Chapter 10: Unrighteousness
Afternoon.
The wind picked up, and rain began to fall.
The ants hid away, though one was left behind.
The wind swept away the scent of incense left behind by the old lady who had visited the courtyard.
There was a scent of sandalwood on the old lady, as if she were steeped in it from burning incense and praying to Buddha every day.
After Mother finished speaking, the face of the old lady, who looked as beautiful as a bodhisattva, twisted in anger.
Her lips trembled with rage.
As her lips quivered, a hint of meanness finally showed through.
To think this coarse country woman dared to compare herself to her Wan’er.
It was preposterous.
The burly woman was even more direct; she thrust out a hand the size of a sand pot, ready to strike, but she hadn’t expected Qin Luoxia to block it.
The burly woman’s face flushed red.
She hadn’t expected this coarse woman to have gained such strength after giving birth.
She could actually block her move?
She had been trained, after all.
The old lady spoke, her expression grim: “Lady Qin, you had better watch yourself. He who commits many injustices is doomed to destruction. When a person does evil, even if disaster has not yet arrived, fortune has already departed. A-Yao, let’s go.”
The burly woman helped the old lady away.
What a pair of oddballs.
Jiang Mianmian watched, dumbfounded.
She didn’t know if they got caught in the rain on the road, but for the first time, Jiang Mianmian wickedly hoped someone would get drenched.
Qin Luoxia was very angry.
Her chest heaved with rage, but she had nowhere to vent it.
The old lady was eloquent and sophistical; she needed no evidence, nor did she care for facts, always standing on the moral high ground. Whenever she decided you were wrong, she could pass judgment on you.
Qin Luoxia took a deep breath, and thinking about how she had actually blocked the blow today, she felt inexplicably excited.
People said that giving birth and the postpartum recovery period could cure old postpartum illnesses; had she recovered because she gave birth to Mianmian?
She began to work frantically.
Thus, Jiang Mianmian watched Mother carry the bed in the room on her back… lift the stone mill… move the pillars… and squat on the ground, wiping every nook and cranny.
Though it was dilapidated, it was spotlessly clean.
Finally.
It rained.
The rain grew heavier.
Pitter-patter, whoosh.
Jiang Mianmian was hungry. “Iya-ya, iya-ya.” (Mother, Mother, eat, eat.)
Qin Luoxia sat on a small bamboo chair under the eaves, holding her daughter, lifting her clothes, and nursing her.
She watched the heavy rain in the courtyard. The wind had turned a bit cooler, and the anger in her chest gradually dissipated.
Forget it.
If it weren’t for that old woman’s posturing, it wouldn’t have been her turn to marry her husband.
She should even thank her.
The rain drizzled on, and the sky turned dark early.
The playboy Jiang Feng did not return home early either.
As always, he only arrived home at mealtime.
Today, he actually brought back a piece of red cloth, presenting it to Mother with a face full of joy.
Qin Luoxia’s expression was displeased; she didn’t respond, but she didn’t scold him either.
Jiang Yu didn’t return from helping out at the landlord’s house until it was pitch black. This time she couldn’t bring anything back, and instead said unhappily: “Mother, I don’t have to go tomorrow. A-Cuis Mother agreed to let her marry the guard at Landlord Liu’s house, so A-Cui can officially work at Landlord Liu’s house from now on.”
Qin Luoxia only gave an absent-minded grunt of acknowledgment.
Only when Jiang Changtian returned did Qin Luoxia perk up.
Her husband was smart; if there was a problem, she could talk to him, and he would have a solution.
She was a bit worried about Sister Yu. It was fine when the old woman didn’t say anything, but once she opened her mouth, there seemed to be nothing she couldn’t accomplish.
Jiang Changtian had actually brought home a bag of meat mantou today, which was unprecedented.
There were four of them in total.
Jiang Mianmian watched as Father gracefully pulled them out of his large sleeves.
There was still steam rising from them.
They didn’t seem to have cooled down yet, and she could even smell the fragrance—they were actually meat buns.
However, they didn’t call them buns; they called them meat mantou.
Four round, plump buns.
One had been squashed.
“Father, what good news is there to have meat mantou?” Since there were four, Jiang Yu didn’t stand on ceremony; she grabbed one, took a bite in her hand, and then asked with satisfaction.
Jiang Changtian smiled and said: “Father has been promoted. From now on, I am a small steward, and my monthly pay has doubled. That counts as good news, right? From now on, Father will buy you all meat mantou once a month, how about that?”
Jiang Feng took a meat mantou and handed it to Mother. He took the squashed one for himself, took a big bite, then another, and finished it in just a few gulps.
With his mouth full, he swallowed everything before rubbing his belly and asking.
“Then what about the original Steward Wu? He wasn’t easy to get along with. Last time when Mother was giving birth to Little Sister, I went to find you and ran into him. He kicked me, and it still hurts here. If he got promoted, it would be even harder for you to work, Father.”
Jiang Changtian took the remaining meat mantou. Unlike his son, he ate it refinedly. He finished it slowly before saying slowly: “He died. He stole things from the public property, was discovered, and was beaten to death.”
Then, the whole family fell silent.
Jiang Mianmian’s eyes widened, her pupils slightly unfocused.
Her little head still remembered what Father had said earlier about stealing medicinal herbs.
And so, ah, this…
Qin Luoxia was also startled.
She had already been in a bad mood today, and hearing her husband say this, she forced a smile that looked worse than crying.
“It’s good that he died; he won’t have to suffer anymore. In this world…”
The family seemed to be hard-hearted people; they didn’t mention it again and instead happily prepared dinner.
Jiang Yu said happily: “It’s perfect that I don’t have to help out tomorrow. I can stay home and take care of Little Sister. With Father promoted, we won’t go hungry anymore.”
Having the meat mantou to fill their stomachs made the wild vegetable soup in the evening taste even more bitter.
However, everyone ate it in large mouthfuls.
If they were full, they wouldn’t wake up hungry in the middle of the night.
Jiang Mianmian sucked her fingers and drank milk, not participating in sharing the wild vegetable soup.
She looked at her older brother and older sister, who both looked sallow.
Father also had the appearance of a frail scholar.
Yet that servant woman today was oily-faced with thick arms and legs.
Jiang Mianmian thought about finding an opportunity to add some spiritual spring water to the wild vegetable soup; at least they needed to nourish their bodies.
Today was a day with a bit too much information.
Jiang Mianmian had completely forgotten about the ant she had fed a drop of spiritual spring water.
That little ant had already made a home under the wooden basin.
She was teased by her older brother and older sister for a good while, and she resolved to save her energy to eavesdrop at night.
Finally, she lay in Mother’s arms.
Then, she was coaxed to sleep by Mother and placed aside.
In the dark of the night.
She opened her eyes, listening to the rustling sounds.
She saw Father bury his head in Mother’s bosom…
In the darkness, a muffled voice came softly: “Steward Wu led me into the trade, and I should have been grateful to him, but I learned that he was actually planning to push me out to take the blame, so I reported him first. He died, I survived, and I even took his place.”
“Sister Xia, I am terrified in my heart, but I am even happier. I am truly the unfilial and unrighteous villain Mother spoke of. Sister Xia, living is so hard.”
In the darkness.
Mother’s large hand slowly stroked Father’s back.
It turned out Father was very thin.
His spine was protruding.
Usually, seeing Father dressed in loose clothing, one only felt he was graceful and elegant.
Jiang Mianmian’s hand pulled at her own little foot, and she unconsciously put it into her mouth to gnaw on.
She suddenly felt her eyes were wet, and tears slipped down.
Her foot tasted a bit salty.
