For a brief moment, father and daughter simply stared at one another. Then her eyes suddenly brightened.
"Father!" The bundle slipped from her hands with a dull thud onto the roadside and she immediately ran toward him.
Li Guoqiang barely had time to react before a small figure crashed into him. He instinctively opened his arms and caught her.
A smile appeared on his usually stern face, "Slow down little Shuying." He steadied her shoulders and looked down at his daughter, with a genuine fondness.
Li Shuying looked up at him excitedly, "Father, why are you here? When did you arrive? Weren't you in Baicheng? Why didn't you tell us beforehand?" The questions came one after another.
Li Guoqiang chuckled. Instead of answering immediately, he deliberately raised an eyebrow "What? You're not happy to see your father?"
Li Shuying immediately shook her head hard, "How could I not be happy?" A bright smile bloomed across her face, "I've been waiting for you to come home."
Hearing those words, Li Guoqiang felt an indescribable warmth in his chest. He reached out and rubbed her head, "Good." Then his gaze suddenly shifted toward the large pile of supplies lying beside the road. His brows immediately furrowed, "What are those?"
Li Shuying blinked. She followed his gaze and suddenly remembered the mountain of supplies she had dropped, "Oh, those are food supplies."
Li Guoqiang frowned even harder, "Food supplies?" His eyes swept across the sacks and baskets. The more he looked, the more surprised he became. There were several grain sacks, baskets that seemed to be filled with vegetables and dried produce and various other supplies. The quantity was enough to make anyone stare, "You bought all of this?"
Li Shuying nodded, "Didn't I mention you about my connections in the county."
Li Guoqiang's eyes narrowed slightly, "Shuying," he said in a deeper voice, "did you really carry all of this from the county by yourself?"
His gaze swept across the supplies once more.
Li Shuying nodded.
Even a grown man would find such a load exhausting, let alone a fourteen-year-old girl.
A trace of concern surfaced in his eyes, "Why didn't you bring your brothers with you?" he asked. "Walking alone with so many supplies in broad daylight is too dangerous. What if you encountered thieves or troublemakers on the road?"
Li Shuying naturally understood his concern. No father could remain indifferent after seeing his daughter hauling such a quantity of goods alone.
She quickly explained, "Second Brother and Third Brother have been helping Mother with the autumn planting, and Elder Brother has to attend school. Everyone is busy, so I came alone."
"Autumn planting?" Li Guoqiang frowned immediately. By this time of year, the planting season should already be over. Even if some work remained, it would only be minor supplementary tasks, "How can there still be autumn planting now?" he asked. "Shouldn't the fields have been planted long ago?"
Li Shuying nodded.
"Ordinarily, yes. But a lot of things happened in the village during the last few days. Didn't we already told you about the delay due to water crises?"
Li Guoqiang immediately remembered and nodded, "Than why is it still pending?"
Li Shuying then recounted everything from beginning to end. She also told him how Brigade Leader Liu had suddenly called a village meeting. How concerns about the draught had been predicted.
Most importantly, she explained how the production team had ultimately decided to replace part of the wheat planting plan with sweet potatoes and other coarse grains.
As Li Shuying spoke, Li Guoqiang's expression gradually became more solemn. When she finally finished silence fell.
As a soldier, his first instinct was naturally to consider the political implications. The state was vigorously promoting grain production. Wheat, rice, and other staple crops were considered strategic resources.
Under such circumstances, for an entire production brigade to alter its planting plans and prioritize sweet potatoes was undoubtedly a bold decision.
Li Guoqiang slowly nodded. From a practical standpoint, he could understand the logic. Sweet potatoes were far more resilient, they tolerated poor soil, required less water and could keep people alive during difficult years.
But politically... That was another matter entirely. A trace of concern appeared in his eyes, "If news reaches the county..." He sighed, "The leadership probably won't take this lightly."
He did not understand what had prompted Commune Director Chen Deshun and Brigade Leader Liu to support such a risky decision. Nor was it his place to question local administrative affairs.
Yet as a man who had seen war, famine, and displacement with his own eyes, another thought quietly surfaced in his heart.
Whatever the political consequences might be, at least someone was thinking about whether ordinary people would have food to eat.
Too many officials only knew how to complete quotas.
Too few remembered the villagers bending over in the fields beneath the scorching sun. Too few remembered that behind every production target stood countless families struggling simply to survive.
For a moment, Li Guoqiang felt a measure of respect toward the people who had made this decision. Whether right or wrong, they had at least chosen the villagers before they chose their own promotions and growth.
His gaze returned to Li Shuying.
Ever since he met her in Baicheng last week, she seemed strangely different from the daughter he remembered. Calmer, more thoughtful and more capable.
Not only had she noticed the danger ahead, she had even begun stockpiling supplies for the family.
A hint of pride unconsciously appeared in his eyes, "Good." He nodded slowly, "No matter what happens later, having grain in hand is never a mistake."
Then he looked at the mountain of supplies and raised an eyebrow, "Still, these things won't carry themselves. Come. Your father has finally returned home. Let me help carry them."
Before Li Shuying could say anything, Li Guoqiang had already stepped forward and effortlessly lifted the most heavy grain sacks onto his shoulders.
The load that had nearly exhausted Li Shuying moments earlier seemed almost weightless in his hands.
He glanced back at his daughter and smiled, "Let's go home."
"Mn."
As father and daughter walked toward the village, their conversation flowed easily.
"Father," she asked with a smile, "did you come back this time for Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Li Guoqiang's footsteps paused for the briefest moment. Naturally, he could not tell her the true reason for his return. The mission entrusted to him was confidential. Not even his family could know.
So he simply nodded and chuckled, "That's right. I've been planning this for quite some time." His usually stern face softened, "I wanted to give all of you a surprise."
Then he glanced at her and laughed lightly, "Weren't you surprised?"
Li Shuying nodded obediently, "Very surprised."
Li Guoqiang smiled in satisfaction, "Good. Then I want to see your mother's expression as well. And your brothers too. Let them be properly startled."
The father and daughter continued walking side by side. Yet beneath her smile, Li Shuying felt little confused.
In her previous life, her father had indeed returned for Mid-Autumn Festival. But it had been only three days before the festival. This time, however, he had arrived almost half a month earlier.
But before she could think further, a commotion ahead suddenly drew both their attention.
The closer they came to their courtyard, the more clearly they could hear anxious voices.
Li Shuying frowned. A crowd had gathered outside their home. Li Jianmin, Li Jianguo, Widow He and Grand-Aunt Li. All of them stood before the courtyard gate.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Li Jianguo was pounding on the wooden door, "Mother! Open the door!" His voice was filled with panic, "Mother, tell us what's wrong! Why are you crying?"
Beside him, Li Jianmin's face had already darkened. He struck the gate even harder, "Exactly! If someone from the Li family bullied you, just tell me who it was! I'll settle the score right now!"
From inside the courtyard came the muffled sound of sobbing.
Widow He immediately cursed under her breath, "That old hag Wang Chunhua must have done something! Her precious son lost a thumb. She must be full of resentment. Who else would she vent it on if not Meilan?"
Widow He marched toward the gate and shouted loudly, "Meilan! Open the door! Tell me what that old hag did to you. I'll go spit on her doorstep right now. I'll curse her ancestors for eighteen generations if I have to!"
Grand-Aunt Li immediately struck her walking stick against the ground, "Bah! What nonsense are you talking about? Wang Chunhua is still in the county hospital. I heard it this morning, she hasn't returned yet." The old woman's eyes narrowed, "If anyone did something, it was probably Zhang Xiuli."
The moment those words fell, everyone's expressions became even uglier. Li Jianmin clenched his fists and Li Jianguo's face darkened. Neither doubted the possibility.
Li Jianguo continued knocking, "Mother, Open the door!"
But no matter how much they called, the courtyard remained closed. Inside, Chen Meilan's sobs continued without pause.
Li Shuying's brows furrowed tightly, "What is going on?"
Beside her, Li Guoqiang's expression instantly changed, his heart tightened. A trace of panic flashed through his eyes.
Without another word, he immediately quickened his pace, "Let's go." His voice had become noticeably tense.
The moment Li Guoqiang heard Chen Meilan's heartbroken sobs coming from inside the courtyard, all thoughts of reunion vanished from his mind.
Without hesitation, he dropped the supplies he was carrying onto the ground with a heavy thud. Before anyone could react, he strode forward in large steps.
"Mother..." Li Jianmin had barely opened his mouth when Li Guoqiang gently but firmly pushed him aside.
Li Jianguo who was also pushed was equally stunned.
Bang! Li Guoqiang's fist struck the courtyard gate, "Meilan, it's me Guoqiang. Open the door and tell me what happened. Why are you crying?"
The moment his voice rang through the courtyard, everything fell silent. The sobbing inside abruptly stopped.
The crowd outside froze.
Li Jianguo and Li Jianmin stared blankly at the tall figure before them, their lips trembled, "F...Father?"
Even Widow He and Grand-Aunt Li stood rooted to the spot. For several seconds, no one spoke.
Grand-Aunt Li was the first to recover. Her wrinkled face lit up with surprise, "Guoqiang? Son, you've come back?" Then she immediately pointed toward the house. "Quickly look after your wife. We've been standing here for so long. But she won't open the door no matter what we say."
Widow He nodded repeatedly, "Exactly." Her voice rose deliberately so Chen Meilan could hear, "Meilan, now that Guoqiang has returned, there's nothing to fear. If someone bullied you, come out and tell us. We'll stand together and seek justice."
Inside the house, however, Chen Meilan's entire body had gone stiff. She sat frozen beside her bedroom door.
Her eyes widened in disbelief and breathing grew uneven. Guoqiang... Guoqiang had returned? For a moment she thought she was still dreaming.
Then the familiar voice sounded again from beyond the door. Every word struck directly at her heart.
Her trembling lips parted, "G...Guoqiang..." Her voice was muffled from crying, "Is... is it really you?"
Outside, Li Guoqiang immediately stepped closer to the gate. A trace of relief flashed through his eyes upon hearing her answer, "Yes. It's me. I've come back on leave. So now open the door, let me see you."
The moment those words reached her ears, Chen Meilan's face turned pale. Her heartbeat suddenly accelerated. The nightmare she had just experienced resurfaced in her mind. She could still vividly remember it.
Wang Xiuying standing beside Li Guoqiang. The two of them together, while her children and her being abandoned. The fear that had haunted her for the entire night instantly surged back. And now Wang Xiuying was returning to the village. At the same time, Guoqiang had come home. The coincidence was enough to make her panic.
No... Nothing has happened yet... Nothing will happen. She desperately tried to comfort herself. Yet when her gaze fell upon her own body, her heart sank once again.
The horrifying black filth covered her entire body like a layer. It clung to her skin like mud dredged from the bottom of a stagnant pond. The foul odor rising from it was overwhelming. Even she felt nauseated by the smell. Compared to this stench, even the manure pits she had worked seemed tolerable.
The odor permeated every corner of the room. She herself could barely endure it. How could she allow Guoqiang to see her in such a state?
"No!" She hurriedly wiped away her tears, "Don't come in!" Her voice carried obvious panic, "Please... don't come in!"
Outside the gate, everyone exchanged bewildered glances.
Li Guoqiang frowned deeply, "Meilan?" But before he could continue speaking, a muffled cry suddenly sounded from inside.
Chen Meilan had tried to stand. However, the moment she pushed herself upright, a wave of weakness swept through her body. Her legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed heavily onto the floor beside the kang. Pain shot through every bone in her body, a sharp gasp escaped her lips.
Ever since waking up that morning, she had felt strange. Her entire body was weak. Her limbs lacked strength. Even standing for long periods had become difficult. And that inexplicable black grime covering her body only made everything feel more terrifying.
Until now, she still could not understand what had happened. When she woke up, the substance had already covered her from head to toe. Combined with the unbearable stench, it seemed as though she had been thrown into a cesspit while sleeping.
The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. Someone must have done this. That was the only explanation she could think of. Otherwise, how could such a thing happen?
Outside the courtyard, everyone exchanged bewildered looks. None of them could understand Chen Meilan's behavior. Everyone in the village knew how much she missed Li Guoqiang.
For nearly a year she had counted the days of his absence. Whenever someone mentioned him, her eyes would unconsciously drift toward the village entrance. Yet now that Li Guoqiang had finally returned, she refused to open the door and would not even let him enter.
Something was clearly wrong. Li Shuying stepped closer to the courtyard gate. Immediately, the faint foul odor struck her nose again. Her brows furrowed, she had smelled the same strange stench that morning.
At first she had not paid much attention to it, but now that she was standing so close, she could tell without a doubt that the smell was coming from inside the house.
A trace of worry appeared in her eyes. Something must have happened. Otherwise, there was no way her mother would react like this after hearing her father's voice.
She turned toward Li Guoqiang, "Father, I think we should break the door."
Li Guoqiang glanced toward the tightly shut gate and nodded without hesitation.
Before he could move, Li Jianmin hurriedly stepped forward, "No need to break the entire door." He pointed toward one side of the courtyard wall, "We can break the wooden window instead. I already asked little Liu Weiguo and Liu Weimin to fetch a cleaver from the production team's warehouse. They should be here any moment."
As if on cue, two small figures came running down the dirt road. Their short legs moved as fast as they could.
Both boys held wooden side of a heavy iron cleaver nearly half their size.
"Brother Jianmin! We brought it!" Both children were panting heavily.
Li Guoqiang's eyes narrowed. His hardened gaze immediately landed on Li Jianmin, "You asked children this young to carry a cleaver?"
His voice was calm, too calm. Li Jianmin instantly felt his scalp go numb. Ever since childhood, he had feared this expression from his father the most. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
Li Guoqiang merely gave him a cold glance before taking the cleaver. He did not waste any more words. His attention was entirely focused on Chen Meilan now.
The wooden window beside the courtyard gate was narrow, but it was large enough for one adult to squeeze through.
Inside the house, Chen Meilan heard the movement outside. Panic instantly flooded her heart.
"No! Please don't come in! Guoqiang... please don't come in, I beg you. I'm not in a state to meet anyone right now." Tears streamed down her face again.The thought of Li Guoqiang seeing her in such a miserable condition made her feel even more ashamed than death itself.
Unfortunately, her pleas were drowned out by the sound of splintering wood.
Crack! The old window frame gave way. Li Guoqiang set the cleaver aside and climbed through the opening in a single motion. Before entering fully, he turned toward the people outside, "Stay here. I'll see what's going on first."
Everyone nodded.
The moment Li Guoqiang stepped into the house, a powerful stench assaulted him. His expression changed instantly. The smell was so foul that it felt almost tangible.
Even after years in the military, having experienced countless unpleasant environments, he nearly gagged. Instinctively, he raised a hand to cover his nose.
"What is this smell?" His deep voice echoed through the quiet house.
The living room was dim. Only pale daylight filtered through the windows.
Then his gaze moved toward the bedroom door and he froze. A sharp pain pierced his heart. Chen Meilan was sitting on the floor beside the doorway. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were swollen red from crying. Dark gray-black filth covered almost every inch of her exposed skin. Her clothes, face and even hands were stained, it looked as though they had been rolled through a pit of black mud.
The foul odor was clearly coming from her. Yet at that moment, Li Guoqiang did not care about the smell at all.
All he saw was his wife. The woman he had not seen for nearly a year. The woman who had suffered and carried their family alone while he was away. And she was crying like this.
The moment Chen Meilan saw him standing there, she hurriedly covered her face.
"No..." Her shoulders shook violently. "Guoqiang, why did you come in? I told you not to, why are you always so stubborn? I didn't want you to see me like this."
The humiliation she had suppressed all day finally exploded. Her sobs became louder.
Li Guoqiang stood motionless. His eyes stung slightly, ache spread through his chest.
In his memory, Chen Meilan had always been gentle and strong. Even when she suffered grievances, she rarely cried in front of others. Yet now she looked completely broken.
Slowly, he walked forward. His military boots stopped a short distance away from her.
"Meilan." His voice softened unconsciously, "What happened? Why are you in this state?"
Chen Meilan lowered her head, "I don't know." Her voice was filled with confusion and helplessness. "I truly don't know. When I woke up this morning... I was already like this."
She bit her lip. The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she felt. Her tears flowed again.
Chen Meilan lowered her head and looked at the black grime covering her hands. Her shoulders trembled violently. "I'm filthy...You should go outside, I can deal with this myself."
Then she suddenly raised her head and looked at him. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. "Guoqiang..." Her lips trembled, "Forget what you've seen today. Please... Just pretend you never saw me like this."
The plea sounded so desperate that even Li Guoqiang felt his heart tighten.
Before he could react, Chen Meilan actually joined her hands together. As though begging him and pleading for mercy, "Please, don't remember me like this... Please..."
Li Guoqiang was completely stunned. For a moment, he simply stared at her. His wife was actually begging him?
Without hesitation, he took several quick steps forward. The closer he moved, the stronger the foul odor became, yet he did not stop. Nor did he show the slightest sign of disgust. Reaching her, he immediately grasped the hands she had joined together.
"Meilan." His voice grew firm, "What are you saying? Why are you pleading with me like this?" He looked directly into her eyes, "Why does it matter if I see you like this?"
The warmth of his hands made Chen Meilan's body tremble. Almost instinctively, she pulled away, "No!"
Her reaction was unusually fierce. She desperately shook off his hands and tried to retreat.
"You go outside first, don't come near me, I'm filthy and dirty." Her voice cracked, "It smells terrible here, I can't let you see me like this, I can't... I can't let you see me like this..."
Her head shook repeatedly. The nightmare she had just experienced kept replaying before her eyes. The fear she had buried deep in her heart for years finally broke free.
Li Guoqiang stared at her in disbelief. He could not understand. Not because he lacked intelligence. But because the thoughts inside Chen Meilan's mind had never once occurred to him.
"Why?" He stepped forward again, "I don't understand, it's only dirt. It can be washed away. Why are you so afraid?"
Chen Meilan's breathing became increasingly chaotic. She continued retreating until her back struck the cold wall.
She had nowhere left to go. At that moment, she wished the ground would simply open and swallow her whole. The woman reflected in that mirror last night had already shattered her confidence.
She was thirty-three years old, yet she looked closer to fifty. Years of labor, hunger and hardship has worn her down little by little. The beautiful young woman she once was had long disappeared. And now here she was, covered in filth from head to toe.
How could she possibly face him? Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I'm already ugly, old. My face is full of wrinkles, my skin is rough, hands are ugly. I don't look anything like I did before."
Her sobs grew louder.
"You stay in the city, you've seen so many people. So many beautiful women. You've surely met women prettier than me." The words poured out uncontrollably. "And now you've seen me in this state... You'll leave me sooner or later, you'll think I'm disgusting, you'll think I've become ugly."
"You'll..." Her eyes filled with terror, "...you'll go with Wang Xiuying, won't you?"
The room suddenly fell silent. Li Guoqiang froze completely. For several seconds, he simply stared at her. As though he had heard something utterly unimaginable.
"Wang Xiuying?" His voice was filled with disbelief.