Tercer matrimonio - Capítulo 3
Li Hongwei said "Oh," and then stopped. Watching Shanglin start a fire, add branches, put in coal, and close the stove lid, she asked again, "Mom, why are you home so early today?"
She vaguely remembered that her mother worked as a temporary worker at her father's printing factory. She was busy until dark every day before coming home. When she got home, she had to cook, do laundry, and take care of the two of them. She was so busy that she barely had time to rest.
"I have no work tomorrow, it's a day off, so I came back early. I was thinking of doing some laundry, but who will do it for me?"
She took out a few potatoes, and her daughter brought over a basin of water to wash the vegetables. She paused for a moment before continuing.
"I washed it this afternoon, um, Qiu Xialin helped too, didn't she?" he asked loudly.
Xia Lin came running over excitedly: "I helped! I helped my sister pour water and hang up her clothes!" She showed off with her little face upturned.
Li Hongwei chuckled and flicked his nose: "You little rascal, you've learned to do chores now, so good!"
Xia Lin was overjoyed and made a face at his sister triumphantly: "I'm a good boy, haha!"
Shanglin couldn't help but chuckle: "Yes, you're the best, good boy. Help Mom throw away the dirty water, make sure to throw it under the tree outside the door!"
The little hands exchanged, and Qiu Xialin, carrying the basin of water, ran around, not forgetting to remind her, "Slow down, don't fall!"
Looking at his son's small figure, Li Hongwei couldn't bear it: "Never mind, I'll go!"
Shanglin, holding the potato, said dismissively, "Mom, you can't always spoil us. We should help with the chores too! Poor children learn to be independent early. You and Dad work so hard every day, and we can't even do this little thing right!"
Her nose tingled, and she almost burst into tears. Not wanting to cry in front of her daughter, she discreetly took the potatoes and turned to chop vegetables, saying, "You've finally learned your lesson. Who taught you that?"
"Sister Qiu Ru".
Holding back her tears, she said earnestly, "I'm going to thank Qiuru properly tomorrow. She's such a sensible and good child!"
Upon hearing this, Shanglin knew he couldn't go; if he did, he'd be exposed! He quickly said, "Sister Qiuru said she's going back to school tomorrow morning; she needs to study hard!"
Li Hongwei then gave up. She had originally planned to come back early to tidy up the house and do laundry, but she didn't expect her daughter to have done all the chores and cooked the dishes. She didn't know what to do, so she just sat in the house and watched her daughter soak the clothes she had changed out of in a basin. Then she dragged Qiu Xialin, who was running around wildly, back to wash his hands and face and ordered him not to get dirty again.
My daughter seems to have changed... Not long after, Qiu Jianguo, who also works at the printing factory but is a permanent employee, came back. As soon as he entered the door, Shang Lin brought him a basin of water and asked him to soak his feet. He was stunned. What kind of rule is this? Why do I have to wash my feet as soon as I enter the door?
While struggling to take off his shoes, Shanglin called to Xialin to bring him more slippers, explaining, "Washing your feet will help you relax. We'll eat right away."
He glanced at his wife, and Li Hongwei returned the same bewildered yet delighted look.
After dinner, without Li Hongwei lifting a finger, Shanglin collected the dishes and went to wash them. It wasn't even dark yet! Her uncle, grandparents, and others gradually returned. They saw the clean yard but didn't say anything. That's how farmers are; they're not good at expressing their feelings, let alone praising others. Shanglin didn't care. She wasn't doing chores for praise or for anyone else; she just wanted to feel good.
A while later, her aunt returned. Zhang Chunhua was a competitive and ambitious woman. She and her father had found a job as sales clerks at the supply and marketing cooperative. She was arrogant and looked down on the villagers. Her father had originally wanted to find her a son-in-law with a government job in town, but Zhang Chunhua had her eye on Shanglin's younger brother-in-law. He was better looking than most people in the city, talented, eloquent, and even drove a tractor in town thanks to his father's connections. Although the family wasn't wealthy, Zhang Chunhua was optimistic about their future. Her only complaint was that they hadn't separated from the family after she married into the family. Her father-in-law had worked in a printing factory, but after retiring due to age, his second son had taken over, not her husband. Because of this, she disliked Shanglin's family from the moment she entered the household and was always looking for trouble.
Seeing the clean yard and hearing her mother-in-law teasing Qiu Xialin at the doorway, praising her and his sister in his childish voice, Zhang Chunhua felt uncomfortable. She stood at her doorway, feigning surprise.
"Oh dear, has our house been broken into? And this thief is so kind, he even cleaned the yard for us!"
This pointed tone displeased Li Hongwei, who laughed and said, "What are you saying, aunt? Your niece swept the yard!"
Zhang Chunhua was never one to back down from a tongue. While cleaning up the vegetables, she said, "Oh, Shanglin is really thoughtful. Not only did he clean his own house, but he even cleaned the area in front of my house. Did he even clean the inside of my house?"
Her sarcastic tone infuriated Li Hongwei. "My child was just trying to help sweep the yard, how did that become a mistake!"
"Shanglin isn't a sensible child! Your house is locked tight, she'd need a door to even get in!" Li Hongwei was never one to back down. She was the eldest daughter-in-law at home, used to bossing her younger siblings around. As someone else's daughter-in-law, she had no choice but to be subservient. She could tolerate Zhang Chunhua always acting superior, but why was she being bullied indirectly, even once or twice? It would be one thing if the child was being disobedient and made a mistake, but what Shanglin did today was perfectly reasonable from every angle!
Zhang Chunhua slammed the cleaver on the cutting board and yelled, "Why did I lock the door? Why can't I lock my own door? I won't lock it, I won't lock it, okay? If I don't lock it, all the good food in the house will be stolen by thieves!"
Li Hongwei was furious, his face flushed and his neck bulging. He was about to walk out of the house to confront her, shouting, "My son hasn't taken a single needle or thread from you, how did he become a petty thief!" Suddenly, he stopped, Shang Lin pulled her back, gently shook her head, and walked out herself, standing at the door with a sweet smile:
"Auntie, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault!"
Seeing that even a little child like her had come to apologize, Zhang Chunhua looked smug: "Look how sensible the child is!"
Li Hongwei was absolutely furious!
Shanglin chuckled, "No, I was being silly. If I were smart, I wouldn't have swept the doorway in front of my aunt's house. I forgot that the leaves on the leaves in front of my aunt's door belong to her family, and she needs to keep them for firewood! I shouldn't have swept away the dirt and bugs either. The dirt can nourish the flowers, and the bugs can feed the chickens!"
As she spoke, she took small, pigeon-toed steps and slowly walked towards the courtyard gate, calling to her younger brother, "Xia Lin, what are you standing there for? Come and help. We'll return all the leaves, soil, stones, and bugs from Auntie's house. Oh, Auntie, is there anything else we need?" She looked like she was humbly seeking advice.
Li Hongwei couldn't help but chuckle. Seeing Zhang Chunhua's face turn bright red, he quickly went inside and remained silent, his mouth agape as he laughed. Qiu Jianguo said softly, displeased, "Why did you provoke her?"
Li Hongwei chuckled: "This time it wasn't me who caused it, it was your daughter!"
Qiu Jianguo shook his head, lay down on the bed to rest, and ignored the back-and-forth between the sisters-in-law.
Xia Lin had long been won over by his sister. He couldn't wait to run out of his grandmother's arms and head towards the front gate. He ran out, scooped up a handful of fallen leaves, and scattered them in front of Zhang Chunhua's door, saying, "Sister, is that enough? I've dumped all the trash in front of other people's doors. If not, I'll go find it again!"
Shanglin suppressed a laugh, ignoring Zhang Chunhua's livid face, and scolded, "Nonsense! How can it be garbage? It's clearly my things! Quick, put it in the winnowing basket for me; I still need to tend the fire!" As she spoke, she took the winnowing basket, swept the fallen leaves into it, and asked sweetly:
"Auntie, shall I help you start the fire? Don't worry, I won't come inside and definitely won't dirty your floor!"
Zhang Chunhua was so angry she was practically bursting with rage. She couldn't hit him, and she didn't know what to say, so she just slammed her chopping board down, making a loud thud. This angered her husband, who was already exhausted from a day's work and just wanted to rest. Now she was making a scene, shouting from inside the house:
"You're chopping meat, the cutting board doesn't cost anything!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chunhua slammed the cleaver on the cutting board, grabbed her hand, and rushed into the house, her voice trembling with tears as she yelled, "I'll chop minced meat? I'd like to chop minced meat, but your family has to have some! You're dirt poor, I'm so unlucky to have married you! I'll chop the cutting board to pieces, it's none of your Qiu family's business. This is my dowry, all of this is my dowry. You poor bastard, you can't even afford a new pair of pants, I must have been blind to marry you!"
The two started making a ruckus inside the house.
Xia Lin quietly asked her sister, "What does it mean to have been unlucky for eight lifetimes?"
Shanglin thought for a moment and said, "Let me give you an example. If you were my younger brother, I would be in trouble!"
Li Hongwei overheard the two men's conversation, frowned, and scolded, "What nonsense are you spouting? Come in!"
Shanglin stuck out his tongue and obediently pulled his younger brother back into the house.
The sounds of fighting, yelling, and smashing things from that room lingered for a long time, but the courtyard remained quiet. Everyone had closed their doors and stayed indoors, and no one uttered a sound. Even Grandpa and Grandma had probably had enough of Zhang Chunhua's constant attempts to take advantage of others, and they didn't even offer a word of advice.
Shang Lin lay on the bed and silently exhaled. He had to find a way to persuade his parents to leave this place. It was only right to buy a house near the printing factory two years in advance. Otherwise, with all this chaos and infighting, when would it ever end?
Going back to her parents' home?
In 1986, enterprises and institutions did not have the concept of weekends off; the whole country only had Sundays off. As for Saturdays? The country was developing rapidly; shouldn't you do your part to achieve communism as soon as possible?
As luck would have it, the day after Qiu Shanglin returned was Sunday, a day off for everyone. Mom and Dad had already planned to visit Grandma Shanglin's house, but that would mean they couldn't help Grandpa and Grandma in the fields. Grandpa had worked at a printing factory in his younger days, but his health deteriorated, so he retired, and his second son, Qiu Jianguo, took over. That's how it was in those days; when the father retired, the son or daughter would take over. This wasn't just true for low-skilled workers; even school teachers were allowed to pass their jobs within the family.
Grandpa had a non-agricultural household registration, while Grandma had always had an agricultural household registration. She had farmed all her life and was getting old, so she couldn't do any strenuous work. Her three sons agreed that even after they got married, they would help their elderly parents with chores as much as possible during their rest time. When Li Hongwei went back to her parents' home, her younger brother and older brother inevitably had to do more work. Because of this, Zhang Chunhua felt awkward all night and into the morning.
They got up very early, washed and cooked, and dressed the two children. Shanglin grabbed Qiuxialin, who was full of energy early in the morning, and forced him to wash his head and face. Look how dirty he was! You could rub off three ounces of ash from his neck! They had clearly washed him yesterday afternoon, but they didn't know where he had gotten all this dust from!
They grabbed his arms and legs and forced him to put on his new New Year's clothes, strictly ordering him not to get them dirty.
Qiu Jianguo lay half-reclined on the bed with a smile, while Li Hongwei busied herself packing gifts for her trip back to her parents' home. He watched the chaotic scene in the room and hummed a little tune.
Li Hongwei took some steamed buns and vegetables, put a shoe insole she had embroidered in her spare time into the basket, and scolded her husband, "You just stand by and watch, you don't even say anything to help me!"
Qiu Jianguo was very pleased: "With our girl so capable, I can just enjoy life like an old man!"
"Pah! With your character, you're destined to be poor your whole life, and you call yourself a 'grandpa'!" He laughed and scolded a few times, then turned his attention to his daughter:
"Hey Shanglin, don't beat Xialin up so early in the morning, don't let him scream and bark!"
Qiu Xialin was playing tug-of-war with his sister when he heard this and got excited: "Mom, Shanglin always bullies me!"
She was just joking with him. Kids are used to wearing shorts and tank tops, or even going shirtless. Nobody likes to be all covered up in the middle of summer. Shang Lin understood. She was trying to coax, cajole, and scare him into putting on his pants when Li Hongwei yelled. Xia Lin thought he had gotten help, so he twisted and turned and refused to give in. He even tried to scratch her while calling her by her name!
Once I get angry, you still won't change your ways!
She suddenly let go, causing him to stumble, and then gave a cold laugh:
"I don't care about you, do whatever you want!"
After saying that, she turned around and started combing her hair and braiding it.
Xia Lin was stunned and dared not utter a sound. She looked to Li Hongwei for help. Just as Li Hongwei was about to say something, Qiu Jianguo gently pulled her arm: "Don't worry about it. This little brat is getting more and more unruly as he grows up. It's good to let his sister keep an eye on him!"
Li Hongwei remained silent.
Without any help, Xia Lin stood there helplessly in front of his sister's cold back. His pants were only half-up, one leg still dangling over the edge of the bed. He tugged at it awkwardly for a long time, then timidly grabbed at Lin's collar.
"elder sister."
There was no response; Shanglin didn't even turn his head.
He paused for a moment, then called out, "Sister, sister, put my pants on for me."
There was still no response; Shanglin simply kept her hair in her little braid.
She paused again, then looked pleadingly at her parents. They smiled and turned away, pretending not to see her.
Helpless, she pitifully begged for forgiveness: "Sister, I was wrong, I'll get dressed obediently. I'll never call you Qiu Shanglin again, sister..."
Shanglin, his face stern and expressionless, turned around, quickly put the other trouser leg on him, then half-carried, half-dragged him off the bed, pointing to the small stool by the door:
"Sit there and don't move."
The voice wasn't particularly sharp, and Qiu Xialin didn't even dare to retort. He obediently drooped his head and sat on the small stool, counting ants.
Li Hongwei burst out laughing, patted Shang Lin's fluffy head, and said, "Good, not bad!"
She was also at her wits' end with her son's unruly behavior. Finally, someone managed to control him without making him cry and scream in pain, which made her very happy.
Qiu Jianguo proudly swung his legs and said, "I told you, our girl will definitely amount to something in the future. I'm destined to be your grandpa!"