Wang Ying stepped aside, her job done.
She could understand Wang Yongshun’s mentality.
He was the type to survive on cunning—he ran off thinking that in the end, Tian Youfu would take care of everything. And if Tian Youfu handled it, that would probably mean paying compensation and maybe some manual labor. Embarrassing, sure, but not the end of the world.
But if he came forward himself, the crowd might beat him up too!
In the countryside, when a thief gets caught, the process is always the same: a good beating first, then discussions afterward.
Wang Yongshun didn’t want to get beaten. He loved his son, but not enough to take a beating for him.
He treasured his own skin—he even cut corners on farm work, so how could he endure a beating?
He figured he’d just wait out the outrage, then come down and clean up the mess.
At that point, he’d cry and kneel and pay compensation, and maybe it would all blow over.
But he miscalculated two things. First, someone was so furious that they reported it to the Revolutionary Committee, exposing the brigade’s internal issues to the higher-ups. Tian Youfu couldn’t and wouldn’t handle it anymore.
Second, he hadn’t expected to be so unlucky—to fall and miss the critical timing to return.
If Tian Youfu hadn’t sent people to search the mountain, he might still be lying unconscious. The temperatures were still cold in the mornings and evenings—if he’d been left out there until nightfall, who knows what could have happened?
Hard to say if that was good or bad luck.
Wang Ying watched Wang Yongshun wake up.
As soon as he woke, he was in intense pain—his leg had been scraped by a rock. Though no bones were broken, it still hurt like hell!
He was nearly crying from the pain!
Wang Ying stood off to the side gleefully, waiting for everyone to demand repayment.
Wang Yongshun was immediately surrounded by angry villagers. They didn’t care if he was hurting—each grabbed him and started demanding money.
“Your son stole a hen from me! I want three yuan!”
“He stole a big rooster from me! Three yuan isn’t enough—I want at least four!”
“Hand over the money, now!”
…
Wang Yongshun broke into a cold sweat from the pain. He had just woken up and didn’t yet know his son had been arrested and his wife hospitalized. He thought Tian Youfu had just sent people to find him out of anger.
All he wanted was to settle the matter quickly so someone could give him medicine.
“Yes, yes, I’ll pay! We’re all neighbors… I won’t deny responsibility. It’s my fault… I didn’t raise my son right…”
Back in the day, such words might have won him a bit of sympathy—people might’ve thought he was just being dragged into the mess.
But now…
“Peh! Neighbors? And your son dares steal chickens?”
“You still want to save face? If your son’s out of line, it’s clearly your fault!”
“Whether you admit it or not, give me my three yuan now!”
Wang Yongshun was dazed—hurt and confused.
His eyes landed on Wang Ying, and he instantly tried to muddy the waters.
“Sanya! Sanya, help your uncle out! I know you’ve held grudges against me before, but say a word for me! Uncle really has no money—help me cover a bit first…”
He was cut off by Wang Ying’s cold response: “Uncle, what are you saying? Cousin Yaozong made a mistake—it’s clearly your responsibility. Our families have long since separated, and I don’t want to get involved in your family’s affairs. Besides, he’s been taken by the Revolutionary Committee—I have to draw a line, too. He stole communal property, which means he harmed everyone’s interests. I can’t afford to go against the people.”
Wang Ying’s words were blunt and clear. A few people who were previously tempted to ask her for money immediately gave up.
Sure, Wang Ying had money—but she wasn’t willing to spend it, and no one could force her. Besides, after watching her deliver those swift and precise injections earlier, many had developed a bit of respect for her.
Falling out with the barefoot doctor of the brigade? What if you got sick in the future?
Even the women who usually disliked Wang Ying’s sharp tongue didn’t say a word—everyone agreed to keep pressuring Wang Yongshun for repayment.
And when Wang Yongshun heard that his son had been taken away by the Revolutionary Committee, he froze.
How did this end up involving the Revolutionary Committee?
Wasn’t this just about a stolen chicken? Did it really warrant that level of escalation?
While he was still trying to make sense of everything, Tian Youfu took over.
Tian Youfu gave him a thorough scolding for a full ten minutes, finally venting all the frustration he’d been holding in.
Wang Yongshun was left dizzy from all the scolding. He asked, “Captain, I admit I was wrong. But how could you send my child to the Revolutionary Committee? That’s ruining my whole family’s future!”
The people around immediately sneered. “Why not send him to the Revolutionary Committee? Sneaking around stealing chickens—ten at once no less—doesn’t that deserve a public shaming?”
Wang Yongshun shook his head, confused. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go!
Wasn’t it always Captain Tian Youfu who stepped in, punished their family, made them pay a fine, and then assigned them to scoop manure?
What was the point of sending his kid to the Revolutionary Committee?!
But the onlookers didn’t think that way—they all hated Wang Yaozong.
Besides the chicken thefts, what enraged them most was that—even in the worst neighboring brigades, the riffraff didn’t target their own brigade, and they didn’t steal ten chickens in one go!
Even thieves knew how to take it slow, knew not to foul their own nest.
But Wang Yaozong?
He stole from his own brigade. He did it repeatedly.
All these years of being neighbors, of knowing each other within the brigade, just made it easier for him to commit crimes!
What really got to people was the behavior of Wang Yongshun and Li Chunjuan as parents.
Their son behaved atrociously, yet the parents didn’t try to stop him. Worse, they knew and said nothing—they enabled it!
Especially the families who’d lost chickens—all of them remembered that Li Chunjuan had visited just before their chickens disappeared.
So what—was it a family operation? The mother scouted, the son stole, and the father just sat back and ate?
A whole family of scumbags!
Realizing how bad things were, Wang Yongshun tried to win sympathy and sobbed, “Dear villagers, I really don’t have enough money to repay you… You all know how broke I was when we split the family… If we hadn’t been starving, I wouldn’t have lost my conscience like this…”
People around him ground their teeth. “You were starving so that’s what you did? Who hasn’t been hungry? Even in winter, we didn’t eat till we were full. Everyone was only half-fed. Oh, you were hungry so it’s okay for you to steal chickens? What’s next—setting fires?”
Wang Yongshun was totally dumbfounded. He did have some money, but there was no way he could take it out!
If he brought it out, people would start questioning the story he told during the family split about being broke. Besides, now that his son was in the Revolutionary Committee’s hands, he’d need money to bail him out! And not to mention, he was injured—treatment would cost money too!
Wang Yongshun made up his mind—he wasn’t giving them a cent!
Either they went after Wang Ying for the money, or they waited until he could get his son back.
It was just a few chickens—did they really have to send his son into that wolf’s den?
They were all part of the same brigade. Was this how they treated one of their own?
At that critical moment, Tian Youfu spoke.
He never believed Wang Yongshun didn’t have savings. That man was cunning. Back when he abused Wang Ying, he still left himself a way out, making Li Chunjuan play the bad cop while he played the good one.
There was no way he didn’t stash away money. Impossible.
Tian Youfu said, “Wang Yongshun, either pay now, or we’ll deduct it from your work points. But if we deduct it, we’ll charge an extra 20%.”
Tian Youfu had no respect for Wang Yongshun’s work ethic. The man always slacked in the fields. Even with the 20% added, Tian Youfu still felt it wasn’t worth it!
But he had no choice—if things dragged on, the angry villagers might really throw Wang Yongshun into the Revolutionary Committee too.
Then it would make the whole brigade look bad.
Tian Youfu had no intention of interfering in Wang Yaozong’s situation. That kid was already in the Revolutionary Committee’s hands—he wouldn’t come out without suffering.
Right now, his priority was wrapping up Wang Yongshun’s situation and returning the money.
What came after? He couldn’t care less.
As soon as Tian Youfu finished speaking, Wang Yongshun gave up the act.
Now that things had gone this far, he stopped pretending and glared hatefully at Tian Youfu.
He just couldn’t understand why he had such rotten luck—why did he have to end up with Tian Youfu as brigade captain?
Trembling, Wang Yongshun pulled a thick wad of big-denomination bills out of his pocket. The eyes of everyone nearby lit up. Even while going up the mountain, he hadn’t forgotten to carry his fortune with him. His heart bled as he handed the money over.
He gave it to Tian Youfu, who split it and handed it out to the families who’d lost chickens.
People exchanged knowing looks.
That stack of bills? At least seven or eight of the big ones.
This guy really knew how to fake being poor. During the family split, he only brought out ten or so yuan.
Wang Ying watched Wang Yongshun with calm amusement. He shrank a little but quickly regained his composure.
He figured, what could Wang Ying do? Who could prove the money was hers? Was it wrong to keep a little family savings?
Wang Ying snorted and went home.
Xu Shuang, not understanding, followed her inside.
The crowd dispersed, leaving Wang Yongshun lying outside alone. His leg was injured—he couldn’t move.
But nobody wanted to bother with him. No one helped carry him to the clinic.
Wang Ying shut her door, and Xu Shuang asked in confusion, “Aren’t you going to ask him where the money came from?”
Wang Ying shrugged. “What’s there to ask? He’s not going to admit it.”
But…
Wang Ying looked relaxed. “Now that he’s flaunted his wealth, just watch.”
Sure enough, not long after, Wang Yongshun’s cries rang out outside her door.
He acted pitiful, calling Wang Ying’s name and begging her to treat him.
Wang Ying ignored him.
Wang Yongshun didn’t have any broken bones—just flesh wounds. They were serious, but not life-threatening. She wasn’t some pure-hearted saint. The man still owed the original host and her mother a debt!
After begging for a long time with no response, Wang Yongshun started cursing.
Wang Ying still didn’t react.
Soon, Wang Yongshun felt the warmth draining from his body.
He panicked. He couldn’t die!
Fortunately, Tian Youfu hadn’t forgotten about him. He brought people over and had them carry Wang Yongshun to the clinic.
As expected by Wang Ying, the people who were supposed to help were not willing—they demanded money from Wang Yongshun before agreeing to take him.
If it had been anyone else, Tian Youfu wouldn’t have allowed such a thing to happen. But since it was Wang Yongshun…
Tian Youfu said, “You all sort it out yourselves.”
The two young men immediately asked for five yuan each to take Wang Yongshun to town.
Wang Yongshun wasn’t happy and started haggling. In the end, the price was settled at six yuan.
Wang Ying couldn’t help but laugh at the voices outside.
Now that the precedent was set, Wang Yongshun wouldn’t be able to keep any of his money.
Wang Yongshun was taken to the township clinic. Li Chunjuan, who had also been beaten badly with hardly a spot on her body left unbruised, officially reunited with her husband there.
As for Wang Yaozong, after being taken away, no one heard anything further.
Wang Ying lived her days happily. She knew that eventually, the situation with Wang Yongshun’s family would come to a conclusion, so there was no rush.
However, Tian Youfu wasn’t so lucky. He had to go to the commune to write a self-criticism and came back with a dark expression for several days.
The Wang family of three—one hospitalized, one taken away—wouldn’t see a resolution anytime soon.
Around this time, all the snow had finally melted. The production brigade was preparing for the spring plowing season.
And over at Qian Juhua’s side, the day to officially divide the household had arrived.
On the day of the household split, Wang Ying didn’t attend. Such matters were usually handled quietly and privately. Blood relatives might go for the spectacle, but as someone from another family, it wasn’t necessary for her.
However, Tian Youfu did go—after all, Tian Dazhu was related to him.
Wang Ying didn’t know the details of the process, but that afternoon, Qian Juhua, having just completed her postpartum confinement, came to find her, looking more relaxed than ever before.
“Wang Ying, here,” Qian Juhua said. “This is the money for the medicine and the consultations from before.”
She handed Wang Ying a large-denomination bill.
Wang Ying didn’t refuse. After accepting it, she gave Qian Juhua seven yuan in change.
“The medicine was really cheap. You don’t need to pay that much.”
Qian Juhua tried to refuse twice, but Wang Ying wouldn’t budge. In the end, she had to accept the change.
Wang Ying asked, “Now that the household is divided, where do you plan to live?”
Qian Juhua thought for a moment. “I’m thinking either I rent a room from someone with extra space, or I live in one of those rundown houses, like the relocated urban folks do.”
Qian Juhua knew her temperament didn’t make her popular. Originally, she had planned to stay in a rundown shack. But considering that her three daughters still needed someone to care for them, she worried something bad could happen if she wasn’t around.
After all, she was the “first divorced woman” in the brigade—essentially a widow now.
Everyone said trouble always surrounded widows.
She didn’t want to remarry, but raising three daughters on her own wouldn’t be easy.
Living under someone else’s roof wasn’t ideal, but living alone might be dangerous.
Seeing her so indecisive, Wang Ying decided it was time.
She pulled Qian Juhua along to see her pig.
Confused, Qian Juhua followed, until Wang Ying laid it all out: “My uncle’s family raised this pig so poorly that it was skin and bones. All this fat came on in just the past few months.”
Qian Juhua was stunned—there wasn’t a trace of thinness on this pig!
Wang Ying continued, “I’m thinking of proposing something to the brigade leader. In the past, each household took turns raising the brigade’s pigs. I don’t think that’s effective. There’s no standard, and only the families raising pigs end up with good meat. Why not let the brigade raise some collectively? The extra fat can be divided among everyone. Even if it’s a small amount, it’s still something.”
Qian Juhua looked at Wang Ying with glowing eyes.
Wang Ying smiled. “There’s definitely a trick to pig farming. I read in a book that feeding them pig grass makes them grow slowly. But if you feed them acorns or sweet potato vines, they grow better. If our brigade plants a small patch of sweet potatoes, we can use the sweet potatoes to make vermicelli, and the leftover pulp can feed the pigs…”
Wang Ying wasn’t talking nonsense. Pig farming back then wasn’t nearly as advanced as later years. People were already short on food and couldn’t spare grains to feed livestock.
But a small patch of sweet potatoes? The brigade would probably agree.
Sweet potatoes were abundant. And they wouldn’t be feeding the pigs whole sweet potatoes, so it wouldn’t count as wasteful.
Plus, at the end of the year, everyone could get a share of vermicelli. What was there to object to?
Qian Juhua gripped Wang Ying’s hand tightly. “As long as the brigade agrees, I’ll raise the pigs fat and strong!”
Her body was weak, and she couldn’t work in the fields.
Pig raising wasn’t physically demanding—it just kept you busy. It was perfect. She could raise pigs while caring for her daughters. She didn’t mind hard work.
Since she agreed, Wang Ying took her to find Tian Youfu.
Tian Youfu was in the middle of a conversation with the party secretary, looking very pleased.
Wang Ying raised an eyebrow and asked what the good news was.
Tian Youfu was beaming. “Our brigade was assigned two more pigs this year—and two sheep!”
Wang Ying and Qian Juhua looked at each other, eyes full of excitement.
Qian Juhua was happy because her chances of raising pigs had just gone up.
But what Wang Ying was thinking was…
Lamb! Lamb dumplings, lamb buns, lamb hotpot, lamb spine stew!
