The drainage ditch was a sewage canal in the Yunjia’ao Brigade. The brigade didn’t have any proper sewage system; the ditch was mainly used by the brigade’s pig farm.
In a coastal fishing village like theirs, the soil had high salt content. Growing crops yielded poor results, and the arable land wasn’t large either. So the pig farm’s manure and wastewater were discharged directly into the drainage ditch. If anyone wanted the sludge from the bottom of the ditch for fertilizer, they just had to go dig it up themselves.
However, since the farm housed several dozen pigs that the production brigade was required to raise, and the smell was particularly strong, not many people lived nearby—only a few sent-down cadres.
So it was quite unusual for Hu Daqiang to fall into the drainage ditch. After all, that lazy, good-for-nothing would never be diligent enough to dig up sludge for fertilizer.
“I heard he was trying to steal the piglets that were born a few days ago, and he fell in by accident.”
Several gossipy aunts from the brigade gathered together, sharing the news as they walked.
Yun Su had originally followed behind Hu Chunhua, hoping to see the spectacle. Upon hearing this, she slowed her pace to catch what was being said.
“I heard he’s a pervert who wanted to touch the breeding boar’s thing, and the boar kicked him into the ditch, didn’t it?”
Just after the aunt in the straw hat finished speaking, another aunt in floral print clothes immediately objected and shared the version she had heard.
“Hey hey, keep your voice down. Don’t you see there’s an unmarried girl here?”
An aunt wearing rain boots loudly stopped this line of conversation and turned to look at Yun Su. “Xiao Su, your parents aren’t back yet?”
“Not yet, Auntie!”
The aunt in rain boots was the wife of the brigade leader. By seniority, Yun Su had to call the brigade leader “Uncle.” Her family had always had a good relationship with the brigade leader’s family.
“They’ll probably be back soon. By the way, you fell into the sea this morning because that Hu girl pushed you, right?”
Yun Su nodded. The news had already spread that morning. She wasn’t about to cover for Hu Chunhua.
Seeing Yun Su nod, the aunt in rain boots couldn’t help but sigh. “That Hu girl really is unreliable. Pushing you into the sea like that…”
The aunt in the straw hat and the aunt in floral prints immediately joined in once the topic came up.
Seeing this, Yun Su waved goodbye to them and quickened her pace, running toward the pig farm.
——
“Save me, please save me…”
Before she even reached the pig farm, amid the grunting of several dozen pigs, Yun Su could hear a series of awful cries for help.
The air carried the distinctive stench of the pig farm, along with the years-old odor of the drainage ditch. These smells combined to make the otherwise humid seaside air utterly nauseating.
By the edge of the ditch, which was usually deserted, dozens of people had gathered. Most of them were young people and aunties who loved watching a good spectacle.
Everyone was engaged in heated discussion, and no one paid any attention to Hu Daqiang’s cries for help.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, Yun Su quickly pulled her eldest brother and little brother, who were standing in the front, to the back.
“Why are you standing so close? Isn’t it smelly?”
Yun Su shouted loudly, drowning out whatever her little brother had been about to say.
“Alright, let’s talk later. Are we staying here to keep watching the fun?”
Seeing that her little brother understood her meaning, Yun Su immediately made a suggestion.
This whole incident was actually a revenge plan that the three siblings had discussed. The target, of course, was Hu Daqiang.
Simply using fists to teach him a lesson wasn’t the best strategy.
So they had tailored this incident specifically to Hu Daqiang’s personality.
——
The plan was actually very simple. Someone went outside Hu Daqiang’s house and loudly announced that the newborn piglets at the farm looked like they might be dying.
In this era of scarcity, even dead or sick pigs were in high demand. So upon hearing that piglets at the farm were dying, a greedy, idle scoundrel like Hu Daqiang would definitely be tempted.
Even if the piglets barely had any meat on them, they were still meat. And if they died, he’d feel even less pressure about stealing them.
A sow at the pig farm really had given birth to piglets a few days ago, and one of them had been weak since birth. It might not last another day or two.
This news lured Hu Daqiang out. Braving the rain that hadn’t fully stopped, he sneaked all the way to the pig pens.
As soon as he got near the pens, someone pushed him from behind, and he fell straight into the drainage ditch.
The ditch was three or four meters deep. Hu Daqiang, who stood only 1.5 meters tall, couldn’t climb out on his own. The heavy rain had muffled his cries for help. It was only after the rain stopped that someone finally found him.
But even though he’d been found, no one actually jumped in to save him. After all, Hu Daqiang wasn’t a good person. If they saved him, the Hu family might falsely accuse them. So everyone just stood around, waiting for the brigade leader and the party secretary to arrive and decide how to rescue him.
——
“Why haven’t you pulled my brother out yet!”
Hu Chunhua ran over, drenched in sweat, and started shouting at the onlookers.
Earlier, when she heard her brother had fallen into the drainage ditch, Hu Chunhua had rushed home to tell her parents. Then she’d run toward the ditch, assuming he would have been rescued by now. But instead, these people just stood there gawking and laughing.
How infuriating!
“None of us are obligated to save him. With someone like Hu Daqiang, if we saved him, he’d probably turn around and accuse us of pushing him in!”
“Exactly! He might even say, ‘If you didn’t push me, why would you pull me out?’”
Those who had arrived early all knew that someone had pushed Hu Daqiang from behind into the ditch. No one wanted to get involved in something like that.
Seeing this, a small smile appeared at the corner of Yun Su’s mouth. Her eldest brother and little brother had indeed carried out their plan exactly as discussed. They had avenged both the grudge of Hu Chunhua pushing her into the sea and the grudge of Hu Daqiang trying to take advantage of her.
She really was a lucky girl, wasn’t she?
——
When Hu Chunhua saw that no one paid any attention to her threats, she scanned the faces in the crowd. Most of the people gathered were the village’s able-bodied young men—people she didn’t dare to provoke. Finally, her gaze settled on Yun Su.
“Yun Su, we’re good sisters. Come over and give me a hand. Help me save my brother. Even though it’s the dog days of summer, soaking in that ditch for too long will make him sick.”
Her self-righteous tone made Yun Su want to applaud her audacity.
In her memories, and from what she’d heard from others, Hu Chunhua had no friends in the village. Her only “friend” was Yun Feng, the original female lead.
So Yun Su said bluntly, “I’m not your good sister. As for saving him, you can do whatever you want. That ditch isn’t deep enough to drown anyone.”
Yun Huaimin didn’t have his sister’s patience. “The ditch won’t kill him. We’ll wait for the brigade leader to arrange the rescue. But does anyone know why Hu Daqiang came here in the first place?”
These words immediately pulled everyone’s attention back.
Many people slapped their thighs in realization. Right! Why did that lazy Hu Daqiang come to the pig farm in the first place? He wasn’t actually trying to steal pigs, was he? That would be undermining socialism—completely unacceptable!
Seeing the crowd’s reaction, Yun Su tugged on her brother’s sleeve, signaling that he had made his point.
The main issue was that the person who had pushed Hu Daqiang was most likely her brother. Now that their goal had been achieved, it was better to keep a low profile. There was no need for anyone to remember that she had fallen into the sea that morning.
——
The voices of discussion grew louder.
Meanwhile, Hu Daqiang’s cries from the drainage ditch grew weaker. This made Hu Chunhua even more anxious.
Just then, she noticed several people approaching on the dirt road in front—the brigade leader, several other cadres, and Yun Feng.
Seeing Yun Feng arrive, Hu Chunhua immediately rushed over and hugged her, begging for help.
Her brother was the only male heir in the family. If anything happened to him, her family line would end. That would mean that when she got married, she would have no family backing her up.
Standing nearby, Yun Su watched the expressions flicker across Hu Chunhua’s face and could read her thoughts perfectly.
It made sense. In her memories, Hu Chunhua was like brainwashed—she believed that boys were precious and girls were worthless, including herself. That morning, she had deliberately pushed Yun Su into the sea just to help her short, useless brother find a wife. Yun Su felt no sympathy for such a person.
——
Hu Chunhua was loudly crying and begging Yun Feng for help, while the village cadres who had just arrived learned the full story of what had happened.
After listening, the brigade leader turned around and called out impatiently, “What’s all the shouting about? Who’s willing to help pull Hu Daqiang out?”
Hearing this, everyone quickly stepped back.
Are you kidding? That drainage ditch was truly foul. And Hu Daqiang was no good. No one was willing to do this.
Seeing that no one volunteered even after the brigade leader spoke, Hu Chunhua clung even tighter to Yun Feng’s arm.
“Yun Feng, Yun Feng. You’re a good person. Please help my brother! The future of our Hu family depends on you…”
Yun Feng nodded solemnly. “Uncle, maybe we should call for help. Even though the ditch won’t drown him, Hu Daqiang’s voice already sounds much weaker. I’m afraid if we wait any longer, someone might die…”
The brigade leader really didn’t want to deal with such a mess. But Yun Feng had a point—he was also afraid something serious might happen. However, no one wanted to go near the ditch, and he couldn’t force them.
So the brigade leader turned to discuss with the other cadres. Finally, he announced, “Anyone willing to help with the rescue will be credited five work points.”
The brigade’s fishing boats were being repaired these days, so everyone had free time. Hearing there were work points to be earned, several strong men from families with heavy burdens stepped forward.
Seeing this, Hu Chunhua—who had been bawling with tears and snot all over her face—immediately brightened.
“Yun Feng, you’re so capable. You’re such a good person. If it weren’t for you, my brother…”
The brigade leader couldn’t stand this blubbering and continued his unfinished sentence: “The work points will be deducted from the Hu family’s account…”
“Why…” Hu Chunhua shrieked upon hearing that her family’s work points would be deducted.
——
“What a lively scene…”
“Comrade Yun is a good person, but the friends she keeps…”
In a thatched cottage not far from the pig farm, Gu Zhengrong stood at the back door, looking toward the drainage ditch. He had understood everything that was happening over there.
None of the villagers had been willing to help earlier. Only Comrade Yun had been enthusiastic and spoken up a few times.
He usually only had dealings with the brigade leader, but he knew a bit about this production brigade. For instance, Hu Daqiang—the one who fell in the ditch—was no good. That morning, he had tried to take liberties with Comrade Yun on the beach. And then there was Hu Daqiang’s sister, who had pushed someone into the sea.
“Yes, indeed! But most of the villagers here are good people. Especially Comrade Yun, the one you mentioned. She doesn’t look down on the likes of us ‘poisonous weeds.’”
Gu Zhengrong listened with interest and asked a few more questions.
The man speaking didn’t hide anything. He roughly described how Yun Feng had helped them. Though it was just small acts of assistance, they were all very grateful. Unfortunately, they had nothing to their names now and couldn’t offer anything in return.
“By the way, once you finish this prescription, you don’t need to come back…”
Gu Zhengrong took the prescription and nodded. “Alright. Next time I have time off, I’ll bring you some food…”
With that, Gu Zhengrong glanced once more at Yun Feng, who was standing in the crowd talking animatedly, then turned and quickly left.
Because he left in a hurry, Gu Zhengrong didn’t notice that less than a minute after his departure, someone emerged from the pile of straw nearby.
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