Chapter 26: Because We’re Going to Play the Pitiful, Acting Pathetic 

“It’s quite a walk from here, but not far by car.  Unfortunately, the station’s car is out.  Would you like to wait here until it returns, and I’ll drive you?”

The officer had been polite throughout, showing more respect after learning her identity.

Su Yuanyuan quickly declined; she didn’t want to tie up police resources for a personal matter.  Knowing the location was enough.

“Thank you for your kindness, but I’ll just take a rickshaw with my children. Goodbye.”

Su Yuanyuan took the address, led her children away, and hailed a rickshaw.

Many rickshaw drivers worked then, providing convenient transport.  Su Yuanyuan negotiated a price, gave the address, and secured her children before getting in herself.

Su Yuanyuan held her bag, feeling anxious.  After a long journey, she was finally about to see Lu Zhengan.

The rickshaw, a sputtering gasoline-powered vehicle, sped forward, wind and sand stinging her face.

Su Yuanyuan shielded her face, then lowered her hand, an idea striking her.

This meeting with Lu Zhengan required a pitiful appearance, showing him her hardships and the mistreatment she and her children had suffered.

The old Lu family were troublemakers; shifting blame was their specialty.

She’d left in the middle of the night; their accusatory letter would likely have arrived in Beijing.

She wasn’t sure of Lu Zhengan’s feelings for his wife or his family.  Before making assumptions, she needed to appear miserable, convincing him of their suffering.

Lu Zhengan was portrayed as righteous in the original story; she’d use that to establish her pitiful image.

And the original Su Yuanyuan had indeed suffered.

As the rickshaw drove on, they saw soldiers in uniform and military vehicles, indicating they were nearing their destination.

Su Yuanyuan asked the driver, “Comrade, how much further?”

“About five hundred meters.  It’s close,” the driver shouted over the engine noise.

Su Yuanyuan understood.  Five hundred meters was perfect.  “Stop here, thank you.”

She got her children out. The driver was puzzled. “Why stop here? It’s close, and it’s sunny. You have two children.  Why not go all the way?”

He was kind, but Su Yuanyuan shook her head. “It’s okay.  We can walk.  It’s my first time in Beijing; I want to walk around with my children.”

“Alright, be careful,” the driver, needing to find more fares, left.

Su Yuanyuan took a deep breath, looking up.  Tall plane trees lined the road, providing shade.

“Let’s go; we’re about to see Daddy,” Su Yuanyuan led her children under the trees, slowing her pace.  They weren’t in a rush anymore.

“Mommy, why didn’t we go all the way to the gate?  We wouldn’t have to walk,”

Lu Mingzhu looked at Su Yuanyuan, her worn shoes uncomfortable.  A ride to the gate would have been easier.

“Silly sister, we need to look pitiful and act helpless!” Lu Siyuan proudly looked towards the base gate.

The gate’s slogans were painted in red, and a large five-pointed star was visible on the gate itself.

Su Yuanyuan gave her son a thumbs-up.  Her clever son had understood without her needing to explain.

But remembering how he’d learned this cleverness, her happiness waned.

“How do we look pitiful?” Lu Mingzhu touched her braids, her eyes curious.

She didn’t understand “playing the victim” or how to do it.  What did pitiful mean?  Was it like how Zhang Auntie said she, her brother, and their mother were pitiful?  Was it like how they usually looked?

Su Yuanyuan didn’t interrupt, guiding them along while the children discussed.

Lu Siyuan thought for a moment, then said seriously, “When we see Daddy, we cry.  We cry really hard, so Daddy will feel sorry for us right away.”

He understood this feeling because when his mother cried, he felt bad.

When he and his sister cried, Mommy said her heart ached.  He knew what “sorry” meant.

“Grandma and Grandpa didn’t tell Daddy how bad things were for us and Mommy. They kept asking Daddy for money.  Daddy sends so much money home; he must think we’re doing well.  We need to show Daddy how bad things really are; that we don’t even have enough to eat.”

Lu Siyuan pouted. He wanted to say that if Daddy believed Grandma and Grandpa, he and his sister wouldn’t talk to him anymore.

But Mommy always looked sad when he said that.

Lu Siyuan glanced cautiously at Su Yuanyuan and swallowed his words.

Lu Mingzhu suddenly understood.  “I get it!”

Her bright eyes darted between the three of them.  She ran to Lu Siyuan and crumpled his already stretched-out, old shirt.

“You messed up my shirt! What are you doing, sister?!” Lu Siyuan tried to fix it, but Lu Mingzhu grabbed his hand and mussed his hair.

“It needs to be messy, like when Grandma and Grandpa didn’t give us hot water to bathe at home.”

Lu Siyuan was about to get angry; he cared about his appearance when meeting his father.

But his sister’s logic was sound. They’d been clean these past few days; that wouldn’t do.

Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu were simple-minded, focusing on appearing pitiful.  Their memories were light.

But Su Yuanyuan felt a pang in her heart.  Since her arrival, she hadn’t suffered at the hands of the old Lu family.  But the original Su Yuanyuan, too ill to get out of bed, had been targeted for abuse.

How could she have protected herself then?

The Lu family had relentlessly tormented Su Yuanyuan, not killing her outright but slowly wearing her down.

Su Yuanyuan had arrived because the original Su Yuanyuan died.  If she hadn’t escaped, she would have been vulnerable.

That backward, uncivilized place was ruthless. The original story’s depiction of Su Yuanyuan and her children’s suffering was heavy and suffocating.

Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu crouched by the roadside, smearing dirt on their faces and clothes.