Chapter 15: Su Yandi’s Scheme
Tangtang was seven years old now and in the second grade at Yuhuai Village Primary School. The classmate who was supposed to be on cleaning duty with her had a sudden bout of diarrhea, so she was left to sweep the classroom by herself. By the time she finished emptying the trash and returned, everyone was gone. She hurriedly unpinned the red “on duty” armband from her sleeve and stuffed her textbooks back into her schoolbag.
Although the primary school didn’t place much emphasis on academics these days, and there were few proper lessons, she still brought her books home every day to review the day’s material before bed.
The sky was a hazy white, and the wind blowing from the mountain gullies was chilling, feeling as if it could pierce right through to the bone. Tangtang wrapped her apricot-pink padded jacket tighter around herself and quickened her pace, wondering why it was still so cold in March.
The village was festooned with red banners bearing various slogans. The once friendly and harmonious villagers now walked with their heads down, their expressions hurried. As Tangtang passed the village entrance, she saw a crowd gathered, listening to the impassioned words blaring from a loudspeaker. They were loudly discussing things she didn’t understand, like “Smash the Four Olds” and “capitalist-roaders.” A few people in the crowd wore red armbands, directing the others with solemn expressions. Red papers rustled in the cold wind.
A strange feeling settled over Tangtang. She sensed that something was changing, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.
“Tangtang! Tangtang—” Su Juesheng came running up, panting. “Why are you walking so fast? I was calling you from behind for ages…”
“Brother Juesheng, I thought you had already gone home!”
The two of them walked home together, happening upon a group of militiamen escorting a disheveled old man toward the village entrance.
“Why’d you stop walking?” Su Juesheng waved a hand in front of her face. “What are you staring at?”
Tangtang sneezed. “How is it March already with no sign of spring?”
“I didn’t even notice until you said it. Why does it feel like this winter is especially long…” Su Juesheng looked up and saw a few crows flying across the gray sky.
“Yeah, this winter feels especially long.”
.
The two of them returned home, then strapped on their baskets and went up the mountain. They got out of school early, so after cutting pig feed and gathering two bundles of firewood, it was only six o’clock. By this time, the adults were also back from work and starting to prepare dinner. The children helped start the fire, fed the chickens and the pig, and bustled in and out. It wasn’t until seven that everyone sat down in the main hall for dinner.
As usual, it was boiled potatoes. There were only a few drops of oil in the dish, seasoned with a pinch of salt. There was also a saucer of pickled chive blossom sauce and steamed wowotou made from corn and other coarse grains. Tangtang ate half a bowl of potatoes and one wowotou before going to her room to read.
.
Su Juesheng had now moved up to the junior high at the commune. The school had boarding facilities, but that meant paying for meals at the cafeteria. Students could only come home on weekends. Besides Su Juesheng, several other boys from the Su family were also in junior high. If all of them boarded, the financial burden on the family would be too great.
So, Old Madam Zhu had laid down the law: anyone who wanted to continue their education would have to commute. Thus, Su Juesheng had to walk to school. He would eat a hasty breakfast before dawn, pack his lunch in a bundle, and only return home late at night.
Su Huimin owned a bicycle, but with several of his nephews also commuting and his own frequent meetings in the county, he couldn’t give the bicycle to Su Juesheng.
The long commute was exhausting, and Su Juesheng went to bed early. Su Juexiao was studying under the oil lamp; he had the best grades among the three siblings and always came in first on exams. Su Juesheng was playing with a small wooden knife, while Tangtang, having finished her homework, was previewing the next day’s lesson, asking Su Juexiao for help when she didn’t understand something.
At eight-thirty, Yu Juanfang came in to hurry the children to bed.
Seeing Tangtang still up, she said, “Tangtang, time for bed.”
“I’m going now.” She quickly finished the last paragraph and put her textbook back in her floral-print schoolbag.
When Su Huimin returned, the children were already asleep. He took a newspaper from his satchel; he hadn’t had a chance to read it yet.
Yu Juanfang was tidying up the children’s scattered shoes when she heard him speak.
“I saw someone at the criticism session today. It was Principal Chen, who used to teach at the county middle school. I never thought he’d be dragged up on stage to be criticized too.”
Yu Juanfang frowned. “Why would they criticize him?”
“They said his ideology was problematic, that what he taught didn’t conform to the current requirements. But the accusations sounded like they were fabricated out of thin air. He’s a learned and responsible teacher, completely dedicated to his work. How did he become a criminal?”
Yu Juanfang didn’t know how to comfort him. She could only sigh and gently pat his shoulder.
In the turbulent early spring of 1966, a sense of unease, like the cold wind itself, permeated every corner, enveloping the small village of Yuhuai and settling in everyone’s hearts.
…
Su Yandi had not been having an easy time lately.
Her mother-in-law, Old Madam Zhang, had sprained her ankle and now ordered her around day and night, making her carry her bedpan. In the middle of the night, she would wake Su Yandi to help her to the latrine, ruining her sleep. The exhaustion had made her lose two pounds.
Su Yandi had just returned home with a basin of clean laundry when she heard the old woman yelling through the door, “Eldest son’s wife! I need to use the latrine! Come help me!”
“I know!” Su Yandi slammed the basin down, muttering under her breath, “Damn old woman, always so much trouble!”
Old Madam Zhang refused to exert any effort. On the way to the latrine, she leaned her entire weight on Su Yandi and even pulled on her hair, making her scalp ache.
After the ordeal was finally over, the old woman immediately demanded that Su Yandi cook. “And put some more oil in the food!”
As Su Yandi squatted by the stove, a dull ache throbbed in her head. She muttered to herself, “No, I can’t go on like this. This is torture.”
She had to think of a way out of this suffering.
Her husband and three sons were at work all day, and she couldn’t bear to make them suffer. So, who could take care of Old Madam Zhang?
An idea struck her: Sanya, the girl Su Huimin had taken. After all, Old Madam Zhang was her grandmother. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to ask the wretched girl to come back and take care of her, would it?
At this thought, Su Yandi’s spirits lifted. She quickly made lunch, served it to the old woman, and then rummaged through her chests to find two pieces of candy from the New Year. The sticky wrapper clung to her hand. She curled her lip in disgust. If it weren’t for her plan, she wouldn’t have dreamed of giving these to Sanya.
…
After school, Su Juesheng wanted to stay and play marbles with the other boys, so Tangtang headed home without him. She walked out of the school, humming a song the teacher had taught them that day. “Let us paddle our oars, the little boat pushes through the waves, the sea reflects the beautiful white pagoda, surrounded by green trees and red walls…”
A voice, both strange and familiar, cut through the air. Su Yandi’s shrill voice called out, “Sanya, do you still remember your mother?”
Tangtang jumped, startled. She looked at the woman who had suddenly appeared before her. Su Yandi had the kind of build that would get fat just from drinking water; she was as wide as two people. Her skin was dark, her features plain, and the fat on her face squeezed her eyes into slits, giving her a ferocious look.
“…Mom?” Tangtang remembered what Su Yandi had said when she pushed her at Su Huimin.
“I don’t want this kid anymore. From now on, she can stop calling me ‘Ma.’ If you want her, take her home. If you don’t, then toss her into the mountains for the wolves to eat!”
Su Yandi stared at the girl in front of her. The food at the Su family must have been good. The wretched girl had filled out over the past two years and no longer looked sallow and thin. She wore an apricot-pink padded jacket, her hair in two shiny black pigtails. Her eyes were large and her skin was fair. If it weren’t for the fact that her features hadn’t changed much, Su Yandi would have hardly recognized her.
A pang of regret hit her. She shouldn’t have been so quick to push Sanya onto Su Huimin. With looks like these, they could probably get a huge bride price for her when she grew up!
She had let those two get a bargain!
“Hey! Sanya, I remember you used to love candy. Here, take it!”
Tangtang didn’t take the candy. Instead, she took a large step back and suddenly raised her voice. “You’re not my mother! You said you didn’t want me as your daughter! From now on, my uncle is my dad! My only dad is Su Huimin, and my mom is Yu Juanfang! And my name isn’t Sanya! It’s Tangtang!”
Su Yandi was stunned that Tangtang would dare to speak to her so loudly. A wave of fury washed over her. It was bad enough taking abuse from that old hag at home, but now even this wretched girl dared to give her attitude.
“You little brat, have you lost your mind?! You won’t even acknowledge your own mother? Don’t you forget who gave birth to you, who raised you through shit and piss! You think you can do whatever you want now that you have Su Huimin backing you up?! I’m going to teach you a lesson, you ungrateful, white-eyed wolf!”
With that, Su Yandi lunged forward to grab her.
Tangtang’s face went pale. Back in Waguan Village, Su Yandi had often beaten and cursed her. If she dared to dodge, she would be starved for days.
But this time, Su Yandi’s slap didn’t land. Tangtang nimbly sidestepped it.
Clutching the straps of her schoolbag, terrified that Su Yandi would chase her, she ran towards home without daring to take a breath.
By the time Su Yandi reached the Su family’s gate, Tangtang was already hiding behind Old Madam Zhu.
Seeing the old matriarch, Su Yandi wiped the ferocious look from her face and put on a fawning, sheepish expression. “Mother.”
Old Madam Zhu grunted, her face dark. “I thought the last time I’d see you would be at my funeral! What is it? You threw Tangtang away two or three years ago and haven’t asked about her since. Now you want her back?!”
Tangtang gripped her grandmother’s clothes. At the words “want her back,” she couldn’t help but shiver.
“Mother, what are you saying? Since the girl was given to Third Brother and his wife, she’s their daughter. It’s just that Sanya’s grandmother on her father’s side has hurt her leg. I was just thinking of having Sanya go back to take care of her for a while…”
Although the wretched girl had grown up to be quite pretty and might fetch a good bride price, taking back this burden she had so gladly thrown away would mean feeding this money-losing-good-for-nothing for several more years. The thought alone made Su Yandi’s heart ache. That was a deal she had no interest in making.