ll go check in your Sister Lingling’s room!”
Li Chunjuan was a scatterbrain. If her gag was removed now, who knew what explosive things she might blurt out? Better to keep her mouth shut.
Wang Ying said, “That’s fine too. Or maybe I should go check my own room—maybe Aunt has already returned it to me.”
The two of them went into separate rooms.
“…Looks to me like the room Wang Ying lives in is the smallest of the four, right…”
The watching commune members were now filled with complicated emotions.
Looking at the Wang family courtyard, the two rooms originally belonging to Wang Ying’s family were on the west side, and the ones belonging to Wang Yongshun’s family were on the east. Now, with the middle wall torn down, Wang Ying had ended up in the smallest room on the far east. The stove room that originally belonged to Wang Yongshun’s family was on the east, now in a dilapidated state, while the west-side stove room—originally Wang Ying’s—had water jars and clay pots placed at its entrance.
A nosy person went straight to peek into the stove room, then came back with a face full of disbelief.
“There’s a whole strip of preserved meat in the stove room!”
“And half a pot of lard!”
“There are several sacks piled in the corner! Clearly grain!”
…
Meanwhile, Tian Youfu’s sharp eyes spotted an enamel basin—one he remembered clearly. It was given to Wang Ying by the commune, and he himself had brought it back from the commune and handed it over to Wang Yongshun.
Now, that enamel basin was sitting right outside Wang Lingling’s room…
Tian Youfu couldn’t be bothered anymore. He strode straight toward the room Wang Ying was living in.
Just as Wang Yongshun stepped out with the documents found in Wang Lingling’s room, he saw Tian Youfu approaching. He was so nervous, he stammered: “T-Team Leader, w-what are you doing?”
Tian Youfu shoved Wang Yongshun aside and stood at Wang Ying’s door.
As soon as he pushed the door open, Tian Youfu fell silent like a volcano about to erupt.
Not only was everything in the room broken and falling apart, there was a pile of bricks and rotten wood in the corner—what was that about?! And Wang Ying’s bed—her mattress was beyond ragged, and the sheets on it were just pieces of scrap cloth sewn together…
Wang Yongshun wished he could punch himself—how could he have forgotten this?
“T-Team Leader… I must’ve overlooked it…”
Even he couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. Earlier, he could still claim ignorance about Wang Ying’s lost subsidies. But now, seeing her living conditions, pretending not to know was just too much.
Sure enough, Tian Youfu didn’t even want to hear his excuses anymore. He turned and started pushing open the other room doors.
What he saw nearly made him spit blood.
In Wang Yongshun and Li Chunjuan’s room, the table and chairs were in good shape, and even the enamel mug issued to Wang Ying by the commune was sitting on the table. In Wang Lingling’s room, there was a large glass mirror—clearly expensive—and a dressing table, which looked a bit old but was recognized by an elderly carpenter among the crowd as something Wang Yongfu had made for his wife. Then there was Wang Yaozong’s room—clean and tidy like something out of a city home, with new bedsheets and freshly refilled quilts…
Now, even beyond Tian Youfu, the crowd’s view of Wang Yongshun had completely changed.
So many goods—could they really all have been earned by Wang Yongshun himself? Everyone lived in the same commune. They all knew what kind of lives each household could afford.
Wang Yongshun’s face was burning red.
Tian Youfu didn’t bother listening to any more nonsense. He grabbed Wang Ying’s documents with a swipe.
“You’ve got some nerve, Wang Yongshun. Living in your niece’s house, spending her money—do you even call yourself a man?”
Wang Ying stayed inside her room for a while, pretending to know nothing, wearing an innocent expression.
Wang Yongshun was so ashamed he couldn’t utter a word. The surrounding villagers were also burning with righteous anger.
Uncle Tian spat on the ground: “Heartless scum! No wonder Wang Ying’s so thin—turns out you two are so wicked, smoke is coming out of your souls!”
Others chimed in:
“No wonder! My wife once said she saw Wang Ying doing laundry at the river early in the morning. I didn’t believe it then—I thought Yongshun wasn’t that kind of man. But now… maybe Li Chunjuan was treating the girl like a servant!”
“Even landlords back in the old society weren’t this cruel! These two really have black hearts!”
“My boy, Heidan, goes to the same school as Wang Yaozong. He told me before that Yaozong was living it up—eating in the school cafeteria, always having white buns and fatty meat!”
“People like this should be reported to Dazhu and taken to the commune for detention!”
Tian Dazhu’s face was grim. If Tian Youfu weren’t in charge here, he would’ve already dragged Wang Yongshun and Li Chunjuan off himself!
Now, Wang Yongshun was truly scared. Before, he still tried to lie and manipulate, thinking Wang Ying was just a little girl he could deceive or intimidate. Who would have thought things would blow up this much? Now people were even talking about having him detained…
His hands were trembling as he looked at Wang Ying, practically begging: “Sanya, Uncle was confused… I made a mistake…”
Wang Ying sighed internally—this man really was more cunning than Li Chunjuan. He already realized the outcome of this mess depended on how she, the victim, handled it. But Wang Ying had no intention of letting him off the hook. After all the effort she had put in to expose this whole rotten family, she’d have to be crazy to give him a way out now.
Tian Youfu couldn’t stand the sight of Wang Yongshun anymore. He shoved him aside and gave a signal to a few women to take Wang Ying aside and talk through the background of everything with her.
Wang Ying was just a young girl, bullied for years by the Wang Yongshun family. She might still not fully understand the situation.
Tian Youfu knew well that this matter ultimately hinged on Wang Ying’s decision. It could be a small issue—or a major one. If taken seriously, it was about a couple abusing a martyr’s orphan and they could be jailed. But if Wang Ying was willing to let it go, it could also be handled quietly.
Tian Youfu let out a sigh. From his perspective, he originally didn’t want Wang Ying to escalate the matter. Once things got out of hand, it would inevitably reflect on him as the team leader, making it seem like he wasn’t competent. Even if he handled Wang Yongshun and Li Chunjuan, it would still leave a stain on his record.
But…
Tian Youfu remembered what Uncle Tian had said earlier—Wang Ying had saved his youngest son. And if it hadn’t been for Little Shitou, she wouldn’t have gotten beaten up today at all.
Tian Youfu made up his mind. No matter what Wang Ying decided to do, he would support her. Even if she said to have the militia take them away, he wouldn’t say a word against it.
Wang Yongshun stood there feeling as though a bellows had been installed in his chest—every breath was cold.
Now he was truly scared, afraid that Wang Ying would cry and demand he be sent to prison. Today’s situation had spiraled far beyond his expectations. Not only had his family’s reputation been completely ruined, but he had no idea how to carry on after this.
Half of his body felt frozen. If Wang Ying really had them sent away, would their house even remain theirs? And what about Yaozong? Would he still be able to attend school?
Thinking of all that, Wang Yongshun was filled with hatred. He saw Wang Ying, tears welling up in her eyes as a group of women talked to her, nodding at something they said. He clenched his teeth and rushed under the eaves, grabbed the feather duster hanging on the wall, and started hitting Li Chunjuan with it.
“You crazy woman! This is all your fault! I handed over a perfectly good household to you, and this is what you do? You even lied to me, saying it was San’ya (Wang Ying) herself who said she wanted to move to Lingling’s old room. How could you treat her like this? How will you ever face her parents?”
As he hit her, he cried. Li Chunjuan rolled on the ground trying to avoid the blows, dust flying all around them, leaving the couple covered in dirt and grime.
Tian Youfu’s face darkened further. Tian Dashu and a few young men rushed forward to wrest the feather duster out of Wang Yongshun’s hands.
Wang Yongshun sobbed, his nose running, and knelt in front of Wang Ying. “San’ya, Uncle’s sorry! I’ve wronged you! I’ve wronged your parents!”
In her heart, Wang Ying applauded. Her earlier guess had been correct—her uncle really was clever. Not everyone could bare their face and throw away their pride like that.
Sure enough, some of the people around them began to soften. A man like that—even if he was a little careless—still had such a wife to deal with. It was a tragedy in itself.
Hearing the murmuring of the crowd, Wang Ying’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
Right, so all the wrongs were Li Chunjuan’s fault, and all the credit went to Wang Yongshun?
If she kept pushing now, saying she wanted the two of them dragged away by the militia, people would soon start saying she was heartless and didn’t value family ties.
Wang Ying rubbed the martyr’s certificate in her hand. From the way Wang Yongshun was acting, it seemed he was still eyeing her house.
After all, she was only eighteen. In a few years, she’d probably be married.
By then, these two rooms of hers, so close to the Wang family’s house—she could build a ten-meter-high wall and still not keep them out.
Wang Yongshun was still babbling beside her. “San’ya, Uncle doesn’t ask for anything else, just a chance. Let me make it up to you. I swear, from now on, everything at home will prioritize you! Your subsidy and work points—I’ll return them all! Just don’t distance yourself from me, I truly want to take care of you!”
“Take care of me…”
Wang Ying changed her original plan. The original owner of this body had served this family for years—was just getting her subsidy and work points back really enough? Since Wang Yongshun was offering to “take care” of her, then she might as well give him that chance.
She also understood that as an orphan girl with no parents, even if she sent the couple to jail, it wasn’t like she could just live here happily ever after.
That was impossible. With 200 work points, some money, and two rooms to her name, she was nothing but a fat sheep to others.
“Uncle Youfu,” Wang Ying’s youthful face looked especially innocent. “My uncle seems to know he was wrong. And he said he’ll give me back my subsidy and work points. He even promised to take good care of me…”
Tian Youfu thought Wang Ying was too soft-hearted, but the people around them were all moved by her kindness. What a good girl—her uncle treated her like that, yet she still didn’t hold a grudge.
Tian Youfu tried to persuade her a bit more, but when Wang Ying remained firm, he had no choice but to accept it.
Wang Yongshun looked like he had narrowly escaped death, enthusiastically assuring Tian Youfu that he would treat Wang Ying well from now on.
Still fuming, Tian Youfu decided to take advantage of the manpower present and start settling things according to Wang Ying’s wishes.
Wang Yongshun could only watch as people started moving items. With the old carpenter present, it was easy to identify which furnishings originally belonged to Wang Ying’s family. Piece by piece, everything was retrieved and placed back into Wang Ying’s room.
Tian Youfu decided Wang Ying would move back into the west room—previously occupied by Wang Yaozong. He also had Wang Yongshun and his wife vacate the room that used to belong to Wang Ying’s parents, as she said she wanted to keep it.
That settled it—Wang Yongshun and his family could only move back into their original two rooms on the east side. This way, Wang Ying’s room was now right next to the kitchen.
Speaking of the kitchen, Tian Youfu went ahead and had the brigade’s accountant tally up how much of Wang Ying’s subsidy had been used by Wang Yongshun’s family, and they would have to pay it back in full.
Wang Yongshun could only scrounge up a little over ten yuan from his house, far from enough.
So Tian Youfu came up with a plan—to appraise the items bought using Wang Ying’s money, and ask if she wanted any of them. If she did, their value would offset the debt. If not, the items would be offered to other villagers in exchange for money.
Li Chunjuan was now a weeping mess. These were the things she’d scrimped and saved to prepare for Yaozong’s future marriage!
Wang Yongshun was also miserable, but he had already made promises and didn’t dare go back on his word. He even loudly praised the decision, acting very cooperative.
So gradually, Wang Ying’s room filled up: a new quilt, an enamel basin and enamel mug, her mother’s old vanity mirror, a strip of cured meat, half a bag of cornmeal, a dozen eggs, and two chickens…
Wang Ying didn’t refuse a single item—after all, it was so hard to get hold of things these days. How could she possibly turn down such a haul?
It didn’t take long for everything to be sorted out. And with that division, the two eastern rooms of Wang Yongshun’s house were left in shambles. The rooms were a mess, with barely any decent furniture. The windows were broken, the water jar that was originally theirs had been smashed, and the old kitchen didn’t even have working ventilation or a single cooking pot…
Tian Youfu made a final decision: “The work points owed to Wang Ying will be directly deducted from your household. And you’ll have to build your own kitchen. The family was already split—care is one thing, but there’s no reason to be leeching off a young girl’s food and supplies.”
Wang Yongshun didn’t dare say a word in disagreement and quickly nodded. His heart bled, but he tried to comfort himself—Wang Ying’s two rooms were the main prize anyway. Besides, once Wang Ying got married, wouldn’t all this furniture end up back with them? It’s not like she could take the house and furniture with her when she left. As for marrying a man into the family—Wang Ying didn’t look like the type to hold down a household herself. If it hadn’t been for Tian Youfu today, she probably would’ve done nothing but cry.
He quickly assured her, “San’ya, don’t worry. Now that the household is divided, your uncle’s family will only take care of you. We won’t ask you for a single thing.”
Wang Ying thought, You’re welcome to ask—but let’s see if I’m willing to give you anything.
But now wasn’t the time to say that. There were still plenty of people around helping out. Wang Ying knew very well that this was a great opportunity to build her reputation, so she brought out the lard and cured meat that had been given to her.
“Uncles, aunts—you’ve all worked so hard,” Wang Ying said with a shy expression, “I don’t have much, but please accept this food as my thanks. Aunties, if you don’t mind the effort, come to my kitchen and cook a little something. Let’s all share it together.”
After all, she didn’t know how to cook anyway. Keeping the food would only give Li Chunjuan an excuse to stir up trouble. Better to eat it all at once and be done with it.
I am just a novice translator and Chinese is not my native language. I try my best to translate the chapters as accurate as possible.
If there are any mistakes then kindly comment and remind me. Your support means a lot.
