It was the Dragon Boat Festival in May, and my eldest sister Qin Fang and her husband Zhu Qingsong returned to their maiden home in Qin Family Gully. Qin Fang was about the same height as her younger sister Qin Hua, clearly cast from the same mold, with sisters of basically the same size.
Zhu Qingsong was also not tall, all skin and bones, with sparse hair. He used to be a contract teacher at the village elementary school but was fired and sent home for having a second child. Now he drives a motorcycle taxi for a living. Zhu Qingsong has no job, and his earnings from driving a motorcycle are limited, so they live a tight life and are not favored by his mother-in-law, Ai Chuncao. He himself has no filter, speaks without thinking, making people feel disappointed and uncomfortable, and even more looked down upon.
They didn't bring the children today for the visit, intending to go home after delivering their gifts. It is currently a critical time for harvesting wheat and planting autumn crops. If one misses the opportunity for a moment, they miss it for the year. Good soil conditions wait for no one; after these few days, if drought appears, the young seedlings will have difficulty emerging.
Qin Hua had gone to the county court in the morning, wanting to consult about suing. Everyone from top to bottom in the court knew she was a woman with mental problems. They fooled and tricked her and sent her away. She was hiding in the inner room, lost in thought, when Qin Fang entered. Seeing her elder sister's smiling face, Qin Hua knew it was directed at their mother, Ai Chuncao. Zhu Qingsong followed behind Qin Fang, smiling just as stiffly and rigidly as a playing card. Zhu Qingsong held two large watermelons in his arms, which kept rolling and swaying on his emaciated stomach, inseparable, like a millstone grinding dough, very intimate, comical, and interesting.
Ai Chuncao had already seen the two watermelons, and her face was full of disdain. It was the peak season for fruits and melons, with stalls lining every street and alley. Watermelons were as cheap as dog droppings, and even the elderly were too lazy to eat them. The sons-in-law of their neighbors bought bright red cherries, lychees, and Hami melons. And this Zhu Qingsong, accompanying his wife and child back to his in-laws for the Dragon Boat Festival, actually brought only two watermelons. Ai Chuncao had seen Zhang Shitou's daughter and son-in-law drive a jeep back to their maiden home that morning, carrying roast chicken, beef, and a whole case of Erguotou. They were both sons-in-law, so why the huge difference?
"Mom, are you home alone?" Qin Fang knew Ai Chuncao didn't like her husband, and she herself didn't have much standing with her mother. Seeing Ai Chuncao's indifferent attitude, she couldn't find anything to say for an awkward conversation.
"Is it not okay for me to be home? Who else do you want to see? If you want to see the Emperor, go to Nanjing; if you want to see celebrities, watch a movie." Ai Chuncao's words were icy, sending chills down one's spine.
Qin Hua walked out from the inner room, weakly called out to Qin Fang, "Sister," then turned to go back inside, but Qin Fang stopped her. "Third sister, you look half-dead, your complexion is sallow, what's wrong?"
Zhu Qingsong immediately chimed in, "Got a colt in the belly, but no fodder, probably pregnant." He then glanced teasingly at Ai Chuncao before throwing the watermelons on the ground.
"Zhu Qingsong, are you an animal? Did you grow up eating steamed buns?" Qin Fang scolded and hit him. She knew Zhu Qingsong's joking remark had gone too far, making people hate him to the point of gnashing their teeth. If she didn't show anger immediately, her mother might fly into a rage and drive them out the door with a stick.
Zhu Qingsong's one sentence drew the ire of both mother and daughter. Ai Chuncao and Qin Fang took out all their pent-up resentment on Zhu Qingsong. They didn't attack those near or far, just this oblivious Zhu Qingsong.
"I was just joking, why are you all so angry?" Zhu Qingsong asked with an innocent expression.
"You're a grown man, are you speaking human words? That's your sister, why don't you accumulate some good karma for the Zhu family? No wonder you were expelled and sent home."
Qin Hua was unhappy and felt bad seeing her mother and sister scolding her brother-in-law. She felt pathetic right now, having no support when trouble struck, being bullied by everyone. Perhaps out of shared misfortune, perhaps out of sympathy for her pathetic brother-in-law, she couldn't help but lash out, "Stop scolding him, both of you. He's a grown man, and you bully him every day, he doesn't even dare to breathe heavily. When will it end?"
Zhu Qingsong looked at his sister-in-law gratefully, almost shedding tears.
"Third sister, are you sick, or do you have something on your mind? Tell your sister, I'll give you advice, we'll think of a solution." Qin Fang put her arm around Qin Hua's shoulder and went into the house, and the sisters began to whisper.
"Sister, you don't know, I've been having terrible luck lately. Zhang Sigou took advantage of me, and I'm trying to sue?" Qin Hua said. Qin Fang didn't understand and asked, "What advantage did he take of you? It's just being touched or pinched by a man, that's common."
Qin Hua said, "If only it were that simple. Zhang Sigou took me to a hotel in the county town and I slept there for a night."
Qin Fang still didn't understand and said with a smile, "You slept for a night, so you slept for a night. It's common for men and women to go out together and share a bed."
Qin Hua became anxious and said, "Zhang Sigou raped me, you have a brain like a pig's!" Qin Fang froze, not expecting her sister to encounter such a serious matter. She was furious and her expression immediately changed: "Sue the bastard! Make him pay money, pay with his life, send him to jail! We will get justice for you!"
"I sued, but after going through several channels, I couldn't win, I couldn't beat him, I could do nothing to him." Qin Hua said with a face full of sorrow, her large eyes welling up with tears.
Qin Fang ran out the door and whispered a few words to Zhu Qingsong, as if making an agreement. She then returned and said to Qin Hua, "Your brother-in-law said that even though we were wronged, if we want to sue him, we need money to find connections. Without connections, we can't win the lawsuit. Your brother-in-law and I just discussed it, his maternal cousin is a judge at the county court. We'll go see him tomorrow."
Qin Hua's spirits lifted upon hearing that they had a relative in the court. She stuffed the five hundred yuan that Zhang Shitou had given her into Qin Fang's hand: "Sister, take this money, buy him some cigarettes and alcohol to curry favor, and see if he can help."
Qin Fang and Zhu Qingsong had already promised, and giving gifts was inevitable, but even without gifts, they would still help.
Since this incident, many people in the village have learned about the affair between Zhang Sigou and Qin Hua. Some old women gossiped at the village entrance, mostly siding with Zhang Sigou. They said Qin Hua coveted Zhang Sigou's money and wanted to take advantage of him, and had actively seduced him. They ate, danced, and drank in the county town, spending a lot of money. In the end, Qin Hua had nothing to repay him with, so she slept with him for a night on a Simmons mattress. Zhang Sigou didn't realize this was Qin Hua's scheme to extort him. It was exposed, and even the Public Security said Zhang Sigou was passively innocent, and Qin Hua was a tough nut to crack. When these words reached Qin Hua and her mother's ears, Qin Hua was so ashamed she couldn't go out and stayed in her room.
That day, Qin Geda and Ai Chuncao went to the sand and gravel plant again, demanding compensation from Zhang Sigou. Zhang Sigou deliberately argued with the couple, saying hurtful words that angered them into threatening suicide at the sand and gravel plant. Ai Chuncao collided with the machinery at the sand and gravel plant, hitting her head and bleeding. Zhang Sigou then panicked and called the Police Station to report the incident.
Li Shouyuan arrived on his bicycle and threatened Qin Geda, saying, "If you continue to make trouble, I'll arrest you and lock you up for half a month. Let's see if you behave." Qin Geda was scared and carried his wife out of the sand and gravel plant yard.
Li Shouyuan looked at Zhang Sigou with a hint of subservience and said, "You admitted to this matter, and you've given compensation. Shouldn't we discuss our business too?"
Zhang Sigou was excited to have quickly resolved the problem with Qin Geda. He took out his Motorola phone to make a call. Hearing Li Shouyuan speak, he asked in surprise, "What business do we have to discuss? Didn't we already talk about everything last night?"