Chapter 37: Alliance

Evidence was conclusive, and Uncle Jiang was taken into custody that day to accompany his younger son.

To avoid affecting the work of his two cousins, he took all the blame upon himself, acting like a caring father in that moment.

“Dad, why are you here too?” Jiang Yongsheng’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Just two hours ago, his father had confidently promised to bail him out, so how did he end up in jail?

Jiang Dezhu, with a dark expression, took off his shoes and gave his son a beating: “If it weren’t for you lying to me, claiming that Jiang An’an set you up, would I have gone to find her? Today, I will beat you to death.”

Jiang Yongsheng covered his head and dodged around: “I’m sorry, Dad, please don’t hit me anymore.”

The cell was in chaos, with other inmates keeping their distance, fearing they might get caught up in it.

The whispers and pointing from those around made Jiang Dezhu feel humiliated, and he gritted his teeth in anger: “You little brat, if I don’t beat you to death today, I won’t be called Jiang Dezhu!”

As soon as he finished speaking, someone in the crowd suddenly looked up.

He smiled and leaned forward: “Brother, let’s talk nicely. If you attract the police, you’ll definitely get criticized again.”

Jiang Dezhu had just hit until his hands hurt, and upon hearing this, he stopped, panting as he looked at the middle-aged man in front of him with a wary expression.

The man was wearing a leather jacket, had a slicked-back hairstyle, and a potbellied figure, indicating he was not an ordinary person.

“My surname is Gao; you can just call me Xiao Gao. I’m from Lixian.” Gao Fei instinctively reached into his pocket for a cigarette, only to remember it had been taken away by the cops.

“Lixian? That’s over a hundred kilometers from here.” Jiang Dezhu remained cautious, deliberately slouching his shoulders and asking innocently, “What did you do to get caught in our Yunzhou County?”

Gao Fei looked around and suddenly leaned in closer to Jiang Dezhu, lowering his voice: “There’s treasure in the mountains around Nanxi Brigade. I’m not familiar with the terrain, which is why I got caught by the police.”

A glint of excitement flashed in Jiang Dezhu’s eyes, but he pretended not to believe it: “It must be fake. My family has been in Nanxi Brigade for generations, and I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s absolutely true. Sixteen years ago, someone caught a yellow fish in Yunzhou County.” Gao Fei held up five fingers: “There’s at least that much in the mountains.”

Five gold bars?!

Jiang Dezhu’s breathing quickened.

Besides this matter, his reputation in the village was ruined. If he could strike it rich, wouldn’t those villagers rush to flatter and please him?

Gao Fei observed his greedy expression and asked, “Brother, was there anything unusual that year, like someone suddenly getting rich overnight, or a family adopting an abandoned baby?”

Jiang Dezhu’s first thought was: Coincidentally, wasn’t Jiang An’an adopted sixteen years ago?

But he smartly kept quiet and cautiously replied, “Why are you telling me this?”

“My little brother has connections in the station; it was a careless mistake that got us all caught. With such a commotion outside, it’s hard not to notice. Big brother, you’re capable, so I wanted to pull you in.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll go find the treasure myself?”

Gao Fei confidently raised an eyebrow: “The control outside is so strict; only I have the connections to get the equipment. Otherwise, how long would it take to dig it up with just a hoe?”

Jiang Dezhu couldn’t help but pour cold water on the idea: “Now that we’re all caught, it’s all for nothing.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Fei laughed even more arrogantly, confidently assuring: “Brother, trust me, we’ll be out in less than half a month.”

—

The health clinic quickly restored order.

But after what happened that morning, the family was uneasy about leaving Jiang An’an alone there, so they hurriedly completed her discharge procedures to go home.

In late autumn, there was little work in the fields, and the villagers were relatively idle.

The wives and mothers gathered with shoe soles in hand to gossip; if you asked what was the hottest topic lately, it was still the troubles of the Jiang family.

“Have you heard? Last night, Jiang Degui’s little girl fell off her bike by the roadside in the middle of the night and was rescued by a kind person.”

“Oh dear, I hope nothing happened! There’s no food in the mountains in autumn and winter, and wild beasts sometimes wander onto the roads. A lot of people were bitten to death during the famine ten years ago.”

“The Jiang family has been so unlucky lately; they must have offended some deity.”

“Pah! Jiang Shulan has hundreds of dollars in her hands, saving enough for the Jiang family to eat for half a lifetime. Instead of worrying about the Jiang family, she should think about how many pounds of pork we’ll get from those two pigs at the end of the year.”

“Those two pigs haven’t had much of an appetite lately, and Sixth Aunt isn’t as quick as Aunt Wang; the pigpen is so stinky you can smell it from far away.”

“It’s all Wang Laosan’s fault for beating his wife so badly she can’t get out of bed. If it affects our pork distribution at the end of the year, I won’t let him off the hook. I need to have a serious talk with the brigade leader.”

…

As they were talking, a bicycle came riding in from the village entrance.

It was Jiang Degui and his daughter.

The village paths were narrow and uneven.

Jiang An’an jumped off the back of the bicycle and sweetly greeted the villagers on both sides of the road: “Aunt Liu, Aunt Zhu…”

The little girl smiled sweetly, and just looking at her was refreshing, making people feel as if they were basking in spring. She was completely different from before, when she looked down on the rural folks with her nose in the air.

The pair of small dimples on her cheeks instantly warmed everyone’s hearts.

The women paused their work, exchanging concerned inquiries.

“An’an, we heard you fell off your bike. Where did you hurt yourself? Did you apply any medicine?”

“The sun sets early in autumn and winter; next time, come back earlier.”

“What were you doing in town yesterday?”

Jiang An’an stood in place, patiently replying.

“I bumped my head again, but luckily I’m fine. Yesterday, the brigade leader asked me to go to town for something important that concerns the whole brigade. You’ll all know about it in a few days.”

Her words made the women perk up their ears.

“What good news?”

“An’an, don’t keep us in suspense; hurry up and tell us.”

Jiang An’an deliberately teased them: “No way, the brigade leader has to announce it. Anyway, it’s good news for all the women in Nanxi Brigade. But there are limited spots, only women of good character will be included.”

Everyone’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued.

What good news could possibly be for women of good character?

But if there’s a chance, one must seize it.

Some older and younger women straightened their backs, knowing they were top-notch in both household and field work, as well as in the village’s reputation.

Others, who usually had plenty of shortcomings, were wide-eyed, thinking about how to showcase themselves and make a good impression on the brigade leader and the other members.

Jiang An’an continued to rally them: “Dad, you go home first. I need to hurry and convey the county’s decision on selecting exemplary women to the brigade leader.”

Realizing she might have let something slip, she hurriedly covered her mouth, lowered her head, and quickly left.

The villagers: !!!

A commotion erupted around them, and everyone’s gaze fell on Jiang Degui behind her.