Adopting a child is not an easy thing. If you already have a bunch of kids at home, you can't just ask anyone to do it.
"Ji Xiaochun's parents are both dead, and Ji Dagang is her only relative, so he has to support her. If he doesn't, he's committing a crime. If I see Xiaochun injured again, I'll report you to the commune. Ji Dagang and your wife will go to jail."
"If it weren't for you all, we could have chipped in to give the child some food and a place to live. The child would have grown up in a few years." Li Yuanzhao, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
Sun Lan didn't believe her, "You're just talking nonsense..."
Ji Dagang grabbed Sun Lan, convinced of Li Yuanzhao's abilities. Li Yuanzhao had connections in the county's Public Security Bureau. That policeman frequently visited Li Yuanzhao, clearly indicating he had taken a liking to her.
Everyone said it was Li Yuanzhao who disagreed. Ji Dagang was worried that the man might actually arrest him to please Li Yuanzhao.
Song Yan could see that Ji Dagang was scared, and at the same time, he felt deeply sorry for Ji Xiaochun. It would have been better if she had no brother at all! If it weren't for Ji Dagang, Ji Xiaochun could have received some grain subsidies from the village. With his help, the child could have grown up without any problems.
It's because his older brother is there; if others interfere too much, his brother will definitely cause trouble. Besides, they live with them as a couple. Others can't watch them every day, secretly giving them less food or beating them up—aren't those things happening right now? Who can go to their house to beat them up every day?
“I’m her brother, no matter how poor I am, I have to support her,” Ji Dagang said.
“You’re right, you have to support her no matter what.” Song Yan pulled Sun Dabao over. “Look at how you’ve raised your sister. She doesn’t get to eat anything herself; it all goes into her stomach! She even tries to steal things from others.”
Ji Dagang lowered his head again.
Several women standing nearby were furious. Sun Akun's wife, the oldest, went up and slapped Ji Dagang across the face. "You worthless bastard, your heart is black!"
“Xiaochun is still too young to work. The literacy class in the village is free, remember to have her come to class every day,” Song Yan said.
“I will check her for injuries every day!” Jiang Xiaoxiao said.
It's no wonder the villagers got along so well with the educated youth. The village was able to earn some pocket money this year, all thanks to these educated youth. Look at them now, when something happens, they all speak up.
Captain Wu, who had been watching from the sidelines for a while, said, "Da Gang, I'm punishing you, and you're not happy about it? You want to beat up your sister too?"
Then everyone realized that the brigade leader had arrived.
"No, no!" Ji Dagang said without any confidence.
“I punished you because Xiaochun was injured. And you came back and still didn’t repent. You’ll have to do all the manure for the next two months… You’re begging Xiaochun for mercy, aren’t you? If she asks, I’ll make you do it for three months.” Captain Wu was about to leave when he suddenly turned back. “Jiang Zhiqing, if Xiaochun gets injured again, come find me. I’ll make Ji Dagang do manure for a year.”
Sun Lan was furious. She'd cleaned up the manure, and Ji Dagang was covered in the stench. Wouldn't his house stink every day? "Captain Wu, Song, the educated youth, just hit me. What do you say?"
"If you want to pursue this matter, then go ahead and report it to the commune."
Ever since you married into the Ji family, you've been abusing Ji Xiaochun. Let's settle this score.
Wei An's father died for public property. A child like that deserves protection everywhere. His uncle is a war hero, and this child is a military family member. You beat a military family's child; you can talk to them yourself!" Captain Wu walked away without looking back.
With Captain Wu gone, the matter was considered closed, and everyone began to disperse.
Erzhuang's wife pinched Sun Lan hard, "If you dare to bully our child next time, I'll kill you."
Song Yan brought Wei Ping and Wei An back. Song Yan's expression was grim, and the children were a little frightened. "What mistakes did you two make today? Reflect on them carefully."
“Auntie, it was Sun Dabao who tried to steal the dumplings…” Wei An’s voice trailed off under Song Yan’s stern gaze.
Song Yan also needs to reflect on his mistakes. He should have restrained the child when he saw Wei An directly confront Sun Lan and the others on the first day. This little brat, so fearless and headstrong, dared to charge in so recklessly…
Song Yan took a breath, trying to calm herself down. She was against domestic violence, whether verbal or physical. She realized that simply feeding and caring for a child was the easiest thing. Now, she was facing the issue of education.
Wei An couldn't bear to see Xiao Chun being beaten and starved; this was a child's kindness. But should she understand the difference between acting bravely and wisely in a righteous manner?
Song Yan asked what they should do if they saw someone fall into the river.
Should we go into the water to rescue them, or call for help? What do these different choices signify?
The two children didn't understand, and Song Yan sighed.
If it were worktime today, there would be very few people in the brigade. If no one could stop Sun Lan, what would happen to Wei An? It wouldn't just be a matter of getting a beating.
Wei Ping: "Auntie, can you teach me how to catch rabbits? And can you teach me how to shoot arrows too?"
"Why are you learning this?" Song Yan asked.
“If I had that ability, Sun Lan wouldn’t dare hit my sister in front of me,” Wei Ping said, clenching his fist.
"Auntie, I'm just a kid and I always lose when I argue with adults. I won't do it again next time."
"Next time I can give Aunt Xiaochun something delicious when she's at school." Wei An tugged at Song Yan's clothes, his dark eyes softening Song Yan's heart.
The two of them didn't understand the adults' complex thoughts. But Song Yan tried his best to explain.
Even if they felt sorry for Xiaochun, they shouldn't have acted this way. Their actions might make things even harder for Xiaochun, so Song Yan swallowed back the rest of his sentence. Song Yan's unfinished thought was that Xiaochun might suffer even more abuse.
I don't know how much these two kids can understand. Anyway, they admitted their mistake and said they would correct it, but Song Yan still made them stand for half an hour as punishment.
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