Chapter Thirteen: Swallowing Pride and Departing

An Yi had walked such a long distance that her throat was parched. Yet, when she took the bowl offered to her and saw the oily sheen floating on the surface of the water, her slight obsession with cleanliness made her reluctant to drink. She could tolerate other kinds of dirtiness, but when it came to something she had to ingest, she simply could not endure it. So she merely held the bowl in her hands for warmth.

An Kang and An Jian paid no mind; they blew on their water and sipped it slowly. Every visit to the An family, they only received a single bowl.

An Younian had just started asking An Kang about his studies at the academy when Mistress Zhu, standing to the side, began signaling to him with frantic glances. An Younian coughed twice and said, “Wen Zai, take your younger brothers outside and make some firecrackers.”

Mistress Zhu immediately chimed in, “Xi Mei, take Xi’er and the others to the west room to warm yourselves by the fire.”

Seeing this, Mistress Luo and her two companions instantly understood the reason behind Mistress Zhu’s unusual hospitality. Clearly, there was something they wished to discuss—and it was unlikely to be good news.

Though Mistress Luo was displeased, she knew better than to leave without hearing what was to be said. Rising to her feet, she placed her bowl on the table and said directly, “If you, Uncle, have something to say, let Zhuzi stay. With Qinghe not at home, he is the head of our family.”

An Younian glanced at Mistress Zhu, who gave a subtle nod, and then replied, “Let Zhuzi stay, then.”

An Yi’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Mother, I want to stay too,” An Jian said, face tight.

“Brother, take your sister outside to play. Don’t let the dog frighten her,” An Kang said sternly to An Jian.

An Jian pressed his lips together, then took An Yi’s hand. “Sister, let’s go outside.”

An Ximei led the other An family children out as well.

“Shuanzi, let’s go outside and light firecrackers,” Wen Zai suggested.

“I’m not going. You go ahead—I’m staying with my sister,” An Jian replied coolly, declining Wen Zai’s invitation. When he was younger and didn’t understand, he would play with them; now that he was older, he had no interest in mingling with those who looked down on him.

“She isn’t a child anymore—she doesn’t need you to look after her. If you don’t want to play with us, just say so; there’s no need for excuses,” sneered a boy, rolling his eyes.

“Lu, mind your words,” Wen Zai scolded the boy. He turned to An Jian with a friendly smile. “Shuanzi, why not let Sister Xi go with Aunt to the west room? Aunt will take good care of her.”

An Jian ignored Wen Zai, instead fixing a challenging gaze on the boy. “An Lucheng, I don’t need to make excuses—I just don’t want to play with you. So what?”

An Lucheng swore angrily, “An Jian, you son of a—”

“That’s enough, Lu! If Shuanzi doesn’t want to join us, let’s go light firecrackers ourselves,” Wen Zai interrupted sharply, grabbing Lucheng’s arm to prevent him from picking a fight.

“Second Brother, it’s cold out. Let’s go to the west room and warm up,” An Yi whispered, clutching An Jian’s sleeve tightly. This was the others’ territory; they were outnumbered and would surely be at a disadvantage should a fight break out.

“Alright, let’s go warm ourselves in the west room,” An Jian replied, shooting An Lucheng a look before turning with An Yi to head inside.

Wen Zai watched An Jian’s retreating back, the smile fading from his face. His eyes narrowed as he muttered, “Ungrateful brat.”

Once inside the west room, the siblings found a small, cluttered space. In one corner lay a jumble of sundry items; along the wall stood a bamboo bed, thick quilts spread atop it. In front of the bed, a brazier glowed, a steaming iron pot set above the coals. Nearby was a small wooden table bearing a crude earthenware plate filled with roasted melon seeds and peanuts.

An Ximei and a few girls were already settled on the bed, wrapped in the quilts. When the siblings entered, no one greeted them.

An Yi, no longer a child, understood well by now that her family’s relations with this household were anything but harmonious. They kept up appearances only for the sake of blood ties—an obligation, nothing more.

As for An Jian, he had long grown used to being ignored and excluded by these relatives. He didn’t care in the least. Dragging over a bench to the fire, he said, “Sister, come sit and warm yourself.”

The girls continued their own conversation, cracking melon seeds and eating peanuts, paying no attention to the siblings.

An Yi frowned slightly. What could An Younian and his wife want to discuss with Mistress Luo?

Noticing his sister staring at the girls, An Jian misunderstood, thinking she wanted to eat some seeds and peanuts. He got up and grabbed a large handful.

The girls looked stunned for a moment, then curled their lips in contempt, snorting derisively.

“Sister, eat,” An Jian said, offering the seeds to An Yi.

She snapped out of her thoughts, smiled, and took a few. “Second Brother, you have some too.”

They had barely begun eating when Mistress Luo’s voice rang out from the courtyard, “Shuanzi, Xi’er, where are you? Come quickly, we’re going home!”

The siblings exchanged a glance and hurried outside. Mistress Luo stood in the yard, her cheeks flushed, her expression calm. But An Yi could see she was struggling to suppress her anger.

At that moment, Mistress Zhu burst out of the house and shouted harshly, “Luo Qiumei, don’t go too far! If you don’t appreciate our kindness, that’s your problem. Whether you agree or not, this matter is settled—I’m telling you!”

Mistress Luo ignored her, seized the siblings’ hands, and marched toward the gate.

An Kang turned back, fixing Mistress Zhu with a piercing stare.

“Luo Qiu—” Mistress Zhu faltered under his gaze, swallowing her words.

Mistress Luo hurried the children along so quickly that while An Jian could just keep up, An Yi stumbled, nearly twisting her ankle more than once.

“Mother, slow down! My sister can’t keep up,” An Jian called from behind.

At his words, Mistress Luo stopped at once and looked down to see An Yi’s pale face. Her heart ached as she squatted to embrace her. “Xi’er, Mother got angry and lost her head. Are you exhausted?”

An Yi shook her head and said gently, “Mother, don’t be upset. If you let anger harm your health, won’t that make them happy?”

Hearing her daughter’s sweet, tender voice, Mistress Luo’s heart softened. So young, and already she knew how to comfort her mother. Stroking her face, she smiled.

“Mother, we already know what sort of people they are. There’s no need to let this bother you,” An Kang counseled.

Mistress Luo looked at her three children and smiled broadly. “Alright, I’ll listen to you. I won’t let them have the satisfaction of seeing me upset.”

An Yi nodded vigorously, grinning.

An Jian’s nose was running from the cold; he sniffled and said, “Sister, are you too tired to walk? Let Second Brother carry you.”

Having been dragged so far, An Yi’s legs were indeed weak. Her brother’s offer was more than welcome. “Just a little way, Second Brother,” she said with a smile.

“Second Brother’s strong—he could carry you all the way home,” he replied, crouching in front of her. “Come on, get on.”

An Yi climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Let’s go, Second Brother.”

After walking for about three or four miles, An Jian suddenly set An Yi down.

“Tired already? And you said you could carry her all the way home, Toad King,” An Kang teased.

“Who says I’m tired? There’s a reason I put her down,” An Jian retorted, arching a brow. “Sister, aren’t you hungry?”

Prompted by his words, An Yi remembered the yellow braised pork he’d been carrying. She smiled. “Now that you mention it, I am a bit hungry.”

“I knew you would be,” An Jian said smugly, pulling the paper packet from his coat and dividing the pork among the three siblings.

Mistress Luo watched her children standing in the snow, gnawing on cold braised pork, and her heart twisted with sorrow. Her resentment toward An Younian’s family deepened. Next year, no matter what people said, she would never bring her children here for New Year’s greetings, only to suffer such humiliation.

With two pieces of pork in their bellies, the hunger eased for a while, and the four set off once more on their long walk home.