A century of poverty

Chapter 115 Ignition

After we moved in, Su Zhijuan came over and looked us around: "Not bad! It's spacious and nice. You guys have to treat us to a meal now that you've moved into your new house! We should all have a feast sometime!"

Zhiqiang: "Okay, which day do you want?"

Su Zhijuan: "Next Sunday?"

Zhiqiang: "Okay, tell everyone to come that day."

The new house has three main rooms. A two-meter-wide corridor leads from the entrance to a spacious living room, a kitchen to the east, and a large kang (heated brick bed) in the east room. The west room is currently empty, without a sofa or bed.

There are four tables in the hall that don't touch each other, let alone two tables today.

Zhiqiang and I were busy cooking. Our nieces and nephews, Su Zi and Su Lixin, were helping to look after the shop.

Chicken, fish, and meat were plentiful, and Zhiqiang even got up early to catch two or three pounds of crabs in the river, which was the family's favorite. I picked out the biggest and fattest one and put it in my father-in-law's bowl.

Zhiqiang was toasting his brother and brother-in-law at the men's table when Su Hongyuan said listlessly, "Don't pour me any, I won't drink."

8.26

Zhiqiang's arm, holding the wine bottle, stopped. Su Zhijuan: "Yes! Going to Shenyang next week."

Su Zhichun: "What's wrong?"

Su Zhijuan: "There's something growing in my throat, pharynx—I'm going to Shenyang for a diagnosis."

Su Zhichun: "Oh my god! Could it be..."

"Everyone, take a little money. I'll take five hundred." Saying this, she got up, took her handbag from the coat hanger, took out her wallet, and pulled out five large blue-edged bills. "Here you go, big sister."

Black Singh: "I have three hundred here."

Everyone readily contributed their money. I went behind the shop's money storage door, took out three hundred, and returned to place it in front of Su Zhijuan: "Don't think it's too little, sister; it's a token of our appreciation."

Su Zhijuan pretended to be in a heavy mood as she collected the money.

Just then, Su Long rushed up to me and said, "This is terrible! Come quick! Su Guangxi and his men have set the gatehouse on fire!"

After saying that, he ran ahead, and we immediately followed him to the west courtyard and the outer room. We saw a pile of straw burning fiercely by the stove, and the flames were catching fire on the roof. Su Guangxi, Cao Erfeng, and Cao Erlei stared blankly, terrified by the scene before them.

Su Zhiguang and Su Zhijuan, who were running at the front, quickly splashed water on the roof. Before the water was completely extinguished, they rushed forward to carry the straw out. They also splashed several basins of water onto the roof.

After witnessing all of this, the three boys stood there dumbfounded.

Their aunt criticized them, saying, "You three are older than everyone else, but you're not as good as the little one who knows to inform the adults. You just stand there staring blankly."

The three mothers looked at their children with resentment and remained silent.

After a while, everything will be fine, and everyone will come over.

I picked up the bowls and chopsticks, and Zhiqiang set out the mahjong set.

With the mahjong set up, both men and women beamed with joy.

Su Lei: "I'm not playing today, I'll sit here with my wife and play mahjong."

Su Zhichun rolled up his sleeves to arrange the cards, revealing a large gold bracelet.

He excitedly introduced, "It weighs seventy grams, a big gold bracelet, which my husband Su Lei just made for me."

My heart skipped a beat. Seventy grams, exactly the weight I lost, and the time was relative.

Su Lei chimed in, "Wife, even if we stop earning money, isn't it enough for you and the kids to live on for a lifetime?"

Su Zhichun asked in a coquettish voice, "Where's the money? Where's the money, hmm?" As she spoke, she used her shoulder to cuddle with Su Lei.

Su Zhijuan played a card: "East Wind, Su Yi is going abroad next month, her passport has already been processed."

Blackie drew a card and played one: "We still have to get things done over there, right?"

Su Zhichun: "It's a must to treat everyone, but we can't just eat for free! Big sister is really capable."

Su Zhijuan: "There is only one spot available in the entire province."

Su Zhiqian: "Which country?"

Su Zhijuan: "Africa."

Su Kai stood to the side with a gloomy face: "You guys get all the good things." Normally, Su Kai wouldn't dare to say such a thing, but now it's different. Under the constant suppression of his older brother and sister, he and Zheng Mei have divorced.

Zhang Guozhi: "Your third niece is graduating soon, her aunt will arrange things for her then."

Su Zhijuan: "We don't have that ability, let's go find her father-in-law instead."

Not long after, Su Zhichun, dressed in ordinary black clothes, without makeup, carrying a cloth bag, came out of their courtyard and into my shop.

I greeted her, "Big sister's here?"

Su Zhichun: "Hmm, I came to take a look at the house." After saying that, he sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the counter.

Just then, a customer came in, and I came over after I finished selling my goods.

"Why did you have time to come over today, older sister?" Su Zhichun asked gloomily. "Su Lei divorced me, and the west wing house is mine now."

A sobbing voice: "He's over forty and wants to divorce me, huh—?"

Me: "Everything was fine last week, how could they just get a divorce like that?"

Su Zhichun: "He already has someone else outside, and he's always going to hotels to pick up prostitutes and doesn't come home. Otherwise, why would I just quit being the accountant for the brigade?"

"I gave him a daughter and a son, which is not as good as a prostitute—" Su Zhichun burst into tears.

I stood beside her, put my arm around her shoulder, and said, "It's okay, don't be afraid, it'll be alright, it'll be alright." I took a pack of tissues from the counter, opened it, and handed it to her.

The new house was built, and my father-in-law was the first to move in, because it was my family's turn.

The three of us live and eat at the store; it's not convenient for us to live in a large room.

Rheumatism is known as the "cancer that doesn't kill." Although I tried many treatments in previous years, the disease was never cured; it only provided temporary relief. Rheumatism still caused a lot of pain when I moved around.

It's been over a year, and I've had back and leg pain again, which has recently spread to my arms. I bought some scallions a while ago, and they're almost dry. I put them away and bundled them up. I tried to tuck the slightly damp scallion leaves inside, but my arms were too weak to do so.

The first snow of 1997 arrived just in time for the solar term.

In November, snowflakes began to fall, fluttering down. The weather was gloomy and cold. I wasn't used to this kind of weather.

For various reasons, the small kitchen in the store was not connected to a water pipe, so people had to go up to the main room to fetch water for cooking.

I called out, "Zhiqiang, I'll mind the shop. Go to the main room and fetch me a bucket of water; it's time to cook!"

Zhiqiang stood there, oblivious and unsteady.

At this moment, the father-in-law was playing cards on the kang (heated brick bed) in the shop, angrily saying: "What kind of person is someone who can't even carry water while cooking? Getting up early every day makes me feel like a sparrow following a night owl, working from dawn till dusk."

"Wang Erjie is in the North Building, her eyes brimming with tears—" she said, turning her head and uttering a line from a folk opera.

My heart was heavy with anxiety. I picked up the bucket and went up to the main house myself. I slipped and slid up three steps to get half a bucket of water, which I poured into the large plastic bucket here. Then I went to get another bucket. That was just enough for a few people to cook with.

In the afternoon, my father-in-law suddenly asked us for money: "Pay back the money you borrowed to build the house!"

Zhiqiang: "The money hasn't come through yet, how can I pay you back? Didn't we agree when we lent it that I could only pay you back after the Gregorian calendar year was up and the other party paid me back?"

Father-in-law: "I don't care, just give me the money."

I said, "Dad, it's really not due yet. They haven't paid us back, and we can't give you the money. If you don't believe me, Zhiqiang, take me to Wang Xiaojie's house. He hasn't paid us back yet."

Zhiqiang: "Okay, let's go!"

The father and son went to Wang Xiaojie's house together. Wang Xiaojie said politely, "Grandpa, it's not due yet. I haven't paid back my fourth uncle, not because he doesn't want to pay you back. Don't worry! My fourth uncle and aunt aren't like that!"

Zhiqiang: "Did you hear that? Go home!"

The next day, my father-in-law somehow got hold of a donkey cart, loaded it with our timber, and drove off. A little while later, he came back to load more. I hurriedly asked, "What are you doing with this? We'll need it to build the front house!"

The father-in-law stretched out his hand: "Fine, you can stop me from pulling, but give me back the money!"

Me: "Aren't you short of money? I just got back from Wang Xiaojie's place, and I haven't paid him back yet. We need to have it to pay you back!"

Father-in-law: "Then don't block me from pulling the log."

Me: "No, you can't keep doing that. It's not that we don't want to pay you back."

Father-in-law: "Get out of my way!"

I don't!"

Father-in-law: "If you don't move, I'll smash the window!" With that, he grabbed a sledgehammer from the wall, rushed to the window, swung the sledgehammer, and brought it down.

I rushed forward to try and stop him, but it was too late; I only managed to grab his green military overcoat.

"Crash! Crash—" The double-layered aluminum alloy window was smashed through.

I stood there, stunned. After smashing the hammer, my father-in-law threw it down, grabbed his coat, and strode away.

I stood there, stunned, wondering what was happening before my eyes...

Zhiqiang stayed inside the shop, neither coming out nor speaking.

I stood under the window for a long time.

Watching the snowflakes drift gently into the house with the help of the wind.

"Mom, I'm cold." The child leaned against my leg. I didn't know when the child entered the hospital or how long he had been standing with me under the window.

I wiped my eyes and sobbed, "Don't be afraid, wait, Mom will find some cardboard to cover the windows." After saying that, I went into the house and emptied out two wine crates, then took a large bundle of transparent tape and went to the kang (heated brick bed) in the main room.

Su Long: "I'll help you!"

Me: "No need, you stand aside and watch, don't get your hand cut by the glass shards."

It was getting dark. For the sake of my child, I reluctantly cooked some rice porridge and served it to them.

After picking up the bowl, I said to Zhiqiang, "Close the door, let's go to Wang Xiaojie's house. We have to make him pay us back, no matter what. We can't afford to ignore this creditor!"