Chapter 8: An Unexpected Visitor

"Come out, Qian family’s second son, you get out here right now…” With the shouting, the courtyard quickly filled with men and women alike.

Qian Jiangang rolled out of bed, hurriedly crawled to the windowsill, and peered outside. What he saw made his temples throb even harder.

How did Qin Hongxiang’s family arrive so quickly!

“Who are you people?” Liu Heqing was the first to rush outside, pointing at the newcomers without a hint of fear.

“Who are we? Who are you? I have nothing to say to you. Get Qian’s second son out here. We need to ask him—he promised to take care of my eldest sister and her children, is this how he keeps his word? Sending them all inside!”

The one jumping and shouting was Qin Hongxiang’s eldest brother, Qin Dazhu, with his younger brother Qin Erzhu and his nephew Qin Jiabao clustered behind him. Sister-in-law Sun Chunmei stood beside her husband, clutching a wooden stick in her hand.

Qian Xiaozhen was hiding behind the crowd, peeking nervously.

“Dad, please come out. My aunt’s family is here to see you!” Qian Lai called out from the inner room.

That wretch!

A tough nut to crack!

Qian Jiangang was forced to emerge from the inner room, but before he could step past the threshold, the Qin brothers blocked his way.

“Second Brother Qian! Tell us, how are you going to save my sister?”

“Uncle, you’re finally here.” Qian Dong, seeing his kin at last, wiped his tears and stepped out, “They said two hundred yuan would get my mother out.”

“Then pay it!” The Qin family stared at Qian Jiangang in confusion.

“Who’s going to pay? I have no money left.” Qian Jiangang looked troubled. “If I had any money, would I not save her?”

“You, out of money? Who’d believe that? You’re a workshop director—can’t you ask the factory for an advance? If that won’t work, borrow it! You can’t just lie at home doing nothing, can you?”

“He just doesn’t want to save our sister.”

“It’s because she isn’t his wife. All that talk about gratitude, about looking after the three of them for life—I tell you, when trouble comes, he’s the first to walk away.”

One after another, the Qian family’s words made Qian Jiangang’s face flush and pale in turn.

“Sister-in-law, we can only beg you now. Please, use your wedding money to save my mother!”

Qian Lai was enjoying the drama, startled when Qian Xiaozhen suddenly knelt before her.

Unbelievable!

“How is it? You have money but won’t help?” The Qian family instantly surrounded Qian Lai, faces twisted with hostility, but Yang Teacher and Liu Heqing quickly stepped in to shield her.

“Oh, you mean the Gu family’s wedding money?” Qian Lai acted as if she’d just remembered, looking down at the kneeling Qian Xiaozhen.

“The money, I had Xiao Li take it back.”

“What!” Qian Xiaozhen sprang up from the ground like a firecracker, “You’re lying!”

“Ha, why would I lie to you! My injury needs time to heal. I can’t have Xiao Li waiting here with me forever, so I sent him back first. Besides, it’s not thieves but those who covet that you need to fear. Everyone knows I received wedding money—someone might try to claim it. Having him take it back gives me peace of mind. Why would I lie? If you don’t believe me, call him and ask.”

“Don’t waste words on her, I say she’s just unwilling to pay!” Sun Chunmei lost patience, grabbing Qian Jiangang, “Second brother, do your vows from back then mean anything?”

“My sister is inside now, two hundred yuan will get her out. Are you going to do something?” Qian Dong pleaded.

“Uncle, please, save my mother. She may have made mistakes, but let’s save her first and talk later!” Qian Dong begged.

“My sister was the one who gave the Qin family its only son. If you don’t sort this out today, we won’t leave.”

Qin Erzhu grew more aggressive.

“Brothers-in-law, most of Old Qian’s salary goes to his sister-in-law every month. If anyone has money, it’s her. Why do you keep pressing Old Qian?” Liu Huiru’s voice trembled.

“Second sister-in-law, that’s unfair. What do you mean ‘pressing’? If second brother had acted promptly, we wouldn’t need to come here at all.”

“Yes, yes, yes… If my aunt had money, would she not save herself?” Qin Jiabao’s stutter worsened.

“You saw it yourself this morning, Uncle. My mother’s money box is empty. Someone stole it. We really have no money left.”

Suddenly, Qian Xiaozhen seemed to realize something, turning to grab Qian Lai’s wrist, “Sister, the dowry money that Uncle gave me to save, you haven’t taken it yet, right? Three hundred yuan, that’s enough—please, save my mother!”

She even tried to drag Qian Lai outside, but Liu Heqing pulled her away.

“Where was Aunt’s money box found?” Qian Lai asked. “And why was she taken in?”

“I heard she was caught with Fat Wang from the junk collection station. Charged with ‘corrupting public morals’! Tsk tsk, that charge—you should know what kind of crime that implies.”

Qian Lai pressed closer to Qian Xiaozhen, her eyes fixed on the other’s nose, “Hey, cousin? Now that I think about it, why do you look so much like Fat Wang? Especially your nose—my goodness, it’s identical.”

“You! What do you mean by that?” Qian Xiaozhen instinctively covered her nose.

She’d long sensed her features didn’t match the Qian family. Her father, uncle, brother, and cousin all had melon-seed faces and pointed noses. She alone had a round face and a thick, bulbous nose.

It wasn’t until she shared a meal with Qin Hongxiang and Fat Wang that her suspicions were confirmed.

She’d hated Qin Hongxiang for it.

But Fat Wang was a generous father—whatever she wanted, he’d try to provide. Over time, she’d grown secretly glad to have such a “treasure chest father.”

“What? Lai, what nonsense are you spouting?” Qian Jiangang couldn’t believe it and stepped right up to Qian Xiaozhen, squinting to see more clearly.

Qian Xiaozhen shrank under everyone’s gaze, covering her nose and shouting, “You’re talking nonsense, Lai, nonsense!”

But it was useless.

Qian Jiangang yanked her hand down, scrutinizing her face again and again. Even her build didn’t match the Qian family.

Fury burned in his eyes. He pointed at Qian Xiaozhen and demanded of the stunned Qin family, “Did you know all along?”

They looked up at the sky, down at the ground—the answer was obvious.

“So they’ve been together for at least twenty years!” Liu Heqing couldn’t suppress a smile, “Qian Dong, your mom put a green hat on your dad!”

Qian Dong’s shirt hem had long been twisted into a knot.

He knew! He’d found out this morning! Ashamed and embarrassed, but his mother still needed saving.

“Uncle, even if there’s no blood, there’s nurture. Haven’t you grown attached to Xiaozhen over the years? Please forgive my mother! Save her first, and then punish her as you see fit, alright?”

“Save her? Why should I?” Qian Jiangang’s face was dark as iron.

“For all these years, I raised you two for my brother. Was it easy? I thought my sister-in-law had it hard as a widow. Turns out, she’s been living well! Since she has a patron now, the Qian family won’t stand in the way of her happiness. You all may go. If you want help, ask her man.”

“Uncle, how can you say that? I’m still a Qian family member, couldn’t you help my mother for my sake? And besides, that man is locked up too!”

Qian Jiangang shoved the Qin family towards the door, Qian Dong trailing behind, pleading incessantly.

“Wait!” Qian Xiaozhen suddenly cut through the commotion, “I never thought you two could be so heartless.”

“So… so… so heartless,” Qin Jiabao echoed, banging on a gong.

“In that case, I demand that the three of us be removed from your household registration.”

“Right, right… right, remove us…”

“Uncle, come with me right now to handle it.”

She really was calculating!

In those days, grain and oil ration tickets were allotted based on registered household population. Once removed, their ration supply would stop that month.

At the beginning of the month, Qian Jiangang had already handed all the ration tickets to Qin Hongxiang. Now that it was mid-month, without tickets, they’d face a shortage for half a month. And at next month’s start, they’d have to return any tickets owed for the days after removal to the street office.

“Heqing, did you bring the introduction letter and the technical school admission notice I asked for?” Qian Lai had already planned to move Liu Heqing’s household registration to her own family.

She’d worried that Qian Jiangang wouldn’t agree.

Now, thanks to Qian Xiaozhen, that problem had been solved.

“I brought them. Not only that, I had my father deliver grain and oil—they’re on the way. Our village is known for ample grain and oil, and what we sent should last our family two or three months.”

Qian Xiaozhen was so angry she wanted to beat herself.

How did she blurt out her last card? She should have cried twice more, until Qian Jiangang softened.

Her introduction letter to the Workers-Peasants-Soldiers University was still in Qian Lai’s hands. She’d planned to have her write a “voluntary transfer” so she could change her name at Houfu Village Brigade.

But—

Now, what should she do?