NOVPUBChapter 82: Chapter 82: Repaying a Kindness
Chapter 82 -82: Repaying a Kindness
Bai Xiao went straight to the bus station, inquired about the returning time, and learned that the bus wouldn’t leave for another hour. So, she went to the market in town, where several houses were used for business. It was now 1985; the policies had been liberalized, and doing business was no longer considered speculative profiteering! Many smart people had already started doing business.
Fang Xiaoshan’s uncle, Fang Jianping, was one of them. To say Fang Jianping was a sharp-minded man was an understatement; he shouldn’t have been under Xiaoshan’s thumb, yet this very clever man spent his entire life earning money for Xiaoshan. He not only built Xiaoshan a tiled house but also found him a wife. Whenever Xiaoshan needed money, he would turn to Fang Jianping. Originally, Jianping’s business was doing well, life was comfortable, and his three daughters were married well and were respectful to their parents. However, all of this changed because of Xiaoshan’s gambling.
One must know that gambling is a bottomless pit—how much money would be enough to fill it? Just like that, Xiaoshan managed to squander the entire family fortune. In the end, after buying a house and moving back to the village, the penniless Jianping became the target of Xiaoshan’s scorn! He was either beaten or scolded, and it wasn’t long before Jianping was infuriated to the brink of death by Xiaoshan. If it weren’t for his wife seeking help from their daughters, and their eldest daughter, who was married to an influential man in town, coming to Jianping’s aid, things might have been different. Her husband wasn’t afraid of Xiaoshan’s bullying and took his in-laws home. Xiaoshan even tried to detain them to extort money, but ended up getting beaten. Since then, he quietly behaved himself and dared not provoke Jianping anymore.
But Jianping was still running a small shop in town.
As Bai Xiao wandered down here, she indeed saw Jianping’s wife, Yang Mei, at the entrance of one of the houses. This woman was actually quite a capable person, but because she never had a son, she couldn’t lift her head high in her own home. Although Jianping was a good man, the lack of a son inevitably led to some complaints, leaving Yang Mei with no choice but to obey her husband and soothe her own guilt.
Seeing Yang Mei about to throw out a basinful of water, Bai Xiao’s eyes flicked cunningly. She seized the moment Yang Mei tossed the water and darted out, just in time to be splashed on her trouser legs, soaking her cloth shoes as well. She stood there dazedly, looking at the water on the ground and then at the basin in Yang Mei’s hands.
She looked foolishly as if she had been startled.
When Yang Mei saw the mess she caused, she quickly stepped out, “I’m sorry, girl, I’m really sorry. It’s my fault, I didn’t see you coming. I apologize.” She hastened to make amends for the inconvenience.
Bai Xiao waved her hand dismissively, rolled up her trousers, and stomped her feet, leaving two wet footprints on the ground, which made Yang Mei flush with embarrassment.
“Um… Auntie, I…”
“Come on! Come inside and sit down. My house is just behind here. If you don’t mind, you can wear a pair of my trousers first. I will hang yours up to dry. They should be dry in no more than two hours. I’ll also dry your shoes so you won’t have trouble going out,” Yang Mei quickly offered to rectify the situation.
Bai Xiao urgently waved her hands, “No, I can’t! Auntie, I have to catch the bus back home in an hour. I really can’t wait. Thank you for your kindness, but I’m in a hurry.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Mei pulled Bai Xiao towards the house, “Don’t worry, an hour is enough. At least your trousers will be mostly dry. I’ll put them under the electric fan to blow, which should speed up the drying. Girl, rest assured, I absolutely cannot let you miss your bus.” Yang Mei, with considerable strength, dragged Bai Xiao into the house.
“Husband, watch the store. I need to find this girl a pair of trousers, I splashed her completely with water!”
Behind the counter was Fang Jianping. Hearing this, he quickly came out, ushering her, “Hurry up, go ahead. I’m really sorry, girl! Please sit down. I’ll pour you a cup of water.” The couple were both honest people, quite different from Xiaoshan’s family. There are good people and bad people in the world, I suppose.
But why is it that good people always get bullied, and bad people are always arrogant and overbearing? Isn’t it because they have wants and needs? People bow their heads only when they want something.
“It’s okay, no problem, uncle. Don’t go out of your way for me. It’s just an accident; everyone has a moment of carelessness. Aunt didn’t do it on purpose.” She had bumped into it deliberately, but she certainly wouldn’t say that.
“Your daughter is a good girl. Are you here to visit relatives?” Jianping was easy to talk to. Being in the business meant being able to get close to many strangers, a technique that was essential for their livelihood.
“Yes, I’m here to see my sister.”
Yang Mei had already found some clothes for Bai Xiao to change into. Unable to refuse, Bai Xiao changed. Yang Mei’s black trousers were a whole size too large, hanging loose on Bai Xiao’s body, threatening to fall off. She had to secure them with a red cloth belt—a mark of wealth in the days when a belted pair of trousers was a luxury, and only the families of cadres possessed one. For ordinary folks, a red cloth belt was a staple item, universally used without discrimination.
Yang Mei hung the trousers up on a rope and pulled Bai Xiao down to sit and chat, even bringing out a tin biscuit box filled with pumpkin seeds and fruit candy—luxuries usually found only in the homes of businesspeople like Yang Mei and Jianping, and otherwise a special treat reserved for the Lunar New Year in most households.
“Girl, are you visiting relatives?” Yang Mei continued where Jianping had left off.
Bai Xiao sighed, “Yes, Aunt, I’m here to see my sister.”
“At your young age, what’s there to sigh about? Tell me, what’s troubling you? Your aunt might not be able to help, but I can still offer some advice.” Yang Mei was known for her kindness. Bai Xiao remembered from her past life how often she had been beaten black and blue by Xiaoshan. During those times, Yang Mei had shown pity and treated her wounds, even encouraging her to divorce Xiaoshan. She didn’t indulge her own family members’ faults, which was why Bai Xiao had come to her for help this time. It was partly to displease Xiaoshan, and partly to repay a debt of gratitude.
In the past, Bai Xiao had been treated like nothing and given to a creditor by Xiaoshan. She escaped in the night without a penny to her name, with nowhere to go. She couldn’t even leave the county town; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t walk far enough on her own two feet.
In the end, it was Yang Mei who she ran into in the county town. Yang Mei had provided her with a hearty meal and insisted on giving her ten yuan. Although it was not much, it was that very ten yuan that allowed her to leave the county town and reach a wider world, leading to her later life. No matter what the outcome in her previous life, Bai Xiao remembered Yang Mei’s kindness.
“Aunt, you don’t know the mess in our family. My sister married into the town and had two daughters in a row! Now with the strict family planning policy, because she didn’t have a boy, my sister’s mother-in-law doesn’t even see my sister and her husband as human beings. I was so angry, I just couldn’t stay there and had to rush back home.”
These words were meant to deceive Yang Mei and Jianping.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Yang Mei could empathize, which made it easy for her to resonate with the sentiment.
“What happened? Tell your aunt all about it.”
