Siheyuan: Sizhu starts blindly and takes a new path

Lao Liu exchanged glances with his colleague: "In principle, the educated youth should be stable, but in your case..." He wrote a few words in the notebook, "We will consider it. You go back first and have a good rest. We will take care of the rest for you."

Bang Geng thanked him profusely and left. When he returned to the hospital, Maya was standing at the gate anxiously, looking around. When she saw him, she immediately ran over and said, "Where have you been? The doctor is so anxious!"

Banggeng shook off her support and walked to the ward. Maya followed behind him and suddenly asked in a low voice: "Where did you go?"

Banggeng paused, turned around and stared at Maya, his eyes as cold as ice: "He's going to complain. Go tell your father and tell him to wait."

Maya's face turned pale, her lips trembled but she couldn't speak.

It was noon when the jeep of the County Youth Office rolled into Wugou Village, rolling up the yellow soil. Director Liu got off the car with the young staff member Xiao Zhang, followed by Wang Wenshu from the commune. The villagers who were enjoying the cool under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village immediately gathered around and talked about it.

"Leader, are you here about Jia Geng's matter?" The production team accountant Lao Zhou squeezed to the front and took the briefcase from Director Liu.

Director Liu adjusted his glasses and said, "First, find Captain Li, then visit the masses. Seek truth from facts and get things straight."

The gate of Captain Li's house was closed, the three brothers Tieniu had gone to the fields, and only Maya was in the yard with her child in her arms. When she saw the cadres coming in, Maya panicked and knocked over the washing basin, and Liuxu burst into tears in fear.

"Don't be nervous, we understand the situation." Director Liu gestured to Xiao Zhang to take notes, "Jia Geng said that your family members beat him, is that true?"

Maya bit her lip and stared at the ground: "He...he hit me, so my brother hit him..."

“Why did you hit me?”

"He complained about me, he smelled bad, and the food was not tasty..." Maya's voice became smaller and smaller, "He got mad outside, and when he got home..."

Director Liu wrote a few words in the notebook: "Why did the Li brothers fight Jia Geng?"

Maya suddenly raised her head, tears streaming down her face: "He used a knife to chop my third brother!" Maya pulled her hair aside, revealing the bump on her head, "He hit me with something, and my brother was so angry that he..."

Director Liu nodded, and Xiao Zhang quickly wrote it down. At this time, the gate was pushed open, and Captain Li came back carrying a hoe, his trouser legs rolled up to his knees, and his legs were covered in mud.

"The leader is here." Captain Li put down his hoe and wiped his hands on his collar. "Let's talk inside."

In the main room, Director Liu looked through the villagers' testimonies recorded by Xiao Zhang: Wang Laowu said Bang Geng "fished for three days and dried his nets for two days"; the barefoot doctor testified that Tiezhu's knife wound "had been deeper and would have injured the tendon"; even Liu Po, a five-guarantee household living next door, tremblingly said, "I heard Jia Geng beat his wife, and the scolding was so ugly"...

"Captain Li, beating people is wrong." Director Liu closed the notebook. "No matter how much Jia Geng did wrong, you shouldn't have beaten him so hard that his bones were broken."

Captain Li puffed on his pipe and said, "Captain Wang has criticized us, and we have also paid for the medical expenses." He suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Director Liu, please tell me something fair. If a son-in-law attacks his father-in-law's family with a knife, how can he be forgiven?"

At the members' meeting in the afternoon, Director Liu announced the results of the investigation in public: "After verification, Comrade Jia Geng was indeed slack in his work, and it was wrong to use a knife to injure people during a physical conflict with family members. But the father and son of the Li family beat him to the point of breaking his bones, which was also excessive, and he should be criticized and educated!"

Tie Niu muttered unconvincedly: "He even beat my sister..."

"Broken bones are connected to tendons!" Director Liu knocked on the table, "We are all family, what conflicts can't be resolved peacefully? Jia Geng is an educated youth, and he is also the son-in-law of your Li family!"

After the meeting, Director Liu deliberately kept Captain Li and said, "Old Li, Jia Geng wanted to be transferred, but we didn't agree. At least he has you to take care of him here, and it would be even worse if he went somewhere else." After a pause, he said sincerely, "He is not good at the work, so you can arrange some lighter work for him. You have three strong laborers in your family, so you don't need him anymore."

Three days later, in the county hospital ward, Banggeng listened to Director Liu's tactful refusal, his fists clenched white under the quilt.

"...After comprehensive consideration, it is best for you to stay in Wugoutun." Director Liu handed over a bag of fruit candy, "This is a little gift from the Youth League Office. Get well and go back soon."

Banggeng suddenly grabbed the candy and threw it on the ground: "You and the Li family colluded!"

Director Liu's face darkened. "Comrade Jia Geng! We have investigated more than 20 villagers, and they all said that you were the first to hit someone. The organization took care of you because you have a family, so they didn't punish you!"

Bang Geng collapsed on the bed like a deflated ball. After Director Liu left, he stared at the ceiling and suddenly burst into a strange giggle.

Banggeng was lying on his back under the elm tree in the Li family's yard. Since he left the yard, Banggeng had moved into the Li family on the grounds that Maya could not take care of Liuxu and him alone. His right arm in plaster was placed on his chest, and between his left fingers was a Daqianmen cigarette - which he had asked someone to buy for him at the supply and marketing cooperative yesterday. The sun shone through the leaves on him, and the roar of the thresher came from the yard in the distance.

"Boss, have some water." Maya came over with an enamel pot and looked at him cautiously.

Banggeng didn't even raise his eyelids, but stretched out his left hand to take the pot and took a sip slowly. The water was added with sugar, and it was so sweet that it was greasy, but he deliberately frowned: "Don't you know how to make some tea?"

Maya twisted the edge of her apron and said, "There's no tea leaves at home."

"Go borrow it!" Banggeng suddenly raised his voice, frightening Maya. "Who did I break my arm for? Can't I even drink a cup of tea?"

As he was talking, Tieniu was walking by the yard carrying a sack on his shoulder. When he heard this, his face suddenly darkened. But he just glared at Banggeng fiercely, and didn't scold him as usual.

Banggeng sneered in his heart. Ever since the Youth League Office came to investigate, the Li family father and son have obviously restrained themselves a lot. Especially Captain Li, now he is very polite when talking to him, for fear that he will complain again.

"My father said..." Maya said timidly, "the work in the yard..."

"No!" Bang Geng interrupted her, "Can't you see my arm is still in a cast?" He deliberately shook his right arm wrapped in a thick cast, "The doctor said that it takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone. It's too early for me!"

Maya hesitated to speak, and finally sighed and turned to go into the house. Banggeng squinted his eyes and looked at her thin back, without a trace of guilt in his heart. He wanted to get back the suffering he had endured in the past six months bit by bit.

The birds in the trees were chirping, making people feel annoyed. Banggen put out his cigarette butt and took out a piece of letter from his trouser pocket with his left hand. This was a letter he wrote to his mother Qin Huairu with his left hand the day before yesterday. The letter described in detail how he was abused in the countryside and how he was beaten severely. In the end, he mentioned in a tactful way that he heard that some educated youth could return to the city due to illness...

"Jia Geng!" Captain Li's voice came from the gate. Bang Geng quickly put the letter back into his pocket and turned his head lazily.

Captain Li came over with his hands behind his back, glanced at the cigarette butt on the ground, frowned but said nothing: "Is your injury...better?"