The village chief kept wiping sweat from his brow, worried that Old Jiang might slip up. He kept shooting him warning glances. If everyone stuck to the story that this was all a misunderstanding, the police wouldn’t be able to pin anything on them. But if it was confirmed that both families had colluded to buy a wife for Niu Zi, they’d all be in deep trouble. Even if they didn’t end up in jail, just having this reported would be enough to ruin him.  

But Old Jiang didn’t catch the chief’s hints. After the old woman called out to him, he snapped back angrily, “Ma, why won’t you let me speak? We made a deal with the chief—he gives the money, we hand over the girl! If he backs out now, the police will arrest us. I won’t be the only one going down—if I die, we all die together!”  

As Jiang Daliang shouted, the crowd erupted. So it was true—they really had planned to sell the second brother’s daughter? How could they bear to sell a girl they’d watched grow up right under their noses? Could the rumors be true—that the girl wasn’t even a Jiang by blood?  

Seeing Jiang Daliang’s reaction, the village chief deeply regretted his decision that morning. Making deals with fools was a losing game. To protect his reputation and position, the chief had no choice but to approach Jiang Wanting with a sigh. Lowering his voice, he said, “Girl, we’re all from the same village. Uncle knows he was wrong and wants to apologize. I was tricked by them too. Let’s work this out—name your terms, and we’ll settle this peacefully.”  

Jiang Wanting’s heart leapt with joy, but she kept her expression neutral. “Fine. Divide the household and the land. We’ll live separately from now on, and the Jiang family isn’t allowed to bully us anymore. Otherwise, no deal.”  

The chief understood—she wanted him to back her and her mother from now on, making his family their protectors. The girl had guts. But on second thought, the mother and daughter had always been hardworking and kept to themselves. Aside from needing his help against the Jiang family, they wouldn’t cause any other trouble. So he agreed immediately. “Deal. Once this is over, Uncle will take care of everything for you!”  

Having achieved her goal, Jiang Wanting walked over to Captain Wu and said apologetically, “Officer, the chief might’ve really been tricked by them.” She pointed at the old woman on the ground. “They swindled two hundred yuan from the chief’s family and tried to trick me into going with them. This whole thing was orchestrated by her and my uncle. I don’t want to wrong the innocent or let the guilty off, so I’m willing to settle this through mediation.”  

Captain Wu, preferring to avoid unnecessary trouble, figured that since no actual sale had taken place, dragging them to the station would only lead to a few warnings before they’d be released. It wasn’t worth the hassle.  

“State your terms,” Captain Wu said.  

Jiang Wanting replied, “First, she has to return the two hundred yuan to the chief. After that, this matter has nothing to do with me. Second, this whole thing has damaged my reputation, so I demand fifty yuan in compensation. Once that’s paid, we’re done—I’ll never bring it up again. Third, for my and my mother’s safety, I demand that the household be divided. We’ll live separately from now on. The family’s grain, savings, land, and dues—everything should be split fairly per person. Those are my conditions.”  

Before anyone else could speak, the chief stepped forward. “I agree with the girl’s terms. First, return the money. Second, pay compensation. Third, divide the household. Since the police are here today, let’s settle the money part in front of them. As for the compensation, fifty yuan is too little—this incident has caused her real harm. Who knows if she’ll even dare to think about marriage after this? I think eighty is more appropriate. The division will take time, but after the first two matters are settled, I’ll oversee the split myself. Every bowl, chopstick, potato, and cornmeal they’re owed will be accounted for. To protect them from retaliation, I’ll arrange a place for them to stay today and handle the rest in the coming days. What does everyone think?”  

The onlookers all nodded in agreement.  

But Old Lady Jiang and Jiang Daliang were stunned. “Who says we’re dividing anything? Who says we’re paying anything? That money was given to me with your approval—it’s not like I stole it! We had a deal—how can you just back out now? And why should I pay those two worthless women? They’ve been eating and drinking off me all this time—I should be charging them!” The old woman rolled her eyes, refusing to admit any wrongdoing.  

The chief was fuming. Pointing at her, he snapped, “You—you’re less reasonable than a child! That money was obtained through fraud—how could I have approved it? And as for ‘eating and drinking off you,’ the only one I ever see working in your fields is the second brother’s wife. The rest of you just freeload! You’ve lived all these years for nothing. If you refuse to settle, then we’ll let the police handle it officially. You and Jiang Daliang can go to the station, and as chief, I’ll divide the household for all three of them. I can’t stand by and watch you bully a mother and child like this. If word gets out, people will curse me for allowing it!”  

The chief truly regretted ever dealing with this family. Not only had they failed to deliver, but they were also driving him to an early grave—and might even land him in jail.  

The old woman was still wailing, sitting on the ground and crying to the heavens. “Oh heavens, the officials want to kill the common folk! They’re inhuman—they want to rob me and take my life!”  

Ignoring her, the chief turned to the police. “Comrades, this woman is notorious in our village for being impossible to reason with. She only responds to fear. So I’ll need your help to…”  

Before he could finish, Jiang Wanting swung a shovel—whack!—squarely on the old woman’s back. The wailing stopped instantly.

This move silenced everyone—the village chief, the police, and the onlookers.

“You think crying makes you right?” Jiang Wanting stood there, one hand resting on the shovel. “If crying solved everything, we wouldn’t need the police. I’ll say this now: if you agree to mediation, we’ll settle it that way. If not, we’ll do it the other way. You tried to sell me, so I’ll make you pay. We live in the same yard—you’d better never sleep, because the moment you do, I’ll bash your head in. Trading my life for yours? Worth it. My mom’s only thirty-six—if she wants, she can still have more kids. But if you die, you’re dead for good. And this shabby house? Half of it belongs to my mom now. The money in your hands? She gets a share too. If you’re tired of living, I’ll gladly help you out!”  

“Look at this mess,” the village chief said, first stunned by Jiang Wanting’s boldness, then impressed by her strategy. The old woman had stopped wailing and was now frozen in shock. Seizing the moment, the chief quickly intervened, “Auntie Jiang, when it comes down to it, your life matters most. If you’re dead, you can’t enjoy anything. Don’t you still have that granddaughter studying in Beijing? Aren’t you waiting to go live with her in luxury? If you cause trouble now and end up with a police record, you won’t even be allowed into Beijing—they’ll arrest you the moment you step off the train!”  

Through a mix of coaxing and threats, the old woman finally nodded in agreement.  

Under the watchful eyes of the police, the old woman pinched out a hundred yuan from Jiang Daliang’s reluctant hands, then dug out another wad of cash hidden in a crack in the wall. After much struggle, she managed to return the full two hundred yuan to the village chief—but she was still short eighty yuan for Jiang Wanting.  

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t scrape together the eighty. Terrified of being beaten to death in her sleep, she turned to her third son’s wife for help.  

The third daughter-in-law curled her lip. “Where would we get money? Our pockets are emptier than our faces. Every month, whatever we earn goes straight to you—how can you ask us for more? But now that I think about it, your money doesn’t add up. Over all these years, you only have two hundred? Every time Second Brother came home, didn’t he give you several hundred? Where’s all that money?”  

The old woman’s eyes darted around, but she didn’t press further. Instead, she turned to the village chief with a pleading look. “I really can’t come up with it. How about we call it even? The girl’s eaten and drunk enough in my house over eighteen years to cover eighty yuan. Let’s just wipe the slate clean.”  

“Nothing’s clean,” Chen Meiling trembled with anger. “I just found out—every time Jiang Erliang came home, he gave you hundreds. Not a single cent ever reached me. Every bite of food, every sip of water my daughter and I had in that house, I worked for. I did the farm work, I did the housework, slaving day and night—and still, my daughter and I went hungry. You don’t get to write off your debt with ‘food and drink.’ If you don’t have the money, write me an IOU. If you can’t do that, hand over the house. If you try to weasel out, I’ll go straight to the police!”  

“Let me be fair here,” the chief cut in, stopping the argument. “There’s no record of how much Second Brother’s wife paid before. But now that we’re dividing the household, from today on, any money Second Brother brings back goes to his wife. She’ll give Auntie Jiang a fixed amount each month, and the rest stays with them for their new life. But the compensation for the girl is non-negotiable. What you did was wrong, and the girl deserves repayment. If she’s unhappy and reports you, do you still think you’ll get to follow your precious granddaughter to Beijing for a life of luxury?”  

The mention of going to Beijing with her eldest granddaughter always made the old woman hesitate. The chief had found her weak spot. Under his mediation and the police’s supervision, Jiang Wanting and Chen Meiling officially separated from the Jiang household.  

There was an old educated youth settlement in the village—a crude brick-and-wood house. After this year’s college entrance exams, all the educated youths had returned to the cities, leaving the place empty. The chief had originally planned to use it as a storage shed, but with the Jiang family situation, he decided to let Jiang Wanting and Chen Meiling live there instead.  

“When Jiang Erliang returns, the village committee will issue you a household division certificate,” the chief told Chen Meiling, eyeing the shabby house. “Take that to the police station to finalize the split. Once that’s done, we’ll officially divide the land. For now, we’ll mark out your portion so you can start working it.”  

“Alright, thank you, Chief,” Chen Meiling said, visibly happy. “We’ll make sure the land thrives.”  

The chief felt a pang of guilt at their living conditions. “That corner has basins, washboards, and soap left behind by the Educated Youth. Take whatever you need—no need to report it. The roof needs repairs before autumn, but Jiang Erliang should be back soon. Have him fix it before he leaves again.”  

“Got it!” To Chen Meiling, this place was already a dream—bigger than the cold storage room they’d lived in at the Jiang house. Three beds, leftover bedding, mosquito nets… A few patches and some boards would keep the wind out. Outside, there was even a makeshift stove the educated youth had built. This was beyond her expectations.  

After seeing the chief off, Jiang Wanting helped her mother clean up. “Mom, when should we bring back the food we hid? Oh, and tomorrow, I want to go to the county town.”