Xu Ying nodded. Sister-in-law Xu’s face lit up with fierce joy. “Yingying, let’s go now! If they really hurt Shengshun, they had to pay for it !” Everyone in the Xu family protected their own, and Sister-in-law Xu was no different. When she heard they would get revenge, her blood boiled. She wanted to find the bad person right away.
Sister-in-law Xu was about to change her clothes and rush out. Xu Ying quickly stopped her. “Sister-in-law, there’s no hurry. Go to bed first. We’ll go back tomorrow morning.” It was a silly long trip to the county town, but her sister-in-law’s wild spirit was truly sweet.
Brother Xu also chimed in, trying to calm her. “That’s right, you can’t even get a train tonight. Don’t worry about it and go to bed quickly.” He thought, if she just ran out blindly, what if she got hurt again? His wife and kid both would be in trouble.
Only then did Sister-in-law Xu notice the growing darkness outside. She sighed and went to bed, obediently.
When Xu Ying woke up the next day, she saw her sister-in-law with dark circles under her eyes, like a frightened panda. “Sister-in-law, you didn’t sleep all night, did you?” Xu Ying had guessed the truth. Sister-in-law Xu hadn’t slept, or at least, almost hadn’t. She had tossed and turned all night. Thinking about the killer, who not only hurt Shengshun but also hit her, made Sister-in-law Xu furious.
“No, I slept a little, Yingying, let’s go now!” This time, Xu Ying didn’t say no. She went to the kitchen and grabbed two steamed buns and some hard-boiled eggs before they left. Xu’s mother didn’t stop them. She just waited for good news from her daughter. Her daughter was so smart, she might find the killer faster than the police.
Xu Ying took Mrs. Xu to the station on her bicycle and bought tickets for the bus that left around noon. When they arrived at Zhao’s house, it was indeed noon. The Zhao family was sitting in the yard, ready to eat. Seeing the two of them, Zhao’s mother looked surprised. “Lingzi, why are you back again?” It wasn’t that Zhao’s mother disliked her daughter coming home, but the distance was far. If nothing big had happened, why would she keep returning?
“Mom, I want to go to my future sister-in-law’s house. There are some things I want to ask her,” Sister-in-law Xu said.
Zhao’s mother looked confused. “What do you want to see her for?” Zhao Shubo also looked strange. His sister had only met his girlfriend once. Why would they suddenly come to the county town to find her? He feared something bad had happened. Zhao Shubo’s face grew serious. “What’s going on with the Yinghe ?”
Sister-in-law Xu then told the whole terrible story. As soon as she finished, Zhao’s mother slammed the table with excitement. “I wondered how that Yinglan’s husband suddenly got a job, and such a good one! I knew it! This person doesn’t do good things, only things that harm others!”
They all lived in the same area and were very close. The Zhao family lived in the meat factory compound, while the Cheng family all worked at the food factory and lived in its compound. The two places were only about 20 minutes apart by foot. Also, the two kids were the same age and had known each other since they were little, so they knew a lot about Zhang Guoqing. This boy’s school grades were just average. He loved cheating since he was small and never did anything serious. His liking for Cheng Yinglan wasn’t new. But that girl didn’t like him. She had apparently liked a country man from another county. But no one knew who this person was. Originally, Zhang Guoqing was supposed to go to the countryside, but suddenly, one day, Cheng Yinglan and Zhang Guoqing got married. At the same time, they both got jobs at the meat factory. They were both officers, one in the Propaganda Department and the other in the Finance Office. Back then, this caused quite a stir in the food factory compound. Everyone said these two people were incredibly lucky.
Xu Ying frowned deeper and deeper as she listened. Four hundred yuan was not enough to buy two jobs, especially not high-ranking cadre jobs. Someone else had to be helping them. If this person simply wanted to help Zhang Guoqing and the others, they wouldn’t have risked harming her cousin. The only possibility was that this person also hated her cousin, or the entire Xu family. No matter who it was, she had to find them.
“Auntie, my sister-in-law and I will go to Cheng’s house first.”
“Hey, wait a minute! I’ll take you there! What if you don’t know where Yinghe’s family is?” Mother Zhao called out, anxious.
Sister-in-law Xu glanced at her mother. “Mom, I know where my sister-in-law’s home is. Even if I don’t, we’ll find out when we go to the food factory compound and ask. If you take us there, won’t you be late for work this afternoon?” When it came to going to work, Zhao’s mother sighed and stopped trying to talk to them. She grabbed her things and ran. “You girl! If you don’t remind your mother earlier, I’ll be late!” Mother Zhao ran off as soon as she finished speaking. Despite her age, she was surprisingly fast.
Sister-in-law Xu watched her mother’s anxious sprint and couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “My mother is just like that; she makes a fuss about everything.”
Xu Ying smiled too. It turned out her sister-in-law got her dramatic flair from her mother, but her kindness also came from Aunt Zhao. The two of them walked towards the food compound. When they arrived, they easily found out where Cheng Yinghe’s house was. By chance, Cheng Yinghe had the day off, but she wasn’t home. She had just gone shopping with friends.
“Yingying, I know where my sister-in-law is!” Sister-in-law Xu declared proudly. The only places to visit in their county town were the supply and marketing cooperatives and the department stores. So her sister-in-law must be there. Sister-in-law Xu confidently led Xu Ying to the department store. They searched the first, second, and third floors, finally finding Cheng Yinghe on the third floor where clothes were sold.
“Sister-in-law!” Sister-in-law Xu shouted loudly. Cheng Yinghe looked familiar to her at first, but when she heard the loud call, her face suddenly turned red with embarrassment. She looked at Sister-in-law Xu shyly. “Lingzi, why are you here?”
The girl standing next to Cheng Yinghe frowned when she saw Mrs. Xu. This woman looked like she had already given birth to a child, and seemed quite old. Why was she calling Yinghe “sister-in-law”?
“Sister-in-law, my sister has something to discuss with you. Can we talk alone?” Sister-in-law Xu looked at the girl next to Cheng Yinghe and whispered. The girl understood. She pointed to the coat seller across the way and said, “Yinghe, you two talk first. I’ll go look over there.”
Cheng Yinghe nodded and looked at Xu Ying with confused eyes. “Sister, what do you want from me?”
Xu Ying, following Sister Xu’s lead, also called her “sister-in-law.” “Sister-in-law, I want to ask about Cheng Yinglan and Zhang Guoqing, my cousin Xu Shengshun and them…”
Cheng Yinghe’s eyes widened more and more as she listened. Then, she became furious, her hands trembling. “How dare they do this?! I just said, how could those two find such good jobs?! It turns out they were all caused by hurting your cousin! Why are they so cruel?” She had to admit, when she’d heard the rumors in the Zhao family that Cheng Yinglan and Zhang Guoqing had stolen other people’s jobs, she’d simply dismissed them. But now, hearing the exact truth, it was still hard to accept.
“Sister Xu, when my cousin found a job, I overheard my aunt asking my cousin to thank her classmates. At that time, my cousin was not happy and said that he should help him and that he owed her.”