Chapter 10: Two Children Cry and Act Out 

The house had just been robbed; their food was borrowed.  If they ate their fill, it would look like they were the thieves.

“Mom, don’t worry!  Sister and I are great actors!” Lu Siyuan made a fist.

Su Yuanyuan’s heart melted. She ruffled their hair.

A knock came at the door. “Third sister-in-law, even if you’re sick, you should work. Help out; don’t you see how messy the house is?  You three are just lazing around.”

It was Wang Chunhua.

Su Yuanyuan gave her children a look, coughed, and replied, “Yes.”

As they came out, Wang Chunhua rolled her eyes and tossed a broom at Su Yuanyuan.

“You just sleep all day. Sweep the yard. And you two, clean the stone mill; we’re grinding cornmeal later.”

Wang Chunhua sent the children to the mill.

Su Yuanyuan took the broom, glanced at the children, and slowly began sweeping.

The yard was littered with trash rotten leaves the older children had collected.

Su Yuanyuan pretended to sweep, leaving some dirt untouched.

The children were excellent actors.

They made the three-year-old fetch water for cleaning the mill.

Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu pretended to struggle, carrying the water, glancing at their aunt before sitting down.

“Aunt, can you help us carry the water?” Lu Mingzhu asked pitifully.

“What?! Are you trying to die?!  Two of you can easily carry it! It’s just a few steps!  Can’t you even do that?!”

Wang Chunhua scolded and walked over.

Lu Siyuan protected his sister, standing and brushing off his clothes. “But we didn’t eat today. We’re so hungry, Aunt. We don’t have the strength to work.”

They were thin, and their pitiful act was convincing.

“Yes, Aunt. If you could give us another corn cake, we’d have the strength to work.”

Lu Mingzhu licked her dry lips.

“Also, the mill is so high; we have to stand on a stool to reach it.  If we’re hungry, how can we work?  Aunt, please give us a bite.  If we have food, we’ll work hard!”

Su Yuanyuan was speechless.  The children were incredible actors!

Wang Chunhua trembled with anger.  They were just asking for food!

This whole family was a bunch of beggars! A sickly mother and two mischievous brats!

“Go, go, go!  Doesn’t everyone work even when hungry?  Are you the only ones hungry?  Clean the mill and stop wasting time! If you’re not done by dinner time, I’ll beat you!”

Wang Chunhua shoved Lu Siyuan.  She was annoyed by the children.

If it weren’t for them, the money their uncle sent would be all theirs.

Why hadn’t they died last year? They were lucky to have survived!

Lu Siyuan fell.

Seeing her brother bullied, Lu Mingzhu threw mud at Wang Chunhua. “You bad woman! Don’t bully my brother! We always get the least food, and you still complain that we don’t work?!”

Lu Mingzhu, though not as composed as her brother, had a sharp tongue.  Her mother had told her not to argue, so she rarely did.

Lu Siyuan was also angry.  If their mother hadn’t taken them to the space, they wouldn’t have the energy.

Cleaning the mill was the hardest job, always assigned to them.

They ended up exhausted and still without a proper meal.

“Ouch! You little brat, you got mud on my pants!”

Before Wang Chunhua could scold him, Lu Siyuan retorted.

“Today, the three of us only got one corn cake. You pretended to give the brothers half a cake each, secretly hiding a whole one! Isn’t it supposed to be more work, more pay? Let them do a good job!”

Lu Siyuan understood the adults’ favoritism.

But his mother was right; she was sick, and most of the money was with his grandparents; they had to endure.

Now that his mother had plenty of food and a big house, they didn’t have to worry about hunger anymore, and they wouldn’t be bullied!

Before, they had never dared to talk back.

Their boldness shocked Wang Chunhua.

Li Hua, weaving bamboo baskets under the eaves, heard this and scolded, grabbing a broom.

“You little brats!  Who are you talking to? Ungrateful beggars!  Could you three survive without this family’s food?”

Wang Chunhua joined in.

“Exactly. A sickly woman, who knows how long she’ll live?  If it weren’t for us, your kids wouldn’t have grown up!  Ungrateful brats! Who taught you this?  You don’t work and want free food? Shameless.”

Wang Chunhua indirectly blamed Su Yuanyuan.

Lu Mingzhu’s face flushed red. She grabbed mud and threw it at them, scolding.

“You’re shameless! Dad’s salary was for us! If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be hungry! You took Dad’s salary and didn’t give us food; you’re the beggars! You’re bandits!”

Li Hua and Wang Chunhua were covered in mud and furious.

“I’ll skin you alive! We raised you, and you’re ungrateful!”

The two women, one with a cane, the other with a broom, were about to beat the children.

The act was almost over.  Seeing the children about to be beaten, Su Yuanyuan stepped in with a broom, separating them.

“Alright, alright, you’ve gotten bold. Today, you three will learn a lesson!”

Wang Chunhua and Li Hua didn’t stop; they were going to beat Su Yuanyuan too.  Su Yuanyuan didn’t hold back, swiftly hitting them on their softest parts their waists, thighs, and arms with considerable force.

Su Yuanyuan’s strikes were quick and powerful, making Wang Chunhua and Li Hua yell in pain.

They didn’t land a single blow on Su Yuanyuan.

Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu were stunned; their mother was amazing.

They exchanged glances and burst into loud cries.

Their cries were louder than Li Hua and Wang Chunhua’s.

“We’re so pitiful! Dad’s in the army, and everyone bullies us. Mom is sick, and we can’t help. But Dad sends eighty yuan every month.”

Lu Siyuan sobbed. Lu Mingzhu cried, hugging her brother.

The children were thin and malnourished, their hair dry and yellow.  Their cries were heartbreaking.

“Grandpa and Grandma took the money and didn’t feed us. We’re always hungry.  They didn’t give Mom money for medicine and only gave us one corn cake to share. We’re hungry and have to clean the mill.”

Lu Mingzhu, noticing her brother’s hoarse voice, glanced at Li Hua and her aunt and continued crying.

“Grandma didn’t keep the money safe, so she blamed us. We were hungry and couldn’t work, and she wanted to beat us. If you all dislike us, why don’t you give us Dad’s salary and let us leave!”