Chapter 4: Don’t Call Me “Wife”

“Wife…”

“Don’t call me wife!”

“Manya…”

“I—I swear, don’t call me Manya either!”

“Then, Man, Manniang^[1]This kind of nickname is affectionate and old-fashioned, sometimes used by family members, especially elders or in historical / rural settings.…”

Wang Man was already too exhausted to respond.

“Manniang, I’m going out to dig some wild vegetables, okay?”

“Manniang, Manniang… I’m really going.”

Suppressing the urge to lose her temper, Wang Man sneered darkly and asked,
“Do you want me to come with you?”

As she spoke, her teeth ground together with a sharp, grinding sound.

That was because she couldn’t make any sudden moves—otherwise, she’d definitely give Wang San a good beating.

Under Wang Man’s murderous glare, Wang San quickly backed away.

“Oh man, this Wang Man girl is way too fierce.”
Was he really bringing home a she-tiger?

A thug was a thug—completely unreliable.

After going out, Wang San never came back, and no one knew where he had gone.

Just when Wang Man’s hunger twisted her stomach into knots again, Aunt Ma Liu came in carrying a chipped, broken bowl.

Trembling and unsteady, she walked slowly, one hand stretched out ahead as if feeling her way.

Wang Man frowned—were her eyes really that bad?

Almost blind, it seemed. No wonder she couldn’t work in the mountains.

“Manya, these are the wild vegetables I dug up. Just make do and eat them.”

Wang Man looked into the bowl. Inside were some shepherd’s purse mixed with a couple of random weeds.

Maybe it was because she was so hungry, but she didn’t mind. She took the bowl and sipped the broth first—it was slightly bitter but not unpleasant.

However, the shepherd’s purse was too old; the leaves were okay, but the stalks were tough to chew.

After several bites, Wang Man finally remembered to ask,

“Where’s Wang San? Why don’t I see him around?”

Aunt Ma Liu sighed deeply.

“Manya, listen to me, it’s better if you go back to your own home.”

Wang Man was puzzled.

“You want to return me?”

Right after saying that, she felt foolish. How could she compare herself to a commodity?

Aunt Ma Liu shook her head.

“Don’t take it the wrong way. I just don’t want you to jump into the fire pit that is our home.
You’ve seen for yourself, we have no food at all. If you stay, I’m afraid you’ll starve to death.
And as for Wang San, he’s really unreliable; he won’t care whether you live or die.”

“He probably ran off to the town again today.”

Wang Man raised an eyebrow.
“You dug these wild vegetables yourself?”

She had already guessed as much but wanted to be sure.

Aunt Ma Liu nodded.
“My eyesight is almost like that of a blind person—I can hardly find anything.
I rely entirely on my brother and sister-in-law for support; otherwise, I would have starved to death.”

The “brother and sister-in-law” he mentioned were Wang San’s eldest uncle and his wife.

As for the other brothers and sisters-in-law, they no longer wanted to bother with him.

It wasn’t that they were cold-hearted—actually…

These past months, everyone’s lives had been tough.

Getting by on just barely half-full stomachs every day was already considered good enough.

On top of that, they had to take care of Aunt Ma Liu and her son.

At first, they thought, since this was their own brother’s wife and child, everyone would chip in and help out a little, and once Wang San grew up and got married, life would improve.

But who knew Wang San was such a troublemaker—he actually ran off to become a delinquent.

He stirred up a lot of problems and ended up making others clean up his messes.

Over time, everyone’s hearts grew cold.

They ignored Wang San completely—if he came begging at the door, they wouldn’t give him a thing.

Why should they give him anything? So he could just go gamble it all away?

Even so, they still looked out for Aunt Ma Liu from time to time.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have survived until now.

Wang Man was a bit surprised to hear Aunt Ma Liu say this:
“Even if I go back. My stepmother won’t give you the silver back either.
Do you really want to lose both your money and your person?”

 “Sigh, I know she won’t pay me back, and I never expected her to.
I’m just afraid you’ll starve to death—after all, life is precious!”

Wang Man smiled:
“I’m not going back. Even if I did, life wouldn’t get any better.
I might even get sold again.
As for Wang San, I have my ways to keep him in check.”

“Ah? What ways?”

Aunt Ma Liu looked a bit bewildered, then added:
“You won’t be able to control him. That boy’s gone rogue—he doesn’t recognize even his own relatives.
Even his uncles don’t know what to do with him.
And you’re just a little girl…”

Wang Man smirked at the corner of her mouth:
“If he doesn’t listen, just hit him. That’s an eternal truth—simple, crude, but effective.”

Aunt Ma Liu stared at her like she was looking at a monster:
“You’re so small and thin, and just a girl—you won’t be able to beat him.”

Wang Man just smiled:
“When the time comes, don’t get involved. Just turn a blind eye.
Even if you want to interfere, I won’t listen to you.”

After saying that, she handed the bowl back to Aunt Ma Liu:
“I can’t eat too much at once. If you want it, just finish it yourself.”

She could tell Aunt Ma Liu hadn’t eaten yet.

Aunt Ma Liu was a kind woman, but too soft-hearted and spoiled Wang San too much, which is why he’d become like this.

Maybe she thought since two others had already died before, she had to raise this one, so she couldn’t be too strict.

No matter what, Aunt Ma Liu still had to take some responsibility.

Aunt Ma Liu took the bowl without saying a word and ate all the wild vegetables inside

“Wang Man, you rest a bit longer, I won’t disturb you anymore.”

When Wang Man woke up again, the sky had already darkened.

“Wang Man, you’re awake. Since you’re awake, drink this bowl of porridge!”

Aunt Ma Liu had been sitting nearby the whole time. When she heard the noise, she knew Wang Man was awake.

Wang Man looked at the bowl brought close to her and was somewhat surprised:
“Where did this porridge come from?”

She clearly remembered there was nothing to eat at home. Could it be that Wang San brought it?

Thinking of this possibility, Wang Man let out a sigh of relief—looks like things weren’t completely hopeless yet.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, she heard Aunt Ma Liu say,
“This was just brought by your sister-in-law. She said it’s for you.”

Wang Man felt a bit moved—such a good person, knowing she had nothing to eat and still taking the trouble to bring her porridge. She would remember this kindness.

Wang Man ate half a bowl as usual and left the rest for Aunt Ma Liu.

But Aunt Ma Liu didn’t take it.
“Your sister-in-law also gave me a vegetable rice dumpling. I’ve already eaten it. This bowl of porridge is yours.”

Wang Man looked into Aunt Ma Liu’s eyes, a bit doubtful.
“You really ate it?”

Aunt Ma Liu nodded,
“I really did. This time I didn’t save any, afraid it would grow mold again.”

Seeing that Aunt Ma Liu didn’t seem to be lying, Wang Man finished drinking all the porridge in the bowl.

That night, Wang San didn’t come back.

With a bit of food in her stomach, Wang Man began to endure the aftereffects of her concussion and slowly moved around.

Only after she broke out in a sweat did she finally stop.

Hearing a sudden “clang” outside, she instinctively looked out.

She saw Aunt Ma Liu getting up, brushing the dust off her clothes, with a stool overturned on the ground beside her.

Wang Man guessed that Aunt Ma Liu, with her poor eyesight, must have tripped over the stool.

Noticing the basket hanging from Aunt Ma Liu’s wrist, Wang Man asked,
“Are you going out to dig for wild vegetables?”

She still felt a little uneasy about letting her go alone.

Aunt Ma Liu rubbed her sore knee and replied,
“I’m just going out to take a look. If I find any wild vegetables, I’ll dig some up to bring back.”

Wang Man thought for a moment and said,

“I’ll go too.”

“Huh? Are you sure your body can handle it?

Maybe you should just stay home and rest while I go out to look.”

Wang Man ignored her concerns, picked up the walking stick nearby, tested it out, and said reluctantly,

“Let’s go together.”

Aunt Ma Liu hesitated a bit,
“You really want to go?”

Wang Man didn’t say anything more but answered with her actions.