"What did you say?" Wang Xiumei's lips trembled, unable to form words. She truly didn't understand—was this kind of thing even detectable? But as she looked at Xiao Mandong's calm demeanor, she began to waver. What if Xiao Mandong was telling the truth? She would be drowned in ridicule.
Ma Lanying could read Wang Xiumei's expression perfectly. Those two idiots had clearly been caught in bed together.
In truth, Xiao Mandong was bluffing. She had no idea if modern medicine could determine such a thing.
The Brigade Leader felt a pang of pain in his heart as he watched Xiao Mandong sway on her feet. He had meant well arranging this marriage, but it had only ended up harming the girl.
He pulled out a bag of brown sugar from the Women's Director's cloth pouch, tore it open, and barked at Ma Lanying, "Go get a bowl, now."
Though unwilling, Ma Lanying knew she had no choice. With so many officials present, and the matter still unresolved, she had to grit her teeth and fetch a bowl.
The Brigade Leader brewed a cup of brown sugar water for Xiao Mandong and told her to drink it slowly before speaking.
Xiao Mandong took the cup from his hands, tears streaming uncontrollably.
Several sips of the warm, sweet water eased her discomfort. She felt much better, no longer so dizzy. It was likely hypoglycemia from not having eaten all day.
Leading the village officials into the inner room, Xiao Mandong noticed the thermos still lying on the floor, untouched. She pointed to a corner of the kang. "That's my sister-in-law's undergarment. She can deny it if she wants—I can file a report with the police. When I woke up today, I saw my husband and my sister-in-law..."
"Shut your mouth!" It was the voice of her father-in-law, Lu Bingshan. He had just walked through the door and heard her words. His eyes cut like knives, as though he wanted to skin Xiao Mandong alive.
The Brigade Leader turned an irritated glance toward the doorway. "Lu Bingshan, if you think this matter doesn't need our involvement, then I'll have to report it to the commune or call the police."
Lu Bingshan quickly explained, "Brigade Leader, that's not what I meant. This is a family matter. There must be some misunderstanding. We can resolve it behind closed doors without troubling you all..."
"This is no longer just your family business. Now that we know about it, it's the brigade's concern. For the sake of the brigade's reputation, it must be dealt with properly," the Women's Director interrupted.
Lu Bingshan cleared his throat, signaling Xiao Mandong to watch her words.
But Xiao Mandong was done catering to the Lu family. She continued, "I hit them with the thermos. Lu Jianguo's back is scalded, and my sister-in-law is scalded too. When Lu Jianguo tried to run, he tripped on the threshold and fell, injuring a certain part of himself. The village barefoot doctor can confirm this."
The barefoot doctor had just returned from delivering medicine and was listening eagerly. When mentioned, he nodded repeatedly. "That place is indeed injured."
The truth was, when Lu Jianguo first got hurt, Xiao Mandong had already thought of this excuse. Framing someone was easy enough.
"You're lying! You—you're talking nonsense! My son only hurt himself just now, not during the affair!" Ma Lanying blurted out without thinking.
No sooner had the words left her mouth than Lu Bingshan slapped her across the face. "You idiot!"
Ma Lanying quickly covered her mouth. She had let anger get the better of her and said the wrong thing.
After some investigation, the village officials understood what had happened. They cast contemptuous glances at Wang Xiumei, who could only sob into her hands, wishing she could crawl into a hole.
The Women's Director shot a glare at Wang Xiumei before turning to Xiao Mandong. "Comrade Xiao Mandong, state your demands. How do you want this resolved? Should we report it to the commune or accept compensation? We will see to it that justice is served."
"I have three requests. I know that if this comes to light, this year's evaluation for the brigade will surely fail. Everyone has been working hard all year, and I don't want my situation to drag everyone down."
Xiao Mandong's words pleased the officials.
She had thought it over that afternoon. This wasn't the time for anger. Her sister was in a nearby village doing rural labor. They were strangers in this place, and she couldn't act rashly. As long as she was alive, revenge could wait. It wasn't the right moment to blow things up, at least not in a way that put her at the center of it.
Just moments before, the Women's Director had been worried. The village had a revolutionary martyr, guaranteeing their shot at being Excellent Brigade this year. But with this scandal, no matter how it was handled, other villages would only gossip about "Love Nest Villagers" committing adultery.
She hadn't expected Xiao Mandong to understand their predicament so well. "Tell us your terms. We'll do our best to accommodate."
"First, I want a divorce. This man is too filthy, too disgusting for me." As soon as the words left Xiao Mandong's mouth, everyone's face changed.
Divorce was unheard of in these parts. Even if the affair was covered up, divorce alone would ruin a woman's reputation.
"Don't worry, officials. I'll keep the divorce quiet—tell no one about it." Xiao Mandong knew exactly what concerned them.
The Women's Director breathed a sigh of relief, but Ma Lanying refused. "No way! I don't agree!"
It wasn't that she didn't want her son to divorce. She just couldn't stand the idea of Xiao Mandong being the one to call it off. It felt like her outstanding son was being dumped by some capitalist's daughter—a disgrace to the Lu family.
Xiao Mandong looked at Ma Lanying. "If you don't agree, I'll go to the police."
Ma Lanying fell silent.
Lu Bingshan weighed the pros and cons. Suddenly, divorce didn't seem so bad. He had once worried about his son failing the political vetting. By agreeing to marry Xiao Mandong, he hadn't yet considered the military path for his son. Now that Lu Jianguo had a chance to enlist, divorcing this capitalist's daughter might actually work in his favor.
After a long pause, Lu Bingshan spoke slowly: "I agree to the divorce. What's your second condition?"
"Second, I want to take all my dowry, including the two hundred yuan my father gave me." Xiao Mandong stated her second demand.
Ma Lanying shot up from her seat. "You've dragged our family through the mud and now you want to waltz out with money? Dream on!"
Once money was in her pocket, prying it out was like carving off two pieces of her own flesh.
"Since nothing works with you, there's no point in negotiating. I'll go to the police. Maybe the Lu family will produce a convict yet." Xiao Mandong wasn't one to tolerate this nonsense.
"Ma Lanying, shut your mouth! I agree," Lu Bingshan ground out through clenched teeth, glaring at her. Now that the village leaders were involved, it had to be handled properly.
The Women's Director looked at Xiao Mandong, waiting for the third request.
"Third, I need your help, officials. I want to apply for rural resettlement at Red Flag Production Brigade."
The officials stared at her in disbelief. They couldn't understand why someone with a job would want to go do manual labor in the countryside.
The Brigade Leader had assumed Xiao Mandong might ask for a piece of land to build a house. After all, a divorced woman with no roof over her head could only live in a communal dormitory. He never expected her to choose rural resettlement.
Xiao Mandong had already made up her mind. Since her younger sister had met with misfortune while being sent down to the Red Flag Production Brigade, even if she herself were to stay there, she couldn’t keep an eye on her every single day. Only by accompanying her sister to the countryside could she have a better chance of altering the fate that had befallen her in the previous life.
Moreover, the place where her family had been sent down for reeducation was located just behind the Red Flag Production Brigade. She could also find a way to help them endure these difficult years, so that her grandmother wouldn’t have to die in the ox shed before being rehabilitated.
In this life, she was determined to protect her family. Besides, her younger brother was also about to reach the age for being sent down to the countryside next year. If she could gather everyone in the same place, that would be ideal. Furthermore, it was now 1975. Her current job would likely face layoffs in a few years, so it would be better to sell it off now.
The Brigade Leader looked at Xiao Mandong with a tone of concern. “Mandong, divorce is no small matter. Are you sure you don’t want to think it over some more?”
