Chapter 106: Suspicious Tea
Coming down the mountain, a wide stretch of farmland came into view. The commune members were busy working in the fields.
Because of the trees blocking the sight, the people below had not yet noticed Mu Lantu and the others.
“Brother Xu, should we enter the village openly, or sneak in quietly?” Lu Manman asked nervously.
Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang both looked at Xu Jincheng. The two had hardly spoken the entire way, clearly not planning to take the lead.
Aunt Chunhua and Zhang Weimin also turned their eyes to Xu Jincheng. To put it bluntly, since Su Qianqian was already married, even if the Dongfanghong Brigade ignored her, no one could fault them. Xu Jincheng, as the team leader of the educated youths, was the one who had to decide how to handle things.
“Openly,” Xu Jincheng said firmly. “If the whole thing is just a misunderstanding, then we’re simply friends coming to visit—no need to skulk about. If something really has happened to Comrade Su, then we’re the side in the right, and even less reason to be afraid. That said, since we have two female comrades with us, we should still be cautious.”
Zhang Weimin nodded approvingly. “That’s easy enough—Comrade Lu and my mother can walk in the middle.”
Xu Jincheng waved his hand. “Let’s go!”
The six of them walked along the village road. Finally, the people in the fields spotted them.
“Brigade leader, outsiders are coming into our brigade!”
The middle-aged man addressed as brigade leader shaded his eyes with his hand. “The rest of you keep working—don’t slack off. Zhuzi, come with me to take a look.”
“Right!”
The two walked up a narrow ridge between the fields toward the road.
Seeing the pair coming straight at them, Xu Jincheng and the others slowed their steps, waiting a bit.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” The middle-aged man scanned them one by one. His gaze lingered longer on Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang—both carried an extraordinary air that made him uneasy, worried someone in his brigade had caused trouble without his knowledge.
Mu Lantu plucked two stalks of foxtail grass and handed one to Xu Huazhang.
Head lowered, Xu Huazhang thought: what should he weave? A hat? A basket? He couldn’t. A heart? That, he could.
The middle-aged man’s eyes shifted to Xu Jincheng, who stood at the front, though suspicion still lingered.
Xu Jincheng politely asked, “Uncle, is this the Jiefang Brigade?”
“Yes, this is the Jiefang Brigade,” the man replied. “I’m the brigade leader here, Sun Changsheng. And you are?”
“So you’re the brigade leader. Hello, Comrade Leader. Does your brigade have a female comrade named Su Qianqian? She used to be an educated youth, and earlier this year married into your brigade. We’re all her friends, and we’ve come to visit her.” Xu Jincheng produced a letter of introduction. “Here’s our letter.”
Mu Lantu and the others also presented theirs.
Sun Changsheng looked surprised. “You came all the way from Shuangfeng County? That’s a long journey—very thoughtful of you.”
Seeing that both Sun Changsheng and Zhuzi looked perfectly normal, Xu Jincheng felt some relief—apparently the Li family matter hadn’t blown up. That, to some extent, meant Su Qianqian was still safe.
“Since we’re friends, it’s only right. But as this is our first time here, we’ll need to trouble you for directions to Comrade Su’s home.”
Now assured these visitors weren’t dangerous, Sun Changsheng’s attitude softened.
“It’s easy to find. Just keep following this road forward until you see a fork. Take the right path and keep going until you reach a small slope. There’s a standalone courtyard there—that’s Comrade Su’s home.”
Zhuzi grinned. “Brigade leader, since they came from so far, why don’t I guide them there?”
Sun Changsheng glared at him. He knew this rascal just wanted to slack off. Still, seeing the time, it was almost quitting hour anyway.
“Fine. Zhuzi, take them over.”
Lu Manman said sweetly, “Thank you, Brigade Leader. Sorry to trouble you.”
“No trouble.” Sun Changsheng clasped his hands behind his back and walked away, calling out from afar, “Ma Sandan! Slacking again? Ershuan, write it down! Dock Ma Sandan two work points!”
As they walked, Lu Manman began asking Zhuzi about Su Qianqian.
“Comrade Zhuzi, do you know how Comrade Su is doing at the Li household?”
Zhuzi scratched his head, awkward. As a young man, it wasn’t really appropriate for him to comment on the affairs of a married woman.
“Should be pretty good? The Li family is simple—Uncle Li and Aunt Li only have two sons. The elder is Li Changmao, the younger Li Changsheng. Both married in recent years. Sister-in-law Mao had twin daughters three years ago. All together there are just eight people in the family. Both brothers eat state rations, Sister-in-law Mao is capable and diligent—their household is probably one of the best-off in the brigade.”
He spoke with obvious envy.
“Oh, right—Changmao and Changsheng are twins! And Mao’s two daughters are also twins. You’ve probably only met Changsheng, not Changmao. Don’t know if they’re home today. The brothers look almost identical—don’t mistake one for the other. Mao’s daughters also look exactly alike. Quite rare!”
Aunt Chunhua asked, “Comrade Zhuzi, why didn’t Comrade Su come to work today?”
Zhuzi laughed. “She doesn’t need to work. She and Changsheng used to live in the county, only recently moved back here.”
When pressed further, Zhuzi just grinned sheepishly and fell silent.
Xu Huazhang nudged Mu Lantu, passing him the crooked little “heart” he had woven.
Mu Lantu pinned it to his chest pocket and gave him a thumbs-up. Not bad—keep it up.
After a while, Zhuzi pointed to a spacious black-tiled courtyard ahead.
“There it is—that’s the Li family’s house. I’ll leave you here. Auntie Li doesn’t work in the fields, so there should be someone home. Just go on in.”
The solitary courtyard stood alone on a slope—over 300 meters west lay the bustling village, a mile north loomed green mountains, and on the other two sides were ponds.
Seeing the tightly closed gate even in broad daylight, Lu Manman felt an indescribable unease.
“Brother Zhuzi, why does the Li family live out here alone?” Xu Jincheng asked, pulling him aside. “It’s quite far from the village. Isn’t it scary at night? And with the mountains around, aren’t you afraid of wild animals wandering in?”
Aunt Chunhua slipped him a handful of peanuts.
“Here, nephew, have some peanuts. What a coincidence—I’ve got a nephew also called Zhuzi. Why don’t you keep us a bit more company?”
Zhuzi, embarrassed but delighted with his roasted peanuts, said, “Thanks, Auntie. The Li’s used to live in the village. But years ago, Brother Guomao had a hunting accident in the mountains. Because of that, Uncle and Aunt Li fell into a big feud with some villagers. Lots of quarrels, even fights. They didn’t want to live in the village anymore, so they built a new house here.”
“I see,” Aunt Chunhua said. “A rather decisive couple.”
Seeing there was nothing more to learn, Xu Jincheng thanked Zhuzi.
Zhuzi waved it off and bounded away.
“Let’s go,” Xu Jincheng said, striding down the path between the two ponds.
The rest followed.
Xu Jincheng stepped up and knocked on the gate.
“Who is it?”
A woman’s deep voice came from inside. Other than that, all was quiet.
Xu Jincheng signaled to Lu Manman.
Lu Manman called out, “Auntie, hello—we’re friends of Comrade Su Qianqian, come especially to visit her.”
Inside, they heard furniture scraping and bumping. The noise was muffled by the walls but still loud.
“Oh, you’re Qianqian’s friends? Qianqian isn’t home. Just me here, an old woman not in the best health—not convenient for me to open the door… You see…”
Mu Lantu and the others exchanged grave looks.
Lu Manman’s eyes flashed with anger. She raised her voice. “Auntie, we already asked the brigade leader. He said Qianqian is at home! Maybe she returned while you were resting, so you didn’t know.”
Footsteps shuffled inside. A plump middle-aged woman slowly opened the door.
She looked around forty, wearing a finely stitched black cotton jacket and gray trousers. Her cropped black hair was neatly slicked with oil, not a strand out of place. Her face was well-kept, smoother than many young girls’, and she smiled apologetically.
Seeing more than just the girl at the door, her smile froze for a moment. Her hands still gripped the door, not opening it fully.
Mu Lantu’s eyes glinted with interest. Body language never lied—she clearly didn’t want them entering.
“Look at me,” she said with a laugh, “I was dozing off in the sun just now and got muddled. Qianqian’s home. Please, come in.”
Aunt Chunhua warmly seized her hand and pushed her along into the courtyard, swinging the door wider.
“Oh my, you must be Qianqian’s mother-in-law? Didn’t expect you to look so young! Our Qianqian is truly blessed! How should I call you? If you don’t mind, I’ll call you ‘sister’? You can’t be forty yet, right?”
Mu Lantu and the others crowded into the yard.
Strangely, with all this commotion, Su Qianqian still didn’t appear.
Instead, two little girls toddled out of the right wing room. Two or three years old, identical in looks, neatly dressed with clean shoes, twin pigtails perfectly tied. But they were thin, small, and their complexions a bit sallow.
Seeing strangers, they froze and dared not come closer.
“Big Ya, Little Ya—go fetch your grandpa, quick! We have guests! Go on!” Du Xiujuan broke free from Aunt Chunhua’s grasp and hurried the girls toward the gate.
Hand in hand, the twins scurried off.
Lu Manman tried to stop them. “Auntie, there are ponds outside—they’re so little—”
“It’s fine, they’re sensible. They’ve walked that path hundreds of times.” Du Xiujuan smiled, then went inside to fetch chairs and pour tea. “Sit, have some tea. I’ll go call Qianqian. She’s been unwell these days and resting indoors.”
Mu Lantu stared at the tea cups, his expression faintly odd.
Zhang Weimin rubbed his stomach. Inopportune as it was, he was hungry. He had eaten poorly that morning, and after such a long trek, all his food had long been digested.
He lifted a teacup. Mu Lantu gave a small cough.
Zhang Weimin didn’t notice, about to drink, when Mu Lantu coughed again.
Everyone turned to look.
Seeing that Mu Lantu only stared at the tea without drinking, Zhang Weimin suddenly glanced down at the brownish liquid and froze, wide-eyed. This tea…?
