Mother Qi felt she must have been insane to listen to her youngest daughter’s bad advice and go along with her ploy, to use such a self-harming strategy.
A bucket of ice-cold water was poured over her head, and Mother Qi shivered uncontrollably.
Oh, what a sin, it was the time for the late spring chill. Bathing in cold water, wouldn’t it be strange if it didn’t make her sick?
But Fengping had said that being sick was exactly the point, so she could rightfully move back home. Without this extreme measure, it just wouldn’t work, otherwise, she might as well just apologize to Cheng Su.
Apologize? This was about determining the pecking order at home in the future, the authority behind her words; she would rather endure the cold water than do that!
Another bucket of water was poured, and Mother Qi nearly screamed aloud, her teeth chattering with a click-click sound, as she looked at Qi Fengping and said, "Pingping, enough, okay? That’s two or three buckets now, it’s really cold."
"Mom, you need to think this through. You’ve always been healthy, rarely even catching a cold. Now, just two buckets of cold water, what’s that? If you can’t break out in fever now, how can it be called a sickness? Wouldn’t we have to do it all over again? Would you want that?" said Qi Fengping.
Do it all over again? Undergo another cold water dousing? It would be better to endure enough at once!
Mother Qi hugged herself, gritted her teeth, and said, "Fine, pour a few more buckets then!" Truly sinful, she had never suffered like this in her life.
Qi Fengping picked up another bucket of water and threw it over.
Mother Qi yelled, jumping up and down, "I’m freezing to death, freezing to death! That damned Cheng Su, it’s all her fault. If not for her, why would I have to endure such torment? Pity me at my old age, still suffering like this."
In her eyes, it was all Cheng Su’s fault, a wife who was a poor match!
She then cursed Father Qi and Qi Taiguo, accusing them of being bewitched, favoring outsiders over her wellbeing.
After several buckets of water, Mother Qi couldn’t take it anymore. She really wanted to rush inside and change clothes immediately; the suffering was just too much.
"Mom, for the sake of going home, you must endure," seeing through her intentions, Qi Fengping said.
Mother Qi was in extreme agony, hugging herself, shivering violently.
"Take a look, am I getting hot?" asked Mother Qi, unable to wait any longer.
Qi Fengping checked and said, "Not yet!"
"Not yet?" Mother Qi’s face darkened, "Why do I feel unwell then!"
"It’s true, you’re not hot yet, it doesn’t happen that quickly. Mom, go inside and wait. Fan yourself a bit, it’ll help you heat up faster!" With things still to do, Qi Fengping said, "I have something to deal with, I’ll come back to check on you in a while."
"Hey, where are you going? What if I start getting a fever and you’re not here? What should I do?" Mother Qi grabbed her, not letting her go, fearful for her life. If this girl went crazy and forgot about her, what would happen if she got seriously ill and no one knew? Would she not be left to die?
Although Mother Qi had resorted to a self-suffering ruse, she certainly didn’t intend to risk her own life.
Qi Fengping shook off her hand and said, "Mom, stop bothering, I’ll be back soon, very soon," and then she ran off in a flash.
Mother Qi was furious, yet helpless, and had to go inside the house.
She wanted to change clothes but remembered her daughter’s words. Not wanting all the previous effort to go to waste, she endured until her lips turned purple from the cold and she lost all feeling in her body, then she finally, trembling, changed her clothes.
Still, she was very cold, extremely cold.
Mother Qi could no longer care. She lay down on the bed, covered herself with blankets, shivered in the cocoon of her bedding, cursed Cheng Su a thousand times in her heart, until gradually her consciousness blurred and she fell into a faint sleep.