Chapter 94: Cao Meiling's second son, Jiang Hai...
Cao Meiling's second son, Jiang Hai, clenched his fists so tightly they cracked. "Who the hell are you? What right do you have to hit my mother? If you weren't an old woman, my fist would have been on your head long ago. Call your son over, I'll fight him."
The three members of the Jiang family, father and sons, were all tall. Jiang Hai was only 15 years old, but he was already 1.7 meters tall and strong. He looked so fierce and intimidating.
The more Old Mrs. He looked, the angrier she became. They ate and dressed well, while her poor granddaughter was being abused like this. She said viciously, "I want to tear your mother apart for all the despicable things she's done. You don't need my son, if you have the guts, raise your fist and hit me." She took two steps forward and stuck her head in front of Jiang Hai. "Come on, if you don't hit me, you're a coward."
The captain quickly stepped forward to organize the situation. What are these idiots from the Jiang family doing making such a fuss?
Abusing someone else's child, and they still have the nerve to justify it?
In this matter, Cao Meiling is not in the right.
Whether she switched the baby or not is still unclear to everyone. Although Grandma He repeatedly said that Cao Meiling and the director of the health center colluded to switch the baby, she has not provided any conclusive evidence.
But everyone has their own judgment. It's a fact that Cao Meiling abused Cao'er. If Cao'er hadn't been lucky, she would have starved to death long ago.
It is highly suspicious that Cao Meiling went to the county to give birth.
Eighteen years ago, who would go to the county hospital to give birth? They would ask the midwife for help, and all they needed was two eggs.
In the last two years, most pregnant women have given birth at home. Only those families who dote on their daughters-in-law will go to the commune clinic.
Over the years, Cao Meiling has been the only one who has gone to the county health center to give birth.
Cao Meiling deserved to be beaten; if it were someone else, they would have torn the Jiang family house down.
Cao Meiling reached out and grabbed Jiang Hai, coughing weakly, "Ah Hai, I'm fine. I understand her. She just hates me for giving the wrong baby to her, but I'm a victim too. If Cao'er had been prettier, she wouldn't have been unable to find a suitable adoptive family." She looked at Old Lady He and cried, "Cao'er is as stupid as a pig and ugly. It wasn't easy for me to raise her for so many years."
Old Mrs. He was so angry she almost spat out blood. She tried to hit Cao Meiling across the brigade leader, but Jiang Hai pushed her and made her stumble. She was furious: "You shameless bitch, how dare you say that!"
Grandma Yu's eldest sister spat wildly at Cao Meiling.
Cao Meiling was protected by her husband, and not a single word of criticism was directed at her.
Yu Jiajia's anger flared up, and she wanted to beat Cao Meiling up too. The child must have been switched by Cao Meiling on purpose! Don't be arrogant. What's done is done, and there will always be clues left behind.
Why did Dean Hu agree to help switch children? Did Cao Meiling have something on him, or did Cao Meiling offer him enough benefits?
Cao Meiling has no money and cannot offer any benefits.
Is that leverage? Is it related to Cao Meiling's ex-husband who was executed?
These can all be checked! And there's even information about Shen Meng who was expelled!
There must be evidence.
She reached out and grabbed He Zhenzhen's hand: "Zhenzhen, you're not stupid or ugly! You're smart, kind, and brave."
He Zhenzhen pursed her lips: "My hands are dirty."
Yu Jiajia froze for a moment. "It's not dirty."
Old Mrs. He was so angry she was practically fuming. She pinched her palms to calm herself down. She had to find evidence and make that damned bitch pay the price.
Jiang Quan looked at Old Lady He: "If you were polite and courteous, I would have let you take Cao'er away. But since you insulted and beat my wife, this matter is not so simple."
Raising a cat or dog for eighteen years can cost a lot, let alone a person.
"Cao'er is already 18, and she'll be getting married soon. If you want to take her away now, I won't ask for much—fifty yuan a year, nine hundred yuan for eighteen years. If you don't give me that…" He sneered, "Cao'er can only stay in the Jiang family."
Old Mrs. He felt a tightness in her chest, almost unable to catch her breath. This shameless family! She sneered repeatedly, "You really can't sleep in the same bed with two different kinds of people. Cao Meiling slept with a murderer in her previous bed, and now in this bed... I spit on her."
Jiang Quan squinted: "Stop talking nonsense, do you want to take Cao'er with you?"
Grandma He: "Zhenzhen is my granddaughter. I can take her away if I want."
Jiang Quan: "What evidence do you have to prove that Cao'er is your granddaughter? All I know is that Cao'er is my stepdaughter."
He Zhenzhen: "Grandma, I'm not. I don't have a household registration."
Grandma He felt a surge of frustration. Her son was 18 years old and still didn't have a registered household. She rushed up and started hitting Jiang Quan. The squad leader quickly intervened to stop the fight, not wanting Jiang Quan to make a move.
Although Jiang Quan was arrogant, he was also wary of the squad leader. He was angered by the biased stance and ended up with a bloody neck.
The squad leader separated the two and said, "Zhenzhen is already 18 years old. Let Zhenzhen choose. If she wants to go with the old lady, then she will be the He family's granddaughter. If she doesn't want to, then she will remain the Jiang family's stepdaughter."
He Zhenzhen wasn't stupid; of course she knew what to choose. "I'll go with Grandma; I want to go to school."
Grandma He held He Zhenzhen's hand, her eyes red, and said, "Zhenzhen, Grandma can't stand up for you anymore."
He Zhenzhen didn't care, "Can I go to school?"
Grandma He: "We'll go to school tomorrow and start from junior high."
He Zhenzhen wiped away Grandma He's tears with her sleeve: "Grandma, being able to go to school is better than anything else."
Grandma He shed even more tears: "My Zhenzhen is so good and studious, such a good child." Then she stared at Cao Meiling and cursed, "Why doesn't a bolt of lightning strike Cao Meiling's whole family dead?"
Yu Jiajia's nose stung, and her eyes blurred. Yes, why didn't a bolt of lightning strike and kill Cao Meiling's whole family?
There's no point in staying in Dahe Village now; we can't produce any evidence to send Cao Meiling to the police station.
Grandma He wanted to take He Zhenzhen and leave first.
He Zhenzhen went back to the Jiang family to get her things. She lived in the woodshed, where there was a broken door panel covered with a layer of straw, and a stiff, tattered quilt next to it. Her daily necessities were pitifully few. Old Mrs. He cried again when she saw this. "Don't take these things anymore. When we get to the county, Grandma will buy you new ones."
He Zhenzhen took out a notebook and a nearly empty pencil from under the door panel; she hadn't brought anything else with her.
Before leaving, he took half a steamed bun from his pocket and gave it to a bald, teenager, saying, "Here's your deposit back."
The boy looked at He Zhenzhen expectantly, "When you come back, give me the wooden gun again."
He Zhenzhen shook her head: "I have to go to school, I'm not coming back."
The sky suddenly turned cloudy. Just moments ago it was clear and sunny, but now there were thick clouds, the wind picked up, and soon it started to drizzle.
We can't leave now.
The team leader quickly led everyone to the village to take shelter from the rain, and told the commune members to also quickly take their farm tools to shelter from the rain.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared across the sky. Blinding lightning tore through the dark clouds, and rolling thunder crashed down overhead.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and there was no time to run into the village, so we quickly took shelter in the farm tool shed at the entrance of the village.
The farm tool shed was quite large, but Dahe Village was also very populated, and it quickly became crowded with people.
Cao Meiling was weak and powerless. Jiang Quan carried her to the village entrance. When they arrived at the farm tool shed, they could no longer squeeze in and could only stand under the eaves.
Sitting inside the house, Old Mrs. He curled her lip, "An old woman like you, what are you pretending for?"
A maid's body, a young lady's fate, bah!
Old Mrs. He's eldest sister said, "Bah, she can't even run anymore? Let lightning strike her dead, so she really can't run anymore."
Yu Jiajia also really hopes so.
Cao Meiling got off Jiang Quan's back, and her eldest son Jiang Tao quickly took off his coat and draped it over Cao Meiling's back. Jiang Tao looked into the house and said, "Everyone, make way so my mom can go inside and take shelter from the rain."
Everyone pretended not to hear and let your mom come in to take shelter from the rain, but what about the others getting soaked at the door?
Several more bolts of lightning appeared, seemingly about to pierce the sky and the earth, seemingly within arm's reach, looking extremely frightening.
Cao Meiling screamed and hid in Jiang Quan's arms.
Jiang Tao and Jiang Hai were already squeezing into the house, trying to get at least her mother inside.
If they can't squeeze in, they grab other people's clothes and pull them out.
The people inside were naturally unhappy. How could the Jiang family be so domineering? If you're late, then wait at the door. Others who are late also wait at the door, don't they?
No wonder he could do something so despicable as to swap someone else's child.
They immediately started fighting.
Seeing his son was in a weak position, Jiang Quan quickly stepped forward to help.
The frail Cao Meiling, having no one to lean on, was shoved out. She lost her balance and fell to the ground. The torrential rain poured down on her, making her shiver. She turned around and saw: "Brother Quan."
Jiang Quan had no time to think about fighting; he rushed to help his delicate wife.
Just then, another bolt of lightning struck, hitting Jiang Quan and his wife directly, and they fell to the ground.
Everyone: ...
Everyone was stunned. What terrible thing had these two done to be struck by lightning?
Did he not get struck by lightning?
No one dared to help, fearing another lightning strike.
Jiang Hai screamed, "Dad, Mom!" Just as he was about to rush out, another bolt of lightning pierced the sky, but thankfully it didn't strike him again.
However, Jiang Hai also chickened out and didn't dare to rush out.
But their parents were lying on the ground. Even if they were afraid of dying, they had to go. They rushed out, each grabbing one of them, and dragged them under the eaves.
Jiang Hai touched his nose and realized he wasn't breathing. He cried out, "Dad, Dad, wake up!"
Battalion Commander: "The worker-peasant-soldier first aid method, quick!"
He learned this in the commune, then taught it to everyone, emphasizing that everyone should learn it.
Jiang Hai and Jiang Tao quickly performed CPR and artificial respiration on their parents. After only a few moments, Jiang Quan woke up, and Cao Meiling woke up a little later as well.
Cao Meiling was genuinely terrified; she had almost been struck by lightning. All she did was switch children; she hadn't committed murder or arson. Even if lightning struck, it shouldn't have struck her.
The family of four hugged each other and cried bitterly.
Grandma He said, "People shouldn't do immoral things, otherwise they'll be struck dead sooner or later."
Grandma He's eldest sister also muttered, "Heaven is watching from above!"
However, I dared not speak loudly, as these words are considered feudal superstition and cannot be uttered nowadays.
However, everyone's gaze toward Cao Meiling's family was very complicated, and they no longer wanted to associate with the Jiang family.
Yu Jiajia's mood instantly improved, hahaha, serves you right for being struck by lightning! Serves you right for being so mean!
Lu Chenzhou looked down at Yu Jiajia. She was smiling brightly, her eyes crinkling, and the stifling feeling from before was gone.
The heavy rain continued for another half hour, gradually subsiding. The dark clouds dispersed, revealing a clear, bright blue sky, and a rainbow arched across the horizon, exceptionally clear and beautiful.
Everyone was looking up at the rainbow; it was so beautiful.
Although the road was paved with gravel, it was still very difficult to walk on. In some places, there was water, and your shoes would get soaked if you walked in.
There were too many people, and Lu Chenzhou couldn't carry Yu Jiajia on his back in front of the club members, as it would damage her reputation.
In the blink of an eye, Yu Jiajia was seen playing in the water, lifting her skirt. The puddles were over her ankles, and each step she took created a small splash.
A group of children ran alongside them, some wearing shoes and some barefoot, splashing water all over their clothes.
The squad leader shouted, "Slow down, slow down!"
His words carried weight, and the group of children, no longer daring to run, quickly walked over before starting to run again.
When Yu Jiajia reached the fork in the road ahead, she found the group of children playing on the slide.
There is a large open space here, which is a wheat field. The terrain is relatively high, with a big slope that looks like a slide, about two or three meters high. Children sit on it and slide down, and with a whoosh, they slide into small puddles, splashing water all over the ground.
After sliding down, you have to run quickly because the next child will slide down too.
A parent nearby shouted, "Tiedan, your pants were just patched, get down here right now!"
Other parents advised, "Let him play. If it gets torn, we won't fix it. Let him leave his butt exposed."
Tie Dan acted as if he hadn't heard anything and continued playing wildly.
The village children had played together since they were little, but He Zhenzhen had never played with her. In fact, the children were simple-minded and had no idea that she was the child of a murderer. It was Cao Meiling who patiently told the children again and again not to play with Cao'er, because she was the child of a murderer and that she would kill people in the future.
The children will definitely be scared.
Without the slightest hesitation, He Zhenzhen followed Old Lady He out of Dahe Village.
She never wanted to come back.
When they arrived at the car, Lu Chenzhou opened the passenger door and let Yu Jiajia get in first. Liu Xun and Grandma He sat in the back. In this day and age, there were no fat people, and Zhenzhen was particularly thin, so she could fit in.
Under the watchful eyes of the members of Xingwu Brigade, the car gradually drove away.
Watching the car drive away, the squad leader hesitated, "Will Director Lu have a bad impression of Dahe Village because of the Jiang family? Will that affect next year's mission?"
The brigade leader wasn't too sure either: "Probably not. Director Lu even said he wanted to reorganize our brigade and assign us more tasks. This Jiang Quan is really stupid and wicked, and he even wants to ask the He family for money! He deserves to be struck by lightning. I'll make sure the Jiang family has to dig manure later."
Luckily, he was struck by lightning!
After the Jiang family was struck by lightning, the little girl became very happy.
The squad leader agreed, saying, "They're both stupid and wicked! Director Lu brought Old Lady He along! Didn't Jiang Quan even open his eyes to see? It's only because there's no evidence. If there were, the Jiang family would be finished."
That's exactly the good family background of three generations of poor peasants.
On the way, Yu Jiajia took peanuts, melon seeds and candy from her bag and handed them to Zhenzhen and the others in the back seat.
Zhenzhen refused; she had already eaten the milk candy Yu Jiajia had given her, and it was so sweet.
Yu Jiajia then stuffed them all into Grandma He's hands: "Grandma He, you can share them."
Grandma He wasn't greedy, but she wanted to give some to Zhenzhen. Holding the snacks, she said, "Thank you, Jiajia."
Yu Jiajia smiled and grabbed another handful for Liu Xun.
She peeled a White Rabbit milk candy for herself and handed it to Lu Chenzhou.
Lu Chenzhou glanced at her fair and delicate hands, then lowered his head and ate.
Liu Xun was utterly shocked. Brother Lu actually ate, ate, ate... He quickly lowered his head and peeled the melon seeds.
Yu Jiajia also ate a White Rabbit milk candy.
She doesn't like eating sunflower seeds and peanuts; they're too much trouble to peel.
Grandma He gave a piece of candy and some peanuts and melon seeds to her younger sister, peeled a piece of candy and put it in He Zhenzhen's mouth, and put the rest into Zhenzhen's pocket.
Looking at the bulging pockets, He Zhenzhen felt a little helpless, so she took them out and gave them to He Laitai.
Grandma He refused, but He Zhenzhen wasn't good at politely declining, so she had no choice but to accept it, peeling open a piece of candy and feeding it to Grandma He.
Grandma He felt like crying again; her granddaughter was so wonderful.
Grandma He's eldest sister said, "Zhenzhen is so filial, she's a good child!"
She's much better than He Xiaoyun; she's never seen He Xiaoyun and her older sister being affectionate with each other.
Grandma He hugged He Zhenzhen tightly, feeling extremely distressed.
Lu Chenzhou took a clean towel out of the net bag and handed it to Yu Jiajia, "Wipe yourself off."
Yu Jiajia's skirt was a little wet, which wasn't a big deal, but her leather shoes were soaking wet, and it was very uncomfortable to have her feet soaking in them. She took the towel, glanced at Lu Chenzhou, and said, "Then I'll really wipe them off." She then lifted her leather shoes, her meaning quite clear.
Lu Chenzhou smiled and nodded.
She immediately took off her leather shoes and socks, wiped her feet clean with a towel, and then the towel got dirty too.
But her foot feels better now!
She chatted with He Zhenzhen, "Zhenzhen, can you carve wooden guns?"
He Zhenzhen said, “I make wood carvings for them, and they exchange them for food, so they can eat their fill.” She added, “Do you like wooden guns? Or tractors? Bicycles? I can carve them for you.”
Yu Jiajia: "Okay, I want a wooden gun too."
He Zhenzhen: "I'll make you the best one."
Yu Jiajia: "Thank you, Zhenzhen. No rush. You can carve when you have time. Don't let it interfere with your class."
He Zhenzhen was even happier at the thought of starting school tomorrow. "Are the teachers in the county really good? Do they know everything?"
Yu Jiajia: "It will definitely be better than a primary school teacher."
When they arrived at the commune, Lu Chenzhou stopped the car and let Liu Xun get out.
By the time we got back to the county, it was already past five o'clock.
Yu Jiajia: "Brother Chenzhou, let's take Zhenzhen home."
She really likes Zhenzhen and thinks Zhenzhen is very cute.
She couldn't see any hostility in He Zhenzhen. On the contrary, Zhenzhen was very simple, meticulous in her work, not greedy, and very kind.
He Zhenzhen's living environment was truly terrible; she lived in endless mud, yet she lived like a lotus flower. She had witnessed all the darkness of humanity, but her eyes remained clear and bright.
She had a million reasons to fall into depravity: madness, extremism, inferiority complex...
But she was different; she was positive and optimistic.
Under normal circumstances, Lu Chenzhou would not refuse any request made by Yu Jiajia. He nodded and said, "Okay."
Grandma He was deeply moved. It was completely different that the Revolutionary Committee Director personally picked up and dropped off Zhenzhen. From now on, anyone who wanted to bully Zhenzhen would have to think twice, because Zhenzhen had powerful backers!
Especially her dim-witted son and daughter-in-law, who can't tell who they should be closer to.
And then there's that bastard child, Xiaoyun, who also got the surname He. Does she deserve it?
Don't say that Xiaoyun is just a child and innocent. She is not innocent at all. She is a beneficiary of the system, and she is wrong.
Grandma He gave directions, and the car drove all the way to the building where the family compound was located.
As soon as the group got off the bus, they encountered many people getting off work.
Everyone was surprised to see Director Lu driving Grandma He home in a car. Did that car belong to the Revolutionary Committee? And that very handsome young man seemed to be the director of the Revolutionary Committee.
The little girl next to her looks like Yu Jiajia.
A middle-aged man pushing a bicycle walked over, unusually warm: "Director Lu, what brings you here? Is there something you need?"
This is Director Wu of the grain depot.
Lu Chenzhou: "I helped Grandma He bring her granddaughter Zhenzhen back."
That's quite serious.
Director Wu was taken aback. If he had known about the He family's situation, that they suspected the child wasn't theirs and had taken leave to go to the hospital for a blood type test, he would have been speechless. How could the child not be theirs? Wasn't the old lady just making things up?
Surprisingly, it wasn't true; their blood types were different!
With the help of Director Lu, Grandma He has now found her biological granddaughter!
He looked at the child that Old Lady He was holding. The child had a dark complexion, was skin and bones, and was dressed in tattered clothes. If the child had a broken bowl, he would have softened and given him a full meal.
Then think of He Xiaoyun; the two are worlds apart.
"Thankfully, Director Lu helped us find the child." He sighed, took two steamed egg cakes from the bicycle basket, and gave them to the child: "Good child, you won't have to suffer outside anymore."
He Zhenzhen refused, but Old Lady He insisted she take it. She wiped away her tears and said, "Thank you, Director Wu. Zhenzhen suffered terribly at that house." Then she revealed Zhenzhen's background, "That wicked woman was pregnant with a posthumous child. The child's father was a murderer. That wicked woman didn't want her child to suffer, so she went to the Dongping Health Center and colluded with Hu Chunmei to switch my child. My poor granddaughter was abused by that vicious woman. She wasn't given food, clothes, or allowed to go to school. She even made my granddaughter work in the fields at a very young age to earn work points."
She didn't want everyone to sympathize with Zhenzhen; she wanted everyone to know that He Xiaoyun's biological father was a murderer.
He Xiaoyun shouldn't even think about being innocent.
She is the murderer's daughter.
A crowd quickly gathered around, and everyone became increasingly shocked as they listened.
"The murderer's child!!!"
"How could this happen? Is Hu Chunmei the same person as Dean Hu? How could she do something like this? Have they called the police?"
"They deserve to die!"
"That's too much."
Grandma He wept bitterly: "The granddaughter I personally took from Hu Chunmei was He Xiaoyun. If she didn't switch her on purpose, who else could have? Today, I want to find my real granddaughter, but Hu Chunmei keeps obstructing me. She can't produce the documents, saying they were destroyed in a fire. Also, the nurse who did the delivery was fired. Hu Chunmei destroyed all the evidence! That vicious doctor even became the hospital director. But I can't do anything about it; I have no evidence. Everyone should be careful in the future; Dongping Health Center is a cannibalistic place."
Lu Chenzhou coughed lightly, "Grandma He, please don't make things up without evidence."
He didn't mean to blame Grandma He, but he did have to say what needed to be said.
Grandma He cried her heart out, "How come I don't have any evidence?"
A middle-aged woman emerged from the crowd, her expression troubled. She grabbed Old Lady He's arm and asked, "Auntie, what did you just say?"
Old Mrs. He said, "Dongping Health Center is a cannibalistic health center!"
The middle-aged woman muttered to herself, "Eating people, eating people." She gripped Old Lady He's arm even tighter. "Which Dongping Health Center are you talking about?"
Grandma He: "Yuhua, in our Qingshan County, there is only one Dongping Health Center, which is the health center on the west side of Renmin Road."
Xia Yuhua broke down in tears: "When my son and daughter were born, I heard them crying. But when I woke up, she said, 'My son is dead, and his body has been buried.' Is my son really dead?"
Grandma He was startled. They lived in the same residential compound, and she remembered her. She had been so envious back then—it was amazing to have twins in one pregnancy! Later, when her daughter-in-law was pregnant with their second child, she also hoped for twins, but only one when the belly got bigger.
Later, when Xia Yuhua gave birth, her son died, and she only had a daughter who survived.
She sighed for a long time, feeling it was a great pity.
Connecting the dots, she cursed, "That damned Hu Chunmei! She not only switched the children, she stole them! She's a despicable woman who deserves to be torn to pieces!"
Xia Yuhua's legs felt weak, and she could barely stand. Had her son been stolen?
Grandma He quickly helped Xia Yuhua up: "Yuhua, you have to be strong. Now is not the time to be sad. Let's find the child first. See where Hu Chunmei sold the child." She then said to everyone, "If anyone else has a child who was born at Dongping Hospital and something happened, please let them know immediately. The child may have been stolen."
No one expected things to take this turn; Hu Chunmei truly deserves to die.
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Author's note: Tomorrow, I'll resolve the baby-swapping incident. Bad guys never get a good ending!
Love you all.
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