Could it be neighbors coming to help after seeing the collapsed house?
Thinking of this,
A wave of inexplicable emotion welled up in Niu Hong's heart.
Since his parents died,
This was the first time he felt that he and his sister hadn't been abandoned by Niu Village. There were still good people in the village like Sister Dongsheng and Brother Dongsheng willing to help them.
With a grateful heart,
Niu Hong couldn't help but quicken his pace.
Entering the courtyard, he saw someone bent over digging through the rubble, apparently searching for something.
To avoid startling the person, Niu Hong deliberately slowed his steps and approached the house ruins slowly.
The person digging sensed movement behind him, quickly straightened up, turned his head, and his eyes widened in an instant. His body swayed, nearly falling into the snow.
"Niu, Niu Hong, are you human or ghost?"
"It's you?"
Recognizing the person, Niu Hong's gratitude vanished instantly, replaced only by anger.
The person before him was the village troublemaker - Niu Chun, age twenty-nine.
A bachelor.
A master of thievery, gambling, and womanizing (pre-liberation).
Knocking on widows' doors at night and harassing young women during the day were his specialties (post-liberation).
Previously, he had bullied him many times for being honest.
Niu Hong had no good feelings toward him at all.
"What are you doing at my house? Leave now." Niu Hong's tone was harsh.
"Niu Hong, I came to save you. Why are you talking to me like this?"
After the initial panic, realizing Niu Hong was a real person and not a ghost, Niu Chun calmed down.
"My house doesn't welcome you. Leave now."
Niu Hong stepped aside, pointed to the courtyard gate, and issued an eviction order.
Niu Hong didn't believe that the troublemaker Niu Chun would come to save him so early in the morning.
"Ha ha, I'll leave if you pay me a rescue fee. I won't ask for much, just twenty dollars." Niu Chun extended a palm toward Niu Hong.
"Get lost, or I'll beat you up."
"Try me! See if you can beat me up!" Niu Chun pointed at his nose, giving Niu Hong a contemptuous look.
Seeing this, a mysterious smile appeared on Niu Hong's face. He grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at Niu Chun's face.
Using his distraction, Niu Hong's mind shifted, and a baseball bat materialized from the military warehouse, appearing behind Niu Chun. He swung it hard at Niu Chun's buttocks.
"Ah! Ow! So painful! Damn Niu Hong, I..."
Niu Chun clutched his buttocks and screamed in pain. By now, Niu Hong had switched to a wooden stick and swung it again at Niu Chun's buttocks.
"Ah..."
With another hit to his buttocks, Niu Chun hopped toward the courtyard gate, shouting, "Ah... Murder! Niu Hong is murdering!"
Leaning on the wooden stick at his front gate, Niu Hong watched Niu Chun shouting in the street, unmoved.
The cries echoed far in the quiet morning air, reverberating over the village.
Before long,
The villagers gathered around, including Niu Chun's parents (Niu Liansheng and Hu Lijing).
Seeing his son beaten, Niu Liansheng roared,
"Niu Hong, I'll fight you to the death!"
He charged toward Niu Hong, heedless of the slippery snow.
Niu Hong dodged.
Niu Liansheng couldn't stop himself, crashing into the fence post with a thud. His head buzzed, and stars danced in his eyes.
Before Niu Liansheng could recover, a young woman's voice shouted at him,
"You old bastard, do you have any shame? Bullying people right at their doorstep!"
The rebuke reached Niu Hong's ears, making him inwardly delighted. He wondered why she had come so early in the morning.
"Who are you?"
Niu Liansheng looked at the young woman emerging from the crowd, his eyes brightening.
This girl was too beautiful!
Fair skin with a rosy glow, big eyes, willow-leaf eyebrows, and a tall, slender figure.
Wearing a red and green floral jacket, a flower scarf around her neck, thick braids hanging over her chest.
Standing there quietly, she looked like a beauty from a New Year's painting, standing out among the yellow and emaciated villagers.
"Who I am is none of your business," Ma Lanhua snapped back.
"Lanhua, don't step in dog shit. Don't bother with him. Come over here."
Niu Hong, concerned for Ma Lanhua, quickly warned her.
"Brother Hong, these two are too despicable. The militia should arrest them all," Ma Lanhua said loudly as she approached Niu Hong.
"Why did you come? Your mother will scold you again."
Niu Hong lowered his voice, looking at Ma Lanhua with concern. Memories flooded his mind.
Ma Lanhua was their second aunt's neighbor. Her grandfather was a famous hunter in the village.
Before liberation, Ma Lanhua's parents ran a fur business in the county town. Being too busy, they left her to live with her grandparents.
As children, Niu Hong often visited his second aunt's house. After some visits, the two became playmates, and their childhood friendship continued into adulthood.
After liberation, when Ma Lanhua's parents returned to their hometown in Ma Village, they learned about their relationship.
Her mother strongly opposed Ma Lanhua's interactions with him.
This led to their meetings being secret, or else once her mother found out, Ma Lanhua would inevitably be scolded.
Today, Ma Lanhua must have sneaked out again.
"I have a small matter to discuss with you."
As she spoke, a hint of shyness appeared on Ma Lanhua's face, her cheeks tinged with pink. Her eyes sparkled with spring water, captivating.
Niu Hong's heart stirred, saying,
"Oh, we can talk about it later..."
Before he could finish, a woman's wailing interrupted.
Now, Niu Liansheng lay on the snow, his wife Hu Lijing crying over him.
Hu Lijing came from Hu Village, one of six siblings, the youngest and only girl.
As the youngest daughter, she was deeply loved by her parents and brothers, developing a domineering personality.
As she grew older, her family added twenty more nephews and nieces, many of whom worked in government offices.
Some stayed in the provincial capital, some worked for the regional committee, and others in county or commune offices.
With her family's backing, Hu Lijing remained domineering in Niu Village, looking down on everyone.
Now seeing her husband and son suffer at Niu Hong's hands, how could she let it go?
She shot a look at Niu Liansheng, who immediately understood. He lay on the snow, and they began their act.
Seeing this, Niu Chun knew what his parents were about to do. He hurried to them, his face mournful, complaining.
"Mom, you saw it all. That bastard Niu Hong bullied me and Dad.
He beat my buttocks so hard, it hurts!"
Hearing this, Hu Lijing's eyebrows shot up, and she stood up, walking toward Niu Hong step by step.