While waiting for Lin Dazhu’s reply, Jiang Qiuyue would go to the village entrance every day after meals to chat and pass the time. Before leaving, she made sure to lock the door.  

But today, when she returned from gathering vegetables, she found the lock broken. Without a word, she searched every room and found Lin Sanzhu eating with his mouth slicked with oil.  

So this was why the Lin family had been so quiet—they were secretly plotting something rotten. Not only had they dared to write to Lin Dazhu to slander her, but now they were stealing her meat.  

Jiang Qiuyue grabbed the broom by the door and, before Lin Sanzhu could react, struck him hard. His arm immediately swelled with red welts.  

“I’ll beat you to death, you thieving scoundrel! If Mom and Dad won’t teach you, I, your eldest sister-in-law, will!”  

Jiang Qiuyue put all her strength into the blows, making Lin Sanzhu yelp and jump around.  

“What the hell are you doing? You stole eggs yourself—what’s wrong with me eating a little of your meat?” Lin Sanzhu had been salivating over the smell of meat every day. He couldn’t wait for his eldest brother’s reply, so he figured he’d just steal some meat—it wasn’t like Jiang Qiuyue could do anything about it.  

Today, he had pretended to have a stomachache, waiting for Jiang Qiuyue to leave before making his move. But now she was beating him mercilessly, chasing him out of the yard.  

At this point, Lin Sanzhu didn’t care about saving face. He ran while shouting, “Someone help! Jiang Qiuyue is trying to kill me!”  

His cries were loud, and as he passed the rice fields, Hu Haizhi, who was leading the work crew, saw Jiang Qiuyue chasing and beating Lin Sanzhu. He quickly stepped out of the field to intervene.  

Hu Haizhi stopped Lin Sanzhu. “Sanzhu, what’s going on?”  

Seeing the red welts all over Lin Sanzhu’s face and body, Hu Haizhi was stunned.  

“Team Leader, save me! My sister-in-law is trying to kill me!” Lin Sanzhu played the victim first. “Look at these injuries—it hurts so much!”  

By now, the field workers had gathered to watch the commotion. Wang Chunhua pushed through the crowd, and upon hearing that Jiang Qiuyue had beaten him, she slapped her thigh dramatically. “Oh heavens, why am I so unlucky to have such a daughter-in-law?”  

With that, she sat on the ground and burst into tears. The villagers, seeing Lin Sanzhu’s bruised face, were skeptical—was this really the gentle Jiang Qiuyue they knew?  

Someone scolded Jiang Qiuyue, “Qiuyue, isn’t this too much? No matter what Sanzhu did, you shouldn’t have beaten him so harshly!”  

Jiang Qiuyue was no pushover. She immediately retorted, “Sister Zhou, you don’t know what Sanzhu did. Not only did he fake an illness, but he also stole!”  

“You’re lying!” Wang Chunhua jumped up. “Sanzhu is my son—he would never steal!”  

“Mom, even now, you’re still covering for him?” Jiang Qiuyue sighed. “Everyone, take a look at Sanzhu’s mouth—it’s still covered in oil. He didn’t even have time to wipe it.”  

The crowd turned to Lin Sanzhu, and sure enough, his lips were glistening. He had claimed to have a stomachache to go home, yet here he was, his mouth greasy from eating—clearly, he had faked it!  

Hu Haizhi’s face darkened. “Sanzhu, if you didn’t want to work, you should’ve just said so. Lying is unacceptable.”  

“I—”  

If Lin Sanzhu had outright refused to work, his parents would’ve beaten him, and Jiang Qiuyue would’ve been on guard. Now that his deception was exposed, he blurted, “Then why don’t you ask what I stole? Jiang Qiuyue hides meat in her room every day, while Dad, Mom, and the rest of us only get wild vegetables. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I broke her lock!”  

“Listen to this, everyone! A younger brother-in-law, while his elder brother is away, dares to break into his sister-in-law’s room—how can I possibly stay in the Lin household now?”  

Jiang Qiuyue quickly seized the moment. She had never quarreled with anyone in the village, and the original owner of her body had been mild-tempered. Her tears now swayed the crowd naturally in her favor. “That little bit of meat was for Beibei and Nanan. I’m not afraid to admit it—Beibei and Nanan have never tasted meat or eggs before, not even during New Year’s. My mother-in-law wouldn’t let them have a single bite. As their mother, I can go without, but the children need to grow!”  

Mentioning the children struck a chord. The villagers had eyes—Lin Beibei and Lin Nanan were noticeably thinner and smaller than other kids their age, clear signs of malnutrition.  

Jiang Qiuyue wiped her eyes. “I know I was wrong to hide meat from the family, but I had no choice. Before, Dazhu’s living expenses were all taken by my mother-in-law. It was only after I got injured this time that I managed to keep some.”  

She played the humble card, moving some to tears. “And now, before the children could even eat much, Sanzhu stole it all. As his sister-in-law, I only wanted to teach him a lesson, but he called me… called me a shrew!”  

“Jiang Qiuyue, you’re lying! I never called you a shrew!”  

“Everyone, hear that? He’s cursing me again!” Jiang Qiuyue turned to the team leader. “I see now—I truly can’t stay in this family any longer. Let’s just divide the household.”

The mention of dividing the household snapped Wang Chunhua out of her thoughts about the villagers’ changing perceptions. She rushed forward, pointing at Jiang Qiuyue and even raising her hand as if to strike. “You want to split the family? Keep dreaming! I’m not dead yet!”  

The fiercer she acted, the more the villagers believed Jiang Qiuyue’s words.  

It was already sweltering in the afternoon, and with Lin Sanzhu and Wang Chunhua causing such a scene, Hu Haizhi grew even more irritated. “Wang Chunhua, your family is bullying them too much!”  

“Exactly!” someone chimed in. “Qiuyue hands over living expenses every month, yet you won’t even let the children eat meat. This isn’t Qiuyue’s fault—if it were me, I’d have rebelled long ago. If anyone mistreated my kids, I’d fight them to the death!”  

“Sanzhu is definitely in the wrong. A grown man of twenty, still so immature, snatching meat from his little nephews—how shameless!”  

“Since when has he ever cared about shame? Look at his greasy mouth! He even broke into his sister-in-law’s room. Honestly, his intentions aren’t pure!”  

That last comment made everyone’s imaginations run wild.  

Lin Sanzhu felt wronged. He had only wanted to mess with Jiang Qiuyue, thinking she couldn’t do anything to him. Who knew she’d beat him so fiercely that he had to flee in pain?  

He opened his mouth to defend himself, but someone smacked the back of his head hard. Turning around, he saw his father, Lin Fugui, and swallowed his anger.  

“Apologize to your sister-in-law! She was right to hit you—a grown man stealing meat from children!” Lin Fugui cared about face. Seeing the crowd side with Jiang Qiuyue, he had no choice but to suppress his temper, or the villagers would criticize them even more.  

He forced a smile at the crowd. “This is just a small misunderstanding, everyone. Our family treats everyone equally—of course we wouldn’t deny the children meat.”  

Lin Fugui tried to brush the matter aside, but Jiang Qiuyue wasn’t about to let him off so easily.  

She had wanted to divide the household for a while, but without a reason, she couldn’t push for it. Now, Lin Sanzhu had handed her the perfect opportunity, and she wasn’t about to waste it.  

Spotting Lin Beibei and Lin Nanan running over from a distance, Jiang Qiuyue crouched down and hugged them. “My poor babies, your uncle just had to steal your meat. I couldn’t stop him—Mommy is useless. But your grandpa claims the family treats everyone equally, and I disagree. Beibei, Nannan, before this month, had you ever eaten meat?”  

Lin Beibei loudly said no. “Grandma calls me a little bastard and says I don’t deserve meat. She won’t even let me and Nannan eat eggs!”  

The little boy deliberately spoke loudly, then turned to his grandfather. “Grandpa, how can you lie like that? That’s bad!”  

A child so young wouldn’t lie, and this only cemented the villagers’ belief in how the Lin family had mistreated Jiang Qiuyue and her children.  

Especially that phrase—”little bastard.” A five-year-old wouldn’t even know such a word unless Wang Chunhua had actually said it to him.  

Instantly, the villagers’ gazes toward the Lin family filled with contempt.  

Wang Chunhua glared. “You ungrateful little brat! After all I’ve fed and clothed you, how dare you slander me?”  

She reached out to grab Lin Beibei, but Jiang Qiuyue blocked her.  

“Mom, don’t hit Beibei. He’s just a child. If you want to hit someone, hit me.” Jiang Qiuyue shielded the two children, and the villagers couldn’t take it anymore.  

Auntie Niu stepped forward. “Wang Chunhua, I’ve heard you scolding and hitting Qiuyue and the kids all this time. Today, I just can’t stay silent. Everyone, everything Qiuyue and Beibei said is true! Wang Chunhua and Lin Fugui have never treated Dazhu as their real son—they’ve been tormenting Qiuyue and the children on purpose!”  

As neighbors in the same village, Auntie Niu had wanted to help Jiang Qiuyue before but hadn’t dared to openly clash with the Lin family. But today, she couldn’t hold back. If she didn’t speak up now, Jiang Qiuyue and the children would be bullied to death.  

With Auntie Niu’s testimony, the villagers’ condemnation of the Lin family grew louder.  

Only when the crowd had exhausted their anger did Jiang Qiuyue speak weakly, “Team Leader, you see how things are. How can I dare to take the children back now?”  

Hu Haizhi hesitated. “Even if you want to divide the household, Dazhu isn’t here. Would he agree?”  

Jiang Qiuyue thought to herself—if Lin Dazhu disagreed, he could live with the Lin family himself. She and the children wanted no part of it.  

“The radio broadcasts say women hold up half the sky. I have a say in my own family’s matters. As for Dazhu, he doesn’t even live at home—how would he know my suffering?”  

Only then did everyone remember—Lin Dazhu hadn’t returned home in six years. Their pity for Jiang Qiuyue and the children deepened.

Auntie Niu, finally seeing Jiang Qiuyue stand up for herself, clicked her tongue at the team leader. “Team Leader, don’t hesitate. You have no idea how cruel Wang Chunhua is. If you really let Qiuyue and the children continue living with them, can you take responsibility if something happens?”  

“Niu Dali, control your wife!” Lin Fugui couldn’t take it anymore. “Since when do outsiders get to meddle in our family affairs?”  

Niu Dali scoffed. “It’s because you’ve gone too far! Otherwise, would my wife be this angry? I’ll give you some advice—do something decent. Divide the household if you must. Otherwise, even after you die, people will spit on your grave and call you heartless old scoundrels.”  

“Who are you calling that?!” Lin Fugui was superstitious about death-related talk and lunged forward, ready to fight, but the team leader stopped him.  

Hu Haizhi took a deep breath. “Uncle Lin, I think you should just let Qiuyue and her children split off. You know the truth yourself—no need for me to spell out the ugly details. We all live in the same village. If this escalates further, it’ll only bring more shame.”  

Villagers cared about face. Today’s incident had already humiliated Lin Fugui and his family. If things turned violent, their village would become infamous throughout the entire township.  

With the team leader speaking up and the villagers watching, Lin Fugui felt his chest tighten with rage, but he had no choice but to agree.  

“Old man, have you lost your mind?!” Wang Chunhua refused to divide the household, but one sharp look from her husband silenced her.  

Lin Fugui kicked his youngest son in frustration. This little bastard had caused all this trouble! Stealing meat was bad enough, but how dare he make such a scene?  

Lin Sanzhu was fuming but didn’t dare speak. He knew he’d messed up—once they got home, his father would make him pay.  

Since the household was to be divided, accounts had to be settled. Jiang Qiuyue invited the team leader and some of the Lin family’s elders and relatives back to the house.  

Once inside the Lin family courtyard, Jiang Qiuyue sent the children to their room. “Since we’re dividing the household, I won’t hide the truth anymore. All these years, I’ve been giving Mom and Dad twenty yuan a month for living expenses, leaving me with nothing. Dazhu said part of it was for filial piety, so I won’t ask for everything back. After deducting what I’ve consumed over the years, I’ll just ask Mom and Dad to give me two hundred yuan.”  

She had calculated that Old Man Lin and his wife probably had a little over two hundred yuan saved. Asking for this amount wasn’t excessive—as long as Lin Fugui feared public shaming, he’d have no choice but to pay.  

Hu Haizhi and the others were stunned when they heard “twenty yuan.”  

“Uncle Lin, Dazhu sent that much money every month, and you still starved Qiuyue and the children? You’ve gone too far!” Hu Haizhi felt indignant on Jiang Qiuyue’s behalf. How had she endured this for so many years?  

“Team Leader, I didn’t mention this earlier because I wanted to spare Mom and Dad some face. Please keep this confidential for me.”  

Of course, that wasn’t the real reason. Money attracts trouble—after the split, Jiang Qiuyue would have to fend for herself. If people knew she had savings, some would inevitably eye her wallet. While the team leader and others might not keep the secret for long, it was still worth trying to delay the spread.  

Besides, framing it this way made her seem even more magnanimous.  

Hu Haizhi sighed sincerely. “Qiuyue, you really are too kind. I think this arrangement is fair. Let’s settle it this way.”  

“No, Team Leader, that won’t do!” Wang Chunhua wailed. “We don’t have that much money! Even if we did, Sanzhu and my daughter aren’t married yet—how can we give it all to Jiang Qiuyue?”  

“Why not?” Hu Haizhi snapped. “You used Qiuyue and Dazhu’s money to marry off Erzhu. What, now you want to use their money for Sanzhu’s wedding too?”  

Even Lin Fugui’s cousin couldn’t stay silent. “Fugui, you’ve truly shamed our Lin family. Even if Dazhu isn’t your biological son, he’s been filial to you. You shouldn’t have abused his children.”  

They had all assumed Jiang Qiuyue’s contributions were two or three yuan a month—no one had imagined twenty. In all of Taohua Village, no household earned twenty yuan a month.  

Being chastised by his own relatives to his face, Lin Fugui burned with humiliation, his jaw clenched tight. Wang Chunhua cried and protested—money in her pocket was hers, and she’d never give it to that bitch Jiang Qiuyue.  

Jiang Qiuyue let out a few sobs. “Team Leader, maybe we should just forget it. I’ll go to the town and report this to the police. I’m truly terrified. If we don’t divide the household today, I’m afraid Mom and Dad will take revenge on me and the children once you all leave.”  

“Lin Fugui, give me a straight answer—do you agree, or do you really want to drive them to their deaths?” Hu Haizhi didn’t want this escalating to the town level. “If you want to humiliate yourselves in front of the whole township, fine! Sanzhu stole today—let’s send him to labor reform. Clearly, you don’t know how to discipline your children!”  

At this, Wang Chunhua froze in fear, and Lin Sanzhu’s legs shook as he begged his father, “Dad, I don’t want labor reform! I already promised Xiaomin we’d marry by the end of the year!”  

Which was more important—money or his son?  

Lin Fugui’s gaze at Jiang Qiuyue was venomous, but he could only swallow his rage. “Fine. I’ll pay.”

—

In earlier drafts, I referred to Hu Haizhi as the village chief, but after further consideration, I’ve revised this to team leader to better reflect the historical setting. During this period, villages were commonly organized into production teams or brigades, and the person in charge was often called the team leader (队长). This term more accurately captures the structure and atmosphere of rural communities in that era.