Chen Guixiang gave Gao Huizhi a slow once-over, from head to toe, then curled her lips and said sourly, “Gao Huizhi, tell me the truth. How did you manage to come back? I won’t even mention other places—just look at our residential compound. So many people have pulled strings and used every connection they have, yet they still couldn’t get back. How is it that you, of all people, managed to return? Could it be that you… met someone out there?”
She did not say it outright, but the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice were even more disgusting than if she had.
It was quitting time, and quite a crowd had already gathered in the corridor. Everyone was chattering among themselves.
“Exactly. My niece has been away for more than five years. Her family has tried everything, even running their legs ragged, but they still haven’t been able to bring her back.”
“The Zhao family’s daughter is even more unfortunate. They bought her a job, but the educated youth office refused to stamp the paperwork. Her grain ration registration couldn’t be transferred back either. It’s been several months, and she still hasn’t returned. How did this girl manage to come back just like that?”
“Didn’t you hear? That Zhao family’s daughter was so pretty that someone in the village took a fancy to her, and she was forced to marry one of the local peasants?”
“Tsk, tsk… If a peasant takes a fancy to you, you can’t come back. But if some important figure takes a fancy to you, then of course it’s a different story!”
One person spoke after another. As far as they were concerned, anyone who managed to return to the city must have used some shameful means.
A hidden smile flickered in Chen Guixiang’s eyes. She had achieved exactly what she wanted. She intended to ruin this little bitch’s reputation so thoroughly that she would have no choice but to leave the compound even after returning to the city.
The neighborhood office worker could no longer stand listening and shouted sternly, “You, comrade, watch what you’re saying! Comrade Gao Huizhi returned because her leg injury made it unsuitable for her to remain in the countryside. The educated youth office processed her return under the medical-disability retirement policy. She followed all the proper procedures.”
Only then did everyone realize what had happened.
“So that’s how it was. I knew this girl didn’t seem like that kind of person.”
“She’s so young, yet already disabled. It’ll be hard for her to find a husband after coming back.”
But some people were still unwilling to let it go and muttered under their breath, “Medical-disability retirement? Who knows whether she’s really disabled or just pretending…”
“All right, stop making wild guesses,” the neighborhood office worker interrupted again. “The review for medical retirement is extremely strict. It isn’t something anyone can apply for on a whim. The educated youth office, the hospital, and the production brigade all have to conduct separate reviews. Every step is carefully checked. If you have any doubts, you can go to the educated youth office and investigate for yourselves.”
At that, some people shrank back. They looked at one another, then wisely fell silent.
The neighborhood office worker turned to Gao Huizhi, his tone gentler now. “Once you’ve settled in, go to the neighborhood office as soon as possible to sort out your household registration and grain ration registration.”
Gao Huizhi nodded lightly. “Thank you, Director.”
“Mm.” The worker acknowledged her, cast Chen Guixiang a cold glance, and said nothing more before turning to leave.
His footsteps gradually faded away. Chen Guixiang stood in the doorway and stared at Gao Huizhi for a long while before speaking in a sinister tone once more.
“Gao Huizhi, tell me honestly. Did you do something shameful in the village and get beaten so badly that your leg was crippled?”
She was determined to stick the label of an immoral woman on Gao Huizhi and force her out of the family.
The family already lived in a cramped room and had several children. Chen Guixiang herself was also close to giving birth. No matter what, she could not allow Gao Huizhi to stay.
Years of grievances, the hardships she had endured in the countryside, and the injury to her leg had nearly driven Gao Huizhi to the brink of collapse. She had finally managed to return to the city, only to have Chen Guixiang smear her name. Gao Huizhi clenched her fists as her chest heaved violently. Every bit of resentment she had kept buried surged to the surface at that moment.
She suddenly raised her hand.
With a sharp crack, she slapped Chen Guixiang hard across the face.
Gao Huizhi had put all her strength into it. Chen Guixiang’s entire body was knocked sideways. Covering her face, she stood frozen in place, utterly stunned. She had never imagined that Gao Huizhi would dare hit her in front of so many people. Fortunately, she had been leaning against the doorframe and did not fall.
“Chen Guixiang, let me make this clear: if you dare slander me again, I’ll tear that mouth of yours apart.”
Xiao Mandong stood among the crowd. The name Gao Huizhi sounded strangely familiar to her…
“Oh, come on, Gao Huizhi, this is your fault. How could you hit your pregnant sister-in-law?” Auntie Gao had her sleeves pulled up over her hands, sniffing from the cold as she watched the spectacle.
Gao Huizhi turned around and glared fiercely at Chen Guixiang.
“Chen Guixiang, what did you tell me three years ago? You said that if I took over the job at the hospital, I’d have to work as a temporary employee for six months—and not just any temporary job, but cleaning in the morgue. You said it would be difficult to find a husband with a job like that. You said the Construction Corps was hiring, and that if I went, I’d become a permanent worker. You said I’d be assigned a job when I came back. I believed you. I took the ten yuan you gave me and boarded the train to the Northwest.”
“Only after I got there did I find out that you hadn’t signed me up for the Construction Corps at all. You sent me to the Northwest to work in the countryside! Endless yellow sand, a shack for a home, and coarse steamed buns to eat. I wrote countless letters home, but you never replied to a single one. When I left, I had only ten yuan in my pocket and not even a padded winter coat. Do you know how I survived those three years?”
“I survived by hating you. Who did you give the hospital job that was supposed to be mine to? Your younger sister? Let me tell you this: even if it costs me my life, I’ll get back everything that belongs to me…”
The corridor fell silent for a moment.
Some people murmured that Gao Huizhi was pitiful, while others sighed, condemning Chen Guixiang for being heartless.
Xiao Mandong stood among the crowd, looking at Gao Huizhi’s thin shoulders, her ramrod-straight back, and her limping leg.
She had spent quite some time thinking, and finally remembered.
In her previous life, she had often seen a crippled woman rummaging beside piles of garbage. The woman’s hair had gone completely gray, and there had been a large scar on the back of her head where no hair grew. Her back had been hunched, and her face covered in wrinkles, making it impossible to tell her age. Those who knew her called her Sister Gao.
Someone who knew her had once said that Sister Gao had been very beautiful when she was young. Her sister-in-law had tricked her into going to the countryside and taken over her job. Because she was beautiful, a local hooligan had set his sights on her. Some people said she had fallen, while others said she had deliberately injured herself in order to return to the city. In any case, she had made it back because of that leg.
After returning to the city, she had even reclaimed her job. Yet she had never married. She earned a decent salary every month, but she could not bear to eat well or dress well. She donated every penny she had.
At the time, Xiao Mandong had been deeply moved by the existence of such a good person. But now, seeing Gao Huizhi—barely in her twenties, with fair skin and refined features—she suddenly felt something she could not put into words…
She had never imagined that someone so good could be worn down and battered into that state.
Chen Guixiang’s face turned deathly pale when she heard Gao Huizhi reveal everything. She had never expected Gao Huizhi to expose the truth in front of so many people.
Covering her face, she stammered, “You… you’re talking nonsense! You were the one who refused to take over the job. What does that have to do with me? You said you were afraid of working in the morgue and didn’t want to go!”
“Huizhi! Gao Huizhi…”
At that moment, Zou Yan squeezed through the crowd and threw her arms around Gao Huizhi, her voice brimming with excitement.
“It really is you. I just heard that you’d come back, but I thought someone was spreading nonsense. When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell me? I asked for your address several times because I wanted to write to you, but your brother and sister-in-law both said they didn’t know.”
At Zou Yan’s words, the stubborn, resolute look on Gao Huizhi’s face crumbled, and her eyes instantly reddened.
She never would have imagined that someone still thought about her—someone who actually wanted her to come back.
Chen Guixiang’s husband, Gao Wu, had just gotten off work. He was still carrying his lunchbox when he saw so many people crowding the hallway, and his heart sank.
“Make way, make way.” He squeezed through the crowd and first saw Chen Guixiang standing in the doorway, a clearly visible slap mark on her face.
“What happened?” His voice was not loud, but his expression darkened.
He knew that his wife liked to take advantage of others and had a sharp tongue, but in all these years, she had never gotten into a physical fight with anyone. And now she was pregnant. Who could have been so cruel as to hit a pregnant woman?
“You’ve got some nerve asking!” The moment Chen Guixiang saw him, her voice shot up, and tears streamed down her face.
“Your sister came back, and the first thing she did was hit me. Look at what she’s done to my face! She slapped her pregnant sister-in-law right in front of all these people. Does she have any respect for you as her brother?”
