My aunt who is oblivious to everyone else
Even if Li Wei hadn't said anything, her grandmother, whose nose was even more sharp than a traffic cop's, could tell at a glance:
"You old geezer, you've been drinking again! Didn't you say last time that you'd..."
"Grandma, Grandma, quickly find me some clothes to change into, it's so cold."
Li Wei's original intention was to help her grandfather out of a predicament, but things didn't go as planned.
When Grandma saw Li Wei's expression, she flew into a rage without needing to explain herself:
"Well, you old geezer, you've been drinking and you still dare to ride your bike with a child in it, and you even managed to lead the child into a ditch! I think you're tired of living..."
Before Grandma could even call out, Auntie came out of the west room, grabbed the soaking wet Li Wei, and led her inside. Just before entering the room, she glanced back at her parents and said impatiently:
"Alright, Mom, hurry up and make Dad a cup of tea to sober him up, stop talking so much."
After saying that, he pulled Li Wei into the house.
Li Wei obediently followed her aunt into her boudoir, brimming with excitement. Her aunt was a legendary figure—married and divorced three times, each husband more impressive than the last! Like a celebrity. Whether it was their talent, looks, clothing, speech, or manners, they were all figures they, as girls, could only look up to with awe…
"You stand here first, don't sit on the kang (heated brick bed), I'll go get you a basin of water to wash up." After saying that, my aunt went out.
Li Wei fantasized for a while. Then she began to observe the celebrity's boudoir. It wasn't sparsely furnished. There was a simple cabinet on the floor with some daily necessities on it. Surprisingly, there was a vase with a few lilies in it. The room was very clean. A small table sat on one side of the kang (heated brick bed), with some books and a fountain pen on it.
Li Wei remembered that her aunt took the college entrance exam the year she started school. Now she's in school early. That means her aunt is now a high school sophomore. She probably didn't perform well. Her aunt, who usually did very well in school, didn't get into university that year and didn't retake the exam. It's also because these days, high school students are rare, unlike twenty years later when university students are everywhere. With the help of Li Wei's uncle (her maternal grandfather's brother's third son), she got a job at the town's credit union and became a bank clerk. And then…
Li Wei was just about to recall her aunt's three romances when her aunt, Cheng Fei, brought over a basin of hot water, placed it on the floor, and began to undress Li Wei.
Li Wei quickly stopped her, saying, "Hehe. I can do it myself. No need to trouble Auntie."
She's very mature now. Her delicate, petite frame isn't easily moved.
Cheng Fei scoffed, "Tch. This little brat knows how to be embarrassed now. I'm too lazy to serve you anyway." With that, she sat down at the kang table, intending to read a book.
"Um, hehehe... Auntie, could you please excuse us for a moment?"
Seeing that her aunt's gaze was a bit unfriendly, she quickly added:
"Um, I'm not kicking you out, it's just that, look at me, I'm such a grown man, it's embarrassing to just take my clothes off like this, hehe..."
Cheng Fei was quite surprised that she wasn't angry. She looked Li Wei up and down a few times and said, "It's been a few days, and you've really grown up. You know how to be shy now. Alright, you don't need to 'hehe' anymore. I'll give you ten minutes. Hurry up."
After saying that, he walked out.
Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly began to wash herself. Her aunt was the little tyrant of her maternal grandmother's family, absolutely stern and decisive. If she said ten minutes, it was ten minutes, not a second more. Because she was the youngest in the family, beautiful, smart, and academically gifted, she was pampered by everyone in the family and was a prominent figure in the surrounding villages and even at school. Therefore, she was a bit arrogant and looked down on most people.
As a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl who was admired everywhere, she naturally looked down on little mud monkeys like Li Wei who often ruined her books and utensils. In Li Wei's memory, her aunt was quite nice to her, but she rarely allowed the twins and the children from her uncles' families into her own room, as if she were guarding against the four pests.
Li Wei hurriedly changed into the clothes her grandmother had prepared. They were all her aunt's clothes from when she was little. The style and fabric were nice, but they were a bit big. She guessed that her aunt would wear them soon too, and they hadn't had time to take them over yet.
That night, Li Wei slept in her aunt's room, and her aunt secretly gave her two pieces of shortbread. This was a rare treat; it sold for over two yuan a pound at the local store. Li Wei ate it and felt it was just so-so. In her later life, she had eaten all kinds of candy, and this shortbread was nowhere near as delicious as she remembered, so she only ate one piece before rinsing her mouth.
Her aunt exclaimed in surprise, "You're quite hygienic! You know to rinse your mouth after eating before bed. My sister has done a good job raising you. I thought you were all wild kids who just wandered around aimlessly!"
Li Wei wasn't happy to hear that. What did she mean by "wild and untamed"? She had parents: "Hey Auntie, watch your mouth! What do you mean by 'wild'? I'm from a good family. If your mom, who's your sister, heard this, she'd give you a piece of her mind!"
"Tch, you've only been to school a few days and you're already nitpicking over words? I told you you were all born wild, do you think you're being treated unfairly? I don't believe it, let's see who dares to mess with me!"
Li Wei retracted her initial impression; her aunt wasn't arrogant, but rather wild and habitual. This wildness, coupled with being spoiled, had made her lose her temper. She glanced at her aunt with a hint of disdain.
"Auntie, you're being a bit unreasonable. My dad said that if you're reasonable, you can go anywhere in the world, but if you're unreasonable, you can't get anywhere. If you keep acting like this, you'll have a hard time getting by when you grow up."
"Hey, you little brat, you haven't even grown wings yet and you dare to lecture your aunt? Your dad is reasonable, but I haven't seen him travel the world much. I think he's just so-so. Humph, whether you can travel the world or not depends on your brains and abilities. What good is just being reasonable..."
Li Wei interrupted her directly: "Auntie, are you swearing? How did you learn those 'Five Stresses, Four Beauties, and Three Loves'? Also, you're not allowed to verbally attack my dad! He's my dad, and I'll fight anyone who disrespects him!" She said that her relationship with her dad was an internal conflict among the people.
Cheng Fei sat up abruptly, glancing at her little niece not far away: "Hey, you little brat, you dare threaten your aunt? I told you your dad's a good-for-nothing. Let's see what you can do to me. Even if your dad came, I'd still say the same thing, and he wouldn't dare say anything. But you dare to talk back to me? Do you want a beating?"
What a terrible aunt! Li Wei finally understood. It turned out that her aunt had never respected her father. No wonder her aunt hadn't been in much contact with their family since she was old enough to understand. The stories her siblings heard about her came from their grandmother and other people. It wasn't that her aunt was so busy, but that she simply didn't respect her older brothers and sisters at all.
What an ingrate!
Her words were blatant contempt, and Li Wei was thoroughly enraged. She could say whatever she wanted about her—her father was no good, even her aunt, who was as beautiful as an angel, was no good. But clearly, at this stage, she was no match for her aunt in either a verbal or physical contest. After all, her aunt had been born with a more advantageous position than her. So, she raised her voice and shouted:
"Grandma, Grandma!"
Grandma, who was about to go to sleep, rushed over as soon as she heard Li Wei's cries as if she were being choked. She got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and ran over without even putting on her shoes. Grandpa, who had just dozed off, followed behind her.
"What's wrong? What's wrong, Xiaoming? Why are you yelling instead of sleeping properly?"
Li Wei, her face scrunched up like a steamed bun, complained to her aunt: "Grandma and Grandpa, my aunt attacked me!"
"Attack...attack, how did she attack you? Where did she attack you?" This child can even use civilized words now. Instead of saying "hit someone," he says "attack."
Li Wei covered her chest with grief and indignation, saying, "Here, Grandma, it hurts. You must be injured, or at least with internal injuries. My aunt is so cruel."
The old lady was angry. While rubbing Li Wei's chest, she turned and glared at Cheng Fei: "I said, do you even have the manners of an aunt? The child rarely comes, and when she does, instead of showing her affection, you bully her. I think you've really grown up. It's one thing for you to be unreasonable at other times, and I don't like to nag you, but look at what you've done! I'm paying for your education, and you've learned to be so disrespectful and have no sense of hierarchy..."
If there's anyone in her maternal grandparents' family who can keep everyone from her maternal grandfather to her aunt in check at crucial moments, it's none other than her maternal grandmother.
At first, Cheng Fei was a little taken aback. She had never even heard of such a blatant act of being framed. It wasn't until her mother scolded her that she truly realized:
She was framed by this brat!
Even Qin Hui knew to speak ill of others behind their backs, but this brat does it so openly... He's even worse than Qin Hui!
She thinks she's Yue Fei!
Cheng Fei grew angrier the more she thought about it. She had never suffered such humiliation in her life. She turned around and reached out to grab Li Wei.
Li Wei was so frightened that she quickly shrank into her grandmother's arms.
The old lady was unforgiving and slapped Cheng Fei's hand away: "What are you doing? You dare to lay a hand on me? You've really gone too far! Your sister has been so good to you, and you heartless bastard..."
Li Wei: Grandma, you have such keen eyes! You figured out Auntie's true identity so quickly.
Cheng Fei couldn't stand it anymore. When had her mother ever cursed her so rudely? What angered her even more was that the little brat was secretly winking at her. Cheng Fei was a domineering person, and her pride kicked in. Without saying a word or explaining, she rushed over, determined to slap Li Qin Hui a few times to vent her anger.
Li Wei was startled. Her maternal grandmother might not be able to stop her young and strong aunt. She quickly gestured to her still half-asleep maternal grandfather: "Grandpa, hurry! Murder!"
Wow! Her aunt's eyes really do have that kind of look.
Grandpa stepped up at the crucial moment, acting swiftly and decisively... and stopped Auntie.
Her aunt, of course, was not convinced and insisted on breaking through her grandfather's blockade, gritting her teeth in anger: "You little brat, just you wait, I'll skin you alive if I catch you!"
Oh dear, a woman's heart is the most poisonous.
Li Wei was also a little scared, and hurriedly gave her grandfather a pre-battle pep talk: "Grandpa, you have to hold on! If Auntie attacks, someone could die! Look how fierce she is! She doesn't even listen to Grandma. She's so unfilial."
While desperately trying to stop his daughter, who was on the verge of a breakdown, Old Master Cheng tried to soothe her, saying, "My son, my son, stop, stop, let's talk this out..."
Despite the little girl looking pitiful nestled in her grandmother's arms, Old Master Cheng, who had seen countless storms, had a feeling that his fearless daughter might very well suffer at the hands of this little devil.
When Li Wei saw that her maternal grandfather had stopped her aunt, she knew that this place was not safe to stay. She asked her grandfather to cover for her while she left. She quickly tugged at her maternal grandmother's clothes and said, "Grandma, let's go to the east room quickly. I can't sleep with my aunt anymore. I'll sleep with you, Grandma."
The old lady was also furious. She grabbed Li Wei's hand and said, "Grandpa, you shouldn't always spoil her. If she grows up to be someone who doesn't understand human affairs and doesn't recognize her own family, you'll regret it!" After saying that, she pulled Li Wei back to the east room.
Grandpa mumbled in the east room for a long time, probably managing to calm Aunt down. In any case, she didn't chase him into the east room before Grandpa went back to sleep.
Li Wei wasn't afraid at all that her aunt would plead her case to her grandfather. Firstly, her aunt's pride might prevent her from actually doing so. Secondly, Li Wei didn't believe her aunt would dare repeat what she had told her to her grandfather. Her aunt was only so unrestrained in speaking her mind because she treated Li Wei like a child. If she were to speak so carelessly in front of adults, she wouldn't be the shrewd and successful aunt who thrives wherever she goes.
She's not so ungrateful.
The next morning, Cheng Fei got up early without even having breakfast, grabbed her backpack, and went back to school.
She lives at the high school in the county town and usually only comes back once every one or two weeks. This time, she was angered by Li Wei and went back to school early. Otherwise, she usually doesn't leave until the afternoon.
Grandpa Cheng felt sorry for his daughter and muttered, "Sigh, she hasn't even had breakfast. I don't know if she'll make it to lunch at school. Grandma, did you give our daughter some money?"
The elderly couple had long since recovered from last night's fight. With so many children in the family, fights could sometimes be bloody, so last night's was just a minor incident. The only bright spot was their eldest daughter, Mao, whom no one had ever dared to mess with.
Let them look at this little granddaughter with new respect.
The old lady didn't spoil her daughter as much as the old man did. She said irritably, "She took the money, and I even gave her two steamed buns. That brat threw them aside. She deserves to go hungry!"
While eating steamed buns and drinking soup, Li Wei hurriedly said, "Grandma and Grandpa, don't worry. I secretly slipped it into Auntie's bag again. She'll definitely eat it without us watching her."
The old lady said, "That's right. We didn't see her throwing a tantrum and refusing to eat. She didn't get to do it for nothing. She's not stupid."
Grandpa: "Hehe, our Xiaoming is so sensible. Compared to you, your aunt is more than ten years older. She's wasted her years and hasn't made any progress!"
Li Wei smiled modestly, seemingly eating her steamed bun and drinking her soup in a refined manner.
What Grandpa Cheng and Grandma Cheng didn't know was that when Li Wei was giving her aunt a steamed bun, she also casually stole her aunt's secret stash of sweet candy. Although she didn't really like it, her twins did. Potatoes for sweet potatoes—the potatoes weren't hers, but now the sweet potatoes were, hehe.
I imagine that my aunt, in a fit of anger, would devour the potato—or rather, the steamed bun—completely.
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