1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 7 The Hen That Doesn't Lay Eggs
Lin Xiyu's aunt drank Chinese medicine and, before she could even wash the clay pot, was called to a phone booth by the person making the call.

After the man finished making the call, several more people came to buy newspapers and cigarettes. He got so busy that he forgot about the clay pot.

It was the weekend, and Zhang Dafeng wasn't at work, so she took a basin to the only public sink in the yard to wash her clothes.

She saw a dark, old clay pot in the sink, picked it up with disgust, and threw it on the ground.

The clay pot was fragile and cracked when it fell to the ground.

My aunt came home at noon to cook and saw the cracked clay pot. She was furious.

There weren't many people in the neighborhood who would do something so despicable, so without thinking, the aunt rushed to Zhang Dafeng's house with the broken clay pot.

Zhang Dafeng was being unreasonable. Instead of apologizing, she complained that her aunt was occupying the public water tank and delaying her from washing clothes.

The aunt naturally wouldn't give up and argued her case forcefully.

The two argued more and more, with Zhang Dafeng being sarcastic and mocking her aunt as a barren hen.

My aunt hates it when people talk about her not having children. She gets furious when she hears this and starts hitting her by the hair.

The two women were making such a racket that they startled Mr. Huang, who was in poor health and rarely went out. He opened the window and peered out towards the pool.

Grandma was getting old and was powerless to stop the fight. She clutched her chest in anger and collapsed to the ground.

Zhang Dafeng's sister-in-law had long disliked her sister-in-law and stayed inside watching the commotion without coming out.

In the end, Grandpa Wang couldn't stand it anymore, so he and his son each grabbed one of them and forcibly separated them.

Both women suffered injuries.

My aunt was short, and Zhang Dafeng scratched her face until it bled.

Zhang Dafeng's wrist was scraped.

Face is more important than hands; in short, my aunt suffered a loss.

-

When Lin Xiyu returned home, she saw two clear scratches on her aunt's face, from which blood was seeping. Her grandmother was sitting on the steps of her own doorway, clutching her chest, her face deathly pale, trembling with anger.

Zhang Dafeng went berserk, throwing a tantrum and cursing in the yard, demanding that her aunt apologize and threatening to send her boyfriend over. After the fight, her aunt sobered up and chickened out.

When she realized that her boyfriend was a provincial government official, all her fighting spirit vanished, and she hung her head, not daring to utter another word.

Lin Xiyu got the gist of it, turned around and ran outside to call her uncle and aunt from a public phone booth.

My aunt's family is large, including my uncle, cousins, and older cousins.

My aunt was beaten, my grandmother fell ill from anger, and she was even threatened. We can't just let this go. Someone has to stand up for our family.

-

My aunt's family arrived very quickly, in less than an hour.

Zhang Dafeng's boyfriend also arrived. At first, he was extremely arrogant, threatening that she had to pay for the medical expenses, or he would send the police to arrest her.

The uncle went to the west room of the Zhang family to reason with him, but his voice was completely suppressed and so soft that it was almost inaudible.

My cousin arrived, and without saying a word, he pulled a fire hook from the kitchen stove and rushed into the west room.

The west room fell silent instantly.

Zhang Dafeng's boyfriend has stopped making any moves.

-

Lin Xiyu and her cousin hid under the pomegranate tree in the yard to eavesdrop. As they listened to the sounds coming from the west room, they realized that their own family was gradually gaining the upper hand. They breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Sigh, if Grandma hadn't stopped me from going over there, I would have smeared her face with my own."

My cousin felt a bit aggrieved, thinking she hadn't contributed much: "I came prepared to fight, so I changed out of my skirt and came wearing pants."

"Pfft."

Lin Xiyu was amused by her cousin's bold tone and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

(End of this chapter)