Song Dagui hadn’t expected Old Dog to resist much—but he also hadn’t expected the man to confess so quickly and cleanly!
Song Dagui: “Even if the Jade Emperor comes? You sound almost proud of yourself!”
Listening to what he said… if it weren’t for Song Dagui not being one to blow things out of proportion, this whole “Jade Emperor” talk could’ve gotten him into trouble. This was the new society—what “Jade Emperor” nonsense was there still?
Old Dog was about to cry. That was just a reflex!
Thinking back to last night, he’d first been doused with cold water by the well, then had his head held down by Xu Shuang, punched after every sentence, medical alcohol poured on him, and forced to think carefully about his choices.
If he dared admit he had snuck up to Wang Ying’s window, Xu Shuang promised to cripple him so he could never be a man again.
But if he confessed to stealing and drinking the medical alcohol, and promised never to appear in front of Wang Ying again or say a single word about it, then Xu Shuang would let him go.
Old Dog whimpered. Faced with that kind of threat, even a fool knew what to choose.
But as if afraid he’d forget, Xu Shuang gave him another beating—asking him the same questions repeatedly throughout, until he beat him unconscious.
Those two beatings gave him such a strong conditioned response that now, as soon as someone asked, he blurted it out instantly.
Still, Old Dog truly didn’t dare drag Wang Ying into this—not even to exaggerate. He wouldn’t even tell the plain truth.
Stealing and drinking medical alcohol vs. sneaking around a young woman’s window—those were two completely different things!
The former might result in the brigade disciplining him—probably making him write a self-criticism, do extra work. That’s how the brigade usually handled minor offenses—not serious enough to go to the Revolutionary Committee. They’d make you carry manure, do extra shifts, or dirty, hard labor.
But the latter…
Let’s not even mention that Wang Ying was the child of a martyr—she was already under special protection. The nature of that offense would mean jail time. And if he got charged with anything more, he might get sent to a labor farm and never come back.
Old Dog was terrified. His courage vanished. He didn’t even dare think about how he ever had that idea in the first place.
Hearing the party secretary say that now, Old Dog rushed to explain: “I misspoke, I misspoke! But the medical alcohol really was mine—I drank it! I accept any punishment from the collective!”
Song Dagui wanted to kick the guy!
You knew it was wrong and still did it! And you’re so brazen about admitting it! What, you think it’s no big deal, so you’re not afraid?
If Old Dog knew what Song Dagui was thinking, he’d probably die of grievance. That wasn’t it at all! It’s just that compared to jail time, stealing and drinking medical alcohol really was a minor thing…
Song Dagui, face stiff: “Tonight the whole brigade will listen to your self-criticism. The mountain is about to be sealed for winter, and the brigade leader is organizing a wild boar hunt—you’re going too. You’ll get an ordinary member’s share. Winter snow-clearing crew—you’re in. Night patrol—also you. No work points, though.”
The Seventh Brigade was located at the foot of the mountain, and their days were a bit easier thanks to the mountain goods and orchard up there.
But each winter still came with a bunch of prep work.
First, they had to go up the mountain and kill a batch of wild boars. Otherwise, those hairy beasts would come down the mountain looking for food and harm the villagers. The boar meat could also be distributed to the members—even if it wasn’t tasty, at least it was meat. If they ran into wolves, they’d kill them too, to prevent the packs from coming down in winter.
That job was somewhat dangerous. They usually picked the strongest young men—older folks weren’t keen to go.
But Song Dagui directly assigned Old Dog. He didn’t have to fight, but he could carry guns and rations, right?
For this trip, Old Dog would only get a regular member’s share—he had no choice but to agree.
Compared to the mountain hunt, the snow-clearing and patrol were minor things.
Song Dagui wasn’t satisfied. It was only because winter was near and there wasn’t much work—if it were another season, he would’ve made this guy do the hardest labor available!
“In spring next year, you’ll carry manure to the orchard.”
Punishing him all the way till summer might’ve been too much—but spring didn’t require much manure anyway. Still, better than nothing.
And what could Old Dog do? He could only accept it all.
However, Old Dog was muttering to himself: What did sneaking up to Wang Ying’s window have to do with Xu Shuang?
Busybody, sticking his nose into things like a dog biting a rat!
But just half a day later, Old Dog understood why he had run into Xu Shuang—and why Xu Shuang had beaten him up.
Xu Shuang had gone to a matchmaker to discuss marriage with Wang Ying!
Upon hearing this news, Old Dog was both suddenly enlightened and chilled to the bone. If that was the case, then getting beaten up twice by Xu Shuang made total sense.
He had sneaked up to look through another man’s fiancée’s window—he totally deserved the beating.
Old Dog felt a little sour. If Wang Ying could take a liking to someone like Xu Shuang with such a bad class background, why couldn’t she like me? At least I’m a poor peasant!
Feeling wronged, Old Dog went home to nurse his wounds. Xu Shuang hadn’t held back at all—he was in so much pain he couldn’t sleep. The injuries would take at least a month to heal, and he had to recover before the mountain hunt, or else he wouldn’t be able to keep up. Falling behind out there was no joke.
News of Xu Shuang going to a matchmaker spread quickly through the brigade.
The young men in the team were stunned.
They had just been getting ready to make a move, and before they could even start, Xu Shuang had already swooped in?
That shameless bastard! It would’ve been one thing if he had a good class background before, but now, even with a bad background, he still managed to nab the best catch in the whole brigade! When other people’s status dropped, they had to lower their standards—but Xu Shuang’s standards kept rising!
Originally, when Xu Shuang went after Wang Lingling, no one in the brigade was jealous. In fact, many thought he was dumb. If they were Xu Shuang, they wouldn’t have looked for a partner in the countryside at all—at the very least, they’d aim for a worker in town.
After all, rural folks and urban folks were like people from two different worlds. And with Xu Shuang’s face, it wasn’t like he had no chance in the county seat.
But in the end, he chose Wang Lingling. Her family situation was average—both her parents were farmers. Sure, she was a bit pretty, but not so much that people would ignore her background.
But who could’ve guessed? After Xu Shuang fell from grace, he somehow landed someone on Wang Ying’s level?
Immediately, some jealous young men sneered: “Girls are all long hair, short on brains! All they know is how to judge by looks!”
They couldn’t see the depth beneath his plain appearance!
“Marrying a guy with a bad background like that—she’s in for a lifetime of suffering!”
“Exactly! A good martyr’s daughter should marry someone with a poor peasant background like us! That’s what you call a true match in class! Choosing someone from a black-five-category family? What was she thinking!”
There were also young men who didn’t like gossiping. When they heard all this, they just scoffed and walked away.
The girl has everything going for her. What’s wrong with choosing someone good-looking?
Besides, Xu Shuang’s circumstances weren’t even that bad.
His family’s class status hadn’t been officially confirmed. People said they were part of the “black five categories,” but nothing was written down. Some believed it, some didn’t. Even the folks in the brigade had been unsure how to treat them, so they mostly just kept their distance.
If they had been officially branded black-five, then people would’ve simply avoided them. At worst, they’d stop visiting or talking. Only families who also had questionable backgrounds—former middle peasants, rich peasants, or landlords—might completely cut ties with the Xu family. They had to look out for their own reputations.
But the thing was, no one knew how Xu Ming pulled it off—he had gone to the Northwest, not through forced relocation, but through a support mission.
That was awkward. The commune received word that Xu Ming had been labeled a Rightist, but the way they handled it didn’t follow the usual process. From the brigade to the commune, not even the officials did anything about it.
Plus, Xu Shuang hadn’t lost his job. If their class status had truly been decided, Xu Shuang would’ve been the first to be dismissed.
But his job remained untouched—he was still the head chef at a state-run restaurant in town, earning dozens of yuan each month, with plenty of perks.
So really, nothing had changed.
Now Xu Shuang was getting engaged to Wang Ying, who had the best family background in the entire brigade. With that kind of match, Xu Shuang would probably keep his job for a long time.
Looking again at those jealous guys from earlier—not a single one had a proper job. Most of them didn’t even bother working hard in the fields.
If a girl was crazy enough to find a man just to serve him, that was her business. But Wang Ying had a house, and once she graduated from high school, she’d get a job—she’d be better off single than stuck taking care of someone else.
Unfortunately, very few people saw it that clearly. Most of the guys just kept spouting bitter nonsense.
Some even acted like sour grapes and said things nastier than the old gossipy women in the brigade.
“Wasn’t Xu Shuang with Wang Lingling before? No offense, but those two—brother-in-law and sister-in-law—who knows if something indecent wasn’t already going on?”
But that kind of talk was just for venting. Everyone had seen the drama Wang Lingling caused at her own wedding. Even if something had happened in the past, given how Wang Lingling acted, Xu Shuang’s current choices seemed completely justified.
She had refused to marry him—it’s not like someone could forbid the families from picking new partners afterward.
“I can’t take this. I have to go see it for myself!”
“Me too!”
Four or five young men grouped up, planning to sneak over to Wang Ying’s house to see what tricks Xu Shuang had pulled to win her over so quickly.
Wang Ying herself hadn’t expected Xu Shuang to move so fast. They had just talked the night before, and by the afternoon of the next day, he had already brought a matchmaker.
Not only that—he’d also brought his mother along.
Wang Ying’s house had two rooms. Her parents’ room was the bigger one, and when they drew a cloth curtain across the middle and added a few chairs outside, it became suitable for hosting guests.
At that moment, the matchmaker from the Xu family was sitting in one of those chairs, endlessly praising the Wang family’s furnishings, Wang Ying’s beauty, and saying she clearly looked like a capable and hardworking girl who would definitely have “two kids in three years, many sons, much fortune.”
This stream of compliments came out like she had them memorized. She started as soon as she sat down, going through the motions smoothly. Only after a good while did she change the topic and get to the point.
“A grown man should marry, a grown woman should wed. Our Xu Shuang is a fine young man, and my old friend here is an honest woman. Since you don’t have parents around, auntie here will talk to you directly…”
“Who says this girl has no one to speak for her?”
From outside came a furious shout—it was Wang Yongshun and Li Chunjuan.
Li Chunjuan didn’t care about formalities at this point. She stormed in and tried to drag Wang Ying out.
“You two really calculated this well, didn’t you? Thought you could take advantage while the two of us were away! Just because her parents are gone doesn’t mean she has no guardians! She still has me and her uncle!”
Wang Yongshun’s face was grim as well. “Where did you even find this matchmaker? Don’t you know you’re supposed to consult the family elders before coming over? And who brings the groom straight to the door on the first visit? Are you here to discuss marriage or to force one?”
Wang Yongshun then softened his tone for Wang Ying, wearing a kindly expression. “San Ya, don’t be afraid. You told me two days ago you didn’t want to marry. Uncle understands. Don’t worry, I won’t let you marry into such a family.”
Xu Shuang had swindled him out of a hundred yuan! The pain of losing that money had kept Wang Yongshun up all night.
It could be said that right now, the people he hated most were Xu Shuang and Wang Ying.
The thought of them ending up together? Not a chance!
But the matchmaker was a seasoned one and wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. “Alright, Uncle, right? Come, have a seat. We were just talking about the marriage. I’ll get straight to the point then, Uncle Wang. Our Ying girl here, this is a zhao zhui situation.”
“Traditionally, when it’s a zhao zhui marriage—where the husband joins the wife’s family—it’s customary to compensate the groom’s family a bit. After all, they’ve raised a son, fed and clothed him all these years, and now he’s being sent away to join another family. They should receive something in return.”
“The going rate is usually around fifty yuan. But I just heard from the Xu family boy that your two families had already discussed a marriage before. Isn’t that fate? It’s rare to see such a coincidence. So I thought I’d smooth things over for both sides—forty yuan, all nice and tidy. Don’t think of it as much—look at this young man, so proper and handsome. Forty yuan isn’t too much to ask. And since Ying girl’s parents aren’t around, this money…”
Wang Ying nearly burst out laughing. She and Xu Shuang hadn’t coordinated this part at all. She had planned to talk to Xu Shuang today, but he’d moved so fast that she hadn’t gotten the chance.
But from the matchmaker’s performance, it was obvious Xu Shuang had already made arrangements—there’s no way the matchmaker could’ve known exactly how to provoke people without being well-briefed.
Sure enough, the matchmaker’s words nearly drove Wang Yongshun mad.
His face was no longer pale but dark and thunderous.
Wang Ying watched with glee, and added fuel to the fire: “She’s right, Uncle. This is a zhao zhui. I hadn’t made up my mind two days ago, but I did yesterday and told Xu Shuang. He agreed.”
Wang Yongshun wanted to curse out loud, but he was the kind of man who suppressed his emotions and couldn’t bring himself to actually say it.
But Li Chunjuan had no such restraint. She immediately snapped, “What kind of bullshit is that?! Clearly you two planned this long ago!”
Li Chunjuan had seen through it—Wang Ying hadn’t agreed on the spot just so she wouldn’t get caught up in the mess over the money Xu Shuang owed. If she had said yes at the time, it would’ve made it harder for Xu Shuang to get the money from them.
That damn girl had a ruthless heart, standing by and watching as Xu Shuang extorted a huge sum from them.
Wang Ying smiled sweetly: “Say what you want. I’m marrying Xu Shuang either way. If you and Uncle want to be part of it, pay the forty yuan. I’ll save you a nice seat at the wedding. But if you’re thinking of something else… I suggest you give it up.”
Li Chunjuan wanted to continue making a scene, but Wang Yongshun stopped her.
His face was stiff, his smile cold. “San Ya, are you really sure about this? Planning to cut yourself off from your mother’s family and have no one to rely on when things go wrong? You’ll be all alone.”
“You think Xu Shuang is some great catch? His family has bad political background—he’s only marrying you because of your status!”
“You think you’re some kind of prize? Talking about bringing a man into your family. Do you think you can control him?”
It seemed he had given up on acting kind. Now that he saw no hope of securing her inheritance, Wang Yongshun didn’t bother to pretend anymore. His words were open threats.
Wang Ying shrugged. “Why worry about what others want from me? The question is, what do you want? My house? My money? What my parents left for me? What’s the matter, Uncle—can’t hide your real intentions anymore? So now that you can’t get your hands on the goods, you drop the act. How very you.”
Wang Yongshun stood rooted, glaring at Wang Ying.
A moment later, he gave a cold laugh, grabbed Li Chunjuan, and left.
He had underestimated his niece. The girl who once seemed easily manipulated had, for some reason, suddenly grown a sharp mind.
Wang Yongshun was furious but couldn’t think of any way to turn the situation around. Glancing at Li Chunjuan, who was still fuming and trying to rush back in to argue with Wang Ying, he found his outlet.
With a slap across her face, he roared, “It’s all your fault! Didn’t I tell you to treat San Ya better? To pull her in, not push her away? You ignored everything I said! And now look—everything’s gone!”
Li Chunjuan was already under enormous pressure. First the house was emptied, then Wang Lingling caused a scene, and then the Xu family came to demand money—one thing after another, driving her to tears daily.
And then there was that money issue—when the Xu family came to collect, Wang Yongshun had claimed they had no money, only to turn around and give Xu Shuang fifty yuan.
Where had that money come from? Wang Yongshun had always said they were poor, constantly telling her to save every penny. She had scraped and pinched to stretch their funds, even to the point of shortchanging Wang Ying.
And now?
Now he was blaming it all on her.
He said she shouldn’t have oppressed Wang Ying. But what about him? He never spoke up. If he had said a single word—if he had asked Wang Ying to eat cornbread too—would she have refused?
Wang Yongshun, the head of the household, had made no effort. So why was everything her fault now?
All her pent-up rage exploded. Li Chunjuan let out a furious wail and fought back.
She fought like a woman—grabbing his hair, clawing at his fingers. Wang Yongshun’s scalp burned from her tugs. He wanted to hit her but was too tangled up. The two of them ended up rolling on the ground, punching and kicking each other.
Wang Ying could hear their cries from inside her house. It was music to her ears.
