Chapter 104 – A Less Satisfactory Chapter

Chapter 104 - A Less Satisfactory Chapter

Regardless of the reason, having a falling out with one's own parents was undoubtedly a distressing matter.

After lunch, when Peach Blossom and her father left her uncle's house, she didn't return home. Instead, she wanted to visit Wu Zhaodi with her father. Knowing that they had a good relationship, Old Master Wei, perhaps worried that she might want to check on her, nodded and said, "Let Little Tiger accompany you."

"Alright." Peach Blossom waved at Little Tiger and led it to Wu Zhaodi's place.

Since Wei Datiger had brought her here before, Peach Blossom knew the way. It being the afternoon, her visit wasn't considered abrupt. Walking slowly with the dog, perhaps because Second Fool's mother hadn't received a warm welcome at Chen's door, no one approached her along the way to discuss the matter. They all stood at a distance, watching her and muttering something under their breaths. Peach Blossom didn't bother to listen, as she guessed it wouldn't be anything pleasant.

Arriving at Wu Zhaodi's house, Peach Blossom spotted Iron Bull playing outside the entrance at first glance. Little Tiger was even more enthusiastic, dashing over with its four paws while barking all the way.

Hearing the dog barking, Iron Bull looked up. Upon seeing Little Tiger, his eyes lit up. He dropped the stone he was holding and opened his arms wide, "Little Tiger!"

"Woof!" Little Tiger skidded to a stop and circled around him, barking excitedly. It adored him; whenever it couldn't finish its bones, it would leave some meat scraps for him.

Peach Blossom approached, and Iron Bull called out, "Auntie!" Then, turning his head, he yelled into the house, "Mom, Auntie Peach Blossom is here! Come out quickly!" After that, he ignored everything else and started playing joyfully with Little Tiger.

Zhaodi Wu was washing dishes in the kitchen when she heard the news. She immediately left the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. Before even catching sight of her visitor, she laughed and said, "Oh my, I wondered why birds were singing on my wall this morning. It turns out we have honored guests arriving!"

"Stop teasing me. I'm no VIP. You're making me feel unworthy to step inside," Peach Blossom chuckled.

Zhaodi approached and pulled her into the house with a decisive gesture. "Now that you're here, there's no turning back. Come in and sit down. The place is a bit messy, and I haven't had time to clean lately. Please don't mind it." After leading her to the main room, Zhaodi was about to fetch water, but Peach Blossom promptly stopped her.

"I just left my uncle's house, so I'm not thirsty. Don't trouble yourself," Peach Blossom said, noticing her wet hands. Considering the time, she felt a bit embarrassed and added, "Were you washing dishes? I apologize for disturbing you. We're like family, so there's no need for formalities. Why don't we go to the kitchen? You can continue your work, and it's warmer by the stove."

"Alright," Zhaodi agreed, being a straightforward person who didn't adhere to strict rules. She instructed her son not to play outside and led Peach Blossom to the kitchen.

Peach Blossom could already smell the aroma of chicken soup from afar. She initially thought it was coming from a neighbor's house, only to realize it was from Zhaodi's. Indeed, the stove was warm, with a pot simmering on it. Zhaodi, being hospitable, especially towards family, took a clean bowl from the cupboard and filled it half full with chicken soup, offering it to Peach Blossom. This made Peach Blossom so anxious that she nearly ran out, protesting, "What are you doing? I didn't come here for chicken soup!" From the moment Zhaodi took the bowl, Peach Blossom had become fidgety, and now that the soup was being forcefully handed to her, her face flushed red.

"If I knew you were coming back, I would have personally delivered this pot of soup to you even if you hadn't visited," Zhaodi huffed. "Do you think I got the firewood for this soup from anywhere else?"

Peach Blossom seemed to recall something, looking at her with astonishment.

Zhaodi glanced at the soup in Peach Blossom's bowl and nodded. "Of course, it was cooked with the bundles of firewood you and Da Niu brought to my house."

Indeed, it was an exaggeration to say that a few bundles of wood could cook a pot of soup, but the firewood was indeed what Peach Blossom and Da Niu had carried to her home. Even the chicken wasn't from Zhaodi's own flock; it was from her parental home, which she had commandeered and occasionally slaughtered for soup when she needed comfort.

"What on earth is going on? Today, when I went to my uncle's for lunch, he mentioned something about your dispute with your parents. How did it escalate to this?" Peach Blossom was at a loss, unsure whether to drink or not. She couldn't figure out how her firewood had become part of the issue. Her uncle had said that their father-daughter conflict might have been over a few stacks of firewood, so how did it involve her family?

Wu Zhaodi knew without a doubt that she had come because she had heard about her family's situation and was worried about her, not to pry. Otherwise, she wouldn't have looked so perplexed, seemingly unaware that her family had lost some firewood.

There was no point in hiding anything; her father had no shame, so why should she cover for him? The shameless man, if not for the fear of his actions reflecting poorly on her family, she would have broadcasted his deeds to everyone within a ten-mile radius. She had never seen such a selfish father.

"When we came to your place for the pig slaughtering feast, didn't Two Ox and I go into the mountains to fetch you some firewood? We ran into Li Dalang and his father who were also gathering wood. You know my brother, he's a bit slow-witted and spills everything when asked. I couldn't stop him," Wu Zhaodi recounted the incident with gritted teeth. "It wasn't a big deal, but then my father, that old troublemaker, somehow got wind of it. Li Dalang must have mentioned it, and he came to confront me that same day."

Speaking of this, she felt embarrassed. This was originally a private matter, but involving the Wei family made her feel guilty. Her tone lowered as she continued, "You're aware that my parents wanted a son, but they only had five daughters, not a single boy. Living in the village, you understand the competition - for water, firewood, even bitter wild fruits. Households without sons are often looked down upon. A man is needed to hold up the family's pride. To be honest, the soap nuts we use for laundry are bought from town, not because we're wealthy, but because our family doesn't get a share from the village's soap tree. We can't compete because my mother didn't bear a son, so we're disregarded by others."

Peach Blossom held her bowl, not interrupting, and listened quietly.

In the countryside, if you asked anyone in a neighboring village which family was the most arrogant, the answer would often be the one with the most influential or numerous sons. Regardless of whether it was through competition or conflict, numbers equaled power, and power intimidated others.

"My father has been looked down upon, plus without a son to support him in his old age, he's endured half a lifetime of humiliation. His personality became somewhat..." She paused, struggling to find the right word. "Troublesome. People in the village secretly call him an old troublemaker. My sisters were frequently beaten and scolded when they were young. As they grew older, each of them threw tantrums to marry outside the village. They haven't visited once during festivals. Only Two Ox and I, we sow in spring, transplant rice in summer, harvest in autumn, and carry firewood in winter. We shoulder all responsibilities in my family. They complain of aches and pains, needing us at home and out. Logically, shouldn't Two Ox and I be better off than my sisters?"

Wu Zhaodi scoffed. "My husband and I work tirelessly, but to them, it's just what we should do. Over a few stacks of firewood, they came to argue with me, asking where their winter supply is? They have time to help outsiders, but not their own parents? They say these things without a hint of embarrassment. Year after year, I gather enough firewood to fill their roof, yet during the pig slaughter, they don't give me a piece of meat. Instead, they send it to my married sisters who never return home. On the second day of the New Year, no one visits their parents. During harvest season, no son-in-law helps. We do everything, but they send the best to others. For a few bundles of firewood, my father scolds us, and the next day, my mother comes crying."

Listening, Peach Blossom felt a headache coming on. Did such parents treat their children better from a distance? Close by, their efforts were taken for granted, while far away, they were missed?

But what did that have to do with her family's firewood?

Seeing Peach Blossom looking at her, Wu Zhaodi's face flushed red, and she felt ashamed. "With my parents' personalities, they argue like this every year. The villagers are used to watching the drama. Although I'm unhappy about it, what can I do when they're involved? It's only my fault for not being as clever as my sisters, not thinking about marrying far away. Thinking that it's better to avoid trouble than to create it, I went into the mountains the next day to collect two bundles of firewood to take to my parents' house. And then..."

Her expression darkened as she continued, "I discovered four bundles of firewood under the eaves when I entered the house. How could I not recognize my own work? They were the ones I picked up with Second Bull in the mountains that day!"

At that moment, she erupted, rushing into the room and dragging her father down from the bed. Without much prodding, he admitted to it himself, standing his ground firmly. He didn't consider it stealing when he "took" them from the Wei family; he thought it was just "taking." Since his daughter and son-in-law had carried several bundles to the Wei family, he was justified in taking back the same amount. How could that be considered stealing? His daughter and son-in-law had gathered the firewood, so what was wrong with him taking it back if he didn't agree to give it to the Weis?

It was purely coincidental that those four bundles were indeed the ones Wu Zhaodi and her husband had brought down from the mountain. Old Man Wu didn't think he was in the wrong. On the contrary, he believed he was clever. He had stealthily scouted the Wei family's place and saw that no one had been home for several days, which allowed him to successfully carry the firewood back.

"Why should we give them our firewood? They didn't even invite the villagers to their pig-killing feast," he argued. "Besides, that crippled man isn't your real father. Why are you collecting firewood for him? You silly girl, you're supposed to eat at their feast, not act all polite."

Old Man Wu hadn't realized the severity of the situation. He thought it would be the same as countless other times when, no matter what he said or did, his daughter would scold him while sending her husband to take him to see the village's barefoot doctor after he complained of stomachaches in the morning, headaches in the afternoon, and leg pain at night. "And besides, what are you afraid of? No one's home there. It's just firewood, not gold. Once it's thrown into the stove, it'll turn to ashes in no time. Who will know?"

He laughed heartily, not considering it a big deal. Seeing that she had come back carrying firewood, he was pleased with himself, thinking she knew to bring it to him.

Unfortunately, before he could flex his parental authority, Wu Zhaodi, standing in the yard and shaking with rage, shoved him aside. She stormed into the kitchen and grabbed a cleaver, slaughtering chickens and ducks from her parents' coop.

The scene was gory and chaotic. Wu Zhaodi's mother fainted on the spot, but Old Man Wu didn't dare follow suit. Wu Zhaodi wouldn't let him pass out either. She held a chicken by its neck, freshly severed by her own hand, and stared at her father with bloodshot eyes. "You say you couldn't recognize someone else's firewood once it's burned in the stove, but you didn't notice that I didn't realize you gave our pork to your sisters. So what about these chickens? If I eat them all and leave only bones behind, can I also claim they aren't yours?"

"Wu Zhaodi, how dare you!" Old Man Wu's hand trembled as he pointed at her. He knew she had a rebellious nature, but he never imagined she would dare to kill his chickens!

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Wu Zhaodi rushed back into the chicken coop and killed another one. "Anyway, in your eyes, there's no place for me. You knew those were the logs I carried for someone else, yet you still stole them back. Are you trying to shame me by trampling on my dignity? For all these years, I've taken care of everything in my family, working tirelessly all year round without even a word of appreciation. Whenever you're unhappy, you come to my house with Mother, pointing your finger at my nose and scolding and hitting me, saying there's no firewood, that I don't care about you. Let me ask you this, have my sisters or their husbands ever carried a single bundle of firewood or a bucket of water for you these years?"

With blood-stained hands, she pointed at her father, trembling with anger. How could he dare to steal back the firewood she had carried to the Wei family? Did he even consider her as his daughter? If the Wei family found out about this, how would they view her, Wu Zhaodi?

She carried it, and her father stole it back??

How could he behave like this?

Old Man Wu, looking at his daughter in such a state, felt a sense of panic for the first time. Over the years, he had been worried about growing old without a son to take care of him in his final days. He had witnessed the passing of elderly villagers who, without sons to manage their affairs, didn't even receive a simple coffin – some were buried with nothing more than a straw mat.

He was anxious, scared. His daughters had all married into other villages and rarely came home for festivals, he knew it was because he had punished them harshly when they were young, causing them to resent and blame him. Out of his five daughters, only the eldest was nearby. He was both worried about and afraid of her hatred, so he often provoked her, finding solace only when she scolded him and saw her bustling around for him.

This year, her daughter and son-in-law hadn't delivered any firewood to his house, which already made him anxious. Hearing from Li Datou that the couple had recently taken two bundles of firewood from his eldest daughter to the Wei family, he immediately flew into a rage and rushed to confront her without hesitation. He had yelled, his wife had cried, and his purpose was achieved.

She had carried firewood today, so why was she so angry now?

It was just a few bundles of firewood, just a few bundles...

"You and Mother have your hands and feet; you're not too old to work yet. From now on, I won't be interfering in the household matters. Be it chopping wood, tilling the fields, sowing seeds, transplanting rice, or harvesting crops – if you can't manage, go seek help from your sons-in-law with some meat in hand!" Wu Zhaodi carried the chicken, lifted the firewood beneath the eaves, and walked away.

"W-what do you mean by that?!" Old Man Wu was stunned, unable to believe she would say such words.

"It means you should call back your four daughters to fulfill their filial duties. I've been looking after all of you for so many years; it's their turn now."

...

In the kitchen, only the sound of blazing firewood echoed. Peach Blossom never imagined that a few bundles of firewood could cause such a commotion.

How did Wu Zhaodi's father even come up with the idea of stealing firewood?

"This chicken soup?" She looked down at the bowl in her hands.

"I've brought back both the firewood and the chicken. If I don't eat it, who knows whose bowl it might end up in." Before, it hadn't seemed like a big deal, but now that he'd resorted to stealing firewood without considering her reputation, who knew what else he might do in the future.

She felt a chill in her heart. She had always asked herself if she had wronged them in any way. Because they didn't have a son, as the eldest daughter, she had taken on everything. Even her husband, Second Ox, worked tirelessly, like an old ox, doing their own chores without a moment's rest before rushing to help with his in-laws' farm.

What had all her dedication and hard work earned her?

She couldn't even compare to her sisters-in-law who, after marrying, had never returned to their natal homes.

Was Wu Zhaodi not tired? This time, she felt exhausted and didn't want to concern herself with anyone.