The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

"Aunt Feng, are you busy?"

Bao Ya stepped over the chicken coop in the backyard and looked towards the Feng family's backyard. She was so curious, perhaps because she was too bored, that she kept a close eye on the Feng family.

The old woman in the backyard was startled by her voice and only when she came to her senses did she see Lin Baoya on the east wall.

His expression froze for a moment, then he put on a smile, though the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Bao Ya, I'm just packing some things. What are you busy with? Why are you still climbing so high?"

"It's nothing, I'm fixing the chicken coop, you go about your business, I just wanted to say hello."

Bao Ya said with a grin, while keeping a close eye on Granny Feng's expression.

She dared to say she was fixing a chicken coop while standing on it, but Granny Feng didn't call her out on the lie. She just nodded at her and went back inside.

When Bao Ya saw her enter the room, a sly smile appeared on her face.

Did I alert her? She'll probably make her next move.

The more he looked at Granny Feng, the more convinced he became of his suspicions. The Feng family needed to be thoroughly investigated.

Who should we contact to investigate? The police, of course.

When Bao Ya thought of the police, Xie Laidi, who lived across the street, came to mind.

Bao Ya tiptoed down from the chicken coop, intending to go find Xie Laidi.

She went to Granny Feng's house yesterday and got so scared that she fell ill for a week. Her medical expenses should be reimbursed, right?

I originally wanted to take this opportunity to visit her house.

To everyone's surprise, as soon as Bao Ya explained her purpose, before she could say anything more, Granny Feng readily agreed to give her fifty yuan in compensation.

He only made her wait at the door for a moment before taking out fifty yuan from inside and giving it to her. During this time, he didn't even offer her a seat inside.

Fifty yuan was not a small amount at that time. Only Feng Shuangxi worked in the Feng family, while Li Yan and Granny Feng rarely went out.

Bao Ya felt that she already had 20,000 yuan in her hands. If she encountered such a situation, she would definitely bargain with the other party. At the very least, she would find a mediator to write a mediation agreement and act as a witness.

But they didn't. Their attitude was extremely polite, giving her the feeling that they wanted her to take the money and leave quickly, without wanting to say another word.

"Is Aunt Xie off work?"

When Bao Ya saw Xie Laidi return, she greeted her, then quickly walked to her door and whispered:

"Aunt Xie, I need to tell you something. The Feng family paid me fifty yuan for medical expenses yesterday, which is more than they should have paid."

Aunt Feng said it was alright, since your family would still have to pay for Li Yan's medical expenses anyway, so you'd better be prepared.

After Bao Ya finished speaking, she looked at Xie Laidi with longing eyes, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Xie Laidi's face fell instantly; she was terrified. If a fever only warrants fifty yuan in compensation, then her family breaking three of Li Yan's ribs would probably cost more than a hundred yuan.

"What is that old woman Feng up to? She's not planning to pin the compensation money on us, is she?"

Her four sons aren't married yet, and there will be many expenses in the future. If she has to pay him a hundred or two hundred yuan, she'll probably be furious.

"I don't know either. I originally just wanted to ask his family for medical expenses, but I didn't expect Aunt Feng to be so generous."

Logically speaking, your family shouldn't have to pay for this. Li Yan was the one who dressed up as a ghost to scare people that day, so Uncle Niu and the others should be considered as acting bravely for a just cause.

If her family reports it to the police, I will definitely testify for your family. But now her family is not mentioning reporting it to the police, they are just waiting...

Bao Ya didn't finish her sentence, but what she meant was that his family was just waiting to extort money from her.

Hearing this, Xie Laidi panicked even more. She looked around. Old Niu wasn't coming back at noon, and there was no one to make decisions. What should she do?

She looked up and saw Bao Ya looking at her with pity, and she felt a surge of anger. Finally, gritting her teeth, she grabbed Bao Ya's wrist and said:

"Bao Ya, what happened that day was all because of you. You couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Our family heard you two shouting so loudly, so we went out to help."

"Oh, Auntie, I didn't say I wouldn't care. If I really intended to stand idly by, I wouldn't be here talking to you about this."

We all know what happened that day, and we can't blame Uncle Niu and Niu Yi. However, if they're determined to extort money from your family, there's really not much you can do.

What I was trying to say was, why don't you report this to the police first...?

Actually, Bao Ya asked the Feng family for fifty yuan with the intention of reporting the incident to the police, but since the Feng family readily gave her the money, how could she report it to the police?

I asked for fifty yuan in compensation, and she gave it to me readily. Why did you call the police? Was it because she gave it to me too readily?

Besides, Wang Xiao warned her before he left not to go to the police station so often, because she had already been registered there.

"Should we report it to the police? But what if Old Niu and the others get arrested...?"

After all, it was her husband and son who assaulted her. What would it mean if she went to the police station herself? Would she turn herself in?

"Auntie, I already said I would be your family's witness. They still haven't explained why Li Yan was in the yard in the middle of the night that day."

I heard from Aunt Zhou that Granny Feng probably made Li Yan kneel on the stone table.

Xie Laidi was a little confused. She was afraid that her husband and son would be betrayed by the Feng family and end up with a criminal charge, which would ruin her son's life.

"Why are you kneeling on the table? Why?"

Bao Ya leaned closer to her and whispered:

"I don't know either, so let them explain it to themselves. If they can't explain it, then they have some unspeakable secret."

"By the way, expose their mistreatment of Li Yan. If their family dares to ask your family for compensation, you should report them to the committee."

"Will this work?"

Xie Laidi still hesitated, worried that she might lose more than she gained by trying to steal a chicken, and that she might also get her son involved.

"Why not? I heard from Aunt Zhou that she had seen the Feng family make Li Yan kneel as punishment before."

Their family mistreats their daughter-in-law, treating her like a landlord treats a farmhand—a feudal form of exploitation. If it's verified, they might be paraded through the streets wearing a big hat.

Think it through. If you don't point out someone's mistake, don't blame me later when they try to extort money from you. At most, I'll just act as a witness.

Xie Laidi glanced at the tightly closed gate of the Feng family across the street, gritted her teeth, and finally made up her mind.

They couldn't just sit idly by and wait for the Feng family to make exorbitant demands. These past few days, she and Lao Niu hadn't slept well, living in constant fear that the Feng family would cause them trouble.

"Okay, I'll go to the police station this afternoon and have the police thoroughly investigate why their family is abusing Li Yan."

"That's right, you have to take the initiative."

Don't worry, when the police come, I'll tell them the truth. They were in the wrong first.

Bao Ya was relieved that Xie Laidi had reported it to the police, since her reason was too weak.

According to her observation, the Feng family never intended to ask the Niu family for compensation; they were just making a show of force that day.

Now that Li Yan has been discharged from the hospital, there's been no word from his family, which clearly means they don't intend to keep her.