Great-Aunt was stunned by Shen Qing’s icy gaze for a moment then planted her hands on her hips and snapped sharply.
“On what grounds?”
“On the grounds that you tried to climb high and got sent back in disgrace shaming our entire Shen family!”
Old Madam Shen jabbed her wooden cane hard against the uneven earthen floor.
“We barely have enough grain to go around as it is scraping by day to day we’ve no extra to feed a worthless burden like you!”
Contempt sharpened her voice. “And besides aren’t you some grand young lady? You are not a Shen!”
In the past Old Madam Shen had withheld food in secret now she saw her chance to use this excuse to cut one mouth from the ration.
The old Shen Qing had been meek hurt as she was she would have swallowed her grievances and stayed silent.
But this time Shen Qing would not back down.
“How am I not a Shen?”
“So long as Father and Mother claim me I am a Shen!”
“Grain is distributed by the head we haven’t split the family and you have no right to deny me food!”
Old Madam Shen faltered then glared all the fiercer.
“Insolent! Daring to answer back to me?”
Shen Qing met her gaze calmly. “I’m not answering back I’m speaking the truth.”
“You!”
Old Madam Shen’s face flushed she raised her hand to strike Shen Qing across the cheek.
In her past life that blow had landed true leaving her face swollen and throbbing shaming her before the whole family.
This life Shen Qing was ready.
She caught the old woman’s wrist light but unyielding holding it fast.
“Grandmother raising a hand to strike is wrong.”
“If this goes to the production team leader and the village judges who do you think would be in the wrong?”
Old Madam Shen’s wrist ached she stared into her granddaughter’s unflinching coldness and felt a prickle of unease. This Shen Qing was she changed entirely?
Liu Cuihua hurried forward shielding Shen Qing behind her. She smiled anxiously trying to smooth things over. “Mother Qingqing is young and doesn’t know better please don’t hold it against her. I’ll go without let Qingqing have my share.”
She had always yielded this way before.
But Shen Qing held her mother’s arm firm.
“Mother why should we yield?”
“What is ours is ours. Not a scrap less.”
“We work harder than anyone in this household and earn the most rations. The more we give way the more they will trample on us.”
Footsteps sounded outside. Shen Qing’s eyes flickered she stepped close to Old Madam Shen and whispered sharp and mocking “Age has truly worn you out. You can’t even land a blow!”
“You wicked girl!” Old Madam Shen lunged.
Shen Qing let herself fall slumping against the table. Bowls of scalding porridge and side dishes tipped over spilling their burning contents across her. She trembled visibly.
“Qingqing!” Liu Cuihua cried out.
Shen Qing’s father returning with her elder brother Shen Changchun and sister Shen Ru walked in to see her doubled over in pain.
“Qingqing!” Shen Changchun rushed to fetch a basin of well water to cool the burns.
Shen Qing barely felt the searing heat she looked up eyes glistening with tears at her father. “Father Grandmother says I’m not a Shen. She wouldn’t give me food and when I insisted she tried to burn me…”
Her face was deathly pale angry red welts blistered her exposed arms heartbreaking to see.
Shen Father worn from a long day’s labor felt his heart twist. He had never imagined coming home to find his daughter abused and injured.
“Mother how could you do this to her?” His voice was low tight with suppressed fury. The room fell silent.
Great-Aunt stepped in quickly. “She wasn’t denied food! Qingqing got used to being waited on somewhere and turned up her nose at our meals she started it talking back. Mother only lost her temper.”
“She’s just bitter her fancy dreams fell through and is taking it out on us!”
“Lost her temper?” Shen Qing wept. “She chased me across the room! Mother tell them!”
Liu Cuihua quiet and honest spoke up through her distress. “It’s true. Mother refused her food. She called her names and raised her hand first.”
Shen Changchun clenched his fists. “Grandmother how could you treat your own granddaughter like this?”
Shen Ru wiped her eyes. “It’s been hard enough before but boiling porridge? If she scars her whole life could be ruined! We work harder than anyone why should we go hungry?”
Their words struck deep. Shen Father looked at the blisters rising on his daughter’s skin and the last shred of blind filial piety crumbled.
“Split the family” he said voice steady and resolute.
Old Madam Shen shrieked. “Split? What nonsense! This is one household we do no such thing!”
Great-Aunt chimed in. “Exactly what will people say?”
She had her own reasons Shen Father’s elder brother worked as a schoolteacher doing no heavy labor and her two sons were lazy and earned little. The second branch Shen Father’s family carried the bulk of the work. Split away they would gain nothing.
Shen Father met his mother’s gaze. “I have made up my mind. For years Cuihua and I have labored from dawn till dusk through every season and storm. I took the heaviest jobs in the fields. Cuihua fed and clothed you all without complaint. And today over a mouthful of food my daughter was hurt like this. We will leave.”
Old Madam Shen hurled a chipped bowl to the floor. “You’ve lost your senses! This house land and livestock are family property you have no say! Go then leave empty-handed! Starve for all I care!”
She wailed “Ungrateful wretch breaking my heart!”
“Cuihua children we go” Shen Father said. “We will make our own way.”
Old Madam Shen thumped the doorframe as they left. “You’ll come crawling back when hunger sets in!”
Great-Aunt smirked and let them go with nothing. They would learn their lesson.
She did not see the faint cold smile touch Shen Qing’s lips. Splitting from this family was only the beginning.