Volume One, Chapter Thirteen: A Quarrel Between Father and Daughter

The whole family held their breath as they returned to the west courtyard.

By now, the sky was completely dark. Thinking of Lu Hang still going hungry, Tang Guanguan’s heart tightened with pain.

She quickened her pace and rushed into the small kitchen.

Thankfully, they had made plenty of wontons that afternoon; otherwise, Lu Hang would have had to go to bed hungry tonight.

Tang Guanguan deftly started the stove and lit the fire, while her mother, Wang Xiuying, assisted.

Seeing the five large trays of wontons, Wang Xiuying forgot her sadness and clicked her tongue in amazement.

“Second girl, did you make all these?”

“Yes,” Tang Guanguan replied. “I gathered some shepherd’s purse from the foot of the mountain. Since we only eat two meals a day now and it’s hard to keep up, I made extra to have some for lunch if we get hungry.”

They say that only when full can one feel warm; an empty stomach cannot withstand the cold.

As Tang Guanguan chatted with her mother, she ladled two large scoops of water into the pot.

The fire in the stove pit blazed brightly, and soon steam began rising.

Wang Xiuying looked up from the stove, noticing the pot brimming with water, and scolded gently:

“Second girl, you’ve put in too much water. One bowl of wontons doesn’t need this much.”

“Why not? We could take some out for a foot soak,” Tang Guanguan joked with a smile. “But not yet — we’ll boil more water for that after dinner. For four bowls of wontons, this amount of water is just right!”

Four bowls?

Wang Xiuying’s cheeks flushed, and a hint of guilt shadowed her eyes.

Their family only had large sea bowls, and Hang—he—

“Ah—” Wang Xiuying sighed deeply and apologized sincerely.

“Forgive me, daughter. Hang is so reserved, I never realized how much he eats. Turns out, he’s never had a full meal!”

What?

Tang Guanguan paused, her hand mid-air grabbing wontons. She glanced back to see Wang Xiuying wiping the corner of her eye in embarrassment, and it dawned on her what her mother had said.

“He can’t possibly eat half a pot alone. There’s also you, your father, and your little sister’s share!”

When Wang Xiuying heard there was food for herself, she immediately waved her hand, unwilling.

“I’ve eaten already. I won’t eat anymore!”

Tang Guanguan laughed. “No, you haven’t. I saw you just now in the east courtyard—you didn’t eat a bite before storming off!”

“I’m not hungry. I’m saving it for you and Hang!”

Wang Xiuying glanced at the plump wontons, thinking these were made from fine flour and meant especially for her second daughter to eat. Every bite she took would mean one less for Guanguan—she couldn’t indulge.

Knowing her mother’s reluctance, Tang Guanguan persuaded gently, “There are five trays—if it’s just the two of us, we’d surely get sick from eating so much.”

Then, feigning a bit of mischief, she said, “Let’s eat together. If you and Dad don’t eat, I’ll starve your son-in-law!”

Wang Xiuying knew her daughter was teasing but still laughed.

“All right! Let’s eat together!”

“Yeah, that’s the right way!” Tang Guanguan smiled.

Still, her mother’s words reminded Tang Guanguan of something.

Lu Hang had only eaten a single egg since breakfast and must be very hungry now. One bowl of wontons would not be enough.

Thinking this, Tang Guanguan added another half scoop of water to the pot, planning to make more wontons.

Hesitating for a moment, she took an enamel jar and spooned in half a ladle of cooking oil.

Wang Xiuying saw this and didn’t stop her. With Hang injured, he should eat something nourishing.

She pushed the fire deeper into the stove pit.

Getting up, she rummaged through a corner of the stove and brought out an egg, handing it to Tang Guanguan.

“Break an egg into the soup; it’ll make the broth taste fresher.”

Tang Guanguan smiled and took the egg without asking where it came from.

“Can you go grab some scallions from the backyard? Sprinkling some on top would be even better.”

“All right, I’m going now.”

Wang Xiuying replied and left the small kitchen.

Watching her mother’s retreating figure, Tang Guanguan’s lips curled into a gentle smile, her eyes moist.

This was family. This was life—mundane yet natural.

There were worries, but also warmth.

It was truly good.

If she could do it all over again, how wonderful it would be.

Outside in the courtyard, a crescent moon hung high, and not far away, the North Star twinkled.

The traps and other small items Tang Guanguan wove that afternoon had long been put away in the storage room.

The small yard suddenly felt much emptier.

After returning from the neighboring courtyard, Tang Laoye and his daughter Tang Jing had not gone inside.

Tang Laoye squatted in the corner, exhaling cold air and smoking tobacco.

Tang Jing clutched a bamboo dragonfly toy and squatted not far away.

The father and daughter both looked like sore losers; Wang Xiuying, emerging from the kitchen, was momentarily stunned at the sight.

Her heart ached but also amused her.

Not wanting to disturb them, she skirted around the eaves and passageway, heading to the backyard to pick scallions.

Without the elder aunt’s family nearby, stubborn Tang Jing wiped away tears.

“Why are you crying? Crying when upset is cowardly!” Tang Laoye muttered gruffly, taking a harsh puff of tobacco. The thick smoke choked him, making him cough violently.

The little girl frowned in frustration, pouting in grievance.

“They’re bullying me too much!”

She then turned her anger on her father’s lack of resolve.

“Dad, it’s because you’re too nice to that family! They’ve gotten greedy and are practically shitting on our necks!”

“A bunch of ungrateful wolves! What good is being nice to them?”

“Just because that family has a son?”

“The slogans on the wall say poverty can’t stop education, and no child should suffer! Why then?”

“When my cousin said he wanted to go to school, you eagerly paid his tuition. And me? Am I not a child?”

“Do you favor boys over girls? Do you look down on me because I’m a girl?”

—

The little girl’s words grew more aggrieved.

The more aggrieved she became, the harder she cried.

The family was poor and couldn’t afford to send all the children to school.

In the countryside, sending a child to school wasn’t just about tuition fees; once a child was in school, they couldn’t help with farm work.

That was part of the reason.

Originally, the money was meant to pay for her schooling, but because her eldest uncle came asking to borrow, her father gave the money away.

Borrow or not, that family never repaid what they owed.

Tang Guanguan, stirring wontons in the kitchen, listened to her sister’s complaints outside, her brows furrowed deeply.

Her sister still hadn’t gone to school, which likely had its reasons.

Since returning half a year ago, she had been picky—refusing to eat ordinary grains, refusing to wear anything but the finest clothes—greatly increasing the household’s expenses.

Lost in thought, her mother Wang Xiuying came in carrying a handful of scallions.

Her eyes were downcast, heavy with worry, clearly having overheard the father and daughter’s conversation.

She washed the scallions and handed them to Tang Guanguan quietly.

“Don’t listen to your little sister’s nonsense. Your father and I don’t favor boys over girls. After this year, I’ll also send you back to school.”

Tang Guanguan looked up. “Mother, little sister should go to school too.”

—

Wang Xiuying was silent, her face troubled.

After a long pause, she muttered weakly, “But the money... well, you’re older, so you come first.”

Tang Guanguan had been attending school before she came home. Returning now, she could attend the last one or two years of high school and then take the college entrance exam.

Wang Xiuying felt guilty toward her second daughter, unable to provide the life she once had.

From being a young lady to suddenly falling into their muddy pit, the second girl must have suffered too.

The wontons in the pot were cooked. Tang Guanguan poured in the egg and scallions, then served them out bowl by bowl.

Five bowls in total.

Lu Hang was given two bowls.

Tang Guanguan carried one bowl, intending to bring it to Lu Hang. As she reached the kitchen door, she spoke seriously to Wang Xiuying.

“Mother, little sister is right. She’s a child too. Girls can hold up half the sky in the future and should go to school.”

“If she’s going to school, she and I will go together. If not, then neither of us go. No special treatment.”

She smiled gently. “Mother, I know you and Dad love me, but as the elder sister, I can’t just think of myself and let my little sister suffer.”

“From now on, we’ll eat and drink the same. No need to prepare special meals just for me. You and Dad are older and should eat better. Little sister is still growing and can’t be shortchanged.”

“As for money, I’ll find a way. Don’t worry. I’ll earn money and bring it back!”

Wang Xiuying wiped her tears, grateful.

“Guanguan, you’ve grown so sensible.”

But she didn’t take Tang Guanguan’s words about earning money too seriously.

These days, money isn’t so easy to come by.

It was enough that the second girl had such determination.