| TBBOTOF | 263
The year has truly ended, and in Tang Xu's mind, the real end of the year comes on the second day of the second lunar month.
That's when the weather starts to warm up. During the winter, apart from visiting relatives during the New Year, the village was usually quiet. Outside the old Tang family's main gate, there were not many people around.
Some of the good-hearted villagers took advantage of the spring sowing season to visit the men working in the fields, talking about matters like returning to their maternal homes. Tang Dahu didn’t want to say much about it, as his daughter divorce wasn’t exactly a proud topic.
No one asked anything about it in this area, but their minds wandered, and various guesses spread.
The family had no well, so they generally went to the river to fetch water. During winter, when the river froze, they used the village's public well.
After Tang Mei returned, she stayed in the side room next to the old lady’s main house, and Sun Yang also lived there.
However, after just two days, Luo Pingping took him to sleep in their room. The side room had no kang, and the newly built wooden bed wasn’t large enough for both an adult and a child.
When she first returned after the divorce, she didn’t bring anything with her. Later, after making a scene at the Sun family’s place, Tang Mei packed her clothes and belongings into two bundles and took them back.
Since she had already come this far, she could no longer cower in her home. She had come to terms with it, and didn’t care about others' gossip or mockery. As long as she could live well, that was enough.
The river water had thawed and was chillingly cold, unsuitable for washing clothes. Tang Wei and Tang Zu would fill two water tubs every day from the main house and then join Tang Dahu to work in the fields.
Early in the morning, Tang Mei stepped out of the house and prepared to wash the dirty clothes she had changed out of the day before.
Luo Pingping came out of the kitchen, and upon seeing the large basin of clothes, she frowned slightly and said, "You leave them there for a while, I’ll wash them. The water’s cold, and it’ll freeze if you leave it. The old doctor said you’re in poor health, so you need to be careful!"
As a mother, she was always concerned about her daughter. Thinking about all the suffering Tang Mei had endured at the Sun family’s house over the years, Luo Pingping felt like going back to the Sun family and giving them another good beating.
"It’s not hard work; I can just add hot water to it," Tang Mei replied, unwilling to sit still.
Before she got married, she helped with the housework, and after marriage, there wasn’t any work at home or outside that she didn’t do. Even when she was unwell, she never rested.
Seeing that her daughter wouldn’t listen to her advice, Luo Pingping could only turn around and go back to the kitchen to heat water. She brought a small stool and sat down beside her.
"Mom, go ahead and do your own thing. Why are you still watching me?" Tang Mei laughed, her hands moving skillfully as she washed the clothes.
Luo Pingping watched her hands for a long while, then suddenly raised her hand to wipe her face.
Tang Mei looked up and saw her mother crying, which startled her. She quickly placed the clothes she was scrubbing back in the basin and rubbed her damp hands on her apron. "Mom, why are you crying?"
"Da Niu, why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you tell me?" Luo Pingping was deeply upset.
Tang Mei had been back for several days, but the family’s attitude toward her had been cautious. Even though Luo Pingping wanted to know what had happened to her daughter over the years, she hadn’t dared to ask.
When she saw the tiny cracks at the tips of her daughter’s fingers and the dry, wrinkled skin on the back of her hands, the tears uncontrollably began to fall.
Tang Mei took a deep breath and looked at her mother, not speaking.
What could she say?
She couldn’t just run back to her mother’s house every time she felt wronged. If she did, the villagers would start gossiping.
"What are you two doing?" Wu Guizhi came out of the house. She had faintly heard a couple of cries and was startled.
Looking closely, she saw her eldest daughter-in-law was crying.
Wu Guizhi glared at her and scolded, "Cry, cry, cry, that’s all you know how to do. You’re a mother, and all you can do is cry, you can’t do anything else!"
These past few days, whenever Wu Guizhi saw Luo Pingping, it was nothing but scolding. She just couldn’t stand the sight of her.
"Mom, I’m just feeling stifled," Luo Pingping sniffed, reaching for the damp clothes in the basin and started scrubbing them.
Tang Mei looked at her mother helplessly. "Mom, I really can wash them myself."
"You," the old lady said impatiently, "If you don’t have anything to do, hurry up and go to the village head to buy the land. Da Niu’s house needs to be built sooner rather than later!" Wu Gui Zhi really didn’t want to stand there watching her eldest daughter-in-law cry.
The situation had already happened, and the fuss had already been made. Why hold onto those bad memories? Didn’t she find it annoying?
She just couldn’t stand this kind of temperament. It would be better if she were a little more carefree.
"Mom, I was thinking... maybe we shouldn’t buy the land," Luo Pingping said, glancing at her daughter. Seeing that Tang Mei didn’t have any resistance, she continued, under the old lady’s sharp gaze, "Our yard isn’t small, and if we build a house in the back, it would be enough for the three of us to live in. The empty land in the village is far away, and I’m worried someone will set their sights on them."
As soon as these words were said, Wu Guizhi’s brows furrowed.
It was a bit thoughtless. People often say that a widow’s doorstep is full of trouble, but the truth is, any single woman’s doorstep would attract attention from improper men.
After a moment of silence, Wu Guizhi nodded and said, "Alright, then we’ll build one more room in the backyard."
"But our backyard is still going to be used for raising chickens and ducks, where would we put it?" Tang Mei quickly waved her hand upon hearing this. "If we buy a plot of land, I can grow vegetables in the yard and not have to go out all the time."
"No," Wu Guizhi said, shaking her head with a stern face. "This matter is not up for discussion."
Tang Mei sighed. She really didn’t want to cause trouble for the family, but with the old lady's firm attitude, she could only put this issue aside for now.
Tang Xu had been sorting through some small clothes, the ones that had been kept from before.
The children’s clothes were too small now; some of them were brand new. He had given some away before and kept a few. He had originally planned to keep them as mementos, but now he thought there was no harm in giving them away as well.
Wei Dong came in from outside, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. Seeing Tang Xu sorting things out, he asked, "Are you giving them all away?"
"I kept two sets that are particularly pretty," Tang Xu said, pointing to two sets folded nearby. The red satin had white little rabbits embroidered on it.
Wei Dong nodded. "When are you going?"
"After lunch. I was thinking of asking Auntie about where to build the house," Tang Xu tied up the bundle and looked up. "But I think it will probably be in the back yard for the new house."
Wei Dong raised an eyebrow.
Tang Xu sighed. "You have to understand, with my eldest cousin raising two kids by herself, if she were to live on her own, who knows what kind of trouble she might attract. With no space in the house, the only option is to build the new house in the yard."
In his mind, he was mentally picturing the layout of the old Tang family home and could roughly guess where the new house would be built.
Wei Dong reached out to pick up the bundle and said, "Go ask. If it's going to be in the yard, it’ll be easier. We can dig the foundation and start building the house right away."
Tang Xu responded with an "Mm," as he got off the kang and put on his shoes. "When are you are going to upgrade the house? Are you getting prepared to go out for your trip?"
"Mm, soon."
This "soon" was a bit ambiguous.
0 Comments
Post a Comment