Chapter 15: Looking for Wife

City B, Lotus Village.

Ma Hongmei was filled with rage when she saw Gu Shutong sitting under the eaves, casually smoking instead of working in the fields. She tossed her sickle into the courtyard and said deliberately to pick a fight: “If we can live together, we will; if we can’t, we should separate as soon as possible. What kind of man are you, sitting at home all day and night without earning any work points?”

Gu Shutong narrowed his long eyes, still thinking about what Su Niannian had said. Hearing this, he responded impatiently, “The women in the village talk too much. I’ll go back to work after a while.”

“That’s rich — you’re afraid of gossip, yet you shamelessly harassed Su Niannian, and even got caught by the team leader. I feel ashamed just thinking about it. Apart from your face, what’s there that’s better than that vixen, causing you to sneak around and do something so disgraceful, Gu Shutong? I’ll tell you, you owe me….”

“I already said I didn’t take it…” Gu Shutong’s face tightened. At this point, he even suspected he fell into a trap set by Su Niannian.

“Yes, you didn’t! But the meal that appeared in the courtyard — was it made by the ancestors? Or do you think the team leaders are all blind? Did Su Niannian lose her mind and use her own purity to falsely accuse you? I hadn’t noticed just how thick-skinned you were…”

The scar was opened up once again, and Ma Hongmei’s resentment came pouring out. She felt deceived by his face, thinking he was an honest man. In reality, he even tried to pursue someone else’s wife — he was anything but a good person. Thinking that their mother had barely been gone, yet their eldest son was already involved in something like this, Ma Hongmei couldn’t help but spit in disgust: “Bah! What a disgrace!”

The villagers gossiped and sneered at him, which was already humiliating enough. Now even Ma Hongmei treated him this way. Gu Shutong was livid, his back molars almost cracking from the pressure. “I’m your man!”

“If I’d known you were this kind of man, I would rather have married a pig or a dog than you!”

An ordinary countryside woman could say something this piercing. Gu Shutong was blinded by rage — he trembled and raised his finger at Ma Hongmei. “What’s this? Did I do something wrong? She was supposed to be my wife. If it hadn’t been for you begging to be married to me, none of this would have happened…”

The two fell into a moment of silence. Just as Ma Hongmei was about to rush forward and grapple with him, a heavy object fell nearby. Gu Shutong turned pale, hunched his back, and said quietly, “Sec… Second Brother?”

Gu Zhiye stood in the doorway in his army uniform, his expression icy. “Big Brother, take me to Mother’s grave.”

“Okay.” Gu Shutong reluctantly put down his pipe, went back into the room to grab some paper money for their mother, glared at Ma Hongmei, then left with Gu Zhiye.

Some marriage ties may expire after a single day, but the kindness forged over a marriage can last a thousand. Ma Hongmei, angry as she was, knew now was not the time for conflict. Just a moment after their departure, Su Niannian’s promises made to Gu Zhiye crossed her mind — Gu Zhiye was back and meant to settle the score. Gu Shutong’s meager ability was not enough to fend him off. So Ma Hongmei rushed toward the team leader’s home.

…
The paper money was swirling in the breeze halfway up the hill. The two Gu brothers knelt in front of their mother’s grave, and everything seemed normal from a distance — perhaps Su Niannian hadn’t gone into details. Ma Hongmei panted as she rushed up, placed her hands on her hips, and said, “Zhiye, where’s… where’s Niannian? Why hasn’t Niannian come back with you?”

Gu Zhiye kept his answer brief: “She’s busy.”

Ma Hongmei exchanged glances with Gu Shutong. The former cleared her throat and boldly said: “Zhiye, I’m not sure if I should say something.”

Gu Zhiye stood up and said quietly: “Go ahead.”

“Actually, it’s not for me to say much about your marriage, but your wife is… a bit delicate. She’s not even able to take care of Mother, and to avoid staying in Lotus Village, she smeared us with all sorts of dirty rumors. Don’t believe me — you can go around and ask in the village. Your brother’s reputation is already awful! You two are brothers, after all; you should discipline her. Otherwise, you’ll lose face in the army —”

Ma Hongmei made her case carefully, thinking Gu Shutong would appreciate it, and Gu Shutong, encouraged, added: “They say, brothers are like limbs, but women are just clothing. If it really doesn’t work, divorce her…”

“Divorce her… just to your advantage?!”

Gu Zhiye’s voice was filled with a chilly sneer. Without a word, he slowly unbuttoned his army uniform, piece by piece, then placed it carefully aside. The movement was strange and intimidating.

Ma Hongmei was taken aback. “Zhiye, what… what are you doing?”

Before they could react, Gu Zhiye sprang forward, delivering a sweeping kick that sent his big brother tumbling to the ground, then rained down a flurry of blows.

Ma Hongmei screamed and stomped her feet, but it was useless. Gu Zhiye tightened his grip on his brother’s collar, his gaze piercing. “Did you really think there’s only your side to tell in Lotus Village? You bullied our mother, humiliated my wife — you do not deserve to be called a man —”

When Captain Song rushed over with his team, Gu Shutong was already badly bruised, and Gu Zhiye’s white shirt was soaked in blood. The scene was alarming, and the villagers were scared stiff. Captain Song rushed forward and rebuked Gu Shutong: “Gu Dawa! He’s your own brother — a soldier for the country — are you trying to destroy him?”

Gu Shutong fell into disbelief, adding indignation to his resentment. “If I hadn’t broken my leg back then, he wouldn’t be a soldier today!”

“Is that so? Then why don’t you tell everyone how you broke your leg?” Gu Zhiye stepped forward, blocking Captain Song, adding quietly, “When the county quota came down back then, you took me up into the mountains to hunt rabbits — you meant to push me off, but fell instead. I fell while saving you. All these years I kept it a secret for Mother’s sake. I hoped you’d redeem yourself, but you chose not to… So from now on, I want nothing more to do with the Gu family.”

The crowd fell into a heavy silence.