Chapter 11: Where’s Your Dad? He Doesn’t Pay Any Attention to You

The villagers lived close together. Hearing the children’s cries, they came to see what was happening.

They saw the children sitting on the ground, covered in dirt, crying, Su Yuanyuan holding a broom, confronting Li Hua and Wang Chunhua.

Wang Xiujuan, seeing the neighbors, quickly pulled her mother-in-law and sister-in-law away.

Lu Zhengning and Lu Zhenggang’s children were playing in the dirt, giggling at Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu’s misery.

The neighbors, drawn by the cries, knew what had happened.

They had seen how the Lus treated Su Yuanyuan and her children.

Withholding food was common.  If Su Yuanyuan weren’t sickly, they would have beaten her; they refrained from beating her for fear of killing her.

“What’s going on?” a latecomer asked, peering over the low wall.

“What else? The Lus were robbed. They never give Su Yuanyuan’s family enough food. Today, they only gave them one corn cake.  Heartless! They take the children’s monthly allowance and treat their daughter-in-law and grandchildren like this.”

“It’s terrible. They don’t feed the children and make them do heavy work. Making a three-year-old clean the mill!  They have no conscience.  The children are tired, and they still want to beat them.”

“Yes, the Lu’s are awful. Even if they don’t treat everyone equally, they shouldn’t treat people like this.  Look at their other grandsons; they’re plump, but Su Yuanyuan’s family is so thin.”

The neighbors didn’t see the whole conflict, but they knew how Su Yuanyuan’s family lived.

Their whispers were loud enough for Li Hua to hear.

Li Hua’s face flushed; she glared at Su Yuanyuan’s family.  Troublemakers!

They lived in the same village; their actions would be remembered.  Doing something so shameful would leave a lasting stain on their reputation.

The neighbors were watching; if they needed to borrow rice or grain later, no one would help.

“Forget the mill.  Second daughter-in-law, you clean it. You two sweep the yard. Third daughter-in-law, clean the windows and doors.”

Li Hua impatiently went inside.

Wang Xiujuan protested. “Why me? Doesn’t the eldest daughter-in-law have to work?”

She didn’t understand why, as daughters-in-law, she was always given the extra work because she was from the second family.

“What are you saying? I have to take care of the children. I have to wash their clothes too.”

Wang Chunhua rolled her eyes.  People in small villages were always so petty.

“You won’t? Then don’t eat dinner! So much complaining! If you’re so unhappy, go back to your parents’ house.”

Li Hua was annoyed; Wang Xiujuan was making a scene for the neighbors to see.

Wang Xiujuan’s eyes reddened; she reluctantly went to clean the mill.

Even after giving birth to a son, her mother-in-law never treated her well.

She knew that if she went back to her parents’ house, no one would care.

Li Hua would simply find another daughter-in-law.

Su Yuanyuan, seeing her advantage, took a rag to clean the windows and doors.

Dust quickly accumulated on the windows and doors.  Su Yuanyuan cleaned slowly, looking for other places where money might be hidden.

She didn’t find much money in the eldest and second son’s rooms, unsure if it was hidden elsewhere.

Unfortunately, Su Yuanyuan couldn’t find anything; there was probably nothing there.

Li Hua was ruthless, keeping all her sons’ salaries and spending lavishly.

The eldest and second sons’ families weren’t as unfortunate as Su Yuanyuan’s.

After the morning’s events, things calmed down.  The chickens and ducks were gone, eliminating the chore of feeding them.

Lu Mingzhu and Lu Siyuan saw their cousins playing with homemade pinwheels, making a whirring sound.

The siblings were envious and approached them.

Lu Zhengning’s son, Gou Wa, pushed Lu Mingzhu away.

“You stink! Go away!”

Lu Mingzhu stumbled, glared at Gou Wa, and retorted, “I shower every day; I don’t stink! You’re the one who stinks!”

Seeing his sister bullied, Lu Siyuan pushed Gou Wa.

“Don’t bully my sister!”

Being thin, he couldn’t push the chubby Gou Wa and stumbled back.

Lu Zhenggang’s son, An Niu, mocked him. “You’re as skinny as a stick.  Want to fight us? Eat more, bean sprout!”

“If you’re so kind, share your food with us!” Lu Siyuan stood protectively in front of his sister.

Gou Wa and An Niu often heard their mother and grandmother say they disliked their younger siblings, so they also disliked them.

“We won’t!  Why should you, bastards, eat our food?  You deserve to starve!”

Gou Wa made a face.

“We’re not bastards! You two fatties! Fat pigs!” Lu Mingzhu retorted.

Gou Wa and An Niu’s faces turned red with anger.

“We have a father! Our father is Lu Zhengning! We’re not bastards!”

In the village, Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu were well-behaved and worked to earn money.

Most villagers pitied them, so no one called them bastards. But they knew what it meant.

Gou Wa, knowing they were hurt, taunted them. “You are bastards! Your father doesn’t want you! Otherwise, why hasn’t he come back since you were born?”

An Niu agreed.  “Yes! We heard that soldiers who go to the army bring their families.  Your father wouldn’t leave his wife and children for so long. Where is your father? He doesn’t care about you.”

“He doesn’t want you!  What’s the use of arguing? Your father doesn’t want you! You’re unwanted children! Bastards! Hahaha.”

Gou Wa and An Niu ran off, laughing and shouting, “Bastards! You’re bastards!”

Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu stood there, looking at each other.

Their mother had told them their father was too busy to come home.

But were their cousins telling the truth?

Their father hadn’t been home since they were born.  Did he really not want them?

They had never considered this.  The thought of being abandoned brought tears to their eyes.