Chapter 1 Meeting
Meetings meant no work and even earned work points, so the brigade members were happy to attend. By four o'clock, everyone had arrived, but the room remained quiet for a long time as people discussed what kind of meeting it was and why everyone was sitting in a circle instead of in rows as before.
However, they didn't doubt it for long. Once Director Yang walked to the empty seat in the middle of the circle and sat down, everyone knew that this was a meeting of the Women's Federation, and many people immediately relaxed.
They are all ordinary people, only concerned with whether they can have enough to eat and whether they can live a good life. When the government issues new policies, they might worry about whether it will affect the food they receive. Women's rights are something very few people care about; many are already thinking about what to eat for dinner.
Director Yang noticed everyone's expressions, but he didn't feel as upset as usual. He coughed to signal everyone to be quiet before slowly saying, "I called everyone here for a meeting today because it's almost Chinese New Year, and I thought we could sit together, tell some stories, and relax."
Hearing that there were stories to hear, many members became interested. Although some were not very interested, the situation was much better than Director Yang had expected, which gave him more confidence in the meeting.
After the opening remarks, Director Yang said in a somber voice, "The story begins fifteen years ago, and in between..."
Only eleven or twelve years have passed, but many commune members still vividly remember what happened back then. Recalling the hardships of that time, they were deeply moved and began to discuss it in hushed tones. However, their discussion did not last long before they were drawn to Director Yang's story about the little girl whose entire family starved to death during the disaster.
"On her deathbed, a woman appeared before her, gave her half a dark-colored steamed bun and a bowl of water, and asked her if she would like to come with her. She was so hungry that she nodded without hesitation when she smelled the fragrant steamed bun in front of her."
Hearing this, many people breathed a sigh of relief, but before they could even exhale, the story took a sharp turn for the worse.
It turned out that the woman was a human trafficker; she gave the little girl food only to sell her to the mountains. Everyone's hearts were in their throats again, wondering what would happen to the little girl. Director Yang didn't beat around the bush; in just a few words, he explained that the little girl had escaped the traffickers and been rescued. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this time she must have encountered good people.
"In the end, she was left with the Lin family, and because she arrived in spring when the grass and trees were lush and green, she was named Qingqing."
The audience erupted in uproar!
If people only felt the story was somewhat familiar upon hearing that the little girl was rescued by the Lin family, then they would hear...
The name Lin Qingqing was basically confirmed in everyone's minds, and they all looked towards Lin Qingqing, who was sitting at the edge of the brigade's cadre group. Even those who were a little slower to react, following everyone's gaze to Lin Qingqing, understood—
This is clearly Lin Qingqing's story!
Sure enough, just as they knew, after the little girl was adopted by the Lin family, she started working at five or six and in the fields at ten. Before they knew it, she was twenty, and her adoptive mother forced her to have a child in place of her older sister. But as they listened, they realized something was amiss—
"To repay her mother's kindness, she agreed to her mother's offer."
People started whispering among themselves: "Wait a minute, wasn't Old Lady Lin arrested? How come she agreed to it again?"
"I heard that when Old Lady Lin forced her, Secretary Zhou happened to be in the countryside and saw it, so he had Old Lady Lin arrested. There was no way she agreed to anything!"
"Maybe she agreed at the time, but luckily Secretary Zhou saw her and changed her mind?"
The brigade accountant sitting next to Lin Qingqing was extremely curious and leaned close to her ear to whisper, "Did you really agree back then?"
"You'll find out soon enough." As soon as Lin Qingqing finished speaking, she felt Xie Wei's grip on her wrist tighten, and she hissed softly, "It hurts."
"I'm sorry." Xie Wei quickly let go of her hand.
Lin Qingqing withdrew her hand and gently rubbed it: "What's wrong?"
“I…I’m a little angry,” Xie Wei said, looking at Director Yang in the crowd with a furrowed brow.
Lin Qingqing followed his gaze, understood his meaning, and chuckled, saying, "Don't you know whether I agreed or not? This is just a story." This was the original owner's story, but not hers.
Xie Wei knew, of course, that Lin Qingqing hadn't agreed and had even chosen to ask him for help. But knowing this didn't stop him from feeling somewhat frustrated as he listened to the story of Lin Qingqing taking a completely different path.
While they were talking, the brigade accountant had already pricked up his ears to listen.
Not just the brigade accountant, almost everyone was captivated by the story Director Yang told, a story different from what they knew about development. The discussion gradually subsided, and everyone listened intently as Director Yang continued. However, the more they listened, the angrier they became, and the murmurs resumed until someone raised their hand.
Director Yang stopped talking upon seeing this and asked, "Do you have any questions?"
“I don’t think this story makes sense. It’s been ten months from pregnancy to childbirth. Didn’t anyone in the brigade who saw her notice anything amiss?” The person who raised her hand was a female educated youth, and her question hit the nail on the head.
“No outsiders have seen her,” Director Yang said.
"This is not"
"Perhaps, if an adult suddenly disappears, wouldn't people become suspicious?"
“I know, they said earlier that she went to the commune to take care of Lin Ying during her postpartum period,” someone who had been listening attentively answered.
Director Yang smiled and nodded: "That's right. The Lin family told others that she went to her brother-in-law's house in the commune, but in reality, she has been hiding at home for the past few months and has been watched by people in shifts. It seems that this comrade did not listen carefully."
The female educated youth who had been called out for not taking things seriously stopped asking questions and sat down with a blush on her face.
This time, Director Yang did not wait for others to quiet down; she did not even remind everyone to be quiet, and continued speaking on her own.
But because of what had just happened, no one wanted to miss anything, so they quieted down spontaneously without being prompted, focusing intently on the rest of the story. They hoped that Lin Qingqing in the story would rise up in resistance, but she didn't…
When they heard Director Yang recount how, after giving birth to her son seven years later, before she had even woken up from her coma, Old Mrs. Lin and her daughter outside the delivery room were already discussing how to get rid of her, they couldn't help but get angry and cursed, "That Old Mrs. Lin is utterly shameless!"
"They deserve to be sent to the countryside for re-education!"
Some people separate the story from reality, saying, "Isn't Old Lady Lin different from the one in this story?"
The other person scoffed, "That's because she didn't have the chance. If she did, she might be even worse than the characters in the stories!"
While everyone was discussing it, the story had already progressed to the point where the female protagonist was married off to a widower who had lost his wife. She thought it was a new beginning and treated her family with all her heart, but she was not close to her stepchildren. And after a brief period of tenderness, her husband revealed his fangs—he hit the female protagonist.
It started with a slap, then a fist, and finally a kick.
Each time it was more brutal than the last, her injuries became more and more severe, and her state of mind changed from being full of expectation at the beginning to being completely despondent.
In the end, she was smashed in the head.
"She lay on the ground, squinting at the azure sky. It's unclear what she saw, but a blissful smile appeared on her bruised and swollen face. Beneath her, blood flowed, forming a river."
...
After the story ended, everyone was stunned for a while, until Director Yang announced the time for the meeting the next day, and then people gradually came to their senses.
"The story isn't over yet?"
"But she's dead! Her blood is flowing like a river!"
Everyone was buzzing with discussion, but Director Yang showed no intention of answering. He simply said with a mysterious expression, "To find out what happens next, please listen to tomorrow's episode!"
She wouldn't reveal a single word, so everyone had no choice but to...
They gave up asking further questions and left discussing the sequel. Some said the female lead was definitely alright and later began her revenge, while others said she died and the story would then focus on the children's generation. Regardless of which view they supported, everyone was filled with anticipation for tomorrow's meeting.
On his way back from the drying ground, Director Yang was still restraining himself, but once he got back to the brigade headquarters office, he could no longer contain his excitement.
In the past, she was always the one talking during meetings, and the listeners rarely responded. It was unprecedented for everyone to keep asking her questions after the meeting!
Director Yang shook Lin Qingqing's hand and said, "I'm so happy! I believe this meeting will be a success!"
Compared to Director Yang's excitement, Lin Qingqing didn't seem as excited.
The success of a meeting doesn't depend on the immediate reaction, but on whether it inspires reflection and empowers individuals to overcome challenges when faced with difficulties. After all, everyone wants to know what happens next in a suspenseful story, but some stories end once heard, while others provoke deep thought.
But Lin Qingqing didn't want to dampen Director Yang's spirits. She discussed the details of tomorrow's meeting with her and then left after get off work.
...
With the previous day's story keeping them engaged, the meeting on the second day was organized much faster. Moreover, this time there was no need to maintain order; before Director Yang could even cough, everyone had already spontaneously quieted down and assumed a listening posture.
Emboldened by yesterday's enthusiastic response, Director Yang sat down, glanced at the people gathered around the drying ground, and slowly began, "Lin Qingqing woke up from her dream..."
A commotion broke out at the scene, with many feeling that this beginning didn't connect with yesterday's rescue. But they quickly realized that yesterday's story was just a dream, and they all relaxed.
But they didn't get a chance to relax for long, and the same scenario as yesterday began again.
When Director Yang mentioned that Old Lady Lin forced Lin Qingqing to have a child for Lin Ying, many people clenched their hands because of yesterday's story—what choice would she make this time?
Author's Note: Second update.
I originally planned to write until dinner today, but I really can't write anymore. I'll write another chapter.
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