Chapter 38: Resentment

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Meng Dazhu felt embarrassed and tugged her toward a less crowded spot.
“What are you doing! You hurt my hand!” Sister Guiying shook off his hand, rubbing her wrist, her face dark with displeasure.
Meng Dazhu flashed the same expression as his mother. “You still feel pain? Who isn’t working? You just talk too much! Everyone’s laughing!”
“Did I say something wrong?” Sister Guiying snapped back angrily. “Am I not doing it for the good of the family? Every busy season before, the Song family would hire you to help out, earning more than thirty wen in two days—half for my mother, half saved for the kid’s schooling.”
“Now that she’s here, there’s nothing at all.”
“So what if there’s nothing?” Meng Dazhu didn’t buy it at all. “I have hands and feet, it’s not like I can’t support the kid. Stop making a fuss and watch your mouth.”
After speaking, Meng Dazhu went back to breaking apart his corn stalks, leaving Sister Guiying standing alone, her eyes red with anger.
She glanced at Meng Dazhu, then at the mocking faces of the people watching nearby, clenching her teeth tightly.
She was clearly doing it for her own family—why did no one understand?
Thinking this, Sister Guiying’s gaze fell once more on Huanya not far away.
It was all her fault. If it weren’t for Huanya, none of this would have happened! It was all her fault!
No one saw it, but the look Sister Guiying cast at Huanya was like a poisoned dagger.

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Huanya didn’t realize that Sister Guiying was blaming her again. She just focused on her work, turning over the corn stalks in the two-acre field. It took an hour to finish.
“Finally done!”
She stretched lazily, looking at the freshly turned corn stalks in the field and then at the half-full basket of corn kernels she’d gathered, feeling quite pleased.
“Huanya? Working?”
A familiar voice made Huanya look up. Seeing Sixth Aunt Li standing on the ridge, she smiled and nodded. “Ah, Auntie, are you heading back?”
“Yes, going all the way.”
Huanya hesitated for a moment at Sixth Aunt Li’s invitation, but recalling how well her aunt treated Sixth Aunt Li, she smiled and nodded. “Alright then.”
Seeing her agree, Sixth Aunt Li waited on the ridge.
Noticing the girl was sweating profusely, her face bandaged, she pulled out a handkerchief and offered it. “Wipe your face.”
Huanya shook her head, wiping her face with her sleeve instead, not forgetting to thank Sixth Aunt Li.

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“No need to thank me,” Sixth Aunt Li chuckled. “You and your aunt are alike—always so polite.”
Huanya smiled softly and followed behind Sixth Aunt Li.
As they walked, their conversation was casual. Sixth Aunt Li spoke with tact, never asking where Huanya came from or her connection to the Song family, only commenting on the heavy, humid weather that seemed ready to burst into rain.
Huanya nodded and then said, “Auntie, if your family is too busy, I can come help.”
Sixth Aunt Li was momentarily surprised but soon realized the girl was trying to be kind.
She smiled and shook her head. “No need, we don’t have many people or much land. If you have time, rest more. Don’t keep working so hard.”
Huanya blinked. “I’m not tired.”
“Maybe not now, but what about later?” Sixth Aunt Li tilted her head and looked at her. “When I was young, I thought I had endless energy, but now that I’m older, my back aches and my legs don’t move as fast. It’s all because I didn’t rest properly when I was young.”
She turned back to Huanya. “Keep an eye on your aunt too—she works herself to death!”
Huanya sighed, feeling even more warmly toward Sixth Aunt Li.