Chapter 19

Fan Hu, who was bent over digging for worms in the soft soil on the back hill, saw Shuiqing waking up and running over with a smile on his face brighter than the morning sun.

As he ran, he shouted, “Mom, I got you some millet porridge! Big sister made it early, and it’s really tasty.”

Paired with the white flour pancakes from last night, it was both delicious and filling, so much so that he didn’t feel hungry at all!

Shuiqing watched the weak and small Fan Hu as he carefully carried a bowl of millet porridge, walking towards her with trembling hands.

A seven-year-old child in China would usually be pampered and cared for by the whole family, but here he was, already taking on so many responsibilities.

“Mom, it’s hot out. Big sister put the clay pot aside to cool before she left, so you can drink it now,” Fan Hu said happily, holding the bowl and looking up.

Mom had been sleeping, and he waited and waited until the sun was high up in the sky, but Mom was still asleep.

Big sister and second sister said Mom got hurt yesterday and argued with Grandma and Auntie, so she was both physically and mentally exhausted. They told him not to disturb Mom.

Shuiqing took the rough clay bowl and sipped the thick millet porridge.

Judging by the consistency, she could tell it was the porridge from the bottom of the pot saved especially for her. In a household where there were white flour pancakes, Yan Qiu wouldn’t normally make such thick millet porridge.

“Mom, here!” Fan Hu ran off and came back quickly, handing her a whole white flour pancake.

Shuiqing was stunned.

She remembered there were only five pancakes left last night.

They had packed three for Fan Jin to take to the city for his brunch.

The remaining two pancakes were to be shared among the five children. Now, giving her an entire pancake, how much would be left for the others?

As she sipped the porridge, she asked, “Didn’t I tell your big sister and second sister yesterday not to save the pancake for me? Why did they still leave it, and a whole one at that? Did you all get enough to eat?”

Fan Hu nodded without hesitation and replied confidently, “We did! Big sister gave each of us a full bowl of porridge. She split the pancake among us but said she would just have porridge.”

Hearing the gradually lower voice of the little boy, Shuiqing sighed.

The eldest child in the family often bore such burdens.

Especially the eldest daughter, who took on household chores early, looked after younger siblings, worked in the fields and garden, and had little time for fun or good food…

Taking a deep breath, Shuiqing broke the pancake in half, eating only the part she had bitten into.

These children, even Yan Qiu, were still her babies in her eyes.

Whatever her eldest daughter lost due to her responsibilities, she, as a mother, would try to make up for bit by bit…

“Let’s go find your brothers and sisters!”

“Alright!” Fan Hu bounced ahead, leading the way.

He had wanted to go mushroom picking with his sisters and brothers since the morning.

Picking mushrooms, one by one, was a lot of fun.

Especially since Big sister said Dad would take the mushrooms to the city to sell for money, they felt mushroom picking was not just feeding Grandma and Uncle’s family but was something that could genuinely improve their own lives!

However, Big sister said Mom would worry if she woke up and found nobody at home. Since he was the youngest and slowest at picking mushrooms, he had to stay behind to relay messages.

But Mom kept sleeping, so he couldn’t just wait idly.

Second sister said the hens were heroes of the family, laying twelve eggs this morning! It must have been because they ate nutritious wheat bran yesterday. He thought if the hens could lay twelve eggs eating wheat bran, they could lay even more eating worms.

So, while waiting for Mom to wake up, he went to dig for worms, hoping that the family could eat more eggs in the future.

Thinking of the egg drop soup from last night, Fan Hu couldn’t help but swallow his saliva and then tried to distract himself by chatting with his Mom, “Mom, when Big sister and the others see us helping pick mushrooms, they’ll be so happy!”

Shuiqing smiled and nodded.

She was already thinking about how many pounds of mushrooms the four children had picked.

At least ten pounds, right?

If they earned another thousand yuan, maybe by tonight or tomorrow, they could afford daily necessities…

Feeling very good, Shuiqing was about to say she would join them in picking mushrooms in the afternoon when she saw some familiar figures supporting each other in the distance.

She squinted, trying to see clearly.

“Mom, it’s Big sister and Second sister!” Fan Hu joyfully shouted.

His short legs ran quickly along the ridge.

From a distance, Shuiqing couldn’t see the expressions on the children’s faces, but she had a bad feeling!

Fan Jiang and Fan He aside, Yan Qiu and Xing Hui were so thoughtful it broke her heart. Knowing the mushrooms could be sold for money, they would never come back home before lunch unless something was wrong!

With that thought, she quickened her pace and ran towards her children.

“Mom~”

Seeing Shuiqing, the children couldn’t hold back their grievances any longer. Tears welled up as they called out to her.

Finally, Shuiqing saw the state of her children.

Their already worn clothes were now covered in dirt. Xing Hui and Fan Jiang each held an arm, one limping, while Yan Qiu and Fan He supported them from either side.

The bamboo baskets were squashed, and only a few scattered mushrooms remained inside.

There were a few distinct red marks on Yan Qiu’s face!

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Shuiqing asked in a low voice, “Tell me, what happened?”

“Mom, we went to Bamboo Hill early to pick mushrooms. We had filled two baskets when Auntie came.”

“She said our uncle loves mushrooms and demanded we dump our mushrooms into her basket.”

“We refused, and she cursed us for being ungrateful and unfilial, saying we were worse than outsiders!”

“Big sister stood in front of the basket to stop her from taking it, and she slapped Big sister. When Second sister rushed up, she heartlessly pushed her down the slope!

She just shoved her down the steep slope, and if Second sister didn’t have great luck…”

Shuiqing understood!

No wonder the children came back so early.

No wonder their clothes were dirty, and they were injured.

No wonder the basket was broken, and the mushrooms were gone!

Sun Jinhua, you are something else, even robbing mushrooms painstakingly picked by your nephew and niece.

Filial piety?

Ridiculous. Your family has children too, and they are strong and capable. Why should our children be expected to serve you!

“Come on, let’s get justice!” Shuiqing said, her voice firm.

Yan Qiu opened her mouth, worried about causing a bigger scene, but thinking of her sister who almost died, she also wanted to blow this up!

Auntie had bullied them for too long. Now that Mom had stood up yesterday, they also needed to stand up.

Being weak only invites more bullying!

Fan He, his eyes darting around, suggested, “Mom, we should go home first and get some knives and hoes.”

Dad went to the city and wouldn’t be back for at least an hour. If they went to confront Auntie unarmed, they could be in trouble.

Fan Jiang, a year older and more mature, added, “I’ll grab a knife and go demand justice for Second sister;

Mom, you stir things up, and Big sister and Second sister can hold me back. We need to make Auntie not only return what she took but also give us more!”

If Big sister and Second sister confronted Auntie, they would get a bad reputation. He couldn’t let that happen.

As a boy, he knew people were more forgiving of him, and he didn’t mind being talked about!

Chapter 19

Fan Hu, who was bent over digging for worms in the soft soil on the back hill, saw Shuiqing waking up and running over with a smile on his face brighter than the morning sun.

As he ran, he shouted, “Mom, I got you some millet porridge! Big sister made it early, and it’s really tasty.”

Paired with the white flour pancakes from last night, it was both delicious and filling, so much so that he didn’t feel hungry at all!

Shuiqing watched the weak and small Fan Hu as he carefully carried a bowl of millet porridge, walking towards her with trembling hands.

A seven-year-old child in China would usually be pampered and cared for by the whole family, but here he was, already taking on so many responsibilities.

“Mom, it’s hot out. Big sister put the clay pot aside to cool before she left, so you can drink it now,” Fan Hu said happily, holding the bowl and looking up.

Mom had been sleeping, and he waited and waited until the sun was high up in the sky, but Mom was still asleep.

Big sister and second sister said Mom got hurt yesterday and argued with Grandma and Auntie, so she was both physically and mentally exhausted. They told him not to disturb Mom.

Shuiqing took the rough clay bowl and sipped the thick millet porridge.

Judging by the consistency, she could tell it was the porridge from the bottom of the pot saved especially for her. In a household where there were white flour pancakes, Yan Qiu wouldn’t normally make such thick millet porridge.

“Mom, here!” Fan Hu ran off and came back quickly, handing her a whole white flour pancake.

Shuiqing was stunned.

She remembered there were only five pancakes left last night.

They had packed three for Fan Jin to take to the city for his brunch.

The remaining two pancakes were to be shared among the five children. Now, giving her an entire pancake, how much would be left for the others?

As she sipped the porridge, she asked, “Didn’t I tell your big sister and second sister yesterday not to save the pancake for me? Why did they still leave it, and a whole one at that? Did you all get enough to eat?”

Fan Hu nodded without hesitation and replied confidently, “We did! Big sister gave each of us a full bowl of porridge. She split the pancake among us but said she would just have porridge.”

Hearing the gradually lower voice of the little boy, Shuiqing sighed.

The eldest child in the family often bore such burdens.

Especially the eldest daughter, who took on household chores early, looked after younger siblings, worked in the fields and garden, and had little time for fun or good food…

Taking a deep breath, Shuiqing broke the pancake in half, eating only the part she had bitten into.

These children, even Yan Qiu, were still her babies in her eyes.

Whatever her eldest daughter lost due to her responsibilities, she, as a mother, would try to make up for bit by bit…

“Let’s go find your brothers and sisters!”

“Alright!” Fan Hu bounced ahead, leading the way.

He had wanted to go mushroom picking with his sisters and brothers since the morning.

Picking mushrooms, one by one, was a lot of fun.

Especially since Big sister said Dad would take the mushrooms to the city to sell for money, they felt mushroom picking was not just feeding Grandma and Uncle’s family but was something that could genuinely improve their own lives!

However, Big sister said Mom would worry if she woke up and found nobody at home. Since he was the youngest and slowest at picking mushrooms, he had to stay behind to relay messages.

But Mom kept sleeping, so he couldn’t just wait idly.

Second sister said the hens were heroes of the family, laying twelve eggs this morning! It must have been because they ate nutritious wheat bran yesterday. He thought if the hens could lay twelve eggs eating wheat bran, they could lay even more eating worms.

So, while waiting for Mom to wake up, he went to dig for worms, hoping that the family could eat more eggs in the future.

Thinking of the egg drop soup from last night, Fan Hu couldn’t help but swallow his saliva and then tried to distract himself by chatting with his Mom, “Mom, when Big sister and the others see us helping pick mushrooms, they’ll be so happy!”

Shuiqing smiled and nodded.

She was already thinking about how many pounds of mushrooms the four children had picked.

At least ten pounds, right?

If they earned another thousand yuan, maybe by tonight or tomorrow, they could afford daily necessities…

Feeling very good, Shuiqing was about to say she would join them in picking mushrooms in the afternoon when she saw some familiar figures supporting each other in the distance.

She squinted, trying to see clearly.

“Mom, it’s Big sister and Second sister!” Fan Hu joyfully shouted.

His short legs ran quickly along the ridge.

From a distance, Shuiqing couldn’t see the expressions on the children’s faces, but she had a bad feeling!

Fan Jiang and Fan He aside, Yan Qiu and Xing Hui were so thoughtful it broke her heart. Knowing the mushrooms could be sold for money, they would never come back home before lunch unless something was wrong!

With that thought, she quickened her pace and ran towards her children.

“Mom~”

Seeing Shuiqing, the children couldn’t hold back their grievances any longer. Tears welled up as they called out to her.

Finally, Shuiqing saw the state of her children.

Their already worn clothes were now covered in dirt. Xing Hui and Fan Jiang each held an arm, one limping, while Yan Qiu and Fan He supported them from either side.

The bamboo baskets were squashed, and only a few scattered mushrooms remained inside.

There were a few distinct red marks on Yan Qiu’s face!

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Shuiqing asked in a low voice, “Tell me, what happened?”

“Mom, we went to Bamboo Hill early to pick mushrooms. We had filled two baskets when Auntie came.”

“She said our uncle loves mushrooms and demanded we dump our mushrooms into her basket.”

“We refused, and she cursed us for being ungrateful and unfilial, saying we were worse than outsiders!”

“Big sister stood in front of the basket to stop her from taking it, and she slapped Big sister. When Second sister rushed up, she heartlessly pushed her down the slope!

She just shoved her down the steep slope, and if Second sister didn’t have great luck…”

Shuiqing understood!

No wonder the children came back so early.

No wonder their clothes were dirty, and they were injured.

No wonder the basket was broken, and the mushrooms were gone!

Sun Jinhua, you are something else, even robbing mushrooms painstakingly picked by your nephew and niece.

Filial piety?

Ridiculous. Your family has children too, and they are strong and capable. Why should our children be expected to serve you!

“Come on, let’s get justice!” Shuiqing said, her voice firm.

Yan Qiu opened her mouth, worried about causing a bigger scene, but thinking of her sister who almost died, she also wanted to blow this up!

Auntie had bullied them for too long. Now that Mom had stood up yesterday, they also needed to stand up.

Being weak only invites more bullying!

Fan He, his eyes darting around, suggested, “Mom, we should go home first and get some knives and hoes.”

Dad went to the city and wouldn’t be back for at least an hour. If they went to confront Auntie unarmed, they could be in trouble.

Fan Jiang, a year older and more mature, added, “I’ll grab a knife and go demand justice for Second sister;

Mom, you stir things up, and Big sister and Second sister can hold me back. We need to make Auntie not only return what she took but also give us more!”

If Big sister and Second sister confronted Auntie, they would get a bad reputation. He couldn’t let that happen.

As a boy, he knew people were more forgiving of him, and he didn’t mind being talked about!