Cheng Su sent off her parents. When she returned to the main room, she saw that everyone had gone to rest. So, she also went back to her room to take a nap. As she passed her in-laws’ room, she heard her aunt’s low sobs and her mother-in-law’s comforting voice from the window.
She paused for a mont, pursed her lips, but didn’t stop to eavesdrop. She went back to her room to lie down. It was obvious enough; surely her aunt was complaining, adding a few drops of her own tearful dicine.
She wasn’t wrong. Her aunt was indeed crying and complaining.
"...I’ll just think of him as dead. He has been gone for so long without any ssage. Just last month, there was a money transfer, no na, no surna. Who knows if it was him? He’s a heartless person. If I’d known he’d be such a cruel person, I should have drowned him in the urine bucket right after birth, and saved myself this heartache," cried the aunt, speaking about the runaway Deng Weixia.
Mother Qi said, "Other than him, I guess there’s no one else who would send you money. Just wait, he’ll probably be back soon!"
"Back?" The aunt’s face turned solemn, "After doing such a shaful thing, he dares to co back? Isn’t he afraid of disgracing the Deng family’s reputation? Now, our Deng family is the laughing stock of the village. All the good reputation I’ve earned over the years has been completely ruined by their disgraceful and wicked deeds. If he dares to co back, I’ll drive him out, he won’t be allowed into the Deng house."
Saying this, she began to gasp for air again.
Mother Qi quickly went to soothe her back, "Calm down, you know your health isn’t good."
The aunt caught her breath and continued crying, "I’m so unfortunate. The elders died early, and the young ones died early too. Now there’s only Weixia left, and he’s doing such despicable things. Many tis, I wish I were dead!"
Mother Qi felt a pang of pity and sighed, "But, what’s done is done, what can you do? They’ve run away, and months have passed. Maybe there’s already a child."
The aunt’s face changed.
"If it’s like that, what will you do? He’s your only son, and the woman with him is your eldest grandchild. If she’s pregnant, it’s still a Deng family child. What will you do?" Mother Qi said, "Kill the baby after it’s born? Sister, it’s not ancient tis anymore. Doing such things breaks the law and leads to prison."
The aunt opened her mouth but couldn’t find words for a while.
"I’m not saying what Weixia did was right, but the rice is already cooked. Let’s see how things turn out. Worst case, they’ll just have to move to a different place," Mother Qi gritted her teeth.
The aunt cried again, "Such bad luck, all due to karma. How could he be so stupid to do such a thing? It’s all because of that wretched woman, that cheap woman. She seduced my son into doing such disgraceful things, troubling everyone."
After crying a while, she added, "They might be happy themselves, but they’ve troubled the whole family. Look at Weiqiu, she’s twenty years old this year, maybe even twenty-two. She can’t even find a partner. Isn’t it all because of them?"
Weiqiu had good looks, but because of this, she couldn’t find a partner, which is regrettable.
"Erzhen, you’re my only family left. It’s not like I’m shaless, but I truly have no choice!" The aunt clutched Mother Qi’s hand, saying, "If you don’t help, my daughter and I truly will only have the option of jumping into the well."
Mother Qi was startled, "Sister, what are you saying, it’s not that serious, tell ." She paused, then said, "I’ll help with whatever I can for sure."
The aunt wiped her tears, "It’s nothing else, but Weiqiu, over there, she can’t find a good match. Can you find her a good partner here? Then I’ll be at ease!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers