Chapter 51: Righteous Youth Wen Mubai

Huang Xiaocui had already anticipated this move. Knowing exactly what kind of person Widow Hu was, there was no way she would let the sisters go home only to be beaten. After asking for Hu Pandie’s opinion, she brought the two sisters to the home of Granny Hu San, an elderly widow in the village.

“Granny San, are you home?” Huang Xiaocui stopped in front of a mud-brick house.

“Who is it?” Granny Hu answered from inside. “Ah, Xiaocui, do you need something?”

Though everyone called her Granny, it was only out of respect for her seniority; in fact, she was about the same age as Aunt Hu.

Holding Laidi in her arms, Huang Xiaocui explained everything to Granny Hu San before finally saying, “Granny, I really can’t rest easy if these two children go back home. Could they stay with you for a few days? We’ll wait until Zhaodi returns.”

Granny Hu San glanced at the sisters. “Of course, why not? I was just getting lonely by myself, anyway.”

“With these two girls to keep me company, nothing could be better.”

Noting how thinly dressed the sisters were, Granny Hu hurriedly ushered them inside and tucked them into bed before pulling Huang Xiaocui aside. “Tell me honestly, will Shenggen ever get out?”

Huang Xiaocui’s face darkened, but she could not bring herself to lie to Granny Hu San. “It’s unlikely.”

Granny Hu’s expression twisted. “Serves him right!”

She had once been in debt to the widow Hu’s mother-in-law, whose greatest worry as she lay dying had been that eldest grandson. If she could see what he had become, she would be devastated.

“You can leave those two girls with me, don’t worry. Li Xiaocao wouldn’t dare make trouble in my house.”

Huang Xiaocui nodded; this was exactly why she’d thought of Granny San.

“The team leader said Jiajun will bring over the girls’ food rations later,” she added.

Granny Hu nodded and went back inside.

After some thought, Huang Xiaocui returned to the clinic.

“Xiao Tang, do you have any more of that chilblain ointment?”

“Yes,” Tang Banxia replied.

“I’ll take a tin.” As she spoke, she pulled out a handkerchief with some money. “How much?”

“One yuan per tin,” Tang Banxia answered, handing her a thumb-thick bamboo tube.

Huang Xiaocui paid without hesitation.

Tang Banxia pocketed the money in front of everyone. While barefoot doctors didn’t charge for consultations, they did sell medicine for a fee. Since she made the chilblain ointment herself, gathering the herbs from the mountains, the money was rightfully hers.

The trouble with the Ma Wu brothers spread far and wide; it took a full week for the dust to settle. When the news broke, the entire county was in an uproar.

The reason was clear: the Ma Wu brothers were guilty of countless crimes, too many to record. Not only did they organize gambling dens, they forced desperate gamblers to sell their wives and daughters, then trafficked those women themselves. It was a complete criminal enterprise.

As soon as the truth came out, not just Ma Family Village but even the higher authorities were shocked. Who could have imagined that a rural bully would dare go so far?

The case was so appalling that the authorities took it extremely seriously. With a massive investment of manpower and resources, they followed the trail, uncovering an entire human trafficking operation and wiping out the supply chain at its roots.

Rumor had it the case was so vast it spanned several counties, even involving the city and, faintly, the province.

But such matters were beyond the knowledge of ordinary people. All they knew was that this incident had shamed their whole commune.

There was no escaping it, because it had all started with someone from their own commune—especially Ma Family Village, which bore the brunt. After this, the village’s name was utterly sullied, and even the local officials were implicated to varying degrees.

Many who had once done business with the Ma Wu brothers were exposed. Those who had sold their daughters were sentenced to years of hard labor on a farm. Even those who had merely gambled were not spared, sent to the county for ideological re-education; only after genuine reform were they allowed to return home.

Even then, after coming home, they had to submit regular ideological reports, underscoring the authorities’ resolve to clean up local morals.

But none of this had much to do with Tang Banxia. While chaos reigned outside, life in Guyue Village remained peaceful.

On the fifth day after the events, Hu Zhaodi was brought back home. Upon learning what had happened in the village during her absence, she immediately knelt before the team leader and the other officials, knocking her head three times in gratitude for their protection of her younger sisters.

Her second act was to agree to Huang Xiaocui’s proposal: to split the household with Widow Hu.

After experiencing such turmoil, the girl had truly grown. She even handled her own mother herself.

Tang Banxia, sitting in the clinic, watched the gaunt girl stand unflinching as Widow Hu hurled curses at her. When the widow paused to catch her breath, Zhaodi spoke just one sentence: “The officers said that as long as there’s a letter of forgiveness, the sentence can be reduced.”

At that, Widow Hu was struck dumb, her curses stuck in her throat as her sharp, narrow eyes glared at the daughter she’d always dismissed as a useless burden.

“You—”

“Mother, my brother’s been pampered all his life; he won’t survive hard labor on the farm,” Zhaodi said calmly, her eyes black and bright, fixed steadily on her mother.

Though it was the dead of winter, a cold sweat broke out on Widow Hu’s back, and a chill wind made her shiver. “Is—what you say true?”

Zhaodi curled her lip in cold mockery. “It’s true.”

For the sake of her son, Widow Hu finally had to compromise, agreeing to split the household for Zhaodi and her two siblings. As for the letter of forgiveness, Zhaodi hadn’t lied—though ten years of reform would only be shortened by three months. Who knew if that fine brother of hers would survive that long?

Having witnessed it all, Tang Banxia regarded Hu Zhaodi with new respect. This girl was destined for great things.

She shook her head, simply sighing to herself, her heart otherwise untroubled. Everyone had their own fate; it was enough to respect that.

With the turmoil subsiding, Tang Banxia and her husband made another trip to the county seat. They first went to the post office to send letters to Tang’s eldest and second brothers, then knocked on Chen Gang’s door.

“Mubai, sister-in-law, come in, we’ve been waiting for you!” Chen Gang greeted them warmly, ushering them inside.

Not only was the Chen family there, but also Director Yu.

When the two entered, Director Yu straightened his clothes and saluted Wen Mubai crisply. “Comrade Wen Mubai, thank you!”

Wen Mubai and Tang Banxia were startled, instinctively taking a step back before smiling in unison. “Director Yu, you’re too kind. It was the least I could do.”

Wen Mubai was clever; after just a few meetings, he’d already sized up Director Yu’s character. “I am part of this country. When my nation needs me, I will not hesitate to risk life and limb.”

Standing in the sunlight, he seemed to radiate with an inner brilliance. “I may be just a humble educated youth sent down to the countryside, but I too wish to serve my country.”

“Such heartless evil cannot be tolerated by anyone. I only did what was right, Director Yu—if anything, I should be thanking you.”

“Thank you for giving justice to those unfortunate girls, for helping them escape the clutches of evil.”

The handsome young man was the picture of sincerity, his posture upright, gratitude shining in his gaze. His words were clearly heartfelt.

Director Yu’s admiration was almost overflowing. He laughed heartily and slapped Wen Mubai on the shoulder. “Well done, well done! This is what our country’s youth should be!”

Chen Gang and his wife were visibly moved as well.

Only Tang Banxia, in an unnoticed corner, quirked her lips. This fellow really knew how to talk...

“But…” Director Yu’s tone shifted. “Comrade Wen, you did well, and we mustn’t let your efforts go unrewarded…”