Chapter 80

Zhou Cunren counted them off one by one:

“I’m an old man already half-buried in the ground, never thought about treating my illness. It’s them who bought me rice, eggs, and every now and then sent me some fruit, came to the hospital to visit me. They even bought me a lot of paper so that I could write when I had nothing to do…”

Patients in the other beds all chimed in:

“Yeah, the young couple do come whenever they have time to visit the old man. Such filial piety! We used to think they were Old Zhou’s son and daughter-in-law, but turns out they’re not! They really are true good comrades…”

Everyone listening was stunned.

This… what was going on?

So it wasn’t Ye Qingshui who had a tumor, but rather that she and her husband quietly helped this old man?

No one had expected this.

Who would’ve thought, when Ye Qingshui’s household conditions had only just improved, that she would selflessly help a gravely ill old man.

At this moment, the women’s federation director, who had a good memory, recognized Zhou Cunren—wasn’t he the down-and-out intellectual who had worked with Ye Qingshui on that water-finding instrument?

“Ah, so it’s Teacher Zhou. I remember you… I saw you at the commendation meeting last year.”

When she said that, the others also recalled who Zhou Cunren was.

There was a teacher-student bond between Ye Qingshui and the old man. No wonder she had brought him to the hospital and often visited him.

Everyone in the ward recognized Ye Qingshui. With this, the miscarriage rumor seemed to have nothing to do with her at all.

“Did she… look pregnant before?” someone asked.

Zhou Cunren’s face darkened with anger:

“Of course she wasn’t pregnant! Such a joyful thing, would I not know? What exactly are you people here for today?”

The women’s federation director usually mediated village disputes. Although she had always been prejudiced against Ye Qingshui, after hearing this she couldn’t help but feel ashamed of her earlier thoughts. They had wrongly accused a comrade who was always eager to help others.

“No, nothing, we just came to check in on Old Zhou…” the director said with a smile.

The group helped Zhou Cunren fetch hot water, wash clothes, and tidy the ward.

An hour later they finally slipped away and went to the gynecology department.

The director checked the gynecology records for that day. Although there was no exact abortion record—since all the forms were signed with scribbled pseudonyms, as abortion was still a highly private matter at the time—if He Fang, an unmarried girl, really had had the surgery, it wouldn’t be easy to leave proof.

So they took He Fang’s photo to the doctor who had performed surgeries that day.

The doctor looked at the photo, hesitated, then nodded:

“I remember this girl. I even asked her why she didn’t want the child, she was so young. It was her first pregnancy. This obsession with preferring boys over girls is really harmful.”

She shook her head.

A thunderclap fell in the hearts of the five visitors.

On the way back, each had different thoughts.

One of the men said angrily:

“If we hadn’t come here today, wouldn’t we have been deceived?”

“Good thing we caught it in time, or there would’ve been greater losses. This He comrade…” the director’s face turned grave.

“Her conduct is vile. This time, we must set an example.”

In the past few days, He Fang had heard rumors spreading that Xie Tingyu had been “cuckolded.” He barely showed up for work anymore, afraid of being mocked as the man whose wife cheated.

He Fang felt both pleased and pained.

She let out a long sigh. Hurt, yes… but Brother Xie, the more you hurt today, the happier you’ll be after divorce.

She wasn’t like Ye Qingshui, always causing him trouble and making him endure this kind of scorn.

Xie Tingyu must be angry and miserable right now, so He Fang decided to see him.

Just thinking of seeing the man she loved made her heart flutter. For once, she even put on makeup, applied a little lipstick, neatly combed her hair until it gleamed with oil.

At the usual time after work, He Fang, head held high and cheerful, walked along the field ridges toward Ye Qingshui’s house.

But today felt different from usual. She sensed more eyes on her than normal, eyes following her steps.

Maybe it was because she wore makeup for the first time! Thinking this, He Fang couldn’t help but feel smug.

“Ha, she’s still smiling. Doesn’t she even know the meaning of the word ‘shame’?”

“She’s smiling at you!”

“How could her parents raise someone with such a vicious heart…”

“Damn it, I can’t hold back—I’m going to ask her myself. How can she still show her face outside? I’m suffocating with anger on Shuiya’s behalf!”

He Fang hadn’t even finished smiling before she realized something was wrong. Why were all these people looking at her with eyes full of anger?

Soon, she was surrounded by an emotionally charged crowd pointing fingers at her.

“He comrade! What did Shuiya ever do to you, for you to harm her like this?”

“Bah! You look cultured on the outside, but in private you’re seducing men everywhere, even went and had an abortion!”

“Look at you slandering Shuiya. Did you even clean up your own mess first?”

What… what were they saying? He Fang’s ears filled with the villagers’ curses. A medical abortion slip was suddenly slapped onto her face. She pulled it off—at the signature line, it wasn’t Ye Qingshui’s name, but hers.

He Fang never imagined there would be a day when she herself would be framed!

But the one who had the abortion… was obviously Zhao Yan.

“N-no, it wasn’t me. Please, listen to my explanation…” He Fang protested.

Her face flushed red with anger, her eyes swept across the furious villagers, and she swore bitterly:

“If I ever had an abortion, may my tongue be torn out, may I be dragged down into the eighteenth level of hell!”

At once, a villager sneered:

“Hah, now you’re spouting superstitions! With a heart as malicious as yours, throwing filth on others—your words sound prettier than embroidered flowers, but who can tell truth from lies? Liar!”

“A little unmarried girl, messing around with men—you’re just afraid of jail. No wonder you tried to push it on someone else. Do you think their marriage, their reputation, is worth less than yours?”

“N-no, it’s not like that…” He Fang ripped the false medical slip to pieces and shouted:

“It was Zhao Yan who had the operation!”

“You’re really full of lies. When you were accusing Ye Qingshui before, you didn’t say that! Now that Shuiya’s name is cleared, you turn on someone else? Do you take us for fools?”

“Bah! If we didn’t have evidence, would we be scolding you like this? If they threw you in jail it still wouldn’t be enough!”

“Evidence? What evidence?” He Fang clutched at that word desperately, her voice breaking.

“Of course—women’s federation and the others went to the hospital themselves. The doctor who performed the surgery even remembered speaking with you! You really did go to gynecology that day. Why’d you frame Ye Qingshui? She was there to visit a patient, she’s clean and innocent. You think she’s like you?”

He Fang felt a booming darkness swallow her vision. A metallic taste rose in her throat.

She collapsed unconscious.

Someone shouted:

“Ah! Comrade He just miscarried, her body is weak, she’s fainted!”

Everyone fell silent. They watched He Fang lying motionless on the ground for a long time. Afraid something serious might happen, they finally agreed to carry her to the clinic.

——

So it turned out that Ye Qingshui had been falsely accused—the one who miscarried was He Fang!

The news spread like wildfire, sweeping through the entire village.

The people of Ye Family Village were so shocked their jaws almost dropped to the ground.

After hearing she was taken to the clinic, the Women’s Federation director, worried about wrongly accusing someone, personally asked the doctor to check He Fang’s chastity. The result was… this normally sweet-smiling female educated youth was secretly promiscuous—she hadn’t been pure for a long time!

At this moment, Ye Qingshui was not in the village. She missed the earth-shattering news.

Because before dawn, she had rushed to the county seat. Liu Yiliang, who worked at the livestock station, had set aside two catties of lamb spine (sheep scorpion) for her.

“Do you want this? The smell is strong. I noticed no one else wanted it, so I brought it over.”

The lamb spine had a gamey odor and little meat—southerners weren’t used to it and didn’t like eating it. But Ye Qingshui treasured it dearly. Every part of a sheep was valuable, and broth made from lamb spine was highly nourishing. She nodded repeatedly:

“Yes, yes, of course I want it!”

She happily accepted the lamb spine and casually mentioned:

“I invited a few of the girls from the educated youth spot to come eat at my house. Yiliang, if you’re free, come too. I’ll stew lamb spine for you—it’s delicious!”

Liu Yiliang readily agreed.

He knew that as long as he paid attention and occasionally saved some bones or meat for her, she would surely invite him over for a meal. He grinned wide, showing his white teeth:

“Alright then! Thanks so much for the treat, sister-in-law!”

Ye Qingshui then stopped by the supply store, bought half a jin of pork, and added three taels of sesame oil.

When she returned home with her goods, she saw Zhou Tingting sitting in the courtyard, helping Grandma shell pea shoots.

The moment Zhou Tingting saw her, she lifted her head in delight and excitedly waved.

“Shuiya, your name has finally been cleared! Did you know?”

Ye Qingshui was a little surprised and shook her head.

Grandma and Zhou Tingting took turns indignantly recounting everything to her.

When Zhou Tingting finished, she sighed deeply:

“Who would’ve thought it was her who framed you? And the funny thing is, she kept defending herself, as if she couldn’t believe everyone could uncover the truth. But then she fainted, and the Women’s Federation director examined her… and it turned out she really was…”

Grandma quickly covered Zhou Tingting’s mouth:

“You silly girl, don’t go around talking about such filthy things.”

Then she praised her grandson-in-law:

“Fortunately, Xiao Xie has a good temper and was willing to trust Shuiya. Otherwise, a perfectly good marriage could’ve been torn apart by such rumors—what a heartache that would be…”

The man silently working nearby heard Grandma’s praise. His lips curled slightly; he wiped the sweat from his forehead and bent his head to continue chopping wood.

Ye Qingshui had not realized that what Xie Tingyu meant by “repaying someone in their own way” was this.

She cast a glance at him, and their eyes met. His dark gaze seemed to hold a trace of laughter.

Her heart finally settled completely.

——

Ye Family Village had been hosting educated youths since 1969. Eight years had passed, and never before had there been such a scandal. The village cadres quickly convened a meeting to address Comrade He Fang’s disgraceful misconduct.

If this had happened a few years ago, engaging in promiscuous relations and persecuting poor peasants would surely have been punishable by death.

But times had changed—the law was now upheld, and people couldn’t be dealt with so casually. They had no choice but to hand He Fang over to the Public Security Bureau.

When He Fang heard the news, it struck her like a bolt from the blue.

As the police cuffed her hands, she resisted violently, shouting:

“It wasn’t me! I didn’t do those things! I really didn’t!”

But by then, no one believed her.

The man involved in her affairs soon came to light—a common male educated youth from the same commune. Both of them were handcuffed and sent to prison.

A week later, He Fang was sentenced to ten years in prison for promiscuous relations.

In that era, relationships between men and women were strictly controlled. Moreover, this case involved persecuting the orphan of a martyr. The impact was serious, so ten years in prison was unavoidable. The male educated youth received five years.

Some of the educated youths from Ye Family Village went to visit her in prison. At that time, Xie Tingyu and Ye Qingshui were free, so they went too.

The moment He Fang saw the couple, she became highly agitated.

She cursed furiously at Ye Qingshui:

“You bitch! Why did you do this to me? You ruined my whole life! You’re so cruel and vicious! I curse you—%#&*#￥…”

Xie Tingyu promptly covered his wife’s ears. After He Fang had finished her rant, he said coolly:

“When you harmed Qingshui, did you spare her a single thought? You’re allowed to hurt others, but others aren’t allowed to defend themselves?”

The couple also visited the other male educated youth. After leaving the prison, Ye Qingshui sighed to Xie Tingyu:

“I never expected her to be like that—”

“I thought she rather liked you…”

It was true—He Fang had always had thoughts about Xie Tingyu. But how could she genuinely like him, while at the same time shamelessly believing she was most suited for him, and yet still secretly entangle herself with another man? By comparison, Ye Qingshui felt pitiful.

After her divorce, she had never been with another man.

When Xie Tingyu heard this, his eyelids twitched, and he declared solemnly, protecting his own integrity:

“I don’t like her.”

Ye Qingshui laughed. She lifted her head and looked at the sky. The evening was clear, with clouds burning like a dream—red as fire, gold as sunlight, radiant with a thousand rays. Bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, she felt an unprecedented lightness.

So it turned out, she had never been the one in the wrong.

Author’s note:

Mini Theater:

Ping Shengjun (the author) smiling, holding a boxed meal with both hands:

“Come now, He Fang, here’s your boxed lunch (fate).”

He Fang:

“No! I still haven’t seen the divorce with my own eyes! I won’t accept it! I’m not reconciled!”

Yu Ge & Shuiya:

“…”

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