When Su Fang was grabbed by Luo Dazhuang, her entire body trembled as if plunged into an ice cellar. Her tear-filled eyes stared blankly at the raised hand about to strike her, her mind completely blank.
But that slap never landed.
Song Wei yanked Su Fang away and delivered a swift kick to Luo Dazhuang.
The man let out a miserable scream as he flew backward.
Su Fang remained dazed until Song Wei shoved a stick into her hand.
Song Wei’s voice, like a beam of sunlight piercing through heavy clouds, commanded, “Take this stick. Fight back!”
Without waiting for a reply, Song Wei strode over to Luo Dazhuang, who was trying to sit up, and kicked him down again.
Luo’s mother screamed hysterically as she charged over. “Let go of my son! I’ll fight you!”
Luo’s father hurried to the scene as well, shouting, “What are you doing? This is a family matter! You educated youth have no right to interfere!”
Song Wei caught Luo’s mother’s outstretched hand and swiftly punched Luo’s father, sending him stumbling back a few steps with a black eye and dizzy head.
Before Song Wei could deal with Luo’s mother, Su Fang, holding the stick, ran forward with bloodshot eyes, filled with hatred. She swung the stick down onto the fallen Luo Dazhuang.
“Ahhh! Stop! You lunatic! Stop!” Luo Dazhuang howled in pain, trying to grab the stick from Su Fang.
Each time he tried, Song Wei delivered another kick, sending him rolling further away.
Luo’s mother screamed curses and threats, but Song Wei picked her up off the ground, lifting her effortlessly.
The older woman shrieked, “What are you doing? Put me down! Help!”
Song Wei’s voice was unnervingly calm. “Do you think you’d survive if I threw you out?”
Fear finally dawned on Luo’s mother. Her voice trembled. “S-Song Wei… please calm down. We were wrong! It’s our fault…”
Luo Xiaoyun, the daughter of old lady Luo, initially intended to help her mother but froze when she saw Song Wei lifting her mother like a rag doll. Afraid to approach, she turned to Su Fang, who was attacking Luo Dazhuang.
“I’ll help you, brother!” she cried, charging at Su Fang.
Song Wei glanced at Luo Xiaoyun and tossed Luo’s mother toward her.
The two women collided and fell to the ground, groaning and wailing.
Seeing the situation, Luo Xiaoyun’s husband quickly fled. After all, it wasn’t his own family, and he didn’t want to be caught in the mess.
The commotion drew the other educated youth out of their rooms. Without a word, they grabbed brooms and joined in, beating the Luo family.
“You’ve got some nerve showing up here! After almost driving Su Fang to her death, you dare come back!”
“Ow! Stop hitting us! This is a family matter! It’s none of your business! Stop!”
The Luo family was chased around the courtyard, barely able to protect themselves.
Su Fang, filled with rage, went after everyone-Luo Dazhuang, Luo’s mother, father, and even Luo Xiaoyun.
“Su Fang, you’ve gone mad!”
“Stop this, you ungrateful wretch!”
Though Su Fang’s strength was limited due to her poor health, she was relentless, fueled by sheer anger.
In the end, the Luo family was driven out of the courtyard, leaving with threats that no one took seriously.
As the gate closed, the remaining educated youth exchanged looks and broke into satisfied smiles.
Su Fang, panting heavily, felt a wave of relief wash over her after venting her frustration.
“Thank you, everyone,” she said earnestly.
Song Wei responded, “What are you thanking us for? You saw it yourself- you can stand up and fight them. They’re not as scary as you think.”
Su Fang nodded firmly, more determined than ever to strengthen her body.
Outside, a blanket of snow covered the ground. Song Wei and Heidan spread out old cabbage leaves beneath the eaves to dry before storing them for the rabbits.
The snow continued to fall heavily, so Song Wei decided to stay indoors for the day.
With several of the female educated youth gathered, Song Wei took the opportunity to learn how to knit sweaters and scarves from them.
“Song Wei, where did you get such colorful yarn? It’s beautiful!” one of them asked.
“I bought it at the department store when I saw my brother off. It was a rare trip, so I had to stock up,” Song Wei replied.
Bai Yunjiao offered to teach her. Bai was skilled in embroidery and had no trouble knitting sweaters, even creating intricate patterns.
Song Wei started with something simple: knitting a scarf.
Though it seemed easy, it turned out to be anything but.
Her first attempts were uneven, with some stitches too loose and others too tight. But the beauty of knitting was that mistakes could be unraveled and redone without waste.
On snowy days, the group spent their time in the warmth of their rooms, occasionally stepping out to clear snow from the courtyard. After a few days, Song Wei’s hands were no longer stiff, and she managed to knit a simple gray scarf.
Her first finished piece was gifted to Heidan, who proudly wore it.
One morning, after the snow had stopped, Song Wei stretched and decided to visit Lin Zhen’s house to check on her vegetables.
Bundling up Heidan in his new scarf, she placed the wolf pups in a basket and set off through the snow.
“Brother! Song Wei and I are here!” Heidan shouted energetically, knocking on the door.
Lin Zhen opened the door, revealing a courtyard with only a light dusting of snow-clearly, he’d been diligent in clearing it.
“How are my vegetables?” Song Wei asked, her eyes shining with anticipation.
Lin Zhen softened at her expectant gaze. “They’re doing well. They’ve sprouted! I didn’t think this would work, but it did!”
His deep voice carried a hint of excitement. “If they grow to maturity, we’ll have fresh vegetables in winter!”
When Lin Zhen first saw the sprouts, he had been stunned and overjoyed. In this region, winter vegetables were limited to cabbage, radishes, and potatoes. If her crops succeeded, it would be groundbreaking.
Inside the vegetable room, the warmth from the heated kang made the air much cozier than outside.
Seeing the tiny green sprouts emerging from the soil, Song Wei felt a surge of pride and excitement.
It really worked!
Lin Zhen asked, “If these vegetables grow, will you sell them?”
Eyes gleaming, Song Wei replied, “I want to try selling them to factories or state-run restaurants. If it works, I’ll propose building a greenhouse to the bridge leader. Winter vegetable cultivation could become a profitable venture for the village.
“Of course,” she added with a sly smile, “I have a selfish motive. If this project takes off, I want the educated youth to be considered for management roles.”
Lin Zhen gazed at her with admiration. His partner was truly remarkable.
“You’re willing to share this technique with the village?”
“What’s there to hoard? I can’t scale up production on my own. If we involve the entire village, we can grow more vegetables and satisfy larger buyers. Everyone profits, and no one resents me for monopolizing it. It’s a win-win situation.”
Leave a Reply