Chapter 27: When Dogs Fight, They Only Get a Mouthful of Fur

When Tang Banxia heard that the injured were those two, she immediately lost all sense of urgency. She even stood there watching Accountant Hu train his donkey for a while before strolling leisurely back home.

Liu Hongfen called out, “Comrade Tang, you…”

Tang Banxia turned with a smile, “I’m just going home to get something. I’ll be there soon. You go ahead, Comrade Liu.”

Liu Hongfen, a straightforward girl, nodded and jogged off toward the commune quarters.

Tang Banxia withdrew her gaze and continued ambling home.

“Wife, are you really going to treat them?” Wen Mubai took the basket off her back.

Tang Banxia replied with solemn righteousness, “Of course. A healer must have a heart as broad as a parent’s.”

“Oh?” Wen Mubai was skeptical.

Sure enough, Tang Banxia leaned in and whispered, “I just want to have a look at Liu Liyun’s miserable state—it’ll be satisfying.”

Her grudge with Liu Liyun was personal, but now that she’d just been appointed the barefoot doctor, she couldn’t afford to leave people with the impression that she abused her power for personal vendettas.

At most, she’d just be a little rough during treatment.

Wen Mubai understood instantly and was quite enthusiastic. “I’ll go with you.”

“Let’s go.”

They put the basket away at home and strolled together to the commune quarters.

Inside, Liu Liyun had a gash on her forehead, blood everywhere, half her blouse stained with spots of red. When she saw Tang Banxia enter, her eyes lit up. “Banxia, finally! Help me stop the bleeding!”

Tang Banxia nodded with a stern expression, stepped forward, grasped Liu Liyun’s jaw, and probed the wound with her other hand. “Hmm, not a small cut. This one will leave a scar.”

“What?” Liu Liyun shrieked.

Tang Banxia’s grip on her jaw was firm. “What are you yelling for? Who else can you blame?”

She let go of Liu Liyun’s face with a flick, wiped her hand in disgust. “What happened?”

Liu Liyun’s face darkened, lips pressed tight, unwilling to explain. “Just stop the bleeding already.”

Tang Banxia shot her a sidelong glance. “Fine.”

She pulled out two embroidery needles from her pocket, disinfected them, and with deft movements stitched the wound. The bleeding slowed visibly. “Done, it’s stopped.”

She wiped the needles. “That’ll be ten cents for the consultation.”

“So expensive? You just stuck me with two needles!” Liu Liyun looked at her suspiciously, as if she was being fleeced.

Tang Banxia rolled her eyes. “Pay if you want—otherwise, we’ll just deduct it from your work points.”

Now she finally understood the confidence that came with an iron rice bowl—security was everything!

Liu Liyun pursed her lips and tried to play the sympathy card. “Banxia, we…”

“We’re leaving.” Tang Banxia turned and left.

Wen Mubai came out of the men’s dormitory to join her, and in a blink, their figures disappeared from the commune quarters.

Liu Liyun’s words were all stuck in her throat.

Meanwhile, Tang Banxia and Wen Mubai were gossiping together.

Tang Banxia asked, “Well? Did you get the details?”

“I did.” Wen Mubai handed her a handful of sunflower seeds. “Xu Guiming was sent to the commune yesterday, right?”

“But he insisted he was acting for the good of the organization. They had no choice but to let him off with a warning and send him back.”

“This morning, Liu Liyun started making snide remarks about you at the commune quarters. No one knows what got into Xu Guiming, but he ended up hitting Liu Liyun.”

“They say Liu Liyun’s screams were so loud that half the village could hear it. Even the brigade leader was alerted.”

“In the end, Xu Guiming apologized to Liu Liyun and promised to take her work shifts until she was fully recovered.”

“That’s it?” Tang Banxia had expected something juicier.

Wen Mubai looked at her and laughed. “Isn’t that enough?”

“Hardly.” Tang Banxia glanced at him.

“Then what would be enough for you?” Wen Mubai asked, curious.

Tang Banxia vividly described the eighteen infamous tortures of the Qing dynasty. Wen Mubai feigned horror, “You’re ruthless—but I like it.”

They laughed and joked all the way home.

Back home, Wen Mubai finally said, “Wife, this morning Wen Wenming and I went to the neighboring village and bought some grain. It’s all here, take a look.”

Tang Banxia was curious. “Where did you get the money?”

Wen Mubai hummed, “Martyr’s subsidy.”

Tang Banxia had only asked in passing, and went to inspect the grain: a hundred catties of sweet potatoes, thirty of soybeans, fifty of wheat, and a hundred of corn kernels.

Not bad—enough to last them until the autumn harvest. “The neighboring village is selling grain?”

“Yes, privately.” Wen Mubai said indifferently.

Tang Banxia understood. They were clearly skirting the edge of the law. “Is it expensive?”

“Cheaper than the black market,” Wen Mubai explained.

“Then buy more when you can. I don’t have many grain coupons left, and our work points are nowhere near enough to feed us both.” Tang Banxia believed in taking advantage of any good deal.

Who knew how long they’d be free? The more they could stash away, the better.

“Alright.” Wen Mubai agreed readily.

But he looked at Tang Banxia, hesitant to speak.

She noticed. “What is it?”

“Qi Xin says he has connections in the neighboring village and wants to work with us. Wife, do you think I should do it too?”

Ever since he had begun to take their relationship seriously, Wen Mubai could no longer rely on Tang Banxia for everything.

Before, he’d only had to feed himself and had nothing left over. But now, since he wanted a better life, he had to find a way to make money.

“You know I’m no good at farming,” he said. “I have to find another way.”

Tang Banxia’s first instinct was to refuse, but the words stuck in her throat and she swallowed them back. “Do you want to go?”

“I do!” Wen Mubai answered decisively, then added softly, “I can’t just let you support me.”

“Then give it a try,” Tang Banxia said. “But let’s agree on one thing.”

Wen Mubai’s eyes sparkled. “Tell me.”

“You must promise to stay safe. If you’re ever discovered, just drop the goods—no matter what, you must come back to me unharmed. Do you hear me?”

Tang Banxia didn’t see speculation as a crime, but in these times, that was exactly how it was treated.

Even so, she wouldn’t stand in the way of Wen Mubai’s ambition. He was right—he couldn’t farm, and he ate a lot, so he had to find another means of making a living.

“Is that side of things in the neighboring village safe?” She pressed further.

“It’s safe,” Wen Mubai had already done his homework. “They’re working with villages deep in the mountains, and there are people backing them. We’d just be making a little bit on the side; the big profits and the real risks aren’t ours to worry about.”

“At worst, we might lose a bit of merchandise.” Wen Mubai had already figured it all out, he’d just lacked the motivation to participate.

“Alright, give it a go,” Tang Banxia relented.

“But don’t feel pressured. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll just quit—and I’ll take care of you. Have you forgotten what I said when we got married? I’ll provide for you.” She stroked Wen Mubai’s face. “For your face alone, I’d be willing to support you for a lifetime.”

Wen Mubai’s eyes shone. “You’re wonderful, but I don’t want you to work so hard. I want to take care of you, too.”

It was the first time anyone had favored him unconditionally, and he was addicted to the feeling.

“Alright, just be careful,” Tang Banxia reminded him again.

Then she took out the day labor contract she’d signed that day and showed it to Wen Mubai. “Look, from now on I can earn not just work points, but also real money. Supporting you is no problem at all.”

She didn’t want Wen Mubai to put himself in danger just to make money, so she wanted him to feel at ease.

Wen Mubai gripped the handwritten contract tightly, his voice thick with emotion. “I know. I’ll be careful.”