Bride Price
This female comrade is none other than Zhao Lingcheng’s younger aunt, Zhao Hui.
She is actually an adopted daughter.
Her adoptive parents had five children in total, but they were all boys.
They had always wanted a daughter, and during the war, they adopted Zhao Hui.
Through the smoke and flames of those years, the five boys either died or were scattered, and among the younger generation, only Zhao Lingcheng remained.
The Zhao family was always enduring sacrifices, always receiving the ashes of fallen martyrs.
But this was the first time they had news of a new life.
For Zhao Hui’s aging adoptive father, this was undoubtedly a huge piece of good news.
But for now, she hadn’t contacted her father, the elderly military commander, nor did she dare disturb Zhao Lingcheng.
Because she knew better than anyone how heavy Zhao Lingcheng’s duties were.
Besides, Zhao Lingcheng was more or less raised by her; she knew him best.
Though he was hot-tempered and stubborn, he wasn’t someone who acted recklessly.
She had even asked higher-ups about his divorce, and confirmed that it was the woman who requested it.
But after the divorce, the woman claimed to be pregnant and said the child was from their family—was that believable?
The Zhao family had waited so long for a child, but what if the woman was just joking, just toying with her?
Zhao Hui deliberately changed into civilian clothes, intending to quietly investigate the matter in private first.
After entering the city, she told the driver to head straight to the post office, but what first caught her attention was the commotion across the street at the state-run guesthouse.
Xu Cigang filled two kettles with boiling water and greeted Director Jiang with a smile: “Director, busy as always?”
Director Jiang nodded: “Cigang, you’re 21 now, right? Such a tall lad.”
At 21, the young man, though his eyes were a bit small, could just about pass as decent-looking.
Passing by Chen Mianmian, he gave her a crooked smile and headed upstairs.
Director Jiang glanced at the main gate and roared,
“Jing Jing Wu, why aren’t you sweeping the yard? Where are you running off to now?”
Jing Jing Wu was about to go report a case, but just as she was about to slip out the main gate, she sharply turned: “I’m going to take a dump.”
She turned toward the backyard latrine, jumped over the wooden board covering the cesspit, stepped onto the red bricks stacked by the wall, leaped onto the fence, and climbed out.
Director Jiang urged Chen Mianmian,
“Hurry up and go, or your mother will be worried waiting for you.”
Carrying her washbasin and bedding, Chen Mianmian sat on the steps in front of the gatekeeper’s room and undid the buttons on her coat.
The sunlight was dazzling, warm on her body; for a pregnant woman, it was the perfect time to get some calcium.
Soon, two female comrades came out from the post office across the street and strolled over to bask in the sun.
One asked,
“Sis, are you planning to join the army to find a man?”
The other asked,
“Is your child alright? What about your brother, how did the Police Officer investigate?”
Yesterday, the two of them had watched the whole drama unfold; now they were here for an update.
Chen Mianmian sighed,
“Xu Xiaomei has already come back, and my brother should be back soon too.”
A traveler brushing his teeth spat out toothpaste foam: “Impersonating someone to get into the Iron Pipe Bureau, and only locked up for one night?”
The two post office workers spoke in unison: “Doesn’t the Public Security Bureau have a problem with that?”
Chen Mianmian cried with sincere emotion: “The doctor said my child is in danger and I need to rest, but the guesthouse kicked me out. I have to walk 40 kilometers back to my mother’s house. I just hope my child can hold on, sob sob.”
The traveler brushing his teeth said,
“Forty kilometers? What if you miscarry?”
The old woman from next door came over, tapping her cane: “There are wolves and bears in the Gobi Desert, they’ll eat you, you know?”
Although there was a shuttle bus to the countryside, it didn’t pass through the village.
And in the Gobi of the northwest at this time, wolves and bears were still common, and indeed ate people.
Little Niuniu was eaten by wolves.
But in this era, people in small towns all knew each other, and the power of public opinion was no less than it would be in the future.
Did Xu Xiaomei really think things would quiet down after driving her away?
Chen Mianmian was delighted—she could use the power of public opinion to settle the score for that Fallen Water Case.
The man brushing his teeth raised his voice: “Why won’t the guesthouse let a pregnant woman stay?”
The old woman shouted,
“Director Jiang, on what grounds are you driving out a pregnant woman?”
Chen Mianmian pretended to be flustered: “Keep your voices down. Xu Xiaomei’s got strong connections—be careful, or she’ll have the Police Officer arrest you.”
The man laughed: “Isn’t she just an accountant? What connections could she have?”
The old woman said,
“She’s got a useless younger brother and a poor old mother—just regular people.”
Quancheng is a new industrial city; those with real backgrounds were all high-ranking military transfers.
Ordinary people had no such backing.
Seeing the crowd growing, Chen Mianmian whispered,
“Her three brothers are all Minbing, and one is even a team leader.”
She glanced at the courtyard: “I’m really scared—scared to leave the city…”
Just then, Xu Cigang came out.
The old woman took one look: “That guy in green really is a Minbing.”
Then, imagining further: “He probably wants to send you to a Labor Reform Farm, doesn’t he?”
Quancheng had five Labor Reform Farms, especially for reforming Rightists from all over the country, guarded by the Minbing Team.
The man said,
“Arresting a pregnant woman for labor reform? Are they crazy?”
The post office worker said,
“Using their position as Minbing to send people off to labor reform—how dark is that?”
Chen Mianmian added fuel to the fire: “They’re Minbing, after all. Slapping a Rightist Label on someone is as easy as they want.”
Outside the crowd, a cadre-like female comrade said loudly,
“The Central Government has issued document after document, repeatedly emphasizing not to arbitrarily slap Rightist Labels on people. What kind of background does this Xu family have, that they dare to go against orders?”
Xu Cigang heard everything, turned around, and went back to the accounting office—probably pretending to be dead.
But Director Jiang rushed out: “Xiao Chen, we’ve got a nice room ready for you, go stay there.”
Didn’t they just kick her out, bedding and all?
And now they wanted her back?
Chen Mianmian refused.
While the Police Officer hadn’t come yet, she was still busy stirring up the crowd.
Director Jiang came to pull her: “You’re a divorced woman—your mother’s house is your only support. Don’t go too far with this.”
Chen Mianmian bent over and cradled her belly: “Aiya, why did you bump my belly? It hurts!”
Director Jiang jumped back in fright, raising both hands and shouting,
“I didn’t do anything!”
The women all said together,
“She’s pregnant, don’t touch her!”
What bad luck.
Director Jiang stormed off, fuming.
Someone brought over a chair and helped Chen Mianmian sit down: “Sit and rest, don’t strain yourself.”
The old woman said again,
“Look at your pointy belly—must be a boy.”
Someone else chimed in,
“With your pretty face and big eyes, you’ll surely have a handsome baby boy.”
Just then, Chen Mianmian’s belly began to move.
The old woman smiled knowingly: “Look, he’s moving.”
The post office worker said,
“Good boy, he’s kicking around because we’re praising him.”
The bigger the baby, the more obvious the movement; once it started, her belly would ripple.
Even though they had only depended on each other for a day, Niuniu was already Chen Mianmian’s spiritual support.
She straightened her back and said loudly,
“No, I hope it’s a daughter.”
From ancient times to now, the preference for boys over girls had always persisted.
The old woman said,
“Daughters aren’t worth much; you need to have a son.”
The post office worker said,
“Sons are good. Sons will have your back in the future.”
Chen Mianmian said loudly,
“No way! Back when I got married, my bride price was five hundred yuan!”
The crowd was shocked: “Five hundred yuan? That’s enough to last a lifetime!”
Nowadays, five hundred yuan had the purchasing power of fifty thousand in the future—no wonder everyone was shocked.
Outside the crowd, that cadre-like female comrade said,
“You must have put all that money in the Bank, right? The interest must be huge.”
Back then, the Bank’s deposit interest rate was a terrifying 7%.
If you deposited five hundred yuan, the interest alone was about equal to a person’s monthly salary.
To think Chen Mianmian was a little rich lady—people drooled with envy.
But when she looked back at the guesthouse, her expression dimmed: “I handed all that money, every cent, to Xu Xiaomei myself.”
The old woman understood: “So they sold you off so your brother could have money to marry her.”
Chen Mianmian sighed,
“At that time, Xu Xiaomei was heavily pregnant. She said if my brother didn’t marry her, she’d accuse him of rape. My brother was only eighteen then, just started at the Iron Pipe Bureau, finally got his Iron Rice Bowl.”
Xu Xiaomei was five years older than Chen Jinhui, and forced her way in with a baby bump.
As soon as she entered the house, she gave birth to a son, who now lived back in her hometown.
The female cadre said,
“So your brother was actually a rapist, and only avoided jail because of you?”
Chen Mianmian gently stroked her belly: “That’s why daughters are so valuable. Both I and Xu Xiaomei were worth five hundred.”
A man said,
Sis, a bride price is fine, but you should keep it for yourself.”
He added,
“Selling sons and daughters is a feudal remnant. What your brother did is wrong.”
Chen Mianmian looked innocent: “But the Xu brothers are Minbing. My brother said if he didn’t marry, if he didn’t give five hundred yuan, they’d label him a hooligan Rightist and work him to death at the Labor Reform Farm. I asked my officer ex-husband for a high bride price just to save my brother’s life.”
Men understand men best.
One said,
“Your brother and his wife are probably putting on an act to trick you out of your bride price money.”
Chen Mianmian lowered her eyes, looking sad: “I thought if I sold myself, they would be grateful, would love me, but…”
The old woman thumped her cane: “Silly child, if they can sell you once, they can sell you twice.”
Chen Mianmian gently stroked her belly: “They can kill me or sell me, but they can’t harm my baby, can’t hurt my child!”
She had noticed a pattern—
Niuniu would squirm every hour, usually about once every fifteen minutes.
Right then, her belly, wrapped in a sweater, was moving again.
She said,
“Look, my daughter is moving! I don’t want to lose her.”
The baby’s fluttering made the crowd angry: “So much for being family—utterly heartless!”
Someone whispered,
“Look, it’s Xu Xiaomei and her brother.”
Someone immediately spat,
“Peh!”
Chen Mianmian chimed in at the right moment: “That bicycle—they bought it with my bride price.”
The onlookers looked on with contempt, and although Xu Xiaomei looked calm, her mind was buzzing.
She didn’t understand—what was wrong with her second sister-in-law?
Aren’t all women supposed to help out their family, help their brothers?
Isn’t that just how things are?
Xu Xiaomei’s father died early, and she helped her mother raise her brother.
Did she ever complain?
Chen Mianmian felt wronged, but how could she know how much Xu Xiaomei had suffered for her brothers, how many grievances she had swallowed?
She thought she could drive her away, but who knew Chen Mianmian would stir up trouble outside?
The more she talked, the more Xu Xiaomei’s head hurt. Unable to deal with her, she went home.
But just as she hung her travel bag on her bicycle, she heard someone say,Â
“Why are the Police Officer here again?”
Chen Mianmian, who had been pretending to be meek, immediately stood tall and pointed at Xu Cigang: “I’m reporting Xu Cigang by name—he’s killed someone, he’s a murderer!”
All eyes turned to Xu Cigang.
Chen Mianmian continued shouting,
“Look, he’s been exposed! He’s guilty and trying to run!”
Zhao Hui, the cadre-like woman who’d asked about the bride price, hadn’t formally met Chen Mianmian yet, but she’d seen her photo and recognized her at a glance.
The moment she received the telegram, she rushed over, for the sake of the Zhao family’s flesh and blood, but didn’t expect to run into a murder case.
As a soldier, she was decisive and direct.
She pointed at Xu Cigang.
The crowd quickly surrounded them.
“Stop right there!”
Xu Xiaomei saw things going south and shouted,
“Chen Mianmian, stop talking nonsense, or I’ll have the Police Officer detain you!”
Just like Chen Jinhui never beat his sister, Xu Cigang had never killed anyone.
Xu Xiaomei knew this, and so did he, which was why he pushed at Zhao Hui: “Big sis, please don’t block the way.”
But Zhao Hui got on his bicycle: “If you haven’t killed anyone, just explain it to the Police Officer. Why are you running?”
Just then, the Police Officer arrived.
Xu Xiaomei rushed over first and said,
“My second sister-in-law is spouting filth, spreading rumors—quick, arrest her!”
She was so confident because Xu Cigang really hadn’t killed anyone.
But what she didn’t know was that the Fallen Water Case they had plotted together back then was just as serious as intentional murder.
And that was exactly what Chen Mianmian wanted to expose!
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.