Chapter 33

He Xianqiu knew how to eat but not how to cook, and it wasn’t meal time yet, so she stayed inside the house grinding dried herbs for Grandpa Zhong.

Ji Chen Zhou, meanwhile, was working in the fields, so if they wanted to have barbecue, they’d have to wait until he returned so they could cook together.

Soon, He Xianqiu heard noises outside the door. She set down the tools she was using to grind the medicine, got up, and ran to the entrance to open it.

When she opened the door and saw who it was, she felt disappointed—it was an older woman she didn’t know, about forty or fifty.

The woman seemed to have been stung by a bee on the forehead, where there was a swollen lump. Her clothes were patched all over and washed until they were faded almost white.

She had a sharp, mean look to her face, with upturned eyes that gave her a disagreeable expression.

When she saw He Xianqiu, she exclaimed in surprise, “He Zhiqing, what are you doing here?”

He Xianqiu hadn’t expected this auntie to recognize her, so she nodded and said, “I had something to do, so I came over.”

The woman nodded, then shoved He Xianqiu aside without ceremony and swaggered right in.

He Xianqiu was pushed back a few steps, stunned. She hadn’t expected the woman to be so rude.

When Grandpa Zhong looked up and saw who had come in, his expression went cold. He asked flatly, “What do you want?”

The woman planted her hands on her hips and snapped in a nasty tone, “Are you blind? Can’t you see the lump on my forehead?”

She gave Grandpa Zhong a contemptuous glance. “I got stung by a bee, it hurts like hell. Take a look and get me some medicine.”

When she finished speaking, she even found herself a seat and sat down like she owned the place.

Listening to her shrill, rude voice, He Xianqiu opened her mouth, ready to say something to this woman, but Grandpa Zhong gave her a look, signaling not to interfere. So she could only stand there, puffing her cheeks in silent anger.

Grandpa Zhong’s circumstances weren’t good—he didn’t dare pick a fight. After all, he was just an old man with brittle bones, and he couldn’t bring himself to stoop to harming people by cutting corners with medicine.

He could tell He Xianqiu wanted to speak up for him, but with his status as a “bad element,” it was better if she didn’t.

Grandpa Zhong found a packet of medicinal herbs and handed it over. The woman snatched it unceremoniously, looked at the small amount, and sneered in astonishment, “Just this little bit? You old reactionary, trying to cheat me?”

Hearing her question his ethics and imply he was cheating, Grandpa Zhong’s hands trembled with anger.

He forced himself to keep calm and said, “That’s the amount you need. Go home and apply it, the swelling will go down.”

But the coarse woman decided he was belittling her and started shrieking, her voice shrill and piercing, “You damned reactionary, who do you think you’re looking down on? You’re nothing but one of the ‘Five Black Categories.’ Ptui!”

As she spoke, she spat a wad of phlegm onto the floor, thoroughly disgusting both He Xianqiu and Grandpa Zhong.

He Xianqiu found her behavior utterly revolting.

Then she watched, eyes wide, as the woman stuffed the medicine into her pocket and prepared to leave, obviously unwilling to pay.

He Xianqiu called out coldly, “Auntie, aren’t you going to pay for your treatment?”

The woman looked back at her, chin up, and nodded smugly. “No. Why should I? I’ve been coming here for years to get medicine and never paid a cent. Why pay a reactionary?”

Then she had the gall to look He Xianqiu over and say earnestly, “You should learn from me. No need to pay this old reactionary anything.”

She shot Grandpa Zhong another scornful glare, her eyes full of contempt.

Hearing her shameless logic, He Xianqiu was practically speechless. She’d never seen someone so brazen—getting free treatment for years and still acting like she was entitled to it.

It was like the real-life version of The Farmer and the Snake, happening right before her eyes.

He Xianqiu really wanted to crack open her skull to see what was inside—how could someone be this thick-skinned and feel so self-satisfied about it, even encouraging others to follow her example as if it were right and proper?

The more she thought about it, the less she could tolerate it.

Grandpa Zhong didn’t want her to argue, afraid it would implicate her, and knew this woman wouldn’t listen anyway—her face was as thick as a city wall.

But He Xianqiu felt she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

After all, for years this woman had gotten free treatment and bossed Grandpa Zhong around like a servant.

She forced a polite smile but was cursing her in her heart.

“Auntie,” she said sweetly, “the brigade appointed Doctor Zhong as our team doctor because re-education works—he can be reformed. Besides, he treats people and benefits the whole brigade. Don’t you think that if you behave like this, it makes our brigade look bad? That we bully people who are trying to reform, mooch free care, and have no shame?”

The woman was briefly speechless and stammered, “Well, that’s because he’s a reactionary…”

He Xianqiu kept smiling. “But when you do this, you shame all of Qinggang Brigade. Bullying a doctor is no small matter. If you provoke him into a heart attack, do you think the whole team will just watch? Who knows whether the brigade will let you off.”

She enunciated clearly, her voice soft but firm. “After all, there’s only one team doctor. If something happened to him, the whole brigade would be furious. So, are you really not going to pay?”

As He Xianqiu spoke, she painted the consequences worse and worse. The woman began to feel scared.

If this old man really dropped dead, wouldn’t everyone tear her to pieces? After all, the team doctor saved them a fortune in hospital trips.

Swallowing nervously, the woman pulled out a crumpled dime and handed it over, her face pained as though she were cutting off a piece of her own flesh.

Hearing she’d been coming here for years without ever paying, He Xianqiu smiled, her tone even calmer:

“Years of free treatment, and that’s all you’re giving? In that case, I’d better go ask the team leader to mediate.”

She started to open the door, lifting her foot to step out.

The woman rushed over to block her path, forcing a smile. “I’ll pay, I’ll pay—no need to go.”

Seeing her surrender, He Xianqiu’s smile broadened.

But when the woman saw her smile, she shivered, feeling an inexplicable chill.

Inside, she was cursing He Xianqiu—meddling little bitch—but she didn’t dare say it out loud. This girl was too crafty—she couldn’t outmatch her.

With trembling fingers, she took out a few more bills, her heart bleeding.

He Xianqiu asked softly, “Doctor Zhong, how much does she owe in total?”

Thinking of all the times this mean woman had come by for free, Grandpa Zhong didn’t hesitate: “At least five yuan.”

The woman’s eyes bulged. “How can it be that much? You’re robbing me!”

“It may be more,” Grandpa Zhong said calmly. “I can count it out for you if you’d like.”

Hearing it might be even more, she thought of all those visits—hers and her family’s—and panicked. She quickly fished out a five-yuan note and shoved it at him.

When she handed it over, her face was a picture of agony. Five yuan was a fortune—enough to buy seven or eight catties of pork. Just like that, gone. Her pocket felt as if it had caved in.

Grandpa Zhong took the money, but she held onto it tightly, refusing to let go.

He Xianqiu sighed. “Auntie, if you think it’s unfair, we can always ask the team leader to decide.”

The woman instantly released her grip.

Grandpa Zhong pocketed the bills with perfect composure. Seeing her expression of pain and grievance, He Xianqiu felt very satisfied.

People like her deserved no sympathy.

After paying, the woman left, her face still twisted with misery.

Once she was gone, Grandpa Zhong took out the money and offered it to He Xianqiu. “This is thanks to you, child. I wouldn’t have gotten it otherwise.”

He Xianqiu shook her head and smiled. “You earned this, Grandpa. I don’t want it.”

Then she remembered she hadn’t yet given him the milk powder she’d brought, so she quickly dug it out of her bundle and handed it over.

“Grandpa, this milk powder is delicious and good for older folks. It’s for you.”

Grandpa Zhong shook his head. “Milk powder isn’t cheap. You should keep it for yourself.”

He Xianqiu looked him in the eye. “Grandpa, I already think of you as family. Please take it.”

Hearing this, he sighed and accepted, though he felt warm and happy inside. Having a granddaughter was really quite nice.

By this time, it was getting late. Ji Chen Zhou still hadn’t returned, so He Xianqiu decided to start preparing the meat and washing the vegetables.

She didn’t know how to cut meat, so she left that to Grandpa Zhong while she cleaned the vegetables.

Simple tasks like washing were something she could manage—she scrubbed them thoroughly several times and set them aside to drain.

She’d been craving barbecue for days, but there hadn’t been tools. Ji Chen Zhou, hearing about it, had made her a grill rack himself.

But he’d been too busy lately to hunt, and she hadn’t been able to go to the commune to buy anything, so they’d put it off.

Yesterday, she’d finally gone to the commune and bought three catties of pork, half lean, half fatty—perfect for grilling.

Just imagining the juicy, tender meat and the sweet roasted vegetables made He Xianqiu almost giddy with anticipation.

First, though, she needed to make her special dipping sauce—her secret recipe.

Since Ji Chen Zhou and Grandpa Zhong didn’t eat very spicy food, she made a milder version for them. But her own sauce was full of chopped bird’s-eye chilies.

To her, chili was the soul of barbecue. Even without chili powder or chili oil, the fresh peppers from Grandpa Zhong’s garden had their own special flavor.