There was no movement from the room. Then, as expected, after a while, Liu Chang Gui came out. With a conciliatory smile on his face, he said softly, “Mum, Xiaozhen’s body….”
He hadn’t finished speaking, when Liu Gao shi cut him off. “Stop spouting nonsense! Tell your wife to get up and come prepare the meal! My rural family cannot afford to maintain a noble young lady. If things continue like this, then we should go to the Jia household for a discussion! My family cannot afford this type of daughter-in-law!”
“Mum! Can’t you be reasonable?”
“Who are you calling unreasonable?!” In a flash, Liu Gao shi’s face flushed red with anger, her pitch rising exponentially. No matter how good tempered a person was, there was no way they could tolerate their own son speaking to them like this.
Just as she was carrying a basin of laundry to the riverside to wash, He shi saw Third and Liu Gao shi quarreling. She set down the basin and went to speak with Liu Chang Gui. “Third, how can you speak to mum this way? In the end, really, who is the unreasonable one? Your wife has been married into the family for a few months, but has she ever done the laundry? How many meals has she prepared for the family? You don’t want to scold your wife? Fine. But now you’re even turning around and criticizing mum for being unreasonable?”
Liu Chang Gui rolled his eyes at her, saying, “I’m talking to mum. This is none of your business!”
Liu Gao shi raised her voice. “How dare you speak like that to your ersao[1]!After getting married, you’re behaving more and more appallingly?!”
With that one shout from Liu Gao shi, Liu Chang Gui shrank back, having realized he was in the wrong. At that moment, a delicate voice floated out from the room, “Oh please, don’t threaten me. Your threats don’t frighten me. If a discussion is needed, then let’s go ahead and have one! I’d only just entered your household, and you started to put me to work. I’ve been ill, and what type of family won’t support me resting? It’s just that our family is full of hard hearted people, insisting on dragging a sick person out to work! Now, my illness has worsened, and yet you’re still insisting that I cook! Are you trying to work me to death?
Listening to Jia shi’s blatant lies, Liu Gao shi trembled with anger. Livid, she pointed at the window.
“If you want to discuss this, then let’s do it properly! When you’d just entered the household we set you working? On the first day of the sixth month, you got married. On the third day, as is the tradition, you returned to your natal home. Because the sixth of the month was a special day, you wanted to stay there to celebrate before coming back. So from the fourth, you stayed till the 10th of the month! Whose daughter-in-law would extend a visit to her natal home from one day to six?! What extraordinary behavior!”
Without pausing for breath, she continued on at a rapid fire pace. “Even discounting this, on the evening of the 10th, you came home. On the 12th, we started to plant the autumn buckwheat. Everyone in the family went to pitch in. But you said that because you had just married in, you were embarrassed to go out. I gave in again! Even with this, you’re still not satisfied….”
Liu Chang Gui became impatient. Listening to Liu Gao shi’s litany of complaints, he interrupted with a shout. “Enough mum!”
Having gotten cut off midstream by her son, Liu Gao shi became incandescent with rage. Her pitch rose even higher. “Even if you didn’t go to the fields, surely it would have been alright to ask you to prepare the meals right? I even told First’s oldest daughter, Xian’er, to assist you, but what did you say? You said you had never prepared a meal at home, and you didn’t know how it was done! At the time, I was too busy in the fields to deal with you, so you took it even further and let 10-year-old Xian’er prepare it instead. What kind of sanshen are you? All day, just waiting to be served!”
Liu Gao shi pointed toward Second’s room, saying, “Xu’er is only five, but even so, every day, she would go to the fields to carry water and food to the family. And what did you do? Nothing! Lounged in bed all day long! After being married for two months, you had done no work for the family! How do you have the nerve to say that you were set to work immediately after marriage?!”
“Mum! Stop it.”
Liu Gao shi turned toward Liu Chang Gui and scolded. “And you! Before marrying this lazy woman, you still knew how to behave. After marrying this idle woman, you’ve become too good to work? What laziness! The farming season is over, but it is still 2 months to the new year. Your brothers all know to go and look for odd jobs, but you? You just sit at home accompanying your wife! Are you still human?!”
Liu Chang Gui stiffened his back and wanted to retort, but seeing his old mum trembling with rage, unsteady on her feet even with ersao’s assistance, he didn’t dare say anything.
In the room, Jia shi delicately coughed. “Alright, scold us, properly scold us. If your son isn’t human, then who gave birth to him?”
Liu Gao shi was wildly angered. Heavily banging on the window, she shouted, “You, come out. Come out here now! In which household would a daughter-in-law stay inside the room and answer back while her mother-in-law is outside?!”
On seeing the situation, Liu Chang Gui stamped his foot anxiously. “Enough, stop quarreling! Others will see and laugh at us!” Saying this, he actually turned, went into his room and barred it, obviously refusing to come out!
Liu Gao shi nearly passed out from rage. Thankfully, He shi was supporting her or she might have fallen. Again, she berated them, but was ignored, the door firmly closed. Helpless with rage, she was eventually persuaded to return to the main house supported by He shi .
Watching the show from the sidelines, Liu Xu’er and Liu Lin looked at each other. Mouth twitching, Liu Xu’er commented. “Sanshen is just too lazy.”
Liu Lin nodded in agreement. “Sanshen is a lazy woman!”
Under normal circumstances, if he heard these two discussing elders behind their backs, Liu Shu would take it upon himself as the elder brother to lecture them. However, having just witnessed that entire scene, Liu Shu also felt that this sanshen’s behavior was just too ridiculous. As the one who was in the wrong, she still answered back to nainai while hiding in her room. How was this the behavior of an elder? So, when he heard the two disparagingly comment on sanshen, Liu Shu said nothing.
However, because it was so noisy outside, the sleeping Liu Sen woke up. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and opened his mouth. “Mum!”
Liu Shu quickly went over to carry him down. Coaxing him, he carried him off the kang to let him relieve himself before carrying him back to wash his hands and face as well as giving him some water to drink.
He shi was at the main house for a while to help calm Liu Gao shi downbefore she continued to the riverside to do her laundry. This was also to avoid having to be at the house when it was time for the afternoon meal to be prepared. After all, Jia shi had obviously refused to prepare the meal, so when it came time, it would more than likely fall to He shi to do it. He shi could not possibly encourage this bad habit, so she resolutely decided to leave and only return after the mealtime had passed.
After instructing Liu Shu, He shi left.
Throughout Liu Gao shi and Jia shi’s quarrel, Ma shi hid in her house. Hearing peace return and seeing that He shi had gone out to do her laundry, she emerged and headed for Liu Gao shi’s room.
Still lying on the windowsill, Liu Lin immediately told Liu Xu’er in a low voice. “Dashenzi is definitely going to try to sow more discord!”
Liu Xu’er didn’t have time to agree before Liu Lin said, “I’m going to listen!” Saying this, the little monkey agilely jumped off the kang and dashed to squat under the main house’s window.
Back in their own room, Liu Xu’er watched him amusedly. Of course she also thought that Ma shi had definitely gone over to instigate trouble.
Ma shi was a two-faced hypocrite and she liked to flatter those above while crushing those below her. Because her family had some small wealth, although Ma shi disliked Jia shi’s laziness, she would never directly confront her. Instead, she would always go to Liu Gao shi behind her back. And because He shi’s family was poorer than even the Liu family, Ma shi had always treated her unkindly, often pulling rank on her to scold her. This poor treatment extended to her children; if it wasn’t a scolding from Ma shi, it was a beating.
Liu Xu’er especially hated Ma shi. When she was only two, she was slapped by Ma shi without her parent’s knowledge. After hitting her, she even tried to frighten her into not telling her parents! Threatened that if she tried, she would get beaten again! Strung up and beaten!
If she really was two years old, she would definitely have been scared into obedience! But Liu Xu’er was not, so on their return, she told He shi. He shi immediately took up her kitchen knife and fought with Ma shi. If Liu Chang Ge and Liu Chang Qi weren’t there to pull her away, He shi’s kitchen knife might have really found its way to Ma shi.
Since then, Ma shi had been more circumspect.
From the courtyard entrance, someone suddenly called. “Hello! Is anyone home?”
Liu Xu’er lifted her head to look out. There stood a 12- or 13- year-old lad standing at the entrance, craning his neck to look in the house. His shout startled the eavesdropping Liu Lin. He quickly disappeared back to the room. Once back on the kang, he told Liu Xu’er. “Dashenzi really did go over to incite nainai! She said sanshen cannot continue to be this lazy! And that she was done picking up after her! What a joke! Why didn’t she say anything when they were quarreling earlier?”
After saying this, he joined Liu Xu’er up on the kang, and looked out the window.
“Who is he?” Liu Xu’er asked.
Liu Lin shook his head. “I don’t recognise him”. Turning his head, he called. “Ge, someone’s at the door.”
Liu Shu was busy helping Liu Sen put on his jacket. He made a small sound of acknowledgement.
Liu Gao shi and Ma shi had also heard the disturbance. After coming out of the house, Ma shi asked, “Who are you?” But Liu Gao shi recognised him.
“Oh! Aren’t you our xiaojiuzi[2]?”
The youth walked in smiling. Bowing toward Liu Gao shi, “Hello Aunty, my mum asked me to look for my erjie[3].My xiaoshushu[4] has returned, and they’ve asked her to go home to see him…”
He hadn’t finished speaking when Liu Chang Gui finally heard the voice from outside and came out of his room. After seeing him, he exclaimed, “Oh! Isn’t this Xiaoli!” Turning, he shouted toward his room. “Xiaozhen, it’s Xiaoli!”
From the window, Liu Xiu’er saw the previously immovable Jia shi run out of her room like a gust of wind, even leaping over the doorsill.
Seeing the obviously lively Jia shi, both Liu Gao shi and Ma shi’s face darkened.
A stranger had come to the village, so several curious children followed along behind to watch the fuss. They started to exchange pleasantries in the courtyard, when several passing adults also joined in to watch. Looking at the entryway, Liu Xu’er saw that neighbor, Old Woman Wang, among the curious onlookers.
In the courtyard, Jia Xiaoli was being held by his erjie. He quickly, smilingly said, “Erjie, xiaoshushu has come back.”
In her surprise, Jia shi’s voice rose an octave. “What! Xiaoshushu? The one who went out to sea? What…. What’s going on?”
Jia Xiaoli was just a half grown boy. Unable to explain the situation clearly , he scratched his head and said, “Isn’t it just that he returned? What do you mean, what’s going on? Mum and dad asked you to hurry home and see him. Oh, and xiaoshushu has married while he was away.”
Seeing her mouth fall open in astonishment, as if caught completely unprepared, Liu Chang Gui hastily said, “Let’s go in. Let’s speak inside.”
Liu Gao shi also nodded her head. “Yes, go in and chat.” Saying this, she told Liu Chang Gui. “Pour your xiaojiuzi a glass of water.” With that, she turned to return to her room. With a junior like Jia Xiaoli around, it wasn’t appropriate for her to stick around.
Jia Xiaoli smiled at Liu Gao shi. “Thanks Aunty!” Turning his head, he pulled on Liu Chang Gui and said softly. “But mum and dad said to go back today… If we can return, we should try to go today.”
Liu Chang Gui scratched his head. He turned to ask Jia shi, “Who was your xiaoshushu? Was it the one who went out to sea over 10 years ago? The one who no one was sure had survived?”
[1] 二嫂/ Ersao – Refers specifically to one’s husband’s second older brother’s wife
[2] 小舅子/ Xiaojiuzi – Refers to one’s wife’s younger brother
[3] 二姐/ Erjie – 姐/Jie refers to one’s older sister. This could be a person’s actual sister or an older female within the same generation/ group. 二/ Er would specifically refer to the second in the lineup, so one’s second older sister
[4] 小叔叔/ Xiaoshushu – Refers to one’s father’s youngest brother