“Don’t beat my mommy… sob sob… Don’t beat my mommy…”
Accompanying the sharp, heartbroken cry of a small child was a sudden, searing wave of pain across her body.
My God, who is yanking her hair?! Su Mian felt as though her scalp was about to be peeled right off her head.
A dull, throbbing ache echoed all over her body. Was she getting beaten up? Which absolute bastard was doing this?!
Su Mian struggled to force her eyes open, only to be hit by a violent spell of dizziness.
Good grief! Her hair was currently gripped tightly in the fist of a middle-aged woman, who was relentlessly pelting her with curses.
“You malicious, wicked thing! Out of all the houses to steal from, you had to pick mine? You ugly, bloated beggar—take your two little brat beggars and get the hell out of here!”
With a final harsh shove, the middle-aged woman thrust Su Mian backward, sending her tumbling onto the hard dirt ground.
Hiss—
Her palms scraped against the sharp grit, tearing the skin.
Her brain was still a chaotic, confused mess. Su Mian had no idea what was happening.
What on earth is going on? Su Mian tried to piece together her memories. She vaguely remembered being on her way to bring her father his lunch… and then… then everything went blank.
Just as she was trying to think, a massive surge of memories—ones that didn’t feel like her own—flooded her mind all at once.
The person in those memories was her, yet at the same time, not her.
Five lost years of her life poured into her consciousness, along with every single vile, foolish thing she had done during that time. It felt like a bolt of thunder striking her out of a clear blue sky.
That person couldn’t possibly be her. That hideous demeanor, the scheming betrayal of her own family, and—that grotesquely obese body…
As if suddenly remembering something, Su Mian hurriedly looked down at herself.
This… these thick, log-like arms, chubby little hands, and boulder-like legs…
Help! This couldn’t be her!
Su Mian was on the verge of tears. In her memory, she had simply gone out to bring her father a meal, only to somehow lose five whole years of her life in an instant.
On top of that, she had turned into a repulsive, overweight slob. Anyone in her shoes would lose their mind!
Yet her current situation gave her no room to break down.
Because she didn’t have a single penny or ration coupon left, Su Mian had been forced to venture out in search of food, leading directly to this humiliating scene.
She had been beaten black and blue by this middle-aged woman, leaving her head spinning and her body battered.
Fortunately, the woman hadn’t called the police—likely feeling a bit guilty herself after delivering such a severe thrashing.
After all, an altercation like this could easily be classified as a brawl, and if both sides ended up at the police station, the middle-aged woman would be the one choking on her anger.
A crowd of onlookers had gathered around, their gazes filled with disgust and disdain as they watched Su Mian.
“Tsk tsk tsk. Of all the things to do, she chooses to steal.”
“Tell me about it. She looks so young, and she’s got working hands and feet. People like her just refuse to do honest work.”
“Looks like she’s got two kids with her, too, all filthy like that. How does a mother even let her kids end up like this?”
“I don’t know how someone can stand to live like that, turning themselves into such a disgrace.”
“Exactly! I hate thieves the most. If anyone dares steal from my house, I’ll chop their hands off!”
Facing this absolute disaster of a start, Su Mian just wanted to close her eyes and drop dead on the spot.
She couldn’t comprehend how everything had gone so horribly wrong, or how she had overnight become a hideous thief everyone despised.
Everyone loathed thieves, so nobody was willing to speak up for her.
Even a few kind-hearted souls who noticed the two young children and tried to intercede for her were quickly drowned out by the angry shouts of the crowd.
Just then, the two children who had been crying on the sidelines rushed over to her side.
The little boy tentatively grabbed Su Mian’s hand and said timidly, “M-Mommy… Little Sister and I… we’re not hungry anymore. Let’s… let’s just go home… sob sob…”
Hearing the child’s tender voice snapped Su Mian out of her spiral of despair.
These… these were her children. They came from her own womb.
Even if she didn’t want to accept it, and even if she felt like she hadn’t lived through those five years, she had undeniably given birth to a set of twins. The instinctual bond of blood was impossible to deny.
The boy’s sweet, timid words made Su Mian’s heart ache with sharp sorrow.
Though she still didn’t understand why she had ended up like this, for the sake of her children, she had to pull herself together.
Dragging her bruised, aching body up, Su Mian’s brain worked at top speed to figure out a way out of this mess.
She forced herself up, looked straight at the middle-aged woman, and let out a cold, sharp laugh:
“Taking your food was my fault. But I only took two steamed buns you left sitting on the stone table in your yard. Was it really necessary to beat me into this state? Just two buns! Even if you called the police and had me arrested, they wouldn’t classify this as grand theft. Who doesn’t go through hard times? I didn’t take anything valuable from you—I just wanted to fill my children’s stomachs! Once I earn some money, I’ll pay you back. Are two buns really worth beating me half to death over?!”
As Su Mian spoke, she pulled back her clothes to expose the raw, bruised skin on her arms, neck, and legs.
The crowd gasped. The injuries looked brutal and shocking. For just two steamed buns, beating someone so mercilessly really was crossing a line.
This was the 1980s; life was gradually improving for everyone. Two buns were hardly worth killing someone over.
The onlookers, who had been shouting abuse moments ago, fell into a stunned silence.
Once it sank in, someone in the crowd finally spoke up: “Wait, she only took two buns? I thought she stole something major!”
“Yeah, I thought she stole money or ration coupons, seeing as she was beaten so badly. I assumed it was something precious.”
“Every household steams a couple of buns every day. Beating someone up like this over that is way too extreme, isn’t it?”
“And she’s carrying two small children with her. She probably really had no other choice and was driven to desperation.”
Public opinion was a fickle thing, shifting like the wind.
Just a moment ago, everyone had been firmly on the middle-aged woman’s side. Now, their sympathies were turning toward Su Mian.
Seeing the tables turn against her, the middle-aged woman—who was already feeling guilty about the beating—felt her heart sink even further.
Knowing she had to capitalize on the momentum, Su Mian pressed on: “Let’s call the police then! With all these injuries, going to the hospital is going to cost a pretty penny, and I don’t have the money to pay for it…”
Ordinary folks in this era were terrified at the mere mention of the police; it instantly scrambled their thoughts.
The middle-aged woman was even more panicked. Flustered, she stammered, “Y-You stole from me… W-Was I not supposed to hit you?!”
“If I were a real thief, would I settle for stealing two buns? Your front gate was wide open! If I really wanted to steal, why wouldn’t I rush inside and grab something valuable? And who leaves buns sitting right on a stone table in the open yard? I thought they were meant for anyone who needed them! Fine, stop talking and call the police! We’re just a defenseless mother and her kids, and now you’ve beaten me so badly I can’t move. How are the three of us supposed to eat or survive over the next few days?!”
In her current desperate situation, Su Mian didn’t care about saving face anymore.
It wasn’t just her; her two poor children were starving, their stomachs flat as pancakes.
Since this middle-aged woman had beaten her to a pulp, Su Mian refused to walk away without getting some compensation out of it.
Having regained her memories, Su Mian knew her current situation all too well. She didn’t have a single cent to her name, and her kids hadn’t eaten a bite in a day and a night.
If she went back home covered in injuries without any food, the three of them really would starve to death.
Sure enough, bullies always backed down when faced with someone tougher.
Seeing that public sentiment had completely turned against her and that Su Mian was brazenly demanding to call the police, the middle-aged woman instantly dropped her aggressive stance, switching to a conciliatory tone.
“Oh dear, comrade! If you were hungry and wanted some buns, you should have just said so! Taking them quietly like that made me think a thief had broken in! How about this: I’ll go inside and give you all the steamed buns and rolls I just cooked. It’s all just a big misunderstanding—there’s no need to involve the police, is there?”