Chapter 12

“Your mother is dead!”

With his expression changing abruptly, Song Xingguo roared furiously, swinging his arm and punching and kicking Song Chunhua. His eyes were fierce as he gripped her neck tightly and questioned, “Why didn’t you stop her? Why?”

Just thinking about the day’s events made Song Xingguo feel humiliated. At the commune, he had been scolded like a dog in front of everyone, forced to lower himself to apologize and make promises. All of it had been caused by that wretched woman Zhao Wanmiao. And this useless girl, who just watched Zhao Wanmiao make a mistake without stopping her, he couldn’t help but use more force.

“Cough… cough…”

Song Chunzhi noticed Song Chunhua’s coughing was getting weaker and her face was losing color. She quickly spoke up, “Dad, let go first. Chunhua is going to stop breathing…” Though she did hate Song Chunhua, she didn’t want a murderer for a father. That would make her background a problem too.

“Xingguo, let go…”

Chen Xiuying rushed in from the front door, and seeing the scene before her, she hurried over to pry Song Xingguo’s hands away. Though this useless girl Song Chunhua might deserve to die, she wasn’t worth ruining Song Xingguo’s future. Holding on to him, she cried out, “Son, don’t act on impulse. Let’s talk things out.”

“Mom.”

Song Xingguo glanced at Chen Xiuying’s face and finally released his grip. However, the anger and hostility on his face remained, making him look terrifying. Now, everyone in the village, the brigade, and even the commune knew that his wife had been caught practicing feudal superstition. The reputation he had built over decades was completely ruined.

“Cough cough… cough…”

Song Chunhua clutched her neck and gasped desperately for air. Her face was pale, her eyes filled with deep fear. She lowered her head and kept shrinking back, terrified that Song Xingguo might come at her again.

Song Jiawang stood on the side like a frightened quail, blinking his small black eyes repeatedly, his face full of tension. It wasn’t unusual for Song Xingguo to hit people at home, but the twisted expression on his face when he choked Song Chunhua had truly scared him.

“Xingguo, drink some water and calm down.” Seeing that his expression had softened a little, Chen Xiuying finally let go of his arm. She scooped a bowl of cold water and handed it to him, speaking earnestly. “Things have already come to this. Even if you beat her to death now, it won’t change anything. Keep her alive, she can still be worth some money later. If something happens to you, how will your mother live?”

She held her chest as she spoke and studied Song Xingguo’s face. Seeing that he had calmed down, she quickly asked, “What did the brigade say about your wife’s matter? It won’t affect Guoming, right?”

When she heard the word “money,” Song Chunzhi trembled slightly. Her lowered eyelids hid the rage in her eyes. In their minds, girls were nothing more than tools to exchange for money. Her previous life had been living proof of that, and now they even said it so openly in front of her. It was absolutely outrageous.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Song Chunhua, who was still sobbing softly. The so-called beloved heroine of a sweet romance novel? It seemed all of it had been a lie.

“The commune let her off this time since it was her first offense. After some criticism and education, she’ll be sent to the farm at the stationed outpost for three days of reform,” Song Xingguo said through gritted teeth, filled with resentment.

“That’s only because the village chief didn’t report what Zhao Wanmiao shouted in public. Otherwise, she might not be coming back at all. The village chief was furious. He said she would have to admit her mistakes publicly at the next village assembly and do an extra month of work for the brigade.”

Chen Xiuying let out a sigh of relief. She felt lucky that her youngest son, Song Guoming, hadn’t been implicated. If he had, she wouldn’t have let Zhao Wanmiao off easily. In a gentler voice, she said to Song Xingguo, “It’s good then. It’s just Zhao Wanmiao being punished, and our Song family isn’t dragged down. Your Uncle Qingde still sides with us. Losing face is better than getting denounced. Once Zhao Wanmiao returns, you must make sure she follows the rules and doesn’t go against the brigade again.”

“I know, Mom,” Song Xingguo replied stiffly. In his heart, he was already planning to teach Zhao Wanmiao a harsh lesson once she returned. He would beat her so badly she couldn’t get up. Then she’d know better than to cause trouble again.

“Dad, you’ve had a long day. Go have dinner and rest,” Song Chunzhi said. Her stomach was growling, and she had no interest in witnessing any more touching scenes between Song Xingguo and Chen Xiuying. Pretending to care, she handed him a pair of chopsticks, then turned to Chen Xiuying and added, “Grandma, you should eat with us too.”

“Alright. I’ll see how well you’ve taught Chunhua to cook.” Chen Xiuying didn’t refuse. She was sure Song Chunhua’s cooking wouldn’t be any good since she was just learning, but food was scarce these days. If she didn’t eat, her youngest son could have more. Just thinking of his thin frame made her heart ache.

Meals were prepared based on the number of people eating. Song Chunzhi glanced at the small amount of food on the table, but it had nothing to do with her. Seeing that Song Xingguo and Chen Xiuying had started eating, she quickly sat down as well. She had worked all day and was determined to eat her fill.

“Big Sis, you forgot to put salt in the food,” Song Jiawang said, hurrying over to eat now that the drama was over. He put a bite in his mouth and immediately spit it out, shouting toward Song Chunzhi.

She shot him a glare and said coldly, “Why are you telling me? I didn’t cook. Go get the salt jar, and I’ll add it.”

“Oh.” Normally, Song Jiawang wouldn’t have wanted to do it, but after seeing how terrifying Song Xingguo had looked earlier, he didn’t argue. He got up quickly and handed the salt jar to Song Chunzhi.

She carefully added some salt and, before Chen Xiuying could move, stirred the food with her chopsticks. She didn’t want to eat anything that had her grandmother’s saliva on it. In the past, every time Chen Xiuying ate, she would suck hard on her chopstick tips after each bite.

“You didn’t put salt in the food. Are you a pig?”

Song Xingguo looked at Song Chunhua with disgust and scolded her harshly. At the side, Song Jiawang added with a smug tone, “Dad, if Grandma and I hadn’t come back earlier, Second Sister would’ve burned down the kitchen. Look over there, that black mark is what she did.”

Song Xingguo’s gaze swept in that direction and sure enough, the area around the stove was pitch black. Enraged, he shouted at Song Chunhua, “Get out, you worthless thing!”

Song Chunhua cautiously shifted toward the door. She had only eaten one boiled egg in the morning, and now she was both hungry and in pain. Hearing those words, she froze and looked up into Song Xingguo’s fierce eyes. She didn’t dare make a sound and quickly shrank back as she left the kitchen.

Song Chunzhi finished eating quickly and rushed out of the kitchen, not wanting to stay a second longer in such a toxic place. As for who would do the dishes, that was none of her concern. She rinsed off briefly with water and returned to her room, pulling the curtains closed to shut out the outside world.

The next morning, Song Chunzhi woke up to daylight and felt genuinely relieved. So it turned out that sleeping didn’t mean her soul would leave her body. That was a blessing, because going without rest both day and night would have been too exhausting.

“Hello… hello hello…”

The voice of Village chief Song Qingde crackled from the loudspeaker, accompanied by bursts of static. “Team Two… Team Two members, gather at the brigade entrance after breakfast. Every member must attend, no exceptions… no exceptions…”

Upon hearing the broadcast, there was no need to guess; it was clearly about yesterday’s incident. Looks like Song Xingguo was going to be embarrassed again today.

In high spirits, Song Chunzhi got out of bed. While washing her face, she saw that Song Chunhua was actually cooking in the kitchen. With a teasing glint in her almond-shaped eyes, she thought, Looks like she’s learned her lesson. In the past, Song Chunhua would only get out of bed after being called, even when the food was ready.

“Chun… Eldest Sister…”

Seeing Song Chunzhi in the courtyard, Song Chunhua quickly came to the kitchen door. When she met her sister’s cold expression, she hastily corrected her address and nervously pleaded, her eyes slightly red, “Please don’t tell Dad. I didn’t eat anything all day yesterday… I was just too hungry.”

Song Chunzhi glanced at the crumbs of steamed bun stuck at the corner of her mouth, then silently turned away to finish washing her face. Just then, she heard Song Jiawang complaining, “Second Sister, why are you making cucumbers again? I want stir-fried eggs.”

“I don’t know how to make it…” Song Chunhua felt her head ache just looking at her difficult younger brother. How had she never realized before how fussy he was?

“If you don’t know, then learn! Ask Eldest Sister. Her arm might be hurt, but her mouth works fine.”

Hearing that, Song Chunzhi let out a cold hum. How thoughtful of you, assigning tasks to me so clearly.

In the end, Song Jiawang didn’t get his scrambled eggs. Song Xingguo came out of the east room with a dark expression, and Song Jiawang didn’t dare make another fuss. He could only glare at Song Chunhua with his beady black eyes. It was all her fault. If she had just made the scrambled eggs earlier, there wouldn’t have been any trouble.

“Why are we having a meeting at this time? Don’t we have to go to work too?”

“What else could it be about? Obviously it’s about Zhao Wanmiao… I’m telling you, she sure has guts. Wonder how she’s doing now…”

“Zhao Wanmiao didn’t come home last night. She must have been detained. Serves her right for practicing feudal superstition,” Li Yufeng gossiped happily in the crowd, her face beaming with delight. She was overjoyed at Zhao Wanmiao’s misfortune.

“That Zhao Wanmiao really brought shame to our Xishan Village…”

Everyone’s eyes drifted back and forth over the Song family. Although Song Chunhua had applied medicine to her face, there were still visible signs of being beaten. With everyone whispering around her, she just wanted to crawl into a hole. It was utterly humiliating.

Song Chunzhi, however, didn’t care at all about what the villagers were saying. Her round eyes scanned the crowd, and when she spotted Village Doctor Ye, she quickly approached him and called softly, “Uncle Ye.”

“Chunzhi, is your arm feeling better?” Doctor Ye had been talking with someone nearby, but when he saw her, he smiled warmly. He felt sorry for this girl. His wife had told him that she had gone up the mountain to pick mushrooms just yesterday. The Song family really didn’t care for their children at all.

Song Chunzhi nodded and pulled him aside to ask in a hushed voice, “Uncle Ye, does the county’s supply and marketing cooperative accept medicinal herbs?”

“Herbs?” Doctor Ye was slightly surprised. After a glance around, he lowered his voice and said, “The supply and marketing cooperative doesn’t buy them. You have to go to the traditional medicine purchasing station on the back street. But processed herbs fetch a better price. If you bring unprocessed ones, it’s not really worth it. Are you planning to sell herbs?”

She nodded again, her almond eyes filled with a touch of grievance as she looked at him and said awkwardly, “Uncle Ye, I’m already a grown girl. I can’t keep wearing my younger sister’s hand-me-downs…”

“Sigh…”

Doctor Ye let out a long sigh. Of course he knew about her situation: unloved by both her father and mother, and working all day like a spinning top. With a heart full of sympathy, he said, “If you don’t know how to process the herbs, just come ask me. But don’t go too deep into the mountains, it’s dangerous.”

“Thank you, Uncle Ye.” Song Chunzhi could feel his genuine concern, and her nose stung with emotion as she quickly expressed her gratitude.

Thankfully, she had asked. If she had gone straight to the cooperative with the herbs, she would’ve made a fool of herself.

“Everyone, listen up! There are two matters to address at today’s meeting. First, our team member Zhao Wanmiao openly engaged in feudal superstition at home. This is a serious violation of regulations. The brigade and commune have dealt with it sternly. She has already been sent to the farm for reform. Let this be a warning to all…”