"You're dragging me into this again! Fine, I'm leaving, I'm going to work~~~ Goodbye, Teacher Wu!" Dad's voice gradually faded, and finally disappeared into the air in a sorry state.
Staring intently at the ceiling, touching her stomach which had gone numb from hunger, she reminisced about her childhood. This kind of conversation between her parents was not the first, nor would it be the last.
I really need to reflect on my actions. Acting irresponsibly and without thinking will not only harm myself but also drag my family down with me. I don't want to be a burden to others.
The melodious sound of a guqin drifted from the courtyard downstairs. It was Grandpa practicing Tai Chi. Every day at this time, he would slowly perform a set of Tai Chi in the morning light, accompanied by the music.
I didn't close the curtains before going to bed last night, and sunlight streamed into the room through the glass. For some reason, my mood didn't improve with the light; instead, it got worse.
The doorbell by the bed suddenly rang. I pressed the intercom button, and Grandma's voice came from the other end: "Yuanyuan, wake up and come downstairs for breakfast!"
Good morning, Grandma!
"It's still early! The sun's already high in the sky!"
"Hehe, I'm coming down right away!"
The word "breakfast" is like a shot of adrenaline, giving every cell in my body the energy to move again. I got out of bed, washed my face and brushed my teeth, casually tied my hair into a ponytail, and rushed to the kitchen in my bear slippers to eat breakfast.
A cup of fresh soy milk, a peeled hard-boiled egg, three lettuce leaves, and half an apple.
I stared at the dining table for a long time, and all I saw were these few unappetizing dishes.
"Grandma, I want to eat meat buns!" I pouted and followed Grandma around.
"Your third aunt brought you a specially prepared diet plan last night. It's to help you lose weight and cure your terrible fatty liver. You have to eat according to this diet plan. Yuanyuan, it's not that Grandma doesn't want to give you meat buns, Grandma is just doing this for your health!" Grandma handed me a diet plan. I glanced at it, and the most frequently written words were "green vegetables," "cabbage," and "lettuce"! All of which I hate!
Just as I was about to beg my grandma to make an exception, my grandpa, who had finished his tai chi practice, walked in with his hands behind his back.
Good morning, Grandpa!
"Yes, Yuanyuan is awake!" Grandpa patted my head affectionately. "From today onwards, you must follow the diet properly. Your grandma was so worried about your health that she didn't sleep well all night yesterday."
“Yes…” In front of my grandfather, I didn’t dare to ramble on and obediently sat down to eat breakfast.
"Yuanyuan, after you finish eating, come with me to the back room." Grandpa took a sip of tea, and his voice was soft and gentle in the wisps of steam, but it made my heart sink.
The back room... a place Grandpa only used when he was criticizing or educating people.
My father told me that there was a red wooden stick in the back room, which was passed down from the old man. When he was in junior high school, he was once beaten by that stick and couldn't get out of bed for three days.
Today, it seems I cannot escape death.
The soy milk was a bit cold, and drinking it left a greasy feeling in my chest and abdomen, which was indescribably uncomfortable.
****
The back hall is a wooden structure, and it's said that every piece of wood was taken from the ancestral home in the old family and rebuilt exactly as it was. To put it bluntly, this house has neither a building planning permit nor a construction permit; it's a completely illegal building. Fortunately, it's built discreetly. A dense grove of jujube trees has been planted in front of the hall, along with a stone wall and a grapevine. Without a family member leading the way, outsiders wouldn't be able to find this place.
When I have nothing to do, I like to lie alone on the stone platform in front of the back hall, reading and listening to music; it feels leisurely and peaceful. Today is different. Following behind Grandpa, my heart is pounding. Will Grandpa punish me with that red wooden stick? Touching my bottom, I regret not wearing thicker jeans, thinking about the possibility of a spanking.
I kowtowed and paid my respects before the ancestral tablet of my great-grandfather, as was customary. After kowtowing, I secretly glanced at my grandfather, who was standing to the side with his hands behind his back, and didn't dare to stand up.
"Get up and come this way with Grandpa." Grandpa walked to the right side of the room, and I, having received his order, quickly stood up and followed him.
There was nothing else on the right wall of the house except a red plaque with the four golden characters "Family of Educators" written on it.
Grandpa still had his hands behind his back, looked up at the plaque and said, "Yuanyuan, do you still remember this plaque?"
"I...I remember." How could I not remember? From the time I can remember, this plaque has been the honor of my family and my pride.
“Our Su family, according to our genealogy, produced a Grand Tutor during the Qin and Han dynasties. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, many of our members served as officials, and we had students all over the country. Your great-grandfather was the head of the local education bureau during the Kuomintang era. Although he was the head of the education bureau of the Nationalist government, the work of running schools and education was the same no matter who was in power. The teachers' college that your grandmother and I graduated from was founded by your great-grandfather. I had an older brother who was more than ten years older than me. He taught me to read and write when I was young. Later, he was hired to teach in a very remote area, and after a few years, I lost contact with him. At that time, I was still studying in a private school. I often woke up crying in the middle of the night because I missed my brother, and then I fell seriously ill. After I recovered, I was determined to teach and educate people like him.”
I lowered my head, not daring to look at my grandfather. His voice seemed to come slowly from a distant past, reminding me of that turbulent era of war.
"Your grandmother and I dedicated our lives to teaching and nurturing students, working tirelessly and never slacking off, and we've achieved some small successes. In your parents' generation, your eldest uncle and aunt, your third uncle, and your mother all devoted themselves to teaching and nurturing students. And your father, although he's now working in a government office, he was a teacher for many years after graduating from Xuzhou Normal University. While we can't say they've made any great achievements or contributions yet, at least they were all diligent, dedicated, and held the right beliefs."
Now, in your generation, neither Zhenzhen nor Chenchen are working in education. They have their own passions, and their own destiny with the profession. Yuanyuan, do you know how happy Grandpa was when I learned you would be the first among this generation of grandchildren to inherit the cause of education! Grandpa took a deep breath and continued, "From the day you became a teacher, my heart finally settled. Our family has finally lived up to this plaque, lived up to the words 'Family of Educators'!"
"Grandpa..." I stammered, tears streaming down my face. At that moment, I truly felt ashamed and began to reflect on myself. I realized I was now an educator, and that I had a place on that honorary red plaque. Before, I had only gone to work with a "just getting by" mentality, never truly understanding the meaning of being a teacher. That's why I had been irresponsible and caused such a disaster.
"Grandpa, hit me!!" I slumped onto the wooden chair in the main room, genuinely wanting Grandpa to teach me a lesson with that red wooden stick.
"Hehe," Grandpa stroked his chin, reached out and slapped my round bottom, saying, "Get up. Grandpa has never hit you since you were little. Now that you're so big, do you still need me to hit you?"
"Grandpa!" I jumped up and hugged Grandpa's chubby belly, bursting into tears. "Grandpa... I promise you, I... I will definitely teach well and never disgrace the Su family! I... I know I got into university to teach because of connections, but I will study hard for a part-time master's degree and not let Uncle San worry about me anymore!"
"Good child, Grandpa believes in you! But, can you promise Grandpa one more thing?"
"Uh? Wh...what is it?"
"Hehe, you need to lose weight properly!" Grandpa patted my round face affectionately and said with a smile.
"Pfft—" I burst into laughter through my tears.
****
I cried in the back room, and before I even got back to my room, I was already hungry. Remembering that I had promised Grandpa I would lose weight, I gave up the idea of sneaking out to buy a big meat bun. I decided to drink a carton of milk and then go back to my room to write my self-criticism.
As soon as I entered the kitchen, a round little ball of flesh jumped into my arms.
"Fat... Fat Auntie! Hehe!"
"Baby?" I exclaimed in surprise as I hugged the little dumpling. Looking up, I saw my brother-in-law standing by the table, taking something out of a large bag.
"Yuanyuan, I've been looking for you!"
"What do you want? Are you inviting me to dinner?" I sat down, holding Rouyuan'er.
"I heard you were suspended from school for investigation?" my brother-in-law asked with a smile, his tone tinged with schadenfreude.
"Hmph, you're quite well-informed."
"Su Tiantian called Zhenzhen immediately to comfort you, but Zhenzhen called you all night and you turned off your phone."
"Tell my older sister that I'm fine and that she can rest assured."
"Yes, I've already told her that, so don't worry."
"Brother-in-law! Humph—what brings you here today?" I played with Rouyuan'er's chubby little hands, and the little one kept giggling. Her two deep dimples made her so cute that I wanted to bite her.
"Actually," the brother-in-law's expression suddenly turned serious, "Yuanyuan, I have a very important favor to ask of you!"
"Huh? This is truly a miracle! Brother-in-law, do you ever need my help again?"
"I'm not going to argue with you. Let's just say whether you're going to help or not!"
Do you think I don't know what kind of person my brother-in-law, He Yuncong, is? He's quick-witted! I just don't understand why such a smart person would be so devoted to my silly sister!
"You need to explain what it is first. If you ask me to kill or set fires for you, do you expect me to agree?"
"Don't worry, it's not that big of a deal. It's just a small matter. Yuanyuan, please agree to help me and your sister!" the brother-in-law said with a smile.
He just said it was something important, and now he's changed his mind! Humph! That cunning man! Oh well, what can I do? He's my brother-in-law. Considering how much he loves my sister, I won't hold it against him.
"Okay, I agree. Now tell me!"
My brother-in-law breathed a sigh of relief when I agreed. "Actually, Zhenzhen and I both took our annual leave recently. We were planning to backpack to Sichuan. We were originally going to send the baby to my mom's, but my sister has some business in N city, so my mom went to visit her. That means the baby has nowhere to go. I heard yesterday that you don't have to go to class recently..."
"So what? You want to go on your second honeymoon and have a good time while I take the meatballs?" I glared at my brother-in-law and said fiercely.
When I said that, my brother-in-law's face turned slightly red. "What second honeymoon? Yuanyuan, don't talk nonsense. I promised Zhenzhen I would take her to see the snow-capped mountains, and I also promised to take her to the highest peak to touch the clouds..."
"Wow! Stop! Stop! Don't say anymore, or I'll throw up from all the cheesiness~~" I exaggeratedly covered my mouth. "Okay, I agree to help you take care of the kids, brother-in-law, you should go now! I didn't eat much for breakfast, I don't want to throw it up and waste it!"
"Su Yuanyuan, you have such a sweet tongue!" My brother-in-law, having successfully completed his mission, happily pulled the baby from my arms and gave him a big kiss. "Thank you for your help. Please take good care of the baby! I'll reward you handsomely later!"
"Well, you absolutely have to thank me handsomely! Otherwise, I'll put up big-character posters criticizing you on your doorstep!"
"Look, these are the things the baby usually uses on the table, and this bag contains clothes and toys, and..."
"Alright! Hurry up and go! If you don't leave now, I might change my mind!" I pushed my brother-in-law out the door, carrying Rouyuan'er. My brother-in-law used to be a cool and handsome guy, how come he's become so nagging after having a child?
My brother-in-law walked into the yard, turning back every few steps, and finally waved goodbye to the baby before gritting his teeth and leaving.
"Dad... Dad..." Rouyuanzi stared blankly at her brother-in-law's departing figure, only then realizing that she had been abandoned.
"Wah! Daddy! Daddy!" Rouyuan struggled desperately in my arms.
"Sweetie, Daddy will be back in a few days!" I patted her back to comfort her.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Rouyuanzi had already started crying.
What should I do? What do I do now? How did I end up with such a difficult task?!
"Grandma—" I could only turn to the old lady for help, hoping she could get the meatballs sorted out.
An Amazing Day (Part 1)
My little Rouyuanzi is definitely the kind of obedient baby who is super easy to coax. Even though she knew that she had been abandoned by her heartless father, she cried for a while. When she found that I had some delicious mung bean cake in my hand, she completely forgot about being abandoned. Instead, she happily climbed onto my lap, pouting and asking me for some mung bean cake.
Grandma asked me to take out the mung bean cake to coax the meatball, but it wasn't just the meatball who was drooling; I really wanted to eat some too! I cautiously glanced at Grandma; she was sitting to the side reading the newspaper. When she wasn't looking, I took a big bite out of the mung bean cake and then stuffed the remaining small bite into the meatball's drooling little mouth.
Ah~~ So sweet! So fragrant! I bit into the mung bean cake, tears welling in my eyes. How could I have ever disliked something so delicious? I just can't understand it~~
I've discovered that the biggest advantage of being Rouyuanzi's babysitter is that I can secretly eat her food! Whether it's baby formula or rice cereal, it's all quite delicious, and Grandma's specially made carrot porridge for her is incredibly sweet and flavorful! I absolutely adore these baby foods! So, I've taken over feeding Rouyuanzi entirely. Grandma is quite pleased and praises me for being responsible, to which I can only respond with a guilty-sounding chuckle.
When Dad heard that Rouyuanzi was staying at our house, he was incredibly excited. He rushed home as soon as he got off work, insisting on giving the baby a bath. I know why he's so happy; chubby little babies are very interesting toys to him. He often pinches my cheeks regretfully and says, "This toy has grown up, it's not fun anymore!" Ugh, it's infuriating! So, I was born just to be a toy!
A whole family was playing with Little Meatball, and she was so happy she completely forgot about her parents, her giggles practically poking a hole in the roof. I took care of her all day and was exhausted, so having someone else look after her in the evening meant I could finally rest. After her bath, I quickly slipped back to my room and curled up on the bed to sleep. Ouch, my arms are so sore I can barely lift them! I think Little Meatball needs to lose some weight!
I was half asleep when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my butt; someone had kicked me.
"Who is it?" I opened my eyes angrily.
My dad, wearing his pajamas, stood in front of my bed holding a crying, wailing meatball.
"Yuanyuan, baby was fine before, but now that it's time to sleep, she suddenly started fussing for Mommy, and nothing I do can soothe her! You've been taking care of her all day, so now you try to soothe her!" Dad's hair was a mess, like a bird's nest, pulled by Yuanyuan's chubby little hands, and he looked exhausted. Hmph, now you know toys aren't just for playing with, huh!
"Baby, come to Auntie's! Let's have a good sleep!" I reached out and picked up Rouyuanzi, holding her in my arms.
Perhaps it was because Rouyuanzi's eyes were blurry from crying, or perhaps it was because I smelled the same as Su Zhenzhen, but she nestled into my arms and quieted down, murmuring, "Mommy... Mommy..."
"Baby, be good, baby, go to sleep..." I gently patted her back to lull her to sleep.
Rouyuanzi finally fell into a deep sleep. I rubbed my sleepy eyes, held her as I lay down, and smelled her sweet milky scent. I closed my eyes too. Brother-in-law, if you dare not bring me a gift when you come back, I will never forgive you!
I had a strange dream last night. I dreamt that I was taking Rouyuan (my child) boating. We were rowing and rowing when suddenly the boat started to leak! Water was seeping up from the bottom of the boat little by little, and I was so anxious that I was holding Rouyuan and shouting and jumping around on the boat.
The water soaked up my calves, then my thighs, and finally even my waist felt wet.
"Help!" I screamed in panic, and then I woke up.
I was still lying in bed holding Rouyuan, and there was already a hazy morning light outside the window.