Chapter 22: Next Time, It Will Be Steel

Qin Jiuhong, who had not yet entered the central courtyard, was filled with fury upon hearing their words. She stopped in her tracks, turned around, and prepared to head back home.

"Wife, what are we going to do? Are we just going to let this slide?" Su Dawei was also incensed, not only because they were gossiping about his wife but also because they were targeting Su Yanchu. He had intended to strike first and settle things later that night.

"Not a chance." Qin Jiuhong returned home and picked up their chamber pot. She hadn't emptied it while cleaning earlier, so she grabbed a manure ladle and placed it inside the bucket. Although they might have been trying to provoke her into a rage to ruin her reputation, she didn't care; those brats had touched her absolute bottom line.

"Wife, how can you do such menial work? Let me do it, let me." Realizing what she intended, Su Dawei quickly took the bucket and headed to the central courtyard. Qin Jiuhong followed closely behind. When they returned, Liu Yang and Yang Yuanchao were still chatting, their conversation growing increasingly lewd, and Tan Yuhua made no move to stop them. Most of the wedding guests had already left, but a few remained, staying behind to watch the spectacle when they saw the couple return.

Qin Jiuhong took aim and used the ladle to splash urine all over Yang Yuanchao and Tan Yuhua.

"Qin Jiuhong, what do you think you're doing!" Tan Yuhua had just been listening to Yang Yuanchao's plan, thinking her son was quite clever. No matter how poor Qin Jiuhong's temperament was, she was a cadre at the neighborhood office, and Su Dawei was a factory worker; they were a dual-income household with only one daughter. In these times, such families were well-off, and all their resources were poured into Su Yanchu. She figured if her son really got something going with Su Yanchu, their family would benefit.

"I just wanted to say that your mouth and your son's mouth are as foul as this waste." Qin Jiuhong splashed a few more times at Yang Yuanchao, Liu Yang, and Tan Yuhua. They had been too engrossed in their conversation to notice her arrival, but they dodged quickly now.

"Officer Qin, let’s talk this out rationally." Liang Zhengde had been caught in the crossfire and now smelled of filth.

"When you were bad-mouthing my family behind our backs, you didn't think about facing a scene like this!" Qin Jiuhong placed the ladle back into the pot and said coldly, "Not only did you gossip about us, but you also had wicked designs on my daughter. Splashing you with this is light; next time, I’ll be using a knife!"

"Just you wait." Smelling the stench on himself, Yang Yuanchao felt miserable. He threw down a threat and hurried home. Tan Yuhua glared at Qin Jiuhong before leaving as well.

"My apologies, Officer Qin." Yang Yuangui dared not provoke her anymore; not only was her position significant, but her temper was not to be trifled with. Liang Zhengde and Liu Lin had already slipped away.

After they left, Qin Jiuhong and Su Dawei apologized to Xu Fugui and his wife, Deng Mei. After all, it was their wedding banquet, and throwing excrement was indeed inappropriate.

"Officer Qin, it was Yuanchao and the others who were in the wrong." Xu Fugui was a reasonable man; he had wanted to intervene earlier but hadn't expected Qin Jiuhong to act so quickly.

"Another day, we’ll prepare a proper feast, and you and Sister Deng must come to our house to eat." Su Dawei patted Xu Fugui on the shoulder. "We’ll have a good drink then."

"Certainly," Xu Fugui replied quickly.

"Then Old Xu and I will shamelessly come over for a meal," Deng Mei added. She felt that what the couple did today was justified. If she had a daughter and someone were targeting her so brazenly like a hoodlum, she would go mad too.

"Oh, it's not 'shameless' at all! Your presence would bring great honor to our home!" Qin Jiuhong said with a smile.

"We will definitely bring some of our best wine." Xu Fugui had plenty of good stock and would put it to good use tomorrow.

After a few more words, the couple headed home. As they reached their door, Su Yanchu arrived on her bicycle, her face beaming with a bright smile.

"Chuchu, you're back!" Qin Jiuhong asked, "Did you have a good time with your classmates today?"

"Mom, Dad, what is this?" Su Yanchu asked, looking at the chamber pot in Su Dawei's hand, specifically the ladle resting on it.

"Oh, I just splashed a few people in the central courtyard who were spewing filth; their mouths were as stinking as this," Qin Jiuhong explained. "I'll tell you all about it when we get inside."

"Quick, let's go in." Su Dawei hurried off to empty the contents in the public restroom. After Su Yanchu entered the house, Qin Jiuhong recounted the afternoon's events in detail. "Chuchu, you must be careful when you go out lately, especially around Yang Yuanchao and his friends."

"Understood." Su Yanchu gave them a thumbs-up, just as they usually encouraged her.

"Mom, Dad, you handled that beautifully."

"I need to go notify your grandparents, your uncles, and your aunt to come over for dinner tomorrow," Su Dawei said. As for the ingredients—pork, chicken, and the like—he could simply take them from his spatial storage.

"Let me go tell Grandpa and the others," Su Yanchu said, thinking she had nothing to do at home and it would be nice to visit. Besides, she had a bicycle, so she didn't have to walk.

"Fine," Su Dawei agreed.

"By the way, let’s give your eldest uncle an iron pot from the storage," Qin Jiuhong suggested. "If they ask where we got the ration coupons, just tell them we picked it up at the black market."

"Got it." Su Yanchu went into her space and retrieved a large iron pot. Such items were scarce in rural areas because during the Great Steel Smelting campaign, many people had surrendered their household iron and pots to the state. It was only after the production teams were officially established and the long period of communal dining ended that things began to change.

Su Yanchu set off, the large iron pot wrapped in white cloth tied to the back of her bike, heading straight toward the Tongluo Production Team, which was next to the Changqing Brigade. Her grandfather, Qin Tiezhu, had been an underground operative in his youth; after being wounded on a mission, he returned to the village to become the village head and later the brigade secretary. Su Yanchu's grandmother had passed away giving birth to Qin Jiuhong, who had two older brothers, Qin Baoshan and Qin Baonan, both of whom were now married with children.

An hour later, Su Yanchu arrived at her grandfather's house in the Tongluo Production Team.

"Cousin Yanchu is here!" Qin Xiangya, who was playing marbles at the gate, saw her, and her eyes lit up like little lightbulbs.