Chapter 48: The Men Rebelled

On the stage, Gao Xiuhua had memorized the manuscript beforehand, and she read it with such passion and infectiousness.

She focused on short stories, such as divorce lawsuits, heartless parents abandoning their children, husbands abusing their wives… Each story was captivating, with twists and turns, like storytelling, completely different from the dry and boring speeches of ordinary meetings.

The commune members listened with rapt attention, exclaiming that they had learned a lot.

“So there really are laws about divorce, and the law stipulates that both parents must support their children after divorce?”

“So it’s illegal to abandon a child, it’s murder!”

“So parents can’t force their children to marry, marriage is free, otherwise they will be arrested and imprisoned.”

“So…”

Facing the bright eyes of the audience, Gao Xiuhua felt a sense of accomplishment. Finally, she emphasized that “the Women’s Federation is a department specifically for the service of women and children,” “If your marriage is unhappy, we will help you get a divorce,” “If you are bullied, we will help you get justice,” “If your parents give birth to you but don’t raise you, or if your children are unfilial, come to us to solve it.”

Hearing this, the commune members’ faces changed.

The brigade leaders were almost all men, and the marriage law challenged the deeply rooted patriarchal system for thousands of years.

If they went back to the village and vigorously promoted the Marriage Law, not only would the old men tear them apart, but they would also worry that their wives would follow suit and rebel.

The men looked at each other, their teeth itching with hatred.

Good, they were waiting for them here, Jiang An’an was a vicious little girl, she had already anticipated their opposition, so she added a condition to the selection of the advanced brigade at the end of the year, forcing them to make a choice, right?

As the only female brigade leader in the Red Flag Commune, Ma Jingxiang was so excited that her hands were almost swollen. She was elected brigade leader based on her ability, but she suffered a lot of rumors behind her back.

Such as “women should be submissive,” “She’s always showing her face, working with the men, she’s really unchaste”… Not only did her mother-in-law not understand, but even her husband and children disliked her.

Ma Jingxiang was almost about to give up, but looking at Jiang Shulan, who was being commended on stage just now, a surge of strength welled up in her heart.

There was no other reason, Comrade Jiang Shulan spoke so well!

“First comes the family, then comes the country. If it weren’t for the women who work day after day at home, taking care of the children, and allowing their husbands to have no worries, how could their husbands devote themselves wholeheartedly to building a beautiful country?”

“To put it simply, housewives are the center and soul of the family. To put it broadly, housewives are the brave warriors who unite the country!”

Ma Jingxiang was excited, she had decided, she would follow in the footsteps of Comrade Jiang Shulan and become a revolutionary pioneer in rescuing women’s minds.

The Marriage Law must be spread throughout the Niulanshan Brigade!

The first lecture in the Red Flag Commune ended with controversy, foreshadowing the storm that this reform would unleash in the brigades below.

After the meeting, the commune members surrounded Chen Xingtong, begging him to help find a way, or hoping that he would cancel this new rule.

Chen Xingtong was inwardly contemptuous: a bunch of fools! This was approved by the county magistrate, legal education is a must, unless he doesn’t want to be the director anymore.

But outwardly, he said grandly, “Civilized law-abiding has always been a selection criterion for advanced brigades, it’s just that the rules are now more explicit.”

Instantly, the crowd was furious!

The commune members dared not refute Director Chen, so they turned their anger on the seemingly weakest, Jiang An’an.

“Blame Jiang An’an for having nothing better to do all day, just stirring up trouble. There’s so much work to be done in the countryside, who has time to mess around with her.”

“Humph, her reputation is ruined, she wants all the old and young women to rebel with her.”

“A woman with such a bad reputation doesn’t deserve to be a cadre.”

…

When it came to their own interests, these people tore off their masks, revealing their ugly faces, using the most vicious words to attack Jiang An’an, trying to convict her.

“An’an…”

Gao Xiuhua looked at the little girl beside her with some worry.

She was only sixteen, and she had to face the greatest human malice in the world. But the work of the Women’s Federation was to be a “leading bird,” daring to break feudal dross, standing against most men, the road ahead was full of countless difficulties and challenges.

Jiang An’an said excitedly, “The more they make a fuss now, the more I’ll make them cry later.”

Gao Xiuhua: …

“Are you okay?” She’s delirious from the fever.

Jiang An’an gave her a reassuring smile and stepped forward, “I heard that everyone has a lot of opinions, it’s good to have opinions, feel free to bring them up.”

Caught red-handed gossiping behind her back, a group of men felt ashamed, wishing they could find a hole to crawl into.

But before they could voice their opinions, she quickly added, “Whichever brigade gives the best presentation, the inspection team will prioritize visiting them.”

Jiang An’an’s face was full of eagerness.

She couldn’t wait to go to the countryside and catch them red-handed.

Everyone: “…”

“You, you’re using your position for personal gain.” Someone muttered under their breath, “Everyone knows your elder sister extorted Zhou Kang, she’s just using the banner of child support.”

Jiang An’an wasn’t fazed at all, “Did Zhou Kang tell you that?”

The man was taken aback, but he insisted, “Isn’t it obvious? In the countryside, there’s no such thing as child support after divorce. There’s no such rule in our ancestors’ traditions for thousands of years.”

Jiang An’an suddenly sighed, looking at him with “the kind of expression a teacher has when they catch a bad student,” “This is a typical example of not listening to the lecture. The case of Jiang Shulan’s divorce expenses is mentioned in Articles 13 and 23 of the Marriage Law.

As a brigade leader, you didn’t listen carefully to the lecture and take notes, and you didn’t convey it to the commune members, aren’t you misleading them?

You’re not making progress yourself, and you want to drag all the commune members down with you. What do you mean by our ancestors’ traditions for thousands of years? Aren’t those feudal dross that specifically harm women and children?”

Her questions were sharp and powerful.

In an instant, the contemptuous and disgusted looks turned to the man, mirroring Jiang An’an’s previous experience. Only when they became the target of everyone’s scorn could they understand how helpless and embarrassed it would be for someone to be slandered by two mouths.

The man covered his face and fled in disgrace.

The rest of the commune members dared not make a fuss anymore, they cowered like quails, afraid that they would also be labeled as unwilling to make progress.

Jiang An’an’s gaze swept across everyone’s faces, and wherever her gaze fell, everyone lowered their heads. This wasn’t a good thing. She would need the support of the brigade leaders to carry out her work in the future, she couldn’t let them fear her or resist her.

So she softened her tone and began to paint a rosy picture, “Why did our Red Flag Commune lose to the Hongguang Commune in the selection of advanced communes last year? Is it because our commune’s grain and pork quotas are not up to standard?”