A century of poverty

Chapter 111 Revealed

With the Spring Festival approaching, despite our reluctance, we must go home.

That evening, we were watching TV in the front room when my second sister-in-law, Su Qian, came in and said, "It's the Lunar New Year, and you're not home. What have you been doing? I came by yesterday, and Sister Yang said you were out."

I was surprised to see my second sister, Su Qian, come in. With Zhiqiang sick, we were practically beaten out of the house. More than half a year has passed, and the Su family has ignored us completely. Why is someone suddenly coming tonight?

I handed her a stool: "Sit here, Second Sister."

Zhiqiang asked, "What's wrong? Second Sister, what's the matter?"

Su Qian: "It's nothing, can't you come and stay for a while if there's nothing wrong? Come on! Second Aunt, come and see my nephew!" She said, taking the child's hand.

Su Long withdrew his hand and came to my side.

Su Qian turned to Zhiqiang and said, "It's almost Chinese New Year, and you're still staying away from home! Everyone's been asking me to check on you. You have so many houses at home, where are you going to stay? It's almost Chinese New Year, you two should go back tomorrow, bring the kids, and everyone will come over."

Zhiqiang: "Okay!"

The next day, Zhiqiang carried Sulong in his arms. We crossed the main road and walked towards the old courtyard. Facing the familiar street, the familiar people, and our old shop, I felt an indescribable feeling.

Upon entering the main room, the father-in-law sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) where he used to sit.

I said, "Su Long, say hello to Grandpa!"

Su Long: "Hello, Grandpa."

The father-in-law clapped his hands and opened his arms: "Come here, my grandson, let grandpa hold you."

Zhiqiang handed it over, and the child turned back.

Su Zhiwei was still sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looking at the doorway. In fact, as soon as he entered the outer room, he could see clearly who came in through the glass.

Hei Xingan, Su Zhijuan, Su Zhichun, Su Qian, Zhang Guozhi and other people in charge were all present.

I don't know what they were talking about, but as soon as we arrived in the other place, I heard Zhang Guozhi say, "That girl Zheng Mei is doing well. She works in the grain department, and she's a 'national worker'."

"You're here early!" I smiled and greeted everyone.

A little while later, Su Zhiru, Su Zhiguang, and Su Kai also arrived.

Su Zhiwei looked at Su Kai: "Zheng Mei's mother was nagging me again about you and her daughter by the market—"

There's only one woman in the world named Zheng Mei!

Hei Xingan teased from the side, "Why are you talking about them? They're just a couple living their lives!"

Su Zhiwei: "If they were living a good life, would I say this? That old woman, her mother, always stops me and nags about their petty squabbles, going on and on, and it's happened several times already."

Su Zhijuan: "That's right. One time she saw me and started complaining. I told her I had something to do and got on my bike and left, otherwise she would have kept nagging." As she spoke, she glanced at Su Kai: "How beautiful is Zheng Mei? The most beautiful in the world."

Su Zhichun chuckled, tilted his head back, and flicked his curly hair backward.

Su Kai looked down at his toes and stood silently to the side.

Su Zhiguang: "Alright! Why talk about him? He's having a good time. Everyone's here, let's talk about today's events!"

Su Zhijuan and Hei Xingan took off their shoes and sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed) with their backs against the window. Su Zhichun and Su Qian also got on the kang. I pulled over an old iron chair and sat down with my back against the trunk.

Su Zhijuan, facing the ground, said, "We all gathered here today to talk about Dad. Su Qian and I took him to the hospital, and he has diabetes; his blood sugar is 26.7. He can't be left unattended. With so many children around, we can't always let him cook for himself. What do you all think we should do?"

Hei Xingan chimed in, "I think the fourth brother's family should take care of him, and let the old man live with them."

Hearing these words, my heart pounded.

It's not that I'm afraid of serving my father-in-law, it's just that I can't stand their difficult behavior.

I said nervously, "Sister-in-law, why should we be the ones serving you?"

Black Stargan: "You think you're so much better off? You don't even have time to work."

Me: "I get a bigger discount? You've got it backwards! I really want to work, but who's going to let me?"

Su Qian: "Hey—! Qinglian, I heard from my second sister that neither of you have a job."

A year has flown by, and you'll still have to open your shop then. Don't you need to eat three meals a day? Grandpa used to eat with you, and he'll eat with you again this time!

Me: "If that's the case, then why not just stick to the same routine as before? Why bother going through all this trouble?"

Father-in-law: "Let's get down to business today. I won't let you serve me for nothing. Before the wedding, you asked for three rooms as a dowry, and I agreed to one and a half! This time, I'll give you two. Don't mention the two years of meals I ate with you guys before, is that enough?"

Me: "Oh, they changed their minds again."

Father-in-law: "It's not a change of heart. Before, I was the only one who acted and said what I wanted. This time, it was a decision made by everyone."

Me: "This group doesn't include us; it was decided after you discussed it. Putting aside the reduction from the previous conditions, you shouldn't be making demands on the elderly, but with this family in trouble, you keep changing your mind. How can anyone believe you? Today, it's necessary to make things clear and transparent, without leaving anything unsaid. It's not about how much I want, but I want to understand this matter. From now on, if you live with us, give us two rooms, and don't mention that I originally wanted three rooms."

"Right now, there are five rooms left, plus one extra space. How do I explain that?"

"This—" The father-in-law looked at his eldest son and eldest daughter.

Su Zhijuan said slyly, "I was going to say it even if you didn't bring it up. These four rooms are for the two next to your shops, and the two on this side are for the old man. The three rooms on the west side plus one space are for everyone. Just leave them there for now, and the old man can keep the rent money in his pocket."

I said, "If that's the case, it's not my family's responsibility to support the elderly! Everyone who has a share in the elderly's property should support them."

Since Zhiqiang and I got engaged, my grandfather has made countless promises to give me this and that, but he never fulfilled them, and they all vanished without a trace. I never said anything. Because I felt that arguing about this and that at home was wrong. We are capable of supporting ourselves; we have the confidence to do so.

So far, I believe that the two houses on the east side that belong to us represent only a middle-class level among brothers and sisters, nothing outstanding. It would be unfair to use this as a basis to assign the elderly to our care.

Whoever inherits the family property should support their parents in their old age. Those who inherit more should support more, and those who inherit less should support less. Regardless of the amount, they should still be supported. It's unreasonable to inherit and not support one's parents.

After I finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

After a while, Su Zhiguang said excitedly, "That's right, we can't just get what we want for nothing; we have to support everyone."

There are twelve months in a year, divided among eight families. Each family gets exactly one and a half months, so the total for all eight families is exactly twelve months.

Still, no one spoke. Su Zhiguang continued, "The fourth brother will move back tomorrow to celebrate the New Year with the old man. After the Lantern Festival, the rotation will begin, starting with the eldest brother. The old man will go to the eldest brother's house first, then the second brother, the eldest sister, and me, one by one."

"Is this little thing so hard to arrange?"

After saying that, he stood up and paced back and forth on the ground with a big smile on his face.

The sisters winked and pouted at him from behind.

Hei Xingan said resentfully, "The accounting shows that the fourth brother got the better deal again. He got two rooms for free."

I wanted to say, "Where did I get a discount? Those three rooms you sold were all built with the help of everyone in the vegetable garden at home, weren't they? You pocketed all the money, do you think no one knows?" But I swallowed the words back. Things are settled now, what's the point of her letting the stench linger? Let her let it linger if she wants.

Su Zhiguang: "That's it! Let's call it a day! It's already the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, everyone go home and buy New Year's goods! Stop spending all your time looking at this stuff." With that, he took the lead and went out, pushed his bicycle, went down the slope, and rode away.

The sisters got off the kang (heated brick bed).

Su Zhijuan glanced at me: "Qinglian, tomorrow take that pile of medicine from the box, bring the old man, and go to the 'health clinic' to have 'Old Zuo' tell you to make sure the old man takes his medicine!"

"Ah!" I replied.

People are gone.

The third brother, Su Zhiguang, who rarely interfered in family affairs, succinctly explained the situation in a few words at this crucial moment. It seemed reasonable, and no one said anything.

I went into the east room to take a look. It was covered in dust and was in a mess. The east wall had sunk, and the windows couldn't be closed properly, so they were half open and half closed.

I put the child on the kang (heated brick bed) in the main room and told Su Long, "You stay here with Grandpa for a while, Mom and your dad will go up to that room and sweep."

I had just finished sweeping in the east room when I heard a "thud" and the child started crying loudly. I rushed over and picked the child up from the ground, saying, "Don't cry, don't cry." While checking where the child had fallen, I rubbed the skin and saw that a piece of skin on the right upper eyelid was torn.

I said, "How did it fall to the ground?"

Father-in-law: "I was sitting here, and as soon as I stood up, he fell to the ground."

"Oh!" I comforted the child with heartache, and took out a tissue to wipe the dirt off the child's face.

The father-in-law muttered to himself, "This child, playing by climbing on the window, I didn't even notice when he got behind me."

"Oh—don't worry, kids always fall down, it's okay," I said.

The child cried for a few moments and then stopped.

I carried him back to the east room.

The east room is no longer the same as it used to be. When Su Kai got married, he dug up the kang (a heated brick bed) and turned it into a half-kang, which was built high up. He removed the wooden kang edge and plastered the walls on both sides with cement, making it cold and gloomy.

As the year drew to a close, we moved back to the east room of the old courtyard.

I need to be careful when buying New Year's goods. My father-in-law can't eat sweets, so I need to be mindful of his diet.

The water for washing your feet should not be too hot.

On the Lantern Festival, everyone gathered in our hometown again. This time, the atmosphere was noticeably different from before; everyone seemed preoccupied and spoke less.

Su Long stood on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) in his grandfather's room, pushing his toy motorcycle on the edge, which was a head taller than the edge of the kang.

Su Zhijuan arrived with her two daughters, Su Yi and Su Zi. Su Hongyuan did not come; his food factory had become self-sufficient and was facing layoffs. The once-proud man had fallen into despair; among his relatives, the petty Su Lei, who ran his own business, had overshadowed him. He spent his days drinking alone at home, unwilling to see anyone.

Su Yi started teasing the child: "Su Long, hit your aunt, and your older sister will take you to buy some delicious food!"

Su Long ignored him and continued to play with his motorcycle on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). Su Yi sat on the edge of the kang, blocking their motorcycle's path.

She continued, "Su Long, hit your aunt, and your older sister will take you to buy some delicious food. Look at your older sister."

As she spoke, she gently patted her mother's leg.

Su Long: "Whose kid hit his aunt?!"

I was doubly pleased: firstly, because his retort to Su Yi was so apt; secondly, because it was the first time I'd heard him speak in a long sentence—he usually only used two or three words at a time.

His aunt was overjoyed and picked him up, saying, "Come on! Auntie will take you to buy some delicious food!"

After lunch, the father-in-law took his medicine and went to her house with his eldest son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, Su Lirong. At this time, Su Lirong was already an "oil field worker." Su Lihua had "made" a lot of money by "running a company."