Chapter 7: Leaving behind a sick wife and two burdens is a real drag on us

“I’ll go to the village committee and see if we can report this to the police station.  We lost so much; we can’t just let it go. The thief must be caught!” Old Man Lu grunted and went inside to change clothes.

Li Hua quickly stopped him. “Are you really going to report it to the police station?  No way! If it was those two brats, sending our own family to jail would be shameful!”

Li Hua was heartbroken about the lost money, but she didn’t want her sons imprisoned.

Old Man Lu glared at his wife. “Our house isn’t that big. The kitchen was completely cleaned out. Even if it was them, where would they hide everything? I think someone is getting revenge on us.”

Li Hua paused.  Yes, the money and gold necklaces were one thing, but where could they hide all the kitchen supplies?

The thought of a thief silently stealing so much, possibly for revenge, terrified her.

“Then hurry to the village committee and see what the village chief says. Come back quickly; we have to work in the fields today.”

As Li Hua finished, her two grandsons, Gou Wa and An Niu, started crying outside.

Lu Zhengning and Lu Zhenggang, after marrying, each had only one son.

These were the Lu family’s precious heirs, cherished by Li Hua.

Both sons were spoiled rotten.

This resulted in the two children being spoiled and mischievous, constantly causing trouble.

For example, their breakfast, usually ready half an hour earlier, was late, causing them to cry and wail.

“I want millet porridge! Grandma promised me millet porridge!”

“I want pot stickers! And roasted sweet potatoes! Grandma promised!  Did those two brats eat them?”

The two little devils’ crying was a disaster.

Their shrill cries were like needles piercing one’s head.

Su Yuanyuan sat in her room, coldly listening to the children’s cries.

Peeking through the crack in the door, she saw them rolling on the ground, covered in mud.

Children wouldn’t invent such malicious words about Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu; they learned it from their parents’ “teaching.”

Hearing their cries, Su Yuanyuan felt a moment of satisfaction.

It was good; they were all so hateful, that even her last shred of sympathy was gone.

Forget compassion; it was all nonsense.

She had felt bad about taking away their food, leaving the children hungry, but now, she saw them for what they were.

Let them starve.

The children were spoiled; they cried when they didn’t get what they wanted.

Seeing that breakfast wasn’t immediately served, they cried even louder.

Li Hua, heartbroken, picked up the children, brushed off the dirt, and then scolded Wang Xiujuan.

“Are you dead? Can’t you hear the children are hungry? Go borrow some grain from the neighbors and make them something to eat!”

Wang Xiujuan felt a surge of anger.  Wang Chunhua hadn’t done anything; why was she being scolded?

“Easy for you to say. Everyone knows we were robbed; will the neighbors easily lend us grain?”

She was being asked to do the humiliating task of begging for help, while the benefits would go to the eldest son’s family.

“A bunch of debt collectors!  We’ll pay them back soon!  The autumn harvest is coming, and we’ll have plenty of grain soon enough!”

Li Hua grumbled, coaxing the children to play while giving Wang Xiujuan a dirty look.

Wang Xiujuan took a deep breath and looked at her husband.

Lu Zhenggang handed her a wooden spoon, waving impatiently. “Go quickly. The children are hungry.  Mom’s right; don’t argue with her.”

Wang Xiujuan was amused but, thinking of the children, suppressed her anger and went to borrow grain.

After the morning’s commotion, half the village knew what happened to the Lu family.

When Wang Xiujuan borrowed grain, Aunt Zhang sarcastically commented but still lent them some.

They were neighbors; there was no need to be so unkind, especially since Aunt Zhang liked Su Yuanyuan and her children.

It was harvest season; the grain would be repaid soon. Lending them some for emergencies was considered a good deed.

They borrowed grain, but breakfast was meager.

They made a few corn cakes with corn flour.

The men needed to work in the fields, so each man got two cakes, each woman one, and each child half.

Su Yuanyuan and her children only received one cake.

Sharing one cake among three, Su Yuanyuan was almost amused.  No sane person would do something so cruel.

“Why do we only have one cake? It’s not enough!” Lu Siyuan, steady and bold, expressed his dissatisfaction.

Wang Xiujuan, simmering with anger, shoved Lu Siyuan.

Su Yuanyuan didn’t expect her to hit a child.  She quickly caught the child, preventing him from falling.

“Go, go, go!  Like a beggar, you’re lucky to have anything to eat!  You don’t do anything and expect food! Daydreaming!  Go borrow some grain yourself!”

Wang Xiujuan rolled her eyes and ate her corn cake in front of them.

Lu Siyuan’s face turned red, and Lu Mingzhu glared at Wang Xiujuan, helping her mother support her brother.

In this house, everyone except their mother was bad!

Su Yuanyuan sighed, sharing the cake with her children, acting like a helpless victim, too afraid to speak up for them.

Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu hung their heads.  They were determined to work hard, save money, and escape with their mother.

When they grew up, they would earn money to buy their mother food, and no one would bully them again!

After breakfast, everyone left their dishes in the pot for Su Yuanyuan to wash. Li Hua glanced at Su Yuanyuan before going inside with Old Man Lu.

Su Yuanyuan said nothing, telling her children to wait while she washed the large pot.

Soon, she heard Li Hua and Old Man Lu talking in the next room.

Su Yuanyuan continued washing dishes, waiting for this moment.

The kitchen was next to Li Hua and Old Man Lu’s room; she could hear their conversation clearly.

“In about half a month, Zhengan’s next month’s pay will arrive. What do you think?”

Li Hua looked at Old Man Lu, sitting on the kang.

They had no money; the kitchen was empty; their only hope was Lu Zhengan’s salary.

The harvest from their fields would only bring in about a hundred yuan, not comparable to Lu Zhengan’s salary.

The harvest was enough to feed them, but it would cover their expenses for the next few months, meaning they would have to live frugally, like before.

Li Hua didn’t want that; the whole Lu family didn’t.  Why not take advantage of the easy money?

“Before, things were good.  Giving her ten or twenty yuan, she wouldn’t dare do anything. But that hussy tried to report us to Zhengan. She’s restless, so we need to keep a closer eye on her.”

Li Hua paced the room, glancing at the now-empty space where her dowry had been kept, feeling a pang of pain.

“Now that we’ve been robbed and have no food, taking Zhengan’s salary isn’t unreasonable. Times are hard, so we need to work together.  Using that salary to support the family is only right.”

Old Man Lu understood Li Hua’s plan perfectly.

He took a puff of his pipe, remaining silent for a while before saying ambiguously, “There are too many people in this family; we can’t afford to support them all.”

Li Hua understood; her husband agreed.

Thinking of Su Yuanyuan and her children, Li Hua sat down on the kang, her face grim.

“Exactly! Zhengan went to the army, leaving a sick wife and two burdens for three years.  Let’s write to Zhengan, saying his wife is sick…”