Northeast: My Absurd Woman

Du Qiuniang pretended not to see Yang Wuni, but after being greeted by her, she had no choice but to turn around and chat with her.

"Auntie, look, there's nothing in my belly right now."

My husband took me to the local clinic, and they didn't charge us a penny; they even gave us money back.

Yang Wuni gestured to show Du Qiuniang her belly.

"Wu Ni, your auntie has to go home to cook. We'll chat again when we have time."

Du Qiuniang dodged Yang Wuni, who was chatting with her.

For more than a decade, they have regarded Yang Wuni as a "plague god".

It has taken deep root in the hearts of everyone in Ganggang Village.

"Wu Ni, don't waste your breath on them. We can't possibly try to please everyone."

Just be yourself, and we'll live better lives than them.

These old fogies are all brain-dead, let's not provoke them, okay?

Zhang Changyao watched as Yang Wuni followed behind the donkey cart, her head bowed in dejection.

With a heavy heart, he carried her to the donkey cart and covered her with a blanket.

When they arrived at Yang Wuni's house, she neither looked up nor got out of the car.

She regrets it now, regrets returning to Ganggang Village where no one welcomes her.

"Mother...Mother...come out quickly, my aunt is back."

Yang Xiuqing, the eldest niece, dropped the firewood she was holding and ran into the house to call her mother.

"Xiuqing, where are you? Your aunt is back, where is she?"

Wu Fengxia, Yang Wuni's sister-in-law, was a thin woman with a long face and a height of less than 1.5 meters. She came out of the house.

I saw Yang Wuni sitting in the car, not getting out.

He quickly ran over and examined her stomach.

Wu Ni, didn't you say you weren't pregnant? Your brother just keeps talking nonsense.

"When you came back, you told me that your belly had grown bigger again, and that you didn't know how many more days you had left to live."

My dad, my uncle, and I felt uneasy for several days after hearing what he said.

We dare not visit you, afraid that people will find out you have a disease, and that you will be rejected and sent back.

My father and uncle fight over this every day, and my uncle blames my father for being heartless.

Father didn't dare talk back; he had no choice. You can't blame him.

Wu Fengxia held Yang Wuni's hand, feeling both sorry for her and afraid that Yang Wuni would blame them.

"Sister-in-law, I don't blame anyone. I came back this time to find Wang Fengxian."

I want to ask her why she threw dirty water on me.

Yang Wuni got out of the car and went into the house with Wu Fengxia.

"Auntie, why are you only getting back now? I've missed you so much."

Yang Xiuqing tugged at Yang Wuni's clothes and whispered in her ear.

"Xiuqing, your aunt misses you too, but I need to get treatment and don't have time."

You and your uncle bring the things from the car inside.

The package contains clothes and pants for you, Xiao Suo, Xiao Chen, and Xiao Ming, which your aunt gave to you.

Yang Wuni pointed to the packages in the car and Zhang Changyao, asking Yang Xiuqing to help him.

"Uncle, let me help you with that, you can rest."

Yang Xiuqing snatched the things back from Zhang Changyao's arms and carried them into the house.

Zhang Changyao followed behind the group, leaning against the corner of the wall inside the room, completely ignored.

"Wu Ni, tell your sister-in-law, how did your belly get better?"

Wu Fengxia pulled Yang Wuni to sit on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and chatted with her.

Yang Wuni then recounted to Wu Fengxia how Zhang Changyao had taken her to the health center for treatment, where he not only didn't charge her but even paid her.

"Wu Ni, you're lucky to have met Zhang Changyao, a cultured man."

If it were these illiterate vagrants in our village, we'd be doomed.

You're right, we should go ask Wang Fengxian.

Why did she say, with such obvious sarcasm, that your stomach is about to explode?

"If she hadn't called you a 'plague god' when you were born, you wouldn't have suffered all this all these years." Wu Fengxia supported Yang Wuni's approach.

"Xiuqing, who's here?" Yang Deming asked Yang Xiuqing when he returned to the courtyard and saw the donkey cart.

"Grandpa, it's my aunt and uncle coming back to visit their parents."

They even brought you meat, and gave us clothes and pants.

Yang Xiuqing cleaned everything off the donkey cart, carried it into the house, and placed it on the kang (a heated brick bed).

When they went to check if anything had been left behind, they saw Yang Deming returning from gambling, walking into the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

Yang Deming was hunched over, with his hands behind his back, wearing a melon-shaped hat.

His face was so thin that his cheeks were sunken, and his two goatees were already gray.

When he heard that it was Yang Wuni who had returned, his expression immediately changed.

"Yang Wuni, you wretched creature, who let you come back?"

Did I tell him I was going to die outside and never be allowed to step into this yard again?

"I think you only die after we've all died, is that it?"

Yang Deming stormed into the house, fuming.

Before Yang Wuni could even see his face clearly, he grabbed her hair and pulled her out.

"Father, I am not... I am not a 'plague god,' I did not come back to kill you all."

My illness is cured, I won't die. I just missed you all and wanted to come back to see you before leaving.

When Yang Wuni saw her father, she was like a lamb to the slaughter, letting him drag her out.

He held his hair in both hands and hurriedly explained.

"Yang Wuni, even if you don't die, you're still a 'plague god'."

As long as I live, there will be no place for you in this house.

Get out of here right now, or I'll beat you to death with this stick.

From childhood to adulthood, this family has never had a moment's peace because of you. What else could you be but a "plague"?

Yang Deming pulled harder, and Yang Wuni's words had no effect whatsoever.

"You old man, can't you be reasonable? Why did you come up here and grab someone's hair?"

Zhang Changyao, who had been watching from the side, finally couldn't hold back and went forward to help Yang Wuni.

He grabbed Yang Deming from behind, immobilizing him.

"Yang Wuni, you've really grown up now, haven't you? You even brought helpers to deal with your father, haven't you?"

If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have let you live.

"If it weren't for your meddlesome uncle intervening back then, none of this trouble would have happened."

Yang Deming tried hard to shake off Zhang Changyao, but failed.

In his anger, he tried to stomp on Zhang Changyao's foot, but Zhang dodged him.

The only thing Yang Deming could do now was to loosen Yang Wuni's braid.

Only in this way can he free up his hands to deal with Zhang Changyao.

"Wu Ni, go sit in the car now. This old man doesn't welcome you. Let's go home."

A father like that shouldn't come back to see him. It's better to throw meat into a ditch than to feed him.

Zhang Changyao looked at Yang Wuni, who had straightened up, and told her to get into the car.

"Zhang Changyao, I'm not leaving. I want to understand everything today."

I'm going to find Wang Fengxian. I need to know why she harmed me.

Yang Wuni straightened her two braids and stubbornly refused to leave, leaning against the wall of the house.

"Wu Ni, you're not dead? I knew your dad was just spouting nonsense all day. You can't believe what those shamans say."