Chapter 58

The sunset today came exceptionally red.

When Su Youfu got home, even the broken wall at his doorstep was illuminated red.

His face was the same.

Sheng Juanhua, who was feeding pigs in the backyard, heard someone entering the house. When she looked back, she saw the man of the house had returned.

Seeing he was still carrying a sack, her face was shocked. Had he not sold the things?

In order to make those things recently, her husband had been staying up until 3 AM every day, losing several jin. His leg pain had also flared up. If those things didn't sell...

Sheng Juanhua carried the bucket for feeding pigs back into the house, still revealing a smile on her face. Life must go on, whether bitter or sweet. In any case, don't wear a grieving face.

When she entered the house without even setting down the bucket, she did not expect the man of the house would actually come over to her, reaching out to lean on her.

It gave her a fright. Was it not broad daylight?

"Have you been drinking?"

"Just a little." Su Youfu mumbled.

On the way back walking into the village, he had inevitably encountered another round of ridicule again. With Su Youfu's limping figure, he had always been a regular target of ridicule in Gumula Village. Moreover, he only had one daughter, which was another focal point to mock him.

He was already used to it, but today he was very happy, especially happy. It was not worth telling others. Only after coming home and seeing his child's mother did he show it.

He hugged his wife in a silly way. Since he was actually shorter than his wife and had lost a lot of weight recently from overwork, the move seemed a bit ridiculous. Instead, it looked like a delicate woman was nestling against a tall man.

Sheng Juanhua was a bit taller and stronger.

Being embraced so emotionally by her husband, although no one was around, she still felt shy about it. They were in the kitchen, and the window was not sealed tightly either. There were people moving about outside. What if the neighbors saw?

"Sold out, all sold out. The price was very high - one basket could be sold for ten winnowing pans' worth of money." After Su Youfu said this, he even choked up.

Life had not beaten him down or made him cry easily, but at this moment, tears sprang from his eyes, wetting his wife's shoulders.

Sheng Juanhua had not expected to sell so much either. She was stunned.

"Really?"

"Mm, really. Our daughter went with me. She was waiting for me at the car early in the morning. Our daughter asked me to buy a cell phone. The boss will call next time. Our daughter can cook now. She's doing very well in the city," Su Youfu replied.

Sheng Juanhua took the phone her husband handed over and carefully looked at it once. Excitedly, she asked, "Can we call Xiao Qi?"

"We'll set a time to call her. She's probably busy now. I saw she's doing quite well at her aunt's place. Her aunt has taken on 7 students now and joined a swimming team."

"Swimming can be dangerous. Many people drown in Lv River every year." Hearing about the swimming, Sheng Juanhua became nervous again.

"No, they swim in pools inside houses, surrounded by people everywhere. Her aunt said it's safe. Kids today are different from our time," Su Youfu explained.

Just as the couple was speaking, there were footsteps outside the living room.

The two separated a little. Sheng Juanhua tucked the phone into her pocket.

The visitor didn't knock. They pushed the door open and came right in.

"Boss, boss!"

Hearing the voice, they knew it was Xiao Qi's grandmother, Su Youfu's own mother. She was the only one who called Su Youfu that.

Su Youfu was the eldest at home. The family had two younger brothers and three younger sisters. All three sisters were married out, one brother was married, and one was still single.

The old lady didn't often come. In previous years, they still lived together as a big family and had not split up. However, after Xiao Qi needed to attend middle school and Su Youfu did not earn enough, the old lady had made the decision as the head to split the family - which actually meant splitting the eldest son's family out while the rest still lived together.

Every year, the old lady demanded Su Youfu give living expenses and grain. For interpersonal dealings and the old lady falling ill and the like, the three brothers still needed to split costs evenly.

The old lady favored her younger sons, but the second eldest at home was more capable, smarter, and earned more money. She liked the eldest the least. The eldest had bodily defects and was silly. Moreover, he didn't even have a son. The old lady felt she could not rely on him and would come to make trouble for however much money she wanted whenever she wished. She felt justified taking money to send a worthless daughter to school rather than serving the old mother.

"Ma, what brings you here?"

The old lady still walked quite fast. She swished right in and sat down on the long bench in front of the dining table.

"Your uncle's family is taking a daughter-in-law this Saturday. You three brothers must each give me 500 yuan. As the auntie, I still need to take out red packets."

500 yuan per person, 1,500 yuan total from the three brothers. Sheng Juanhua was unhappy immediately. Had her mother-in-law lost her mind? For her husband's uncle's wedding back then, they didn't even want to come to their door and only threw them 10 yuan. Yet that same uncle had only given 200 yuan when the second uncle married a wife a few years ago. They came to eat and drink lavishly for many days, while saying city folk could not stand oily food. Yet they ate the most during meals.

Su Youfu also felt it was a bit much, but his mother had said clearly when they split the family that he would still need to pay obligations for interpersonal dealings.

"Ma, isn't 500 too much? I didn't even sell that many winnowing pans worth in the city today after peddling all day," Su Youfu still dared to retort.

He was honest and filial, but he still had some petty cunning of a small farmer. Otherwise, he would not have split the family back then either and lived alone, though more bitter. It was much more relaxed this way.

The old lady naturally didn't believe him and sized up Sheng Juanhua, spotting the red plastic slippers on her feet. She also flipped through the sack Su Youfu had carried back. There was no food inside, only some tattered books. She then launched into a scolding spree.

"Money to buy shoes, clothes, useless books, yet no money to treat your uncle's family to wine. You're heartless Goodman's family had been eaten by dogs.* When you go out, may you get hit by a car..."

This was the old lady's usual tactic, cursing while bringing calamity, without any regard for what others felt.

Su Youfu was helpless. In the end, he could only take out the 370 yuan on him and send his old mother away, saying he would borrow the remaining 130 yuan from someone.

As the old lady left, she instructed, "This Saturday, Xiao Qi is in the city, isn't she? She can attend the wedding banquet to represent us. I'll have your second brother bring the money. City banquets are expensive unlike our countryside. It's enough to send two family representatives."

The couple was left with emptied joy after being ransacked.

Su Youfu also had no alternative. His birth mother was just like this, scolding her own family the harshest yet only daring to scold her own.

She always felt that having married to the countryside herself while her sons still had no prospects in the countryside, she must give the city uncle gifts for every holiday, killing pigs and giving him fish, meat and vegetables. She always took these things for granted without even leaving them a meal, afraid the poor relatives might come to mooch.

"I'll start the fire. You make food," Su Youfu said as he sat by the stove.

Sheng Juanhua silently said nothing as she stood by the sink and started rinsing vegetables.

The phone felt heavy in her pocket.

*Idiomatic Chinese curse meaning extremely heartless