“Mother, this won’t do. You should keep these for yourself. How could we possibly accept such things?” Wang Baoguo was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. Not only did he feel he couldn’t accept them, but this was also the first time he’d seen so many fine items gathered together.
The other members of the Wang family had initially been annoyed that the elderly lady chose to speak at mealtime, letting the dishes grow cold while their stomachs rumbled with hunger. But now their complaints vanished, replaced by awe as the old woman presented the eldest son’s family with such an abundance of valuable goods.
New towels! Their current ones were either faded, pilled, bleached white, or already torn beyond repair. And that wasn’t even mentioning the brown sugar, the wheat-flour shaobing, and the eggs.
“What Mother gives, you should accept,” the old woman declared. “Meiling has borne two sons for our Wang family, and Caiping recently gave birth. They’ve both made significant contributions. I won’t interfere with how other things are distributed, but these two shaobing are from me to you parents and in-laws. No one else is to take them, understand?”
Qian Maizi was a good mother-in-law, respected by both Xu Meiling and Wu Caiping. However, the grandmother was not easy to get along with, especially with those sharp, upturned eyes of hers—one glance from her could frighten someone into sleepless nights.
Xu Meiling fared slightly better. Her Dabao and Erbao often mentioned that their great-grandmother gave them treats. Just that evening, Dabao had given her a fruit candy, saying the old lady had given it to them.
Though fearful of the grandmother, Xu Meiling held gratitude in her heart.
“Grandmother, don’t worry, we definitely won’t take them. The shaobing should be for Father and Mother to eat.”
Wu Caiping didn’t dare speak, only nodding nervously in the grandmother’s presence. Her daughter Taotao was already three months old but remained frail and thin, crying with a weak, kitten-like sound. She had a large head and small body. When the grandmother learned at birth that it was a great-granddaughter, she never once stepped into their room.
Qian Maizi’s lips moved for a long while, but she couldn’t utter a single word of thanks to the grandmother. Yet all her feelings were written clearly on her face. When she sat down holding the small but heavy bundle, her legs trembled uncontrollably.
Sun Guiying of the second branch couldn’t conceal a hint of smugness. After all, she was pregnant—surely their branch would receive more than the others. Thinking this, her eyes fixed intently on the basket beside the grandmother.
Su Qing brought out another bundle containing a stack of fabric scraps, eight eggs, a towel, a handful of fruit candies, four apples, two Dried Plum Vegetable Cakes, and half a pound of brown sugar.
“This is for the second branch. Jianjun and Xiulan are both honest people, not skilled with sweet words. But Mother knows your goodness in her heart. Guiying is still carrying a child, and Sanbao is still young—this is when you need nutrition most. Just take these.”
“Mother…”
“Don’t say unnecessary words. Mother doesn’t want to hear them.”
Wang Jianjun and Zhang Xiulan exchanged glances. Unlike the obvious excitement from the eldest branch, the two of them remained considerably calmer.
Zhang Xiulan glanced at her husband. Others might not notice, but she knew—her man felt disappointed. Not hearing the same kind of praise from the grandmother that his elder brother received probably pained him deeply.
Chen Yuzhen shared the same temperament as Zhang Xiulan, holding Sanbao while smiling at Su Qing. Sun Guiying, however, was different—exceptionally adept at social maneuvering. Beaming at Su Qing, she said, “Thank you, Grandma. Everything you give is wonderful. My parents aren’t good with words, but they’re surely grateful in their hearts. Grandma, people say my belly is pointy—I’m bound to have a son.”
As she spoke, she lifted her chin high, making Wang Xuewen and Huang Yanping beside her visibly uncomfortable. The couple had been married for a year, and Huang Yanping had entered the Wang family around the same time as Sun Guiying. While Sun’s belly was nearly full-term, Huang had nothing to show for it, leaving her feeling disgraced in her husband’s household.
Zhang Xiulan noticed her daughter-in-law’s embarrassment and patted her arm reassuringly. To Sun Guiying, this gesture seemed like a challenge to her position.
“Always playing the victim,” she muttered.
Wang Xiangdong tugged at her sleeve, then glanced apologetically at his younger brother Wang Xuewen, who responded with a cold snort and silence.
The distribution of goods continued. Su Qing paid no mind to Sun Guiying—she had plenty of grandsons, and whether they were boys or girls made little difference to her.
“This is for the third branch. Take it.”
Her tone was flat and emotionless, and the bundle was pitifully small. Liu Aijun’s face darkened with displeasure. When she opened it, her expression turned livid.
Inside were one towel, two eggs, and two apples.
The first and second branches had received two bulging bundles each, while hers was barely anything. Wasn’t this a public humiliation in front of the whole family?
“Mother, did you make a mistake?”
Su Qing didn’t even glance her way. She proceeded to give identical bundles to the sixth and seventh branches: one towel, six eggs, a stack of fabric scraps, four apples, half a pound of brown sugar, and two shaobing.
“Seventh daughter-in-law, it’s not that I’m criticizing you,” Su Qing remarked, “but when you first brought Tiezhu home, I thought he was such a tidy little boy. Lately, he’s been running around bare-bottomed with Defu and Dabao, showing off his little bird. Goodness, he comes home filthy every day—it’s disgraceful.”
Zhou Chunxia, holding her generous bundle, teared up and profusely thanked the old lady. Hearing the comment about Tiezhu, she couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You’re right, Mother. I’ll make sure he’s properly dressed tomorrow.”
“Good. I’ve bought some soap too. From now on, everyone—adults and children—must pay attention to hygiene. Next time I go to town, I’ll get some toothbrushes. I noticed Baoguo’s toothbrush is practically bald, hahaha. And no more drinking unboiled water—it’ll upset your stomach. Use these fabric scraps to make vests for the girls and shorts for the boys. Running around naked is utterly improper.”
“Yes, Mother, you’re absolutely right.”
“We’ll remember, Mother. We’ll make the clothes for the children right away.”
“Mother, next time you go to town, take me with you. I’ll carry your things for you.”
…
Wang Yongqiang grew increasingly anxious. Everyone else had received something—surely he would too. Mother loved him best; his share would undoubtedly be the largest in the family.
“There will be more days like this when things are distributed in the future. As long as you work hard, always remember that you are one family. No matter when, you must support each other. Of course, Yongqiang has been doing well these past few days too. This is for you—keep up the good work. Baoguo, Jianjun, Haifeng, Haiyang, you’re all older brothers. Now that your younger brother wants to improve, make time to teach him when you can, alright!”
The old lady finished speaking, and her sons promptly agreed in unison—except for Wang Weidong, who remained silent. His face was dark and gloomy, and even when the old lady announced the start of the meal, his expression didn’t change.
What did the old lady mean by this? Was she planning to abandon him, or did she truly consider their third branch of the family as separated?
Seeing his other brothers happily sharing the distributed items and enjoying the meal, he felt as if needles were pricking his heart. They were all their mother’s sons—just because they had mentioned dividing the family, was she being this harsh toward their third branch? Wasn’t it too heartless?
And then there was his wife. If she hadn’t constantly whispered in his ear about dividing the family, the money, and the grain, their mother would surely be treating him just like the other brothers now.
Su Qing savored the delicious meal but didn’t forget to glance around at the members of the Wang family.