Chapter 86: I Want To Move Out
On the way home, Gu Qingyao reached into her basket and put the things into her interspace.
Chen Goudan, who was walking next to her, hung his head low and seemed unhappy.
“What’s the matter?”
Chen Goudan raised his head and glanced at Gu Qingyao, then lowered it again. “Elder Sister Gu, I’ll probably be beaten again when I get home. It doesn’t matter if I’m beaten. Anyway, my skin is tough. But my little sister…”
He lowered his head and looked at his younger sister who was walking next to him, holding his hand.
Chen Xiaocao, who had been happy because of today’s good food, immediately turned pale when she heard his words.
His eldest uncle’s family had named her Xiaocao, and it reflected her place in the family.
The entire Chen family was used to abusing Chen Goudan and his sister. They would beat the children at the slightest excuse and refuse to give them food.
Sometimes when Chen Honghua and the others were in a bad mood, they would beat Xiaocao to vent their anger.
The siblings had no one to rely on. The rooms in the house had been taken by their eldest uncle’s family and they had nothing. They even lacked proper names at their age.
This time, Chen Goudan had given his fish directly to Mo Beihan instead of bringing them home. The family did not dare to make trouble for Mo Beihan outside, but once Chen Goudan and Chen Xiaocao got home, they would certainly be beaten.
Gu Qingyao looked at the pitiful girl and frowned as she thought. “You can’t go on like that. Goudan, actually, you are not greatly indebted to your eldest uncle’s family now. Your grandmother brought you up in the past. Now, your grandmother has only recently passed away, and your eldest uncle and his family have only supported you for a short time, right?
“Also, the house and the furniture belongs to your grandmother. Although there isn’t much, they’ve taken it all, and that will offset your expenses. But as time goes by and you’re still living together, it is equivalent to them bringing you up. Then Xiaocao’s fate will be in your hands. If they marry Xiaocao off, that will cause a lot of trouble for you.”
Chen Goudan lowered his head and glanced at his 6-year-old little sister. He said to Gu Qingyao, “I’ve thought of that, but she’s still young. But if we go on like that, it will lead to trouble later. My Eldest Uncle’s family is really very difficult to deal with. I really… don’t want any connection with them at all.”
“Then what’s your plan?”
Chen Goudan looked at Gu Qingyao and said uncertainly, “Elder Sister Gu, do you think my sister and I can survive on our own apart from my eldest uncle and his family?”
Gu Qingyao did not say anything. She only listened as Chen Goudan continued, “I will work hard every day. Although my younger sister may not always be full, at least… we won’t starve. In any case, we’re always hungry in my eldest uncle’s house. My little sister is so young, but she needs to work all day. My eldest aunt even makes her wash the clothes and cook. I don’t want to go on like that.
“If we just manage for another two years, then I’d have grown up and can do more and more work. I’ve thought of moving out with my sister. Even if I have to beg, I won’t let her starve.”
Of course, it would be good if they moved out, but Gu Qingyao knew that, as a child, it felt different to be without a family.
“Have you thought it through? You may not starve if you move out, but after all, both of you are children. Once you move out, there will be no adults with you. That feeling is different. Won’t you feel afraid? Or insecure?”
Chen Goudan glanced at Gu Qingyao and mumbled, “I already feel insecure living with my eldest uncle’s family now!”
Gu Qingyao: “…”
Chapter 87: Let Me Teach You A Trick (1)
Chen Goudan was silent for a long while before he looked at Gu Qingyao and said, “Elder Sister Gu… I want to move out, but… I’m afraid that Eldest Uncle and his family won’t let us go. They’ve already taken the house and my grandmother had nothing. I cannot possibly bring my little sister away without even a place to stay. And the grain hasn’t been distributed yet! I doubt I’ll be able to get any grain from my eldest uncle.”
Which meant to say that he had already made up his mind to leave, but had not yet thought of a good plan.
Gu Qingyao said, “If you really plan to leave, I think you will certainly succeed. Right now, you and Xiaocao are a burden to your eldest uncle’s family because they have to share their grain with you. They might even think they’ve given you a sizable amount!
“Goudan, if you really want to leave, then forget about your old house. Find an empty house in the brigade and stay there. You should get as far away from them as possible. As for food, Elder Sister Gu guarantees that in the few years before you are grown, I will make sure that Xiaocao will have something to eat.”
Chen Goudan was stunned!
“Re-really?”
Gu Qingyao smiled. “Certainly! If you think about it, you’re already thirteen years old now. When the new year comes, you’ll be fourteen. Right now, the work points that you get from your work will gain you sufficient grain to pretty much support yourself. In another three to four years’ time, you’ll be a grown man. Then you definitely will have no problem supporting yourself and your little sister.
“It’s just for a few years. Over the next few years, if Cao’er lacks food, I can always make up the shortfall. All you have to do is support yourself, you don’t have to worry about Xiaocao.”
Gu Qingyao did not say anything about supporting both of them. Because in these times, that kind of talk was unrealistic. Chen Goudan was actually very hardworking. As long as he could be assured that Chen Xiaocao would be taken care of, it would resolve his fears and to him, that was enough.
And that was the most… acceptable!
Chen Goudan was surprised and delighted. “This… Can you really do that? Elder Sister Gu, it’s not easy for your family to get by. I… with the work points which I earn from my work now, I estimate it will take at least two years before I can only support myself and my sister. I…”
Gu Qingyao smiled. “Although my family also has its difficulties, you must remember that I have three older uncles and five older cousins! We have so many people supporting the family! If we pinch our pennies a little, we can support Cao’er for a few years. My older cousins are still unmarried. After a few years, when they marry and have children, then the situation may become a little more difficult. But by then, you would have grown up, right?
“If you are embarrassed, you can slowly repay us when you’re older. I also hope that Xiaocao won’t have to serve such a big family while she is so young, and be beaten all the time.”
Chen Goudan’s face reddened with excitement. “Thank you, Elder Sister Gu. I… when I grow up, I will repay you. Thank you!”
Gu Qingyao was amused. “No need to thank me. Why don’t you think about how you can avoid a beating when you get home!”
Chen Goudan’s excited little face immediately stiffened.
Gu Qingyao smiled. “I’ll teach you a trick. When you get back and they want to beat you or Xiaocao, just cry, howl and shriek desperately. Don’t resist, just grovel and beg for mercy. You must shout so loudly that everyone in the brigade knows you’re being beaten just because you didn’t bring those few fish and prawns that you caught back home today. Do you understand?”
Chen Goudan was stunned!
Chapter 88: Let Me Teach You A Trick (2)
Gu Qingyao said, “I’m not asking you to really submit – you should try your best to protect yourself without allowing anyone to realize what you’re doing. You must get everyone to pity you and be repelled by your eldest uncle’s family. You must show everyone that you and your younger sister are being poorly treated by your eldest uncle’s family. That way, everyone will support you when you move out.
“But you must not show that you want to leave. Just… just say you don’t want to burden your eldest uncle’s family, that you’ll support your little sister when you’ve grown up, and things like that. You must speak politely, and appear to be terrified of your eldest uncle. You must convince everyone that you’ve been cowed by the beating and starving in your eldest uncle’s house and cannot carry on anymore. You would rather starve to death outside with your little sister than remain there any longer.
“When your eldest uncle beats you, don’t just remain in the house and allow him to beat you. Think of a way to run outside and yell loudly. Then run towards the brigade leader’s house, and keep admitting that you were wrong. Shout that you won’t dare to do it again, that you won’t dare to eat the food in the house anymore, that you’re a burden on your eldest uncle, and so on. You must be especially filial and let everyone know that you can’t remain in your eldest uncle’s house any longer. Do you understand?”
Chen Goudan was stunned!
He felt unable to process all this.
“This… this…”
In these times, people were very straightforward and honest. They were simple and did not manipulate each other. Although a child like Chen Goudan was more intelligent than others, he had no experience in these matters.
But he had run wild since he was a child and his brain was a lot more nimble, so he grasped the crux of the plan after some thought. He said smilingly, “Elder Sister Gu, I understand! I know what to do!”
Chen Goudan fell silent after he understood. As they walked, he considered what he should do when he got home. When they came to a fork in the road, each went their own way. Gu Qingyao went home, while Chen Goudan brought his younger sister towards their home.
Gu Qingyao stood half-way up the hill and watched the children depart.
In these times, children were very innocent. So when she said she would be responsible for Chen Xiaocao’s food for the next few years, Chen Goudan had believed her. People born a few decades later would certainly be less trusting.
But she was determined to help these two children. In her previous life, she had been so despised and reviled by others that she dared not leave the house. But these two children would often find a way to visit and comfort her.
She had to help them in order to repay them for their friendship. In any case, she had enough food.
When she returned, Gu Qingyao gave the two fish to the older men and women who had been sent to the countryside. They had not joined the brigade to fish. Even her own grandfather and grandma had not gone because they were bad elements, and were undergoing reformation.
They usually had no part in brigade affairs like these.
The sky was growing dark by the time Gu Qingyao got home, but Zhang Xiaohui and Gu Ruoqing had not yet returned. Gu Qingyao could not be bothered with them. It would be best if they stayed away for the rest of their lives.
She had not been in her house for long when she heard a terrible screaming and wailing coming from the foot of the mountain, where everyone in the brigade lived. The sound was like the wailing of a demon or the howling of a wolf.
It was not just Chen Goudan. Even Chen Xiaocao, the little girl who had just turned six years old, and who often had nothing to eat, was also carrying on terribly. This was probably the first time in her life that Chen Xiaocao was exerting so much energy to cry loudly.
Gu Qingyao’s lips twitched. These children were so clever.
She quickly ran out and stood in her yard, and looked down the mountain.
At that moment, the Chen house was in chaos!
Chapter 89: A Terrible Ruckus And Chaos!
Chen Goudan had run wild since he was young, and was used to being independent. He was also smarter than average, so along the way, he thought out his plan before returning home with his younger sister.
When they got home, his eldest uncle and the entire Chen family were waiting for them.
Chen Honghua had already told her parents what had happened at the reservoir that day, how Chen Goudan had given all the fish and prawns he had caught to someone else. And it was meat too!
The brigade seldom had a chance like this all year, and he had actually given it to someone else.
He ate the food at home, but gave his meat to someone else. Such disloyalty must be punished.
On one hand, Chen Honghua’s heart ached over the fish and prawns. On the other hand, she detested Gu Qingyao. She was jealous of how well Mo Beihan treated Gu Qingyao. Now that Chen Goudan was becoming friendly with Gu Qingyao, she certainly would not let it pass!
So the moment Chen Goudan and his little sister reached home, they faced a vicious beating.
His eldest uncle, Chen Dagui, was especially brutal. He held a branch in his hand and used it to whip Chen Goudan.
“How dare you? You actually gave food to an outsider? You eat and drink in my household, but you dared to be disloyal? I’ll beat you to death!”
Frightened, Chen Goudan shielded his little sister in his arms. This was not the first time he was being beaten, but he hoped… it would be the last time!
The branch descended on his flesh, leaving a burning pain!
“Ah…”
An earth-shattering shriek caused Chen Dagui to jump in fright.
“Beast, why are you shouting? Are you trying to scare me to death?”
Chen Dagui was truly angry and he beat Chen Goudan even more viciously!
“Ah Ah…”
This time it was not Chen Goudan’s doing. Even Chen Xiaocao was screaming.
The two of them shrieked, each more pitiful than the other. Chen Dagui and his wife were frightened. But when they recovered their wits, they grew even angrier.
“Shut up. Why are you screaming! Beast, you deserve to be beaten. Shut up!”
“Ah Ah, Eldest Uncle, don’t kill me! I will never do it again! I will never eat your family’s food again. Ah ah ah…”
“Ah ah, save us! Eldest Uncle, please have mercy on my brother! Cao’er will never eat again. I’ll give my food to my younger cousin. Wu wu wu… I won’t eat anymore. Ah ah ah…”
They had cried and yelled before. They could not help but cry each time they were beaten, but later realized that the more they cried, the harder their Eldest Uncle beat them. In the end, they did not dare to cry anymore.
No matter how much it hurt, they just bore it grimly. Even if they cried, they only dared to weep softly.
But they had no such inhibitions today. They just screamed as loudly as they could. The louder the better.
The pitiful shrieks shocked the neighbors. It was not yet completely dark! Many of them were still awake. When they heard the noise, they ran out to see what was going on.
When Chen Dagui started beating them, his little son, who had just turned five, clapped his hands in delight. He clapped and shouted, “What fun, what fun!”
When he saw that his father was beating them severely, the boy also rushed forward. He wanted to join in the fun and hit them too.
Chen Goudan looked at this rotund younger cousin. Although he was a year younger than Chen Goudan’s little sister, he was much bigger. Chen Goudan thought of how the child often bullied his little sister, and also had no respect for himself, an older cousin.
He would not stoop to plotting against a child, but since this child was not afraid of this much older brother, he could guess how badly the child had bullied his younger sister.
Since they were making trouble anyway, Chen Goudan decided to do it thoroughly. So when the child rushed up to hit Chen Xiaocao, he secretly viciously pinched the child’s arm. The child immediately shrieked in pain.
“Ah…”
Chapter 90: Why Did He Smell A Rat?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
This child’s name was Chen Xiaobao, and he was the darling of the Chen family.
Most of the villagers in the seventies were not well-read, so names were very simple. Many households named their sons in sequence – like Dabao (First Precious), Erbao (Second Precious), and Sanbao (Third Precious), or Dazhu (First Pillar), Erzhu (Second Pillar), and Sanzhu (Third Pillar), or Dagui (First Treasure), Ergui (Second Treasure), and Sangui (Third Treasure).
There were many similar names in the brigade.
Chen Xiaobao was a fat, roly-poly child. In these times, it was no mean feat to raise a child of this physique.
He had been the family’s darling since he was young and had never experienced hardship, or been beaten. Now that Chen Goudan pinched him, he immediately screamed in pain.
“Ah Ah…”
Chen Dagui was shocked when Chen Xiaobao started to cry. Wang Qiuhua, who had been watching the show from behind, was also startled. She screamed in response and rushed forward.
“Xiaobao!”
He was the apple of their eye. His crying was a calamity!
“Baby! Baby, what happened to you? Baby, don’t scare your mother! My son… wu wu wu…”
“It hurts… Ah ah ah… Wu wu wu…”
Chen Xiaobao was five, and knew how to scream in pain.
Chen Dagui and his wife were enraged when they saw their darling son crying so hard. Now it was not just Chen Dagui who was beating them. Wang Qiuhua also rushed forward to join in.
When Chen Goudan saw this, he knew that his chance had come!
“Ah… save me! I won’t do it again. I won’t give food to others. I didn’t give food to anyone. I can’t possibly go empty-handed to someone’s house for dinner. Wu wu wu…”
Chen Goudan carried his little sister and ran out of the courtyard. The road was lined with houses and as he ran, he saw more and more people.
He continued to shout about food.
Chen Dagui and Wang Qiuhua did not notice that anything was amiss, but continued to pursue him. Actually, as long as Chen Goudan ran like crazy, the two of them could never catch him. After all, he worked outdoors all day and was very agile.
But for the sake of making an effect, Chen Goudan did not run too fast, and allowed the couple to catch up with him.
He was beaten many times along the way. His shrill cries attracted a crowd, which gathered to watch.
He stopped running when he reached the brigade leader’s house. He circled the area and started dodging.
The crowd could not stand it any longer.
“Stop! Stop! The child is almost breathless from screaming!”
“If you carry on beating him, you’ll kill him! Dagui, have you gone mad?”
“Do you need to go so far over some food? He’s your nephew!”
“That’s right! Don’t go overboard. It’s not your own child, no wonder you don’t cherish him.”
“You’ve already taken his parents’ house and furniture. How much can the child eat? Stop it!”
…
Chen Goudan was an orphan and part of an underprivileged group. Everyone pitied the vulnerable, even more so because they were children.
They were crying and screaming pitifully. Also, everyone knew that the two children suffered in the Chen household and were often beaten. So everyone was naturally inclined to blame Chen Dagui for going too far.
Chen Dagui was infuriated when he saw that everyone blamed him. “This beast hit my Xiaobao. Xiaobao is crying in pain. He…”
“I didn’t! I didn’t! I wouldn’t dare. Wu wu wu. Eldest Uncle, I really didn’t. I would never dare to hit Xiaobao…”
Before Chen Dagui could complete his sentence, Chen Goudan interrupted him with a series of terrible shrieks.
Chen Xiaocao was sobbing and breathlessly pleaded, “Eldest Uncle, Xiaocao wouldn’t dare. Xiaocao didn’t hit her younger cousin. I didn’t. I will never eat Eldest Uncle’s food again. I will save it all for my younger cousin. I won’t eat anymore. Wu wu wu…”
Chen Dagui: “…”
Why did he smell a rat?