10.010 First display of power
She went to bed early at night and woke up just as dawn was breaking. She lay in bed with her eyes closed, unwilling to get up. The summer dawn was the coolest time of day. She smelled the faint scent of sweat on the man next to her, and his somewhat heavy breathing sprayed on her face like foxtail grass brushing against her skin, making her feel itchy and irritated.
Su Yu rolled over, thinking about going to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a wall clock. She couldn't tell what time it was just by looking at the sun. Then she wondered if her family had any industrial coupons.
Suddenly, a hand landed on her waist. Su Yu slowly opened her eyes and stared at it. She didn't know if the man behind her was awake or not. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his embrace. A moment later, his leg was also placed on her waist, and he even rubbed against her from behind.
"Can't you be quiet this early in the morning?" she said abruptly.
"Ah! You're awake?" He was startled, but shamelessly didn't let go of her or her legs, and just held her like that until the burning desire in his body subsided.
"I have to go to work today," he said to the woman in his arms. "There's something going on at home. I'll talk to my boss and see if I can take a short-distance job and come home every four or five days."
"Forget it, do whatever they arrange. I'm going to work tomorrow too, and there's nothing else going on at home. Didn't you say your mom wouldn't bother me? As long as I don't have to worry about you, no one else can do anything to me." Su Yu quickly tried to dissuade him. She was still adjusting to married life and didn't want this man to come back every few days, so she wouldn't have to deal with another person.
Ning Jin felt a sense of relief. It seemed that Su Yu didn't hold a grudge against his mother. However, he was still worried about her and instructed her, "If my mother causes you trouble again, don't keep it to yourself. Be sure to tell me when I get back. Also, Ping An's two uncles look tough but are actually cowards. Don't be afraid of them just because they are big. If anyone tries to cause you trouble, just call the police. Don't worry about saving face for me and Ping An."
He worried that his wife was too considerate of his pride and was enduring humiliation in front of his former mother-in-law's family.
"Okay, as long as you don't resent me, I'll do whatever you say."
These obedient and dependent words pleased him greatly. He got up feeling refreshed and full of energy. He quickly dressed and said, "I'll cook breakfast this morning. Try my cooking."
"You've taken good care of Ping An, so your cooking skills must be pretty good. I haven't eaten here in the half year since I married you, and today I can finally have some." Su Yu glanced at him sideways, feeling a pang of jealousy.
The man chuckled twice and hurried out. He knew she was a great cook even before he married her. Now that he had her, he was going to take over the household management. In previous years, he had been raising his son alone. If he didn't cook, the father and son would go hungry. After years in the kitchen, he was tired of the smell of cooking oil and would never cook on his own.
After leaving the house, Su Yu continued to lie on the bed. Such a pleasant morning, waking up naturally and waiting for the sun to rise, without having to rush to work and not even having time to buy breakfast.
Ning Jin cooked salted potato porridge for breakfast, bought a piece of tofu from the cooperative, and mixed it with scallions and chili peppers. Su Yu drank a big bowl of it, saying it was delicious, and even turned to ask the two children, "Is your dad's cooking good?"
“My dad’s cooking has never been bad.” Ping An said with a proud look.
Xu Yuan nodded in agreement, "It's delicious. The tofu is delicious, the potatoes are delicious, and the porridge isn't salty at all. It's even better than my aunt's cooking."
The man's eyes crinkled with laughter at the three people's sincere praise, and he repeatedly said, "If you like it, I'll make it for you again next time I come back."
Having received the promise, Su Yu didn't press for more assurances. Instead, she placed a piece of tofu in his bowl and said with concern, "You should eat quickly too, eat more, porridge won't keep you full."
After dinner, Su Yu washed the dishes. Ning Jin went inside, packed two pieces of clothing, and stood at the kitchen door with a kettle in his hand. He said to the woman inside, "I'm leaving now."
"Yeah, don't fall asleep while driving, take it easy."
He had barely stepped out the door when his two children ran out to play as well, seemingly without any barriers between them. Even the little black dog that had started their fight ignored them. Only then did Su Yu understand the meaning of the saying, "Parents shouldn't get involved in children's fights." Two families could fight to the death over their children, yet the children who had argued and fought would be best friends again after a good night's sleep.
Su Yu went inside and found the industrial coupons and food coupons. Clutching the money and carrying the basket, she went out to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy vegetables. This season, there were only cowpeas, potatoes, eggplants, loofahs, and some small green vegetables. She bought a bunch of cowpeas and then cut off a piece of fatty meat. She also spent all her egg coupons, which were worth 1.3 jin. In total, she only had 15 eggs.
The monthly egg ration in the commune was half a jin for adults and three liang for children. Her family of four could only buy fifteen or sixteen eggs a month, which meant they ate one egg every two days on average. Tsk, how pitiful.
She went to take a look, and a watch cost nearly two hundred yuan. She had only saved seventy yuan in the past six months. Under the suspicious gaze of the salesperson, she spent nine yuan and forty cents to buy a small round tin clock, the kind that stands on the bedside table.
Ugh, so expensive!
After delivering the groceries home, she went to the cannery's cafeteria. As soon as she entered, the people inside stared at her strangely. She didn't understand and didn't want to know, so she just stared back at them nonchalantly and suspiciously. Just as they started to wonder if there was something wrong with their own attire, Su Yu looked away and went to Aunt Qiu. "Aunt Qiu, I'm all better now. When can I come back to work?"
"Then don't leave. Let's start today. Have you taken care of everything at home?"
"There's nothing much going on at home, shall I go and prepare the vegetables?" Su Yu asked.
“Okay.” Aunt Qiu followed her out, unable to contain her curiosity: “I heard you’re getting a divorce from Ning Jin. I didn’t realize you had such a temper. What’s wrong? Why do you want a divorce?”
"Oh dear, everyone already knows about such a small conflict?" Su Yu suddenly realized. No wonder she received so many strange stares when she went out. She thought it was because her unique temperament attracted attention, but she was just being narcissistic.
"You have a conflict with your in-laws? I heard your father even went to your mother-in-law to demand an explanation and stand up for you?" Aunt Qiu pressed.
"A little, but we've made up now. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to work so quickly. Auntie, I'm going to pick some vegetables now, so I won't keep you from doing anything else." Su Yu mumbled a few words and quickly slipped away. It wasn't that she was being considerate of the bigger picture or that she believed in keeping family scandals private. Rather, the matter was already resolved, and she didn't need outsiders to take her side for verbal attacks. Besides, outsiders always had a gossipy attitude towards other people's gossip, and the story would spread like wildfire, becoming more and more distorted.
She arrived a little late; the delivered vegetables had already been unloaded. She and the others picked and washed the vegetables. By the time they finished, it was still early before noon, but the kitchen had already started cooking rice.
"Su Yu, go to the kitchen and start the fire. I'll wash the basins," a woman with a towel around her neck called out to her.
“No, you’re not going. If you don’t do your own work, what’s the point of the factory hiring an idle person like you? You should resign as soon as possible and not waste the country’s job and salary.”
"Oh, you've gotten ambitious, haven't you? You've tasted the sweetness of making a fuss? Too bad I'm not a man, I won't fall for your act. Stoking the fire is your job, I only helped you because you weren't here these past few days. Now that you're here, hurry up and take over, just like before, work hard and talk less."
“Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, landlords oppressed ordinary people like this. Others farmed the land, but they still collected rent from it. I was the same way before, forced to do other people’s work, but I didn’t get any extra wages. I remember the fire-starter was paid nine yuan a month. Come on, come with me to the leader’s office and ask if your salary is nine yuan, and if you were hired as a fire-starter. Let the leader investigate where you learned this landlord’s wife style.” Su Yu threw away the loofah sponge from the sink, grabbed the arm of the person in front of her with her wet hands, and pulled her towards the door.
Those around her were quite taken aback by her sudden outburst. Putting aside her abrupt change in attitude, the landlord-woman-like manner she spoke of silenced even those who had previously sought her "help." The old woman, who had been being dragged away, snapped out of her daze and clung to the doorframe, refusing to budge, shouting, "Who wants to go with you? Let go! I'm still tending the fire in the pot; don't delay my work!"
They dared not mention anything else, for fear of triggering Su Yu's crazy nerves and relentlessly focusing on her "landlady" behavior.
At this moment, Aunt Qiu chased Su Yu out of the canteen. She had overheard the whole thing and quickly grabbed Su Yu to comfort her: "Good girl, you can't say things like that, it could kill someone. Come on, give your aunt some face, let's talk inside. We'll handle things in the canteen ourselves behind closed doors, so as not to cause trouble for the leaders."
“Aunt Qiu, don’t be fooled by this person. Her oppression of the poor is very serious. We are all ordinary people. Where did she learn this kind of thinking? If we let her go now, who knows how many people she will harm in the future.” Su Yu insisted.
"No, my ancestors were poor farmers for five generations. We would never have thought of oppressing the poor. I just wanted to relieve myself and asked Sister Su to help me add some firewood and watch the fire. Who knew she would suddenly throw a tantrum and say that I had the manners of a landlord's wife?" With someone taking sides, Granny Chen started trembling again.
Su Yu didn't repeat what she said. No one present was willing to testify for her. The grip tightened, her nails digging into Su Yu's wrist. She pulled and shouted, "Whether she has the style of a landlord's wife or not, we'll have the leaders investigate. Aunt Qiu, don't blame me for not giving you face. Before I had heatstroke, I was carrying and washing vegetables, tending the fire, and sweeping the floor. I did all that for more than half a year. This isn't something anyone can just lie about and cover up. Old woman Chen is full of lies and even tries to shift the blame. This is the style of a landlord's wife. I'm going to have the leaders decide. The leaders will definitely be able to tell who is right and who is wrong."
"I'm not going, let go." Seeing how stubborn Su Yu was, like she had gone mad, Granny Chen didn't dare to provoke her anymore and tried to pry her way into the house by gripping the door frame.
"It's Granny Shen's fault." Seeing that Su Yu wouldn't calm down, Aunt Qiu quickly judged the other party to be at fault, pulled Su Yu into the house, and winked at the others nearby. Several people pushed Su Yu into the house, saying, "You girl, why are you so hot-tempered? If you have a conflict with someone, come to your auntie. Don't bother the leaders." She had just finished saying this when she saw Su Yu's expression and quickly changed her words: "Granny Shen, if you think cooking is too tiring and don't want to do it anymore, then leave as soon as possible. Our factory doesn't need more people. If you don't work properly and bully your colleagues, Su Yu doesn't need to go to the leaders. I'll go to Manager Lin myself and fire you."
"No, I'll go start the fire right now." Granny Chen, clutching her scratched right arm, slipped away to the kitchen to start the fire.
Su Yu was only making a scene to deter others from bullying her like before. After Aunt Qiu persuaded her for a while, she pretended to reluctantly agree: "I'll let Granny Chen off the hook for your sake, Aunt Qiu. But if anyone bullies me again, I'll risk losing my job to report them to the boss."
"Hey, no one's going to bully you," Aunt Qiu thought to herself. "With your fierce look today, who would dare to mess with you?"
"You should work hard. You still need to do your job well. Take a couple more spoonfuls of vegetables home for the two kids at noon." She comforted Su Yu, while also warning her to stop while she was ahead. Bringing meals home twice a day was like undermining the company's resources.
"No need. I only went back home to cook for my child because I was struggling financially. Now that I've been working for half a year, I've saved up some money. How could I possibly continue to take advantage of the government? I'll cook for you from now on." Su Yu declined with a smile. She had gone in to watch the chef cook, and the oil used in the large pot of vegetables was less than the oil she had used to cook the previous night. It was practically waterlogged, and she didn't want to eat it.
Aunt Qiu stared at her in surprise for a while, and then came out to check on her at noon. She saw her empty-handed as she prepared to go home from the cafeteria. "Did she encounter a ghost? She seems like a completely different person after just a few days," she muttered to herself.
From that day on, no one in the cafeteria dared to mess with Su Yu anymore, and of course, no one dared to talk to her. In private, people referred to her as a "mad dog".
Su Yu enjoys being alone and carefree. Every day she comes to pick and wash vegetables, wash basins and plates, do work when there is work, and just relax when there is no work. She quite enjoys this purely manual labor-intensive job with no pressure.
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