Night had fallen. In the east room of the Xu family's third branch, a single oil lamp on a small table flickered, casting a dim, yellow light. The members of the Xu and Bai families, exhausted from a long day's work, filled the room, sitting both on and off the heated platform bed.
Tonight, with the exception of Bai Laosan, who was on shift at the coal mine, and Bai the Fourth, who worked in the county seat, the heads of every branch of the Xu and Bai families were gathered here.
Xu Qiguang sat silhouetted against the light. He glanced at his daughter, Xu Changqing. After pouring water for the elders, she had retreated quietly to the side, where she now stood obediently with her hands behind her back. He lowered his head and stared at the floor.
"Dad," Xu Dazhu began, "you and her uncle, what do you think is the best way to handle this? That kid is relentless, insisting our Changqing framed him. He's threatening to go to the Educated Youth Office to have them sort it out."
As members of the maternal side of the family, the two Bai brothers, Bai Xinsheng included, who had also rushed over after their shift, deferred to the Xus. With their sister's father-in-law and eldest brother-in-law present, they simply listened. When Xu Dazhu spoke, they turned their gaze to Xu Dageng.
Xu Dageng, known as Old Xu, was pinching some tobacco shreds and tamping them into his pipe. At these words, his old eyes fell upon his granddaughter, Xu Changqing, who stood below as if she were being punished. He let out a chuckle.
"Dad?" Xu Dazhu sounded exasperated. The Bai family was watching; they had to be serious. "This isn't the time to be coddling her. Let's just say what needs to be said and get this over with. Delays will only cause more problems."
"Taking me for an illiterate old fool?" Xu Dageng shot his eldest son a sidelong glance. "You think the Educated Youth Office can do anything for that kid? This is a family dispute. What business is it of theirs?"
'The man knows what he's talking about!' Bai Xinsheng gave the old patriarch a mental thumbs-up. 'Just as expected from the "honest man" who not only braved the Provincial City in his youth but even managed to bring a city wife back to the village.'
"Then what's your plan? We just let it go?" Xu Dazhu pressed. "Aren't you afraid of what people will say about your granddaughter? If her reputation is ruined, how does that help her?"
Seeing Xu Dageng's smile fade, Xu Changqing thought, 'This is bad,' and quickly interjected, "First Uncle, please don't be angry. I don't care about my reputation…"
"So you just grabbed your brother-in-law and beat him up without getting the facts straight? Do you have any proof? Or did he sign a confession admitting he went into the east room to steal something?"
At his side, Bai Xinsheng couldn't help but glare at Xu Dazhu for speaking such blunt truths. He coughed heavily to draw everyone's attention, then picked up his enamel mug and began to speak.
"Here's the thing," he started. "It's all just a bit of a coincidence, right? You think our girl is the type to act recklessly? If it had been one of our own rascals, he'd have known to steer clear."
'Exactly! If he'd just stayed away, none of this would've happened!' Second Uncle Bai nodded emphatically. Even his own son, at his young age, knew how to read the room. If things looked bad, he'd be gone faster than anyone.
'Not like that useless oaf, who's all mouth and no action. He actually stood there dumbly waiting for a beating. If you ask me, he did it on purpose. He just doesn't want to go to work.'
"It's not that I'm being an unreasonable uncle, but given our Changqing's skills—I'm the one who trained her, you know. If she had gotten serious, would he even be left breathing?"
Xu Dazhu felt a headache coming on. 'Listen to him… so she even went easy on the guy?' He looked speechlessly at Xu Qiguang, who sat opposite him. As the father of the person involved, he had remained silent this whole time.
As he looked at his ever-more-composed younger brother, Xu Dazhu felt a mix of complicated emotions. This brother of his was like a mountain looming over him. No matter how bad his luck got, he remained a mountain.
Of course, as a child, he'd wished he didn't have this brother. But now that they were both fathers, he'd long since come to terms with it. With a brother like him, no one dared to look down on the Xu family.
At this thought, Xu Dazhu (Xu Kai Fu), who had initially wanted Xu Qiguang to speak up, turned instead to his own full brother, Xu Erzhu (Xu Qiming). Catching his eye, he gave him a subtle look.
Xu Erzhu shook his head slightly. 'This business… how should it be handled? It's not my place as the second uncle to say anything, nor is it appropriate for me to give an opinion. After all, I have three daughters of my own.'
'If I say something trivial, it's meaningless. Who would listen? And don't be fooled by our third brother's silence; he must have a plan in mind. But if I say something harsh, it could easily cause a misunderstanding and disrupt the peace.'
'What could I possibly say? Didn't you see how the expressions on those two Bai brothers changed right after you said, "If her reputation is ruined, how does that help her?"'
'Besides, unlike my older brother, I see it more clearly. That kid was deliberately targeting the Bai family this time. He knows Secretary Bai has high hopes for my third brother's daughter, Changqing, so he wants to use this as an opportunity to get sent back to the city.'
Bai Xinsheng's gaze swept across the room and then returned to the main players. Seeing that his brother-in-law showed no sign of speaking, he continued, "Right now, this whole thing is a 'he said, she said' mess.
However, her first uncle was right about one thing: a ruined reputation really does her no good. Uncle," he said, addressing Xu Dageng, "how about this? My brother-in-law is busy with work. I'll leave it to you to decide what to say to outsiders, and I'll handle the rest. I have a pretty good idea of what that kid is after."
Xu Dageng agreed without hesitation. "That's how it should be. I'm her own grandfather; this little matter is nothing. Her oldest uncle, you take charge of the arrangements. If you need anything, just go to my third son. The two of them, father and daughter, are both tongue-tied like me. They have a habit of keeping everything bottled up, so I'll have to trouble you to look after them."
Having been mentioned twice in a row, Xu Qiguang looked up at his father's words. His eyes held a complicated expression as he glanced at Xu Dageng, who was sitting cross-legged on the platform bed, before he quickly averted his gaze.
"No need to say all that, we're not strangers," Bai Xinsheng said. "It's getting late, and I still have to swing by the threshing ground. Uncle, you should get some rest. You have another busy day starting early tomorrow."
That was true.
They had been up since before the rooster crowed and had worked until dark. With only a few hours left until dawn, everyone was bone-tired, especially since they had to rush the harvest in the morning.
Bai Xinsheng stood up and flicked his silent niece on the forehead. "An elder in the family is a treasure. If there's anything you can't figure out, go talk to your grandpa."
Seeing that he was leaving, the Xus, led by Xu Dageng, all rose to see him off, some climbing off the platform bed, others getting to their feet. As they passed Xu Changqing, each of them gave her a light pat on the head.
Xu Changqing smiled shyly, tilted her head and scratched her short hair, falling in at the back of the group. When she reached the outer room and saw that her grandmother was unexpectedly there too, she got a fright and quickly hurried to catch up with her second uncle.
Falling a step behind, Xu Erzhu chuckled. He reached out, hooked an arm around his niece's other shoulder, and guided her outside. "Perfect timing," he teased. "I was just heading over to Bai Mi's place. Let's go together."
"I was afraid her hand would get itchy."
Xu Erzhu glanced at the group of people ahead, then leaned down and whispered with a smile in his niece's ear, "You're much more capable than your dad. You did all his work for him."
"Second Brother?"
"Hey, coming!" Seeing Xu Dazhu call for him, Xu Erzhu quickly stifled his smile but couldn't resist one last jibe. "This time, I guess you really will have to stay home."
'What a pun!' Xu Changqing couldn't help but smile faintly. But as she looked up at the night sky, she sighed to herself. 'If I had a choice, who would want this?'
It had been a chaotic day, and the dream replayed in her mind like a revolving lantern. She needed to think it over carefully. Was it just a case of 'what you think by day, you dream of by night,' or was it a warning from the heavens?
"Xu Changqing!"
'I'm screwed…'
'There's no getting out of this.'