16.016 People who can't get to the point when arguing
When Du Xiaojuan heard that the person who had come earlier was Su Yu's cousin, her heart sank. She had finally managed to catch Su Yu red-handed, but it turned out to be a facade. Now that she had broken off relations with her, she had also given this hypocritical woman a wake-up call, making it even harder to expose her sweet-faced but bitter-hearted mask in the future.
She wasn't going to give up, and continued to argue unreasonably: "You say he's your cousin, so what? Who knows if he's a fake monk? Besides, what kind of wicked scheme were you two plotting?"
After saying that, she turned to the neighbors who were watching the commotion and said, "I know many of you, like Su Yu, don't like me disciplining my daughter. Although I don't give my daughter a nice look on the surface, I still raised both Er Ya and her sister. If I were really vicious, I would have drowned them in the chamber pot when they were born. Once a girl grows up, she belongs to another family. I raised her for one or two decades. Isn't it normal for her to do the laundry and cooking for the family and to give birth to and raise her? My husband and I go to work every day to earn money. Someone has to do the housework."
As soon as she said this, the neighbors who had previously cursed Du Xiaojuan behind her back for being heartless and pitying Er Ya all sided with Du Xiaojuan. An old lady in the alley also said to Su Yu in a lecturing tone: "Xiao Wu's family, what's with all this reporting? You might say things like a landlord's wife. We are all honest workers. Don't do this fighting stuff. Although Du Xiaojuan has a bad temper, she hasn't deprived Er Ya of a single meal. We outsiders shouldn't interfere in other people's family affairs."
"Yes, the main point of your argument is whether Su Yu's cousin is really her cousin. If he is, Du Xiaojuan should apologize to Su Yu. Both of you should give in a little. A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. There will always be a time when you can lend a hand." Someone else chimed in.
Su Yu spat upon hearing this. Du Xiaojuan was a person who favored boys over girls to the core. Su Yu felt disgusted just hearing her voice. What a load of rubbish, "a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative."
Seeing Du Xiaojuan's smug look and the neighbor trying to smooth things over, Su Yu felt dizzy with anger. It was these onlookers who made it impossible for the bullied girl to fight back.
“You all have a conscience, so don’t lie through your teeth. Du Xiaojuan’s two sons are chubby and healthy, while Er Ya is pale and thin, like she’s starving. This girl isn’t even ten years old yet, is she? She gets up earlier than me every morning, cooks and washes dishes, goes out to collect firewood, rushes back to cook lunch, goes to the weir to wash clothes while everyone else is asleep, goes out to dig wild vegetables while the adults are at work, and rushes back to cook dinner. She only takes a bath after everyone else is in bed.” Su Yu counted on her fingers as she told the others about Er Ya’s “work” from before dawn until she went to sleep at night. “What else do you, Du Xiaojuan, do besides go to work? You only need to eat and move your mouth, and lift your hand to bathe. Having a girl is like raising a maid to serve you. Don’t make it sound so noble. Er Ya being born into your womb is definitely because she dug up your ancestral grave in her past life and had terrible luck.”
"You're all a mess yourself, yet you dare to lecture me?" Du Xiaojuan put her hands on her hips, staring at Su Yu as if she were watching a joke. "It's none of anyone else's business how I discipline my own daughter. Even my mother-in-law doesn't dare to say anything. When did it become your place, a down-on-her-luck woman who got slapped by her mother-in-law in the street, to talk about me? You said you wanted a divorce, but you came running back in less than two days. Ha, you really have a lot of shame."
"Alright, Du Xiaojuan, shut up!" Someone saw Su Yu breathing heavily in anger and, fearing a fight, quickly stopped the foul-mouthed woman, advising Su Yu, "Just ignore her, she's just a woman with a worthless tongue..."
"Xiao Yu, what's wrong?" A strange voice suddenly rang out. Su Yu looked up and saw "Su Yu's" older sister, a 47-year-old woman with short hair that reached her ears.
"Big sister, you've come at the right time," Su Yu said, walking over and pulling her aside. Pointing at Du Xiaojuan, she said, "Yesterday, Su Qingguo came to see me and brought me some lotus roots. My neighbor saw this and said I was having an affair, leading a thief home. She even said she would report me for having improper conduct. Could you run an errand for me later and go to Xinhe Brigade to find Su Qingguo so that Du Xiaojuan can see if the fake monk she's talking about is actually my cousin from the same ancestor?"
Su Min glanced at the woman with a pointed mouth, monkey-like face, and prominent cheekbones, and said, "No need to find Su Qingguo. Go ask for leave and take this woman to Xinhe Brigade later. Let her ask around to see if Su Qingguo is from our clan, so she won't try to trick us by claiming we're colluding with each other."
As she spoke, she reached out to pinch Du Xiaojuan, "Don't run away! Did you ever think about getting beaten up when you slandered people? I've seen plenty of women like you. You're just jealous and envious. Why are you spreading rumors about my sister? Are you jealous of my sister's husband or my sister's good looks? Your man can't satisfy you, so you have to stare at other people's men to satisfy your cravings?"
Su Min is the eldest child in the Su family, Su Changguo's first child, and the one most deeply influenced by him. She married the village accountant, and is capable and has a fiery temper; she's never lost a fight or argument in the countryside. But such a vicious woman is rare indeed. She constantly accuses women of infidelity and even threatens to report them. Knowing that the "fake monk" she's referring to is Su Qingguo, she's even less likely to let her off the hook.
"Come on, come with me to my parents' house. I'll let you meet the men of the Su family and broaden your horizons. I also have distant cousins and uncles. You should get to know them so that when my family comes to give my little sister things, you won't be blind and meddle in other people's business." Su Min grabbed Du Xiaojuan's hair and pretended to walk out.
Su Yu was thrilled. The swear words she used during the argument were all newly learned. She was so angry that she was trembling and never thought about fighting. But now, seeing her sister pulling Du Xiaojuan by the hair and making her bend over so she couldn't straighten up, she wondered if it was feasible to fight next time she was scolded. Especially seeing the neighbor who had previously taken sides in the argument looking flustered and surprised, it was so damn satisfying.
"Su Yu's sister, let's talk this out, don't fight." Someone in the crowd tried to mediate, but Su Yu ignored her sister's disapproving look and joined in, ready to tear into the fight. She was stopped by the old woman from before. "Su Yu, you should talk to your sister. They're neighbors, don't make things too ugly. Du Xiaojuan has been beaten too. Have her apologize to you later, and we'll let it go."
Su Min originally planned to make a move amidst the chaos, but she didn't expect Su Yu to get involved as well. Noticing a man coming out of the door, Su Min pushed Du Xiaojuan back and said to the man who was supporting her, "So there's a man in the house. No wonder this cuckoo dared to bully my sister. She's taking advantage of my brother-in-law not being home."
"Let's go inside. This den of snakes and rats is filthy. There's no need to listen to their insincere apologies." Su Min pulled Su Yu inside, leaving the onlookers outside.
Seeing the two children staring at her with bean towels in their hands, Su Min took out two one-mao bills from her pocket. "Auntie's period came suddenly, and I didn't bring any food. You two brothers can use these two mao to buy some candy to sweeten your mouths."
Seeing the two children happily leave, Su Min slapped Su Yu, "Didn't you see me give you a look? These are all neighbors you'll be dealing with. If someone's going to hit someone, it'll be me, the older sister from your mother's side who doesn't come often. You're supposed to be a good person, are you out of your mind? Don't you even understand that?"
"I can't be bothered to deal with them anymore. They're a bunch of people without principles or compassion." Su Yu recounted how Du Xiaojuan abused the girl and how the neighbors in the alley pretended not to hear. Finally, she sighed, "I'm so disappointed. I don't want to deal with these people. Er Ya is such a pitiful girl."
Su Min looked at her younger sister in surprise and said, "Did you eat a relic and suddenly become eloquent?"
Su Yu felt a surge of resentment trapped in her chest, and asked uncertainly, "Big sister, you're not praising me, are you?"
"Not bad, she can still understand human speech." Su Min slapped her. "You're lucky you didn't get a beating. Why did you have to meddle in other people's family affairs? She was going to report you for misconduct, but you could have just stuck to that issue and made her look bad. Why did you have to bring up abusing the child? And report her for being a landlady? No wonder no one helped you. It's not just Du who treats the maid like a servant. Who would dare to let the accusation go unpunished?"
Su Min sighed. It's true that you can't have children when you're older. Of the five siblings, the youngest sister is the most simple-minded and stubborn. She said, "What girl doesn't do housework? This second sister does all the chores, but at least she's not cold or hungry. In our countryside, there are girls who are given birth and then drowned in the chamber pot. She's just unlucky to have a mother who doesn't care about her. She'll be fine once she grows up and gets married. Don't meddle in other people's business. You can barely manage your own two children, and you still have time to worry about other people's kids?"
“You don’t understand.” Su Yu said dejectedly. She couldn’t very well say that child abuse was illegal, could she? “I’m doing just fine with my two kids. I take good care of them and feed them well. They’re both sensible now and haven’t acted recklessly.”
"I think you're hopeless. Ping An's biological mother is dead, so no one will compete with you for him. Just raise him until he's tame and loyal. He'll treat you like his own mother and be filial to you. Xiao Yuan is your own son, so don't let him become distant. Even if you have another child in the future, treat Xiao Yuan well. He's a sensible child, so don't mistreat him." Su Min didn't say much more, leaving it at that. She'd have her mother nag Su Yu another day; she'd raise the child herself.
"Do you have any cloth coupons left? Xiao Cui is going on a blind date, and I need to make her a new dress, but I'm out of cloth coupons," Su Min said, revealing her main purpose for coming.
Xiao Cui is Su Yu's eldest niece. Su Yu said she had her, and she was planning to buy fabric and find a tailor to make a new dress after she received her salary this month. "Here, see if it's the right size."
"That's enough, she's not even as tall as you." Su Min stuffed the cloth coupons into her pocket, glanced at the sky, and said, "You're going to work, right? I'm going to the supply and marketing cooperative too, or all the good stuff will be gone."
After seeing her older sister off, Su Yu went inside and checked the clock. It was eight o'clock. She calmly poured the lotus root and potatoes into the pot, added two pieces of firewood, locked the door, and went to work.
She came back at noon and cooked three bowls of buckwheat noodles. The side dishes were lukewarm braised lotus root and potatoes. She looked up at Xu Yuan and said, "Kid, just say what you have to say. What's with you staring at your mother like that?"
"You had a fight with someone." Xu Yuan tilted his head and looked at his mother inquiringly.
"Well, and then?" Su Yu continued to ask.
"If you can argue with someone, does that mean I can argue with someone too? If someone insults me, can I insult them back?" he asked somewhat nervously.
"Go ahead and curse. Do you think I'd stop you from talking back?"
"You forgot?" Xu Yuan said incredulously. "You told me not to cause trouble outside, and that cursing people would cause my mouth to rot, and that getting cursed at wouldn't hurt me."
Su Yu remembered it. It seemed that Su Yu had told Xu Yuan before she remarried. At that time, she was a widow who was about to be kicked out by her husband's family. She didn't dare to cause trouble because she had no man to support her. Her family couldn't come to her house every day to settle her case. She was also afraid that other people would come to her house to cause trouble. So she told Xu Yuan to endure being scolded outside.
"I didn't forget, I just wanted to test your memory." Su Yu took out two cents from her pocket and handed them to him. "Here, this is your reward. Ping An, don't be envious. If you keep my words in mind, like not going to bathe in the weir, I'll give you a reward too."
Ping An muttered to himself, "I'm not envious, I have money."
Su Yu didn't delve into the matter, but continued to explain to Xu Yuan: "You were too young back then, and I was afraid that others would hit you, so I told you not to cause trouble. Now that you're older, you can tell good people from bad people. If someone insults you, you insult them back. If someone hits you, you hit them back. If you can't beat them, you run away. When you come back, Mom will back you up. We don't cause trouble, but we're not afraid of trouble either."
“Ping An is the same. As long as you are in the right, Mom will help you get justice.” Su Yu believes that children should be bolder. If they get used to being tolerant, they will exude an aura of being easy to bully, and they will always suffer when they go to school or work.
Going to school? Su Yu suddenly realized that her two children, who were seven or eight years old, were not in school!
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