Zhou Yunzhou and Zhou Wantang walked out of school hand in hand.
As soon as they saw Su Qing, they ran over to her.
“Mom!”
Su Qing put an arm around each of them.
After hearing from Du Nianchu that Zhou Wantang had hit her, Han Mei had brought her over to confront Su Qing.
“Comrade Su Qing, whatever disagreements the adults have are between the adults. How could you encourage your daughter to hit mine?”
Before Su Qing could answer, Zhou Wantang pointed a little finger at Du Nianchu and said in her childish voice, “She called my mom a slut first. That’s why I hit her.”
“Your mom is a slut, and so are you. Your whole family is—” With her mother there, Du Nianchu wasn’t afraid anymore. She opened her mouth and started cursing.
A sharp slap cut Du Nianchu off before she could finish.
It was the first time in her life that Du Nianchu had ever been slapped.
She stood there stunned for a moment before she realized what had happened.
Then she burst into tears.
“Mom, that slut hit me! Tell Dad Zhou to get revenge for me!”
“Su Qing, how could you hit Du Nianchu?” Han Mei hadn’t expected Su Qing to move so quickly. Before she could react, Su Qing had already slapped Du Nianchu.
Su Qing looked at Han Mei coldly.
“Didn’t you hear what your daughter just said?”
“Didn’t she deserve to be slapped?”
“You didn’t teach your daughter properly, so I’ll teach her for you.”
“Or did you teach her to say that? If so, then your parents didn’t teach you properly.”
“You…” Han Mei couldn’t win an argument with Su Qing, and she didn’t dare lay a hand on her, either.
She had no doubt that if she dared touch Su Qing, Su Qing would hit her right back.
“No wonder Brother Huaijin can’t stand you. You’re a complete shrew.” With that, Han Mei picked up the still-crying Du Nianchu and left.
“Mom.” Zhou Wantang looked up at Su Qing and asked timidly, “Did I get us into trouble?”
“You did nothing wrong, Zhou Wantang.” Su Qing crouched down and straightened her little skirt. “When someone bullies you, you have to stand up to them.”
Ever since Zhou Yunzhou and Zhou Wantang had turned three, she had taught them a few simple self-defense moves.
Not because she wanted them to bully anyone, but so that they could protect themselves if someone bullied them.
The last time Zhou Yunzhou had been beaten up, it was because the other side had more kids, and some of them were older than him. He hadn’t been able to win.
Only then did Zhou Wantang show her little tiger teeth, smiling until her eyes became slits.
Su Qing took one child by the hand and headed toward the state-run restaurant.
“Mom was busy today and didn’t cook, so we’re eating out.”
“Mom, I want sweet-and-sour ribs,” Zhou Wantang said at once.
Su Qing agreed, then asked Zhou Yunzhou, “What would you like?”
“Anything’s fine.” Zhou Yunzhou glanced at his little sister. “You and my sister can order whatever you like, Mom. I’m not picky.”
Su Qing ruffled Zhou Yunzhou’s hair.
He’d been sensible since he was little and had never been fussy about food or clothes.
He was so easy to raise.
They waited for their food at the state-run restaurant, and only then did Su Qing ask what had happened earlier.
Pouting, Zhou Wantang said, “My Older Brother and I are in the same class as that awful Du Nianchu.”
“My Older Brother and I were ignoring her. After class, we were playing together when she came over and called us country bumpkins. She also called you a slut and told us to go back to the village. I couldn’t stop myself from hitting her.”
Su Qing reached out and gave the little tuft of hair on Zhou Wantang’s head a gentle tug.
“You did the right thing, Zhou Wantang.”
…
“Mom, I’m going to send Dad Zhou a telegram and tell him to make that slut go back to the village.”
On the way home, Du Nianchu cried as she spoke to Han Mei.
Han Mei had already been seething after Su Qing had given her an earful at the department store that day.
Then Du Nianchu had been hit by Su Qing’s daughter at school.
Now the anger was rising right up to her throat.
“Come on. We’ll send Dad Zhou a telegram right now.”
Mother and daughter went to the post office.
“Doctor Han, sending a telegram?” the clerk asked politely when she saw Han Mei, then smiled at Du Nianchu.
Han Mei nodded. “Yes, I need to send one.”
The clerk handed her a form.
Han Mei chewed on the end of her pen, thought for a moment, then wrote a sentence and handed it to the clerk.
The clerk read it and paused, but said nothing. She sent the telegram.
“Mom, do you think Dad Zhou will come back and get revenge for us when he gets the telegram?” Du Nianchu asked, looking up at her mother as they left the post office.
Han Mei pressed her lips together. “Dad Zhou is working, so he probably can’t come back. But he needs to know what happened. When he does come back, he’ll get revenge for us.”
“Dad Zhou loves you so much. He definitely won’t ignore this.”
Only then did Du Nianchu feel a little better.
As they passed the state-run restaurant, the delicious aroma drifting out made her mouth water.
She tugged at Han Mei’s hand. “Mom, I want the sweet-and-sour ribs from the state-run restaurant.”
“All right!” Han Mei smiled indulgently at her daughter and led her inside.
…
There was only one piece of sweet-and-sour rib left on the plate. Zhou Wantang held her chopsticks between her teeth, staring at it.
Zhou Yunzhou had already picked it up and put it in his own bowl, but when he saw his sister watching him, he placed the rib in her bowl.
“Tangtang, you eat it. Older Brother has eaten too much and doesn’t want any more.”
“Thanks, Older Brother!” Zhou Wantang’s eyes lit up, and she picked up the rib and began gnawing on it.
Su Qing noticed Zhou Yunzhou swallowing and ordered another plate of sweet-and-sour ribs.
The ribs at this state-run restaurant really were delicious. All three of them loved them. The children hadn’t had enough, and neither had she.
Han Mei led Du Nianchu into the state-run restaurant and immediately spotted Su Qing and her two children.
One adult and two children had ordered four dishes, two of them meat dishes. What a wasteful lot.
“Mom, let’s sit over there.” Du Nianchu saw Su Qing and the others too. She turned her head away and pulled Han Mei toward the table farthest from them.
Su Qing caught sight of mother and daughter out of the corner of her eye but ignored them.
When the sweet-and-sour ribs arrived, Su Qing put two pieces in each child’s bowl, then picked up a piece for herself.
“No sweet-and-sour ribs?” Han Mei looked at the “Today’s Menu” sign in the restaurant and asked a staff member, “Doesn’t it say they have sweet-and-sour ribs?”
The staff member replied expressionlessly, “The last plate has been sold. There aren’t any left.”
Han Mei immediately looked toward Su Qing.
They had already eaten most of that plate of sweet-and-sour ribs.
Su Qing had done it on purpose.
There had only been one plate left, and she’d ordered it so Han Mei and Nianchu couldn’t have any.
“Mom, I want sweet-and-sour ribs.” When Du Nianchu realized her favorite dish was gone, tears began to fall.
There was nothing Han Mei could do but pick Nianchu up. “I’ll make some for you at home.”
“Your cooking is awful! I want the sweet-and-sour ribs from the state-run restaurant.” Du Nianchu kicked her little feet, leaving several prints on Han Mei’s clothes.
“Behave!” Han Mei snapped.
Du Nianchu didn’t dare fuss anymore and let her mother carry her away.
Carrying Du Nianchu, Han Mei took the last bus back to her parents’ home.
“Why are you back so late?” Zhao Mingxiang asked anxiously when she saw her daughter and granddaughter return at such a late hour.
“Grandma!” Du Nianchu’s little mouth quivered as she stretched her arms toward Zhao Mingxiang, asking to be held.
Zhao Mingxiang quickly took her granddaughter and kissed her little cheek. She saw that Nianchu’s eyes were swollen from crying.
Turning to Han Mei, she asked, “What happened to Du Nianchu? Did you hit her?”
“How could I bear to hit her?” Han Mei said bitterly. “Zhou Huaijin’s wife has come to join him at the military base. Her daughter is in Nianchu’s class and hit her.”
“What?” Zhao Mingxiang’s expression changed. “That dark, country-bumpkin of a wife Zhou Huaijin married back in the countryside has come to join him at the base?”