Sha Zhu's Rebirth in the Courtyard: Starting with Hitting Someone in the Head

Chapter 76 Drowning

In September 1957, Yan Bugui lay at home for more than two months. The bones in his two forearms and right calf had almost healed, and he could now move them and had no problem holding a bowl to eat by himself.

However, his left femur grew crooked. The doctor at the hospital took an X-ray and told Yang Ruihua privately that he would have to walk with a limp in the future.

Yang Ruihua didn't dare tell Yan Bugui, only telling him to take good care of himself. For the past two months, Yan Bugui had been in bed for everything, from eating and drinking to relieving himself. Yang Ruihua took care of his bodily needs, and the three children took turns feeding him.

Yan Jiefang hadn't been going to school, though he did get a short break in July. In September, even Yan Jiedi went to school, while he was still confined to the house.

But a child of just over ten years old can't stay still. He has legs of his own, and when the adults aren't looking, he'll sneak off to the alley entrance to play marbles and collect picture cards with the other children.

Yang Ruihua discovered this several times, and he both beat and scolded Yan Jiefang. Yan Jiefang would lower his head and admit his mistakes, but would run away again two days later.

On Sunday, Yan Jiefang secretly ran off with two classmates to play at Desheng Bridge in Houhai. There were reed beds, shallow beaches, and bluestone banks there, all places where children played in the water and caught fish.

Yan Jiefang rolled up his trousers to his thighs, held a net bag tied to a wooden stick in both hands, and scooped it up from under the reed roots.

Beside him was a tall, thin man squatting on a rock protruding from the water, scooping shrimp, while another short, stout man was rolling up his trousers to his thighs and walking towards the lotus pond, his feet sinking into the water.

"Yan Jiefang! What did you catch?" The tall, thin man turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"What a load of crap! It's all mud!" Yan Jiefang didn't even look up, the net churning the water with a loud splashing sound.

"Didn't your dad forbid you from coming out? Last time you sneaked out, we saw your mom chasing you with a broom for half a block at the alley entrance!" The tall, thin man laughed so hard he almost fell over.

"My dad broke his leg and can't get up! He can't control me!"

"Then why aren't you going to school when school starts?"

"It's none of your business!"

The short, stout man called out from afar, "A fish! A huge one!"

Yan Jiefang sat up, squinting as he looked in that direction. "Don't be ridiculous! There aren't any big fish here!"

"Really! It just swam past my feet! It's so big!" The short, fat man gestured with his hands, making a circle bigger than a washbasin.

"Nonsense!" Yan Jiefang didn't believe it, but he still held up the net and waded over there.

The tall, thin man stood on the rock, too afraid to go over; he couldn't swim.

The two children walked deeper and deeper into the water.

The short, stout man was a little scared and grabbed Yan Jiefang's clothes. "Don't go any further. We've never been to this area before; it's all mud underneath."

"What are you afraid of! I'm cooped up at home with my dad all day, it's rare for me to come out!" Yan Jiefang shook him off and saw a crucian carp flick its tail, then a dark shadow flashed and disappeared into the deep water.

He Yuzhu had been secretly keeping an eye on Yan Jiefang for the past month. He knew he couldn't keep the boy under control; he would eventually get out. Today, as he followed Yan Jiefang towards Houhai, he knew his chance had come.

He was standing on Desheng Bridge at that moment. His spatial awareness was fully activated; there were no adults within thirty meters, only three children.

Yan Jiefang chased the crucian carp into deeper water. The water was above his thighs. He bent down to scoop it up, muttering, "Where do you think you're going?" His foot slipped, and he fell forward into the water.

The water surface was splashed with muddy ripples. His hands thrashed about on the surface, his head popped up and sank down, then popped up again. His mouth was full of water, and he couldn't make a sound.

His short, stout face turned pale instantly, and he shouted, "Yan Jiefang! Yan Jiefang, what's wrong with you!" He didn't dare to go over, as his legs were too short and he was afraid of being dragged into the mess by Yan Jiefang.

The tall, thin man was so frightened that he scrambled back, shouting for help. He stepped into the mud and struggled for a long time before finally pulling himself out.

Tie Dan stamped his feet and cried on the shallows, wanting to go up and pull him out but too afraid. All he could do was shout at the top of his lungs, "Help! Someone has fallen into the water! Help!"

He Yuzhu stood on the bridge, a cigarette between his fingers, the wind scattering the smoke. He had already inserted four embroidery needles into Yan Jiefang's joints, embedding them into the joint seams.

Yan Jiefang sank down, and a string of bubbles rose to the surface of the water before it slowly returned to calm.

He put away his embroidery needle, threw the cigarette butt into the lake, turned around, and walked away humming a little tune.

The tall, thin man called over several adults who were fishing. The group jumped into the water and pulled Yan Jiefang out of the water, but he was already dead.

A dark-skinned man turned him upside down and patted his back; water and mud dripped from his mouth. Someone else pressed on his stomach for a while, but the child still didn't wake up.

The short, stout man squatted on the bank, sobbing uncontrollably. The tall, thin man huddled next to him, his pants half-soaked and his whole body trembling.

Yang Ruihua was summoned by someone. She was hanging out her clean old clothes to dry in the yard when a neighbor ran over and pulled her outside. She stumbled and fell all the way to Houhai Lake, where she knelt down on the shore.

Yan Jiefang lay on the ground, his hair covered in mud, his face lifeless.

Yang Ruihua picked him up, letting out a hoarse cry, her whole body trembling as she cried. Several women watching had tears in their eyes.

Someone came forward to help her, but she pulled away, pressed her son's head against her face, and repeated the same sentence over and over: "Mother shouldn't have let you come out."

Exhausted from crying, her voice gradually grew hoarse, leaving only breaths. She still clung to him, refusing to let go. Someone pulled her away and lifted Yan Jiefang onto a cart.

People in the courtyard were talking about it that night.

As Jia Zhangshi sat at the doorway sewing shoe soles, she said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, "This child ran out and fell into the water and drowned. It's nobody's fault."

Yang Ruihua had stopped crying and sat on the doorstep, her eyes unmoving. Yan Jiekuang and Yan Jiedi huddled beside her legs, the younger one holding her hand and calling her "Mother," but she didn't respond.

Yan Jiefang's body lay on a wooden plank in front of the Yan family's house, covered with a white sheet.

Yan Bugui was carried to the wooden plank in a rattan chair; this was the first time he had left the house since his injury. He looked at his motionless second son, his wrinkles trembling incessantly, his lips quivering as he couldn't utter a word for a long time, and two lines of tears streamed down his face.

The man's words echoed in his ears again: "Your eldest son is gone, it's your own doing. Now it's your second son's turn."

Yang Ruihua turned to look at him, her eyes dry, her voice flat and emotionless: "Old Yan, who exactly have you offended? Jiecheng is gone, you were crippled, and now Jiefang is gone too. Tell me the truth."

Yan Bugui's lips trembled for a long time before he turned his face to the wall, saying nothing. He dared not speak without evidence, fearing his wife would go after Sha Zhu, and fearing the extinction of his entire family.

He Yuzhu sat in a grand chair in the courtyard, holding a covered teacup in his hand. The tea was scalding hot, so he blew on it and took a sip.

Outside the window, the pomegranate tree is laden with pomegranates, some of which have already split open, revealing their bright red seeds.

The Yan family, which is blessed with many children, has lost another member.

Yan Bugui was a man of great patience; of his family of six, only four remained.

He wanted to see how long Yan Bugui could hold out; he was waiting for the abacus-wielding schemer to collapse.