"Really, your mom gave birth and Second Aunt hasn't even been able to visit yet. Now, you're asking for your family's grain. Second Aunt is so ashamed!" Wu Zhaodi lowered her head, her eyes turning red.
"What are you saying! Didn't you help my mom make clothes for my younger siblings?"
"Mom, if Grandma comes to borrow grain again, please don't give it to her. We're almost out of food ourselves, and you still care about her?" Bai Rumei, just like Bai Ruxia, was straightforward and outspoken.
"Sis, is Grandma borrowing it? She's robbing it! Mom can't out-snatch Grandma, right?" Bai Ruyue retorted at her sister.
"Second Aunt, did Grandma come over again?" Bai Xue caught on. Since that old Grandma Bai couldn't get grain from their house, she must have turned her attention to Second Uncle's house.
"She came yesterday, said... said your eldest brother took all the grain from the house. There's no rice to cook and the whole family is starving. She took away five pounds of cornmeal from the house!" Wu Zhaodi said.
"But Bai Ruying and Bai Rusheng are both well-fed and chubby. They don't look starved at all! There's no one as partial as Grandma." Bai Rumei added another comment.
"Second Aunt, if the family runs out of grain, just come to me. I'll think of a way!" Bai Xue couldn't say much more.
"Xiao Xue, just take care of your parents. Don't worry about Second Aunt. If things really don't work out, go borrow from my family. Your dad is injured, and your mom is in confinement. Good thing you're a bit older, otherwise, what would we do?"
"Don't worry, Second Aunt!"
When Bai Xue left Second Uncle's house, she had five eggs in her hand, which Second Aunt insisted she take, saying she wanted to save up ten to give away. But the hen hadn't laid any eggs these past few days.
Normally, they wouldn't even eat these eggs themselves and kept them to exchange for some household oil and salt.
She hadn't walked far from Second Uncle's house when she ran into her grandma face-to-face.
The old Grandma Bai was rushing towards her.
She wanted to avoid her, but there was nowhere to hide, and they ran right into each other.
"You ungrateful girl, what are you doing here? What's that you're holding?" she demanded harshly, seeing Bai Xue come out of Bai Dajiang's house.
"Grandma, this isn't even your house. What business is it of yours?" Bai Xue retorted.
"I'll tell you what! Hand over whatever you're holding! Don't make me come and get it myself!" The old Grandma Bai was about to step forward to grab it.
Just then, Wu Zhaodi, who had seen Bai Xue out, heard the commotion and ran over.
"Mom, Xiao Xue is carrying the eggs I gave to Sister-in-law to help her with breastfeeding! You can't take them from a child!"
"What? Eggs? How could you give them to them? Our Rusheng is sick and has no appetite. I came here to get them, and you gave them to this ungrateful child? Bai Ruxue, hand them over now! Don't make me snatch them!" Grandma Bai shouted even louder upon hearing they were eggs.
"Didn't you hear Second Aunt say these eggs are for my mom to help with breastfeeding?" Bai Xue stepped back, signaling to Wu Zhaodi with her eyes.
After a moment of realization, Wu Zhaodi understood that Bai Xue wanted her to go back inside to hide the grain and cloth. She quickly turned back and whispered to Bai Rumei beside her.
Seizing the moment when Grandma Bai's attention was on Bai Xue, Bai Rumei sneaked back inside.
"Just because she says so, it must be true? Is your mom some kind of princess who needs eggs? Didn't you hear that our Rusheng is sick? Hurry up and give them to me!" Grandma Bai stepped forward to grab the eggs from Bai Xue.
Bai Xue dodged sideways, causing Grandma Bai to miss her grab. With the compacted snow underfoot, it was slippery, and she couldn't stop herself and fell hard onto the ground.
"Ouch... my dear granddaughter beat her own grandma, help!" Grandma Bai cried out painfully, sitting on the ground and wailing.
Bai Xue noticed, Grandma Bai was a master at playing tricks and making a scene. She really wasn't much of a threat.
"Mom, are you okay? Let me help you up!" Wu Zhaodi rushed over quickly to avoid attracting more neighbors and gave Bai Xue signals to leave quickly.
Bai Xue shook her head. She couldn't leave now, fearing that Grandma Bai would follow her home to cause a ruckus, preventing her mom from recovering properly in confinement.
"Get away from me, come on, people! Look at this, the unfilial granddaughter is beating her grandma! Everyone, come and see!" Grandma Bai wouldn't get up, shouting from where she sat in the snow.
But since Bai Dajiang's house was on the edge, it wasn't easy to attract people quickly, so Bai Xue just stood by, watching.
"Mom, the ground is cold. Let me help you up! Stop shouting!" Wu Zhaodi attempted to help her up again.
"You wretch! Are you doing this on purpose? Yesterday, when I came to borrow some grain, you gave the eggs to this ungrateful child. Are you scared I'll come for more eggs? How did the Bai Family end up with such a daughter-in-law? Such bad luck for eight lifetimes! Oh, this poor old woman's fate!" Grandma Bai cried even louder.
"Grandma, what's that supposed to mean? Yesterday, did you come to borrow grain? Every time you came, wasn't it just to snatch it away? Regardless of whether we have enough to eat, you just grabbed it! When have you ever returned anything?" Bai Rumei came out after hiding everything. Hearing Grandma curse her mom, she couldn't hold back anymore.
"You money-wasting girl! I'll beat you to death..." Grandma Bai attempted to stand, but the pain in her backside prevented her; it seemed she had broken her tailbone.
"Your dad is my son. Isn't it only right for me to take some grain from my son's house? What's a money-waster like you doing speaking up?" she persisted, shifting her wrath onto Bai Rumei.
"But..."
"Okay, Xiao Mei, just say a few less words!" Bai Rumei still wanted to argue, but Wu Zhaodi stopped her.
"Grandma, don't forget you're living with your third son! And each year, the retirement money and grain my dad and Second Uncle give you and Grandpa aren't any less! There's no logic in draining us to support your third son!" Bai Xue wasn't one to hold back. If there was something to say, it must be said.
By now, people were gradually gathering to watch the commotion. They couldn't afford to keep bickering with this old woman; they had to end it quickly.
"If you keep snatching like this, I'll have to pay a visit to the rectification class! Someone like you could be paraded as a negative example in the streets! Oppressing daughters-in-law and granddaughters, snatching the rations from grandchildren, how vile is this behavior, do you know?"
"Don't use the rectification office to scare me! This is a family matter! The rectification class can't interfere! I'm just here to borrow a few eggs, so what?" Grandma Bai yelled, unable to stand, sitting right there on the ground.
"Mom, those eggs are really for Sister-in-law to help with breastfeeding. If you want, I'll save some more for you, alright? Please get up! So many people are watching!" Wu Zhaodi quietly urged from the side.
"What's going on here?" At this point, Bai Dajiang and Bai Ruyang came back, carrying firewood. Seeing so many people gathered at their door, they quickly rushed over.
"Dajiang, just in time. Your wife and these two money-wasters teamed up to beat your mother! I'm so hurt I can't get up! Save me!" Grandma Bai's cries got even louder seeing Bai Dajiang return.
Knowing his mother's antics, Bai Dajiang didn't believe a word but walked over, laid down the firewood, and helped Grandma Bai up.
She was moaning and groaning, clearly having taken quite a spill.
"Mom, I picked up two sparrows while collecting firewood. Take them home and eat with Dad!" He stuffed the birds he caught into her hands.
"Only two? There are three kids at home; is this enough for them?" Grandma Bai looked at Bai Dajiang's pocket inquisitively.
"These are the only two I caught!" Bai Dajiang showed her his empty pocket.
Beside him, the eyes of Wu Zhaodi and her daughters were red with anger. Bai Xue wanted to say something too, but with so many people around, getting entangled further wouldn't do any good. She quietly told Wu Zhaodi, "Second Aunt, keep a close watch on things at home. If Grandma gets really troublesome, just go to the team leader or the rectification class!"
"Second Aunt knows!" Wu Zhaodi nodded, her eyes fixed on the sparrow in Grandma Bai's hand in resentment! Her heart was filled with hatred! Her own family also had three kids, yet the sparrows their father caught couldn't be eaten by them. Instead, they ended up in the mouths of the three kids in the third brother's house. How hard is it to get a taste of meat at this time? Yet her own kids could only watch but not eat.