Chapter 32: Catastrophe Imminent

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Caiyun saw that the children had all fallen asleep, yet she felt no drowsiness at all. Suddenly, waves of nausea overwhelmed her, and she felt like vomiting. She rubbed her chest and abdomen vigorously with her hands, but there was no improvement.

She sat up and leaned against the wall, feeling somewhat better, but discomfort persisted in her lower body. She knew what was wrong, so she got up and boiled some hot water, washing repeatedly, yet it never felt clean enough.

She then washed her forehead with water, feeling that dirt had entered there as well. She knew she had done something so vile this very night that even she couldn’t forgive herself. Thinking of this, a suffocating sensation gripped her, making it hard to breathe.

Seeing the sleeping children, she touched Yuqiang’s and Yujun’s heads, feeling their warmth. She exhaled deeply, her heart clearing, and her breathing easing. To this mother, the lives of her children were paramount above all else.

The next day, the children sat on the ground against the sunlit wall, chatting and laughing, full of vitality.

Wang Hongbing found it strange. After being hungry for more than a day, none of the children had left; instead, they seemed even more spirited. He firmly believed Caiyun had stolen some grain from the seed bank before, but where was it hidden? He had to find a way to uncover it.

Originally, the seed bank had two locks. When the accountant went to the reservoir construction site, Wang Hongbing had requested the key to the second lock be left with him for management and security purposes.

Although Wang Hongbing could open the seed bank alone, he only dared to steal small amounts of each type of grain. That way, if other team cadres questioned him, he could explain the losses as natural—due to evaporation or rats. If Caiyun stole any and it was discovered, the blame would fall on him, which was unacceptable.

He called two personnel in charge of grain at the sun-drying field to search Caiyun’s home together. Inside and outside the house, front yard and backyard, every suspicious spot was dug up, but nothing was found. Still unsatisfied, he suspected the grain might be hidden on Caiyun or the children, so he searched each child thoroughly—again, to no avail.

After returning home, he carried a manure basket and wandered around the ancestral tombs of Old Chen’s family but found nothing unusual. He simply could not fathom where Caiyun had hidden the grain. He thought Caiyun was too cunning, and as a hunter, he needed to improve his skills against such prey. Yet he was certain: there was no grain in Caiyun’s house.

Caiyun watched Wang Hongbing pacing back and forth with the manure basket and laughed silently to herself. In these times, not even a bird could be seen in the fields; where would the animal dung come from? Clearly, he was still searching for grain.

In fact, Caiyun had hidden the grain right under his nose—he just hadn’t thought of it.

Wang Hongbing believed he couldn’t be outsmarted by a woman with his own abilities. That night, he had his mother hide by the back wall to watch Caiyun’s back door, while he concealed himself by the grass stack at his own door to watch her front door. Neither slept all night, yet Caiyun and the children slept soundly through it all.

On the fourth morning, Caiyun went to the canteen for food. The canteen had resumed normal supply, finally overcoming the three-day ration cut. However, Yujun’s swollen leg still troubled her.

A few days later, the brigade recalled a batch of workers who transported nearly all the grain from the sun-drying field to the commune grain station. It was said that the county was experiencing a severe grain shortage and urgently requisitioned it. A small amount was left and stored in the brigade’s small warehouse, and the “Big-headed Mallet” lost his cushy job as a warehouse attendant.

Caiyun noticed Yujun’s leg swelling had worsened and grew anxious. She discussed with Yuqiang and Yulan, deciding to feed the remaining peanuts to Yujun. The two children nodded repeatedly, which comforted Caiyun.

To evade Wang Hongbing’s searches, Caiyun hid the few peanuts she had in Wang Hongbing’s family’s grass stack—something he never suspected.

After feeding Yujun those peanuts for several days, she felt his leg was slightly improving, though not significantly. He worried about the future when no more grain would be available. With more than two months until the summer harvest, how to survive this long ordeal was a daunting challenge before Caiyun.

After “Big-headed Mallet” lost his warehouse job, the daily two liang of bean cake from the canteen was barely enough to keep the belly of this big man from growling. Starving, he was forced to go to the western hills to dig up tree roots and grass roots.

One evening, as “Big-headed Mallet” descended the mountain, he saw a figure lying at the foot. Approaching, he found it was a woman lying face down—it was Caiyun.

He held her tightly and called out to her, but she didn’t respond. Feeling some warmth still from her chest and sensing breath at her nose, he knew she was alive but had fainted from hunger. Dropping his tools, he carried Caiyun back.

The once-strong man now struggled to carry the frail woman, but he finally managed to bring her home in the dark.

After laying Caiyun on the bed, locking the door, he carefully took out the small amount of rice he had been reluctant to use, hidden near the stove, and cooked some rice soup. Holding Caiyun close to his chest, he fed her little by little until she gradually regained consciousness.

When Caiyun learned what had happened, she grasped “Big-headed Mallet”’s hand and said, “Honglei, I will never forget your lifesaving kindness.”

“Caiyun, you are the only woman in this world who makes me feel happy and proud. For you, I am willing to do anything.”

“Big-headed Mallet” held her tightly, kissing her tenderly on the cheek.

“I should go back; the children might be worried.”

“I’ll see you off.”

“No need. I’m fine now. I can go back on my own.”

“Take this.” He handed Caiyun a small cloth bag filled with about half a jin of rice from a jar.

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“What’s this?”

“This is a little grain I saved. Take it back to tide you over.”

“This is your lifeline; you should keep it.”

“I’ll be at the construction site tomorrow where I can eat enough. I’m more worried about whether you can get through this.”

Caiyun took the bag and embraced “Big-headed Mallet” tightly. “Honglei, I don’t know how to repay your great kindness.”

“I don’t want anything in return. I just hope you live well so I can see you often—that’s enough for me.”

Caiyun used that grain to get by for a few days. Soon, she noticed Yujun’s swelling had spread to his face, and she once again suffered sleepless nights. She racked her brain, sensing a new disaster approaching, hoping to find a key to overcome this crisis, but no good ideas came.

Near dawn, Caiyun drifted into a hazy sleep. She seemed to hear Fa Cai say, “Caiyun, Wang Hongbing’s grain is hidden between his father’s and uncle’s two tombs. He often comes with his mother late at night to take the grain…”

Hearing this, a burst of joy woke her. She didn’t know what else Fa Cai wanted to say, but it was enough to excite her. She felt Fa Cai was still alive, still supporting and encouraging her as always.

Caiyun had pondered where Wang Hongbing might hide the grain but found no result despite long observation. Still, she firmly believed he had secret grain stored somewhere because his whole family was relatively healthy, hardly affected by famine. She never expected him to hide it there.

The next day, carrying a shovel, Caiyun pretended to be filling in soil on Fa Cai’s grave. Approaching the place Fa Cai mentioned, where Wang Hongbing hid the grain, she slowed down and observed carefully but found no sign of disturbed soil. She felt deflated like a punctured ball.

While filling the grave soil, she muttered to Fa Cai, “Fa Cai, the place you mentioned doesn’t seem to have anything unusual. Maybe you were mistaken.”

“Shady side.”

Caiyun thought she heard someone say “shady side.” She straightened up and looked around; no one was there. Thinking she might be losing her mind, she pinched her earlobe and felt fine.

As she left, she kept wondering what “shady side” meant. Did it refer to the grain being hidden on the tomb’s shadowed side?

Wang Hongbing’s ancestral tomb was adjacent to the southernmost edge of his family’s original cultivated field. Passersby could only see the sunny side of the tomb but not the shady side, where a drainage ditch was dug. Outsiders couldn’t access it.

Caiyun checked the village front and surroundings—no one was around. She went there to observe and indeed found something wrong.

Wang Hongbing’s father’s tomb was new, while his uncle’s tomb was old and covered with weeds. The area where the two tombs connected had a patch of weeds different from the rest. She kicked the ground and found the weeds were laid on top. Caiyun concluded this was the entrance to the grain storage hole.

Back home, she found a wooden stick and sharpened one end, preparing to bring Yujun along. But she worried the children might be clumsy and cause trouble, or something like last time might happen, putting the children at risk. So she decided to venture into the tiger’s den alone.

Near midnight, under moonlight, Caiyun found the spot and poked the stick about five inches down until it hit something hard. She squatted and carefully cleared the soil by hand, revealing a wooden board.

She lifted it and lit a candle, seeing a cellar about one person deep with a simple wooden ladder at the entrance. Looking around and seeing no one, she stepped down the ladder.

Inside were two sacks of rice, one sack of wheat, and some peanuts, soybeans, and corn. Caiyun filled a small cloth bag that could hold about ten jin, then prepared to leave.

Just as she climbed the ladder and was about to steady herself, someone grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth.

Before she could react, she heard Wang Hongbing’s voice: “Mom, use the headscarf to gag her.”

Caiyun’s mouth was quickly muffled. She felt doomed, certain Wang Hongbing intended to harm her. Fear engulfed her.

“Bring the rope. Tie her hands first, make it tight.” Wang Hongbing twisted her hands behind her back and told his mother to tie them.

“Done.” Caiyun heard his mother’s voice.

“Bind her legs too.” Wang Hongbing pushed her to the ground, held her legs, and told his mother to tie them as well.

“How did she figure out we hid the grain here?”

“That woman is not simple. I told you to watch here every day to guard against her.”

“I felt something was wrong when I saw her go to the north side of the ancestral tomb. Good thing I was vigilant.”

“Stealing grain is easy; hiding it is hard. Without solid evidence, no one dares to dig up our ancestral tomb, so this is the safest place.”

“All your brothers know you’re hoarding grain secretly. They keep asking me—where do you hide it?”

“That must never be said.”

“I understand, but some of their children are barely surviving. Can you at least help them?”

“In these times, I can’t care about so many things.”

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Wang Hongbing went down to fetch a sack, stuffed Caiyun inside, and tied the sack’s opening tightly.

“Hongbing, what do you plan to do with her?”

“Throw her into the water.”

“That’s too cruel.”

“It can’t be otherwise. Leaving a witness is too dangerous. If word gets out, no one in our family will be safe.”

“If she dies, what about those children?”

“Eldest Yuqiang is just like Fa Cai; he has to die. The other two, Fafu will surely adopt them, so don’t worry.”

“Yuqiang is still a child; he’s innocent. You can’t do this.”

“You don’t know. The last time with the wasp nest was his doing. He almost killed me with his slingshot.”

“How do you know he did it?”

“His sister Yulan told me herself.”

“Yuqiang is mischievous, but who would have thought wasps could be deadly? I think he meant no harm.”

“I know what I’m doing. You don’t need to interfere.”

“Where will you throw Caiyun?”

“Into the North River Bay, let her drift downstream so no one suspects us.”

Wang Hongbing carried the sack with Caiyun inside toward North River Bay.

Inside, Caiyun struggled. Though gagged, she could still make sounds, hoping someone would hear and rescue her.

She thought her own death wouldn’t matter, but what of the three children?

Wang Hongbing also intended to kill Yuqiang. Yujun’s leg was still swollen. Tears streamed uncontrollably as she longed for Fafu to come back soon and save the children’s lives.

She thought of Fa Cai again, silently praying: Fa Cai, forgive me for not raising these children with my own hands.

Near North River Bay, Wang Hongbing whispered to Caiyun, “Caiyun, don’t blame me for being heartless. You threatened our lifeline; I have no choice.”

He reached the river, threw Caiyun into the water, and under the moonlight watched the sack sink before turning away.