A century of poverty

Chapter 102 Fight!

Time flies, and more than two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

The shop business is doing alright. I'm busy all day running the shop, and I also have to take care of the elderly and children.

The child was growing up so fast, and after just over two months, he was already sharp-eyed and could follow my every move.

He recognized me, and that made me incredibly happy.

After turning 100, visit your maternal grandparents' home.

Let Grandpa and Uncle see how adorable this nephew is.

My maternal uncle's eldest sister, Zhang Jing, came to pick me up early in the morning, and I stayed at her house for a day.

The next day, my daughter and I went to my third sister's house. As soon as we entered the outer room, we saw that my third sister looked worried. We went inside and put the child on the kang (a heated brick bed), and then we saw my fourth sister's one-year-old Lingling toddling in.

"Lingling, what brings you here? Your mother is in the back." I looked out in surprise.

"No, don't look anymore," the third sister said.

Me: "What about her?"

Third Sister: "She and her mother have been here for several days. Your fourth sister is in the west room; she's sick, her throat is sore, and her child has diarrhea. I'm really worried about what to do—"

I asked, "What happened to her?" My third sister then recounted what had happened.

A few days ago, she came and stayed with her two daughters for a few days before going back.

The eldest is eight years old and her name is Bingbing; the youngest is one year old and her name is Lingling. The third sister's eldest daughter, Linlin, is over ten years old. She helped carry things and took her fourth aunt back home.

As soon as they entered the yard, her fourth aunt's husband was there. Seeing them return, without saying a word, he picked up a shovel and started hitting her fourth aunt. One shovel knocked her to the ground, and he kept cursing, "Who told you to come back! Huh? I'll beat you to death, go die wherever you want, get out! You better not come back at all!"

Third Sister: "Your fourth sister was holding the baby and couldn't fight back. Bingbing and Linlin were so scared that they cried loudly. Linlin ran back and shouted as she entered the door: 'My fourth aunt's husband is going to beat my fourth aunt to death and won't let her come home...'"

Your fourth sister came back looking disheveled, carrying Lingling.

A sore throat, tonsillitis, stiff neck, unable to eat. Lingling was also frightened and wouldn't eat properly, had diarrhea, and woke up crying in the middle of the night.

I asked, "Then why won't Wang Yuhai let my fourth sister go home?"

I went up to the west room and called my fourth sister over, asking her why.

Fourth Sister: "This is the first time my mother and I have come out. Wang Yuhai told me to come out and hide for a few days. Now that it's the off-season for farming, the brigade is looking for people to get sterilized, but he doesn't want me to get sterilized."

I said, "You think I'd beat you to death just because of this? Do you even want to do this?"

Fourth Sister: "I know I can't fight city hall, and if I don't want to do it, I can't escape it forever. There are two batches every year, can I avoid them all? He just won't listen to me..."

It wasn't just because of the tubal ligation; he was having an affair and was never home.

Me: "Don't make wild guesses. What proof do you have that he's having an affair?"

Fourth Sister: "Do we need evidence? Everyone in Xiao Liu's brigade knows about this. Some people even say it to my face."

Third sister: "Ever since we got married, there has never been a moment of peace. They're always fighting. Her mother is always stirring up trouble between you two, complaining that you didn't give birth to a son."

These days, everyone's in charge, right? Unlike you, with two kids and your mother still controlling all the money in the house, not even knowing how much there is. And you keep it a secret! Now that you're famous, everyone knows you're being mistreated.

"I tried to persuade you so much, but you wouldn't listen and insisted on going with him."

Fourth Sister: "So I didn't complain to anyone when I was mistreated."

Third Sister: "Still being stubborn even at a time like this! You're not going to blame anyone, are you?"

I said, "Then we should go check on Little Liu's family. This fighting can't go on forever!"

Third Sister: "The two of us? Eldest Brother and your second brother have both gone to see them. His mother is a shrewd person, isn't she?"

I asked my fourth sister, "Do you still want to continue living with him?"

Fourth Sister remained silent.

I continued, "Let's go take a look! Let Wang Yuhai pick her up and take her back. Staying here like this isn't a long-term solution!"

Third Sister: "Take a rest, you just got home. We'll go this afternoon after lunch."

In the afternoon, on the way to Xiao Liu's house, my third sister said angrily, "That stubborn guy! Back then, no one could persuade him otherwise, he insisted on marrying her, and he still won't admit he married the wrong person."

I received the reply: "It's also her mother-in-law's fault. She's irresponsible, doesn't know how to handle things, and even indulges others. She encouraged her son to marry that person and then stirred up fights."

Third Sister: "That's right, they were a whole family fighting against her, and that time it was her mother. Their fourth son and the daughter of the family living there were all fighting. In the end, the brigade had to go and subdue them."

Everyone in the Liu family laughed at him, especially since his house was located at the back of the production brigade.

Me: "I haven't heard Fourth Sister mention this?"

Third Sister: "She said that? She's keeping it a secret. I only heard it from Zhao Jiuxiang's maternal relatives on the back street."

We walked for two or three miles, talking all the while, and soon arrived at Xiao Liu's youth settlement. It was a dilapidated three-room house, the brickwork worn deep into the plaster. We went around to the front and saw the door open; Bingbing was playing alone in the yard.

They saw us and called out, "Third Aunt, Old Aunt."

I replied, "Yes! Is your dad home?"

Bingbing: "No, my grandma is at home."

As we talked, we entered the house. As soon as we stepped inside, my third sister greeted us, "Is Auntie here?"

Liu Huaxin said sarcastically, "It's not here!"

I was also unhappy: "What's wrong with that? If you usually kept your son in check, my fourth sister wouldn't need you to bother with her at home, right? We're from the same village, remember, I also called you Auntie. Back then, you and your son were so sweet, like brother and sister, that you coaxed my fourth sister into coming to your house. But things changed when she came to your house. You're always nagging about how your son doesn't treat her well. How can you do this to her?"

Liu Huaxin's expression immediately changed, hands on her hips: "We haven't done anything wrong to her. She's family in my house, and I can treat her however I want. What are you doing here? Hiding her away, and now you're asking me for her back?"

Me: "This is outrageous! It was clearly your son who swung a shovel and knocked my fourth sister to the ground. Who didn't see it? She didn't go home because she wanted your son to beat her to death? And you're accusing us of hiding my fourth sister. You're really good at twisting people's names."

We came to visit with good intentions. We want you to stop fighting all the time and have your son bring my fourth sister back so she can live a peaceful life. What kind of talk is that?

Liu Huaxin ran outside the courtyard, foaming at the mouth, pointing at us and cursing, "These bastards, born of mothers but raised without mothers, are trying to boss me around!"

Turning towards the direction the landlord was facing, she jumped up and down, yelling, "Didn't you even ask around? Who's Liu Huaxin afraid of?!"

You dare to come to Old Wang's doorstep and cause a ruckus! I'm talking about insults! I'm talking about beatings! When I was running rampant in Wangzhuangtuo, you weren't even born yet!

"You kids, try touching me!"

Just then, her old man rushed over and helped his wife up, saying, "We're not afraid of her. Who will interfere in our family affairs? It's no use!"

Seeing the old man arrive, Liu Huaxin grew even bolder. "Come here if you dare! Come here! Hit me here!" she said, pointing at Bai Ji's forehead.

A group of kids who had come to watch the commotion came over. One of them took off one shoe and threw it at us, saying fiercely, "If you're so tough, don't run away!"

We stood in the yard, watching Liu Huaxin frantically throw the shoes at us. I picked them up and threw them even further away.

The third sister asked Bingbing, "Bingbing, where is your father? Do you know? Go find him and bring him back."

Bingbing: "My dad is playing mahjong at Erpu's house." After saying that, she went to find her father.

After a while, Wang Yuhai returned and cautiously approached us.

Standing in the courtyard, we explained our purpose to him.

Wang Yuhai said expressionlessly, "Whether she comes back or not is up to her. I'm not picking her up."

Third sister: "Then you just won't let her come back!"

Wang Yuhai: "No, we'll stay together if she comes back, and we won't stay together if she doesn't. I'm not going to look for her."

I said to my third sister, "Let's go back." We turned around and walked back.

"Third Aunt! Wait for me, I'm going to find my mom too."

When we got back to my third sister's house, I saw my fourth sister standing in the outer room holding her youngest daughter. She seemed to be feeling better than before. We went inside together.

I said to my fourth sister, "They treat you like that, and you still insist on staying with him?"

Fourth Sister: "There are a few like our father. When the older brother and sister-in-law fight, he sides with the sister-in-law and beats up the older brother."

Third sister: "He's atoning for his sins: he went too far with Mom."

"Sigh—we're the ones suffering from both sides, because of the old tradition of 'male superiority and female inferiority' in our family. My mother lived a life of subservience until her death, while her daughter was never valued. After getting married, I realized that no other family is like ours. Even when my mother-in-law was alive, she would make me do the chores and save the good things for her daughter. Even her niece treated me better than she treated me; she always favored me."

We've inherited Mom's tradition: we'd rather suffer a loss ourselves than let others suffer a loss, reserving dignity, respect, and benefits for men and women. We can't live with ourselves if we mistreat others.” I said.

Fourth Sister, with tears in her eyes, recounted: "Once, when I was cooking fish, I let him eat as much as he wanted. I took some to the old lady, and when I came back, I took a bite myself, but he snatched it from my chopsticks and wouldn't let me eat it. Old Mrs. Wang from next door was at my house and said, 'Third Brother, we can't do that. His child lives with us; we can't treat him like that.'"

Me: "That's too much! Won't people say he regrets it?"

Fourth Sister: "Him? Regret? He didn't say a word and continued to do as he pleased."

Third Sister: "None of us in our family are bad or shrewish. We just know how to live a good life with others. Your third brother-in-law is such a good-for-nothing, don't I support him in everything? We're all born from our mother."

"Our old man, since we moved here, we've been sending him rice every year. He even spent the disaster relief funds from higher authorities and didn't give them to us. Why doesn't he dare spend those other families' money? He only bullies the honest and fears the strong!"

Me: "I told you, everything is in the family rules. We've always been honest, kind, humble, and polite. People think we're weak and easy to bully, so they take advantage of us. Take our front house, for example. We've been trying to sell it for years, and I still don't know why. I was chatting with Aunt Yang the other day about why!"

Aunt Yang: "Without your father-in-law's permission, who would dare to buy it!"

Look: I didn't want to build it, but he made his son build it regardless of whether I agreed or not. We endured famine and faced such hardship in seeking medical treatment, yet he turned a blind eye to it all.

When his second daughter came back this time, she knew I was determined to sell, and thankfully we let her have it.

As we spoke, tears streamed down our faces...

The third sister looked at the fourth sister: "You weren't planning on not living with anyone, so why don't you stay for a few days and go back?"

Fourth Sister: "I was thinking of going back tomorrow."

At this time, crab farming in Jinhai rice paddies was just beginning to flourish and generate wealth. Crab seedlings were incredibly expensive, comparable to soft gold, and were still in high demand and short supply. My second brother also became one of the first crab farmers; he knew I would come over to my third sister's house after dinner.

He asked me, "I want to raise crabs, but I don't have enough money to buy the seedlings. Would you be willing to lend me some?"

I replied, "Okay! I'll go back tomorrow and you can come with me!"