Chapter 50 Unworthy of a Mother

Widow Hu opened her mouth, unsure what to say. Hu Dashan ignored her and turned back to the brigade office. The accountants followed him inside, still in the dark about what was happening.

Huang Xiaocui thought for a moment, pulled the two sisters, Pan Di and Lai Di, over, and handed them to Hu Chunhua. “Chunhua, take these two girls to the clinic to warm up. Auntie will come over after the meeting.”

Hu Chunhua nodded, took the sisters by their hands, and led them to the clinic.

Only then did Huang Xiaocui return to the office, passing Widow Hu as she spat in disgust.

Inside, Hu Dashan was already puffing on his tobacco pipe.

“Brigade leader, what’s really going on?” Huang Xiaocui, bold and straightforward, couldn’t stand all the secrecy.

“Ah…” Hu Dashan let out a deep sigh. “Hu Shenggen, that little bastard, is a regular at the Ma Wu brothers’ place.”

Anyone with half a brain could see that Hu Shenggen, as foolish as he was, could never outplay the Ma Wu brothers. But gambling is a trap, and once you’re hooked, it’s hard to escape.

Hu Shenggen started off tasting a bit of luck, winning a few rounds. But once they saw he was addicted, the brothers began reeling him in. He’d lose a little, win a few, keeping him dangling.

Soon, the losses piled up and Hu Shenggen couldn’t pay. That’s when Ma Wu suggested he could settle his debts by handing over his sisters.

Hu Shenggen, rotten to the core, agreed without hesitation. He went home, cried and pleaded with Widow Hu, and so Zhao Di was sent to Ma Wu to pay off the debt.

Later, the Ma Wu brothers were exposed—not only for gambling, but also for trafficking women. It was a major case. The county took it seriously, the police worked overtime, and none of Ma Wu’s regulars escaped scrutiny.

The girls found in the gorge were questioned about their origins, and Chief Yu ordered them all brought back to the station.

When Hu Shenggen was arrested, he was caught red-handed at the Ma Wu brothers’ den, unable to deny a thing.

The authorities took it very seriously, and the case progressed quickly. The day after the Ma Wu brothers were arrested, word spread fast—down from the county to the town, then to the commune.

Hu Dashan had been summoned early that morning. Before he could even be confused, he was berated mercilessly.

He struggled to piece together the useful facts from the barrage of scolding, and his heart went cold. This was his nephew—was this how he brought honor to the family?

Back in the brigade office, the officials listened to the story, their faces darkening.

Huang Xiaocui cursed, “Rotten to the core! Do they think girls can just be given away like that?”

“Good riddance. That little beast deserves to rot behind bars. If you ask me, they ought to be shot, so they’ll never dare mistreat girls again,” scorekeeper Shi Jian spat out. “Animals!”

The accountant’s face was twisted with disgust. “From now on, no more special treatment for Widow Hu’s family.”

The squad leader from Team One nodded, “Understood.” Previously, out of pity for a single woman raising children, she’d been given easy work and high labor points. Now, with that gone, he could assign those jobs to his own family.

“What about Zhao Di and her sisters?” Team Two’s leader frowned. “They still have to live under Widow Hu.”

Huang Xiaocui considered, “Zhao Di is sixteen, old enough to manage her own household. Pan Di is thirteen, she can earn labor points, too.”

“Why not split the sisters off? Away from Widow Hu and her daughter, the three could live much better.”

The truth was, Zhao Di and her sisters had been supporting Widow Hu and her daughter all along.

Everyone looked to Hu Dashan.

As village officials, they couldn’t formally decide family splits, but Hu Dashan had another role—as clan leader of the Hu family. His involvement was appropriate.

Hu Dashan drew deeply on his pipe. “Let’s do it.”

“We’ll wait for Zhao Di’s return and ask her. If she agrees, I’ll make the decision.”

In the clinic next door, Tang Banxia had prepared medicinal herbs and was soaking the sisters’ feet and hands.

Hu Pan Di sat stiffly, clutching her younger sister’s hand, watching the beautiful Tang, the educated youth, crouch to help them wash their feet.

Her feet were blackened and bruised, covered in scars, a stark contrast to Tang’s delicate white hands. She instinctively tried to pull her feet away. “Comrade Tang, let me do it myself.”

Tang Banxia caught her retreating foot, firm. “Don’t move. Your chilblains are festering, they need to be cleaned properly, or they’ll rot again every year.”

Hu Chunhua washed Lai Di’s feet beside them, feeling a deep ache in her heart. “Such suffering!”

Aunt Hu brought a kettle of boiling water from the brigade office. “I overheard next door, my husband plans to have the three sisters split off.”

Hu Pan Di looked up sharply, “Really?”

Aunt Hu handed her a bunch of dried sweet potatoes. “Share with Lai Di.”

“You’ll know for sure when your sister comes back,” Aunt Hu replied.

Hu Pan Di’s eyes filled with tears, spilling over. “Thank you, thank you.”

Aunt Hu sighed, wiping her tears. “Things will be better now. You girls have a long life ahead.”

She was more clear-eyed than anyone in the village.

After learning why Hu Shenggen was arrested, she knew it would be hard for him to return.

Without Hu Shenggen, Widow Hu was a tiger without teeth.

Hu Pan Di nodded vigorously, and a flicker of hope appeared in her numb eyes.

Tang Banxia, listening, was happy for the sisters.

After half an hour, Tang announced, “All done.”

Aunt Hu dried the girls’ feet, while Tang Banxia took out a jar of her homemade chilblain ointment and handed it to Hu Chunhua to treat the sisters.

As they applied the ointment, Huang Xiaocui arrived, carrying scraps of thread and fabric. Without a word, she knelt and began patching the girls’ sleeves.

Times were hard, and every household was poor; this was all she could do.

It was already October, yet the sisters still wore thin shirts.

Hu Pan Di watched Grandma Huang’s hands, her eyes stinging. Looking around at everyone in the room, her weary heart felt a warmth she hadn’t known in ages…

Widow Hu’s uproar at the brigade office soon spread through Guyue Village.

Along with it, the shameful deeds she and Hu Shenggen had done became known to all.

Everyone’s first reaction was contempt.

Yes, they favored sons over daughters and complained about girls being a financial burden, but after all, daughters were their own flesh and blood. No one could be as heartless as Widow Hu.

To sell a daughter to pay her son’s gambling debts!

What kind of people were the Ma Wu brothers? Could anything good come from selling a girl to them?

As for Widow Hu’s claim that it was for her daughter’s own good, not a single soul believed her.

Widow Hu, after her tantrum in the brigade office, got nothing but a beating.

She didn’t dare actually report Hu Dashan. While unreasonable, she wasn’t stupid—she knew Hu Dashan was her and her son’s only support.

If Hu Dashan fell, those who’d suffered at her hands would surely come for her.

She slunk home, but remained vicious at heart.

She plotted: When Zhao Di returns, she’ll pay for exposing Shenggen. Wait till she comes back!

And those two useless girls—how dare they just stand and watch as she was beaten? She’d make sure to punish them as well!

She seethed with resentment.

But she was doomed to disappointment…