When Qi's mother arrived home, Wang Hong quickly came out to help her and asked, "Grandma, what happened? Where did you go this afternoon?"
Qi's mother patted her hand and said slowly, "She just went out for a walk and accidentally twisted her ankle."
Wang Hong, still shaken, said, "It's getting colder and colder, and the roads are slippery when it snows. You'd better not go out unless you have to."
Mother Qi nodded in agreement. Wang Hong steamed a few vegetable dumplings and stir-fried half a cabbage with tofu. Since it was just the three of them living together, they didn't need to cook separately, so there was no such thing as simply boiling cabbage in water; every dish had a little oil.
When Wang Dong returned, the three of them ate dinner. After thinking for a while, Wang Dong whispered, "Grandma, is Mom back?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Hong's face turned red with anger, and she muttered under her breath, "That troublemaker! Why did she come back instead of working hard in the Northeast?" Wang Dong glared at her imperceptibly, carefully observing Qi's mother.
The steamed buns in Qi's hands fell onto the table. She looked up at Wang Dong and said, "What? What did you say?"
Wang Dong said in a low voice, "My mom is back. One of Uncle Xiao Hu's comrades was exonerated and was assigned to work in our arsenal workshop. She switched jobs with me and is now sweeping the streets instead of me."
Tears streamed down Qi's mother's face, her lips trembling. Wang Hong bit her lip but didn't say anything; she was truly speechless about her mother.
After a while, Qi's mother wiped away her tears and said, "Yes, we should change it. We don't owe her anything."
Wang Dong sighed and said, "She suffered terribly; she's so thin and dark-skinned, with frostbite on her face, ears, and hands. I..."
Qi's mother took a small bite of her cornbread and said, "Let her suffer enough before we talk! Don't pay any attention to her now."
Wang Dong nodded but didn't say anything.
After dinner, Wang Hong was going to her classmate's house to study quotations. Wang Dong took some baijiu (Chinese liquor), lit it, and rubbed Qi's mother's feet, nagging, "Grandma, it's cold now, please don't walk around too much. Look how swollen your feet are!"
Mother Qi smiled and nodded, saying, "Alright, we won't go out."
Wang Dong hesitated for a moment but finally couldn't help asking, "Grandma, why are you so indifferent about my mom coming back?"
Qi's mother patted Wang Dong's hand and said, "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. Who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause next? We'll see when the time comes! I told her back then that if she was determined to find that convict, I'd give the job to Fangfang. But she really is a scoundrel. She didn't explain anything properly and went crazy, throwing herself into that convict's arms and dragging the whole family into the fire."
Wang Dong sighed and said, "But you didn't see how pitiful she looked. As soon as I saw her, I really stopped being angry. She's had a hard life too."
Mother Qi smiled and said softly, "We'll see when the time comes! Dongdong, let me teach you: for those who are unrepentant, your soft heart is a sharp blade pointed at yourself, which will kill you and everyone around you."
When Wang Dong thought about what Qi Zhifang had done, his heart hardened again. The grandfather and grandson chatted for a while, and then went back to their respective homes.
Just as Qi's mother was dozing off, Wang Hong returned, her face flushed and her brows furrowed. Qi's mother glanced at her, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Wang Hong walked over and said, "Grandma, our old house, the one that was given to Aunt Wei, is now occupied by his older brother."
Mother Qi was taken aback and asked, "Whose older brother is that? Who told you that?"
Wang Hong sat on the edge of the bed and said, "I saw it with my own eyes. A few of us passed by on our way to Donghua's house, and when we came back, we saw Aunt Wei and a whole house full of her family. I was afraid I was mistaken, so I asked the previous neighbors. They said that her older brother had been staying there for a long time, and that her sister-in-law had just gotten pregnant again. Wei's maternal grandmother had come with her two granddaughters to take care of her pregnant daughter-in-law."
The news of Liu Taohua's pregnancy shocked Qi's mother. She trembled all over, her lips pressed into a straight line, and her eyebrows furrowed like two caterpillars. Wang Hong, her eyes red, said, "Back then, we were just children. How much strength could we have? Her health was so poor; even without us, she might not have been able to give birth. She's shamelessly trying to extort a house from us. Giving our house to her family would have made them all better off. What's the difference between this and a honey trap?"
Mother Qi blinked hard, sniffed, and slowly nodded, saying, "Alright, it's all because of your useless uncle. You can't argue about this!"
Wang Hong erupted, "It's all because of my mother, that unreliable, irrational woman, who ruined our pension and house. I hate her!" She then lay on the bed and cried. Fifteen-year-old Wang Hong already knew what had happened and was about to graduate. Originally, with her status as the child of a martyr, she could have found a job or gone to a better place in the countryside. But because of Qi Zhifang's interference, she might end up in Jiayuguan or the Northeast.
My brother is already twenty years old, and he doesn't even have a house to buy after getting married. The more I think about it, the more I hate Qi Zhifang.
Mother Qi sighed. Fangzi had made too many mistakes. She thought she had Wei Shuqing under her control, but it turned out she had let a tiger roam free. One wrong move and the whole game was lost. She wiped away her tears and told Wang Hong to go wash up and go to bed.
She had her own plans in mind. Lying in bed, she thought to herself, "Fangzi's job must be taken back and given to Wang Hong. Wang Hong can't be sent to the countryside again. Wang Dong and Wang Hong are the only two innocent people in the family; we can't afford any more mistakes." Wang Hong was almost 16 years old, and because of her immigration status, no unit could accept her, so she faced being sent to the countryside. But Qi Zhifang's appearance gave Qi's mother a glimmer of hope. After thinking it over and over, she fell asleep.
The next morning, Qi's mother whispered something to Wang Hong, who was taken aback and asked, "Can she give it to me?"
Qi's mother patted her hand and said, "Success depends on fate, but man proposes, God disposes. In short, don't fill out the application form for going to the countryside without your maternal grandmother's permission." Seeing Wang Hong hesitate, Qi's mother said, "Don't underestimate sweeping the streets. It's much easier than going to the countryside. At least you're a city person. In a few years, you can find a man from a good family background to marry, and your life will be settled."
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