Chapter 15: The Truth Will Out

Hu Sifeng spread her arms to block the way. “On what grounds are you searching my son’s house? We’ve been poor farmers for three generations! You, Zeng Fumao, are leading the persecution of poor people. I’m going to report you to the commune.”

Zeng Fumao scoffed. “Who said anything about searching your house? Did anyone here hear me say that?”

“No!”

“With the disaster so severe, is it wrong for me to lead a team to inspect your son’s house for damage?”

Zeng Fumao wasn’t doing this without reason. Besides feeling sorry for Zeng Yanne and wanting to support her, he had another goal: to kill two birds with one stone. There were a few young men in the team who had been up to no good lately, and their homes were probably hiding things that shouldn’t be there. If someone with bad intentions caught wind of it, it would be an easy way to blackmail them. Taking people into the Zeng house was also a warning to those young men to get rid of their ill-gotten gains quickly. He didn’t have much patience; next time, he would find another excuse to search homes. If he found stolen goods, he wouldn’t hesitate to turn them over to the commune. It was better to act first than to suffer later.

Zeng Yanne couldn’t read minds, so she didn’t know that the vigorous village leader had a dual purpose in mind. She was in a staring contest with Zeng Fugui, her gaze provocative, his filled with vicious hatred. A small smile appeared on Zeng Yanne’s lips, and she made a motion to rub her eyes. Seeing Zeng Fugui immediately fly into a rage, ready to hit her, her smile grew wider. It was quite fun to play with the dog.

Having teased the dog, Zeng Yanne’s gaze shifted to Sun Jiazhi. The woman’s eyes didn’t waver, showing only scrutiny without a hint of emotion. This woman was the only one qualified to be her opponent. As for the other members of the Zeng family whom she hadn’t met, her cheap grandfather, nicknamed “the quiet one,” wasn’t quiet at all—the name meant he was secretly bad. The book had described him, so he was someone to watch out for. Zeng Yanling wasn’t a bad person, and she would help her if the opportunity arose.

Zeng Yanne also put her three nominal older brothers on her “not interested” list. Although these people hadn’t actively harmed her, their cold indifference was enough to chill her to the bone. She didn’t have the energy to deal with them for now, but if they ever got out of line, they shouldn’t blame her for being ruthless.

The large crowd poured into Zeng Fugui’s house. The small courtyard couldn’t hold everyone, and even the one-meter-wide alley outside was packed. The nosy ones climbed onto the walls to watch the show.

The lean-to storage room was kicked open, and the original owner’s small refuge was revealed to everyone. A rat scurried away from the bed, startled. A fifteen-year-old girl lived with absolutely no dignity. All her belongings couldn’t even fill a half-sized sack. The soft-hearted women in the crowd had already started wiping away tears.

“What kind of life is this? A doghouse would be bigger than this.”

“The kid is so lucky to be alive. The snow is so heavy here in the winter. If this shack collapsed, she would’ve been crushed to death.”

“Not even the most heartless parents would do something so immoral. Yanne is right—she must be the child of the Zeng family’s enemy.”

When Sun Jiazhi heard the words “the child of their enemy,” she suddenly looked up at Zeng Yanne. There was no need for further probing; both of them understood that the answer had been revealed.

Even Zeng Fumao was stunned by the sight. The old village secretary had retired, and no one had taken his place yet. Zeng Fumao held both positions and was too busy organizing production to handle personal matters. He had stopped Zeng Fugui from hitting Yanne a few times before. He never thought that this cold-blooded Zeng family would treat the child this way behind closed doors.

Thinking about it, Zeng Fumao looked ashamed. “Yanne, I didn’t do my duty. I didn’t care for you and your life enough. Uncle Fumao is so sorry.”

Timing is not as important as location, and location is not as important as people. The reactions of everyone, including the village leader, were all within Zeng Yanne’s expectations.

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The Xiangyang village was located in a secluded spot, and all its members had proper revolutionary credentials. There were no landlords or rich farmers. Besides a few troublemakers who ran around outside, most people had never had to deal with the so-called “five categories” of bad people, and the village’s livestock sheds were filled with animals, not “bad people.” They hadn’t experienced the cruelty of the times, and their simple, honest nature made them feel sympathy for her plight. As she knew, even the Song family, who were considered the most patriarchal in the village, didn’t make the sisters Laidi and Zhaodi live in a storage shed.

Little Yanne shook her head. “Every debt has a debtor, Uncle Fumao. This has nothing to do with you, and you don’t need to apologize.” She then spoke plainly. “Zeng Fugui hit me with all his might, Hu Sifeng used me like a donkey, and the whole family forced me to live in that lean-to. I used to not understand why, but my mom always told me that to achieve great things, one must first suffer a strong will and endure hardship. She said it was a test from the heavens, and once I endured it, I would become as strong as a man.”

“That’s a load of bull!” The hot-tempered old Granny Yu, a martyr’s relative who held a high status in the village, couldn’t help but curse. “She talks a better game than she plays. Sun Jiazhi, I have just one question for you: why didn’t you put yourself to the test?”

“Exactly! Why don’t you sleep in the shed, keep company with rats, and let mosquitoes feast on your blood?”

The accusations from the crowd grew louder and louder. Sun Jiazhi had become the target of everyone’s anger. She shrank back behind Zeng Fugui, crying and weeping. “Yanne, you’re lying! I never said that. I couldn’t stop her father from hitting her, and my mother-in-law hates me. I have no say in this family.”

Yeah, you never gave orders. You just added to the chaos from behind the scenes.

Sun Jiazhi was Zeng Fugui’s sore spot. He couldn’t stand to see her cry and wished he could strangle the troublemaking Zeng Yanne. He turned red with rage and bellowed at the people filling his yard. “I’m her father! I’ll do whatever I want with her, and it’s none of your business! Get out, all of you, get out!”

There were educated people in the village, too. Had it not been for the suspension of classes, the point-keeper of the third team, Song Guangming, would be sitting on a university campus right now. He pushed up his glasses and confronted Zeng Fugui. “The law says you can’t abuse your children. You’ve broken the law, so of course it’s our business.”

The college students from before the movement were indeed formidable. Zeng Yanne was reminded by him that there was still a law, the Marriage Law, which had articles protecting the rights of women and children.

Zeng Fugui’s temper flared up, and he pushed Song Guangming away, raising his fist again. “I am the law in this house! Today, I’m going to beat this little animal to death for slandering and bullying her own mother!” As long as it involved Sun Jiazhi, Zeng Fugui would lose all reason. This move worked every time.

Zeng Yanne had successfully baited her hook. She hid behind the village leader, her voice choked up. “Uncle Fumao, I don’t want to live here. I’m afraid he’ll beat me to death.”

Without the village leader having to say a word, the bystanders had already restrained Zeng Fugui. The village leader patted Zeng Yanne’s shoulder and gave Zeng Fugui a cold glare. “Don’t worry. Uncle Fumao will get justice for you today.”

Hu Sifeng wasn’t having it. “Don’t listen to this little wretch! She’s gotten brave now; it’s hard to say who’s beating who anymore.”

No one believed her. “Hu the Skinned, who are you trying to fool? Yanne is so frail. Ten of her couldn’t take on your son.”

Hu Sifeng held up Zeng Fugui’s right hand. “The other day at the hospital, she almost blinded her dad and stabbed his hand. It’s been days, and it still hasn’t healed. Look, it’s swollen like a steamed bun.”

“He hurt himself while working, and he has the nerve to blame his daughter for it? Have you no shame?” The crowd was even more speechless.

Only the village leader knew some of the inside story, but since he was on Yanne’s side, he wasn’t going to say anything. This was the power of public opinion. People matter, but their discord can also assist a cause.

To Zeng Yanne’s surprise, someone within the Zeng family had turned against their own. Hu Sifeng noticed her eldest daughter-in-law’s hateful gaze and knew she was in trouble.

Sure enough, Wu Jingui couldn’t wait to reveal a shocking secret. “This old hag in our family is a monster. She told this pair of animals to drug Yanne and throw her in the cellar. This old devil is definitely up to no good, probably trying to sell her. They couldn’t even wait a day. They were planning to do it tonight. These heartless dogs, I’m going to report them!”