Chapter 8

“Don’t call me Third Uncle. Our families aren’t that close!”

When Song Qingde saw Zhao Wanmiao being dragged out by his daughter-in-law, still clutching yellow paper in her hand, his already dark face turned even gloomier. Hearing the shouting from Granny Feng’s daughter-in-law made his head throb. He shot a glare at Song Xingguo and gave his son a meaningful look.

Song Xinhua immediately turned around to shut the Song family’s gate. He glanced at Song Chunzhi, who had quietly slipped inside, then at the scene in the yard, feeling more convinced that the eldest daughter of the Song family wasn’t as simple as she appeared.

“Zhao Wanmiao, you really have some nerve…”

Song Xingguo felt embarrassed after being criticized by Song Qingde. He stared at Zhao Wanmiao, who had just been dragged out, gritting his teeth and full of regret. If only he had beaten her so badly yesterday that she couldn’t get out of bed, none of this would have happened today. If she wanted to get herself in trouble, fine, but why did she have to drag him down with her?

“Village Chief, there really are ghosts. I ran into them twice last night. Just let me finish burning the paper money. I promise I won’t do it again,” Zhao Wanmiao struggled to break free from Wang Cuiqin’s grasp and rushed up to Song Qingde. She wanted to say she’d been attacked by ghosts twice but was afraid others would think she was insane.

Granny Feng’s daughter-in-law, Li Yufeng, looked at Zhao Wanmiao as if she were mad. Was she out of her mind? Talking about feudal superstitions in front of the village chief? Li Yufeng instinctively took two steps back, as if afraid of catching some kind of madness.

“Shut your mouth already…” Song Xingguo hurriedly dragged Zhao Wanmiao aside and pinched her arm hard, issuing a warning in a low growl.

“Hah…” Song Qingde let out a cold laugh as he looked at the wild look on Zhao Wanmiao’s face.

This was the first time anyone had ever said something like this to him directly. It was clear that Zhao Wanmiao was deeply poisoned by feudal superstitions. He immediately scolded her, “You saw a ghost? I think you’re just faking it. The commune has been promoting belief in science and eliminating superstitions. Have you not taken a single word to heart? Your thinking is seriously flawed. You need some serious reform.”

“Village Chief, my mom just had a nightmare last night. She didn’t mean to engage in superstitions,” Song Chunhua hurried out of the house to explain when she heard this. Zhao Wanmiao couldn’t be arrested over superstition. She couldn’t bear the thought of having a mother sent away for labor reform.

“She didn’t mean it? That doesn’t matter. Feudal superstitious acts must be firmly punished,” Song Qingde said as he glanced at Chunhua. The second daughter of the Song family had stayed inside for quite a while and was only speaking up now. He could clearly see her intentions. For someone to be this bold in front of him, there was no way it wasn’t intentional.

“Take her to the brigade office,” he ordered his daughter-in-law, then pushed open the Song family gate. Seeing a crowd of villagers gathered outside to watch, his face darkened even more. “What are you all staring at? Are the irrigation canals repaired yet? Finish breakfast and get to work.”

“I’ll help you, Sister Cuiqin,” said Li Yufeng as she stepped forward. Upon hearing that Zhao Wanmiao was being taken to the brigade, she realized the village chief wouldn’t let her off easily.

Earlier, when they shut the door, she had thought maybe the village chief was going to protect Zhao Wanmiao. Now, seeing the truth, she rushed over to help drag Zhao Wanmiao away.

Zhao Wanmiao had always mocked her for being barren, calling her a hen that couldn’t lay eggs. Now that Li Yufeng had the chance to bring her down, she would make sure the whole village heard about it.

“Didn’t expect Zhao Wanmiao to be so bold, burning paper money in broad daylight. She even talked about ghosts right in front of the village chief. Clearly, she doesn’t take him seriously…”

“Exactly. I wonder how the village chief’s going to deal with her. It’s a pity I’ve got to work, or I’d go to the brigade and watch the show.”

“If I had known Zhao Wanmiao was so into superstition, I would’ve reported her. I heard the commune gives rewards. What a missed opportunity…”

As Zhao Wanmiao was taken away and the villagers gossiped, Song Xingguo couldn’t keep a straight face anymore. He quickly went over and shut the door, then shouted at his two daughters in the courtyard.

“The sun’s already high. Why aren’t you cooking yet? Are you trying to starve me?”

“Burning paper in broad daylight. Even a pig wouldn’t be that stupid!” Song Xingguo kicked Song Chunhua viciously and snarled, “Your mom was being dumb, and you couldn’t stop her? After all the food you’ve eaten over the years, you’re still useless!”

He splashed his face with water and, still seething, stormed off toward the brigade courtyard. As if he was really going to work now. At this rate, Zhao Wanmiao was going to drag him down with her. Just thinking about the consequences faced by others in nearby villages who had been caught engaging in superstitions made his heart grow cold. If Zhao Wanmiao ended up labeled as superstitious and sent for re-education, their family would be finished.

“Song Chunzhi, if you had behaved yourself, Mom wouldn’t be in trouble. This is all your fault,” Song Chunhua said, rubbing the spot where she had been kicked. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she angrily blamed Song Chunzhi.

It was all because of how much Song Chunzhi had changed. Their mother had gone to seek out that old witch just to deal with her. Song Chunzhi was a jinx. But the burning paper incident had only been known to her and their mother. How had the village chief caught them red-handed?

“What are you standing there for? Go cook!”

Feeling cheerful, Song Chunzhi glanced at Song Chunhua, who was standing to the side wiping her tears, and said calmly, “If you haven’t finished cooking by the time Dad gets back, it probably won’t just be one kick.”

At the mention of Song Xingguo, Song Chunhua, still hurting from the earlier kick, looked visibly afraid. She raised her head and spoke with some defiance, “I don’t know how to cook. You do it. Dad doesn’t care who he hits.”

“Heh…” Song Chunzhi let out a cold laugh and dragged Song Chunhua straight into the kitchen with her right hand, beginning to give instructions. There was no way she would cook herself. With a faint smile on her beautiful face, she said, “Mom told me yesterday to teach you. I’ll only say it once, so remember it well.”

“Song Chunzhi, you made mushroom and egg soup yesterday. Don’t try to pretend you can’t cook today. I don’t believe you!” Song Chunhua didn’t want to cook and certainly didn’t want to be ordered around by Song Chunzhi. She was determined to insist that Chunzhi was capable.

“Believe it or not, I’ve taught you. You figure out the rest,” said Song Chunzhi, unwilling to argue. She poured herself some hot water and returned to her room. Taking out two egg cakes, she began to eat. Who knew how long it would take before Song Chunhua finished cooking.

“My egg cakes!” Song Chunhua instantly forgot what Chunzhi had said earlier. Even if she didn’t want to cook, she had no choice. She was about to ask another question when she saw Song Chunzhi eating the egg cakes and immediately realized they were the ones she had bought yesterday. She rushed forward to snatch them.

Song Chunzhi dodged easily, making Chunhua lunge at nothing. Then she turned and kicked Chunhua in the leg, sending her straight to the ground. With a cold expression, she said, “What do you mean your egg cakes? Don’t think I don’t know about Mom conspiring with the scorekeeper to change my perfect ten into a seven just to trick Dad. All the extra points were given to you as pocket money. Shouldn’t these egg cakes be mine?”

“You… how did you…” Song Chunhua was in so much pain that she started crying. Her face was filled with shock at Chunzhi’s words.

Zhao Wanmiao had been doing that for several years. How did Song Chunzhi find out? Chunhua didn’t dare mention the egg cakes again and slipped back into the kitchen to cook. She was filled with fear, thinking of all the money her mother had funneled to her over the years. If Chunzhi told Song Xingguo about it, both she and her mother might be beaten to death.

Song Chunzhi applied medicine to her arms and knees. The wounds had already scabbed over, and it didn’t hurt much anymore, so she planned to go out for a walk. Without money, she couldn’t do anything. She still had plans to attend university in another province.

As she passed by the kitchen, she casually took one of the still-steaming boiled eggs, completely ignoring the resentful look on Song Chunhua’s face.

“Chunzhi, isn’t your arm injured? Why are you going up the mountain?”

It was working hours, and villagers who saw Song Chunzhi carrying a bamboo basket felt deeply sorry for her. Just yesterday, Wang Guihua had said that the poor girl had fractured her arm. The Song family was heartless, treating their daughter like a beast of burden.

“My arm’s injury isn’t serious. I’m going up the mountain to pick mushrooms,” Chunzhi replied, her fair little face full of anxiety. She cautiously asked for a favor. “I haven’t registered my sick note with the brigade yet. Could you please help me inform the scorekeeper? Thank you.”

“Of course, leave it to me.” It was just a message, and the woman agreed readily. Watching Chunzhi walk away slowly, she couldn’t help but mutter, “That Zhao Wanmiao is truly despicable.”

“You haven’t heard? Zhao Wanmiao got caught practicing superstition and was taken to the brigade,” said Granny Feng, a woman in her fifties, narrowing her eyes as she dropped this juicy piece of gossip. The others nearby quickly gathered around to hear more.

The morning sun was gentle, casting its light on Song Chunzhi as she walked, enveloping her entire figure in a warm glow.

With yesterday’s experience in mind, she avoided going deep into the mountains or areas where wild boars might roam. She stayed around the outskirts instead.

The mushrooms had already been picked clean by the village children, but mushrooms weren’t her target anyway.

After walking for quite a while, she came across a low slope. Seeing the dense thorns covering it, a smile appeared on her beautiful face. She reached out and carefully plucked the small green fruits from the branches, dropping them into her bamboo basket. She had to be especially careful not to get pricked by the thorns, which could really hurt.

These round little fruits were wild jujubes. The village children usually waited until they ripened to eat them as sour-sweet snacks. But after spending over ten years as a ghost, Song Chunzhi had learned a lot. She knew that jujube seeds could be used in medicine. No one nearby was aware of this, making it the perfect opportunity for her to make money.

As she searched, she picked swiftly. The jujubes weren’t ripe yet and had no flavor, so no one cared about them. That made it easy for her. Before long, the bottom of the bamboo basket was covered.

“Company Commander, the cliff is too steep. We can’t see anything below.” Ma Xiangfeng lay cautiously at the edge of the cliff. One glance down made him shiver. He turned to Gu Huaishan and reported.

Gu Huaishan stared at the abyss below, obscured by mist, its depths unfathomable. He sighed and signaled for them to back away. Glancing at the two despairing men nearby, he frowned deeply and said to Ma Xiangfeng, “Go back immediately and get people to search the base of the cliff. We must recover both the person and the equipment.”

Song Chunzhi had just filled half her basket with jujubes when she wandered to the cliff’s edge, hoping to get lucky and find some rare medicinal herbs. That was when she spotted Gu Huaishan and a few soldiers in uniform lying by the edge of the cliff. Her delicate face showed puzzlement. This cliff was terrifyingly deep. Ordinary people wouldn’t come here. She waited until they stepped away before speaking.

“Company Commander Gu, what are you doing here?”