Volume One, Chapter Six: Unwelcome Visitors
Sun Yaqin looked up toward the window; the sky outside was just beginning to brighten. Who could be knocking on the door so early in the morning?
“Sun Yaqin! Sun Yalin! Don’t play dead—come out now!”
The voice sounded familiar to Sun Yaqin, but she couldn’t quite place it.
Sun Yalin rose from the kang bed, dressed quickly, and headed toward the front door.
“Yaqin, that sounds like Yang Mingli! Lock the inner room’s door; I’ll go out and see.”
“Yang Mingli? We haven’t gone looking for him yet, but he’s the one who’s come knocking first.”
Sun Yaqin also got up and dressed, worried for her second sister. Yang Mingli was Yang Zhigang’s eldest son—coming this early surely meant no good.
Sun Yalin didn’t open the door immediately. “Yang Mingli, what are you shouting at our doorstep so early?”
“Open the door for me!”
“If you have something to say, say it—we haven’t even gotten up yet.”
“If you don’t open the door, I’ll let the neighbors know what you two sisters have been up to!”
“Go ahead and shout. Let the neighbors hear what your parents have been up to!”
Yang Mingli, standing at the door, began yelling loudly, “Neighbors around, come take a look! Sun Yalin shamelessly flirts with men everywhere, causing my sister to be implicated and ruined! Watch out, keep your daughters away from this fox spirit, so they won’t be dragged down.”
He paced back and forth in front of Sun Yaqin’s house, shouting as he went, believing Sun Yalin would have no choice but to come out.
Sun Yaqin furrowed her brows in anger. “Sister, how can Yang Mingli act like a nagging shrew, not even caring about his own sister’s reputation? I’m going out to teach him a lesson.”
Sun Yalin grabbed her hand firmly. “Don’t go out. He won’t dare barge in. He’s just venting. Let’s ignore him for now. When it gets a bit brighter, we’ll go out.”
Though the sky hadn’t fully brightened, people had the habit of rising early. In the northeast, winter dawns late, but by now neighbors were already up, tending their fires.
Curious about the commotion, some neighbors came to the door to watch.
“Aunt Zhao, I haven’t heard of any girl named Sun Yalin around here.”
“Oh, you don’t know? See that newly built three-room tile house over there? No one’s moved in yet. I heard it’s from Shanglin Village, moving in after the New Year. There’s only one girl living there now, and I heard their family name is Sun.”
“That’s quite a pleasant name!”
“What good is a nice name? Haven’t you heard she’s a fox spirit? Just imagine a young girl living there alone; maybe she sneaks men home at night.”
The neighbors whispered and speculated.
Nearby, Qin Xiangdong, who had a habit of morning jogging, heard Yang Mingli’s slander outside the girl’s home. Wearing casual clothes on his day off, he stepped forward.
“Spreading rumors at someone’s door so early—what kind of intentions do you have?” Qin Xiangdong’s voice was low and sharp, his gaze like a blade fixed on Yang Mingli.
Yang Mingli tensed but quickly recovered. “Who are you? Mind your own business! Are you Sun Yalin’s lover or something?”
Qin Xiangdong frowned, said nothing, and punched Yang Mingli squarely in the face. Blood spurted from Yang’s mouth as he collapsed to the ground.
Qin Xiangdong glanced at the onlooking neighbors.
“It’s Yang Zhigang and his wife who harmed their own niece, conspiring with thugs against the Sun family’s girl, only to ruin their own daughter. Serves them right.”
“You’re lying! My parents would never hurt them.”
Qin Xiangdong squatted down, towering over Yang Mingli. “Your parents are currently held at the police station. If you don’t believe me, you can ask there yourself. Your sister was raped and sent to the hospital. Instead of caring for her, you come stirring trouble with two little girls? What kind of man are you? If I see you again, I won’t hesitate to hit you every time.”
The neighbors, knowing Qin Xiangdong’s identity, fell silent.
Yang Mingli wiped the blood from his mouth, stood up, glared fiercely at Sun’s house, and left in disgrace.
“You’re marked, kid!” Qin Xiangdong said, then turned and went home.
“Have you heard about Commander Qin? He seems pretty impressive. How could he let his mother treat him like that?”
“Don’t you know? They say she’s not his biological mother, but his foster mother.”
“To be abused like that by a foster mother and say nothing—how pitiful. A few days ago, their youngest son said Commander Qin was going to build a house for him.”
“Probably forced into it.”
As Qin Xiangdong approached, the two chatting neighbors quickly fell quiet.
Qin Xiangdong’s foster mother, Liu Cuilian, smiled as she saw him enter the courtyard. “Xiangdong, breakfast is ready. Come eat.”
“I’ve already eaten,” Qin Xiangdong replied coldly, locking his door as he entered.
Their house had two rooms: one for Qin Xiangdong, the other for Liu Cuilian and her two sons. Qin spent most days in the military dormitory. If not for his foster mother coveting his room, he wouldn’t even want to come back.
Liu Cuilian knocked persistently. “Xiangdong, open the door. I want to talk to you.”
Neighbors peeked in again, prompting Liu Cuilian to scold, “What are you looking at?”
“Liu Cuilian, are you trying to get Xiangdong to build a house for your youngest son again?”
Liu Cuilian’s face darkened in anger. “None of your business. Mind your own mess. Your third daughter will be almost thirty and still unmarried; better watch she doesn’t rot away at home.”
“That’s better than you squeezing your own son dry like a heartless woman.”
Annoyed by the quarrel outside, Qin Xiangdong covered his head with a blanket. Memories of the first time he met Sun Yaqin surfaced.
His foster mother had kicked him out of the courtyard because she couldn’t afford to build a house for the youngest son, even throwing away the apples he brought back from his unit.
“We raised you with your father’s hard work, and now look at you—becoming a commander but refusing to help your two brothers. If you don’t build housesI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.