Tang Ning held her stick, beating it against a battered basin. The sound rang out, sharp and clear, drawing the villagers of Zhu Family Village out to see what the commotion was about.
Her expression was colder than ice and snow. No one knew what had happened, and they whispered and pointed at her, wondering if the eldest daughter of the Tang Family had gone mad on New Year’s Eve.
Zhu Fugui pushed to the front and felt a tremor in his heart when he saw Tang Ning’s stance. It wasn't that he was a coward, but having clashed with her a few times, he knew the girl’s style: she was too wild, impossible to contain, and whatever she set her mind to, she would find a way to finish. Not to mention, she had someone standing behind her whom they couldn’t afford to offend.
"Tang Ning, what are you doing? It’s New Year’s Eve..." He walked over and rubbed his hands together. "Oh, and if it isn’t Officer Lin! Come, come, let’s go to my place for dumplings. Tang Ning, hurry up and come eat with us."
Neither Tang Ning nor Lin Shengwen responded. Zhu Fugui rubbed his hands again, looking awkward.
The villagers couldn't stand it any longer. They thought the girl was being completely unreasonable—could it be that she couldn't make ends meet and wanted to cause trouble on New Year’s Eve? It was understandable, in a way; a fifteen-year-old girl cutting ties with her family to live on her own was one thing, but on New Year’s Eve, when everyone else was enjoying the warmth and joy of a reunion, how could she be feeling anything but bitter?
"Stop this, Tang Daniu. No one wants to bicker with you on New Year’s Eve."
"Exactly, just go on back."
"I’ve still got a fire going in the stove! If you have something to say, just say it!"
Zhang Miao clutched Tang Tianbao, her eyes complex. Her own stove was cold and empty; she had cooked a little sweet potato porridge, but it had been finished long ago, and she had wanted to lick the pot clean. Tang Tianbao could only drink rice water, and he was often too hungry to even cry. She looked at Tang Niuniu, who seemed a bit fuller in the face, but all she could think about was the life they had before selling her off as a bride to that fool. Though they were poor then, at least there was warm food, the occasional egg, and the whole family together...
Li Guilan was also in the crowd, gripping her foolish son tightly to keep him from pushing forward. She didn’t know what Tang Daniu was planning, but this little wretch was sinister; getting mixed up with her meant bad luck.
"I know all the folks in the village are waiting to eat dumplings, steamed buns, and their reunion dinners!" Tang Ning set down her basket. "I’ve kept you all waiting, and for that, I apologize. But I’ve done this so that some families in our village might truly be reunited. On this New Year’s Eve, while some of you are sitting in the warmth of your homes, don't forget the flesh and blood you buried in the ice and snow on the mountain behind us!"
She began to lift the small bodies out of the basket one by one.
The villagers’ faces drained of color. The dead were bad luck; corpses were even worse. On New Year’s, people avoided even harsh words, yet Tang Ning had brought these harbingers of misfortune right before their eyes. It was the height of ill omens.
Every family had children. It was common enough for babies to be born and then die—from hunger, from sickness. Everyone knew that those who couldn't afford to raise them just tossed them aside; times were hard, they were poor, and they had no choice. Everyone thought this way, but no one ever stopped to ask: if you couldn't afford to raise them, why bring them into the world? And if they were born, why discard them, why kill them?
Tang Ning’s actions were like a stinging slap to every face in the crowd. She tore down the veil of shame covering Zhu Family Village, forcing them to confront the sins they had committed at the very moment they were most desperate for blessings and a beautiful new year. Even if there were no court to judge them, Tang Ning would ensure their souls found no peace.
The six small bodies were stiff, blue, and pale. The grown men were spooked, feeling a chill in the air.
"Tang Ning, what exactly are you doing?!" Zhu Fugui gathered his courage to take a small step forward, his voice trembling as he reprimanded her. He dared not move any closer.
"Uncle Fugui, I just can’t bear to see these things happen," she said, pointing to the ground. "These were living lives, not chickens or ducks or geese—not livestock that some can just kill on a whim. What right do they have to eat a reunion dinner? What right do they have to be reunited?"
A woman in the crowd began to sob, only to be cursed at by a man. Clearly, they were from one of the families involved.
"Officer Lin... are you just going to watch her make a scene?" Zhu Fugui was at his wit's end, looking at Lin Shengwen with pleading eyes.
"As it happens, I was just taking a walk on the mountain with Little Tang when we came across these," Lin Shengwen said, his face cold and his voice icy, chilling the villagers even further. "Secretary Zhu, I’d like to ask: if we were to search the whole mountain, how many more would we find? How many hands in Zhu Family Village are stained with such sins?"
"This—this—how can this be!" Zhu Fugui felt like slapping his own thigh. If the authorities came to investigate, the villagers would naturally claim they were born sick, but everyone knew the truth.
Tang Ning knew she couldn't convict these people, and she wasn't seeking to send them to prison.
"Whose child is this? Take them back, dress them properly, wrap them in a quilt, and give them a proper burial," Tang Ning demanded. "If you don't do it, don't think about having a good New Year, or a good life in the future. Your children are calling out because they are cold. Your children are crying, but they were too hungry to even wail—just like this wind—"
Tang Ning reached into the air and grabbed at nothing, her eyes fixed. "Wailing and sobbing... can you hear it?"
A deathly silence hung in the air. The winter wind cut like a knife, wailing in a way that truly made it sound as if someone were crying.
"Ah!" A woman lunged forward. "That’s mine, that’s my baby!" She identified the child, took off her cotton coat to wrap it, and carried it away. Others eventually stepped forward to claim the bodies. Some found their own, others found they didn't, and while they felt a sense of relief, it was quickly eclipsed by a deeper fear. On such a cold day... why did this wretched Tang Ning have to do such a thing!
There was one body left unclaimed. Tang Ning didn't rush; she stood still, and in the end, the family, unable to withstand the psychological pressure, stepped forward.
The New Year was ruined. Burying the dead on the eve of the holiday, with Tang Ning laying their guilt and fear bare—who could have any appetite for a reunion dinner? It was said that some even went up the mountain that night to find other remains, intending to bury them properly, mostly out of fear that Officer Lin would actually carry out a search of the mountain and bring charges against them.
Before leaving, Lin Shengwen said, "Tang Ning, if you do this, you won't have a place left for you here."
"From the moment I was sold, I already had no place here. This doesn't change much."
"And what about the future?" Lin Shengwen asked, his eyes filled with worry. He didn't know what to advise this seemingly ignorant and fearless girl. "What are you going to do?"
"These girls were thrown away because there wasn't enough food," she said. "I want to go to school and study hard. One day, I want to be a researcher in agriculture. I want to double the grain production of all Huaxia, so that there will never again be children in this land thrown away because of hunger!"