Reborn in 1966

Chapter Fifty-Four Arrest

Grandpa was a reserved man, but everyone needs a place to vent their emotions. That afternoon, under the warm sunshine, the grandfather and grandson sat quietly on the haystack. One slowly spoke, and the other listened quietly. Grandpa told how he took over the business left by his father who died young, how he took care of his younger brother, and how he struggled to support the family business when surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Later, when the Japanese devils came, Grandpa felt that it was safer to live in his hometown than in the city, so he carefully renovated the old house of the Shen family, which is today's Shen Family Courtyard. When the eldest daughter was working in the enemy's rear area, she often stayed in this courtyard. Peiyin knew that there was a tunnel in this courtyard that led directly to the river, but the tunnel was sealed off by Grandpa after liberation.

My third grandfather, a man of strong character, lost his life because he was forced to become the head of a Japanese chamber of commerce. He was a well-known anti-Japanese figure in Xiping, having donated considerable sums of money to the resistance through my aunt and Uncle Shengxiu. As for material goods, who knows how much he gave away? After my third grandfather's death, my grandfather thought a lot. He said, "What's the point of keeping all that property now that the person is gone?" So he bought some land outside the city and gradually sold off the family's shops, intending to become a simple farmer. He thought that way, no one would force him to become the head of the chamber of commerce.

Later, the Japanese were finally driven away, and Grandpa thought that was great. But the good times didn't last long. The returning militia came. Seeing those returning militia members biting people everywhere like mad dogs, Grandpa gritted his teeth, sold the house, and took his whole family back to Shenjia Village.

Pei Yin looked up at her grandfather, who had experienced many hardships, and thought that his life was actually the experience of many people. They had lived through such a cruel war era, and even though they thought they were going to be the masters of their own lives, they continued to live in fear for various reasons. The deep wrinkles on her grandfather's face recorded the experiences of his life.

That afternoon, Grandpa talked a lot. He probably thought Pei-yin wouldn't understand. He probably just wanted someone to listen to him. But Pei-yin could understand everything. She could also hear Grandpa's worries. He was worried that his eldest son, who was labeled a rightist, would prevent his grandsons from going to school, joining the army, or taking any exams because of their class background. He was worried that his grandsons were growing up and would not be able to get married because of their class background.

Grandpa was also worried about his eldest daughter. She had experienced such a cruel war and made such great contributions to the country. How could she be treated like this in peacetime? The old man couldn't understand it, so he stopped thinking about it and started worrying about his youngest daughter. Although she lived close to him, she had an unreliable mother-in-law. Why couldn't he find someone who made him feel at ease?

A few days later, Shen Shengqin, the second uncle, went home and told his eldest brother that a rebel in the factory who was very close to him had secretly told him that rebels from other places had come to visit the rebel leader in the factory, but he didn't know what they were doing there.

Upon hearing this, Shen's father immediately told Shen Shengqin to take leave and go home, saying that the elderly in the family were not in good health and to see if they could postpone the matter.

The next day, Uncle Shen, who had gone back to the factory to ask for leave, still hadn't returned. Uncle Shen couldn't sit still any longer, so he got up and went to Uncle Si's house.

Many years later, Pei-Yin still remembered the chaotic atmosphere at home that night.

Fourth Grandfather sent a young man from the village to the county's machinery factory to check on things. Shen's father was also worried about Tian Lingling, who was pregnant, so he went to Secretary Tian's house under the cover of night.

Shen's father didn't hide anything from Secretary Tian. Years ago, Tian's third grandfather sent Secretary Tian to join the army, and the unit he joined was the same one led by Shen's eldest daughter and son-in-law. After the victory against Japan, that unit was scattered and its members joined other units. Secretary Tian then participated in several major battles, until he was wounded and returned home during the attack on Xuzhou. Upon hearing the story, Secretary Tian immediately sent several of his young men to accompany his wife to the machinery factory to find his daughter and see what was going on.

After dinner, Tian Lingling rode her bicycle home in the dark to her husband's house.

Grandma saw her youngest daughter-in-law with disheveled hair and a panicked look, and asked in surprise, "Lingling, what happened to you? Are you trying to save time? Why did you ride your bike back by yourself? It's so dangerous."

Tian Lingling asked in a panic, "Mom, where's my older brother? Shengqin told me to come and find him."

Grandma's heart jumped, and she quickly asked, "What happened? Huh?"

Tian Lingling said, "Mom, Shengqin was taken away by the rebels in the factory. When he left, he secretly told me to come back and find my older brother so that he could find a way to help me."

Grandma said, "Why are the rebels arresting Shengqin? Oh dear, what on earth has happened?"

Tian Lingling sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) wiping away tears. Her grandmother paced anxiously around the room. Her grandfather, who was in the backyard, heard the commotion and returned to the house. Seeing his wife and daughter-in-law, he said, "Lingling is back. Where's Shengqin?"

Grandma said, "Dad, Shengqin has been arrested by the rebels at their factory. Go and call Shengsi back quickly. Lingling said that Shengqin told her to come back and find Shengsi."

Upon hearing this, Grandpa's heart skipped a beat, and he headed towards the door. He remembered that his eldest son had said he was going to his fourth uncle's house before leaving.

Peiyin, who was playing on the kang (a heated brick bed), saw her second aunt crying and looking anxious, and she was also very anxious. The rebels must have arrested her second uncle because of her eldest aunt's husband. It seemed that someone was trying to find evidence against her eldest aunt's husband. If her second uncle couldn't withstand the torture and confessed, it was uncertain whether her eldest aunt's husband would still be in Qingshan.

Thinking of this, Pei Yin became even more anxious. So many people had been killed by those incriminating materials. She hoped that her father could come up with a solution with her fourth grandfather, as long as they could get her second uncle back.

A short while later, there was a series of hurried footsteps in the courtyard, and the first one to enter was Tian Lingling's mother.

When Tian's mother saw the girl sitting on the edge of the kang wiping away tears, she hugged her tightly and said, "My child, how did you get back? Your mother and your younger brothers went to your factory to look for you, but they all said they hadn't seen you. But a girl secretly told me that you came back on your bicycle. It was so dark on the road, how could you be so brave?" As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.

Following closely behind, Party Secretary Tian said, "Hey, don't ask yet, Lingling, tell me what happened."

Tian Lingling sniffed and said, "This morning, Shengqin said he wanted to take a few days off to go home and told me to pack my things so I could go to our workshop director to ask for leave. The workshop director had already approved it, saying that the factory wasn't very busy these days, so I could stay at home for a few more days. I hadn't left yet this afternoon when one of the factory's rebels came to our dormitory and said that the leader had something to discuss with Shengqin and that he should go to the office right away."

Tian Lingling wiped away her tears and continued, "Shengqin told me to wait a little while, saying that someone at home was waiting at the factory gate. He asked me to take the things to the factory gate first, and then go to the factory office. That person said that wouldn't work, as it wouldn't be good for the leader to keep waiting. He suggested that I go with one of his young men to help me take the things to the gate. While Shengqin was helping me carry the bundle, he told me to hurry back and find my older brother, without saying anything else."

Party Secretary Tian said, "Then why are you only coming back now?"

Tian Lingling said, "The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. I thought I had a colleague with whom I had a good relationship, so I asked him to find out what was going on. It was almost dark when he finally found out that Shengqin had been detained and that a higher-up had brought people to arrest him. I felt that things were not good, so I quickly went back and asked my older brother for help."

Party Secretary Tian asked, "Do you know where Shengqin is now?"

Tian Lingling said, "When I came here, I was at the factory, but my colleague told me that it seemed like I was going to be taken to the rebels in the county."

At this time, Shen's father and fourth grandfather also returned. After Secretary Tian told the others what Tian Lingling had said, he said, "I guess she's from Beijing, and she's trying to get information on Commander Zhao."

Fourth Grandfather said, "We should hurry up and find a way to get Shengqin out. Anything could happen while he's still inside."

Party Secretary Tian said, "I know, but how do we get them out?"

Tian Aiguo, who had been following closely behind Secretary Tian, ​​said, "Dad, let me go take a look first. I know a lot of people over there. Let's see if we can steal them out."

Party Secretary Tian said, "Take a look at the situation first before making any decisions on your own."

Party Secretary Tian said, “Shengsi, Fourth Brother, you take a few of the younger ones and follow Aiguo. I’ll go find Third Uncle and see if he has any influential people in the county.”

The group split up and left. Grandma sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and said to Grandpa, "Father, I'll go too. I need to see how my youngest son is doing." As she spoke, she started crying again.

Grandpa said, "Don't go and cause trouble. With your hardworking father-in-law helping out, just stay home and wait for news." After saying that, Grandpa sighed and wanted to take out the pipe tucked in his belt to take a couple of puffs, but after looking at his young daughter-in-law sitting on the edge of the kang wiping away tears, he put it back in his belt.

Peihua and the others peeked around from the adults' room, wondering what they were doing. Ever since Tian Lingling entered the house, Shen's mother had been by her sister-in-law's side. Seeing the men going about their business, she, as a woman, didn't want to cause any trouble. Thinking that Tian Lingling must not have finished eating on her way back, she went to her kitchen, cooked a bowl of noodles, brought it over to the kang table, and said, "Second Aunt, have some food."

Tian Lingling said, "Sister-in-law, I can't eat."

Shen's mother said, "You have to eat even if you can't. You have another baby in your belly. We can't help you much. Just take good care of yourself. Here, eat more while it's hot."

After listening to her sister-in-law's advice, Tian Lingling sat down at the kang table and slurped down most of a bowl of noodles.

Time passed slowly, and the silence outside was eerily profound. Pei Yin sat beside her grandmother on the kang (a heated brick bed). The dim light from the lamp illuminated only a very limited area, and the only sound in the small room was the soft breathing. Tian Lingling quietly asked Shen's mother, "Sister-in-law, is something alright?"

Shen's mother said, "What could possibly be wrong?"

Tian Lingling said, "But I always feel like something's not right. Although Shengqin and I weren't exactly outstanding in the factory, we didn't participate in any organizations. So how did the rebels find Shengqin?"

Shen's mother said, "Who knows how we ended up here with his second uncle? With the help of family members, everything will be alright."

Grandma said, "Lingling, don't overthink it, it's okay."

Pei Yin was young, and sitting in the dark, she fell asleep sometime during the night.

When she woke up again, it was already slightly bright. Pei Yin opened her eyes, looked at the window paper that was letting in the dim light, and then at the quilt covering her. She sat up with a quick movement. Apart from her own shallow breathing, there was no other sound in the large room; it was eerily quiet.

Pei Yin panicked immediately. She tried to put on her cotton-padded coat herself, but because her arms were too short, she couldn't reach it and couldn't get it on. She quickly called out, "Grandma! Mom!"

Peizhi and Peitian came in when they heard Peiyin's call and said, "Little sister is awake. Let me help you get dressed."

Pei-Yin asked, "Brother, where are Grandma and Mother?"

Peitian said, "My second uncle came back with a leg injury. Grandma and my mother accompanied him to Doctor Wang's to get medicine."