Chapter 56

The Women’s Federation director realized that this nature of anonymous reporting was problematic. She specifically scolded Commander Yao, although she was unable to find out who had submitted the anonymous letter. However, she did learn from him who had passed the letter to Commander Yao.

The Women’s Federation director said sternly, “I don’t care which comrade wrote the anonymous letter. It’s obviously wrong for Chunyu to send the complaint to you. Family discipline issues should be handled by the Women’s Federation, so how could you bypass the proper channels? Even if you’re bypassing, you should send it to the political department. You can’t just send a complaint to you because Comrade Gu Xiangqian is under your command, right? Doesn’t that make sense?”

Bypassing the Women’s Federation and the political commissar and sending it to Commander Yao—who does that make look bad?

She snorted coldly. “Comrade Yao Chunyu is confused too!”

Upon hearing that the Women’s Federation director had gone to Commander Yao and that he had apparently been criticized, cold sweat started to form on Yao Chunyu’s forehead.

Su Ye had actually managed to persuade the Women’s Federation director to go to Commander Yao? The more Yao Chunyu thought about it, the more something seemed off. It just didn’t connect with the way things had unfolded in her previous life.

Gu Xiangqian hadn’t argued with Su Ye. She was far from the “lazy and reckless” and “uneducated” person Yao Chunyu had thought of her as. The more she thought back, the more confused she became.

Su Ye was not only not ignorant, she even had a faint scholarly aura. She smiled at everyone she met, neither gossiping with the village military wives nor seeking connections with the city’s military wives.

Later that evening, when Commander Yao returned home, Yao Chunyu’s ominous premonitions were confirmed.

Commander Yao scolded, “You, you almost wronged a good comrade! Today, I heard from Director Zhang of the Women’s Federation that little Su is actively responding to the disaster-stricken areas, collecting food and supplies for the impoverished villages. A good comrade like her should be commended by the organization! Now tell me honestly, did you have anything to do with the rumors in the family compound?”

He could see right through his niece’s thoughts. “How could you be so careless! Go buy a pound of pork, and go to Su Ye to apologize properly.”

Commander Yao had been caught in the crossfire. He hadn’t handled the matter himself, but since the complaint had been sent to him, it was quickly spreading outside.

The more Yao Chunyu listened, the paler she became. She shook her head in denial, “No, how could I say anything bad about Comrade Su?”

But at this moment, her explanation seemed unconvincing. In the eyes of the Women’s Federation director, Yao Chunyu’s involvement in passing the anonymous letter to Commander Yao would make her seem like she was on the same side. If she hadn’t supported it, why would she have sent the letter to him after the Women’s Federation had already dismissed it?

Yao Chunyu’s mind quickly raced, realizing that admitting the mistake might be the best option. At most, she would be labeled as someone who didn’t judge people well. Only those who were guilty would try to justify themselves endlessly. But if Gu Xiangqian found out she had helped send the letter, how would he view her?

Thinking of this, Yao Chunyu decided that perhaps it would be better not to admit it at all!

In the tumultuous decade that followed, many people suffered, including her uncle. Only Gu Xiangqian managed to stay out of trouble, and after ten years, he even became a high-ranking officer. How could Yao Chunyu leave a bad impression on Gu Xiangqian?

She sighed in frustration, “I understand my uncle’s character. You wouldn’t get involved in handling this matter. The anonymous letter was pointless once it was given to you, which is why I accepted it. I didn’t expect it would spread like this. I will make sure to explain things clearly to Comrade Su.”

“I can tell my uncle that the one who wrote the complaint was sister-in-law Zheng. It’s likely she’s the one slandering Comrade Su Ye. Such behavior of defaming comrades without verifying the facts is absolutely unacceptable.”

—

On the other side…

After hearing about “Su Ye’s speculation and tea-selling,” many people from the family compound came to persuade her. Relatives, distant uncles and aunts—fortunately, Gu Xiangqian didn’t have any relatives in the city, or Su Ye would have been overwhelmed.

The military wife, Niu Cuihua, kindly advised, “Ye’er, I’m a bit older than you, and you should listen to me. If you admit your mistake to the organization and write a self-criticism, this will all blow over.”

This was the well-meaning advice Su Ye could still smile through. But some of the more malicious “persuasions” came with a tone of gloating, which was impossible to ignore and unpleasant to hear.

“Su Ye, as a military wife, you should set an example! This is tarnishing the reputation of all military wives!”

“Speculation and profiteering are crimes, Comrade Su Ye. I advise you to think carefully in the next few days about how to reform yourself and accept the punishment from the organization!”

In the Ning family’s home…

Ning Xingdou was restless after hearing about the incident. Before this, no one had thought that selling a few packets of tea could be considered illegal. Su Ye was just unlucky, caught right at the wrong time. Being used as an example at such a critical moment meant she couldn’t escape.

Originally, selling a few kilos of tea for a fellow villager wasn’t a big deal. Other families in the compound weren’t exactly spotless either. Who didn’t have a side job or some personal trade on the side these days? Even Maogang’s wife had occasionally helped bring fashionable scarves from the city. Aunts from the Zhao and Liu families had even sold local specialties from their hometowns…

The problem was that Su Ye had sold too much, which drew too much attention.

Mother Ning, frowning, shouted, “You’re pacing around like this, it’s making my eyes dizzy! Instead of worrying about it, why don’t you think of a way to help her?”

She cast a glance at her husband, who was still calmly drinking tea, tea that Su Ye had sent to them. “Drink, drink, drink! How can you still drink this? You should think of a way to help little Su!”

Professor Ning sipped his tea and sighed, “Everyone, please calm down.”

Although Ning Qian didn’t fully understand Su Ye’s character, he had heard from his son that Su Ye had once taught students how to repair radios and watches, and had raised money to support poor students, which surprised him.

A box of tea leaves costs six yuan, and the profit is far less than repairing watches and radios. Someone with such awareness and principles, how could they possibly be tempted by a small amount of speculative money?

He calmly said, “Xingdou, didn’t you mention that Su Ye can repair watches and radios? She refurbished watches with those students, and the money she earned from that every month was much more than what she made from selling tea. She didn’t keep any of that money, instead, she donated it all to students from poor families. How could someone like her be interested in this small amount of money from tea? You all are just worrying for nothing. Let’s wait and see how this unfolds.”

Mother Ning also thought this made sense. Setting aside Su Ye’s character, the Gu family wasn’t lacking in money. In the past, half of the shops on the street had been run by the Gu family. The more famous shops in the area probably had the Gu name in them. Although they had donated most of their family wealth, ^[1]“the camel that died of starvation was still bigger than a horse” is a metaphorical expression. It means that even in a weakened or impoverished state, something (or someone) that once … Continue readingthe camel that died of starvation was still bigger than a horse, so why would they be interested in this small tea money?

The Women’s Federation acted quickly this time, urgently posting a public notice about the anonymous letter that reported Comrade Su Ye, severely criticizing the act of anonymously slandering Su Ye’s reputation. Not only that, but the Women’s Federation also bought 100 jin of tea from Su Ye, which was added to the care packages.

The Women’s Federation often distributed care packages during holidays to soldiers and the families of martyrs, including items like eggs, noodles, rice, peanuts, and cooking oil. Now, tea had been added.

This series of strange actions left everyone confused for a long time.

If these weren’t enough to prove Comrade Su Ye’s innocence, the Women’s Federation then sought Su Ye’s consent and posted photocopies of the tea purchase order from the county’s Revolutionary Committee, as well as the thank-you letter and receipt from the Shanggou Village Committee. This was like a resounding slap in the face.

If it weren’t for the current poverty and economic difficulties, with material rewards being prioritized for the families of martyrs, the Women’s Federation would certainly have honored Su Ye with a bag of rice or some pork.

The leader of the Women’s Federation solemnly said, “I want to particularly criticize certain comrades for tarnishing others’ reputations! Stop focusing on every little detail of others’ lives—what they eat, wear, and use. Instead of competing over material things, the organization hopes that one day you’ll compare your spiritual lives and see whose thoughts are more progressive and whose character is more admirable!”

Although there were no material rewards from the Women’s Federation, on the weekend, Su Ye’s “material reward” arrived in the blink of an eye—

A few tattered and emaciated villagers came to the military family compound, each carrying wild chickens. They handed over their introduction letters and were happily led inside by the young soldiers.

The people in the family compound were shocked to see these ragged, thin villagers, and what surprised them most was that they were carrying wild chickens. After asking around, they learned that these people came from Shanggou Village.

Ma Gensheng, grinning from ear to ear, said, “We’re here to find Teacher Su.”

“Teacher Su? Which Teacher Su? Su Ye?” a family member asked.

They suddenly remembered the thank-you letter from Shanggou Village posted on the Women’s Federation bulletin board and were surprised that they had come looking for her right away.

Ma Gensheng nodded, “Yes, it’s Teacher Su Ye. This time, we’re really grateful to her… Our village hasn’t received any relief grain this year. If it weren’t for her, I’m afraid everyone in the village would be starving, and who knows how many people would have died from hunger.”

“Recently, we’ve been busy harvesting crops and didn’t have time to thank her. As soon as we were done, I led the people here to thank her! She’s the savior of our entire village. If it weren’t for the travel expenses, many of the younger folks in the village would’ve come to thank her themselves! They specifically went to the mountains to catch a few wild chickens for her.”

He shook the chickens in his hands and asked, “How do we get to Teacher Su’s house?”

Hearing this, the family members in the compound suddenly felt a jolt in their hearts.

The term “savior” carried a lot of weight. Just moments ago, they had offended someone’s benefactor, and now, the village officials were here—what’s going on?

Some people suddenly realized that Su Ye had indeed received wild chickens from the villagers as gifts… Su Ye had said that the wild chickens were from the villagers, and it turned out that was true.

Although this group of people looked thin and ragged, they were all sharp and capable, otherwise, they wouldn’t have become village officials. In these hard times, many people had starved to death, but Shangou Village had only lost a few lazy households.

The village party secretary noticed that these people’s expressions had changed, and he stopped smiling, immediately beginning to interrogate them.

They didn’t say much at first, but when questioned, they fell silent. The group of village officials felt their necks grow red. Their benefactor had almost been wrongly accused and about to be used as a typical case—what would happen to them if they were all gone?

Not long ago, that speculator was executed, and the villagers had heard about it—speculation was no small matter!

Several village officials gathered around the Women’s Federation bulletin board. The literate ones read the documents aloud, and as they did, their faces fell. Their already dark faces grew even darker, as though they had been scorched.

The village party secretary angrily said, “Teacher Su is the most upright and kind-hearted person. How could anyone so casually wrong such a good person?”

The women’s committee director of the production team pulled a long face and spat, “They didn’t even come to our village to investigate, yet they went ahead and accused her. Who’s this comrade who has no shame?”

Another person angrily asked three times, “How could they bully people like this? Do they look down on rural folks? If we hadn’t come, would they have wrongfully accused her to death?”

Ma Gensheng was so grateful to Su Ye that he couldn’t wait to act. How could he let this go? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He handed the chickens to someone else, and with a wave of his hand, he said, “You go and give the chickens to Teacher Su. Uncle Zhuang, let’s go talk to their leaders and get an explanation.”

The group of farmers, who had been cheerful just a moment ago, now had expressions so fierce and intimidating that they were frightening, showing no signs of being easily tricked.

The family members in the compound watched as these farmers stormed off to the Political Department office, exchanging nervous glances.

The comrades in the Women’s Federation office suddenly felt a sharp headache. They had originally thought that the matter would end here, but it turned out that it wasn’t going to be so easy to let it go.

—

But on the other side, at the Gu family’s home.

Almost everyone in the neighborhood of Su Ye’s big courtyard building knew that a group of farmers from the countryside had come to deliver wild chickens and local produce to Su Ye.

Su Ye opened the door and was stunned when she saw the crowd blocking her doorstep. She quickly invited them in.

The village party secretary smiled broadly and said, “Little Su, we really owe it to you! Us rural folks are poor and don’t have anything valuable to give you, but a few strong men went up the mountain and searched for a long time. They found these two chickens. You should slaughter them and taste the flavor. Our Shanggou Village has good water and soil, and everything raised in the mountains is of good quality!”

Another person grinned and added, “Don’t be fooled by how thin they are and how little meat they have. They’re actually several years old hens. We couldn’t bear to eat them and wanted to save them for you! In our poor village, we don’t have much to offer, but if the weather is good next year and the harvest is plentiful, we’ll definitely send a cart of rice to you!”

The Gu family’s door was wide open, and all the neighbors on the floor of Gu Xiangqian’s dormitory heard these words.

The neighbors felt very conflicted. Although Su Ye had been rumored to be involved in speculation and profiteering, she hadn’t fallen into the trap, but they still felt hot on their faces.

Su Ye looked at the group of ragged villagers, all of them thin and probably still hungry, yet they had come such a long way and even brought wild chickens. The thoughtfulness behind their gesture was enough for Su Ye to appreciate.

Of course, if the wild chickens were unacceptable, Su Ye would never turn down a meal of meat.

She smiled, “It’s nothing, really. Don’t go to such trouble next time. These mountain mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and dried vegetables, I’ll gladly accept, but the chickens, you should take them back! They’re too valuable to waste on me. You can keep them to lay eggs. That’s more practical.”

Su Ye brewed a few cups of tea for them and, by the way, took out the money she had earned from selling tea to the Women’s Federation. It had just arrived, still fresh and not even warmed up.

Considering that this large group of people had come together and weren’t worried about being robbed along the way, she also took out the money she hadn’t had time to deposit into the bank. She placed several thick rolls of 10 yuan bills on the table, a total of 506 yuan.

Not long ago, Su Ye had transferred 1,022 yuan to the village’s account, and with the passbook she had given last time, the total came to 3,740.52 yuan, which exceeded the target Ma Gensheng had set for her.

Su Ye copied the account book and handed it to them, “Take this back to your village accountant. There’s still about a thousand pounds of tea left. Recently, I’ve been busy with the students’ entrance exams, but don’t worry, I’ll definitely take care of this batch of tea for you.”

A few rural cadres felt ashamed when they saw this. Thinking of how Su Ye was almost accused of speculation and profiteering over selling tea, guilt surged in their hearts.

“There’s no rush, this matter is not urgent! Teacher Su, just focus on your work.”

“That’s enough, that’s enough! Over three thousand yuan is enough to buy grain. It’s okay if the tea doesn’t sell out.”

The village party secretary was moved, his hands filled with several thick stacks of cash that Su Ye had slipped into his hands. He almost burst into tears. If it hadn’t been for Gensheng’s cleverness, holding back the tea to let Su Ye sell it, how could they have such a good situation today?

Thinking about it, according to the usual practice in previous years, each household would receive about ten kilograms of tea. The villagers, uneducated and naive, probably wouldn’t have made a penny if they went to the city to sell the tea. They couldn’t be as smart as Teacher Su, who had managed to raise enough money for food before summer even ended.

“Teacher Su, do you think they have wronged you?” the village cadres asked indignantly.

“Now that we’re here, let us old bones take the lead. I don’t believe that with so many of us in the village, we can’t restore your reputation! You’re a teacher, and teachers value their reputation most. How could we let these troublemakers casually slander you?”

Su Ye smiled and said, “It’s nothing, you should head back soon. If you’re late, you might miss the bus.”

Although she said that, how could she not be affected when the injustice was right on her doorstep?

The village party secretary gave a look to the other villagers accompanying him, and cheerfully said, “Alright, Teacher Su, we’ll head back now.”

After the villagers from Shanggou Village left, the neighbors curiously gathered outside Su Ye’s door.

Their eyes fell on the table, which was filled with dried wild mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, dried radishes, sauerkraut jars, chili paste, and dried shrimp. On the floor lay a wild chicken, its feet bound.

Although Su Ye had rejected the wild chicken the villagers had offered, after some persuasion, the villagers still left the fattest one for her. Su Ye had no choice but to accept the hen.

It was evident that these villagers’ living conditions were not great. They could barely feed themselves, yet they had managed to spare these items as a gesture of gratitude. This touched the neighbors even more. How great must the kindness be for people to go this far?

At this moment, the room was filled with an impressive array of food and mountain goods, which was incredibly enviable.

Although the mountain goods weren’t valuable, they were still a heartfelt gesture from the villagers. Moreover, a chicken at this time of year was a rare and precious gift, something that for someone who hadn’t tasted meat in a long while was an irresistible temptation.

“Teacher Su, are those villagers from Shanggou Village, the ones who helped you sell the tea?” one of the neighbors asked.

Su Ye nodded and warmly said, “Yes, the tea you drink was grown by these fellow villagers. It tastes great, doesn’t it? The tea is sweet and fragrant. For just two yuan, we can’t even buy a pound of rice or a piece of meat, but it can save their lives and fill their stomachs. That’s why I wanted to help them.”

The neighbors felt not only a sting of shame on their faces, but also a deep sense of guilt in their hearts. They couldn’t help but think about how Su Ye’s actions made them reflect on their own behavior. If selling something was considered speculation and profiteering, wouldn’t many people be affected? Further considering that writing an anonymous letter could easily result in someone being falsely accused, they worried about how chaotic things could become in the future.

They were glad Su Ye had been able to clear her name, and imagining themselves in her position, they realized that if this had happened to them, they would have been unable to clear their name, no matter how hard they tried.