The crowd erupted at once. Those in the back stood on tiptoe, craning their necks and pushing their way forward.
“That’s right. Open it up and let’s see what this capitalist girl is hiding in there. Let us have a look, too.”
The villagers shouted and egged them on.
Director Huang watched Xiao Mandong’s expression, and his heart gave a sudden lurch. A foreboding chill crept up his spine. Why was Xiao Mandong so calm? Shouldn’t she be frightened, denying everything, and begging for mercy?
Director Huang suddenly felt that things might not be as simple as they seemed.
Sun Wenbin was beginning to panic, too. His clenched fists loosened, then tightened again, while his heart remained in turmoil.
Wang Yuanyuan, meanwhile, wore a gleeful expression, her eyes full of anticipation. At last, she was going to see Xiao Mandong brought down.
The moment the Revolutionary Committee officer unfolded the handkerchief, the entire scene fell silent for three seconds. Then the crowd burst into laughter.
There was no old keepsake inside. Wrapped in the handkerchief was a small piece of dried cornmeal cake, with a tiny bone that had clearly been gnawed by a dog placed in the middle.
“A dog-chewed bone? Hahahaha! It’s actually a dog-chewed bone!”
The villagers laughed so hard they slapped their thighs, tears springing from their eyes.
For a moment, laughter, taunts, and curses blended into one cacophony. The tense standoff had turned into a complete farce.
The young officer stood rooted to the spot, utterly at a loss, his face flushed bright red.
Director Huang’s face was as dark as the bottom of a cooking pot, the veins at his temples throbbing furiously as a wave of rage shot straight to his head.
Yet with so many villagers watching, he had no right to lose his temper. After serving as director for so many years, this was the first time he had suffered such a humiliating defeat. Today, the Revolutionary Committee had become the laughingstock of the entire village.
Xiao Mandong let out a soft sigh. “My little dog always buries the bones and leftover cakes it doesn’t finish all over the yard. I was afraid it would dig up the whole place, so I wrapped them in a handkerchief and buried them here for it. It lies here in the sun every day, guarding them. I never expected this officer to dig them up. You certainly have a sharp eye!”
The young officer wished he could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.
Staring at the handkerchief, Wang Yuanyuan bit her lower lip so hard that the taste of blood filled her mouth. It was clearly a silver bracelet—so how had it turned into a dog bone?
From beginning to end, Xiao Mandong had been putting on an act and playing her for a fool. She must have discovered the bracelet yesterday, yet instead of exposing Wang Yuanyuan on the spot, she had taken it away and even beaten her. How utterly shameless!
The more Wang Yuanyuan thought about it, the angrier she became. Her breathing quickened, and she could no longer suppress her fury. She suddenly shoved her way out of the crowd.
“Xiao Mandong, you shameless bitch! How dare you play me? How could it possibly be a dog bone? It was obviously—mmph!”
Before Wang Yuanyuan could finish, Sun Wenbin clamped a hand over her mouth and forcibly dragged her out of the crowd.
Sun Wenbin had never seen anyone so stupid. Charging out at a time like this—wasn’t she practically asking to be killed?
The Revolutionary Committee officers had been left humiliated. What if they made her take the blame and accused her of making a malicious report? And what if this idiot turned around and exposed him?
With someone as stupid as her, the officers would have everything out of her within three questions.
“Hey, Wang Yuanyuan, don’t leave! Why don’t you tell us what was supposed to be in the handkerchief? Could it have been you who reported me?”
Xiao Mandong watched as Wang Yuanyuan was dragged away by Sun Wenbin. She made no move to stop them. Wang Yuanyuan could not be allowed inside yet—she still had to keep Sun Wenbin occupied.
Seeing how things had turned out, Director Huang gave a dry cough and tried to smooth things over.
“We’re truly sorry, Comrade Xiao Mandong. We didn’t expect this to be a malicious report. Our junior officer is rather conscientious in his work, but he was a little rash this time. We still have other matters to attend to, so we’ll be leaving now.”
With that, Director Huang led his people as they quickly pushed through the crowd, mounted their old bicycles, and fled the village as if running for their lives.
After the Revolutionary Committee personnel left, the crowd that had gathered to watch the spectacle gradually dispersed as well. Secretary Liu was so furious that he intended to go straight to the city. He had to report what had happened to the commune today. Director Huang’s vile intentions were obvious, and this matter was no longer merely Xiao Mandong’s problem. If things went badly, the entire village could be implicated.
After seeing the villagers off, Xiao Mandong looked at the room, which had been left in complete disarray after the search, and felt a lingering sense of fear.
Fortunately, Xiao Manxue had been worried that Wang Yuanyuan might be up to something and had kept an eye on her yesterday. No one had expected her to actually discover Wang Yuanyuan burying something.
The sisters had replaced the bracelet with a cornmeal bun and the bones that Diandian had gnawed on the day before. In any case, Xiao Manxue would be leaving for school in a couple of days, so Xiao Mandong had felt no hesitation in setting this trap. If they had searched the room and simply left, they would not have suffered such humiliation. But if those people refused to stop and insisted on driving her to her death, then whatever happened would be their own doing.
In truth, Xiao Manxue was quite worried about Xiao Mandong. She was afraid that Director Huang would come looking for trouble after she left.
Xiao Mandong, however, had told her that when someone deliberately tried to cause you trouble, there was no way to hide from it. The more you retreated, the more brazenly they would act. Only by striking back would you make them hesitate before trying anything again.
The reason Xiao Mandong dared to do this was that she had the army backing her. She knew that if she wanted to survive, she had to get rid of both Director Huang and Sun Wenbin. Otherwise, they would remain a threat. She had no choice but to stake everything on one move, and she believed Zhou Qichuan would certainly discover something suspicious about Director Huang.
Xiao Manxue stayed home to clean up the room, which had been thoroughly ransacked.
Meanwhile, Xiao Mandong wheeled out her bicycle and prepared to go into the city. She needed to pick up the quilt and clothes she had had made for Xiao Manxue, and then ask Shen Linzhou when the army planned to arrange Xiao Manxue’s school registration.
Xiao Mandong mounted her bicycle and first went to the home of one of Big Sister Li’s relatives to collect the finished quilt and clothes. She found a deserted place and put them into her personal space.
Then she went to the supply cooperative and bought Xiao Manxue some skincare products and daily necessities before heading back to the hospital.
It was Sunday, so only the doctor on duty was in the clinic. After greeting the doctor, Xiao Mandong went straight to Shen Linzhou’s hospital room.
The door to the room was tightly shut, and the guard, Xiao Ding, stood watch outside. When he saw Xiao Mandong, the tense lines of his face immediately softened into a smile.
“Doctor Xiao, you’re here.”
Xiao Ding promptly knocked on the door. “Deputy Regimental Commander, Doctor Xiao is here.”
After a pause of several seconds, Shen Linzhou’s voice came from inside.
“Please ask Doctor Xiao to come in.”
Only then did Xiao Ding gently open the ward door and step aside, gesturing for them to enter.
Xiao Mandong walked into the ward and was surprised to see Zhou Qichuan there as well. “When did Company Commander Zhou arrive?”
“I got here a little while ago. But what brings Doctor Xiao into town too?”
“I came to bring Xiao Manxue the cotton quilts I had made for her. The weather is getting colder, so I wanted to have everything prepared in advance. I’m also here to ask Deputy Commander Shen when my sister can go to the school to register.”
“You can choose the date. Any time is fine. To ensure your safety, I’ll accompany you and Xiao Manxue when you go to register.”
Zhou Qichuan had just told him about the Revolutionary Committee’s search. Shen Linzhou felt certain that Director Huang was hiding something, and had already asked the military district to send more people to investigate discreetly. He also needed Zhou Qichuan to keep an eye on Sun Wenbin. In his opinion, the sooner Xiao Manxue was sent to register, the safer it would be. If Director Huang and Sun Wenbin were working together, today’s incident might make them panic and take desperate measures to avoid exposure.
“Then let’s go tomorrow. The sooner, the better. We should avoid leaving room for complications.”
