Chapter 22: Huang can’t tolerate it!

“Of course I remember you! Even if you only showed your eyes, I’d recognize you, Sister!” she said familiarly.

“I’ve been saving the chickens you wanted last time. Come and have a look!”

Without further ado, the woman pulled Shen Sisi to her stall with surprising strength.

“I’m so sorry about the other day. The city inspectors suddenly showed up, and we couldn’t complete your order.  I’ll give you a discount today, okay?”

Shen Sisi suddenly remembered her reason for being there: to buy chickens!

She needed to buy chickens to make soup for Gu Chengfeng’s welcome-home dinner.

The thought of Gu Chengfeng’s return made her heart leap with excitement.

“Okay, let’s see…”

Shen Sisi quickly chose a rooster and two hens, asking the woman to deliver them to the military compound when she had a moment.

The woman readily agreed, tying their legs with string and placing them in a separate cage.

Noticing the woman’s shrewdness and excellent memory, Shen Sisi casually asked,

“Sister, do you know where I can find some cheap vegetable oil?”

“Vegetable oil?” The woman paused her work. “Sesame oil, peanut oil, or rapeseed oil?  What do you need it for?”

The woman’s thorough questioning showed her genuine concern.

Shen Sisi paused. “It’s not for cooking. It’s for making medicinal oil for the body.  No rapeseed oil; it smells too strong. Other vegetable oils should work; I mainly need it to be cheap.”

The woman stood thoughtfully for a moment, then her eyes brightened. “That…would coconut oil work?”

Shen Sisi nodded eagerly. Why wouldn’t it?

“Yesterday, I delivered chickens to a cargo ship at the docks, and I overheard the crew complaining about huge losses on coconut oil.  Apparently, people here don’t like it, and they want to sell it cheaply. I can ask for you?”

“Would that be too much trouble?” Shen Sisi considered, thinking she could just ask for the ship’s number and go herself if necessary.

“No trouble at all. I’m delivering chickens there today anyway, so it’s just a matter of mentioning it. I’ll come to the military compound to find you later. If the price is right, I’ll bring it over when I deliver the chickens.”

No wonder this woman was such a successful businesswoman!

Shen Sisi thanked her repeatedly.

This was much more convenient and would avoid unnecessary gossip in the compound.

“Okay, I’ll wait for your news.  By the way, my name is Shen Sisi, and I live at Number 26, East District.”

“I’ve got it!”

Shen Sisi’s shopping was complete; her basket was overflowing, the cloth almost unable to contain it.

Her smile was uncontainable.

Seeing her mother struggling with the heavy basket, Niu Niu volunteered to walk and even helped carry a large cabbage.

They arrived at the family compound laughing and chatting.

As soon as they entered the gate, Shen Sisi heard a sharp, unfriendly voice.

“Wow, you bought a lot!  Things are different when you have a man supporting you, huh?”

“Who knows whose money that is…maybe she’s getting support from more than one man!”

“I saw that hoodlum causing trouble at the gate this morning. A big bald guy, looking really rough. He kept saying he was looking for Gu Chengfeng. Comrade Gu wouldn’t know someone like that; it must be for Shen Sisi!”

“Maybe it’s her outside lover…”

Shen Sisi tuned them out.

She had been patient, simply trying to avoid trouble and falling into a trap.  She had tolerated everything, but these malicious rumors were the last straw!

She put down the basket, seated Niu Niu on a chair, and touched her painfully thin face.

“Be good, Mommy’s going to play the statue game with you. Close your eyes and cover your ears.  Don’t move until I say so, okay?”

Niu Niu’s lower lip quivered. Was Mommy going to fight again?

Every time Mommy fought, she had to play statue.

Before closing her eyes, Mommy was always beautiful.

When she opened her eyes again, Mommy’s hair was messed up, or she was injured and looked disheveled.

She hated this game!

Seeing her silence and unshed tears, Shen Sisi managed a weak smile. “Be good, listen…”

Niu Niu reluctantly closed her eyes and covered her ears, her practiced movements heartbreaking.

Shen Sisi then stood up, removed the red coat Gu Chengfeng had given her, and draped it over Niu Niu. Then, rolling up her sleeves, she walked behind Zhang Xiuhong and Yang Qiuxia and grabbed a handful of each woman’s hair.

“People with dirty minds see dirt everywhere.  Let me help you clean up your thoughts…”

Despite her delicate appearance, Shen Sisi was surprisingly strong; years of fighting hadn’t been for nothing!

Zhang Xiuhong and Yang Qiuxia were mid-gossip when they felt a sudden tightening on their scalps.  By the time they realized what was happening, it was too late. Shen Sisi had them firmly by the hair, preventing them from turning around.  Any movement caused a sharp, stinging pain.

They could only flail and shriek like angry chickens.

Shen Sisi hadn’t used excessive force, employing skillful technique to inflict maximum pain without pulling out their hair.

Her control was perfect!

“You say I spend men’s money?  Well, haven’t you two ever spent a man’s money?”

“And you’re spreading these vile rumors…Did you actually see me with a lover, or did the man himself tell you? If you can’t give me a clear explanation, we’re going to the police station to sort this out!”

Shen Sisi’s voice was calm, yet her authority was undeniable.

Zhang Xiuhong cried out in pain, occasionally letting slip a few choice curses. “I know it, so what?”

“You dared to touch me, Shen Sisi, you’re finished…”

“Ow, ow, ow!  This shameless slut, just you wait, I’ll ruin you!”

“Ruin me?” Shen Sisi laughed, her anger boiling over. “Fine, let’s see who gets ruined!”

With a slight tightening of her wrists, Shen Sisi sent Zhang Xiuhong and Yang Qiuxia sprawling to the ground.

The two women were writhing in pain, unable to get up before Shen Sisi knelt, pinning the back of their necks with one hand each.

“I said that man was suspicious, acting strangely, like he was looking for Gu Chengfeng for revenge.  It turns out he’s your man. Tell me, what were you planning to do to Gu Chengfeng?”

What?

Zhang Xiuhong was speechless. They had only been spreading rumors about Shen Sisi to get her out of the compound.

Shen Sisi was truly ruthless, framing them with such a serious accusation!

Yang Qiuxia’s face turned ashen. She looked at Shen Sisi in shock. “You…don’t make false accusations.”

The onlookers were also shocked and began to intervene.

“You can’t just say anything! If he really was there for revenge or even an enemy agent, they’ll go to jail…”

In the early 1980s, after the opening up, many enemy agents had infiltrated the country, and a crackdown was underway; no one dared to be involved.

“Comrade Shen, please don’t wrongly accuse them…”

“Sister Xiuhong and Sister Qiuxia are gossipy, but they would never hire someone to harm your Gu Chengfeng. There must be a misunderstanding…”

“Misunderstanding?” Shen Sisi’s gaze swept across the crowd.

“When they were spreading those vile rumors about me, where was your concern then?  Did you offer any words of support or say there might be a misunderstanding?”