by Zhou Daxin
“I have asked people. And I know everything now. You are the one who does not let Kaitian go! You!”
“Oh yeah?” Zhan Shideng laughed coldly. “You know everything now?”
“Of course I do.”
“That is good. I thought they would not tell you. But it seems that you know your way around. Who did you ask?”
“Mr. Leader, please, let Kaitian go. Kaitian did not mean to harm anyone. He was tricked! Did you see our fields, too? The two acres of green beans? Weren’t they ruined, too? We will never use the fake weedkiller on our own fields if we knew!”
“I’m afraid I can’t. He ruined the crops in the village and sabotaged my people. I am the leader so I shall do justice for them. Kaitian must be punished!” Zhan Shideng said sternly, though his voice was not loud.
“That’s just your excuse. You want to punish him for marrying me, for my rejection of marrying your brother.” Nuannuan stared into Zhan Shideng’s eyes.
“Think what you like,” said Zhan Shideng as he lit up another cigarette. He took a long inhale and snapped the ashes at ease. “Do not mess business with our private problems, alright?”
“Mr. Leader, if you are angry about the marriage thing, just let it out on me. It was not Kaitian’s fault. I made the decision to marry him. I do not know your brother well enough to love him. Though I don’t think that I did anything bad, I’m still willing to offer an apology to you, for harming the feelings of you and your family. Maybe I could have worked it all out better.” Nuannuan sounded very apologetic.
“Just an apology?” Zhan Shideng said, his narrowed eyes finally opened wide.
“What do you want from me, then?”
Again Zhan Shideng narrowed his eyes. Yet again his gaze was on Nuannuan’s breasts.
“Money? Fine, give me a number first. After we get through this, I’ll make sure to compensate your loss! I’ll write you a guarantee. Is that okay?”
“I never lack money.” Zhan Shideng breathed out a perfect swirl.
“Then I shall offer my sincere apology.” Nuannuan said as she suddenly kneeled down in front of Zhan Shideng.
“This does not mean anything,” said Zhan Shideng, looking motionless. “We Zhans gave you an opportunity, but you and Kuang Kaitian threw that to the ground and made us lose face. You think kneeling down can solve that? Do I look that cheap to you?”
“What do you want from me?” Nuannuan stood up, her face red as she was trying her best to contain her anger. “You name something and I’ll do as you say.”
“You still do not understand?” Zhan Shideng squinted his eyes again and took a smoke. Then he simply stared at the small fire eating away the strips of the cigarette.
“I really do not understand you. Just say it, what do you want? Do you want Kaitian to help work on your fields? You know he’s a good farmer.”
“There is a field I’d like to plow. Your field is quite fine …” Zhan Shideng did not continue and turned his eyes to look at the room corner.
Nuannuan thought about it for a short while, then her face suddenly blushed. She understood what Zhan Shideng meant by “plowing a field”. Ugh! She could not hold back her anger anymore, so she growled quietly: “You dirty jerk! I did not imagine you to be this disgusting! I treated you like a leader before but I was blind. You are nothing but a pig! You swine!”
“Are you done?” Zhan Shideng stood up, not affected by her words. He waved the keys in his hand and said: “Both of us should go back home for dinner. Your in-laws are waiting for your news. Go, let’s not waste our time on words.”
Nuannuan exploded with anger: “You bastard! You pig!” and ran outside …
Chapter 13
Nuannuan entered her yard with the bike, her face twisted in anger. The black dog was happy to see her home, and ran towards her wagging its tail. Nuannuan was yet still so upset that she kicked the dog and cursed: “Stupid dog! Dirty bastard!” The dog, surprised and wronged, ran away with a bark of grief. Nuannuan’s mother-in-law, Dangen in her arms, knew that things had not worked as soon as she saw Nuannuan’s face. She did not ask and passed Dangen to Nuannuan. Then she poured out a bowl of hot water, and stirred in a teaspoon of sugar. She gave the bowl to Nuannuan.
What now? There is no way that Zhan Shideng would be persuaded with his vicious plan. But she could not simply wait for Kaitian’s sentence to be finalized. Could she sue Zhan Shideng? But how? He said what he did was for the sake of justice in the village. How can that be wrong? He has all the good reasons in the world. Nuannuan found it impossible to sleep that night. Her mind was filled with plans and despair. When it was close to sunrise, her mother-in-law knocked on her door and spoke to her outside in a low voice: “Nuannuan, Kaitian’s dad woke up with an ache in his tummy. He cannot rest without news about Kaitian’s return. I lied to him and said Kaitian is coming back the day after tomorrow. But he won’t believe me and asked for you. Can you go to our bedroom and talk to him? Just offer him some comfort.”
Nuannuan’s heart sank. She hurried to put on some clothes and went in front of her father-in-law’s bed. She said: “Dad, I went to the town yesterday. The police promised to let Kaitian go home after a day or two.”
“You are lying to me,” said the old man lying in his bed under the lamp light, his gaze locked upon Nuannuan’s face. “If you have such good news, you would’ve told me last night.”
Nuannuan felt worse. She wanted to tell the truth, but how could she?
“Dad, I was too tired last night so I didn’t come over. What Mom told you is true. Kaitian will come home the day after tomorrow.”
A faint flush emerged on the old man’s pale face. He believed in Nuannuan’s words. His eyes were reflecting joy as he said: “I can finally set my mind to rest …”
Nuannuan sat still in her bed for a long while after coming back from comforting her father-in-law. She did not exit her room until she heard the noise of the bellows. Her mother-in-law was starting the fire for the breakfast. How would Kaitian be home whilst Zhan Shideng is not satisfied? Maybe she should go to the police station again and plead even more …
That morning Nuannuan rode her bike to the town again. But they did not allow her to enter the police station. She begged and begged but the policeman insisted that nothing could be done as the case was still being investigated. She had to go back to the guard in front of the town office. The man shook his head and said: “Didn’t I tell you to go to your leader? What are you doing here?”
Nuannuan could not even talk about Zhan Shideng’s “offer”. She teared up and answered: “The leader won’t help us. He insisted on throwing my baby’s father in prison.”
The guard took out his phone and called someone. After a short while, he put it down and said: “The people in your village that bought weedkiller from you have sent in a petition today. It just arrived. They demand serious punishment on your man. It’s getting worse.”
Nuannuan did not speak. Of course she knew who was behind the petition, and that there is nothing for her here. So she rose to thank the guard: “Big Brother, thank you for your help. I’m going home.”
The guard followed her out and tried to comfort her: “You must go to the leader again and ask him to calm the village people down. You must do everything to stop the case from going to court. After his sentence, he will be an ex-con. That will be so bad for your children …”
The last sentence pounded on Nuannuan’s heart. She immediately realized that a court sentence would not only make Kaitian suffer and cast shame on the family; it would also harm Dangen’s future. Heavens, Dangen, Mom will not let anything harm you! An ex-con’s son would have no opportunity in education, in joining the army, in becoming an official and living in the city. No! But what could she do to persuade Zhan Shideng? Zhan Shideng, what you did to our family simply because I refused to marry your brother! What could she do? He does not want money; he surely has no need for presents, either. Does she have no choice but to accept his “offer”? T
hat dirty swine! How could he live like that!
Nuannuan pushed her bike and measured every step she took to Chu Wang Village. With every step she asked herself: what now? what now? Sadly nothing came about when she eventually reached the stone pillar with an inscription of the village’s name. She put her bike aside and leaned against the pillar, staring blankly at the village descending into the darkness. Slowly, tears began to fall from her eyes. She did not know how much time had passed when she finally rose her hands to wipe off the tears. Then she pushed her bike towards the village committee office.
Night had fallen and the noisy village of the daylight was quieting down. Every noise, including the bleating sheep, was now lower. Nothing could be heard around the village committee office except for the sound Zhan Shideng was making as he locked the door. Nuannuan walked straight up and coughed behind his back.
Zhan Shideng turned his face and shouted out, his voice exaggerating his surprise: “Hey! Nuannuan! You come back! I heard you went to the town again today. Which official did you meet? Any good news —”
“Where do you want to do it?” Nuannuan did not let him finish. Her words were very cold.
“Do what?” Zhan Shideng did not understand her at first. However, he knew everything from an instant glimpse at her cold figure. That coldness implied her willingness to sacrifice anything. His lip curved with smug. He turned to open the door and walked inside.
Nuannuan looked around and she did not see or hear anyone else. Feeling unworthy, she closed her eyes for a short while, then she stepped up. The moment she entered the house the door closed behind her. The room was dark. She could vaguely make out the shape of a bed in the corner. She closed her eyes again. She felt his breath behind her: he was next to her.
“My baby Dangen’s dad must come home tomorrow!”
“Sure.”
“If your promise is not kept, I won’t even cherish my life to —” Before she finished, she felt her feet fall away from the floor — she was thrown into bed. Her instinct told her to cover her breasts.
“What are you covering yourself for? I didn’t force you into this. Take off your clothes!”
Nuannuan sat up and glared at Zhan Shideng. But after a short while, she raised her hands and unbuttoned her shirt, her teeth clenching …
Chapter 14
Nuannuan was still shaking in anger and hatred for Zhan Shideng as she stood in front of the door to the custody room. It was not until she saw Kaitian that those feelings were repressed by her total heartache. It had only taken a couple of days to change the look of Kaitian; he was overtaken by despair and insecurity. Even in his wildest dreams, Kaitian never thought of himself handcuffed and locked up. At first he would cry out in panic: “I am innocent …”
After a while the policeman would loose his patience and tap a finger on Kaitian’s head: “Did you or did you not ruin 90 acres of green bean fields in your village?”
Kaitian had no choice but to nod his head.
“Then why are you yelling about innocence?” The policeman kicked his buttocks.
“But I only bought the weedkiller from someone else.”
“Where is that someone else, then? Go search him out, if you can. Stop blaming others for your crime!” He tapped on Kaitian’s head again.
“I am innocent —” Kaitian cried out again in despair …
Kaitian felt as if in a dream when he finally saw Nuannuan. He raised a hand to rub his eyes. A policeman opened his handcuffs and said: “You are only forsaken because we need to give face to your leader Zhan. Once you are home, you have to compensate every victim!”
“Yes, yes,” answered Kaitian vaguely as he walked towards Nuannuan. He threw himself in her arms. Nuannuan did not say anything and shed no tears. She only pat his back and whispered: “Let’s go home …”
In the evening, men from every household that bought weedkiller from Kaitian were sent for and gathered in front of the village committee office. Kaitian stood in the middle of the crowd, bowing his head. Nuannuan stayed in the shadow cast by the wall in the corner. The crowd either whispered their criticism or shouted out curses, now seeing Kaitian released. The noise did not stop until Zhan Shideng came in with majestic strides. Zhan Shideng coughed, then spoke out in an authoritative voice: “Shame on Kaitian for committing such a despicable deed! But! Shame on you all for making a scene here! We all live in this village, yet why can’t you solve anything by discussing in peace? Kaitian will pay for your loss. From today on, no one shall go to his house and point a finger at him! How much is he going to pay? An ordinary harvest will give you 400 jin of green beans per acre, so we will take that number; the market price is 1.20 yuan per jin, that will be 480 yuan per acre. Kaitian will pay you according to the acres of your ruined field. However, you all know about his household. He cannot pay you all at once. So each year he will send some money to each of you until everything is even. Okay?”
The crowd stayed quiet hearing their leader’s words. Spotty Laosi spoke out: “Okay. He can pay as the leader ordered. We don’t want trouble with Kaitian, either. But we all have our lives to live and no one can afford such a loss …”
After people left, Nuannuan tried to pull Kaitian home. To her surprise, Kaitian suddenly dropped on the ground and covered his head with his hands. He sobbed: “Heavens! 88 acres, apart from our 2 acres to cover. 480 yuan per acre, that’s more than 42,000 yuan to pay! All we’ve got is 1,200 yuan in the bank, where in the world can we find the rest of that money!”
Nuannuan whispered: “Heaven must have a way! Let’s go home now.”
Shallot walked over: “Don’t worry about my 2 acres.”
Nuannuan was touched: “My sister …”
Nuannuan supported Kaitian home. His mother held him in her arms and cried. Kaitian’s father came over with his walking sticks and looked at him in tears. Only Nuannuan fetched water to wash Kaitian’s face and feet.
That night, Kaitian lay in bed with his eyes wide open. Nuannuan put Dangen to sleep and turned her body. She held his head against her chest and whispered her comfort: “Stop worrying. Everything will be fine with you well at home. We’ll figure out something about the money.”
Kaitian burst into tears. He started sobbing again. Nuannuan rubbed his back and said: “I did some calculation. Without Shallot’s part, we have 41 families to cover. Let’s pay each of them 100 yuan first and they’ll make peace with us for the time being. We have 1,000 yuan in the bank, and we can sell the bike, the flatbed cart, the television and the watch I bought in Beijing. I will go to my parents’ house tomorrow and borrow some money from Dad. We’ll have a better plan after paying 100 yuan to everyone.”
Kaitian was still sobbing: “Your dad hasn’t forgiven us. How can we borrow money from him?”
Nuannuan answered: “Don’t you worry. I’ll beg him to help. If he still doesn’t agree, I’ll figure something else out …”
The next morning after breakfast, Nuannuan departed for her parents’ house. She knew that Dad was still angry, but she had no one else to turn to. Before she entered the yard, Mom saw her and hastened to pull her aside and said: “Dad is home. First tell me about the money problem. How much is that in total?”
Nuannuan gave her the details. Mom was stunned by the number. It took her some time to say: “That boy Kaitian, he is so poor at dealing with things and has caused such a big mess. What are you going to do about it?”
Nuannuan said: “I told him to buy the weedkiller. It was not his fault.”
As they were speaking in a whisper, Dad walked out. Mom pulled Nuannuan behind her in fear of his anger and said: “I told Nuannuan to come home. If you need to scold someone, I’m responsible for this.”
Unexpectedly, Dad answered in a soft voice: “Go inside to talk about the matter. What use is it standing here?”
Mom quickly led Nuannuan inside. Once they were in the house, Mom told Dad about Nuannuan’s trouble. Chu Changshun stayed quiet for a long while. Nuannuan had her mind ma
de up: she’ll leave if Dad speaks even one bad word. To her surprise, Dad only asked: “How much do you need?”
Nuannuan was speechless for a second. Then she quickly answered: “A thousand will do.”
Dad did not say another word. He went into his room. After some searching, he came back and passed a roll of cash to his daughter: “Here’s 1,600 yuan. You need some money with you.”
Nuannuan instantly felt tears in her eyes: “Dad, I don’t need that much.”
Dad glared: “Take it as I ordered! Stop talking! You need to feed and clothe yourselves.”
Nuannuan took the money. Before she left, Dad spoke again: “Remember, tears don’t solve any problem when you are in trouble. You need to think, not complain. In moments like this, you must face the problems with Kaitian, don’t blame him or it will cut deep. Do you understand?”
Nuannuan nodded.
“Go home. Do comfort Kaitian. Don’t let him get sick in desperation!” Dad waved his hand.
Nuannuan was leaving when Grandma came out with her cane: “We people should be prepared when meeting with trouble so that it will never harm you; but when the trouble does fall on you, you must be bold and believe that there is nothing you can’t conquer! Kaitian and you must be bold and think about a future where you get rid of all this. Don’t have your eyes only on the troubled present.”
Nuannuan nodded again and wiped tears off her face. Then she left the house.
With more than 1,000 yuan from Dad, combined with the money in the bank, and the money from selling the bike, the flatbed cart, the television and the watch, Nuannuan and Kaitian paid 200 yuan to several families who were most unsatisfied about Kaitian’s release, and 100 to everyone else except for Shallot’s. By then, people finally made peace with them …
Chapter 15
As Nuannuan and Kaitian were thinking about more ways to earn money, they did not expect Kaitian’s father’s bad health. Before that, though unable to move his legs, he could still walk around the house with sticks. But this time he could not even get out of bed. He would cough all night and complain about an ache in his chest. Kaitian and his mother were put in a fluster. The couple borrowed a flatbed cart and sent the old man to the town hospital on Juxiang Street. The doctor ran an examination and talked about emphysema, which required Kaitian’s father to stay in the hospital for treatments. The young couple were too shocked to speak. They went to go through the hospital admission documents. It was not Nuannuan’s first time to deal with hospitalization, but even she did not expect the cost. They spent the 300 yuan they brought over in a couple of days. She urged Kaitian to go home and borrow some money. But he was too scared of facing his neighbours. They could not get enough money from their relatives in other villages because everyone knew about their enormous debt. Kaitian pushed himself to the limit to persuade people, but only got 100 yuan in total. How could that be enough? Nuannuan made the decision to sell their cattle. Kaitian panicked: “How about the field? That cattle pulled the plough as hard as it could.”