The granddaughter’s questioning made Mrs. Song feel sowhat helpless in her response, knowing all too well the difficulties. Xu Xiuxiu was a ticulous person; each ti she sent packages ho, she would include a note detailing the contents, their uses, and their recipients. Father Song, who could read, although not much, managed to cross-reference the items against the note, discovering that nothing was missing.
"Quickly look, did Xiuxiu’s list ntion anything for Niuniu? Why isn’t there anything?" Mrs. Song puzzledly asked Father Song, observing the persistent questioning from Song Tianxin, feeling both anxious and troubled.
Holding the note, Father Song, upon hearing Mrs. Song’s question, glanced at Song Tianxin with a complex look. Being a coarse man accustod to hard labor, he didn’t read much, but as an elder, he saw things more clearly. He understood it must be because his daughter-in-law felt that being kind to his little niece, Song Tianxin, was a wasted effort, hence she stopped sending things.
He empathized with his daughter-in-law’s decision. This granddaughter had indeed been increasingly ill-behave under her mother’s influence. To make matters worse, she had also bullied Cheng Guang earlier, a fact he was aware of. Yet, as a grandfather to a granddaughter, he felt constrained from reprimanding her. In the rural setting, girls were typically disciplined by their mothers. If it had been his own daughter, he would have said sothing, but with a granddaughter, he could only pretend to turn a blind eye.
"There’s nothing." Father Song shook his head. "There’s nothing for Niuniu this ti; just tidy up and store the package inside!" Father Song spoke, not believing it to be an issue of significant concern.
"How can there be nothing!" Mrs. Song couldn’t help but murmur, turning back to look at Song Tianxin.
"How could there be nothing for , when she always buys things? Why didn’t she buy for this ti?" Song Tianxin, realizing there really was nothing for her, sharply retorted, her eyes fierce with irritation. This was because Xu Xiuxiu always sent packages monthly, including gifts for her—a fact she had grown accustod to and never expected to change.
"Niuniu! Don’t worry! Grandma will call your aunt shortly; maybe she just missed mailing it," Mrs. Song quickly tried to soothe Song Tianxin, her face showing signs of a headache.
She wasn’t foolish and had guessed that Xu Xiuxiu had indeed not prepared anything for Song Tianxin. If there had been a preparation that was sohow left out during mailing, the items listed on the note wouldn’t have matched those in the package. Clearly, Xu Xiuxiu hadn’t prepared anything for Song Tianxin, which made Mrs. Song rather troubled seeing her granddaughter’s heated emotions.
"It’s because she didn’t buy for ! Why didn’t she buy for ? I hate her, I hate her!" Song Tianxin cried out, grabbing the package in the hall and lifting several cans of milk powder intended for the elderly, and smashing them onto the floor: "It must be because Song Chengguang said I bullied him, so his mother didn’t buy for . The little bastard, I want to scratch his face and kick him into the field to drown him," Song Tianxin’s words were exceptionally venomous.
Although this was purely her venting, it nevertheless revealed the truth. Xu Xiuxiu indeed refrained from playing the saintly martyr who turns the other cheek after learning she had bullied Song Chengguang. However, Xu Xiuxiu hadn’t anticipated Song Tianxin’s response to be so frightening, nor did she show any self-reflection.
Though expecting such self-reflection from a ten-year-old girl might be asking too much, Song Tianxin’s nature was indeed becoming twisted.
"Aiyo, Niuniu! What are you saying? How can you say such things! You shouldn’t be like this, my good granddaughter, don’t take after your mother’s temper!" Mrs. Song was thoroughly frightened, clutching her chest in disbelief, trying to step forward to soothe Song Tianxin’s emotions, but she was startled by the can of milk powder that Song Tianxin had grabbed and thrown at her.
Bang—
The can of milk powder hit the floor and dented a corner.
"Bitches, all of you bitches, I will never forgive you." Enraged, Song Tianxin turned and ran outside.
Mrs. Song, clutching her stirred chest, wanted to chase after Song Tianxin. "Niuniu, co back."
"Don’t chase her, let her go," Father Song sternly interrupted Mrs. Song. "You spoil her too much. Does she think everyone owes her or what?" Father Song was also quite annoyed, finding Song Tianxin’s behavior disgraceful.
"Ah!" Mrs. Song reluctantly stopped, looking at the several cans of milk powder on the floor and feeling a headache coming on. "And Xiuxiu really, she used to prepare it every ti for Niuniu, how could she suddenly not prepare it this ti? Niuniu is still a child. When tis were hard and her clothes were torn, Xiuxiu would buy her new ones. Didn’t you see how happy she was when she got those clothes? But now...what are we going to do!" Mrs. Song was distressed, yet she didn’t an to bla Xu Xiuxiu, knowing that Song Tianxin wasn’t directly related to her and that Xiuxiu had been polite enough to often bring her sothing before. In this day and age, even a biological mother wouldn’t be so generous, as seen from the example of Wang Qinghua.
But usually, there was sothing, and it was always a cheerful occasion when a package arrived from the second daughter-in-law. Now, this commotion had spoiled the joyful mood.
"Xiuxiu has done what she could, stop stirring things up, will you? Later, give your daughter-in-law a call back. Just say we received the package, but on the phone, don’t ntion this incident. It’s embarrassing," Father Song instructed Mrs. Song, holding his large tobacco pipe, and then bent down to pick up the spilled cans of milk powder before carrying the items back inside.
Mrs. Song naturally wouldn’t bring this up with Xu Xiuxiu. Over the phone, she ntioned only that they had received the package, told her not to overspend, and took the opportunity to ask how the three children were doing.
However, after the infuriated Song Tianxin stord out, she ran back ho to complain to Wang Qinghua. For so reason, Wang Qinghua burst into curses on the spot. Since she had returned ho to the Song Family only a few days after her cesarean section and had been quite cautious during her confinent, never stepping out of the room and not willing to let even a slight breeze touch her, even having soone else dispose of her baby’s diapers and her own chamber pot. Mrs. Song and Song Yuantao had been very accommodating, making her confinent comfortable. These days had passed rather peacefully, but now, even still confined to her room, her loud curses could be heard by the neighbors next door.
"That shaless little tramp Xu Xiuxiu, what does she an by this? Sending cheap stuff every month, my daughter being so grateful to her every ti, and now she just stops sending without any notice, treating my daughter like a monkey? Is she lacking those things or what, hurting my child’s heart like this, doesn’t she fear being struck by lightning..."
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