Section 4

She did not return until noon. The moment she came in, she saw her mother-in-law looking after the child at home and asked, "Mom, why are you back so early today?"

He Chunlian said, "Everything at the school is wrapped up. I can officially start my winter break. They gave us two cans of food and four bottles of soda."

She pointed toward the cabinet in the East Room.

The family cooked outside, but kept their belongings in He Chunlian's room. People came and went through the Compound Courtyard, and they worried someone might help themselves to something.

Liang Ying glanced over and laughed. "Well, what were they thinking, handing out soda in the dead of winter?"

"Exactly. Our school isn't doing well, and the people in charge are useless." He Chunlian was still annoyed about it. "Other schools handed out grain coupons, industrial-goods coupons, even canned meat. Ours is so stingy they only gave us this."

"Something's better than nothing."

Liang Ying said, "I wonder what the Textile Factory will give us for the New Year. If you ask me, meat would be the most practical."

At that, Gu Yousi's ears perked up. She felt as though she had forgotten something.

She was still trying to remember when someone called from outside, "Auntie He! Auntie He!"

He Chunlian recognized Douzi's voice and hurried to lift the curtain. Sure enough, there he was, straddling a battered bicycle. As soon as he saw her, he said, "Auntie, come with me, quick! Something's happened!"

He Chunlian's heart sank. She exchanged a look with Liang Ying, guessing it had to do with Chen Shiwen.

She quickly handed the child to Liang Ying. "Stay here and watch her. I'll be back soon."

"Okay. Be careful, Mom," Liang Ying said.

Liang Ying watched Douzi take He Chunlian away. Lin Lianhua came out from next door and asked, "Liang Ying, what happened? Where did your mother-in-law go?"

Lin Lianhua wore a gentle, amiable smile, but her eyes darted about. Liang Ying replied flatly, "How would I know?"

"..." Rebuffed, Lin Lianhua was displeased but did not leave. Instead, she smiled and said, "Have you heard? They say the factory's going to give a television purchase coupon to its outstanding worker. Xu Wen's landed herself a bargain this time."

At the mention of a television purchase coupon, Grandpa Sun next door joined in. "Really? Those coupons are worth a fortune."

"They certainly are."

As she spoke, Lin Lianhua looked at Liang Ying. "I heard one goes for two or three hundred yuan on the Black Market."

Grandpa Sun clicked his tongue. "Two or three hundred? Jianshe's wife has struck it rich."

"If you ask me, Jianshe's wife ought to give Liang Ying something for it," Lin Lianhua said. "The outstanding-worker award was supposed to go to Liang Ying, but then the bosses said her family background wasn't right, so..."

"Lianhua, I never said that."

Liang Ying cut her off. "If you think the bosses were wrong, go tell them."

She had no patience left for Lin Lianhua. She dropped the curtain and went inside to warm herself by the fire.

Grandpa Sun glanced at the fallen quilted curtain, then at Lin Lianhua. "Well, I'd better get cooking."

He went inside to get the vegetables, only for Auntie Sun to grab him by the ear. "Why were you standing there gossiping with them? Those two families already don't get along. We should stay out of it."

"Ow! You old woman, let go!"

Grandpa Sun's voice drifted faintly from inside.

Liang Ying, meanwhile, had no mind to worry about any of that. She was wondering how things were going for her husband and mother-in-law.

At the Chen home.

Gu Jinshui shoved aside Chen's Father, who had rushed over to break up the fight, and punched Chen Shiwen in the face. Chen Shiwen saw stars.

Chen's Father was frantic. He turned to his brother-in-law. "Guoqiang, are you just going to stand there? Get over here and help!"

Sun Guoqiang started forward, but his wife pulled him back.

She gave a cold laugh. "Brother-in-law, why don't you help? Guoqiang isn't young anymore. What can he do with those old arms and legs? Besides, your family brought this on yourselves."

Chen's Father's face nearly turned green.

He looked at Sun Guoqiang.

Sun Guoqiang felt a little guilty, but then he remembered the scolding he had taken at home and felt he had been dragged into this through no fault of his own. "Brother-in-law, don't look at me. I've done more than enough for your family. I lent you several hundred yuan. Your family tried to trick the Gu family's daughter, so you can't blame them for coming after you. There's nothing I can do."

Chen's Father nearly fainted from anger.

The onlookers had not known what was going on and had assumed the Chen family was being bullied. Now they heard there was more to the story.

An older woman asked, "What happened here, Old Chen? Should we call the police?"

"No, don't call the police." Chen's Father grew anxious and shook his head. "It's nothing serious. There's no need to bother the police over this."

"Easy for you to say!"

He Chunlian and Douzi arrived just in time to hear him. She planted her hands on her hips. "Of course you don't dare call the police. You wouldn't want anyone finding out what your family's been up to."

"He Chunlian, please!" Sweat covered Chen's Father's forehead. He wanted to beg her not to say it, his eyes full of pleading.

He Chunlian snorted. Spotting a woman with a red armband coming their way, she hurried over to meet her. "You're just the person we need, ma'am. Help us settle this fairly. Our families were arranging a marriage, and the young couple seemed to be getting along fine. But then we heard rumors that Chen Shiwen already has a wife and child in Yunnan!"

It was the evening rush, and neighbors returning from work to make dinner had gathered at the Chen home to see what the commotion was about. At her words, the crowd erupted into discussion.

"That can't be right. Chen Shiwen doesn't seem like that sort of man," one older woman said doubtfully.

"They wouldn't have come here to fight him for no reason," an older man muttered, craning his neck for a better look. "If he got married while he was sent to the countryside, then came back to Beijing and pretended he was single, no wonder the woman's family is furious."

Director Liu of the neighborhood committee frowned as she listened. The sight of Gu Jinshui hitting Chen Shiwen did not sit right with her either. "Stop fighting first. Let's talk this through. If the Chen family really wronged you, I'll see that you get justice."

"Jinshui, stop it!"

He Chunlian quickly shot Gu Jinshui a look.

Gu Jinshui understood and let go. Chen Shiwen clutched his face and pointed at him. "Director Liu, you have to stand up for me!"

"Director Liu." He Chunlian turned to her. "We may not be a wealthy family, but we love our daughter. She's had a hard life since she was little. Her father died when she was only three or four, and I raised both my children alone as a widow. All I wanted was for them to find good partners. I didn't care about wealth or status, only that they'd be treated well. But then this happened..."

He Chunlian pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes. Tears began to fall.

Douzi stared, dumbfounded.

Auntie He really had grown up in a theater troupe. She could change her expression in an instant.

While he was still staring, he saw He Chunlian signaling wildly at him from behind her handkerchief, her eyes twitching so hard they looked ready to cramp.

Douzi finally caught on and hurried to play along. "Auntie He, please don't cry. Director Liu is here. She'll make sure your family gets justice!"

In just a few words, Gu Jinshui and his mother had gone from the ones who should have been called to account to the injured party.

Director Liu was no fool.

But she did not call them out. Instead, she said, "We won't settle anything by arguing out here. Let's go inside. Auntie He, don't feel too aggrieved. If what you've said is true, I'll see that you get justice today."

The Fifth Day of Being Overheard

It was already seven or eight in the evening.

The north wind howled outside, and huge snowflakes laid a white blanket over the world.

Liang Ying waited and waited indoors, but Gu Jinshui and the others still had not returned. Gu Yinxing held the child nearby. "Sister-in-law, if you're worried, I can go take a look."

"No. It's too dark outside. It isn't safe for you to go out alone."

Liang Ying was considering asking Grandpa Sun to go and check when she heard a bicycle bell outside.

She hurried to her feet and went out to meet them. It was Gu Jinshui and the others.

They were carrying quite a few things, leaving Liang Ying staring in surprise.

"Get inside. What are you doing standing out here in the cold?"

Gu Jinshui gave her a push on the shoulder, ushering her indoors. He Chunlian and the others followed.

"Mom, how did it go?"

Gu Yinxing's heart pounded. She knew her mother and brother were reliable, but this concerned her whole future. She could not help being nervous.

"It's settled." He Chunlian unwound her scarf and pulled a stack of things from her pocket. "Director Liu stood up for us. The Chen family paid us ten yuan in compensation, and these coupons are all yours too."

Gu Yinxing's eyes lit up at the sight of the money and coupons.

Gu Yousi was puzzled. The Chen family hardly seemed generous. Why would they pay money on top of calling off the marriage?

"We have Boss to thank for this." Douzi took a drink of water and looked at Gu Jinshui with admiration. "Boss set a trap for that guy's uncle and aunt and bluffed his uncle into telling the truth. Otherwise, getting justice wouldn't have been nearly so easy."

"Really? Brother, you're amazing."

Gu Yinxing looked at the coupons, gritted her teeth, and handed the money to Gu Jinshui. "You take the money. I'll keep the coupons."

Gu Jinshui rolled his eyes at her. "Forget it. Keep the pocket change. I don't need it."

Early the next morning.

Huang Xirong's family got up early.

Song Mei and her niece Song Chaohua went to the public toilet outside. The Compound Courtyard had no toilets, so they had to use the women's restroom down the street.

Waiting in line outside it was both freezing and foul-smelling.

Song Mei stamped her feet and heard someone say, "Did you hear? That nurse in your Compound Courtyard almost got tricked into marrying someone."

"How could I not?" an older woman said eagerly. "My husband told me when he got back from buying flatbread this morning. The man's a university student and acts so respectable, but he already has a child in Yunnan."

"Oh, how can anyone be so shameless? A university student behaving like that?" someone nearby said, leaning over to join in.

"So what if he's a university student? Plenty of officials and professors have done rotten things too," the older woman said. "The woman's family was lucky they looked into him carefully. If she'd married him, she'd have been in real trouble. My husband says his family even had their eye on her job."

The words struck Song Mei and her niece like a thunderclap.

Song Mei could hardly believe it.

She quickly asked, "Is the man you're talking about surnamed Chen?"

"I think so." The older woman looked at her curiously. "How did you know?"

Song Mei said nothing. She grabbed Song Chaohua and hurried back to the Compound Courtyard.

In the courtyard, Gu Yinxing was just about to politely refuse the frozen pear Auntie Sun offered her. When she saw Song Mei return, puzzlement flashed in her eyes.

Song Mei stopped, braced her hands on her knees, and gasped for breath. "Gu Yinxing, did you really break things off with Chen Shiwen?"

"Yes. You heard about it too?" Gu Yinxing said.

"You... you..."

Song Mei stammered for a while before finally blurting out, "But Chen Shiwen was such a good prospect. You're really willing to give him up?"

Auntie Sun could not help interrupting. "Song Mei, that's where you're wrong. You can't just look at a man's prospects. You have to look at his character too. You could learn a thing or two from Yinxing. She put it perfectly just now: no matter how good a match looks, a marriage built on lies can't work."

Gu Yinxing gave a guilty smile.

In fact, she had not come up with that herself. She had overheard her niece thinking it.

Embarrassment and anger rose on Song Mei's face.

She looked at Gu Yinxing, still wanting to say something.

Inside, He Chunlian lifted the curtain. "Yinxing, why aren't you at work yet? What are you doing standing around? Get going. If the hospital hands out New Year gifts and you can't carry them all, send someone back to let us know."

"Got it," Gu Yinxing said.

Song Mei could only watch Gu Yinxing ride away on her bicycle, her face pale with anger.

Song Chaohua felt no better.

She watched Gu Yinxing disappear, biting her lip. The Song Family had rejected Chen Shiwen because she had pretended to let his secret slip, making sure they learned about it. But the Gu Family—could they really be that lucky?

They had been one step away from the wedding, and it had still fallen apart?!