Shirley felt a tightness in her heart upon hearing Wang Lianhua’s words, looking at the two girls crying with red eyes, her hands shaking with anger.
"Shirley, you’ve got to think of a way to deal with this now. I see your parents aren’t easy to deal with. Aren’t you discussing your wedding date with Dr. Qian? What if it turns into a big fuss later?"
"Let there be a fuss. I’m a divorced woman, what do I have to do with my parents’ ho? When I married Xu Laizi, they said I was a disgrace. After the marriage, they said I had nothing to do with the Yu Family anymore. What’s the point of stirring trouble now? Everyone has clear eyes, everyone knows who’s who!"
Wang Lianhua sighed. It’s easy to say, but things aren’t that simple!
With just one ntion of filial piety, it could suffocate a person, no matter what happened before. Just saying ’let bygones be bygones’ could erase all the sufferings one has endured.
"Why don’t we go to Xiao ng later? She’s shrewd and might have a solution."
"No, Shen ng received her transfer order today. She’s with the governnt now, so she can’t just act on impulse as she does now. This is my matter; I should handle it. I can’t always rely on her help; it would just wear her out."
"Really? She’s with the governnt now, a real official then. Hey, that’s really great, so great. Blessings from heaven, haha, what goes around cos around."
"You’re that happy?"
"Humph, wouldn’t I be? Today, when I was tidying up my private plot, I ran into Aunt Hua, haha, you have no idea what a sorry state she’s in now. She was cursing as she passed by my fence, even cursing Shen ng, pah! She deserves her current life, back then she was so eager to please Zhou Jiaojiao. Now, pah, they don’t give a damn about her! Hehe, so happy, really happy today."
Shirley also laughed hearing her words. Wang Lianhua went to the kitchen and brought out the prepared dishes. Shirley’s dishes from the State-Owned Restaurant were still warm; she opened the food containers and placed them on the table.
"I’ve already eaten in the county. This food is for you all, eat it while it’s hot."
"Wow, it slls so good, there’s even at, thank you, Aunt."
"Thank you, Aunt."
Daqing and Erqing thanked Shirley first before they began to eat with their chopsticks.
"Don’t ntion it. Eat up, it’s all good stuff, brought especially for you. After dinner, wash up, do your howork, and go to bed early. Don’t stay up late, you hear? Daqing, you’ve been reading books late into the night these days; don’t hurt your eyes."
"Alright, I know, Aunt. I’ll be careful!"
Both won raising their kids, life nowadays seems rather comfortable, far more so than living with a lousy man. No need to wait on anyone, the children are sensible, and there’s not so much chaos.
After dinner, Shirley lay on the kang bed watching Xiao Ya sound asleep, tears welling up in her eyes, her lids slightly closed.
The next morning, Daya carried her school bag and joined Daqing and Erqing to go to school with Mingyang and the others. Shen ng gave them so white bread and stuffed it into their school bags.
"Take a day off for Mingyang and the others; Aunt is taking them to the county today. You go back to school tomorrow!"
"Alright, we’re off then, Aunt. We’ll be late if we don’t hurry."
"Go on, darling!"
Shen ng stood at the door watching the little tots heading for school, and overheard their murmuring as she turned around.
"What if your grandma and grandpa co to snatch Xiao Ya today?"
"No worries. Xiao Ya is staying at ho today and not going anywhere. No one can snatch her away; my mom said not to be afraid."
"Mhm, I told my mom too. Lock the door, don’t go anywhere today, just stay ho and watch Xiao Ya. If they co, let the villagers beat them up."
"Knock their teeth out."
.....
Several children quickened their pace, wanting to hear more, but they had already gone far away.
"Ming Kai, Ming Kai co over here."
"Mom?"
"Son, just look at how chubby you’ve gotten from eating. Hurry up and take a walk outside, and while you’re at it, go see Xiao Ya and ask if she was scared yesterday, okay?"
"Oh!"
Lu Ming Kai, holding a stick of malt sugar, wobbled towards Shirley Yu’s direction. On the way, he encountered Dezi, who looked him up and down with disdain, snorted, and walked away.
Dezi awkwardly lowered his head but didn’t leave; he just stood at the corner waiting for soone.
After a while, Shirley Yu ca out of her house with her bag, smiling. Just now, Ming Kai complinted her on her beauty - that kid had a sweet mouth. After exchanging a few words, she felt as though she had smiled so much that new wrinkles ford.
"Mom."
Hearing soone call her, the smile on her face faded considerably. She really did not want to bother, but this child waited for her here every day, getting skinnier by the day. He was still her son after all; she wasn’t completely unmoved.
"What is it?"
"Mom, I, I’m so hungry. Can you, can you give sothing to eat?"
After Dezi spoke, tears stread down his face, and his small body shivered. He didn’t even dare to raise his head to look at his own mother.
"Why don’t you go to your grandparents or your dad when you’re hungry?"
"I, my grandparents said there’s not much food left at ho and told to wait for you at the corner every day. They said that you, being my mom, would see my pitiful state and wouldn’t be so heartless. Dad is never ho, and I haven’t seen him in a long ti. Mom, I, I don’t want to be a bother, but I’m just too hungry."
Shirley Yu sighed, asked him to wait, and turned to walk back towards her house.
He had waited for so many days, and each ti he just watched her go by. Overall, he had learned to understand so things.
Wang Lianhua saw her co back and was about to ask if she had forgotten sothing but then saw her retrieve two biscuits from the cupboard, spread so pickled vegetables on them, and quickly shut her mouth.
She had eaten well this morning, so the food couldn’t be for herself. She had seen Dezi waiting at the corner before when she took her children to Xie Jinghao’s house, and now she understood what was happening.
But there were still two boiled eggs left in the cupboard from the morning, so she went over, took them, and handed them to Shirley Yu.
"Give these to Dezi too. He looks terribly thin, and he’s had his fair share of suffering in this last half a year."
"No need, this is enough. The good stuff should be saved for my Daya and Xiao Ya."
Wang Lianhua opened her mouth to say sothing comforting but held back.
Dezi, seeing Shirley Yu coming with food, lit up with delight, took it, and bit into it fiercely, smiling at Shirley Yu.
"Thank you, Mom."
Shirley Yu waited until he had eaten quite a bit before saying, "Don’t wait here anymore. In a few days, go to school with your sister, as I said before. I’ll take care of your schooling and living expenses. Go ho and ask your grandparents about it. If they agree, just let know."
"Okay, I understand, Mom. I’ll be good from now on, Mom, I was wrong, please don’t abandon ."
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