Chapter 30.1

Chuchu’s shout startled not only the people in the village but also Qin Lei’s family, who lived closest to him.

Qin Lei and Zhu Hongxia had gone to bed early. When they woke up to the commotion, they took a bit of pleasure in Qin Qingman’s misfortune, laughing quietly at the thought that thieves had hit the Qin household. After all, their family hadn’t received any of the meat that Qin Qingman’s family had recently acquired; it seemed better off stolen.

However, after a few murmurs, Qin Lei noticed that something wasn’t right.

The winter was harsh and firewood scarce, so it was impossible to keep every stove heated. During the cold season, all five members of the family slept together on the same heated bed, each with their own cover. Qin Caiyun, his daughter, slept at the foot of the bed, separated by a small curtain for modesty.

Suddenly, Qin Lei sensed an empty space beside him.

Turning his head, he realized that both Qin Jianming and Qin Jianjun were missing from the bed.

Where could these two children possibly go in the middle of the night? It wasn’t as if they’d hold hands and go to the toilet together. The thought of their two sons’ usual craving for meat struck him like a pang, and he sat up immediately.

“What’s wrong with you, husband?” Zhu Hongxia, who had been resting due to her injury, had been lying in bed for so long that she’d begun to sleep excessively, and the more she slept, the less tired she felt. Seeing Qin Lei sit up, she instantly felt alert.

“Jianming and Jianjun aren’t home.” Qin Lei replied, his forehead breaking out in a cold sweat.

He could already hear the voice of the village head, Zheng Anguo, coming from Qin Qingman’s courtyard.

While security matters were officially handled by the Security Officer, Zheng Anguo had immense authority in the village. Even Qian Xiangyang, the Security Officer himself, deferred to him.

“Wh… what do you mean?” Zhu Hongxia heard Qin Lei’s words clearly, but she could hardly believe that the two thieves caught at the Qin household were her own sons.

In those days, punishment for thievery was severe. At best, they’d face public criticism and education from the whole village. At worst, they could be sent to a labor farm for reeducation through labor. Once at the farm, the workload would be far more intense than simply working at home with the village to earn labor points; it would be relentless hard labor.

More importantly, there would be the disgrace.

Suddenly, Zhu Hongxia’s heart raced with panic, and she turned toward the quiet end of the bed, shouting, “Caiyun, Caiyun!”

In truth, Qin Caiyun had woken up long ago—not from her parents’ conversation, but from the moment she sensed Qin Jianming and Qin Jianjun sneaking out to commit their thievery. She had stayed silent, lying there and simply waiting.

If her two brothers managed to steal the meat, she would get a share. If they got caught, it would have nothing to do with her.

Her plan was clear, and she had intended to pretend to sleep until morning, but Zhu Hongxia had called her out.

With no other choice, Qin Caiyun had to sit up, feigning innocence as she replied, “Mother, what’s going on?”

“What’s going on? Where are your two brothers?” Zhu Hongxia’s tone was already loaded with anger.

Qin Caiyun mentally rolled her eyes, but outwardly she maintained a look of surprise. “Mother, I don’t know. I just woke up.”

“Are you dead asleep, or are you a corpse? Your two brothers go missing, and you know nothing? What use is there in having you? You’re no help to this family at all—now hurry up and help me up.” Ever since Liu Hechang had broken off his engagement with Qin Caiyun, Zhu Hongxia knew her daughter’s reputation was tarnished, making it incredibly difficult to find her a good match.

With little chance of marrying into a family that could benefit their own, Qin Caiyun was now just another mouth to feed, and Zhu Hongxia’s patience with her daughter had waned. If it weren’t for her injury, she’d have wanted to marry her off to just anyone to be rid of her.

Qin Caiyun felt a pang of anger as her mother scolded her, almost to the point of internal injury.

Neither of her brothers listened to her; it wasn’t as if she had any control over them. She grumbled inwardly, but in the end, she bit her tongue and got up to help her mother.

As for Qin Lei, the moment he realized that the likely culprits were his two sons, he was already up and dressing.

He had to go retrieve them.

The difference in society’s eyes between those who had been through labor reform and those who hadn’t was vast. It would affect their future jobs and marriages, and he could not let his sons end up in a labor camp.

With a grim expression, Qin Lei wrapped himself up against the cold and headed out.

Villagers, alerted by the theft at Qin Qingman’s home, had each grabbed a lantern and made their way there. The spacious courtyard was now brightly lit by the gathered lanterns. Qin Lei pushed his way into the courtyard, and the first sight he caught was the three figures who’d just been dragged out of the pit.

Two of those silhouettes were all too familiar to him; he’d recognize them even if they were turned to dust.

“Secretary Zheng, Officer Qian, these two kids are still young. It’s our failure as parents for not teaching them better. I beg you, please, give them a chance to make amends.” For the sake of his sons, Qin Lei cast aside all pride, kneeling down before Zheng Anguo and Qian Xiangyang.

This was a gesture of utmost sincerity.

Seeing Qin Lei kneel so abruptly shocked everyone, from Zheng Anguo to the gathered villagers, and even Qin Jianming and Qin Jianjun, who were shivering in the cold, burst into tears.

They must have caused some tremendous trouble for their father to kneel in public like this.

Off to the side, Qin Shu, Qin Shi, and Jiang Linshan wore conflicted expressions. They’d been the first to arrive at the Qin family’s courtyard and had immediately recognized the culprits. For a moment, they’d hesitated, considering letting the boys off the hook.

But as more villagers arrived, any intention they’d had to cover things up vanished.

“Qin Lei, ‘A father’s failure is to blame when his children go astray.’ What do you think you’re doing, kneeling like this? You’re being ridiculous! Somebody, pull him up.” Zheng Anguo was genuinely furious. Initially, he’d intended to settle this issue quietly within the village, with the three young thieves masked to keep things discreet. Most of the villagers would turn a blind eye if they knew who was responsible. But Qin Lei had to ruin it with this public display of guilt. How could Zheng dare to bend the rules even slightly after that?

What a pig-headed move.

Now, thanks to this mess, Kaoshan Village was bound to get a reputation among the other teams.

The sight of Qin Lei made Zheng Anguo’s liver ache with frustration.

In those days, food was scarce everywhere, and almost every village dealt with some petty theft. Usually, if there was no major damage, they’d educate the offenders and let it slide—it was better to cover things up than to blow them open. Reputation mattered, after all, no matter the era.

But that fool Qin Lei had completely lost his head. It was enough to make anyone explode with anger.

With a darkened expression, Zheng Anguo strode into the main hall of Chuchu’s home.

It was the dead of night, freezing cold, and it was impossible to hold any sort of interrogation outside—stand out there too long, and one would go numb all over.

Seeing Zheng Anguo head into Chuchu’s house, Qian Xiangyang quickly gathered a few men to haul in Qin Jianming and the other culprits. They’d been left shivering outside for two hours already; any more of this “education” and they might end up frozen half to death.

Qin Shi and his companions, who had arrived first, were close by and happened to fall within Qian Xiangyang’s chosen group.

Dragging the three trembling troublemakers, the group filed into Chuchu’s home.

Since Qin Lei had already spoken up and knelt down, this “hearing” would inevitably include him, so he too was brought inside.

As for the rest of the villagers, Qian Xiangyang waved them off, signaling everyone to disperse.

It was the dead of winter—visibility was poor, the weather was cold, and Chuchu’s house was too small to accommodate such a crowd. He encouraged everyone to head home quickly before anyone got sick; otherwise, there’d be no celebrating the New Year.

The villagers, understanding the situation, willingly went back home without needing to see the outcome. Still, the night’s events would likely keep many awake for hours.

Such an incident had never happened in their village before. Food was precious, and every family guarded their supply fiercely. If they caught anyone stealing from them, they’d deal a punishing blow—family survival was, after all, more important than anything.

“The Qin family really lacks a man in the household.” someone murmured to their family on the way back, sighing. “Without a man around, they’re bound to attract this kind of petty thievery.”

“But didn’t Qingman find herself a partner?” another replied. “Once they’re together, no one would dare target their household anymore.”

Someone interjected, “Having a fiancé, so what? Qingman is a girl; she’ll marry out of the family. Once she’s gone, Chuchu’s only five years old—how could a five-year-old guard against thieves? Look, the sort of thing that happened to the Qin family today is bound to happen again.”

“Chuchu is so young, surely Qingman will take him with her when she marries, right?” one villager doubted that Qin Qingman would abandon her little brother.

“Chuchu is her family’s child. Which husband’s family would be so generous as to take in an extra mouth? He’d need feeding for at least another ten years—who has surplus grain for that? Just watch, after Qingman marries, her in-laws will surely start scheming against poor Chuchu.”

“Don’t say such ominous things! Qingman wouldn’t just leave Chuchu behind. Besides, the man she’s marrying is said to be a soldier, a Colonel even. Surely someone in his position could afford to support an extra mouth.”

“Exactly! Look at the widow in our village—ever since her son joined the army, her household has been better off. She has plenty to eat and drink, and her life is much better than ours.”

“Oh, what do you know? Qingman did find herself a capable man, but doesn’t he have family of his own? Would his family be so willing to support a little brother-in-law? And what happens once Qingman has kids of her own? She doesn’t work; both she and her children would rely on her husband’s support. With so many people to look after, even a kind man’s priorities could shift over time.”

“You’ve got a point. The older generation believes that more children bring more blessings. The only reason each family here doesn’t have more children is the lack of food. But if they had the means, they’d have six or seven kids. With a good foundation, Qingman’s husband might have a big family himself.”

“So what you’re saying is, after Qingman marries, Chuchu’s days might get tough.”

—o—o—o—