RYEY – Chapter 127 Chen Chunhua Is Going to Die

Finally, the day of parting arrived. Mother Li couldn’t hold back her tears: “Son, once you leave this time, when will you be able to come back?”

Li Bing gave a bitter smile. He had saved up several years of vacation just to return once, and the next time he came back would be years later again.

“Mother, with younger brother and sister-in-law at home, I’m at ease. And sister-in-law is already an honorable people’s teacher. When the school term starts, you should go live in the county with Li Le.”

Mother Li hesitated. Li Le needed to attend school, so she would definitely live with Cheng Qiao in the county. As for Li Huan—needless to say, wherever Cheng Qiao was, he would be there too. But if she also went, who would look after the house, who would work the fields?

“Mother, we don’t need work points. At the end of the year when grain is distributed, we can just buy work points.”

Cheng Qiao smiled as she said this, but Mother Li still shook her head. The house had just been built, and she didn’t feel at ease leaving it unwatched.

Li Le also couldn’t bear to part with her mother. She said she could come home every day—since there was collective labor in the mornings and classes only in the afternoons, she had plenty of time.

Besides, Wang Xianghua from Aunt Wang’s family would be going to school with her. It wouldn’t be proper to make her live in their county house as well.

Cheng Qiao didn’t insist. Everyone had their own thoughts, and there was no need to force them. As for her, if Li Huan was willing to fetch her every day, she could still come home often.

Li Huan borrowed Uncle Niu’s ox cart, loading it up with bags of luggage. Li Bing looked on—when he came, he had only brought two large bags, but going back now, he had three more added on.

“Mother, brother, sister-in-law, this is too much. Keep it for yourselves to eat.”

“No need. We have enough food at home. Oh right, eldest brother, we forgot to give you this—take it.”

Li Huan went back inside and came out with cigarettes and liquor that Cheng Qiao had prepared. He bundled them in a net bag and stuffed it into Li Bing’s arms. When Li Bing saw what it was, his eyes lit up.

His superior especially liked these things. But in Gansu, supplies were scarce—once cigarettes and liquor appeared on the shelves at the supply and marketing cooperative, they would be snatched up within a minute.

“Thank you, brother, thank you, sister-in-law. This is really good stuff.”

Li Huan glanced at Cheng Qiao, and they both exchanged a smile. Suddenly, Li Bing thought of something and whispered a few words into Li Huan’s ear, making Li Huan nod happily again and again.

It turned out that Li Bing intended to find out where exactly Cheng Qiao’s father had been sent. If it was within his ability, he would make sure the man could live more comfortably.

Of course, Cheng Qiao overheard this, and her heart surged with excitement. If her eldest brother could look after her father, she would never be stingy with supplies.

The ox cart slowly rolled toward the village entrance. Mother Li held Li Bing’s left hand, and Li Le held his right. None of the three spoke, as though their hearts were full of words they didn’t know how to say.

“Li Bing, are you really leaving today?”

At the village entrance, Aunt Daya stood waiting with a floral-wrapped bundle in her hands. Li Bing sighed, jumped down from the ox cart, and motioned for Li Huan to continue driving on—he would catch up soon.

Aunt Daya’s eyes were red as she shoved the bundle into Li Bing’s arms, choking up: “This is a scarf I wove for her. Please treat her well.”

Li Bing silently accepted it. If it hadn’t been for Aunt Daya, he might have already forgotten about Miao Qing. It seemed necessary to have another talk with her.

When the ox cart arrived at the state-run restaurant, Cheng Qiao took Mother Li and Li Le inside to order dishes, while Li Huan stayed with the luggage. Li Bing went to the guesthouse to fetch Miao Qing.

When she appeared, she looked much thinner. Li Bing had already told her clearly: if she insisted on following him, she would have to undergo the organization’s trials—trials that almost no woman could endure.

As for the trial, he had explained—it was tree planting in Gansu’s windbreak forests, where sandstorms raged, an extremely harsh assignment that even men struggled with.

But Miao Qing insisted without hesitation. Compared to a harsh life, there was at least a chance of rising someday. If she went back, she would be sold off by her parents to an old bachelor, and that was a dead end.

Since she had chosen to go, Li Bing didn’t treat her harshly. They all sat down together for a meal. Seeing Cheng Qiao’s rosy cheeks and slightly rounded belly, Miao Qing sighed inwardly—Chen Chunhua had no such fortune.

“Cheng Qiao, did you know that Chen Chunhua has been sentenced to death?”

Cheng Qiao froze. She truly didn’t know. In secluded Xiangyang Village, if you shut your doors and stayed inside, no news ever reached you.

She glanced at Li Huan on the ox cart—he surely knew but had kept it from her so she wouldn’t worry.

“When will the execution be carried out?”

“Within these two days, I think. They said she was a rat dropping in the revolutionary ranks, ruining the whole pot of porridge. They accused her of being a spy—of seducing revolutionaries with drugs, and then cruelly killing them.”

Cheng Qiao stared wide-eyed at Miao Qing. How could they convict someone like that? This…

“Then what about Chunhua’s in-laws?”

Mother Li had also been shaken by the news. No wonder Chunhua had tried to harm her daughter-in-law—it turned out she was a spy! If Chunhua was a spy, then what about Chen Weimin? And wasn’t the village head her uncle?

Miao Qing was delighted that Mother Li finally spoke to her. She quickly replied: “Wang Tuozi was caught stealing state property and engaging in profiteering, in huge amounts. He’s going to be executed by firing squad too. As for his mother—she seems to have disappeared.”

“Disappeared? What does that mean?”

Li Bing glanced at Mother Li, set down his bowl quietly, then took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth: “Mother, sister-in-law, I’m done. Let Li Huan come eat.”

Miao Qing hurried to shovel down a few more mouthfuls and grabbed several pieces of braised pork. She had been starving for days, surviving only because she’d stolen some money from home. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made it this far.

“Big Brother Li Bing, what’s this?”

She looked at the bundle Li Bing handed her, puzzled.

“Your mother gave it to you.”

Hearing it was from her mother, Miao Qing gave a cold laugh. But when she opened it and saw a bright red scarf, she liked it immediately and quickly wrapped it around her neck. Warmth spread through her body.

“My mother still thinks of me after all.”

Li Bing said nothing. His impression of Fenqiu and Daya was terrible—especially after hearing that Fenqiu had pushed his own mother down. If his younger brother hadn’t stepped in, he himself surely would have.

“This is the last time I’ll ask you—do you regret your choice?”

“No regrets, Big Brother Li Bing. Even if I die there, I would rather that than stay behind.”

Cheng Qiao packed up the leftovers to bring back, then ordered two more boxes of dumplings—after all, her eldest brother had several days on the train ahead, and he needed food.

The ox cart slowly moved toward the station. Li Huan and Li Bing carried the heavy bags onto the train. Miao Qing quickly followed, found a seat by the window, and waved goodbye to Mother Li.