Chapter Eighty-Four: Stalwart Zhang San

The first page

Zhang San had to go out every day to collect manure, so he left early and returned late. He spent his days gathering and pushing dung, and from time to time he would slip into the commune latrine to scoop out a full load and run.

After a stretch of this, the smell had nearly soaked into his very bones, and the others kept well clear of him. Even his sleeping place had been driven all the way to the edge by everyone; in short, he was thoroughly despised.

Zhang San, who had long since grown numb to it all, was now stunned by the sudden warmth of the crowd.

Since he carried dry provisions with him every day and would not return to the village until his manure basket was full or night had fallen, his luck today had been poor; even now he had not filled a single basket. That was why he knew nothing of what had happened at the educated youths' compound.

"Zhang San, we all feel wronged for you. Just because of a tiny matter, they made you accumulate twenty baskets of manure..."

"Zhang San, let me tell you, today..."

"Zhang San, we can't get leave right now, or we would already have gone to the educated youth office to report this. They're treating us educated youths differently, sowing discord among us and trying to turn us against one another from within."

"Zhang San, since you can come and go freely now without asking for leave, why don't you go report it to the educated youth office? If they send someone down to investigate, we can all testify for you about your slack work, and then you won't have to spend your days collecting dung all over the world."

"Zhang San, I think that's a good idea. They've been calling you the dung beetle behind your back, saying you spend all day rolling dung balls for fun."

"Exactly. Maybe this time you can even earn merit. Then nothing will be written into your file, and it will be easier for you to find work after returning to the city."

Only then did Zhang San realize they were trying to make him the informer.

Even saying they would testify for him was part of it. Zhang San became very interested in the proposal.

Returning to the city and finding work was nothing more than a distant, hazy dream, but he also did not want to keep circling dung heaps every day like a dung beetle.

What was more, even if he somehow gathered enough for twenty baskets, he would still have to go labor for the First Production Team below, and that was the truly fatal part for him.

But Zhang San had learned his lesson this time. Last time, on a hot-headed impulse, he reported Han Li and ended up in this mess.

If he reported all the educated youths and even the village cadres, would there be any good outcome for him afterward?

Yet to give up such a chance left him bitterly unwilling. So, with a flash of inspiration, he said, "Is that so? Then they really are bullying people. It's only right that I report this to the higher-ups. But words alone won't convince anyone. Why don't you several write up a detailed statement? I'll help pass it along tomorrow when I go out to collect manure."

"Zhang San, that's going too far. We're asking you to truthfully report the situation to those above. How can you not even do this little favor?"

"Zhang San, right now we simply can't get leave. Otherwise, would we have let you have this chance to earn merit?"

The second page

"Exactly. You're dragging your feet like this, and you still want us to testify for you?"

"Could it be that you've gotten addicted to rolling dung balls these past couple of days? Can't bear to give up this job now?"

Zhang San gave a dry laugh. "Comrades, let's be frank about this. Are you really trying to hand me credit?"

"Zhang San, what do you mean by that?"

"What I mean, everyone knows in their hearts. You want me to be the blade, and whether it succeeds or not, you all reap the benefit. Where in this world is there such a good deal?"

"Fine. Zhang San, we misjudged you. We never thought you'd be so suspicious. Then there's no need to trouble you with this."

After saying this, the group of educated youths turned to leave, the warmth from their faces gone; some even spat hard on the ground.

But it was too late for them to leave now. How could Zhang San let such a good opportunity slip away? His expression turned cold as he said, "Hold on. Did I tell you lot you could go? I'll give you two choices now. What you do depends on you. One: write up the detailed statement you just mentioned, and I'll hand it in for you first thing tomorrow morning. Two: I go to the brigade leader right now and report the way you were instigating me just now. Think carefully about the consequences yourselves."

"Zhang San, you..."

"Me what? Decide quickly. I've been out running around all day and I'm dead tired. I don't have the patience to argue with you here."

"Zhang San, even if you go to the brigade leader, it won't help. None of us will admit to having said any of that."

"Heh, whether you admit it or not doesn't matter. I only need the village leaders to know. I wasn't here when you were making all this noise just now. What do you think everyone will make of it?"

"Zhang San, aren't you afraid of offending so many of us by doing this?"

"Hahaha... offend you? When I was punished, weren't you all quite happy? And now that you need a scapegoat, you come here spouting words meant to fool children. So tell me now: am I supposed to be afraid of offending you?"

How could something like this ever be written down on paper? Anyone with a halfway sane mind would never do such a thing.

"Fine, fine, Zhang San, then let's just wait and see whether everyone believes you, a man with a record of falsely accusing comrades, or believes us so many people. Let's go."

Watching the entire group leave, Zhang San felt that things had turned out a little differently from what he had imagined.

But now that the bow was already drawn, there was no taking back the arrow. Even if Zhang San refused to report them, they would not let him off.

He spat fiercely on the ground and turned toward the brigade leader's home.

What Zhang San did not know was that someone was following behind him. In truth, even if he had known, he would not have cared.

When the other man saw him knock on the brigade leader's door, he cursed under his breath, turned around, and went to discuss countermeasures with the others.

But what countermeasures were there to speak of now? They could only clamp their teeth shut and deny everything.

They had not expected that Zhang San, the tattletale, would not take the bait and would instead leave them in such a passive position.

The group agreed that once these two days of trouble had passed, they would all give Zhang San a lesson together.

What Zhang San said to the brigade leader, no one knew. But on the way back, his steps were noticeably lighter.

When he returned to the educated youths' compound and saw that his bedding had been thrown onto the floor, he did not care in the slightest.

He patted it twice, lay down on the heated brick bed, and went to sleep.

The third page

The next morning, when the bright morning star still hung in the eastern sky, Han Li's body clock woke him.

As always, it was the same routine: light the fire and boil water, practice boxing and strike the wooden post, wash up, eat, and then gather at the threshing ground.

When they arrived at the threshing ground today, everyone was still discussing what had happened at the educated youths' compound yesterday.

"Comrade Han, why didn't we see you at the compound yesterday?"

Hearing the old woman ask this, Han Li deliberately played dumb and said, "There was no work yesterday, so I went up into the mountains for a walk. What happened at the compound?"

"Let me tell you, yesterday..."

Smiling, Han Li listened as the old woman recounted what had happened yesterday from her own point of view, occasionally asking a question or two.

Anyway, the brigade leader and the others had not arrived yet, and he had nothing else to do, so he might as well treat it like listening to a one-man comedy routine.

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