Chapter 19.2: Act Despicably

Li Dafu, hearing the name, followed his gaze and was quite surprised.

Li Dasheng’s vanity was strongly satisfied, and his gestures became more exaggerated, his voice getting louder.

It wasn’t just Li Dafu—many workers heading home after finishing their shifts stopped and turned their curious gazes between Zhao Mian and him.

Zhao Mian, with Xiao Wen holding her arm, was listening to her talk. When she heard someone calling her name, she looked up.

But as soon as she saw who it was, her brow furrowed slightly.

What’s Li Dasheng doing here?

Xiao Wen asked, “Mian Jie, who is that?”

Li Dasheng’s voice didn’t stop, and Zhao Mian’s mood soured. She explained quietly, “He’s someone my elders introduced to me, but my family rejected him…”

Xiao Wen had heard about the situation from Zhao Ke and now understood, frowning, “Why is he here in the factory? This is causing quite a scene.”

By now, a number of workers had gathered at the factory gate. Zhao Mian quickly walked over and said politely, “Big Brother Li, are you looking for me? If you need something, let’s step aside and talk.”

The gatekeeper looked at them with a puzzled expression—did she really know him?

And the way Zhao Mian was acting behind his back made the gatekeeper think that there was something more going on.

I never thought she was that kind of person…

Li Dasheng reached out, trying to take Zhao Mian’s hand.

Zhao Mian pulled away, chiding lightly, “What are you doing?!”

Several male workers, who had been eyeing Li Dasheng warily, were ready to intervene and protect her.

Li Dasheng, not liking the way these men were looking at Zhao Mian, suppressed his rage and deliberately made himself appear hurt. “Zhao Mian, why are you saying that? I’m your fiancé, of course, I’m here to see you.”

The crowd immediately began to murmur.

A few of the male workers who had been looking at them suspiciously now looked more intently at the two of them.

Zhao Mian’s face turned red with anger. “Fiancé? We’ve only met once! Why are you spreading rumors and ruining my reputation?”

Nearby, some of the male workers who had feelings for Zhao Mian relaxed a little when they heard her say, “We’ve only met once.”

“What do you mean, we’ve only met once?” Li Dasheng’s incredulous voice rose, making sure everyone could hear. “We’re engaged, and your family asked my family for a dowry of three turns^[1]“Three wheels and one speaker”, also known as the “four big items”, was a term used in China in the late 1950s. It refers to the four household items that the country was able … Continue reading, and a hundred yuan in betrothal gifts! My parents agreed, and now you’ve changed your mind just because you’re in the factory?!”

The discussions around them grew louder.

“Three turns and a hundred yuan—that’s a pretty expensive dowry!”

“To turn it down with such good conditions? What’s going on?”

“Probably looking for someone better…”

“But she is pretty, so it’s understandable.”

Among the gossip, there were various malicious speculations, especially as the workers looked at Zhao Mian and the men who seemed interested in her.

Those male workers couldn’t help but wonder—was Zhao Mian deliberately leading them on?

Zhao Mian urgently refuted, “I didn’t! My family never asked for a dowry, he’s lying!”

Xiao Wen, beside her, angrily chimed in, “We only met once, and Mian Jie’s family already rejected him. It’s not like he says at all!”

Li Dasheng, with righteous indignation, questioned them, “You two say there’s nothing, but behind the scenes, it’s clearly not like that. We even… Do you really think I can’t feel this? How can you treat me like this?!”

He purposely left his words vague, implying that the two of them had something going on.

Since no one knew the truth, Li Dasheng aggressively pressed the matter, trying to solidify their relationship in front of everyone.

He deliberately said in a serious tone, “Some people from the Production Team are saying that you’re a gold-digger. Tell me, is that not true?”

Zhao Mian couldn’t respond, her mind blank, and she fumbled for words, repeating over and over, “I didn’t…”

The voices around them grew even harsher.

“She acts all innocent, but turns out she’s like this.”

“Never would have guessed.”

“You never really know a person…”

“You guys stop making things up!” Xiao Wen angrily glared at the surrounding workers. “Just because he says a few random things, you believe it? Can’t you all tell the difference?”

A female worker in her thirties, who had always disliked pretty young girls attracting attention, made a pointed remark, “Flies don’t land on a flawless egg. She dresses up to catch people’s eyes, who knows what she’s really like behind the scenes?”

TN: I really hate people sometimes sigh.

Xiao Wen was so furious she was almost in tears. “How can you say that? Aren’t you a woman too?”

The female worker replied matter-of-factly, “It’s because I’m keeping myself respectable that I’m speaking up.”

Li Dasheng’s eyes gleamed with smugness, but in a moment, his expression shifted as he defended Zhao Mian, “Don’t say that about her. She’s not like that. Maybe she’s just been led astray by others.”

If she had been led astray, he would be the one to put her back on the right path. As for how to do that, Li Dasheng had his own plans.

Zhao Mian, facing the increasingly absurd situation, felt helpless. Once again, she resented her own weakness—why was she so powerless? Why couldn’t she do anything… 

It felt like she was sinking into a whirlpool, with everyone’s faces becoming more and more distorted.

“What’s going on here?!” 

Suddenly, a stern voice rang out from behind the crowd.

The workers, startled, turned around and quickly made way.

Master Yu, with a cold expression, walked in and asked Zhao Mian, “What’s happening?”

Zhao Mian, dazed, turned her head, but her lips trembled, unable to say anything.

Seeing someone who could back them up, Xiao Wen angrily explained the situation.

Master Yu listened without any hesitation, casting a look of disdain at Li Dasheng before calling to the gatekeeper, “There’s someone causing trouble in the factory—why haven’t you thrown him out?”

She was a technical expert brought in by the branch factory, and even the factory director treated her respectfully. The gatekeeper hurriedly responded, clearing a path through the crowd and pushing Li Dasheng, “You need to leave!”

Li Dasheng hadn’t expected someone to show up so suddenly, and the situation quickly slipped out of his control. He shrugged off the gatekeeper’s hand and angrily asked, “Who are you? How can you just insult me without understanding anything? I’m going to report you to your leaders!”

“I am their leader,” Master Yu said coldly. “If you continue causing trouble and slandering the reputation of our female workers, we have the right to send you to the police station.”

Li Dasheng didn’t expect this middle-aged woman to be so tough, and he involuntarily felt a sense of fear rise within him.

The woman who had earlier insinuated Zhao Mian’s behavior spoke up, questioning, “Master Yu, what if he’s not lying?”

Master Yu shot her a stern look. “Then let him provide proof. Can someone just ruin a young woman’s reputation with empty words?”

The female worker closed her mouth, though whether she was convinced or not, only she knew.

Master Yu turned to the gatekeeper and urged, “Why haven’t you kicked him out yet?”

The gatekeeper immediately began pushing Li Dasheng away.

Master Yu then looked at Zhao Mian, frowning. “Your temper is too soft. If you don’t change, you’ll regret it later.”

Zhao Mian lowered her head and apologized.

“You shouldn’t apologize to me.”

Master Yu shook her head slightly, dismissed the meddling workers, and then left.

Xiao Wen stayed by Zhao Mian’s side, worriedly saying, “Mian Jie, things have escalated so much today, the factory won’t stay quiet. Should we talk to Zhao Ke about it?”

Zhao Mian bit her lip. “Don’t say anything yet. I can handle it.”

—

In the Zhao Village Production Team, the family was completely unaware of Zhao Mian’s troubles at the commune, and they continued to gather around the table for dinner as usual.

Zhao Ke, who was about to officially start at the team committee the next day, asked the former Women’s Director, Yu Xiulan, during dinner: “Mom, what does the Women’s Director do exactly?”

Yu Xiulan responded casually, “Mainly handling family and women’s disputes, leading women’s progress in production. It’s not too complicated.”

“So as long as there’s no fighting or loss of life, right?”

Yu Xiulan thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

If it were disputes like those of Zhao Er Nai, it didn’t seem too complicated. As long as the mindset was steady, three months would pass quickly.

Zhao Ke relaxed and picked up some wild vegetable shoots that Zhuang Lan had dug up, dipping them in sauce as she asked, “Mom, you’re teaching at the school tomorrow. Is there anything you need to ask me?”

Yu Xiulan, being a mother, couldn’t admit she was unsure, so she stubbornly replied, “It’s just teaching first and second grade, not that hard to handle.”

She seemed confident, and neither Zhao Ke nor Zhao Feng suspected otherwise.

Only Zhao Jianguo, sitting at the table, lightly tapped Yu Xiulan’s left hand under the table and noticed it was shaking. He gently covered it with his own, holding it in place as they finished eating. The couple didn’t say anything further and simply went back to their room together.

Zhao Feng said, “Er Jie, I’ll clean up. You go lie down.”

Zhao Ke then returned to her room.

Before going to bed, Zhao Ke stepped outside to water the plants. As she stepped out the door, she saw Zhao Feng crouching by the window of the main room, sneaking around.

As children grow up, they inevitably hear about some of their parents’ awkward moments.

Zhao Ke understood that the young man, full of youthful anger, was likely upset, but eavesdropping by the wall wasn’t a good habit.

Zhao Ke walked over lightly and grabbed Zhao Feng’s ear.

Zhao Feng let out a sharp “hiss—” halfway through, quickly covering his mouth, and followed her lead, moving away from their parents’ window.

Once they were far enough, Zhao Ke slapped the back of Zhao Feng’s head and quietly scolded him, “How can you listen in on Mom and Dad?”

Zhao Feng, not thinking of anything else, spoke with innocent excitement and whispered back, “Sis, Mom’s giving Dad a lesson!”

Turning off the lights for a lesson… these two middle-aged people are playing games like this?

But Zhao Ke quickly realized that a lesson might really just be a lesson.

She had misunderstood Zhao Feng.

And misunderstood their parents.

The problem was with her…

Zhao Ke held a hand to her lips, cleared her throat softly, and slapped her brother again, “Go back inside, you night owl. Always wandering around late at night!”

Zhao Feng obediently responded with a “Oh,” stood up straight, turned around, and then jumped in shock.

Behind him, Yu Xiulan’s face was so dark, it seemed to blend into the night.

Zhao Ke immediately, without hesitation, betrayed her brother: “Mom, I’ve already taught him a lesson for you. This little rascal is always up to no good.”

The two siblings: one is sly, the other just a pure fool.

Yu Xiulan was so furious, it felt like her brain was going to explode. She grabbed their ears with both hands, one in each, and scolded, “Zhao Ke! Why is it that every time you come home, the house turns into chaos?”

Zhao Ke held Yu Xiulan’s hands with both of hers, feeling frustrated, “Even if something smells bad up close, it shouldn’t be this unpleasant this soon…”

She had only been home for a few days—had she already stopped being the precious daughter of the family?

Yu Xiulan ignored her, then turned her attention to Zhao Feng. Her hands hit him harder than she had hit Zhao Ke, one after another, landing on Zhao Feng’s back. “You little rascal, how did I give birth to such a fool!”

Zhao Feng jumped up and tried to dodge, “Mom, mom—I’m sorry!”

Yu Xiulan released Zhao Ke’s ear and chased after him, hitting him.

Zhao Ke gently rubbed her ears.

Zhao Jianguo stood neatly at the door of the main room and verbally advised his wife, “Stop tormenting the kids, let them go back and sleep.”

Yu Xiulan cursed, “Go back! If I hear a peep out of you two, you won’t sleep tonight!”

Zhao Feng quickly scampered back into the house.

Zhao Ke wanted to say she still had to water the flowers, but even though she couldn’t see Yu Xiulan’s face clearly, she could tell that those eyes were glaring at her.

As long as she showed any sign of mischief, the mother leopard would pounce and give her a good lesson.

Zhao Ke obediently turned around, deciding to step out again in ten minutes.

Yu Xiulan stood in the yard, staring for a while before heading back to the main room.

Zhao Jianguo yawned and asked, “Are you still going to continue the lesson?”

“Continue what? We’ll talk about it tomorrow morning!” Yu Xiulan, who had originally cared about face, decided that since Zhao Ke and the others already knew, there was no need to hide anymore.

The next day, 5 AM.

In the Zhao family yard, three chickens lazily laid on the ground, basking in the sun. From time to time, they would shake their wings and fluff their feathers, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Ka-chi—”

The three chickens suddenly lifted their heads and turned toward the same direction.

The door of the main room opened, and Zhao Feng, bleary-eyed, stumbled over the threshold and hurried out the door.

The chickens flapped their wings and scattered.

A while later, Zhao Feng came out of the storehouse holding a basin, casually grabbing some pigweed seeds and scattering them across the ground.

The chickens immediately rushed back, heads bent like they were tied down with weights, pecking at the seeds without looking up.

Zhao Feng nervously glanced back at the main room. Serving the chickens that laid eggs every day was certainly much easier than dealing with the newly appointed teacher Yu.

At 6:30, Zhao Feng made breakfast and lazily walked to the door, calling out, “Mom, breakfast is ready.”

Inside, Yu Xiulan responded, “Keep it warm in the pot, we’ll eat in half an hour.”

Well then…

“You come in and listen to the lesson!”

Zhao Feng’s face clearly showed his exhaustion—he really didn’t like studying.

At 7:00, the family sat around the dining table eating. Zhao Ke and the others looked at Yu Xiulan, who was engrossed in her book, all feeling a bit uncomfortable.

At 7:40, Zhao Ke, with her green shoulder bag and white tea mug, quickly left for work.

The Team Committee Office—

Team leader Zhao Xinshan, deputy team leader Xu Zhengyi, accountant Niu Jiang, and warehouse clerk He Dongsheng were already seated in the office.

As soon as Accountant Niu saw Zhao Ke, he warmly said, “Zhao Ke, you’re early today.”

Zhao Ke greeted them one by one and said, “It’s my first day here, so I definitely couldn’t be late. But I didn’t expect you all to be even more responsible.”

Deputy Team Leader Xu chuckled, “We’re getting old, so we don’t sleep much. I couldn’t stay home, so I came in around six.”

Team Leader Zhao Xinshan went straight to the point and instructed, “Accountant Niu, you and Dongsheng take Zhao Ke on a tour of our Team Committee.”

The Team Committee consisted of just one room and a large warehouse—one could see everything at a glance.

The room functioned as both an office and a place to receive guests. It had two square tables, two tall cabinets, and one locked cabinet containing personal files of the villagers. The other contained newspapers, notebooks, and other miscellaneous items.

“The room is like this, but you’ll get used to it in a few days,” Accountant Niu said with a smile. “You’ve been here before, but I don’t think you’ve ever been to the warehouse, right?”

Zhao Ke shook her head, “No.”

“That needs a careful look. The women’s director can’t be a full-time worker, or we’ll be blind to things later on.”

He Dongsheng, carrying a bunch of keys, limped ahead to open the warehouse door.

Zhao Ke matched his pace, walking slowly as well.

The warehouse was empty of grain, filled only with various farm tools: wooden plows, wooden harrows, bamboo baskets, wooden shovels… and also iron rakes, iron shovels, and the like.

He Dongsheng was a rather silent person. He briefly explained where each tool was located, then added, “You’ll need to go through me to take anything.”

Since that was the case, Zhao Ke figured it didn’t matter whether she fully understood the layout or not.

After touring the warehouse, Zhao Ke and Accountant Niu returned to the office while Deputy Team Leader Xu went off to lead the team to work.

Zhao Xinshan motioned for Zhao Ke to sit in her mother’s previous spot. “It’s not busy farming season right now, so there’s a bit of surplus labor in the village. I didn’t assign any work for our team, trying to save some work points.”

His smoking habit was kicking in. He glanced at Zhao Ke, a young girl, but didn’t light his cigarette. Instead, he sniffed the tobacco pouch and mumbled, “This isn’t the front line of agricultural production. We really don’t need the educated youth to come help with farming; they should all be sent to the borders to assist with frontier work.”

Zhao Xinshan was just talking casually. With Accountant Niu around, there was no need for Zhao Ke to make small talk.

Zhao Ke sat there, holding her white tea mug, and started to feel a bit sluggish from sheer inactivity, unable to suppress a big yawn.

The first yawn went unnoticed by Zhao Xinshan and Accountant Niu.

The second yawn, however, caught their attention, though they didn’t say anything.

But as she kept yawning, Zhao Xinshan couldn’t help but yawn himself, affected by her.

He commented, “Young people, you can’t be this low-energy.”

Zhao Ke wiped the tears that had gathered at the corner of her eyes.

Who was it that had gotten the whole family up at dawn to attend a lesson, lecturing for hours on end, still full of energy?

It was Comrade Yu Xiulan.

Who was it that, on her very first day at work, had already established herself as someone “without energy”?

It was her,Comrade Xiao Zhao from the Zhao Village Production Team.