VHBF – Chapter 90 The Village Bully Daddy (Part 3)

The canteen in Dahuai Village was bustling with noise and excitement. Waves of meaty aroma drifted out, making the commune members swallow their saliva again and again.

Dahuai Village was a large village of mixed surnames. There were several hundred households in the whole village, with a total population of over a thousand. In these difficult times, it counted as a village with a thriving population. Because of that, Dahuai Village alone formed its own production team.

In Xiahu Commune there were several production teams, all formed by combining a few small villages. Now that everyone ate from the same big pot, if it wasn’t a single village, frictions were inevitable. The nearby production teams were never peaceful—today you got an extra ladle of thin gruel, tomorrow my corn bun was bigger than yours—everything had to be argued over. Not a single scrap could be taken advantage of.

Dahuai Production  Team was different. Everyone came from the same village. Even if there were small conflicts, they could usually talk it out. Those with good tempers would just endure it and move on. So now that the canteen had cooked meat, the members didn’t lose their order. No matter how anxious or greedy they felt, they still obediently lined up.

The elderly, the weak, and children lined up in a separate queue. The rest—the able-bodied adult laborers—queued according to first come, first served.

There were two aunties in charge of the cooking ladle, with a few other women helping out. Those helping still had to go out to work in the fields when they had nothing else to do. Only the two main cooks could earn full work points without doing farm labor, focusing solely on cooking.

By rights, how could a job like this—easy to take advantage of and with oil and fat—possibly exclude Chen Qiuhua?

But Chen Qiuhua had no interest in doing it at all. In her words, cooking for the big pot was hard labor. The iron ladle was heavy, and there was washing vegetables and grain to do. From morning till night you worked like a spinning top, and you couldn’t even go home until all the members had finished eating.

Chen Qiuhua wouldn’t do it. Even if being in charge of the ladle meant skimming off a few jin or a few grains of food, so what?

Times were hard. The grain allocated by the team’s logistics to the canteen was calculated per meal and per head—every liang and every half-liang was accounted for precisely. There was only ever the problem of not having enough to eat, never any extra.

If too much went missing and the members couldn’t fill their bellies, they would rebel. Not even the team leader could stop them. So in Chen Qiuhua’s eyes, this job really wasn’t worth doing.

Raising pigs was different. The canteen aunties had to feed over a thousand mouths with just two people. She only had to worry about the bellies of four little piglets—easy and leisurely.

When New Year came and the pigs were slaughtered, she could even get a bit more offal and bones to take home for soup or braised dishes. Apart from cadres, there was no job more comfortable than this.

That morning, Chen Qiuhua had sent her second daughter-in-law to feed the pigs for her. She herself was in a hurry to take her granddaughter to get registered in the household records, to get it settled as soon as possible. The autumn harvest was coming up, and her granddaughter could still qualify for four or six shares of headcount grain.

After finishing this errand, Chen Qiuhua was so pleased she could barely contain herself. Grinning ear to ear, she hugged her granddaughter and headed toward the canteen.

The commune members still didn’t know that the Qin family had gained a new member. Last night, everyone had been busy rejoicing over having meat to eat. After finishing the meat dumpling soup and watching the pig being slaughtered, it was already midnight. In the morning they had to scramble out of bed to go work in the fields. No one had the time to think about how Old Lady Chen had escaped from the wild boar, or how she’d ended up killing it.

Only a few team cadres knew about it. Thanks to Chen Qiuhua bragging when she took her granddaughter to get registered, the cadres all knew the story. Old Lady Chen had escaped from the wild boar and even slaughtered it, all thanks to good luck. Her newly acquired granddaughter—no one knew if she’d been hanging from a tree or what—but anyway, she fell from the sky and landed squarely on the boar, knocking it unconscious. Old Lady Chen then stabbed it a few times and finished it off.

The cadres were, of course, firm believers in New China’s scientific principles. But with Old Lady Chen repeatedly chanting and showing off about how her granddaughter had great fortune, how it was that fortune that saved her life and smashed the wild boar, blah blah blah—

After hearing it so many times, they couldn’t help but feel a little unsettled, a seed of impression planted in their hearts. Later, when chatting among themselves, they’d unconsciously repeat some version of the old woman’s words—of course, not so bluntly. After all, feudal superstition was no longer acceptable. Still, however roundabout they made it, the meaning was more or less the same.

The Qin family’s newly acknowledged little granddaughter was a lucky child. Good-looking, blessed—an outright bundle of fortune.

That was something that happened later. For now, the members had just returned from the fields and hadn’t had contact with the cadres yet, so they didn’t know any of this. When they saw Chen Qiuhua coming over holding a pink-and-porcelain little girl, they stared in shock.

For once, Chen Qiuhua didn’t cut the line. She stood properly in the crowd, holding her little granddaughter, smiling like a blooming flower, smug and triumphant, bouncing the child in her arms.

“You’re asking where this baby came from? This is our Qin family’s granddaughter! Registered in the household records—an ironclad, unquestionable granddaughter!”

“What’s so strange about it? My granddaughter is just good-looking and blessed. Jealous? With the sorry state you’re in, you still wouldn’t be able to produce a child this pretty even after another five hundred years!”

The few unlucky members who had the misfortune of lining up next to Chen Qiuhua: “……”

They’d only asked out of curiosity and got sprayed in the face…

A few elderly aunties about the same age as Chen Qiuhua crowded over to take a look. They fondly pinched the dumpling-like baby’s tender cheeks. Their fingers were rough—one pinch left a mark. Chen Qiuhua immediately raised her brows and glared.

“Go on, get lost, you old shameless things. Our baby’s face is delicate—is that something you can just pinch? If you pinch her and something goes wrong, can you compensate with grain?”

The aunties awkwardly withdrew their hands. They’d worked in the fields all their lives and raised children all their lives too. Who would’ve known there were babies this delicate? One pinch and the face turned red. Were city babies really this precious?

They didn’t mean any harm. It was just that the child was so fair and tender, with well-formed features, that they found her rare and endearing. It had been many years since they’d seen such a chubby baby—truly something to envy.

Aunt Liu, the old woman next door to the Qin family, asked where this child had come from. How did she suddenly become part of the Qin family? Could it be that the eldest or second son had secretly left a seed outside?

These words made Chen Qiuhua furious. “Hey—you big mouth with no filter! You’re already so old and still speak without thinking. Don’t you know what my eldest and second sons are like? Messing around outside is hooliganism—it lands you in jail! My eldest is a cadre, how could he possibly do something like that? As for Dongzi, even more impossible—he’s a block of wood! Don’t you feel guilty saying that?”

A few people nearby covered their mouths and snickered. Auntie Liu Er was already five or six decades old; she’d suffered her whole life because of that mouth of hers and still hadn’t learned her lesson. Every day she got trampled by Comrade Chen Qiuhua, yet she still loved to crowd forward and talk nonsense.

Chen Qiuhua said, “I told you all long ago—our good little girl is blessed. Do you know why you get to eat pork today?”

Several members shook their heads. They really didn’t know. Last night they’d been too busy being happy—who would’ve thought about the reason?

Chen Qiuhua got into the mood. Even with a child in her arms, she talked and gestured animatedly. “So, there was this wild boar, three to four hundred jin, black as night. It came charging from afar, hooves flying, like a little hill. Just as they say—no sooner said than done…”

When she finished, she spread her hands, the smugness on her face practically overflowing. “That’s how it was. So today, you’re all eating pork thanks to my granddaughter sitting that boar to death with her butt. You ought to be grateful, you hear?”

The members nodded along the logic. Yes, they should be grateful. Auntie Zhu, who was in charge of the ladle, said the team leader promised a full meal today—white rice, braised pork, and bone soup!

And that wasn’t all. There was so much meat that they could eat it again tomorrow. Auntie Zhu knew how to manage things; she was also rendering lard there, planning to scoop a little spoonful each day into the daily porridge so everyone could smell some meat and get a bit of oil. The team leader said it himself—autumn harvest was approaching, time to nourish everyone’s bodies. Eat well so you can work hard!

How long had it been since they’d eaten meat? More than half a year, probably. Even last New Year, they hadn’t eaten this freely—just a taste. Thinking about today’s meat and tomorrow’s meat now, life suddenly felt hopeful: eat meat, eat until full, listen to the team leader, work hard on the autumn harvest!

The members were excited, and it was only natural that they took the words of the “great contributor” to heart.

According to Old Lady Chen, if not for her granddaughter, would there be any meat to eat? Absolutely not. Maybe even Old Lady Chen herself would’ve died under the wild boar’s hooves, and the team would be burdened with a death. Chen Qiuhua had gone up the mountain to cut pig fodder—if something happened, wouldn’t the team be responsible?

Thinking it over like that, the Qin family’s new granddaughter really was blessed. Saving a life meant saving everyone in the team—and she even brought meat to the villagers! A good child!

While Chen Qiuhua was boasting, everyone around her—whether they’d gotten food yet or not—held their bowls and listened. The canteen was small; with her big voice, everyone heard.

So in no time at all, the entire team knew: the Qin family’s granddaughter was blessed, good-looking, and—most importantly—she’d saved a life and brought them meat to eat. When the team cadres came to get food, the members surrounded them and asked if it was true.

The cadres had already heard a round of bragging in the office and had been “suffering” from Chen Qiuhua all morning. When asked like this, they answered reflexively, “Otherwise, do you think Comrade Chen Qiuhua, with her old arms and legs, could take down a three- to four-hundred-jin wild boar?”

So it really was true! The members suddenly understood and believed what Chen Qiuhua had said.

In this era, public opinion mattered; everything put the common people first. The cadres were often embarrassed to grab food from the members and usually waited until most people had been served before going to the canteen.

Today there was pork, and they’d been anxiously waiting in the office. Finally, when it was time to get food, they were stopped for questions again. Zhang Xiuhua, director of the Women’s Federation, waved impatiently. “Why bother with all that? There’s meat to eat—can’t that shut your mouths?”

While things were bustling on this side, in the northern corner of the canteen sat a table of young men. Their postures were slouched and unruly, wolfing down pork with coarse rice. After hearing all the commotion, Er Zhuzi nudged Qin Yuli with his elbow and asked through a mouthful of food, “Brother Qin, is what your mom said true? She’s not just bragging, right? Even we strong guys might not be able to handle that boar. An old woman and a little kid—could they really have killed it?”

Qin Yuli kept his head down eating. When he finished, he smacked his lips. “Isn’t what’s in your mouth shit, then?”

Meaning: you’ve already eaten it—now you doubt it?

No one dared approach this table. It was the Dahuai Production  Team’s “hoodlum table.” A bunch of loafers and rascals gathered there to eat, led by Qin Yuli—the acknowledged tumor of the production team. The members were afraid of them, and also disdained dealing with such lazy men, so this area was a no-man’s-land.

Everyone sitting there was of a feather. Swallowing the meat in their mouths, they felt Qin Yuli made sense. The meat was already eaten—how could it be fake? True or false didn’t concern them; having meat to eat was enough.

Someone else, full and bored, mouth itchy, asked Qin Yuli how it felt to have an extra child at home.

“She’s a pretty kid, Brother Qin. That kid’s even looking this way—is she looking at you? Brother Qin, did you bully a three-year-old? Otherwise why does she keep staring at you?”

Qin Yuli turned and met those bright, shiny eyes head-on. He bared his teeth in a grin. Tsk—sooner or later, I’ll toss her away.

Picking his teeth with a bamboo skewer, he drawled lazily, “Just a milk baby I could flatten with one hand. What feelings could there be? What’s it got to do with me?”

The hooligans laughed. True enough—Brother Qin wasn’t that kind of person. It wasn’t like he didn’t have nephews and nieces; he’d never been particularly close to kids.

Over here, Chen Qiuhua was feeding her good granddaughter rice paste mixed with soft, slow-cooked minced meat—fragrant and delicious—spoonful by spoonful. She’d traded five dried sweet potatoes to Auntie Zhu to make it. The rice paste was Chen Qiuhua’s private stash, brought from her natal home and hidden in a cupboard. As for the meat—couldn’t the meritorious contributor eat meat? She’d just cut two small pieces, minced them fine, and simmered them.

Seeing Grandma swallow saliva, Yinyin tilted her head up and pushed the spoon over. “Grandma eat too. Meat, yummy.”

Chen Qiuhua was so moved she could’ve cried. Her precious granddaughter—only three years old, not even a full day since she’d been brought home—already cared about her grandma and even knew to let her eat first.

Chen Qiuhua smiled and said she wouldn’t eat. “Good baby, you eat. Grandma has big chunks of meat to eat.” Her old face was so gentle it could drip water.

A few members nearby rubbed their arms at the goosebumps. Old Lady Chen wasn’t normal—had she been knocked silly by the wild boar?

The two daughters-in-law were eating nearby. They exchanged looks, disbelief in their eyes. Their mother-in-law was usually so shrewd. She favored boys over girls, and her two biological granddaughters were no better than weeds in her eyes—she barely acknowledged them.

She treated the two grandsons a bit better, sure, but never this gently. So why did a child with no blood relation get such favor? She even took out her secret stash of rice paste for this kid! Their sons and daughters—her own flesh and blood—had never gotten such treatment!

Zhao Yueya touched her belly and clenched her teeth inwardly. This pregnancy—she had to give birth to a son!

Li Dilai thought further. She remembered how her mother-in-law kept calling the girl “my good granddaughter,” and she’d heard the child was already registered in the household. Whose household was it registered under?

Either the eldest’s or theirs, the second’s. The third was impossible—he wasn’t married yet. Their mother-in-law doted on her youngest; how could she saddle him with a burden and risk him not finding a wife?

After eating, Chen Qiuhua stood up and surveyed the place. Seeing her granddaughter sneak glances at her new daddy, she chuckled inwardly, patted the girl’s head, and noticed her unreliable youngest son still sitting there picking his teeth and chatting. Grinning, she carried the child over.

Chen Qiuhua had it all planned. No matter what, they were registered father and daughter—it was time for the third son to acknowledge his girl. Otherwise, if they didn’t build feelings now, how would he protect her precious little one later?

She knew this son best: whoever treated him well, he treated well in return. He was sentimental. If the little girl caught his fancy, wouldn’t he obediently work like an ox and a horse for her in the future?

The more she thought, the happier she got. With light steps, Chen Qiuhua walked toward her son’s table. Everyone understood—after all, they’d eaten meat. Happy things made people happy.

Qin Yuli looked up. His mother stood before him holding that little thing. The kid stared at him with bright eyes. Qin Yuli bared his teeth to scare her; when she stretched out her chubby little hand to cover her eyes, he smiled in satisfaction. Soft little thing—timid!

Chen Qiuhua smiled warmly at her third son and passed the child over. “Third son, this is your daughter. Try holding her?”