Font Size:
After recording the statement, there was no further development.
Fang Yuwei later learned that the demolition compensation funds had already been disbursed.
Without her signature, her portion was also disbursed. Even the housing and other subsidies had nothing to do with her and were all given to Uncle Fang’s family.
Lin Yan contacted Fang Qiuhua, who came to make a scene that day, and learned more details.
Fang Qiuhua cried and said, “We acknowledge that the demolition funds don’t include us. We’ve already married out and don’t want our natal family’s money. But why is there no portion of the land-loss insurance for us? Just to divide a few hundred yuan more?”
“We just want some retirement security. Is that wrong? Why won’t they give us anything?”
“This is too much. It’s really too much. Why are they treating us like this?”
……
After land was expropriated, in addition to the compensation, there was also a land-loss insurance fund.
This money would be received monthly after the age of sixty, similar to a retirement pension.
Because Fangjia Village had a lot of farmland but few people, the amount was substantial. And since the total sum was fixed, the fewer people who shared it, the more each person would get.
It was said that because the amount was considerable, after turning sixty, each person could receive two to three thousand yuan per month, almost equivalent to a regular retired worker.
Several members of the village committee, especially those like Uncle Fang’s family who had no daughters and only three sons, discussed and decided to remove all married-out daughters from the list. This way, each person could get a little more.
Families in the village who had daughters also raised a fuss, demanding their daughters’ names be included, but were all suppressed.
As for the compensation funds, regardless of whether daughters had married out or not, most of them didn’t receive any of the money. Some families, seeing their daughters married into poor situations, gave a few ten thousand yuan, which was already considered generous and could be boasted about.
Just like with betrothal gifts, this money didn’t belong to individuals. It belonged to the natal family and to the brothers of the natal family. If daughters came back to argue and make a scene, the family would sever ties with them.
There were more than just one or two families in the village that had cut ties with their daughters over money. Because of money, everyone showed their ugly faces.
The matter of fighting for land-loss insurance for married-out daughters gradually lost momentum.
Only Fang Qiuhua and a few others kept coming back to argue, but it was useless. Now that the natal families had money, some even looked down on them.
The compensation funds were embezzled by the brothers of the natal family. The land-loss insurance was removed by the village officials. They were abandoned on both sides. Some came back to make a scene once or twice but could only resign themselves to fate and return home in tears to live their own lives.
Fang Yuwei felt uneasy listening to all this.
Because Fangjia Village used to be poor, many married-out daughters supported their natal families, but they themselves were in difficult conditions and didn’t marry well.
Now that there was finally a bit of hope, it had nothing to do with them.
But a portion of that money belonged to them.
Fang Yuwei and Lin Yan returned once more to Fangjia Village. There weren’t many people left in the village. After receiving compensation, everyone acted like nouveau riche and would no longer live in such a place.
She arrived at her own home. Fang Wei and Fang Zhou had already moved out and rented a house. It was said that they were planning to buy a big house and then a luxury car.
Noisy sounds came from next door. Uncle Fang and Aunt Fang hadn’t left yet and were living in their ancestral house. They were eating and drinking with a few village committee officials.
When someone mentioned that Fang Dazhu’s married-out daughter had come back to cause trouble, Uncle Fang impatiently said, “What’s the point of causing trouble? The money has already been disbursed. What else can they do?”
“Let them cause trouble. This happens everywhere land is requisitioned.”
Aunt Fang added, “Exactly. Fang Dazhu even gave her twenty thousand yuan to go back and build a house. She still thinks it’s not enough. Why give her anything at all? I think not a single cent should be given.”
Then she added, “Once a girl is married out, she’s gone. Coming back to her natal family to ask for money? She should be grateful we didn’t demand more betrothal gifts. When Fang Yuwei got married, she only received a tiny bit of betrothal gift. It was such a loss.”
Fang Yuwei was still quite good-looking. Many people remembered her and someone asked Uncle Fang, “How is she doing now?”
Aunt Fang responded with a sarcastic and mocking tone, “Poor. Raising two sons. Probably even poorer now.”
“She didn’t get any of the housing compensation money, right?”
Uncle Fang immediately said in a stern voice, “What does it have to do with her?”
“If she dares to come again and stir up trouble, I’ll chase her out with a broom.” Aunt Fang spoke through gritted teeth with an extremely arrogant attitude. “Begging from her natal family? What bad luck!”
Fang Yuwei saw Lin Yan getting angrier and angrier. She pulled his hand and left.
After getting into the car, she fastened her seat belt and said lightly, “This matter, I really am going to make a scene.”
Lin Yan’s clear black eyes looked at her, worried she was too upset. He raised his hand and gently rubbed her head.
“Make it big. The bigger the better. Not only do I want to get justice for myself, I also want to help them get justice.” Fang Yuwei looked at him. Her eyes were cold and her words were clear. “Make them cough up everything they swallowed.”
Fang Yuwei disdained arguing with them just for a bit of money. It would make her look like a beggar.
She directly went to the city to report to the police. Then she contacted the media, submitted articles to newspapers, and published posts on forums to expose the situation, hitting the trending topics.
She didn’t even need Lin Yan to spend money or pull strings. With this combination of moves, the issue quickly gained attention. The forum post especially became a hot topic.
The village officials were still completely unaware. Uncle Fang’s entire family had moved into a house over two hundred square meters. In the past few days, they were still house-hunting.
They planned to buy a large flat of over a hundred square meters for each son.
Aunt Fang now stood tall and didn’t dare do a bit of work. The two daughters-in-law were busy cooking. Su Jiao’s belly was so big her legs were weak from standing. She was just about to sit down when Fang Wei scolded, “Why aren’t you helping out? Just waiting to eat?”
“She’s just that lazy.” Aunt Fang even chimed in.
Su Jiao endured the grievance and anger, stood up with resentment, and walked to the kitchen.
Fang Wei said, “Still mad? Who are you throwing that attitude at?”
“Enough.” Uncle Fang stopped him. “Your wife is about to give birth. Don’t yell at her so much.”
“There are plenty of women who can give birth. Who needs her?” Fang Wei replied.
Uncle Fang gave silent approval.
“Dad, when are you going to buy me a car? I already checked. Let’s get a Crown. It costs just over two hundred thousand.” The eldest son, Fang Feng, asked.
The other two sons also looked over and said, “If big brother is getting a car, we should get one too. We’ve also picked ours. Also just over two hundred thousand.”
Uncle Fang said sternly, “Over two hundred thousand? Why don’t you go rob someone? How much does one house cost? You really think the family has that much money?”
“Besides our family’s share, isn’t there also Fang Yuwei’s money? Didn’t she also get over four hundred thousand?” Fang Feng had already done the math.
Their family had many people but not many houses. They had to divide it among so many. But Fang Yuwei was just one person. She alone got over four hundred thousand.
Of course, this money was now theirs. It was enough to buy cars.
“What are we supposed to do in the future, not eat or drink?” Uncle Fang continued to scold.
“A man needs a car for face. Otherwise, people will look down on him. How are we supposed to get by out there? If we drive a car like that, no matter what we do, people will respect us. It’s easier to make money too.” Fang Feng said.
Now a house in the city only costs how much per unit? Less than a hundred thousand. A car costing over two hundred thousand, that was a top-class luxury car.
“Exactly, exactly.” Aunt Fang chimed in.
Uncle Fang thought it over and agreed.
Aunt Fang, seeing this, turned to the daughter-in-law in the kitchen and sarcastically said, “You really have good luck. Married into the family and you get to live in a big house, ride in a car worth over two hundred thousand.” After speaking, she said to the eldest daughter-in-law, “You didn’t even want to marry at first. Your mother also didn’t want you to. Look at it now?”
Fang Feng immediately followed, “If she wants to leave now, let her go.”
The eldest daughter-in-law gritted her teeth and silently endured the humiliation while picking vegetables.
“Isn’t her mother always saying she wants to take her back? Let her take her now. Who’s afraid of whom?” Aunt Fang snorted coldly.
She didn’t take any of her daughters-in-law seriously.
“Enough, what are you arguing about?” Uncle Fang spoke impatiently. He was holding the remote and watching the news. The sound from the TV instantly caught his attention.
It was the local news channel, broadcasting the issue of unequal distribution of compensation funds in Fangjia Village after land requisition.
“According to reports from related individuals, there are serious problems with the local land requisition. The person involved did not sign, yet the compensation was still claimed in their name. Protecting one’s rights ends up bringing bad luck to the natal family. What exactly is going on here?”
“This incident has caused heated discussions online. Netizens have raised many questions—”
The Fang family was all drawn in by the news on the TV. Apart from the voice of the anchor, the living room was frighteningly silent.
As one of the people involved, cold sweat kept pouring from Uncle Fang’s face. He looked panicked and his hands and feet started to fumble.
“The money has already been distributed. Are those people crazy or what?” Aunt Fang started cursing, but Uncle Fang stood up and slapped her. “Shut your mouth.”
Uncle Fang didn’t eat. He hurriedly left the house.
The other village officials naturally also got wind of the situation and quickly came out to discuss countermeasures.
They had done plenty of shady things before. Now the internet was not widespread. Cultural literacy in the rural mountain areas was low. A few vague explanations were enough to fool people. No one would take it seriously.
For example, this time, so what if they didn’t include the names of married-out daughters when applying for the land-loss insurance?
How many of them understood the law? Could they afford to hire a lawyer? Did they have the energy to go back and forth with them?
Even if they were forced to swallow bitter herbs, they would have to swallow them whole.
They had done far worse things and still gotten away with it.
The law was distant and the officials remote. They acted like little emperors and were extremely arrogant.
After Uncle Fang calmed down, he said, “In a few days, this storm might pass.”
Now many places were going through land requisition. Many people were doing the same thing.
Nothing had happened to them either.
“That’s right. For the next few days, don’t hold big banquets. It’s a sensitive time.” Someone chimed in, just as optimistic.
People often said rural villagers were ignorant and knew nothing. But how much did they themselves understand?
The media had already found out where the Fang family lived. The next day, as soon as Uncle Fang left the house, he was stopped by reporters for an interview, asking for the real story.
He was an old hand and managed to deal with it with a sullen face and a few words.
Not completely watertight, but he stubbornly claimed everything was handled by the book.
Fang Feng and the others weren’t so clever.
Ever since the land was requisitioned and Uncle Fang became the team leader, the family suddenly got over a million yuan. They became rich overnight. Whenever he saw someone he didn’t like on the street, he would curse at them.
As if he had been looked down upon for decades and now had to vent all his grievances.
Fang Feng even cursed, “Unfair? If anyone thinks it’s unfair, go sue. What’s the use of yelling?”
In his view, taking the case to court was impossible.
He even thought that cursing people wouldn’t cost him anything.
Who knew, that clip from the interview was posted that very day on various forums, widely forwarded in major chat groups, and by the next day, it appeared on newspapers and television.
Fang Yuwei actually did sue.
She hired a lawyer, contacted all the parties whose rights had been violated, and formed a rights protection group. A lawsuit was officially filed in court. She openly accepted interviews, and every sentence she said hit hard like a drumbeat.
Why was compensation disbursed without her signature? Who had the power to operate in the dark like that?
The law clearly defines rights and obligations. How could a small village committee member remove her name? Who gave them such power?
If things were so unjust and arbitrary today, was there corruption involved?
……
The public opinion spiraled far beyond anyone’s expectations.
Although the media and news coverage weren’t very widespread yet, most locals already knew. Everyone was talking about it. Uncle Fang was still clueless.
That morning, Aunt Fang still got up and scolded the two daughters-in-law, while the whole family dressed nicely, getting ready to go to the provincial capital to buy cars.
Those were cars worth over two hundred thousand. They were rich people now.
“Hurry up. Stop dawdling.” Aunt Fang gave the eldest daughter-in-law a glare and urged her.
The other party immediately walked over.
Uncle Fang had even booked a large official vehicle for the trip. The whole family was going together, appearing grand and imposing.
Just as the family happily boarded the vehicle, Uncle Fang saw the village committee secretary hurrying over. As soon as he got out of the car, the secretary pulled him aside and said just one sentence.
Uncle Fang’s expression changed drastically.
By the end of the conversation, the Fang family saw Uncle Fang’s body sway twice, his face turning deathly pale.
Ayalee[Translator]
＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚