The Abandoned Daughter's Second Chance

Secretary Mo told Grandma that Mo Xiaofeng’s injuries were serious. The brigade’s medic could only provide basic treatment, and he feared that even the commune clinic wouldn’t be able to handle it. Since the village had a road to the main highway, making it convenient to get to the county seat or the regional city of Wancheng, they had decided to just send Xiao Feng to Wancheng Hospital. But for some reason, that couple, Mo Guoqiang and Liu Fengying, had just taken time off to go to the county seat and returned penniless. They couldn’t produce any money at all, so Grandpa had to step forward and borrow some from the brigade office for them. Right now, Grandpa was at the office with the accountant and cashier, completing the paperwork, signing an IOU, and arranging the handover for his reservoir watch duty. It was going to take some time.

When Mo Xiaoqiang and his group came to cause trouble, someone ran to the brigade office to report it. To keep Grandpa from worrying, Secretary Mo had come over with some people to check on the situation first.

Grandma asked, "Xiao Feng’s injury... can it be treated?"

Secretary Mo sighed. "We’re not doctors, but from the looks of it... The medic said a thick iron wire went into her eye. The wire was red-hot and rusty... Sigh, I’m afraid it’s not looking good."

Grandma’s face fell. She continued, "Secretary Mo, we’re heartbroken that Xiao Feng is seriously injured. If my old man had the money, he’d give what he could to get her treated at a big hospital. But you really can’t blame Xiao Man for this!"

"If it’s not her fault, then whose is it? If it weren’t for her, would Xiao Feng have gotten hurt? You’re going to compensate us! A thousand, ten thousand yuan! And we’re going to blind Mo Xiaoman, too!" Mo Xiaoqiang shouted.

Grandma said patiently, "Xiaoqiang, you saw it with your own eyes: your sister was injured by your own vicious mother. What does this have to do with Xiao Man? My Xiao Man was just walking down the road when you people dragged her to your house. Why don’t you tell me, why did you grab my Xiao Man? Were you trying to kill her?"

"Who wants to harm her? What’s her worthless life even worth? My dad just pulled her home so she could have a word with my mom!"

Grandma said, "If it was just about talking, then why use red-hot tongs to hit someone?"

"She has the kind of face that’s asking for a beating. Who else would you hit?"

Grandma fell silent, her head held high. The old people and children in the courtyard began to mutter amongst themselves. They all said it served Liu Fengying right; she’d tried to harm someone else and ended up harming her own daughter.

Mo Xiaosu tugged on Mo Xiaoqiang’s sleeve and said to Grandma, "Grandma, have you gone senile? Even if you’re going to play favorites, you should favor your own family! Xiao Feng is your biological granddaughter, but Xiao Man is just a nameless stray you picked up from who-knows-where! What’s the point of protecting her?"

"Shut your mouth!" Secretary Mo glared at Mo Xiaosu. "A young girl like you, instead of learning anything good, you’ve learned to gossip and spout nonsense like some long-tongued shrew. How improper!"

Mo Xiaosu pouted. Grandma said coolly, "Hasn’t your mother told you? I’ve been barren my whole life. I don’t even have a son of my own, so where would I get a biological granddaughter? In my younger days, I did raise a couple of ungrateful wolves, only to be bitten by them in the end and forced to kick them out. Now *that* was a pointless affair! You say Xiao Man was picked up off the street, and so she was. Now she’s with me and my old man. We three—a widow, an old man, and a little orphan—are a family. Xiao Man is my child. She is my only granddaughter, and I have no other!"

"Ahem. She’s just a child who doesn’t know any better, Second Sister-in-law, don’t mind her! In our village, in our great Mo family, you’re certainly not just a widow, an old man, and an orphan... We just got everything straightened out at the brigade office. Xiao Feng’s injury has nothing to do with Xiao Man. It was all Liu Fengying’s own carelessness. She came out holding tongs to talk and ended up hurting her own child! Second Brother Mo has given what money he could for the treatment. Guo Qiang and Liu Fengying, they’re adults. They know making a scene won’t do anyone any good and will only delay the child’s treatment. They’ve signed a guarantee not to cause any more trouble. So it’s settled. No one is to bring this up again! You there, Mo Xiaoqiang, do you hear me? You’re not to come here and bother your Grandpa and Grandma again!"

Mo Xiaoqiang shot Xiao Man a vicious glare, his neck stiff and his face full of defiance.

Second Granny Qiu and a few other old women came closer to console Grandma, telling her not to overthink things. It seemed that in the village, Grandma was the only one who couldn’t have children. This was something worthy of sympathy. And while people might secretly gossip or even mock her behind her back, to her face, most people were not stingy with their compassion.

Seeing Mo Xiaosu looking down and unhappy, Huang Baoshan’s eyes narrowed. He turned to Secretary Mo and asked, "This house and yard were clearly bought by my cousin’s Grandpa. But you just said it’s public property. What’s that supposed to mean?"

Secretary Mo looked at him and retorted, "Who told you this house and yard were sold?"

"That’s what everyone’s saying. All the Knowledge Youth left. They were either recruited to work in factories or went off to study. No Knowledge Youth wanted to stay in the countryside. Other villages have sold their Knowledge Youth Houses too. If you don’t sell this yard, what’s the point of keeping it?"

"Are you the brigade leader now, or are you the Party Secretary? Is this something you should be worrying about?"

Huang Baoshan: "..."

He glanced back at his buddies, then tossed his head with a show of bravado. "Can’t I just ask? Well, if it wasn’t sold, how did they get to move in?"

"They separated their household from Mo Laoer. Boss Mo then took over their room. The old and the young had nowhere to live, so the brigade committee decided to temporarily lend this house to their family!"

Huang Baoshan sneered, "There are plenty of people in the village who’ve split their households and have no place to live. On what grounds do *they* get it?"

"On what grounds? Alright, kid. The shady stuff you usually get up to is one thing, but you sure know how to ask questions!" Secretary Mo nodded at Huang Baoshan. "But I don’t have time to sit here and chew the fat with you. Go home and ask your dad and mom. Then ask your grandpa and grandma. Let them tell you what Mr. Mo has done for this village from the forties to the seventies! During the cholera outbreak back in the day, if he hadn’t gotten the recipe from the old traditional doctor and come back to brew the medicine, how many people in this village would have died? In the fifties, when the People’s Liberation Army came to our county to wipe out bandits, it was your Mr. Mo who acted as their guide! He led them through mountains and forests, crossing several county lines, advancing under a hail of bullets just like a PLA soldier... Even now, the people at the commune’s armed forces department still remember him. Whenever there’s an extra consolation subsidy from above during the holidays, he gets a share! In this whole village, he’s the most decorated! He has nowhere to live, and the brigade has this empty courtyard house. Of course we have to take care of him first. He has earned that right!"

After speaking, Secretary Mo said goodbye to Grandma and prepared to leave. He still had matters to attend to at the brigade office. He pointed to the courtyard gate and said to a stout man standing behind him, "Although Mo Guoqiang and Liu Fengying have signed the guarantee, so they won’t dare to make a fuss, there’s no telling when the kids might act up foolishly, just like they did now. Second Brother Mo still has to be at the reservoir for a few more days to finish out the month. He’s worried about the old and young here at home, so I’m entrusting this to you, the militia platoon leader. Come by in the mornings and evenings to check on things. I don’t care if they’re adults or children—if anyone dares to cause trouble, you drive them away for me!"

The stout man slapped his chest. "I’ve got it. Leave it to me, Secretary. You can rest assured!"

With that, he and Secretary Mo began to disperse the crowd. "Are you going to get food on the table by just standing around gawking? Everyone go home, go home! Get back to whatever you were supposed to be doing!"

It was as if the crowd had just remembered they had work to do. Without much urging, they said their goodbyes to Grandma and left. In the blink of an eye, everyone was gone.

Mo Xiaosu and Huang Baoshan were the last to leave. As she walked out of the gate, she looked back, unwilling to give up. Huang Baoshan comforted her, "That old hag is just spouting nonsense, don’t listen to her! Just because she says they’re not blood, that makes it true? The only thing that counts is what comes out of your Grandpa’s mouth! This courtyard really is nice—so many bright and spacious rooms. Who cares if they’re living here temporarily or for the long term? If you want to move in, just move in! Have your parents say a word to your Grandpa, and I’ll come help you move when the time comes! If that old hag and Mo Xiaoman dare to say anything, I’ll give them a good beating. I guarantee they’ll learn to behave!"

A smile appeared on Mo Xiaosu’s face. "I’m not afraid of Xiao Man, it’s just that Grandma is so noisy. But with my cousin here to help me, I’ll talk to my parents tonight. We’ll move in a few days!"