Call Me Daddy

Er Niang and her little friends had just emerged from a grove at the foot of the mountain. Seven or eight young girls and three or four boys of similar age were discussing their harvest for the day, chattering away and making quite a commotion.

“Er Niang, you’re really amazing! How did you know there were wild fruits there?”

A young girl, holding Er Niang’s arm, was already salivating at the thought of the jujubes in her basket.

“My nose is quite sensitive. I caught the smell.”

Er Niang wasn’t entirely sure herself, but since the family had split up, her sense of smell and hearing seemed to have become sharper. Once she entered the grove, she could always detect some strong scents nearby.

“This is really great. I wish I had a dog’s nose.”

The girls around her were envious. To them, having a nose as sensitive as a dog’s wasn’t an insult. On the contrary, if they could have such a keen sense of smell, they would find more wild fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms. For children in the countryside, wild fruits were rare and delicious treats, and more wild vegetables and mushrooms would earn praise from their parents.

Today, thanks to Er Niang discovering that jujube tree which had never been found before, everyone had picked nearly half a basket of wild fruits each.

Er Niang, who was receiving compliments, lowered her head shyly, enjoying the kind of attention she had never experienced before, like a star surrounded by admirers.

However, this good mood came to a halt when she returned to her own small courtyard.

A group of her little friends, tired from walking in the mountains, were about to rest at Er Niang’s house at the foot of the mountain. To their surprise, they saw Li Shi and others waiting early in the yard.

“No manners at all! You don’t even know to call out when you see people? Hurry up and open the door. Why lock the door in broad daylight? Do you think of the villagers as thieves?” Li Shi rubbed her sore calves and spoke harshly to her granddaughter.

At first, Er Niang was a bit scared, having been dominated by Li Shi for so many years. But soon, the recent easy and comfortable life had given her a bit of courage.

She carefully asked her little friends to wait and not leave yet, then put down the bamboo basket on her back, took out the key from around her neck, and unlocked the door to the main room.

Li Shi snorted coldly, pushed her roughly aside, and walked into the house with the matchmaker and a woman who looked somewhat restless.

“Er Niang, your step-grandmother is so fierce.”

As they watched Er Niang rubbing her shoulder where she had been pushed, a few of her friends whispered.

Er Niang was about to say something when the old lady’s sharp voice rang out again from inside the house.

“Are you dead or something? Don’t you know to bring me and my two esteemed guests some water? What about the snacks? The preserved fruits? Didn’t your father get rich and bring back a bunch of good things from the county?”

Li Shi, still thinking it was like the old days before the family split, had ordered Er Niang, who had just returned from foraging for wild fruits with her little friends, to serve tea and water to herself and the guests, and to bring out the snacks and preserved fruits that her father had bought when he went to sell the wild boar a while ago.

Er Niang did pour the water, because, no matter what, Li Shi was still her grandmother in name.

However, the water served was directly scooped from the water tank; it had not been boiled or infused with tea leaves or wildflowers. As for the snacks and preserved fruits, Er Niang herself couldn’t bear to eat them, so she certainly wasn’t going to serve them to her step-grandmother and the unexpected matchmaker.

Her actions weren’t necessarily impolite; people in the countryside were used to drinking raw water, and serving tea and snacks was a custom of wealthy families.

But Li Shi was furious. She felt that this little girl was getting out of hand and no longer respected her elders. As a result, she picked up a bowl full of water and was about to throw it at Er Niang.

Having served the old lady for so many years, Er Niang was well aware of her temper. She had once been powerless and afraid to resist, but after enjoying a period of good fortune, she was no longer the helpless victim she had been before.

The old lady’s reaction was part of her calculation. As soon as Li Shi reached for the bowl, Er Niang moved towards the door. When Li Shi threw the bowl at her, the girl had already reached the entrance of the main room.

“Help! My grandmother is trying to kill me! Help! Help!”

The girl, like a frightened rabbit, had red eyes and tears streaming down her face.

The group of little friends squatting in the yard immediately stood up. Several girls rushed over to protect Er Niang, while some of the bolder boys charged at Li Shi, shouting loudly about killing the old witch.

Li Shi threw a bowl and was then kicked and beaten several times by the group of strong boys.

8- and 9-year-old boys were quite strong, especially those who had already started helping adults with their work. They spared no effort in their attacks, and Li Shi’s legs and waist were probably already covered in bruises.

This caused Li Shi great pain. She cried out in distress, waving her hands at the children, and then, like someone fleeing a disaster, she took refuge with the matchmaker and the unfamiliar woman who had come with her, both of whom also received several blows.

It was only when people from the nearby area, who had heard Er Niang’s earlier screams, arrived that Li Shi and the others were rescued from the clutches of the children.

“What’s going on here? Why is it like this?”

Li Shi and the others looked utterly disheveled. The children had acted without restraint, and their agile movements had caused the women’s once neat hair and outfits to become a mess. The three women, who had initially been neatly dressed with their hair done up, now looked like madwomen, a sight too embarrassing to behold.

The adults who intervened tried to stifle their laughter, their faces stern as they inquired about the situation. Before Li Shi could start scolding, the children spoke up, each chattering away so loudly that it was almost deafening.

Li Shi’s voice was completely drowned out.

In the children’s accounts, they were Er Niang’s hero, and Li Shi was the defeated witch.

As for the other two women who were caught up in the mess, they were Li Shi’s associates, essentially the little devils under the old witch’s command, and they deserved to be beaten too.

The people who intervened were confused, but they managed to piece together the cause and course of events from the children’s somewhat inconsistent accounts.

Li Shi had wanted to kill (?), or at least severely injure, Er Niang by using a tea bowl to smash her head (?). If they hadn’t stopped the old witch, Er Niang might have been killed!

Children’s accounts often tended to exaggerate, especially after hearing Er Niang’s cry of “Grandmother wants to kill me!”

This would lead them to vividly imagine dramatic scenarios.

Rather than restoring the actual events, their stories seemed more like fabrications.

But the interveners didn’t know it. After all, how could children lie, especially so many at once? They had come running only after hearing Er Niang’s scream. Was it possible that Li Shi, in a fit of rage, had truly come to kill her step-granddaughter?

Thus, everyone’s suspicious gazes fell on Li Shi, nearly causing her to experience a second wave of fury.

***

“Every time, it’s clear that Li Shi has no intention of letting Second Su’s and his family have any peace.”

“Anyone who ends up with such a stepmother suffers.”

“Phooey, I think it’s that old fool Su Kuishan who’s the real weakling, unable to control even a wife.”

“…”

When Su Aobai arrived with them, there was already a crowd gathered outside the small courtyard, all tiptoeing to peek inside.

Recent events around the Su family had been one drama after another, to the point that the once overgrown and abandoned area outside the small courtyard had been trampled into a bare path.

Seeing Second Su arrive, the crowd reluctantly made way for him.

“Youniu, you’re back, you’re just in time. Don’t worry, your daughter hasn’t been bullied by your stepmother. The children are protecting her.”

When he arrived, Li Shi and the group of children were still arguing.

“Second, you’re here just in time. Hurry up and deal with your unfilial jinx. She’s trying piss me off to death!”

Li Shi’s anger flared upon seeing her stepson push through the crowd.

Her face was a dark shade of blue, one hand clenching her chest while the other kept pounding the back of her own hand, as if this gesture would help her calm down. She looked like someone who had been deeply wronged.

Li Shi was indeed enraged. She had asked Er Niang to explain whether or not she had hit her, but the girl had only cried and looked at her with fearful eyes.

This little wretch is such a good actress; Li Shi truly had no words to express her frustration.

“Er Niang is not a jinx!”

Su Aobai’s expression was even more grim than Li Shi’s. Standing in the courtyard, he clenched his fists and pressed his lips tightly together, showing an expression of extreme restraint.

Everyone could understand his feelings. After the family separation, who would remain calm if a stepmother came causing trouble and bullying one’s daughter? It was impossible to have a good attitude towards such a stepmother.

Moreover, Er Niang was Second Su’s only daughter. Li Shi not only came to beat her but also called her a jinx in front of him. That Su Aobai didn’t immediately retaliate against this stepmother was already showing considerable patience.

“Er Niang, be good, take your friends inside and make them a bowl of sugar water.”

Su Aobai saw through Er Niang’s little schemes at a glance. He couldn’t help but think that the children’s careful thoughts weren’t a bad thing.

In his mind, Su Aobai praised the situation. He was also pleased with the group of children standing up for Er Niang.

He couldn’t let them work without receiving anything in return. Su Aobai was teaching his daughter the value of offering rewards. Only by letting them know that helping her was beneficial would they be more likely to support her in similar situations in the future.

When the children heard they would get sweet water, their excitement was immediate. The injuries they had received from Li Shi’s sharp nails and the bruises from their earlier scuffle seemed to hurt less now.

Sugar water! Delicious, sweet sugar water!

The children regretted not having hit the old witch harder. They wondered if hitting her a few more times would earn them another bowl of sweet water from Second Uncle Su.

Thinking that way, the mischievous kids eyed Li Shi with some lingering desire to hit her again.

“Su Youniu!” Li Shi shivered and then immediately shouted in anger.

The fact that her stepson was giving sugar water to the children who had beaten her, while she was being mistreated, made her furious. Does he want these kids to kill me?

However, to outsiders, Su Aobai’s actions seemed merely affectionate towards the children. Some were from their own family, and others were from relatives and friends. It would be hard for anyone to criticize Su Aobai for treating the children well.

On the other hand, Li Shi, who was petty and quarreling with the children, appeared to be a miserly old hag.

“Mother, before the split, you always said Er Niang was lazy and punished her. Whether or not she was lazy during those years was clear to outsiders. Now that the family is separated, why did you come all the way here to beat and scold Er Niang? What’s the point of that?”

Su Aobai said helplessly.

“Don’t say I didn’t hit her. Even if I did hit her, she deserved it. She’s a junior, and as her grandmother, it’s not wrong for me to hit and scold her to teach her manners, is it?” Li Shi was extremely aggrieved. Although she had indeed thrown the tea cup at the girl, the girl had managed to dodge it.

***

“Alright, Li Shi, be straightforward. What exactly are you causing this ruckus for today?”

The village chief, who had come with Su Aobai, asked impatiently, reminding Li Shi of the main issue.

I’ll deal with that jinx later! She cast a sidelong glance at the young widow, who looked equally angry and resentful. Once this widow was in the family, Li Shi was convinced that the jinx wouldn’t have a single peaceful day left!

“I’ve found a match for Old Second. It’s this Widow Xu. She’s a good woman who bore four sons for her previous husband. Widow Xu doesn’t mind that you can’t have children. As long as you agree to raise her four sons, she’s willing to let you adopt the youngest one!”

Li Shi had an expression that suggested Su Aobai was striking it lucky.

“You say you can’t have children, but if you marry Xu Shi, there might be a chance for you to have a son.”

Li Shi’s eyes sparkled with secret excitement and satisfaction, though it was uncertain whose child might be born.

“Father!” As Er Niang was about to enter the house with her friends, she overheard her step-grandmother’s words and felt a pang in her heart.

She knew that if her father really married that woman, the happy and peaceful days she had been enjoying would soon be over.

Er Niang didn’t want her father to remarry, but if he must, it certainly couldn’t be that woman. Biting her lower lip almost to the point of bleeding, she finally came up with an idea.

The little girl’s tears flowed again as she ran to Su Aobai’s side, clutching his leg tightly.

“Daddy, please don’t abandon Er Niang. I promise to be good and not fight with my brothers for you. Please don’t let Grandma kill me to make space for my brothers, okay?”

This plea caused a stir among the onlookers.

What? The children had said that Li Shi wanted to kill Er Niang; could it be true?

If Er Niang were dead, Second Su’s family line would be truly barren. In that case, he would likely have to marry a widow with children and raise them.

Li Shi’s heart was unreasonably cruel!

Su Aobai, who had been enduring to the limit, seemed unable to hold back any longer.

He picked up his daughter and handed her to a villager woman standing nearby. Then he clenched his fists and quickly walked toward Li Shi and the others.

His physique had always been strong, and after some time of physical training, he had become even more robust. As he walked towards the women with a stern face, he resembled an enraged black bear, frightening those around him.

“I won’t raise other people’s children. In my lifetime, I have only one child, and that is Er Niang!”

As he spoke, he grabbed the matchmaker with one hand and the widow with the other, lifting them by the back of their collars and hoisting them into the air.

Two adult women together must have weighed at least 200 pounds, and both were frightened and struggling. Yet, he lifted them effortlessly and walked straight to the fence by the courtyard, tossing them out and leaving them outside the yard.

This was the first time everyone had directly witnessed Su Aobai’s strength. Such terrifying and domineering power seemed to be only a fraction of what he was capable of during the entire tossing process.

Su Aobai turned around and glared menacingly at Li Shi, who stood in the middle of the yard.

That single look made Li Shi’s legs go weak, and she uncontrollably felt the urge to urinate.

She felt that Second Su truly intended to kill her!

Even the most docile person has their breaking point, and often the more compliant they are, the more terrifying their anger becomes when pushed to the limit.

Given all that had happened, could anyone really blame Second Su for going too far?

Li Shi had brought it all upon herself.