Xiao Mandong went to the obstetrics and gynecology department, found Lin Wenya, returned the cleaned lunchbox, and took the opportunity to ask Lin Wenya to pass along a message to the police comrades that there was no need to pick her up tomorrow morning—she would go directly to the alley near the black market to find them.
Lin Wenhui had barely eaten or drunk anything and had clearly grown noticeably thinner. Xiao Mandong said none of the usual comforting words—when a child was missing, no amount of talking would do any good.
As she walked out of Lin Wenhui's ward, she saw Wang Meixia, pale-faced, supported by Wang Yuanyuan, a white cotton cloth belt cinched tight around her lower abdomen, her left hand pressing above the belt as she shuffled forward in tiny steps, every movement seeming to cause her great pain.
Wang Meixia spotted Xiao Mandong at the same moment, and her eyes immediately reddened: "Mandon, can we talk?"
This was the first time since they'd met that Wang Meixia had spoken to her in such a measured tone, and Xiao Mandong was curious to hear what she had to say.
Back in the ward, Wang Meixia was helped onto the bed by Wang Yuanyuan, who then sent Old Lady Wang and Wang Yuanyuan out of the room.
Xiao Mandong sat down on a nearby stool, waiting quietly for Wang Meixia to speak.
"Mandon, Mom knows you hold a grudge against me. You haven't lived my life, you don't understand my regrets. I met Zheng Chao when I was seventeen. Back then, your grandmother played favorites and the family was poor—your uncle couldn't even get enough to eat, let alone me. Every day I filled my stomach with wild vegetable water, not a single grain in it. One day, I was starving so badly that I went up the mountain to look for food, and I ran into a sixty-year-old bachelor in the village. He'd caught a wild pheasant and was roasting it. I knelt down right in front of him and begged him to give me a bite. I was so hungry!" Wang Meixia wept as she spoke.
"The old bachelor slipped his hand into my clothes... I took the chicken leg and devoured it. At that moment, food was all that mattered to me—I didn't care what he did with me. I just wanted to be full. Just as he was about to assault me, Zheng Chao appeared. He hit the old man's leg with a stick, and the old man limped off fleeing. But not long after, the old man's cousins came together and beat Zheng Chao until he was unrecognizable. He was unconscious for three whole days before he woke up. From then on, he would steal chickens and dogs to get me food. And that was also when I fell for him. But your grandmother wouldn't let me marry him."
Xiao Mandong cut her off: "Since you know what it's like to go hungry, to the point where you might sell yourself for a mouthful of food, why did you still withhold Xiao Manxue's money and ration tickets? Do you know she didn't have a single cent? How was she supposed to survive at the educated youth settlement?"
"Her money was swindled away by Wang Yuanyuan, and she used the last bit of money in her pocket to buy stamps and write to you for help—where were you then? Do you know that when I went to find her that day, she was being beaten? Do you know she nearly got raped by Cripple Liu in the village? Do you know that because no one in her family wrote to her, she was ostracized by everyone and left utterly helpless? Your so-called love for your daughter was just letting her fend for herself out there. Did you ever say to Xiao Manxue a single word of what you told Wang Yuanyuan? Since you've lived through that kind of life, shouldn't you, of all people, put yourself in your daughter's shoes?"
Xiao Mandong's words struck home one after another. Wang Meixia's lips quivered for a long time: "I really didn't know it had gotten that bad. She only wrote that she had no money—she didn't tell me anything else. If she had told me, would I have ignored it? After all, she's flesh of my flesh. Your grandmother said she had work points to exchange for food and wouldn't starve. Your father gave her money—if she got herself swindled, shouldn't she have learned a lesson?"
"Hah," Xiao Mandong let out a cold laugh. "How much in work points could she earn? Work points only get settled at year's end. Getting her money stolen was her own fault for not seeing the Wang family for what they are. As for Xiao Manxue's family background—no one was supposed to know about it. It was your precious niece who spread it around at the educated youth settlement and nearly pushed Xiao Manxue into the abyss. I'll settle that score with her sooner or later! You resent your own mother, but have you ever looked in the mirror? Aren't you exactly the same? In fact, you're worse—at least she never spent money on a kept man."
Xiao Mandong truly didn't understand—what was Wang Meixia trying to achieve by playing the victim? Sympathy?
Wang Meixia wiped the tears from her face: "Those things have already happened. There's no point in saying anything now. I'll do my best to make it up to Manxue. I won't hurt her again."
"How will you make it up? Return that thousand yuan to her?"
"Xiao Mandong, I'm your mother. Why do you always have to be so confrontational? You two are flesh of my flesh—how could I not love you? I admit, before, I had lost my head, trying at my age to make up for the regrets of my youth, and I didn't put myself in Manxue's shoes. But now I've come to my senses. Daughters are the ones who truly care for you. I've decided that I'll live together with you sisters and won't leave. I can wash your clothes, cook your meals, and take care of you."
She could see that Zheng Chao wasn't as wonderful as she'd imagined. After going back, with his salary of just over thirty yuan a month supporting a whole family, she'd still have to supplement it. In the six months since marrying Zheng Chao, she'd had more than enough of serving his two children. And this child of theirs was sickly—would surely need medicinal soups. Only by living with Xiao Mandong, who understood traditional medicine and could help with her recuperation, would the child have a chance. And her own body—who knew what state it would end up in? In short, only by staying with her two daughters could her life get better.
"Do you plan to divorce Zheng Chao and give the child to him?"
Wang Meixia froze. Divorce? How could she possibly divorce? She'd already divorced once. If she divorced again, wouldn't she be drowned in people's gossip? And giving the child to Zheng Chao—that was absolutely out of the question. It was a child she had endured great pain to give birth to. Besides, Zheng Chao was a grown man with a job—how could he possibly raise a child?
"Mandon, I can't divorce again. If I divorced twice, I'd truly be talked to death. And the child is so small—I just can't bear it..."
"So you won't divorce, and you won't give the child back to the Zheng family. You're planning to have me support Zheng Chao's wife and children? You really are a thoughtful mother who has my best interests at heart."
"If you want to live with us, that's not out of the question. Get divorced, give the child back to the Zheng family, bring Xiao Manxue's money and Xiao Zhenyu's money with you, and I'll take care of you for the rest of your life—I guarantee you'll eat well and live well."
Wang Meixia could barely suppress her fury. If she could get the money, why would she be groveling like this? Why would she have such cold-hearted daughters? She was a daughter too, and she had always been obedient to Old Lady Wang. They were both daughters—why couldn't they learn from her?
Wang Meixia was about to say more, but Xiao Mandong cut her off:
"I heard from Wang Yuanyuan that Xiao Zhenyu isn't my biological brother? Can you explain that? Whose child is Xiao Zhenyu, and where is my real brother?"
