A century of poverty

Chapter 5 Malice 2

Third Grandmother and Third Master had secretly planned to expel Second Grandmother from the Zhang family. They gradually pushed her out of the household, making her realize she couldn't bear the hardship and leave in despair, refusing to be involved in their affairs. From now on, Third Master would be the pillar of the family. They figured Jingtian wouldn't stand in their way; he was alone, his other brothers were gone, and he would be obedient. They didn't see the old man's true intentions; Third Master was his only hope, and he wouldn't hold grudges.

With all the farmland, oil mill business, and other assets belonging to this large family, Third Master's family lived a life of plenty, enjoying plenty of food and drink.

The more I thought about it, the more I disliked Second Grandma. This silly girl doesn't seem to have any intention of "walking" (i.e., getting rid of people or setting traps for her). I need to use a more direct way to provoke her.

One rainy day, after finishing their meal, the two cleaned up the dishes.

Grandma San suggested, "We can't do anything else today, so you all take on some work and we can work here, chat, and get some things done. What's the point of everyone staying in their own rooms?"

"Okay," Second Grandma agreed, wiping the table on the floor clean with a rag. She went back to her room, took an unfinished shoe sole, placed it on the table, and then took the small stool that had been placed aside, sitting down in her usual dining spot.

Fourth Master remained seated at the table, saying to Second Sister-in-law, "Go up to the cabinet and bring me the shoes I haven't finished making. I'm not getting up; it's too much trouble."

Second Madam got up and went into the east room, fetched the chores, and handed them to Fourth Master.

Third Grandma lingered in the room for a while, then moved the spinning wheel out and placed it on the north side of her door. She pushed it eastward, and the spinning wheel squeaked against the table. It almost knocked Second Grandma backward.

Second Grandma: "You should have told me before you pushed the table! Luckily, I didn't fall over."

Third Grandmother: "Spin two stalks of hemp rope, but we don't have any."

Ignoring Second Grandma's words, he went back to his room, found a clump of hemp, sat down, and used a wooden comb to comb it. Hemp shavings flew everywhere, covering the table in a layer.

Fourth Master fanned his nose with his hand: "Won't you get a little water on yourself?"

"Hmm—I forgot." He got up, scooped up half a ladle of water, and used a broom to dip it in water and dust it off.

Water droplets splashed everywhere, hitting Second Grandma's body and face. Fourth Master rubbed his face and said, "Be gentle! It's bad luck to be near you."

Third Grandma laughed and said, "Pretentious. It's not dirty, what's there to be afraid of?"

The rain outside gradually subsided. The old man came out, went to the side room to pick up a shovel, went out the side gate, and went to the north vegetable garden.

Seeing her chance, Third Grandmother turned to Fourth Master and said, "Old brother, tell us how our eldest brother was driven away by Father."

Fourth Master: "It's been so many years, why bring this up?"

"There's been no news all these years, don't you miss him? Maybe one day he'll come back with his whole family, wouldn't that be wonderful?" Third Grandma was good at saying nice things, but what she really thought was the opposite.

Fourth Master was reminded of the past by her words, and he stopped working, squinting his eyes. "It was a few days into the first lunar month after the Republic of China was established. After breakfast, people would gather in twos and threes on the temple platform to offer New Year's greetings and exchange pleasantries. Farmers would chat about how it was time to take manure to the fields, and merchants would talk about how it was time to go back to their stalls. A new year had begun."

Beiyuanzi Lao Ba was tall, with a large frame and a big nose. He was around twenty years old and spoke in a deep, muffled voice. He was good friends with his eldest brother, Zhang Jintian.

She approached her elder brother and said, "My father came back from Tianjin and said that the Xuantong Emperor has abdicated. I wonder what the outside world is like now. He's going back to the store tomorrow, let's go out with him and see what it's like."

"Okay!" the older brother replied.

The two were about the same age. Zhang Jintian, true to his name, was clean-cut, with a straight nose and square mouth, radiating energy from within. Lao Ba's suggestion resonated with Zhang Jintian; what young man wouldn't want to go out and see the world?

The two good friends traveled together, very happy. Jintian hadn't traveled far since returning to his hometown with his father. Upon arriving in Tianjin, the two young men were immediately captivated by the city's vibrancy. The streets were filled with men and women dressed in all sorts of colorful clothes. One group of young people, with their short haircuts and well-fitting clothes, looked particularly dashing. He and Lao Ba followed suit and cut their braids. Lao Ba's father even made each of them a "school uniform" from fabric from their family shop. The two spent a few days in Tianjin, returning home happily in their new clothes.

When they got home, his younger siblings looked at him with curiosity, seeing everything about him that they had never seen before.

The younger brother looked at his older brother's hair and asked, "Where's your braid?"

The younger sister touched the shoulder of her brother's clothes: "How was this garment made?"

The younger siblings surrounded their older brother, asking him all sorts of questions.

The old man was displeased when he saw his son come back dressed like this. "A person's hair and skin are given to them by their parents. How dare you cut off your braid behind my back? And you're showing off everywhere in such tight clothes."

He yelled, "Come here!"

The old man came to his father.

"Where did your braid go?" the old man asked.

"They cut it off, even Lao Ba cut it off. It's not fashionable to wear braids outside anymore."

"Outside is outside, this is our place! You dared to cut off my braid before I even knew!"

"What's the big deal?" Jintian said nonchalantly.

"Slap!" A loud slap landed, startling Jintian.

"Still dare to talk back? If everyone acted like you, wouldn't men become monks and women become nuns? Wouldn't the world be in chaos?"

Jintian covered his face: "It's the Republic of China now, and you're still telling that old story."

"You still think you're right? You don't set a good example for your younger siblings, and you're acting like a foreigner." He said, stepping forward to hit him.

Jintian angrily retorted, "Incomprehensible! You'll regret this!" and turned to run away...

At first, everyone thought that my older brother would come back in a couple of days after I calmed down, but he still hasn't returned.

"Sigh—what's there to be reluctant about in our poor family? Who has the ability not to leave? Second sister-in-law, haven't you thought about taking a step forward?" Third Grandma unexpectedly said this.

Second Grandma said angrily, "Where did you get this idea? You've circled around to me for so long, are you trying to get rid of me? Whether I take this step or not is not for you to decide."

Third Grandmother: "That's exactly what I should be saying. I'm doing this for your own good. You're so young to be a widow, how long will this last? How will you support your two children?"

Second Grandma: "I didn't ask you to support me no matter what, so you don't need to worry about it!"

Third Grandma: "If I'm not the one to support you, who is? Even if I am, there are three mouths to feed. These days, it's not uncommon for widows to remarry. Why not take advantage of your youth and find someone suitable to take the next step? Do you think you can just coast along for the rest of your life?"

Second Grandmother: "What have I done to you? We, the mother and children, haven't eaten or drunk anything from you. I have hands and feet, what haven't I done? I've done more than you, not less. I know you want to pull up the radish and take over the land, drive us out, and have all the family property go to you. Dream on! Just for that reason, I'm not leaving, I won't let you have your way."

Third Grandmother: "If I don't get my wish, you won't have it easy either. We'll see!"

Fourth Master, seeing this clearly, realized that Third Sister-in-law's purpose in having me recount how Eldest Brother died was to provoke this conversation. He spoke up, "Third Sister-in-law, how could you say such a thing?"

Third Grandmother: "This is none of your business, go away!"

"How can it not be my business? Wasn't it because you made me bring up the past that it stirred up trouble?" Fourth Master said slowly, then got up, propped up his cane, and went into the house.

The old man came in from outside: "Why did you stop arguing? Honestly! You're all just bored and have nothing better to do. Third brother's family, don't say things you shouldn't."

Second Grandma got up and quickly went out, returning to her own room.