Lin Fengying had to weed the fields early in the morning, so she didn’t return home until the sun was up. Breakfast was served late. She had just bitten into her mixed-grain pancake when Tong Yao walked into the yard.
For a moment, she was speechless. When she realized who it was, she quickly called out to Tong Yao to come inside. "Yaoyao, have you eaten? Why are you alone? Didn’t Xiaochen come with you?" It had been more than a month since she had last seen her elder son, and although Lin Fengying wouldn’t admit it, she missed him deeply.
When Si Xiaohui saw Tong Yao, she snorted disdainfully and continued eating her pancake without standing up. It was clear from her expression that she did not like Tong Yao.
Si Boyi, on the other hand, blushed. He had not been expecting Tong Yao to return abruptly, and he had not changed out of his dirty work clothes covered in grass stains, which were a stark contrast to Tong Yao’s clean and neat attire.
"Mom, I’ve already eaten. Ahchen is chatting with the village women," Tong Yao tried to cheer up Lin Fengying. At least there was someone in her house who was happy to see her return.
"Yaoyao, sit down and have a little more. I’ll get some chopsticks for you."
Lin Fengying tried to usher Tong Yao to the seat, but Tong Yao held her back, making her sit down instead.
"Mom, sit down and eat! We’ve really already eaten."
"You should eat just a little more..."
Feeling embarrassed about Tong Yao just standing aside while the three of them ate, Lin Fengying wanted to urge her some more, but Si Xiaohui interrupted cynically: "Mom, she’s used to eating fancy city food, not coarse grains like us. Stop fussing over her. Is my big brother’s monthly salary insufficient for her?"
Si Xiaohui had expected that Tong Yao would be driven out of the city, but instead, not only was she not sent back, but her older brother also stopped contributing to the family. She saw this as a case of forgetting one’s roots once one is married.
"What kind of speech is that?" Lin Fengying shot Si Xiaohui a glare, "Can’t you even keep your mouth shut while you’re eating?"
Si Boyi also added, "Xiaohui, she’s our sister-in-law. Show her some respect."
"Enough! We’re just uneducated country folks. What’s the point in pretending to be refined?" Not understanding the charm that won over her family, Si Xiaohui stared fiercely at Tong Yao, slammed her chopsticks down on the table, and said angrily, "I’m done eating!"
With that, she stood up and went straight back to Tong Yao’s bridal suite.
Lin Fengying looked awkwardly at Tong Yao, worried that she was upset and hastened to explain, "Yaoyao, don’t be angry. Xiaohui has been mistreated as an apprentice elsewhere recently, and she’s in a bad mood."
Her mother shouldn’t indulge Si Xiaohui like this. She had become increasingly unruly. Si Boyi knew what Si Xiaohui was implying with her words, and a trace of anger surfaced on his face.
If Tong Yao hadn’t been there, he would certainly have dragged Si Xiaohui out for an explanation.
Just then, Si Chen came back from outside, pushing his bicycle. Seeing that everyone looked upset, he parked his bike and walked into the house, raising his eyebrows as he asked, "What happened?"
"Big brother."
Although Si Chen wasn’t usually the quick-tempered type, as the eldest brother, he carried an authoritative air. Si Boyi respected and feared him like a student respects a teacher.
"Xiaohui was rude to Yaoyao just now," Lin Fengying did not blatantly favor Si Xiaohui, and directly stated the truth.
While Tong Yao was initially unhappy with Si Xiaohui, Lin Fengying’s agreeing with her soothed her frustration. "Oh well, it’s not a big deal, Mom. Don’t worry, I’m not angry," she chimed in.
Upon hearing Tong Yao say this, Lin Fengying breathed a sigh of relief. She thought that Tong Yao had indeed changed. Presumably, things were going well between her and Xiaochen. As a mother, seeing her son and daughter-in-law getting along well was certainly something to be happy about. However, it brought about a twinge of sadness as well.
She had painstakingly raised three children. Now that her children had built families of their own, she had become a solitary figure.
When Si Chen heard of Si Xiaohui’s rude behavior towards Tong Yao, he knitted his brows. "What happened to Xiaohui?"
Over the phone, Lin Fengying had only briefly mentioned what happened to Si Xiaohui. Being the elder brother, he was quite concerned about his little sister.
Tong Yao, too, looked at Lin Fengying with curiosity. How could an apprentice be bullied?
Could it be that the teacher was a lascivious man?
This being said, what Tong Yao disliked the most about Si Xiaohui was her ability to show dominance at home, while backing down completely when dealing with outsiders. How could such a person achieve much in life?
"Oh dear." Lin Fengying sighed heavily before she could even start telling the story. "A while ago, Lijuan’s uncle got her a job as an apprentice at a tailor shop. Xiaohui wanted to go as well. I figured it would be good for her to learn a skill, so I bought some pork for the tailor as a gift, and sent Xiaohui over there."
"Unfortunately, the tailor didn’t teach her anything. He treated Xiaohui like a nanny, making her cook, clean, wash the laundry, and look after his child. A few days ago, Xiaohui was not careful, and the child fell and bumped his head. The tailor’s wife blamed Xiaohui for not watching the child properly and slapped her across the face."
After being beaten, Si Xiaohui returned home, crying. As she dwelled on these recent events, feeling more wronged by the minute, she began to take out her frustration on her family. That was the gist of what had happened.
In the 1980s, craftsmanship was highly valued. Anyone capable of starting their own business was seen as a promising marriage prospect.
However, there were very few apprentices who were taught properly. Most were treated like Si Xiaohui: used for housekeeping chores all day, while only being taught basic skills by those few with a conscience. Evidently, Si Xiaohui’s employer had none.
Tong Yao wasn’t surprised by Si Xiaohui’s experience. Given Si Xiaohui’s stubborn personality, it would be strange if she didn’t encounter any difficulties. Moreover, she was going with Zhang Lijuan. Without Zhang’s quick wit and cunning, she would definitely be bullied mercilessly.
Fearing that Si Chen would assume that he hadn’t looked after his sister well, Si Boyi chimed in, "I wanted to confront the tailor for Xiaohui, but she absolutely forbade it. She even threatened to kill herself if I went."
After hearing about the ordeal Si Xiaohui had been through, Si Chen remained silent for a moment before asking, "Where’s Xiaohui now?"
"She is in her room." Lin Fengying pointed towards the house.
Si Chen pressed his thin lips together, "You all continue eating first, we can talk after."
This issue was not something that could be resolved instantly. Lin Fengying could only nod, "Xiaohui has always listened to you. Do try to counsel her more later."
Si Chen casually added, "Xiaohui is not a child anymore. She should know how to behave."
Tong Yao glanced at Si Chen. From his tone, he didn’t seem to be planning to mediate for Si Xiaohui, but sounded more like he was back to educate her.
However, Si Xiaohui’s behavior did indeed call for some education. She constantly provoked Tong Yao and lacked basic manners. Earlier, Si Xiaohui had moved into the bridal room so comfortably that Tong Yao suspected Si Xiaohui had moved in. She had left many of her things there and wondered if Si Xiaohui had moved them.