Chapter 48 - 39: Xiaoju Refuses to Leave

Chapter 48: Chapter 39: Xiaoju Refuses to Leave

Xiao Man said, "Grandma, since Xiaoju won’t leave, I’m just treating her like a relative visiting. Back when I lived with Liu Fengying, my cousin from my aunt’s family in Dingshan Village came over and also stayed for several days. Liu Fengying didn’t send her back until after she’d bought her some candy and meat. I never thought about keeping Xiaoju for company. I have Grandpa and Grandma at home, and if I want someone to play with, there are plenty of kids in the village!"

Grandma smiled and nodded. "That’s what I thought too. Your grandpa was probably worried that you used to have so many brothers and sisters, and now you’re suddenly all alone. He thought you might feel empty inside."

"I don’t feel empty at all! Grandpa and Grandma dote on just me, I couldn’t be happier! Grandma, tell me, why didn’t Great-aunt send a child to you and Grandpa before, but she’s sending one now?"

"Before, Grandpa and Grandma lived with your Second Uncle and Second Aunt. They were the ones in charge of the house. With so many children and so little space, they wouldn’t have accepted a child from outside. And your great-aunt wouldn’t have been willing to part with one either!"

Grandma sighed and continued, "Your grandpa can’t always stay home to keep me company, so he wanted to discuss with your parents about having one of the girls stay with me. They have many daughters, you see. Your second aunt only has Little Su, and Little Su has such a bad temper. She gets incredibly impatient if you even ask her to bring you a bowl of water. We can’t count on her. Your grandpa and I thought, ’We have a little money saved up secretly.’ If a girl came to stay with me, we could pay for her clothes and schooling. She would only need to help me out a little. She could still live with her parents and siblings most of the time. After all, we’re all one family, flesh and blood! But then your situation happened. Grandma couldn’t stand that family any longer. You and I are in the same boat, so I gritted my teeth and made the decision: we would split from the family. If we were to live, we’d live together. And if we couldn’t make it, at least Grandma would have gotten you out of there! Liu Fengying is not a good person. You’re not her flesh and blood, so leaving as soon as possible was the right thing to do! It’s a good thing Grandma put her foot down and forced your grandpa to leave them. Only now do we feel like a real family! After Secretary Mo helped us get this house and yard, your great-aunt got greedy. That’s when she started scheming. She’s never looked highly of me. She used to say I was barren and tried everything to drive me away. When my eyes went bad, she gave Mo Guoqiang and Mo Laoer some benefits to get them to agree to let that Ahua come and live with us for a while. She wanted her to start a new family with your grandpa... It was all so absurd! Your great-aunt and I are bitter rivals. She can’t stand me, and I can’t stand her! Grandma doesn’t have anything against Xiaoju personally. She’s just a child. But she’s your great-aunt’s biological granddaughter. If she keeps living with us like this, your great-aunt will use visiting the child as an excuse to come over, and that will just lead to more trouble! So, just to give your grandpa face, Grandma was thinking of letting her stay for a few days. Once school starts and you have classmates, we’d send her home. We’d buy her an outfit and a catty or so of candy. Your grandpa would even add a few yuan. That would be more than enough to fulfill our obligations. But now, it seems you two don’t get along well. She’s already gone outside to find other friends and doesn’t want to be with you. In that case, we should send her back as soon as possible to avoid any more arguments."

After Grandma finished speaking, Xiao Man quickly moved her little stool closer, snuggling up to her. "Grandma, you’re so wise! All of your decisions are right! Xiao Man will listen to everything you say!"

Grandma chuckled and patted her. "Grandma is telling you all this just so you know. You need to keep these things to yourself and not say anything rash to Xiaoju, understand?"

"I understand! She is her own person, not Great-aunt! But if she’s as annoying as Great-aunt, I won’t hold back!"

Grandma smiled again, stroking Xiao Man’s head with a sigh. "There’s a saying: ’Kindness is often mistaken for weakness.’ Grandma has never done anything bad in her life, but I’ve suffered a lot because of it. So, Grandma really doesn’t want you to be too kind. As long as you don’t go out of your way to harm others, that’s enough! Of course, if someone tries to harm you, you must be on your guard. If you have the ability, strike back. If you can’t, you must run away immediately! Do you understand?"

"Yes, Grandma. I’ll take that to heart."

Liang Xiaoju spent about half an hour at the Jiang Family’s house next door, then came running back excitedly with eight- or nine-year-old Jiang Xuehua. She told Grandma that she and Jiang Xuehua were going to the slopes to cut firewood and pick some rose myrtle berries.

Jiang Xuehua was well-behaved and sharp. As soon as she entered, she greeted, "Grandma! Sis!" Her little mouth chattering nonstop. She was the eldest daughter of the Jiang Family. Early in the morning, her parents had gone to work at the production team. She had to feed the pigs and chickens, make sure her youngest brother was fed, then wash the clothes and dishes. Only after entrusting the house to her younger sister could she go out with Liang Xiaoju. It was a wonder Liang Xiaoju had the patience to wait for her for so long.

Liang Xiaoju rushed off to find a sickle and a carrying pole, not even asking Xiao Man if she wanted to come along. Jiang Xuehua found this a bit strange and asked Xiao Man, "Sis, what are you doing at home? Why don’t you come with us? It’s so much fun on the hillside! We can pick rose myrtle berries and ground-peaches!"

’Ground-peaches...’

Xiao Man remembered them. They were fruits that grew on a fine-leafed plant close to the ground. They were about the size of a pinky finger. Unripe, they were white; semi-ripe, they were bright red. They were only good to eat when they turned a blackish-red. They were sweet and soft, with a rich, juicy pulp. Their flavor was comparable to rose myrtle berries, making them a superb wild snack for children.

"We went to cut grass yesterday and picked rose myrtle berries then," Xiao Man told Jiang Xuehua. "Grandma said we’re staying home today and not going out."

Jiang Xuehua blinked. "But Xiaoju insisted on going to the mountain. She kept rushing me, so I had to quickly put out the fire under the stove and didn’t even have time to sweep the floor. I don’t even need to cut grass. My mom brings a bundle back every day after work. She just wants me to watch the house and look after my younger siblings."

When Grandma heard about the fire under the stove and the children at home, she quickly instructed, "Then you should listen to your mom. Don’t go out. Watch your younger siblings and make sure they don’t fall and hurt themselves, or your mom will scold you when she gets back. Also, hurry back and sweep the floor. Be careful around the stove opening and tidy up the firewood. Don’t let the house catch on fire!"

Jiang Xuehua’s expression changed. She agreed, picked up the basket with the sickle, ran to the door to grab the medium-length stick she used as a carrying pole, and went home.

Liang Xiaoju found a sickle and carrying pole in the storage room. When she came out, she saw Jiang Xuehua was gone. "Huh? Where’d she go?"

Xiao Man said, "She went back. She doesn’t even need to cut firewood. Why did you go looking for her? Can’t I be your partner?"

Xiaoju pouted. "You? You’re slow as death at working, and you don’t listen to me. It’s no fun partnering with you!"

Xiao Man: "..."

’So she was looking down on me!’

Grandma said, "Xiaoju, you don’t need to go cut grass today. Just rest. Your Grand-uncle will be back later, and he’s going to take you home."

Liang Xiaoju froze for a moment, then quickly shook her head. "I’m not going! My grandma said I’m staying at Grand-uncle’s house to help him work. Grand-uncle will give my parents money to build a new house. Our house is about to collapse!"

"That’s just what your grandma said. Your grand-uncle never agreed to it."

"Grand-uncle did agree! I asked him the other day, and he said he would discuss it with Grand-auntie and let me stay to study at our village’s elementary school! I’m already in third grade, and Xiao Man is only in first. I can teach her!"

Xiao Man rolled her eyes at her. ’Even if I really were in first grade, I have a teacher. Who needs you to teach me!’