Chapter 49 The Commune Steps In to Distribute the Meat Equally

Qian Chunfen plopped back down onto the ground, slapped her thighs, and wailed aloud, "How could that damned brat get his hands on a gun? Is he trying to shoot me to death, an old woman?!"

"You people in Zhangjia Village are simply lawless!"

"With such a huge incident happening, is there no one left to manage this!"

"Go and get your gun! Hurry back and get your gun! Come on! Aim it right at my forehead and shoot me, this old woman!"

Behind the door, Zhang Yan was already so angry that tears streamed down her face.

"Doesn't she just want a piece of meat? Just give it to her! We shouldn't have to take this abuse..."

Zhao Dong also regained his composure and whispered to Zhang Yang, "Yangzi! You must not be impulsive! If you bring that gun out, we will lose the moral high ground..."

Zhang Yang continued to stare at Qian Chunfen with a sneer.

"Originally, the family managed to scrape together a few yuan, intending to give you a bit first!"

"But since you've slandered my older sister like this, I'm not going to give you a single cent!"

The moment Qian Chunfen heard the word "money," her heart itched unbearably!

She gritted her teeth and glared at Zhang Yang, wanting to continue her verbal abuse, but afraid she might cross the line. For a moment, she really couldn't gauge the proper measure!

Zhang Yang knew that using this tactic against her was guaranteed to be effective.

He deliberately fished a ten-yuan banknote out of his pocket and waved it in front of Qian Chunfen's eyes.

"Money, I actually have it."

"But I can't give it to you for now!"

"With your empty teeth, you make up lies, saying my sister is raising some wild man. My sister is so angry her health is ruined and she can't feed her baby. Therefore, this money must be used to buy sugar so my sister can nourish her body and feed Yaya!"

"Your Wang family needs to live, but our Zhang family needs to live even more!"

"If you want to blame someone, blame that stinking mouth of yours that blurts out whatever nonsense comes to mind!"

With that, Zhang Yang pulled the money back and put it away.

Qian Chunfen's eyes almost followed that banknote straight into Zhang Yang's pocket.

Seeing her behave this way, Zhang Yang suddenly thought of Qian Weiguo.

Greedy, they were both equally greedy!

Zhang Yang said, "Speaking of which, didn't you people from Wulipu just collectively snatch our wolf away? Why aren't you going back to divide up that wolf meat instead of coming here and putting on a show for me?"

"Speak! Who instructed you to come here?"

Zhang Yang's imposing aura was terrifying. With just these two questions, Qian Chunfen's confidence collapsed by more than half.

Qian Chunfen thought: No!

How could she let herself be scared away so easily by this brat?!

She immediately insisted, "What wolf meat? Where would there be wolf meat? I don't know anything about wolf meat... I only know that my daughter-in-law closes her doors to eat meat while completely ignoring me, her mother-in-law!"

Zhang Yang sneered, "It seems your relationship with your younger brother Qian Weiguo isn't very good then! He snatched such a huge wolf back and didn't share a single bite with you. Isn't that intentionally trying to starve your family's little fatty, Wang Zhaodi?"

"Who are you calling a little fatty? Who's fat? Where am I fat?" Wang Zhaodi sat up from the flatbed cart with a snap.

The villagers who had gathered to watch first let out a gasp of surprise, and then couldn't help pointing at her and laughing heartily.

"She really is fat!"

"That face of hers is as wide as two ordinary people's faces put together!"

"Could it be that all the food in the Wang family went into her stomach alone?"

"I've seen skinny beanpoles go out begging, but I've never seen a dead fat pig go out begging! I've truly opened my eyes today!"

Qian Chunfen's old face wrinkled into a ball of pure rage. She waved her calloused hands and slapped Wang Zhaodi twice with loud smacks.

"Who told you to sit up?!"

Wang Zhaodi looked aggrieved and resentful. "Mother! He was the one who insulted me first!"

"Besides, didn't you hear what he just said? He's not going to give us any money!"

"This tiny little flatbed cart is bumpy and digs right into me. My back and waist are killing me!"

The group of young children who had tagged along started crying again.

"Auntie is so useless!"

"Nobody asked you to cry, nobody asked you to shout. They told you to lie down, and you still move around!"

"We didn't get any meat today, and we can't get the money either. We have no strength left, our bellies are empty!"

Wang Zhaodi wasn't easy to get along with either. Hearing a group of brats collectively scolding her instantly ignited her temper.

Catching the one closest to her, she grabbed him by the ear.

"You little brat! Still howling? If I don't give you a taste of my authority, you'll never remember who your aunt is!"

The child shrieked at the top of his lungs.

The scene instantly plunged into utter chaos.

"Cut out the noise!"

Zhang Haiquan elbowed his way through the crowd and suddenly appeared.

He took a close look and saw that Zhang Yang was back, and Zhang Simao was also standing safe and sound at the entrance of the Zhang family's courtyard. In his heart, he gave a profound sigh of relief.

"Simao is fine? That's wonderful!"

"Since everyone is here, I happen to have an announcement to make!"

"After careful discussion by the commune, the wolf hunted down last night belongs to the public domain!"

"The commune has already sent people to butcher the wolf, yielding fifty-three catties of clean wolf meat!"

"There are forty-one households in Zhangjia Village and fifty-two households in Wulipu. The meat will be distributed evenly by household!"

"In addition, one household in Gaojia Village also participated in this wolf-hunting operation, so the commune will divide the fifty-three catties of meat into ninety-four equal shares, ensuring every single household gets some!"

Everyone's minds began spinning rapidly.

Fifty-three catties of meat divided among ninety-four households...

A single household wouldn't even get a full catty!

It would only be a little over half a catty...

What good would that do?!

Which household didn't consist of several people? This tiny bit of meat wasn't even enough to stick between their teeth!

Qian Chunfen caught her breath again and resumed her wailing, "Oh, my wretched son..."

"You think it's too little? Then why didn't you go up the mountain to hunt one yourself?!"

Zhang Haiquan had been suppressing his anger for two days and was looking for an outlet.

The moment he heard Qian Chunfen open her mouth, he instantly cursed at the top of his lungs.

"Two teams went up the mountain to hunt the wolf! The Wulipu team expended over forty rounds of ammunition, while the Zhangjia Village team only used three bullets!"

"Yet when the commune butchered the wolf, they found that only a single bullet had hit it!"

"What does this problem indicate?"

"The Wulipu militia team lacks capability! They are wasting public property!"

"If we were to truly hold them accountable, from this perspective alone, Wulipu could be docked half their share of the meat!"

"However, considering the Chinese New Year is less than a month away!"

"Every household has it hard!"

"The commune hasn't fussed over it too much and has distributed the meat using the fairest possible method!"

"Many households didn't even participate in the wolf hunt, yet they should be content just to get a share of meat!"

"Instead of having the energy to cry and howl here, why don't you get the able-bodied men in your family to contribute to mountain patrols?!"

Zhang Haiquan's gaze lashed across Qian Chunfen's face like a whip!

"People of the Wang family! Your son is in the prime of his youth, and he doesn't need to till the fields in the winter. What is he doing cooped up at home all day long? Why isn't he exerting himself for the peace of the entire village?!"

"It's one thing that your family doesn't contribute any effort, but you still run over to make trouble at the home of Zhang Yang, who contributed the most? You are undermining organizational discipline! Furthermore, you are damaging the friendly relations between the two villages!"

"Besides, you are an elder, and you ought to set a good example for the younger generation!"

"But look at yourself!"

Zhang Haiquan pointed at Wang Zhaodi, who was still sitting on the flatbed cart. His finger trembled slightly, looking utterly helpless and not knowing where to begin his scolding.

"Your whole family has hands, feet, food, and drink, and instead of thinking about how to make a decent living!"

"You come to exploit a household whose only male laborer is Zhang Yang?"

"What difference is there between your behavior and that of skinning, blood-sucking landlords and capitalists?"