Chapter 13: The Sweetness and Bitterness of Life
After nearly a month had passed in this way, on the day of the Little New Year, Yu Juanfang came up with a compromise. She took five yuan from the sixty she had earned from the ginseng and went to the market to buy ten catties of cured pork ribs.
Ten whole catties of cured pork ribs! In the past, even buying a few pork bones to stew with carrots and potatoes was considered a decent meat dish. No one could remember the last time they’d had such a feast.
The cured ribs had been rinsed with white liquor, then rubbed with salt and spices and preserved in the rice crock. Their surface was an enticing pink, dusted with a frost of salt and spices. Just from the smell, you knew they would be delicious when cooked.
After bringing the ribs home, Yu Juanfang washed them in warm water, then blanched them two or three times. Once the ribs turned a clean, pinkish color, she chopped them into smaller pieces and prepared some ginger slices, dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and garlic.
She added a small amount of oil to the wok, then stir-fried the ribs over medium heat until they rendered their fat, making a sizzling sound. The unique aroma of the cured pork filled the kitchen. She then added the ginger, chilies, peppercorns, and garlic, stir-frying until the ribs were about seventy or eighty percent cooked. With a whoosh, she poured in pre-boiled water, and the broth quickly turned a milky white.
Yu Juanfang covered the pot and let the ribs stew for a full two hours. Only when the meat was so tender it fell off the bone at the slightest touch of a chopstick did she ladle it into a large enamel basin. Ten catties of pure pork ribs. They had eaten more than enough carrots and potatoes, so today, it was all meat, with only a sprinkle of chopped scallions on top.
The ribs were savory, tender, and fell apart without being mushy. The broth was rich and flavorful. Tangtang would eat a piece of rib, then shovel in a large mouthful of rice. It was beyond delicious.
Everyone buried their heads and ate with gusto, the sounds from the dining hall like a battle in progress.
Zhang Guixiang picked out the meatiest ribs and placed them in her two sons’ bowls, while she herself gnawed on a rib, afraid of missing out. “Third Sister-in-law, where did you get the money to buy these ribs?”
Hearing the question, Yu Juanfang placed a rib in her child’s bowl and smiled faintly. “There was a little money left over from selling tofu. Since today is the Little New Year, I bought ten catties of cured ribs to improve our meals.”
Zhang Guixiang narrowed her eyes and turned her gaze to Yu Yahong. “I recall Second Sister-in-law was also involved in selling tofu. Last time, you bought pork for dumplings, and this time you’ve extravagantly bought ten catties of ribs. When is Second Sister-in-law going to treat the family like you do?”
Yu Juanfang had only intended to use the tofu as an excuse for the money, but she never expected Zhang Guixiang to use it to attack Yu Yahong. “First Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law not only manages her household chores but also wakes up at four in the morning to make tofu, all without slacking on her work for the production team. She’s been run off her feet and has lost a lot of weight. That money is hers to earn, and how she spends it is her own business.”
Yu Yahong couldn’t believe it. She was just enjoying her meal, and now the fight had been brought to her. “First Sister-in-law, what are you trying to say? When Third Sister-in-law first suggested selling tofu, you and Fourth Sister-in-law complained it was too much work for too little pay and refused to do it. Mother said that as long as she got her twenty percent, the rest was to be split between us. That little bit of money is what we earned from waking up in the dark for over three months. Don’t my husband and I hand over our work points every month? Don’t my children work for this family? We all contribute the same. Why is it that just because we sell tofu, we have to contribute more? Besides, I’ve already spent all my money on new clothes for the children. You can stop eyeing it, First Sister-in-law.”
Zhang Guixiang’s face flushed red. Smack! She slammed her chopsticks on the table. “Second Sister-in-law, what is that supposed to mean? So, what you’re saying is, only you two work hard, and only you two contribute to this family?!”
“And what do you mean, ‘eyeing your money’?! We are all one family! There’s no ‘yours’ and ‘mine’! Are you trying to split the family?!”
Yu Yahong pursed her lips. “I never said that.”
“What? You dare to say it but not admit it? You’d better make yourself clear today, right here in front of Mother!”
“If that’s what you want to think, I can’t stop you,” Yu Yahong sneered.
Without a teacher for a husband, Yu Yahong’s desire to split the family wasn’t as strong as Yu Juanfang’s, but she was sick of being lorded over by her mother-in-law, and of Zhang Guixiang always pulling rank as the eldest sister-in-law.
The atmosphere grew tense, with even the taboo subject of splitting the family being brought up.
Thump! Thump! Old Madam Zhu slammed her hand on the table, making it tremble. Her gaze, sharp as a torch, swept from Zhang Guixiang to Yu Yahong. “What a disgrace, a perfectly good family acting like this! Splitting the family?! As long as I am alive, don’t even think about it!”
“Come next spring, for this tofu business, either all you sisters-in-law do it together, or no one does it at all!”
“Now eat! Can’t even this delicious food shut your mouths?!”
Old Madam Zhu rarely lost her temper like this. The air at the table instantly fell silent. The adults and children all looked at each other, stunned.
Zhang Guixiang, who had started the whole thing, looked sheepish and tried to smooth things over. “Hah, I just didn’t realize that tofu business could actually make money. How about this, then? Next spring, Fourth Sister-in-law and I will join you…”
“Huh?” Wu Fangmei, who had been licking the sauce off her fingers, spoke up. “First Sister-in-law, I can’t stand the hardship of waking up before dawn to grind beans. If you want to do it, you do it yourself. Don’t drag me into it!”
Wu Fangmei found even slacking off at the production team exhausting; she had no intention of taking on such hard work.
…
Besides the monthly subsidy, another benefit of being a teacher was the winter and summer holidays. With the primary school on break, Su Huimin had nothing to do apart from attending meetings and study sessions. But after the cold war with his wife began, he couldn’t stand being at home and went to hoe the private plot by himself.
“Dad.”
A little girl’s voice came from the road. Su Huimin looked up and saw it was Tangtang.
She was wearing an apricot-pink padded jacket, which Yu Juanfang had made for her with cotton and fabric coupons she had painstakingly saved. The new jacket was light and warm. Her small, palm-sized face was fair and clean from face cream, her hair was in two shiny black braids, and she wore a pair of new shoes. She was a world away from the girl who had first arrived at the Su family home last year.
Su Huimin took a breath. “Tangtang, why are you here instead of doing your homework at home?”
“Mom gave the rest of the money from the ginseng to Grandma.”
Su Huimin froze. In the beginning, he had been genuinely angry at what he saw as his wife’s selfishness—caring only for their small family unit instead of the greater whole. But somehow, it had devolved into this silent treatment, leaving a suffocating feeling trapped in his chest. He was angry at his own powerlessness, his inability to improve the family’s living conditions or to mediate the relationship between his wife and his family.
“You shouldn’t fight with Mom.” Tangtang lowered her head, her long eyelashes casting a fan-shaped shadow on her cheeks. Her eyes were red.
Su Huimin sighed. “Your mother and I aren’t fighting. Adult matters have nothing to do with you children. Go on, go back and do your homework.”
Tangtang didn’t move. She raised her voice. “For a whole month, you haven’t spoken to Mom. We’ve all noticed. Mom cries secretly every night. How long are you two going to keep this up? You feel wronged, but doesn’t Mom feel wronged too? She’s not as strong as you think!”
Perhaps because she had never felt secure as a child, Tangtang had developed a sensitive nature, which made her more attuned to Yu Juanfang’s emotional shifts.
Her words struck Su Huimin like a heavy hammer. He stood frozen, his hands gripping the hoe. He stared at Tangtang’s red-rimmed eyes, his lips moved, but for a moment, he was speechless. “Your mother… has been crying?”
Tangtang’s words were a wake-up call. For over a month, he had been so immersed in his own emotions that he had completely ignored Yu Juanfang’s feelings.
Thinking back, his wife had been married to him for over a decade, borne him children, and managed everything inside and outside the home, keeping their lives in perfect order. She was so capable and strong that he had even forgotten she was also a woman who needed care and affection.
After Tangtang nodded, Su Huimin let out a long sigh. After a long pause, he slowly crouched down to meet her gaze, his voice hoarse. “I was wrong in this matter. I will go and apologize to her.”
“What’s this?” Su Huimin asked, looking at the crumpled one-yuan note she had placed in his palm.
Tangtang licked her lips, a relieved smile finally appearing on her face. “This is the one yuan Grandma gave me when Mom took me to her house. Dad, you take it and buy Mom something she likes to eat.”
Su Huimin was stunned for a moment, then sighed with emotion. “I, a grown man, am not as thoughtful as a child like you. I don’t need your money. Dad has money!”
He smoothed out the crumpled bill, folded it neatly, and tucked it back into Tangtang’s pocket.
After sending Tangtang home, Su Huimin lost the will to continue hoeing. He dug into his pockets, pulling out a few scattered coins and bills, then got on his bicycle and rode to the commune’s supply and marketing cooperative.
…
Su Juesheng’s sweater had gotten a bit small. Yu Juanfang was planning to unravel it and re-knit it in a new style for Su Juexiao. As she sat with a messy pile of yarn on the kang, Su Huimin walked in.
She turned her head away, a knot of anger still tight in her chest, deciding it was best to just ignore him.
“Juanfang, I was wrong.” Su Huimin knelt down in a low crouch in front of her.
“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have given you the silent treatment. I shouldn’t have forced my own ideas on you and ignored all your sacrifices and contributions over the years. I will change. From now on, I will respect your decisions.”
What had hurt Yu Juanfang the most wasn’t the argument itself, but the complete lack of communication during the cold war, which made them worse than strangers.
“I swear, I will never give you the silent treatment again. If I break this promise, may I live out the rest of my days alone!”
She shot him a fierce glare. “You said it!”
“I said it! I swear! I’ll even write it down for you right now, sign it, and put my thumbprint on it!”
Su Huimin held out a candy tin he had bought at the cooperative. “I remember when we were courting, this was your favorite kind of candy…”
Inside the round tin, decorated with a design of blooming flowers for prosperity, was a full box of colorful fruit candies—apple, strawberry, pineapple, and peach. Each candy was coated in a fine layer of powdered sugar to keep it fresh and prevent sticking.
Yu Juanfang was shocked that he still remembered after more than a decade. She picked one up and put it in her mouth. As the sweet and sour flavor spread across her tongue, she swallowed not just the candy, but also the sweetness and bitterness of life itself.