Zhou Xiaomei was indignant. “Grandma, how can you say that? You know I don’t mean any harm. I was just chatting with you, but look at you—every other word is putting me down and taking Educated Youth Xiao’s side. Anyone who didn’t know better might think she was your future granddaughter-in-law.”
Granny Zhou was getting angry. “Fifth Girl, can you stop copying your mother’s foul mouth? The moment you open it, all you do is spout nonsense. And where did those thirty-some yuan under your kang come from? Last month, there were only twenty-some. Now there’s even more. Don’t tell me you earned it yourself.”
Zhou Xiaomei hurriedly covered Granny Zhou’s mouth and lowered her voice.
“Grandma, keep your voice down. The money… my Second Brother gave it to me.”
“Smack! Smack!”
Granny Zhou slapped Zhou Xiaomei’s hands twice.
“You wretched girl! Your Second Brother only gets a small allowance, and he has to support the two of us. How could he have extra money to give you? Tell me the truth. Yesterday, I heard that Educated Youth Jian’s room had money stolen. Was it you who took it? You were going over there every day for a while.”
“I didn’t! Don’t make things up. I’m going to cook Diandian’s food.”
Xiao Mandong suddenly remembered the twenty yuan that had gone missing from the corner of the kang when her family had first moved in.
She quickly pulled her thoughts back. Without evidence, she couldn’t accuse anyone on a whim. Besides, Zhou Xiaomei had helped her family before.
Even if she really had taken it, Xiao Mandong didn’t intend to pursue the matter. She would simply be more careful in the future and keep her guard up.
Just after she stepped out of the courtyard, she ran into Jian Qiuyue drawing water from the well.
“Oh, Mandong, when did you get back? I knocked on your door last night, but no one answered. I thought you were on duty at the hospital.”
“I worked overtime yesterday and got back rather late. Did you need something?”
Jian Qiuyue sighed. “Fang Yuan and I had a falling-out. She wants to move back to the Educated Youth compound. I’m feeling a little upset, so I wanted to find you and talk.”
Xiao Mandong was puzzled. “You were living together just fine. How did things turn out like this?”
Jian Qiuyue glanced around and only began speaking after making sure no one was nearby.
“I’ve been losing money lately, so I casually asked her about it. She got angry. I truly didn’t mean anything by it. I was just asking whether she had seen anyone come into my room.”
“If it had only happened once, I wouldn’t have said anything. But I’ve lost more than ten yuan in a single month. Even though my circumstances are a little better, that’s still no small amount. It’s not as if I can’t afford to rent a place by myself. I’m just afraid to live alone, so I wanted someone to keep me company.”
“I wasn’t suspecting her when I asked. I just wanted to find the thief, so I asked her to keep an eye out and see if she could figure out who it was. Who would’ve thought she’d be so sensitive and insist that I suspected her? We’ve known each other for almost a year. How could I possibly suspect her? There have been so many people coming and going lately. She’s simply too sensitive. I honestly don’t even know how to explain it to her.”
Xiao Mandong listened quietly. What could she say? She had no evidence.
“All right. Explain it properly to Fang Yuan. I’m sure she’ll understand.”
“I still have something to do and need to go out. We can talk again tonight.”
After parting from Jian Qiuyue, she knocked on the gate of Zhou Qichuan’s home. Granny Zhou answered the door.
When Zhou Xiaomei saw Xiao Mandong, she greeted her with a bright smile.
“Sister Mandong, you’re back! I’ve just finished cooking Diandian’s food. It’s still a little hot, so I’m waiting for it to cool before feeding him.”
Xiao Mandong felt uncomfortable. She couldn’t understand how someone who had been speaking ill of her just three minutes ago could turn around and greet her with such a cheerful smile. Although she was displeased, she maintained her composure and decided to let it go for Zhou Qichuan’s sake.
Granny Zhou was also all smiles when she saw Xiao Mandong.
“Educated Youth Xiao, come in and have some breakfast. I just made these vegetable pancakes.”
Xiao Mandong quickly declined. In those days, every family regarded its food as precious.
“Granny Zhou, no thank you. I still have somewhere to go. My work unit has assigned me a room, and I plan to bring Diandian to the family compound to raise him. You won’t have to trouble yourself anymore. Thank you so much for all your help during this time.”
When Granny Zhou heard that Xiao Mandong had been assigned a place to live, she was genuinely happy for her.
“You’re such a capable girl. You actually managed to get a room in the city! It’s good that you’re taking Diandian with you. At least the two of you can keep each other company.”
As she spoke, she went inside and brought out all the food that was left for Diandian.
When Zhou Xiaomei saw Granny Zhou taking out the remaining food, her eyes flickered, and she felt a little stifled.
“Sister Mandong, how about I cook his food and bring it over to you? It won’t be convenient for you to look after him while you’re at work. I can help take care of Diandian. To be honest, I’m rather reluctant to see him leave.”
“No, thank you. That would be too much trouble.”
Xiao Mandong took the food, then stuffed ten yuan into Granny Zhou’s hand. Her tone was sincere.
“Granny Zhou, you must accept this. You and Zhou Xiaomei have taken care of him during this time, and you’ve even had to gather firewood every day to cook his food. I’ve felt guilty about it for a long time.”
Granny Zhou hurriedly tried to push the money back.
“What are you doing, child? You saved this old woman’s leg, and I still don’t know how to thank you. All I did was feed your dog for a few days, and you provided the food yourself. How could I take your money?”
“Oh, Granny Zhou, Zhou Qichuan already paid me for the medicine when I treated your leg. We’re both straightforward people. If you don’t accept this, I’ll feel too embarrassed to ask for your help the next time Diandian needs someone to look after him.”
Only after Xiao Mandong insisted several times did Granny Zhou finally agree to keep the ten yuan.
When Xiao Mandong returned home, she put Diandian and his food into her interspatial storage. After checking the time, she boarded the ox cart out of the village.
After getting off, she found an empty alley and slipped into her space. When she emerged, she was wearing a thin, tattered padded jacket and a yellow scarf. Her face was smeared with soot, she was carrying a basket, and one of the toes of her shoes was torn open.
Leaning against the wall near the Revolutionary Committee, she finally waited until the office closed for the day.
When she saw Liu Bing stagger out of the Revolutionary Committee, Xiao Mandong quietly followed him.
Liu Bing was still unmarried and therefore wasn’t eligible for a room, so he didn’t live in the Revolutionary Committee’s residential compound. For Xiao Mandong, this couldn’t have worked out better.
After walking about three blocks, Liu Bing entered an alley. Xiao Mandong followed him and watched as he went into one of the courtyards.
Just then, a boy of around ten came running over. Xiao Mandong took a few pieces of candy from her pocket.
“Little guy, is the family up ahead surnamed Wang?”
After receiving the candy, the boy swallowed eagerly. He tore open one of the wrappers and stuffed the candy into his mouth. Speaking around it, he said, “That family isn’t surnamed Wang. They’re surnamed Liu. They’re very powerful—the head of the household is an official in the Revolutionary Committee.”
Xiao Mandong understood.
She observed Liu Bing’s home for a while. When she saw that no one was in the courtyard, she slipped inside and hid by the door before entering her space.
She had originally planned to take a nap and wait until Liu Bing went to work before making her move.
Unexpectedly, the courtyard suddenly grew noisy, and one of the voices sounded familiar.
“Liu Bing, you really don’t know what’s good for you! If it weren’t for me, would you have this job? It’s not as if I come here every day.”
“Cousin, can’t you just settle down and live a decent life with Lin Guoan? Why do you keep bringing strange men back here? What do you take this place for—a brothel?”
