Chapter 11 Chapter 11 The opportunity for revenge beckons
Huang Wenbi did not avoid people when he spoke.
The pond was not far from Qingmei's tiled house, so if she went out she would definitely find them together.
He accompanied Chen Qiaoxiang back home. When they passed Qingmei's house, he deliberately raised his voice and said, "I won't lie to you. I really know who took your father's money! I saw someone carrying things down the mountain in the middle of the night!"
Qingmei was weaving baskets in the yard, planning to dry herbs for the spring. Hearing this, she stood up and quickly made her way to the door.
It can't be that small, right?
Her mind raced, trying to find an excuse to smooth things over. As soon as she pushed the door open, she saw Chen Qiaoxiang interrogating Huang Wenbi: "Who is it? Tell me!"
Huang Wenbi spoke so loudly that Chen Qiaoxiang's mother heard him. She ran outside, grabbed Huang Wenbi by the collar, and said, "Tell me, who is harming our family and wants us to be destroyed?"
Huang Wenbi squinted at the successful attempt to lure Qingmei out, squinting his eyes and holding his head high, his face full of pockmarks showing off: "Beg me, I will help anyone who begs me."
Qingmei guessed that these words were meant for her. It was impossible for her to ask for help. She even wanted to kill Huang Wenbi.
When I found the payment and went down the mountain, I was both excited and panicked. It was possible that someone hiding in the dark saw me.
Chen Qiaoxiang and her daughter surrounded Huang Wenbi and begged him, saying everything they could to please him. Seeing Huang Wenbi repeatedly glancing at Qingmei, Chen Qiaoxiang realized something was amiss: "Why are you looking at her? Could it be that she's involved in something?"
Huang Wenbi curled his lips proudly and said nonchalantly, "I didn't say that."
"Hey, what's going on?" A curious person came over and asked.
Recently, Chen Qiaoxiang's doorstep has become a hotbed for onlookers. Seeing new melons, everyone gathers at the door.
There was a large banyan tree right outside her house, and many children who were always sick would come here and ask the tree to be their "godfather." They used to gather here, listen to the fun when they had nothing to do, and then talk about it after dinner.
Chen Qiaoxiang, with disheveled hair and red eyes, spoke with a hoarse voice, "Huang Wenbi, when did you see anyone coming down the mountain?"
Huang Wenbi answered truthfully, "Midnight on the 13th."
Qingmei's nervous heart suddenly relaxed. She did go there on the 13th, but she dug up the money in the early morning of the 15th!
However, she had to keep the fact that she went up the mountain a secret, otherwise there would definitely be clues.
Chen Qiaoxiang came over quietly, stood in front of Qingmei and said, "What were you doing in the middle of the night on the 13th?"
Qingmei said, "Go to sleep."
Chen Qiaoxiang held her breath and said, "Who can testify?"
"No need for witnesses." Qingmei put her hands on her waist and said fearlessly, "Your father is innocent and deserves to be brought to justice. If I had known earlier, I would have had your father arrested long ago. Why would he be left here today? Folks, do you think I'm right?"
"Yes, her father deserves it!"
"Don't be corrupt if you have the ability."
"Your family is in cahoots with each other!"
Everyone in the crowd was wondering who had informed on the matter, but then they thought, Qingmei was right. Her father had committed a crime, so wasn't it normal for him to be arrested?
How could Chen Qiaoxiang still have the nerve to interrogate a young widow? And even ask someone to testify? Isn't this just letting the young widow throw dirty water on herself?
Huang Wenbi saw that the wind was blowing in the wrong direction and said hurriedly, "I just think that going up the mountain in the middle of the night is definitely not a good thing."
Qingmei smiled and turned around to ask, "Then why did you go to the mountain?"
Huang Wenbi was stunned for a moment and stammered, "I, I have to pee urgently—"
Qingmei said, "Then who will testify?"
Huang Wenbi angrily said, "What's the point of testifying for this? I need someone to testify just because I peed?"
Qingmei said, "Then who needs to testify that I'm sleeping peacefully at home?"
The villagers who were watching the excitement shouted in unison: "No need!"
Qingmei turned around and said to Chen Qiaoxiang with a smile, "Did you hear that?"
Chen Qiaoxiang stared at Qingmei sinisterly, like a poisonous snake.
Huang Wenbi saw that Qingmei was ungrateful and sneered, "I can tell everyone that the person I saw that day was you."
As soon as he finished speaking, a loud shout erupted from the crowd: "Nonsense! It was me who went up the mountain that day! You bewitched bastard! Not only did you go up the mountain with a female comrade and have an affair with her, but you also tried to frame someone else. What on earth do you want to do?"
Huang Wenbi firmly believed that what he saw was Qingmei. She was wearing a new cotton-padded jacket, and she was clearly visible under the moonlight.
However, Zhao Wuhe's angry rebuke frightened him so much that he shuddered all over. He dared to call her Qingmei, but he didn't dare to go against Zhao Wuhe, for fear of offending Zhao Wuhe and losing his place in the village.
Zhao Wuhe guessed that Qingmei had discovered the stolen money. She nodded to Qingmei and turned to tell everyone, "I couldn't sleep that day, so I went to the mountains to collect firewood. I was caught in the wind up there, and on my way down I met Captain Chang and Comrade Xiao Zhang. They helped me carry the firewood back home, and I called a doctor for an injection."
Captain Chang is the captain of Production Team 2 and is also a kind-hearted person.
In response to everyone's confusion, he said, "It was cold that day, and the fish pond was freezing. I went to chip the ice to give the fish some air. I thought warming the ice with firewood would make it easier to chip, so I went up the mountain with Xiao Zhang. Then, just like Sister Zhao had said, we sent her back and then returned to the fish pond."
Xiao Zhang, the deputy captain and a man of reliable words, nodded and said, "It was clearly Aunt Gu who went down the mountain, and we didn't see anyone else on the mountain. Mr. Huang, why do you insist on skewing this towards Comrade Qingmei? What are you thinking that you think we don't know?"
There was a peasant patrol team in Donghe Village at night. Huang Wenbi used to stroll with Qingmei at the foot of the mountain behind and was almost caught several times.
Everyone knew that he had a lover, but no one knew who it was.
There are rumors that he wants to get together with his childhood sweetheart, and even though she knows her limits and refuses to open the door for him, he still refuses to leave.
Huang Wenbi was suddenly speechless and stammered, not daring to refute.
Qingmei suddenly ignored him, so he thought about teaching the young widow a lesson.
Seeing that everyone was speaking up for Qingmei, Huang Wenbi glanced secretly at Zhao Wuhe. This person was a big shot in Donghe Village, and he absolutely did not dare to offend him.
"Oh my, I guess I was wrong." Huang Wenbi clasped his hands together and said hypocritically to Qingmei, "Please forgive me. I'll give you two cabbages from my cellar to apologize."
Huang Wenbi was right when he said, "A great man does not remember the faults of a small man."
In Qingmei's eyes, he is a villain.
Chen Qiaoxiang grabbed his collar and asked him to turn in front of her: "Explain it to me clearly and don't lie!"
Huang Wenbi brushed her hand away, straightened his collar, and said, "What are you talking about? Your father's imprisonment in a labor camp is a foregone conclusion. How come your family doesn't have the slightest attitude towards making mistakes? You just believe everything I say. Why are you so bluffing?"
Chen Qiaoxiang swung her arm over and slapped Huang Wenbi hard: "How dare you play tricks on me?!"
Huang Wenbi covered his face, and the crowd burst into laughter: "Good fight, hit hard!"
Huang Wenbi was so angry that he slapped Chen Qiaoxiang in the face, causing her to stumble and fall.
Qingmei walked silently to Zhao Wuhe and stood beside her. Zhao Wuhe gave her a look, and the two of them watched them fight each other quietly.
Chen Qiaoxiang got up from the ground in a panic and pounced on Huang Wenbi like a vicious dog, scratching and clawing him.
Huang Wenbi's face was scratched by her, leaving three bloody marks. Huang Wenbi grabbed Chen Qiaoxiang's hair and threw her to the ground again, kicking her hard several times.
Qingmei followed everyone in shouting a few times, and after fighting for a while, the two were pulled apart by the village officials who came over.
Chen Qiaoxiang was supported by her mother and entered the house. Before entering, she glared at Qingmei. Qingmei had clapped the loudest and cheered continuously, watching the fun without thinking it was too much.
Huang Wenbi walked away in embarrassment, pinching his nose.
"Xiaomei, are you okay?"
Grandma heard the noise and came out of the yard leaning on a wooden stick. There was snow on the road outside. She rarely went out now.
Qingmei hurried over to support him: "It's okay, it's too cold outside, let's go inside. Aunt Gu, can we come in and sit down?"
Zhao Wuhe had other things to do, so she waved her hand and said, "It's enough for us to just keep it to ourselves. I have to go out."
Qingmei didn't try to keep her after hearing that.
This excitement once again allowed everyone to witness the shamelessness of Chen Qiaoxiang and her mother. Those who were watching the excitement realized that there was nothing exciting to watch, so they went back home.
*** ***
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Chen Qiaoxiang and her mother were also taken to the public security bureau.
The amount of money found was enormous, so they were temporarily detained for questioning. Grassroots officials involved in the accounts in the early years were also summoned for questioning.
Because of their family affairs, the people of Donghe Village celebrated this year with great interest and there were many different opinions.
The brigade slaughtered the New Year pig that morning, and Qingmei got a small piece of the lean meat. Knowing that the old lady liked the fattier ones, she took out the meat coupons she had exchanged for them and bought her a pound of pork belly.
Grandma couldn't bear to eat it all in one go, so she cut the pork fat into chunks and boiled it in an iron pot until it turned into lard. She scooped the lard, with the residue still in it, into a jar, spoonful by spoonful, filling it up. If she and her mother were frugal, adding half a spoonful to a dish every now and then would last them for nearly six months.
Qingmei insisted on leaving a small piece of pork belly, preparing to make braised pork for grandma tomorrow.
In the afternoon, Qingmei helped her grandmother to go to the barber's house to get a haircut. The barber's business was good. They waited in line for an hour and spent twenty cents.
When I got home, I saw Zhao Xiaoxing at the door.
Zhao Xiaoxing is kind-hearted. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and she is worried that Qingmei and her grandmother will not be able to celebrate the New Year, so she stole two cups of sweet potato noodles and a little pork from Lao Li's house so that the mother and daughter can chop some cabbage to make dumplings.
"Why did you come back just now?" Zhao Xiaoxing was so cold that her nose was about to run. "Qian Ying and Zhong Anhua stood at your door waiting for you for a long time, but when they saw that you were nowhere to be seen, they just left."
One of them is Qingmei's stepmother, and the other is her stepsister. Last time, when grandma went to the city to look for Qingmei's father, they refused to let her see him.
"What are they doing here?" Qingmei wondered. These two people wouldn't come here for no reason. Why would they come again after causing such a fuss last time? They weren't here to visit Grandma for the New Year, were they?
Zhao Xiaoxing said: "Qian Ying asked you if you accepted a large betrothal gift from someone else, and asked whether you saved it or gave it to your parents-in-law."
Qian Ying's hometown is in the neighboring Xifan Village, so he must have heard the rumor.
Qingmei frowned and said, "What did you say?"
Zhao Xiaoxing said: "I said 'None of your business'."
Before Qingmei could praise her, she rubbed her nose and said sullenly, "In the end, I was scolded by the mother and daughter."
Qingmei was at a loss for words and pulled her into the house.
After entering the house, Zhao Xiaoxing habitually squatted by the stove to light a fire and warm the kang.
Seeing that her face was purple from the cold, Qingmei helped her onto the kang: "I heated it before I left. Sit down and I'll pour you a cup of hot water."
Zhao Xiaoxing smiled innocently and said, "Why would you drink hot water?"
Qingmei scooped the water into the iron pot, and Zhao Xiaoxing couldn't help but help her light the fire.
Grandma knew Qian Yingde's behavior, so she asked, "Did they just leave like that?"
Zhao Xiaoxing said: "They peeked into the house from the wall and didn't see any bicycles, large cabinet doors, or anything like that. They felt they had been cheated and that Qingmei hadn't actually received the betrothal gift."
Qingmei thought for a moment and said, "Then what else is there to say?"
Zhao Xiaoxing scratched her head, feeling that it was not a good thing to say, and said hesitantly: "Before leaving, Zhong Anhua also said that she had a blind date with a platoon leader in the army. If he wanted to join the army and become a military wife, she would also join, so you don't have any big dreams."
Qingmei knew they had come all this way to steal the betrothal gift without Hao Fan's knowledge. They were happy that they didn't see the gift, knowing no one wanted Qingmei. They were also unhappy that they didn't get the unexpected money.
He deliberately said this before leaving and asked Zhao Xiaoxing to pass it on to Qingmei, so as to make Qingmei jealous and annoyed.
Will Qingmei meet?
Won't.
She knew what happened to Zhong Anhua, so how could she be jealous?
Zhao Xiaoxing secretly glanced at Qingmei's expression, and seeing that she didn't seem angry, she said foolishly, "So you really don't want to be a military wife? It would be so nice to have delicious food and spicy drinks."
Qingmei really wanted her to feel the pleasure of being chased and struck by lightning.
"Here." Qingmei didn't want to continue the conversation. She had to clean up after their family of three. She pulled out a small porcelain plate containing a small portion of the fried pork fat she'd made that morning.
Zhao Xiaoxing was so drooling at the smell that her mouth was about to drool. She waved her hands vigorously: "No, no, no, no—mm—it smells so good!"
He stuffed the green plum into her mouth and gave another piece to grandma.
I had originally planned to eat it myself to satisfy my craving, but seeing Zhao Xiaoxing shivering in the snow while wearing a cotton-padded jacket full of patches, I felt really sorry for her when I brought her something.
Zhao Xiaoxing ate two pieces and refused to eat the rest.
Qingmei had no choice but to say, "My family will make braised pork tomorrow. If you have time, come over and I'll save two pieces for you."
Zhao Xiaoxing swallowed hard, unable to resist the double stimulation of Qingmei's cooking skills and the braised pork: "Okay!"
Zhao Xiaoxing was returning from Qingmei's house. Halfway through the journey, she deliberately blew on the air and sniffed to see if there was any smell of lard residue, for fear that she would be discovered and beaten during the New Year.
As we walked, we heard voices talking in the Li family yard.
"I'll leave this matter up to you two."
Zhou Wu, wearing a fox-fur hunter's hat, stood in the yard, leaning forward with a kind smile on his face. Behind him, two brothers placed a basket heavily on the ground, revealing half a wild boar leg, six rabbits, and some dried goods.
Zhao Xiaoxing walked into the yard. Zhou Wu heard the footsteps and turned around, scaring Zhao Xiaoxing so much that she almost screamed.
This man looked terrifying, with dark circles under his eyes and a horizontal scar across his nose. He grinned at Zhao Xiaoxing, revealing his crooked teeth.
The other two men looked similar, with strong build and burly build. They often walked in the mountains, with cloth ropes tied around their calves with daggers stuck in them.
Li Xianjin yelled at her, "What are you still standing there for? Go in and cook!"
Zhao Xiaoxing shrank her neck and walked around Zhou Wu and his two brothers.
They talked for a while outside. Zhao Xiaoxing had never seen Sun Xiufen and Li Laoer speak so politely to anyone.
It was not until they left that Zhao Xiaoxing discovered that Zhou Wu was a cripple.
The Li family escorted them all the way to the main road.
Li Xianjin came back first and cursed as soon as he entered the main hall.
Zhao Xiaoxing took the opportunity to ask, "What do they do? Why did they bring things to our house?"
Li Xianjin was not afraid of her finding out. He kicked the basket over, glanced at the wild boar leg that fell outside, snorted and said with a smile, "A widow is actually being snatched away by others."
Zhao Xiaoxing's face froze for a moment: "Which widow?"
Li Xianjin said, "Who else could it be? The one who separated from us. If I had known that Zhou Wu would take a fancy to her, at least we wouldn't have separated and could have gotten some betrothal money."
Sun Xiufen walked into the main hall, patting the snow on her shoulders and saying, "It's not too late now. Zhou Wu doesn't know we've split up. Xing'er, mother knows you and Qingmei are a good couple. Go and persuade her tomorrow. Just tell her to meet once. What a nice family! Look, how generous they are."
Zhao Xiaoxing could no longer sit still. She was frightened by the thought of Zhou Wu's ferocious appearance. She stood up trembling and said, "I, I'll go and persuade her now."
Sun Xiufen stuffed a dumpling hidden in the pot into Zhao Xiaoxing's mouth and said happily, "Mother knew you were a good daughter-in-law for her. Just tell her to meet her once. If she really marries him, she will definitely be grateful to me. People over there don't have to worry about food and drink, and there are piles of meat at home. By the way, a good wife will be loved."
Zhao Xiaoxing had dreamed of eating dumplings yesterday, but now she swallowed them with great difficulty, and asked cautiously: "But didn't she separate from us..." It seemed that she still wanted to exchange Qingmei for a betrothal gift.
Sun Xiufen picked up the wild boar leg on the ground and threw it onto the stove with great effort. It was not easy to get some oil and water these days, and she couldn't take her eyes off it.
"Why do you keep talking about dividing the family? It's not up to her," Sun Xiufen said viciously. "We can't let the duck fly away!"
"well."
Zhao Xiaoxing ran panting to Qingmei's house, with only three words running through her mind: It's over, it's over.
Qingmei saw her go and come back, and heard her say angrily: "Run away and go find Captain Jin to make the decision for you."
Qingmei listened carefully to the whole story and predicted that if Zhou Wu asked Aunt Wu to come and propose marriage but failed, he would find other ways to force her.
Just as Chen Qiaoxiang believed that she would definitely marry into the Gu family, Zhou Wu was determined to marry her. He would come up with another plan if one failed.
"Evil will be punished by evil." Qingmei said with a smile: "I have a way to deal with those who go back on their word. You go back and tell them that I agree to meet with you. Don't worry about the others. I am worried that I won't have the chance to deal with them."
Zhao Xiaoxing was so scared that she almost cried. She stammered, "Really? Don't try to be so stubborn. It's still not too late to run away."
Qingmei nodded and said, "Really."
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