Reborn:1983

Chapter 3: I'll Get Justice For You

"Help me carry this." Xia Xiaolan shoved the sack into Liu Fen’s arms. Tears streamed down her mother’s face.

"Xiaolan, how can you move out... what will your father say when he gets back..."

Liu Fen didn’t understand how things had spiraled to this. Her daughter hadn’t been directly punished, but being cast out to live alone was almost worse. Driven from home, a teenage girl – how would she survive? She wanted to beg Xia Xiaolan to apologize, but was terrified of pushing her over the edge again.

"You’re coming with me," Xia Xiaolan stated flatly. "We’ll deal with Dad when he gets back. I can’t cook. I’ll starve to death alone!"

She had no intention of leaving Liu Fen behind. Once she was gone, the Xia family would bully her mother relentlessly. She banked on Liu Fen’s soft heart and adopted a firm tone, insisting Liu Fen leave with her.

The Xia family didn’t try to stop Liu Fen. They were likely waiting for Xia Xiaolan’s father, Xia Dajun, to return and deal with both mother and daughter. Heavy rains had raised fears of flooding; the county had conscripted able-bodied men from nearby villages to reinforce the riverbanks. All the Xia men were away on this labor duty.

Liu Fen, naturally indecisive and overwhelmed, found herself clutching the sack of sweet potatoes and following Xia Xiaolan out in a daze.

Xia Xiaolan paused at the threshold, turned back, and scooped up the enamel mug holding the steamed egg. The Xia family’s youngest grandson, who had been eyeing the egg hungrily, immediately burst into wails as his treat disappeared.

The house erupted behind them – curses flung at Xia Xiaolan, frantic attempts to soothe the crying child – a cacophony of chaos.

Stepping outside, fresh air washed over Xia Xiaolan. Air free of smog, free of pollution. Only someone who had experienced the future knew how precious truly clean air was. She took a deep, invigorating breath.

The Xia family’s midday drama hadn’t gone unnoticed. Ears had been pressed to walls all around. Seeing mother and daughter emerge, the onlookers didn’t bother hiding. They pointed openly, their comments primarily aimed at Xia Xiaolan, ignoring Liu Fen.

“Kicked out, eh?”

“Pah! Serves her right! Couldn’t even leave her own brother-in-law alone!”

“And rolling n***d in a haystack with that good-for-nothing from the next village? The Xia family’s shame knows no bounds…”

“Both Xias, but her cousin goes to university. Look at this one, strutting her stuff.”

“Xia Dajun will beat her half to death when he gets back.”

“Beaten before, scolded before… she never changes. Look how she walks, swinging her hips like that…”

Xia Xiaolan itched to slap the gossipy tongues out of these women’s mouths. Swinging hips? It was pure exhaustion and hunger! Their venom spoiled the brief lift the fresh air had given her. She surveyed her surroundings. Picturesque countryside? That was a luxury reserved for those whose basic needs were met.

Rural China in 1983 might inspire nostalgic prose in “local color” literature, but the reality was stark. Rammed-earth houses dominated the view, with only a scarce few built of red brick. Low, squat dwellings, their mud-brick walls whitewashed with lime, often bore faded red-painted slogans from a decade past.

This was Dahe Village. Trapped deep in the country’s heartland, neither distinctly north nor south. A remote place untouched by the early winds of Reform and Opening Up.

The only escape? Education.

Her cousin Xia Ziyu had chosen the right path. She was Dahe Village’s first university student in over thirty years, since the founding of the nation and the restoration of college entrance exams. The gulf between Xia Ziyu’s life and what Xia Xiaolan’s would have been was already a chasm. Even if Xia Ziyu had deliberately sabotaged her… what could she have done?

One was an ’80s university woman, her future dazzlingly bright, the family’s treasured golden phoenix. The other was a ruined village girl with no skills, destined to marry a widower or an old bachelor, utterly useless to her family.

Clouds and mud.

No wonder the Xia family was pragmatic, even ruthless. Human nature.

For the sake of advantage, they would always side with Xia Ziyu. The original ‘Xia Xiaolan’ had died without understanding. What she’d thought was mutual affection, a relationship on the cusp of being official – she’d even encouraged Wang Jianhua to take the college entrance exam! She’d borrowed books from her cousin Xia Ziyu for him to study, personally escorted him to the exam site in the county town.

Nothing seemed amiss until the acceptance letter arrived. Then, suddenly, he was Xia Ziyu’s publicly acknowledged fiancé.

Because she, Xia Xiaolan, wasn’t good enough for Wang Jianhua?

Choosing her cousin was the logical long-term choice. University student matched with university student. A perfect pair.

But why did they need to crush ‘Xia Xiaolan’ on their way up?

How had the deadly rumors spread like wildfire across the neighboring villages? ‘Xia Xiaolan’ had gone to confront Wang Jianhua, only to find Xia Ziyu alone in his room. Xia Ziyu, ever the reasonable one, spoke a few soft yet pointed words that sent ‘Xia Xiaolan’ fleeing.

On the way back, she ran into the good-for-nothing from the next village. He’d harassed her before. This time, emboldened, he grabbed her, tearing her sleeve… Just then, Wang Jianhua and Xia Ziyu appeared. Wang Jianhua looked at her with profound disappointment. Without listening to a word of explanation, he took Xia Ziyu’s hand.

Had the good-for-nothing started the rumors? This was the year of the crackdown! Rumors like that could get a man shot!

It doesn’t matter now, Xia Xiaolan thought coldly. She was here. She would uncover what the original ‘Xia Xiaolan’ hadn’t. And she would get justice for her.

The dilapidated shack by the riverbank came into view.

The wicker gate hung askew, no lock in sight. Holes gaped in the walls and roof. Liu Fen hugged the sack of sweet potatoes, utterly lost.

This wasn’t a place to keep out wind or rain.

“Xiaolan, listen to your mother—” Liu Fen began, her voice trembling.

Xia Xiaolan clutched her head. “Mom, my wound hurts again!” The word ‘Mom’ came easier each time.

Liu Fen instantly forgot her plea. “Is it bleeding? Let me see!”

There was no lock. Inside was a mess. The bed frame stood bare. Liu Fen urged Xia Xiaolan to finish the cold steamed egg. Its faint fishy smell was unappetizing, and Xia Xiaolan refused to eat it all herself. She ate half and pushed the mug back.

“You finish it. It’ll spoil by tomorrow.”

Liu Fen took the enamel mug, her emotions tangled. This had never happened before. Her daughter, after hitting her head, seemed… different. Capable of caring. A flicker of warmth warred with her overwhelming anxiety.

“Your father… he’ll be back in a couple of days.”

At the mention of her husband, Liu Fen instinctively hunched her shoulders, a deep-seated fear tightening her frame.