Chapter 97 Step on Where It Hurts
Thanks to the long queue, Li Chunying sold out of steamed buns ahead of schedule and was able to close up shop early.
The soy sauce had long since run out, and the lively crowd gradually dispersed.
Bai Hui pounded on the sewing machine in the shop, cursing the family of show-offs under her breath. None of them had any manners, and they were so smug about having a little money in their pockets. They'd be in trouble sooner or later.
Seeing that she was sitting still in the room, Wu Peng specially brought her wedding candy, newspapers, and a bottle of soy sauce.
"Aunt Bai must come to our wedding on the day Hua Hua and I get married."
"I'll accept the wedding candy, but I'll pass on the soy sauce. I'm worried my husband might make a mistake," Bai Hui said indifferently.
Wu Peng narrowed his eyes, his face immediately turning cold. He had always suspected that the man surnamed Shen had colluded with the people around Hua Hua to report her. The people around her were nothing more than the people in the tenement, relatives and friends, and the few shops nearby, and Bai Hui happened to fall into two categories. Her husband even worked at a machinery factory.
Wu Peng lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth. "What does Aunt Bai mean by this?"
Bai Hui smiled and said, "It's nothing. I was just worried about my husband, Lao Yu. Don't overthink it."
Li Chunying brandished a rolling pin and swung it at Bai Hui, saying, "Don't think I don't know. Just wait and see how my family makes a fool of itself. Out of all these people, you're the most cunning and wicked one, a venomous snake from the gutter."
"Li Chunying, what's wrong with you? You rude shrew, selfish and vicious! You dare to touch me? My eldest son isn't someone to be trifled with. If you're not afraid of going to jail, go ahead and hit me on the head. Who are you trying to scare with these swings?" She glanced at Wu Peng as she mentioned jail.
“I’ll fight you, you surnamed Bai! Just because your boss is a policeman, who are you being sarcastic to?” Li Chunying couldn’t hold back anymore and roared in a broken voice, raising the rolling pin and hitting Bai Hui on the head. “What do you mean, you surnamed Bai? You’re the most cunning and vicious one. You can talk about me, but why are you looking at my Wu Peng?”
Wu Peng blocked Li Chunying from throwing the rolling pin, while Yao Fanghua hugged Li Chunying and retreated.
Bai Hui was furious at Li Chunying's sly and malicious words. Her chest heaved. She shouted at the top of her lungs, "Who are you trying to fool with this pretense? You're just sucking up to her because she has a little money. Back when your son and daughter were sent to the countryside, you wouldn't give them a penny. I've never seen anyone as selfish and heartless as you. What are you pretending to be, this loving mother!"
It's said that you shouldn't expose someone's weaknesses, but Bai Hui deliberately rubbed salt into their wounds, only regretting that she hadn't rubbed Li Chunying hard enough.
Li Chunying was furious. Her sore spot had been hit, and her heart felt like it was being crushed by a heavy stone. Her voice choked, and her eyes were red as she stared at Bai Hui. She and Bai Hui had a deep-seated grudge. She hated Bai Hui to the core. Now she finally knew what it felt like to hate someone. It was wanting to tear her apart, wanting to kill her, wanting to bite her to death.
Bai Hui took a step back, frightened by Li Chunying's gaze.
Li Chunying wiped away her tears, threw away the rolling pin, broke free from Yao Fanghua, said nothing, turned around and pushed the tricycle home.
Her heart felt heavy, as if a large stone was blocking it, and tears streamed down her face. Yes, she was selfish, so selfish that she could be so heartless and indifferent to her own children.
She was selfish from a young age. When her mother cooked her delicious food as a child, she would eat it all herself, not even sharing it with her own brothers, let alone strangers. Her parents and grandparents doted on her the most, especially her mother, who was the gentlest and most loving. She had never experienced hardship growing up; all her suffering came after marriage.
The house has three rooms, but the man is incompetent and drinks every meal. They've fought and argued, but it's all useless. Even if Yao Deyi hides the bottle in his clothes or some nook or cranny, he still drinks it secretly.
She was worried even about her eldest son's wedding. She once regretted having Yao Weimin and Yao Fangyuan. Yes, she regretted having two younger children, otherwise her life wouldn't have become increasingly difficult. She even thought about giving the two younger children away. At that time, she loved her eldest son and Yao Fanghua the most. She didn't care much about the two younger children. She didn't want to develop feelings for them. She was afraid that if she had the chance to give them away, she would be reluctant to part with them and would feel sad.
Later, she didn't get the chance to send the two younger children away; instead, she waited for a change in national policy. At that time, all the children were still young. Looking at her children, if she could only keep one or two, she had already made her choice then and there.
She devoted more and more of her maternal love to her two younger children.
After her two eldest sons went to the countryside, things became much easier at home. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, no longer having to worry about her eldest son's marriage or Yao Fanghua. Her mind and body felt much lighter. From then on, she poured all her energy and maternal love into Yao Weimin and Yao Fangyuan, pretending she had never had two older children. This way, she could get by; she wouldn't have to suffer any more. Li Chunying wiped away the tears that kept streaming down her face. She was heartless; she told herself to be heartless, to pretend she had only had two children. She told herself it wasn't her fault, it was the country, it was the country's policy, it wasn't her fault. Every family, every family's children were like this, it wasn't her fault. That's how she comforted and convinced herself while crying. Day by day, things faded, and she forgot about Yao Weiguo and Yao Fanghua.
Once she got over that mental hurdle, not only did her life become easier, but her mind and body also felt lighter. Rather than having her whole family struggle in poverty and hardship, it was better to give up.
Li Chunying lay on the tricycle, crying so hard she couldn't breathe. Bai Hui was right; she was selfish, cruel, and vicious, and didn't deserve to be a mother...
Her shameful, forgotten wound was ripped open by someone.
It was already getting dark when Yu Chengwen returned home from working overtime. Ever since Li Chunying opened the steamed bun shop, he rarely ate at home anymore. He would rush to the steamed bun shop to fill his stomach after work.
When he turned at the intersection, he found Li Chunying's tricycle parked on the road. He thought Li Chunying was too tired to ride anymore, but when he got closer, he found that Li Chunying was crying.
After listening for a while, Yu Chengwen couldn't resist and went to push the cart.
Li Chunying felt the bike moving and was a little dazed. She lifted her head from the handlebars, looked around with teary eyes, and saw the person pushing the bike from behind.
"Yu Chengwen, are you crazy?! Who told you to push me? Get out of here!"
...What's so exciting about that? He just loves these kinds of firecrackers.
I'll still like it when I'm old.
He regretted not marrying Li Chunying back then because of his so-called "manly pride."
After being scolded, Yu Chengwen gave Li Chunying a deep look and continued pushing the cart.
Li Chunying shrank back, chickened out, got on the tricycle, and sped away.
The tiger turned into a rabbit, which Yu Chengwen found amusing; he knew it was all a charade.
He followed behind, slowly riding his bike home. Looks like he's going to go hungry today.
Li Chunying pedaled hard on the tricycle, trying to shake off the people behind her, but she couldn't go fast no matter what she did.
Yao Fanghua was in a bad mood, and Wu Peng's face was also dark. It was all his fault for being so impulsive and coming here to deliver wedding candy. On his joyous day, this old woman really knew how to make him unhappy.
Yao Fanghua: "Aunt Bai, what are you saying? In order to climb the social ladder, you were so heartless as to let Qingqing become someone's stepmother. Besides, it's our own family's business, so Aunt Bai doesn't need to worry about it. Aunt Bai should just take care of her own children."
To put it bluntly, it's not because of poverty, but because of vanity and the desire to save face.
Yao Fanghua lost her desire to go back to the tenement to hand out wedding candy and instead took Wu Peng home.
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