Volume One, Chapter Five: The Widowed Mother Abandoned by Her Sons in the Year of Famine 5 [Expression]
“Good, Sanbao!” Mo Mo was delighted and promptly rewarded ten large submarines with a flick of her hand.
By the time she came to her senses, they had already kowtowed dozens of times. Only then did she wipe her tears and speak slowly.
“Uncle Qingxiang, last night, it was snowing so heavily, and I was thrown onto the floor of the old house. I was so cold I nearly followed Brother Zhuzi to the grave. The wind cut through me, sharp and chilling, and I thought I might as well give up. But then my little Sanbao found me, calling out ‘Mother’ again and again, bringing me back.
I’ve already died once; I will never live under the same roof as those two scoundrels again. I want to split the family!”
Chen Qingxiang and the two elders nodded in agreement—it was exactly what they expected.
Mo Mo continued, “After Brother Zhuzi left, the deed to the house was written in my name. I only want this house. The eight acres of land at home can be split evenly between those two—I don’t want any of it. The two acres of vegetable garden behind the yard are enough for Sanbao and me to live on.
After all, I raised them once; even if they are unfilial, I cannot be unkind. There isn’t much money at home, or we wouldn’t be in such hardship. There’s no need to distinguish between the eldest and second sons—each of them will get twenty taels of silver.
They can take whatever bowls, chopsticks, and farming tools they want. There are only 300 jin of grain left; each family will get 100 jin. I have done all I can today—I will move out of my own house!
From now on, I don’t expect their filial piety. I have my sons and daughters—A Ling and A Cai will take care of me.”
Having spoken all at once about the division of the family, she fell silent.
A Cai was anxious and wanted to say something, but Mo Mo comforted him with a pat on the hand, and he held back, thinking that his mother must have her reasons.
(Of course she has reasons—soon a drought will come. What land will be worth planting then? They’ll have to move to the mountains anyway. If you have space, why bother with land?)
The village chief and elders found nothing wrong with her words and agreed, witnessing the family division. They called the village’s old scholar to come and draft the deed for the split.
Normally, the village wouldn’t so easily consent to a family division, but these two were truly unworthy sons, hardly human at all!
If the village chief had his way, he would have just given them a few jin of grain and kicked them out. But the wives and children were innocent; they couldn’t be left to suffer alongside them.
He also admired the daughter-in-law’s motherly kindness.
Chen Qiang and Chen Zhuang had been secretly complaining, but they hadn’t expected that after doing such things, their mother would still be willing to give them so much.
Feeling guilty, they both called out together, “Mother—”
“Unfilial sons, you have wronged me!” Mo Mo turned her head away from them, but in her mind, she was cursing wildly.
“What kind of people are you! You really think all milk is mother’s milk, huh? Ha! If I really gave them nothing and kicked them out, they might sneak in at night and kill me!”
Sanbao agreed wholeheartedly, raising a paw in approval.
---
Soon, the old scholar from the village arrived and completed the family division deed in triplicate. Under the village chief’s direction, they each stamped their seal, completing the formalities.
Mo Mo called her youngest son, “A Cai, go see off the village chief and elders.”
“All right, Mother.”
Everyone gradually dispersed.
The eldest and second sons’ families also packed up and prepared to settle temporarily in the old house. Though dilapidated, it was better than sleeping on the streets. After all, Mother lived there one night and was still lively.
Originally, when the father of the original owner lived with Chen Zhuzi, each had a room. So, squeezing in, two families could live together.
Mo Mo felt something round placed in her palm.
Looking down, she saw Da Hua had secretly placed a black-faced steamed bun in her hand, then shyly said:
“Grandma, I hid this last night for you to eat.
Hua’er misses you so much. Don’t you want Hua’er anymore?”
The four-year-old child was thin and small, with large, startling eyes on her pretty face.
Her ill-fitting clothes hung loosely, and her wrists were as thin as twigs. Mo Mo’s heart suddenly ached.
Since giving birth to Chen Da, the eldest son and daughter-in-law had paid even less attention to their daughter.
When the original owner was at home, Da Hua stuck to her every day, helping with chores.
Mo Mo took the bun, then turned and pulled out a small flower cloth from her space. She spread it out, adding two cornmeal buns and two pieces of milk candy, wrapping them up carefully.
She placed the small flower bundle into the child’s hands and stuffed a milk candy into her mouth. Softly, she said:
“Da Hua, be good and keep this safe. Eat it yourself. How could Grandma ever not want you? Grandma loves Hua’er the most.
If your father and mother bully you, and you don’t have enough to eat, come find Grandma. Grandma will raise you!”
“Really? Grandma doesn’t not want me.”
In an instant, the small face was full of joy. Da Hua blinked back tears and threw herself into Mo Mo’s arms.
At that moment, Wang Fang’s scolding voice came from outside:
“Da Hua! Da Hua! You little brat, where did you run off to? Don’t you know to come help carry things? What’s the use of raising you!”
She cursed while slamming things noisily.
[Damn, that stupid woman, I haven’t even settled with her yet, and she’s already acting up again.]
Mo Mo couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
She comforted the child, then her face turned cold as she took the girl’s hand and walked outside.
While walking, she shouted loudly:
“Wang Fang, if you can’t keep your mouth shut, I’ll sew it up for you! You bark like a mad dog every day! Didn’t Da Hua come out of your own belly? You’re a stepmother!”
Wang Fang saw her mother-in-law’s fierce glare and dared not curse again. This mother-in-law was like a mad woman risen from the dead!
She quickly put on a smiling face and admitted fault:
“Hehe, Mother, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean it. I won’t do it again!”
She then hurriedly grabbed her daughter and fled toward the gate.
Da Hua followed her mother’s lead, taking small steps, frequently looking back at Grandma, clutching the small bundle tightly.
Behind them came Mo Mo’s cold voice:
“Don’t starve my Da Hua like you starved me. Not everyone has a fate as tough as mine.”
Wang Fang stumbled and hurried even faster.
“Hmph.”
After they left, Mo Mo was about to close the door when—whoa!—a quilt darted out from outside calling, “Mother!”
A Cai poked his head out from behind the quilt, grinning.
“Mother, after seeing off the village chief and elders, I took the chance to go to the old house and bring our quilt back. Hmph! No more favors for them.”
Mo Mo laughed heartily, praising little Sanbao, and he joined in the joy.
If she hadn’t been reminded, she would have forgotten this altogether—after all, she had thousands of quilts in her space.
She took the quilt, secured the door, and both went back to their rooms to tidy up.
They also took the original owner’s hidden property deed, two hundred taels of silver, and some gold and silver jewelry into the space.
When Chen Zhuzi left, he left over nine hundred taels. Thirteen years later, only this much remained—originally saved for the grandchildren’s weddings.
That night, the two ate hotpot in the main room.
Just like the night before, heavy snowflakes drifted outside.
Inside, mother and son laughed and chatted happily over the hotpot.
Sanbao lay smiling at the edge of the table, visible only to Mo Mo.
They slept well through the night.
Days passed neither bitter nor sweet. One day, Mo Mo was mending shoe soles in the yard.
“Oh, what strength! Mending soles like embroidery—I feel so powerful!”
Sanbao was speechless. Who spends all day mending shoe soles? There were hundreds piled up in the space already. The cat rubbed its forehead and smiled wryly.