kiwanis-nylisc Chapter 366 - 363: Entering the City
Chapter 366 - 363: Entering the City
At the end of the month, Wu Shufang arrived in East Market with Shi Song’s family of four.
Zhou Shisong and his wife were both short and scrawny, with hair like withered grass. Though their clothes were a bit old and tattered, they were washed clean.
The two children were as thin as if they’d lived through the Great Famine, hiding behind their parents and not daring to look at anyone.
Wu Shufang said gratefully, "Shufen, I’m sorry we’ll be a bother to you."
"Elder Sister, you’re treating me like a stranger," Wu Shufen said. Her heart ached as she looked at Zhou Shisong, who was so young yet whose hair was already half-white. "I’m just glad you’re here. Quick, sit down and have something to eat."
Zhou Shisong pulled the timid Li Xiaofeng forward to greet Wu Shufen respectfully. "Thank you, Second Aunt."
Wu Shufen chided him gently, "Why are you thanking your own aunt?"
Zhang Xiuqing and Zhao Xiaohui served them bowls of rice topped with soft tofu, along with braised pork intestines, stewed pig’s trotters, and steamed vegetables. Seeing the food on the table, the two children couldn’t stop swallowing their saliva.
Zhou Shisong and his wife took it all in, feeling both excited and anxious. ’The city is really wonderful,’ they thought, ’so much better than Dashiqiao Commune. People here dress so well, they ride bicycles, and there are even more cars than back in town.’
’Can country folk like us really find work in the city? Can we really feed two children? And can we really earn the five yuan we need to give my mother-in-law and father-in-law every month?’
’The food on the table smells amazing. We don’t even eat white rice this good for New Year’s.’
The couple glanced nervously at Wu Shufang. When they saw her lead the two children to a stool, they followed suit and sat down stiffly.
"Elder Sister, Shi Song, Little Feng, please take your time. If you’re still hungry, there’s more in the kitchen," Wu Shufen said before leading her two daughters-in-law aside so the family could eat without feeling watched.
Wu Shufang handed the bowls of rice to her two grandchildren. "Go on and eat. Your Great-Aunt Shufen and the others are busy."
"Okay," the two children mumbled.
The family ate every last scrap of food in the large basin. With their bellies full, the two children snuggled contentedly against Wu Shufang.
Li Xiaofeng rushed to help clear the dishes, while Zhou Shisong helped wipe the table and sweep the floor.
Zhang Xiuqing and Zhao Xiaohui smiled as they carried the dishes to the kitchen. Only then did the couple sit back down, blushing as they each picked up one of their children.
Wu Shufen looked at Wu Shufang sheepishly. "Elder Sister, I wasn’t sure if you all could actually make it, so I haven’t gone to see Little Lan about renting a place yet. When Changyou gets here, I’ll have him go talk to her."
"I know. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get them out either," Wu Shufang said, looking at her gratefully. "Shufen, thank you for putting up with all this trouble."
Wu Shufen smiled and shook her head. She looked at Shi Song and his wife, who were sitting there stiffly. "The important thing is that you’re out now. As long as you’re hardworking and diligent, you’ll always have food on the table."
Zhou Shisong raised his head and looked at her with concern. "Second Aunt, can we really make it here?"
Li Xiaofeng looked up at her, too.
"And why not?" Wu Shufen said with a smile. "Look at me, your aunt, and your two cousins-in-law. We came from the mountains, too! We’ve all got two hands to work with, just like you."
"The only difference between us and the city folk is that they’re more educated. Otherwise, we have everything they have. And we can endure more hardship."
"But all we know is farming. We don’t know how to do anything else. My mom said we should come here and sell food, but... we’re not good cooks..." Zhou Shisong’s voice trailed off until he didn’t know what else to say.
’His family was nothing like his second aunt’s,’ he thought. ’Her sons and daughters were so capable.’ He had absolutely no confidence in his ability to make a living here.
’But if they stayed home to farm, his mother-in-law was too vicious, and his wife was too timid. He worried that even if they managed to split the household, they wouldn’t know a day of peace as long as they remained in Shishanling.’
Wu Shufen laughed. "Your cousin-in-law found a spot for Guoliang and Guodong in an alley near the clothing factory. They’re planning to sell fried potatoes, dried tofu, stinky tofu..."
"They just started two days ago, but business is already pretty good. If you’re willing, you can go work with them for a few days. Help peel potatoes, do some other odd jobs... just give it a try and see if it’s a good fit, what do you think?"
Zhou Shisong took a deep breath and nodded. "Thank you, Second Aunt. We’re willing to try."
Wu Shufen looked at him, pleased. "Good. Rest here for a bit. When your uncle arrives, I’ll have him take you to the place at Lexing to get washed up and have a good sleep."
"Okay." Zhou Shisong held his son, who was getting drowsy after his full meal, and Li Xiaofeng carried their daughter as they headed to the back courtyard.
Zhang Xiuqing had the family go sleep on the bed in the storage room.
Once her son and daughter-in-law were gone, Wu Shufang said furiously, "I was planning to go back and raise hell with that old witch from the Li family. But then I remembered what Little Lan said, so I swallowed my anger and instead went to the Li family elders, her maternal uncles, the Zhou family elders, and the leaders of both their production brigades to sort things out.
"Shisong and Little Feng told everyone about their situation over the past few years. They said they were no longer willing to support her sisters who had already married out, and they proposed to formally split the household.
"Old Lady Li refused. She said the whole reason she got a live-in son-in-law was so someone would be there to serve her and her husband in their old age. If they wanted to split the family, it would be over her dead body.
"Shisong said that if they couldn’t split the household, then he and his wife should be the ones to manage the family’s assets from now on. Old Lady Li could no longer take things from the house by the bundle to give to Little Feng’s two sisters.
"Mrs. Li said everything in the house was hers to give away as she pleased. She said Shisong was just a live-in son-in-law, and it wasn’t his place to run the Li family.
"Seeing how unreasonable her mother was, Li Xiaofeng finally found her backbone. Right there, in front of the elders and the brigade leader, she asked Old Lady Li if she was even her real daughter. She asked why she was so biased.
"She asked that if her mother thought her sisters were so wonderful, why hadn’t she kept them at home to marry live-in husbands to care for her? She pointed out that while Shi Song might not be a member of the Li family, their two children carried the Li surname—surely that made them family! So why had the old couple never shown the slightest kindness to their own grandchildren?
"For years, she and Shi Song had served the old couple hand and foot, washing their clothes and cooking their meals, and they’d never heard a single word of praise. Instead, her parents constantly told everyone that they were disobedient and unfilial.
"They worked themselves to the bone raising chickens, ducks, and other livestock, but Old Lady Li would sell them for cash and never once bought a single piece of clothing or a pair of shoes for her two grandchildren. Any new clothes or shoes she made were always saved for her other daughters’ children.
"The Li family elders and Little Feng’s maternal uncles all said Old Lady Li was in the wrong. They told her to either let Little Feng manage the household finances or split the family and let the young couple live on their own.
"Old Lady Li said they could split the family, but she wouldn’t give Little Feng and Shi Song a house. On top of that, they would have to give her and her husband ten yuan a month for their living expenses, paid quarterly. Otherwise, she wouldn’t let them leave the Li family to make a living elsewhere.
"The elders, the brigade leader, and Little Feng’s uncles were all stunned. They said that a hundred and twenty yuan a year for parental support was unheard of in all of Shishanling. The most anyone else paid was thirty-six yuan a year.
"After a great deal of haggling, she finally agreed to sixty yuan a year.
"Then, Old Lady Li demanded they pay the first quarter’s support money on the spot. Shi Song and Little Feng were penniless, so I had to advance them the money. Only after they were allocated a residential plot and got a letter of introduction from the brigade leader was I finally able to bring them here."