"I think you old fogey won't shed a tear until you see your own coffin!" Cadre Liu was furious, pointing at the food on the ground. "Take all these capitalist tails away!"
With a wave of his hand, he gestured towards the food, including the grains, placed in the Su family's yard.
His words stunned everyone present, their mouths agape, followed by angry glares directed at Cadre Liu.
This was all food, and not particularly extravagant food at that.
But this food was the lifeline of an entire family.
If Cadre Liu took it all away, the lives of the more than ten members of the Su family would be forfeit.
"Cadre Liu, isn't this a bit much?" Su Changjiu asked hesitantly, his voice barely audible.
He couldn't afford to offend Cadre Liu, and this Cadre Liu seemed unreasonable.
"What did you say? This is a capitalist tail? You want to take it away?" Su Lao Er couldn't hold back, his bull-like eyes glaring at Cadre Liu as he shouted.
"What? You disagree? Let me tell you, I specialize in dealing with all sorts of dissent!" Cadre Liu retorted, his neck stiff, looking disdainfully at Su Lao Er.
A peasant dared to resist? If he dared to resist, he'd be taken away too.
"We disagree!" This time, it wasn't Su Lao Er who spoke, but all the men of the Su family.
They knew that opposing the commune cadres was no good, but seeing the family's provisions about to be confiscated, what else could they care about?
Cadre Liu clearly hadn't expected the more than a dozen men, young and old, of the Su family to bare their teeth at him. He couldn't help but flinch and take a step back.
But he quickly regained his composure. "You disagree? Good! I want to see if your Su family intends to carry out counter-revolution to the end. Soldiers, go, tie up this whole family and take them back."
A sinister smile flickered across Cadre Liu's lips. "And Captain Su, with your inaction and allowing counter-revolutionaries to run rampant, I will report you to Secretary Wu when I get back."
"You've misunderstood, Cadre Liu, a misunderstanding. This is just an honest, law-abiding family, how have they become counter-revolutionaries?" Su Changjiu said hurriedly.
He had initially thought it was just a routine inspection, never expecting it to escalate to this. How had it suddenly become so serious?
The charges were being fabricated too quickly!
If such charges were truly leveled against the Su family, the entire family would be ruined, and their Hongxin Brigade would have no good days ahead.
Su Changjiu, an honest man, knew that if such a trend spread through Hongxin Brigade, their peaceful life would be gone forever.
But what could be done now?
Perhaps he should persuade the Su family to let these grains and food be taken away?
After all, the autumn harvest was not far off, and they could get through this period with some perseverance.
But Su Changjiu couldn't bring himself to say it, and Cadre Liu clearly intended to pick a fight, not giving him a chance to utter such words.
"We searched diligently, only to find that the real enemies were hidden in these obscure corners!" Cadre Liu paid no mind to the resistance from the Su family members.
"Today, whoever dares to move my family's grain, I'll fight them to the death!" Su Lao Er roared, rushing forward to stand before the grain.
He was tired of being hungry, tired of living on plain water for every meal.
He didn't want his children to starve. He would defend the family's grain with his life!
The young men accompanying Cadre Liu surrounded Su Lao Er, and the young men of the Su family moved to stand with him.
The two sides formed a standoff.
Su Changjiu's forehead broke out in a sweat. Anxious, he glanced at Li Jin'e, a female cadre from the village.
Li Jin'e was also looking at him, her eyes full of worry.
"Cadre Liu, the Su family is just anxious. You are magnanimous and don't hold grudges. Eldest, Second, Third, you must not act impulsively. If the grain is gone, it's gone, and we'll find another way!" People shouldn't suffer losses!
But he dared not say the last sentence in front of Cadre Liu, fearing he would further enrage him.
"Captain, this is where you are wrong. Cadre Liu represents the commune, how can he be mistaken?" Li Kuaiji, who had been silent since arriving at the Su family's home, spoke up.
Li Kuaiji's sudden interjection, refuting Su Changjiu's words, startled everyone.
Su Xiaotian keenly sensed that something was amiss with this Li Kuaiji.
"Li Kuaiji, the leader said: 'There is no investigation, there is no right to speak.' This Cadre Liu, without investigation, has labeled my family as counter-revolutionary. Captain Su merely spoke out of righteous indignation, how is he wrong?"
Su Xiaotian suddenly spoke, her childish voice ringing clear, heard by everyone present.
"What do you know about what the leader said, you little brat?" Li Kuaiji said, his face flushing.
"I also heard the leader say, 'Where there is oppression, there is resistance!' We are the People's Republic of China, there should be no oppression of the people, and we cannot casually label the masses as counter-revolutionaries." Su Xiaotian continued, ignoring Li Kuaiji's words.
"Are the words of the great leader something a little kid like you can understand?"
"Do you understand them?" Su Xiaotian was exasperated and retorted at Li Kuaiji.
For some reason, she had a feeling that Cadre Liu's visit today was somehow connected to Li Kuaiji. Although she didn't know why Li Kuaiji would target her family, who knew what would happen in this world?
"Li Kuaiji, our family is loyal to the Party with all our hearts, we always remember the leader's words, keeping the Little Red Book in our hearts and putting it into action. Never mind others, even I, a little child, can remember the great leader's words at all times. Li Kuaiji, how many have you remembered?"
Due to Su Changjiu's personality, Hongxin Brigade was not prone to loud disputes, nor did they constantly quote the leader's words. Therefore, even as the brigade accountant, he might not have remembered those words. But Su Xiaotian had a good memory, and during this time, intentionally or unintentionally, she had memorized many.
It was Li Kuaiji's turn to sweat. He really hadn't remembered them. Although the book was placed on the kang in his home, he had barely read a few lines.
Now being stumped by a child, he was speechless and didn't know how to respond.
"Let me guess, Li Kuaiji's heart isn't really on this, so where is Li Kuaiji's heart? At the head of the village? Or the tail of the village?"
Su Xiaotian asked the last question with a half-smile.
In her previous life, later on, Li Kuaiji's wife caught him in the act, causing a huge commotion. Only then did people in the brigade learn that Li Kuaiji had relationships with several women in the village, including the village widow Huang Linxiang and the educated youth Kang Yiye.
Li Kuaiji, however, was startled by these words.
"What nonsense are you spouting? You're just a child babbling, I don't know how your parents raised you."