QTIMP -Chapter 276 Character Persona – Violent (Part 4)

As the screams echoed out, the eastern half of the village lit up one household after another with oil lamps. The men all grabbed hoes and clubs, carrying lamps as they rushed toward the commotion.

When they reached Qiuqiu’s house, they saw her holding a wooden stick, striking a man who was rolling on the ground.

The man’s screams kept coming without pause. At that moment, a woman stumbled through the crowd from behind. She pushed her way through and threw herself at the man on the ground.

“My son! My son! How are you? Let Mother take a look! How are you doing?”

Only then did everyone realize that the wailing woman was the fourth branch’s fourth daughter-in-law. There was no need to guess—the man lying there must be the second son of the fourth branch.

The fourth branch’s Chen Dongliang was the kind of man who could do nothing right and wasted everything he ate—a useless drifter. His mother-in-law, Madam Chen of the fourth branch, doted on him as if he were the apple of her eye.

Now that he had been beaten into this state by Qiuqiu, and recalling what had happened during the day, everyone could more or less guess the situation.

The brigade captain’s face turned dark. He immediately sent someone to invite the Third Uncle and Fifth Uncle. Even though the two old men were hunched with age, they still stood about 1.75 meters tall.

In a hurry, they threw on padded jackets and were supported by their grandsons as they came over. Others held oil lamps, lighting up the small courtyard clearly.

Quick-witted Xiaobei brought stools from inside the house and from the east wing, placing them in the main hall. The two old men sat in the place of honor, while the brigade captain and his generation sat below.

The members of the fourth branch stood in the middle of the room.

The fourth sister-in-law had stopped crying and screaming, but her legs were shaking so badly she could barely stand, relying entirely on her eldest daughter-in-law for support.

With red-rimmed eyes, Si Qiu called out “Third Uncle, Fifth Uncle,” and then explained the whole sequence of events.

At that moment, the second son of the fifth branch examined Chen Dongliang and went to report to his father and Third Uncle.

“His right arm and left leg are broken. I’ve set them.”

But what he didn’t say was that even if they were set properly, he would be left with lasting problems. There was still one more injury he had not detected.

From now on, whenever the weather changed, Chen Dongliang would suffer joint pain all over his body, making even walking difficult. And he would never be able to function as a man again—not because he was beaten there, but because Si Qiu had drugged him.

Since he couldn’t control his lower half, then he didn’t need it anymore. If she had killed him outright, it would have been too noticeable—there were no fools in Chen Family Village.

Otherwise, Si Qiu would have already taken his life.

The fourth branch’s family was fined 200 jin of grain. Considering Chen Dongliang’s broken arm and leg, the matter was settled like this. If it happened again, they would be sent into the deep mountains.

After the matter was resolved, the crowd dispersed.

The next morning at work, people still gathered in small groups discussing what had happened the day before.

“Did you hear? The fourth son went home and gave that woman a beating.”

“Serves her right. She was the one who stirred things up. Dongliang is a useless brat, but he’s actually timid.”

Si Qiu glanced around and indeed did not see Madam Chen of the fourth branch. She must be at home crying. Let her cry—she would only have tears to shed lying in bed in the future anyway.

People coming to work even tried to comfort Si Qiu a few words.

Her sallow face turned even paler. No matter what anyone said, she only gave a forced smile, as if she was barely holding herself together.

That day she worked silently, head down, no longer chatting or slacking off.

Just like that, the memorial rituals for the old couple continued—first seven days, second seven days… all the way to the seventh seven.

By the time the mourning period ended, spring plowing was also finishing.

Then, suddenly, a letter arrived from the north.

The letter was delivered to Si Qiu’s home, and everyone instinctively thought of Chen Shuanzi.

Si Qiu’s hands trembled as she opened the envelope. A few banknotes slipped out. She didn’t even glance at the money, instead hurriedly unfolding the letter paper.

She read line by line, slowly, until by the end she was crying so hard she was covering her face.

“Auntie, what’s wrong with you? What did Uncle Shuanzi write in the letter?”

At that moment, a nearby old woman took the letter and handed it to her daughter. “Da Ya, hurry up and read it.”

The fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl took the letter, glanced around nervously, and only started reading after her mother smacked her lightly on the back of the head. She read in a halting voice.

In summary, Chen Shuanzi had run away back then, but was captured by the Kuomintang. Later, he encountered the Red Army, and they rescued him.

After that, he followed the Red Army around fighting battles. He had no chance to contact his family before, but now his unit had settled in the north, in Heilong Province, and things were relatively stable.

So he wrote home, sending along the money from his military allowance. First, he wanted to ask about the family’s situation.

Second, he wanted to dissolve his engagement with Si Qiu. He said that now the country had been liberated and free love was being promoted. He couldn’t let feudal leftovers like arranged child engagements or child brides tie down his revolutionary progress.

He was willing to recognize Si Qiu as a sister instead and even give her a dowry so she could live a stable life in the future.

In short, he went on at great length.

As for Chen Sixth Uncle’s family, he was already a company commander now. In a while, he could apply for family members to join him. He wanted to bring his parents to live with him. And if Si Qiu was willing, he could also find her someone suitable in the army.

After the letter was read, everyone standing around fell silent, exchanging uneasy glances.

Si Qiu squatted on the ground, pretending to cry, while calculating in her mind.

This could be used as an excuse to get out. I really don’t want to spend my whole life in the village farming. One spring alone nearly exhausted me to death.

Farming is simply too hard. After spring planting comes field care, then summer harvest, then autumn harvest—each one more exhausting than the last.

She really couldn’t keep going like this.

So, while still “crying,” she suddenly stood up, grabbed the money and letter from the ground, and ran straight to the brigade office.

She almost ran straight into the brigade leader as he came out.

“Shuanzi’s family, I heard Shuanzi sent a letter. Is it true? What did it say? How is he doing?”

“Big brother, I’m going to find him. He can’t just say he doesn’t want me and that’s it. He has to give me an explanation, otherwise I will never forgive this Chen Shimei.”

The once-injured and already thin girl had become even more gaunt after a spring of hardship. Of course, that was partly because Si Qiu had applied medicinal water on herself.

Her actual body had not changed much, but she had recovered quite well. Now wearing thin clothing, with reddened eyes from crying, she looked extremely pitiful.

“Hey, Shuanzi’s family, don’t be impulsive. This needs to be discussed carefully.”

After the last wall-climbing incident, the decision-makers of Chen Family Village gathered once again.

Si Qiu had only one demand: she was going to find Chen Shuanzi. Whether things worked out or not, they had to be made clear face to face. A single letter couldn’t erase all the effort she had put in over the years.

In the end, there was no choice. The brigade leader first wrote a reply to the address in the letter, then issued Si Qiu an official travel letter.

Si Qiu packed up her things at home.

She handed the house keys to the brigade leader. “Big brother, sister-in-law, please help me look after things. If I get things sorted out, I’ll be back before the summer harvest.”

As she said this, she was still choking up, which made Chen’s wife feel heartbroken.

“I told you to let my eldest grandson go with you, but you’re so stubborn. Be careful out there.”