Chapter 52: Chapter 43: Got Caught
Mo Shuixia got up, but Guan Ailan had already dashed off. The two chased each other and tumbled into a haystack. The mischievous kids higher up saw them and shoved down a mountain of straw, burying the pair completely. Not a sound or movement came from the pile. Xiao Man rushed over and began frantically digging them out, shouting up at the kids to get down there and help.
After a flurry of chaos, Mo Shuixia and Guan Ailan burrowed out of the haystack. Without a word, they grabbed a few of the culprits and gave them a sound beating. Two of the younger boys clutched their behinds and wailed, but no one paid them any mind. In that era, children from the same production team shared a sense of solidarity. When fighting with kids from other teams, the older ones would protect the younger ones. But when it came to infighting, it was considered normal for the little kids to get beaten by the big kids. They just had to take it, and hardly anyone ever ran home to tattle to the adults.
Seeing that playtime was about over, parents began to appear at the edge of the threshing ground, shouting their children’s names. Guan Ailan hurried off to find her younger siblings and urge them home. Xiao Man again confirmed with Mo Shuixia that she’d come over tomorrow for the textbooks, then called out for Jiang Xuehua. They rounded up the mischievous kids from the first few families at the east end of the village and headed home, fully satisfied with their day of play.
Second Granny Qiu led her three grandsons and the children from two other families back to the row of houses behind them. Grandma urged Xiao Man to take a bath, telling her that Second Granny Qiu had drawn the water for her. Grandma had already washed up herself, and there was still a pot of hot water on the stove. Xiao Man closed the courtyard gate, mixed a full iron bucket and two basins of water, and washed her hair and body. Afterward, she told Grandma that her hair was still wet and needed to air dry, so she would help Grandma to her room to rest first while she sat in the courtyard a bit longer.
Grandma went to bed first, reminding Xiao Man to go to sleep as soon as her hair was dry. "A young girl like you shouldn’t stay up too late," she added. Xiao Man agreed and gently pulled Grandma’s door shut on her way out.
The threshing ground in the courtyard was smooth and clean. Though it had been baked by the hot sun all day, the night was late and the dew was heavy, making the ground cool to the touch. Xiao Man sat down cross-legged. First, she closed her eyes to perform Breathing Regulation, calming her mind and spirit. The sound of the threshing machine from the nearby grain station gradually faded from her awareness. Only then did she slowly rise. With her eyes still closed, she followed the images that appeared in her mind and began to practice the Five Animals Qigong, move by move.
Her first time practicing was inevitably clumsy and awkward. The Jade Scroll in her mind surprisingly had a built-in supervision function; if one of her movements wasn’t precise enough, she couldn’t proceed to the next. Because of this, Xiao Man fumbled her way through it late into the night. By the time she could finally perform the entire sequence smoothly, she hadn’t even noticed when the thrum of the grain station’s machine had fallen silent.
Drenched in sweat from head to toe once more, Xiao Man drew water from the well to rinse off. This time, she didn’t wait for her hair to dry completely. She simply spread a bamboo mat on the threshing ground and lay down to sleep. It was summer, so she wouldn’t catch a cold; the worst that could happen was a few mosquito bites. When the weather got too hot, it was customary for villagers to sleep out in their courtyards. If Grandma found out, the most she’d do is nag her that it wasn’t proper for a girl. ’Besides, I’m still young!’
The next morning after breakfast, Xiao Man watered the vegetable garden. She saw Second Granny Qiu arrive with her sewing basket, looking for Grandma. They were planning to make frog fasteners together. In those days, the village grandmothers still wore the traditional left-fastening, wide-lapelled jackets, a style handed down from the pre-revolutionary era. The modern version was simply cut shorter and narrower to save fabric. This type of garment used frog fasteners, which were quite difficult to make. They were crafted from strips of cloth, rolled and folded layer by layer, and then secured with needle and thread. A skilled hand could shape them into beautiful designs; for example, if you looked closely, the fasteners on Grandma’s jacket resembled small flower buds. It was a shame the fabric was always the same monotonous gray, blue, or black, making them rather plain to see.
With Second Granny Qiu keeping Grandma company, Xiao Man let them know she was leaving and headed out to find Mo Shuixia and borrow the textbooks.
Getting to Mo Shuixia’s house meant passing the Mo Family Courtyard, where she used to live. ’There’s nothing to be afraid of,’ Xiao Man told herself. ’I just have to ignore them. Besides, a few quick steps and I’ll be past their gate. They probably won’t even see me.’
Mo Shuixia lived next door to Granny Han. Xiao Man had deliberately put on the small, altered military uniform Granny Han gave her, so Granny Han could see how it looked. She had bathed several times yesterday and had washed the outfit, but it wasn’t completely dry. Still, it was all she had to wear. It would finish drying as she walked in the sun and wind. She only had two outfits to her name now. There should have been three, but Liang Xiaoju had taken one. The last set was brand new, and Grandma had told her to save it for the first day of school.
As she neared the Mo Family Courtyard, Xiao Man broke into a run. But fate, it seemed, had other plans. Just as she reached the gate, a man emerged from inside. It was Mo Guoqiang!
’Shouldn’t Mo Guoqiang be at work right now?’ Xiao Man’s heart skipped a beat. ’The production team is harvesting rice; it’s the busiest time. Why is he at home instead of earning work points?’
Mo Guoqiang saw her too, a strange expression crossing his face. His eyes followed her as she ran. Seeing her dash past without a word of greeting, he flew into a rage. "Can’t you see your father standing right here?" he roared. "What are you running for? Are you looking to die?"
Xiao Man ignored him. Without a backward glance, she forced herself to run faster. ’I’ll be safe once I reach Granny Han’s gate. Even if Granny Han isn’t there, there’s still the old woman of the house. Mo Guoqiang wouldn’t dare attack someone right on another family’s doorstep!’
But Xiao Man had overestimated her short legs and underestimated Mo Guoqiang’s shamelessness. Just as she was about to reach Granny Han’s threshing ground, she felt a sudden tug on the back of her collar. She was caught. Mo Guoqiang lifted her clean off her feet and hauled her back toward the Mo Family Courtyard.
Xiao Man’s face went pale with terror, and she started screaming. "Help! Help! Mo Shuixia! Granny Han! Help me!"
Once they were inside the courtyard, the Mo children immediately swarmed around. Mo Xiaofeng, Mo Xiao Zhi, and Mo Xiaoneng stared at Xiao Man with contempt. Mo Xiaoqiang sat under the eaves gnawing on a roasted sweet potato. Watching Mo Guoqiang viciously drag Xiao Man inside, he shouted, "Hey! You old shrew! We finally caught you! You can’t escape now! On behalf of the people, I sentence you to death by firing squad!"
Xiao Man: ...
’You’re the old shrew! Your whole family is full of shrews!’
Mo Xiaosu emerged from another doorway, holding half a piece of golden-fried cornbread. She cackled with laughter at Mo Xiaoqiang’s words, then looked at Xiao Man and sneered.
"Well now, what a rare sight. You’re living in the Knowledge Youth House these days, so what brings you back to our humble dirt courtyard? What could you possibly want?"
Mo Xiao Zhi snorted. "What else? She’s obviously got her eye on the pomelo tree in our backyard. The fruit’s ripe, and she wants some!"
Mo Xiaofeng rolled her eyes. "In her dreams! We’re selling those pomelos for money. That’s our school tuition right there!"
Mo Xiaoqiang piped up, "She wouldn’t dare! If she steals a single one of my pomelos, I’ll beat her senseless!"
Mo Xiaosu remembered that the backyard pomelo tree actually belonged to her eldest uncle’s family, and her eldest aunt was a formidable woman. At harvest time, she herself would get one or two at most. Losing interest in the topic, she followed Mo Guoqiang and Xiao Man to her eldest uncle’s doorway, saying:
"Eldest Uncle, everyone in the village says you and Eldest Aunt just found Xiao Man somewhere and brought her home. They say Mo Xiaoman is a bastard! Why are you even bothering with her?"
