In those days, no family could afford to wear new clothes all the time. There's a common saying, "Mend and patch, it lasts another three years." Everyone's clothes, once torn, would be patched up. The older siblings would wear them first, then the younger ones, and so on down the line. Even worn-out rags were kept for patching shoes or making insoles.
However, at Bai Jianguo's house, look at Bai Mei. Her clothes were the subject of recent boasting by Hao Fang to the neighbors, claiming that her daughter was ready to start talking about marriage come autumn. Of course, a girl her age needs to be dressed up. She had been made a new outfit: a white blouse with tiny flowers, blue khaki pants, and a pair of black cloth shoes with white edges.
Many village girls were envious of Bai Mei. Everyone knew that the Bai Family had an older brother in the military. He could send them cloth coupons, grain coupons, meat coupons, and so on, while other families had to save for years and beg just to get fabric. But the Bai Family was different; after all, they had a brother serving in the army.
But when compared to the girl living next door, Bai Xiao, who wore black cloth shoes with two toes poking out, the disparity was stark. To have a girl her age wearing such shoes was a disgrace no village family would allow. Moreover, Bai Song had joined the army and the items he sent back, like cloth coupons, were of course intended for his sister. It made no sense to give them to a cousin instead. Even if they were shared, both girls should have been treated equally.
Thinking about Bai Xiao's life over the years, even in the bitter cold of winter, she would carry a shoulder pole to fetch water from the river a mile away every morning before dawn, regardless of the weather. Upon return, she'd cut pigweed, and likely had to prepare pig feed, feed the chickens, before she could shoulder her schoolbag to go to school. After school, she would often be seen washing clothes and cooking for the family late into the night, only then hanging up a large basin of laundry to dry.
As for Bai Mei, it was rare to see her doing any chores. She would usually sit around gossiping with the village girls, or sit by the courtyard door looking pretty and eating sunflower seeds.
It was hard to see how Bai Jianguo favored his niece.
With the grandmother and the younger uncle acting as they were, if it were said that the aunt was abusing her niece, it was hard to believe. The family lived together, yet for four years the child had never been allowed to sit at the table for a meal. She had to make do with the leftovers in the pot, adding some water and scraping it clean—that wasn't a meal, that was just washing out the pot.
Back in the sixties during the natural disasters, when people were starving, eating pot scrapings was understandable.
But now it was 1985, and although people couldn't be called wealthy, filling their bellies was certainly not a problem. They might not have meat and fish, but they could eat their fill. Furthermore, each year the Bai Jianguo family harvested their crops in bags upon bags. Yet he fed his niece nothing but pot scrapings.
Bai Jianguo's face turned red with embarrassment under those meaningful stares.
Bai Xiao was not going to let him off the hook this easily.
Clutching her fingers tightly, with a pale face she said, "Uncle, I know I can't compare to Bai Mei, Bai Shan, and the others, who's fault is it that my parents are gone? I can put up with being treated differently when it comes to food, drink, and clothes, and I know Uncle, that taking care of me is already making it difficult for you. But Grandma wants to beat me to death! If I hadn't run out, Uncle, would you have thought the same as Grandma, locking me up and beating me to death, then telling the villagers that I died of a fever? I know Grandma wants to beat me to death; otherwise, she wouldn't have hit me so mercilessly. I want to live. I know Grandma is not happy with me going to school. The university acceptance letter isn't even out yet, but she's already telling everyone that I didn't get in. My grades aren't bad; even the teachers say I have a good chance of getting accepted. Isn't it just because Grandma doesn't want to spend the money, thinking it's a waste on me? In that case, Uncle Village Chief, I'm already eighteen. Just let me move back into our house. I can take care of myself. I won't be a burden to Grandma and Uncle!"
Bai Xiao really wanted to leave the Bai Family. Before, she was too young, and her siblings couldn't do anything about it—they couldn't let her live alone. But now that she was eighteen, she was fully capable of living on her own. Most importantly, their own house would be sold by Uncle at the end of the year for three hundred dollars. Then their family would truly have nothing left. Why should Bai Jianguo get to sell their house to get money for his own children to spend?
Upon hearing this, Bai Jianguo almost jumped up in shock, his eyes instantly filled with rage, but he could only hastily deny it.
"Xiao, how can you think this way about Uncle? Don't you know in your heart how Uncle has treated you? Have I ever hit or scolded you over these years?" He was trying to divert the issue.
Unfortunately for the clever Bai Jianguo, he had an unreliable mother. Li Chunhua had already dashed out, grabbed Bai Xiao by the arm, and unfortunately grabbed her right where her wound was, causing Bai Xiao to shiver with pain.
Wang Da Nai pulled Li Chunhua away, "What are you doing? Can't you see the child is hurt and you still want to beat her to death?" Her eyes were full of disapproval; Wang Da Niang detested those who bullied the meek and feared the strong.
Bullying a child without parents, what kind of behavior was that? People couldn't understand; wasn't Bai Xiao the biological daughter of Li Chunhua's eldest son?
Li Chunhua, hearing this damn girl constantly comparing herself to her older grandchildren and criticizing her in front of strangers, didn't even think before she angrily turned red in the face and cursed, "By heavens and earth, Wang Da Nai, how can I be seen as in this village after so many years? People might not know, but you, as an old person, do know, right? This girl is talking nonsense with all her might. It's bad enough she doesn't listen at home, but just because I saw her wasting food, she ran out to make up lies everywhere.
How could I want to beat you to death? It was just an accident. What household doesn't accidentally hit a child too hard? If every child screamed about dying and splitting up the family every time this happened, who would dare raise children? You ungrateful wretch!"
Bai Xiao turned to the side, letting everyone see her arm, and said to Li Chunhua, "Grandma, is this what you call an accident? Just because last night I refused to follow Auntie's sister to work and earn money for the family, you took up a fire poker and beat me without reason, and the wound on my head hasn't even healed properly! Now I'm still running a high fever, and you want my life over an egg and a little wheat flour.
In the four years since I've been with Uncle, I haven't eaten a single egg or a bite of white flour. I always eat what you leave behind. Forget white flour, even cornmeal buns are not left for me. Grandma, are you really my grandmother? If you are my real grandmother, then why do you treat Bai Mei, Bai Shan, and Bai Zhuang the same way, and me differently? If I'm not really your grandchild, can I leave? I'm only eighteen. I don't want to die without understanding why." She almost shouted this last sentence, tears streaming down incessantly.
She knew she wasn't biologically related to the Bai Family, but Li Chunhua was too cruel. To sell her off under the pretense of being her real mother was worse than death. How could she not demand an explanation in this lifetime?