Chapter 13

When the crowd had nearly gathered in full at the brigade’s gate, Song Qingde stepped to the front and cleared his throat before speaking. “Also, the brigade has arranged for the educated youth to give a science lecture in the square tonight. Everyone must work to change their old ways of thinking. This is a new society now, and we must believe in science.”

“After working all day, now they want us to sit through some lecture? The village chief must be losing his mind from old age…”

“You dare say that about the village chief? Watch out, Xincheng might beat you up…”

“It’s all because of that paper-burning incident with Zhao Wanmiao. The village chief’s just scared someone else might follow her example…”

“Zhao Wanmiao’s the rotten apple ruining everything for the rest of us. Our brigade probably won’t get an excellence award this year, and I was counting on that next batch of discounted cloth to make a wedding dress for my daughter. If I can’t get it, I won’t let Zhao Wanmiao off easy…”

Standing in the crowd, Song Xingguo listened to the villagers blame Zhao Wanmiao. Their unfriendly looks were directed his way as well, making his chest boil with anger. His fists clenched at his sides. When someone asked when Zhao Wanmiao would return, he forced a calm expression and answered coolly.

“The village chief said it will take a few more days.”

“When she comes back, you’d better have a good talk with her. If she does this again, it won’t matter how hard the rest of us work. She’ll just drag us down with her.” The man speaking had a black mole on his face and a mocking glint in his eyes. Everyone in the village knew Song Xingguo beat his wife at home, but outside, he acted like a coward.

Song Xingguo recognized the mockery instantly, and fury surged in him. He lowered his head and mumbled something, promising not to cause any more trouble for the village.

Song Chunhua was on the verge of collapse. The villagers’ words about Zhao Wanmiao were like sharp knives, and the looks they gave her were full of contempt. Most of their gazes lingered on her swollen, bruised face. After several days of beatings, her face never had a chance to heal. Now she was mocked openly. She wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it.

“I’ll kill you if you say one more word!” shouted Song Jiawang. Hearing the accusations, his small black eyes filled with resentment. Even the kids he used to play with were now calling his family a nest of superstitious fools. Enraged, he raised his fists and went to strike someone.

“What Zhao Wanmiao did has nothing to do with us! My family is not some superstitious den! Don’t pin that label on us, or I’ll rip your mouth open!”

Chen Xiuying couldn’t stand being associated with Zhao Wanmiao either. Now someone even claimed the whole Song family should be sent for re-education. She immediately sprang to her feet and snapped back at them.

“Zhao Wanmiao is your daughter-in-law. You think you can wash your hands clean? Maybe it was you who put her up to it. She’s never been into superstition before. But you… back in the day, you were always doing shady rituals…”

Dressed in a navy short coat, her gray hair tied back, Granny Feng scoffed and shook her head mockingly. She had a sharp tongue and knew all about Chen Xiuying’s past. She wasn’t the least bit afraid of her foul mouth.

“Shut up, you old opera hag!” Chen Xiuying spun around and began cursing Granny Feng in return. Everyone knew Granny Feng used to be a performer. If she hadn’t been pretty, Old Feng would never have married her. Who knew what kind of brothel she crawled out of?

People nearby saw the two women starting a fight and quickly craned their necks to watch the drama unfold. While things were heating up below, Song Qingde continued his speech from above with no sign of stopping.

“Secondly, our brigade’s wheat is now ripe. Starting today, we begin harvesting. Everyone must participate. Every grain must make it to the granary. Now, go get ready and head to the fields.”

At the mention of harvesting, the villagers’ spirits lifted immediately. Whether or not they’d have enough to eat depended on a good yield. A bountiful harvest meant a good New Year. Who wouldn’t be eager to reap the grain?

“Grandma Sun.”

In the crowd, Song Chunzhi searched for a while before making her way to Grandma Sun, who was holding her two-year-old grandson. She greeted her softly.

“Chunzhi, your arm is still injured. You don’t need to join the wheat harvest. Focus on resting and healing,” Grandma Sun said with a kind smile and loving eyes.

“Don’t worry. No one else will know about that incident,” she added, patting Chunzhi’s arm gently. “You meant well. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Thank you, Grandma Sun.”

Song Chunzhi quickly expressed her gratitude. She hadn’t expected Grandma Sun to offer her help so readily. She hadn’t meant for things to get out of hand; she only wanted to teach Zhao Wanmiao a small lesson.

She reached out and stroked the chubby little face of the boy in Grandma Sun’s arms, then slipped something into his pocket with a smile. “This is for him.”

Back at home, Grandma Sun placed the toddler on the ground and checked his pocket. She was stunned to find three neatly wrapped fruit candies inside. Sweets were a rare treasure nowadays. They were expensive at the supply and marketing co-op, and required ration coupons. Only the wealthier families could afford them.

That Chunzhi girl… she really was a thoughtful child. It tugged at her heart.

When Song Chunzhi got home, she was immediately met with Song Chunhua’s resentful expression. With no patience in her voice, Chunhua questioned her.

“You’ve been gone for ages since the meeting ended. Why are you only back now? I saw you talking to the village chief’s wife.”

“It was just a greeting. What else could we talk about?”

Song Chunzhi’s almond-shaped eyes flashed with coldness as she stared at Chunhua and answered casually. Then she stepped closer and gave a warning.

“The nail marks on your face are still there. Mind your own business.”

Reluctantly, Song Chunhua left to head to the fields. She had no desire to face Song Xingguo again; what happened yesterday was terrifying. She didn’t want to experience that a second time. So what if she had to work? Once she finished her tasks, she would buy cloth to make herself a new outfit and get something tasty as a reward. But just as she was about to step out the door, Chunzhi’s lazy voice came from behind.

“Don’t forget to come back early to cook.”

Furious but afraid to speak, Chunhua kept her head down. She was terrified that if Chunzhi lost her temper again, her face might not survive the next time. And if her looks were ruined, she might have no choice but to marry someone like the village idiot. She definitely didn’t want that.

Chunzhi strapped on her bamboo basket and headed out. The mountains were dangerous, but she had her secret weapon. Why should she be afraid?

She made her way toward the western mountain. In the fields, the team members were busy harvesting wheat. When they saw Chunzhi carrying her basket toward the mountain, their eyes filled with pity. With a broken arm and unable to work in the fields, she still had to forage in the mountains. Poor girl. The sight of her brought the Song family back into their gossip.

Deep in the mountains, Chunzhi found a quiet and safe cave. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Soon, her transparent spirit form emerged. Grabbing the basket, she stepped out. She blocked the entrance with branches and stones to ensure safety before heading off.

Under the scorching sun, the bamboo basket floated through the forest as if by magic. Luckily, most people were busy harvesting wheat, and no one was in the mountains. Otherwise, the scene might have scared someone to death.

Chunzhi, in her spirit form, headed straight for the deep forest. No danger could touch her now; after all, would a wild animal attack something it couldn’t see?

Of course not.

The deeper parts of the mountain were rarely visited and rich in resources. Chunzhi’s eyes couldn’t take it all in. Clusters of wild fruits hung from branches: red, yellow, green… She planned to harvest all of them on her way back. They may be wild, but the taste was heavenly.

A black-skinned wild boar munched on fallen fruit. When it saw the bamboo basket floating past, its large eyes filled with confusion. After watching for a while, it gave up trying to understand and went back to eating.

Chunzhi roamed the forest, collecting plenty: bright red goji berries, golden honeysuckle, and plantain herbs. She even stumbled upon a patch of termite mushrooms growing beneath a tree. Excited, she hurried over to pick them. But just as she bent down, her almond eyes spotted something unusual under another tree across from her. Curious, she finished harvesting the mushrooms and walked over.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Growing tightly against the tree roots was something entirely purple-red in color. It looked like a halved lotus leaf or a large fan, though slightly smaller. Chunzhi recognized it immediately: a lingzhi mushroom.

She was overjoyed. What a lucky day. Although lingzhi wasn’t as precious as ginseng, it was still valuable.

Carefully, she picked the purple-red mushroom. It was bigger than her face. Her smile grew so wide she couldn’t hold it back. With this treasure, what did she have to worry about?

She lined her basket with leaves and gently placed the lingzhi inside, covering it with more leaves for protection. Then she returned to harvest the ripe wild fruits she’d seen earlier. She tucked them under the lingzhi and even added some fresh green wild vegetables on top to conceal everything.

Satisfied that the contents were hidden, she made her way out of the forest, stopping now and then to pick any medicinal herbs she came across. Lingzhi might be rare, but the common herbs, though less valuable, still added up to money.

Back at the cave, Chunzhi checked the entrance she had blocked earlier. Everything was undisturbed. Only then did she remove the branches and stones.

She re-entered her body and chewed on several wild fruits to quench her thirst. After a short rest, she slung the basket on her back and headed down the mountain.

Grandma Sun had already left early from work to cook at home. She stood at the edge of the fields and saw Chunzhi’s thin figure returning with the heavy basket. Her heart ached. The Song family really went too far. If she couldn’t work, they sent her to forage instead. Couldn’t they let the girl rest?

Once home, Chunzhi drank a big bowl of cooled boiled water. Wild fruits were nice, but they didn’t satisfy like water. She sorted her harvest. The herbs and the lingzhi went straight into her room; these were her future security, and she couldn’t risk anything happening to them.

As for the wild vegetables and a small bundle of termite mushrooms, she planned to use them to appease Song Xingguo. The man was like a mad dog lately, and she had no desire to be his next victim.

Carrying the mushrooms, Chunzhi went to the village doctor’s house to ask about herb processing. She saw the doctor’s eight-year-old daughter, Ye Xinyue, playing in the yard and handed her a bright red mountain peach.

“Yueyue, is your father home?” she asked with a smile.

“Chunzhi, an educated youth fainted in the wheat fields. Your Uncle Ye went to check on them. Come in and sit for a bit,” called Wang Guihua, stepping out from the kitchen and seeing the peach in her daughter’s hands.

Chunzhi placed the mushrooms into Wang Guihua’s arms, smiling sweetly.

“I picked these mushrooms on the mountain. Let Uncle Ye make soup with them.”

“Chunzhi, I can’t accept this…” Wang Guihua was flustered. The child was still injured; how could she take anything from her? She tried to refuse, but Chunzhi stuffed the mushrooms into her arms and ran off before she could react.

Wang Guihua didn’t even have a chance to catch up.