Chapter 9: Name (2)

In a moment of anger, Jiang Aiguo blurted out something his mother often said at home to scold the old man. As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. His mother had warned him countless times never to let the people at the old house know what was said at home—otherwise, all the good things from there would be gone.

After all, half of the forty-five jin of grain ration tickets Old Jiang received each month were for high-grade refined grains—white flour—and nearly all of that ended up in their family’s stomachs. Every time Old Jiang went to the county at the start of the month to collect his subsidy, Fan Xiaojun would send her eldest son with the younger one to put on a pitiful act. That always worked like a charm. Since the old couple had once considered adopting her son, they had to offer some benefits—no one would agree otherwise. Her two sons were her golden geese, and she wasn’t about to give them up.

Because of this, even though Jiang Dachuan and his wife barely worked, they ate better than anyone else. Their sons, Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Aidang, were just a few years old but already attended school with the other village children—all paid for by Old Jiang and his wife.

In Fan Xiaojun’s mind, all of the old couple’s money would go to her husband eventually. Since her eldest brother-in-law had no son, naturally, the inheritance would go to her boys. So what harm was there in spending a bit early?

At that moment, Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Aidang came home crying. Fan Xiaojun was checking the family's grain reserves.

Thanks to the old house’s support, they had always eaten their fill. Fan Xiaojun even secretly brought grain back to her maternal family, confident that her in-laws wouldn’t let their grandsons starve. But now that the eldest son had a child—a little bastard, in her words—she wasn’t so sure what the old couple was thinking. Looking at the thin layer left at the bottom of the grain jar, she felt anxious.

They had received a lot of sweet potatoes at the end of the year, but she didn’t like them—thought they caused bloating—and had already sent them all to her mother’s house. Her sister-in-law there had praised her to the heavens for it, always trying to curry favor. That raised her status above her sisters at home. Now, having to beg them for food? She couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“Ma—Ma—” Jiang Aiguo cried out as he ran into the house.

The second son’s house was much bigger than the old family home. It had been built when Fan Xiaojun and Jiang Dachuan got married. Large and sturdy, it had been constructed using the old couple’s savings. At the time, they had planned to live with the eldest son, handing over everything to his household. As part of the family division, they built this new house for the second son.

With blue bricks and black tiles, the lime walls inside were whitewashed every year. Although Fan Xiaojun was lazy, the house was spotless. Even the chickens in the courtyard were neatly cooped in a corner, not a single pile of droppings in sight.

“Wailing like that—weren’t you supposed to take your brother to school? Did you skip class again?”

Fan Xiaojun was already in a foul mood. Seeing her eldest son only made her angrier. She planted one hand on her hip and pulled his ear with the other, scolding him loudly.

Jiang Aiguo’s cries grew louder. His younger brother Aidang saw him getting scolded and began wailing too. The whole house sounded like a den of crying ghosts, driving Fan Xiaojun up the wall.

“What’s going on? Beating the kid in broad daylight?”

Jiang Dachuan strolled in from outside, shaking his head. Seeing his wife at it again, he muttered a comment, walked into the kitchen, and scooped a ladle of water from the jar, gulping it down.

He didn’t resemble Jiang Cheng or Miao Sanfeng. His frame was thin and short, with shifty eyes—not the look of a dependable man.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at work? Why are you back?” Fan Xiaojun snapped.

“Yelling again. You know how exhausting it is working in this heat? I’m just taking a break. What’s the big deal? As long as the old folks are around, we won’t starve.”

Jiang Dachuan was known for being lazy. He only did the kind of work women usually took—like assembling matchboxes—and still complained constantly. He earned fewer work points than even the more capable women. If the family relied on him, they’d all starve.

Fan Xiaojun didn’t argue. She didn’t have the face to. At least her husband showed up for work occasionally. She was even worse—always claiming to be unwell or busy with the kids. She was lucky to work one day out of ten.

“Look at your son. Skipping school again with Aidang. We might as well stop sending him—save a few bucks.” She shot her son a glare. In her eyes, school was useless. Better to wait until he was older and ask her father-in-law to pull some strings to get him into the army. How prestigious would that be—good pay and face-saving.

Hadn’t her father-in-law once saved an old army officer? He had to have that kind of pull.

“Explain yourself—why’d you skip school again?” Jiang Dachuan ignored his wife. Women were too short-sighted. Times weren’t like before. Getting more education could only be a good thing. Farming in the fields like him and his brother? What future was there in that?

Under the stares of both parents, Jiang Aiguo sobbed and recounted what had just happened.

“You little bastard! Trying to ruin the whole family?!”

Jiang Dachuan understood his father’s temper better than anyone. Over the years, his dad had kept quiet, but that didn’t mean he didn’t hold grudges. Still, with the eldest son having no heir, no one could force the old man to give up his grandson. Times had changed. That’s why even though he was lazy, his dad let him be. But he knew—some things, once said, would cause real trouble.

Now that the eldest brother had a son, and those two brats dared to speak like that to the old man? There was no way they’d ever get another thing from him.

Jiang Dachuan looked around, yanked a thick stick from under the stove, and charged at his son. Jiang Aiguo scrambled away in terror.

Though Fan Xiaojun liked to scold her sons, she’d never used such heavy hands. That stick could seriously injure him. She quickly rushed forward to stop her furious husband.

“I haven’t even held you accountable yet. You're the one always saying these things in front of the kids. Now look—they’ve gone and repeated it to the old man! You’re the one who deserves a beating!”

Jiang Dachuan spun around, stick raised, and snarled at her.

“Go ahead, hit me! I gave you two sons. Try hitting me and see what happens—I’ll take them both back to my mother’s house!”

Fan Xiaojun wasn’t afraid. Hands on her hips, she jabbed at his chest.

Jiang Dachuan waved the stick but didn’t dare hit her. He flung it to the ground in frustration. “Take the kids and go apologize to Dad right now. He loves them—he won’t hold a grudge. Bring some eggs too, as a gift to Big Brother and his wife. That’ll put the old folks in a better mood.”

“Eggs? Are you serious?” Fan Xiaojun was on the verge of tears. Those eggs were worth money—she wouldn’t even eat them herself. How could she give them to Big Brother’s family?

“Just do it! Or do you really think I won’t hit you?” Jiang Dachuan roared, bending to grab the stick again, looking like he truly meant to beat her.

Startled, Fan Xiaojun realized he was dead serious. She said no more, pulled her sons into the kitchen, and carefully picked six of the smallest eggs from the cupboard, placing them in a basket with a pained expression.

“You’re not coming with us?” she asked, hesitant about facing her stern father-in-law alone.

Jiang Dachuan glared at her. “I have to go to work. Your darling son pissed off Dad. If I don’t earn something today, you want us all to drink northwest wind?”

TR Note: “Drink northwest wind (喝西北风)” is a Chinese idiom meaning to go hungry or starve.

In truth, Jiang Dachuan was just scared of facing Jiang Cheng in his current fury and used work as an excuse to avoid it.

Fan Xiaojun had nothing more to say. She led her two sons toward the old house.

Jiang Dani and Jiang Erni turned pale. Their little faces froze in fear.

The children of the eldest branch had long learned to be cautious around their second uncle’s family. Although Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Aidang were still young, they were already skilled at bullying others. Whenever something good came their way, they would never share it but often snatched things from others instead. What’s more, whenever they were scolded, they would cry and run home to tattle, which usually ended with Jiang Dacuan or Fan Xiaojuan coming over to make a scene, accusing others of bullying their sons.

Because of this, the children of the eldest branch had always chosen to endure in silence.

But today was different. Jiang Dani had her youngest sister in her arms. That child was still an infant—how could she withstand a push or shove?

Jiang Dani’s arms trembled slightly as she picked up the steamed bun from the floor and brushed off the dust. Her eyes were red, and her lips trembled, but she didn’t cry.

Jiang Erni’s eyes also turned red as she shouted, “What are you doing, Jiang Aiguo? Why are you hitting people?”

Jiang Aiguo had originally just wanted to show off in front of his grandmother and vent some of his frustrations. Seeing that Jiang Dani had fallen and dropped the bun made him feel a little guilty, but upon hearing Jiang Erni’s sharp rebuke, he grew angry instead and retorted, “What are you yelling for? You’re the ones who didn’t look where you were going! You bumped into me!”

“You’re the one who rushed at us with your fists! You’re just a bully!” Jiang Erni pointed back fiercely.

“You dare call me a bully?” Jiang Aiguo’s eyes widened as he rolled up his sleeves. “Say that again, and I’ll beat you up too!”

“You dare!” Jiang Erni shouted, her hands balling into fists.

The shouting caught Miao Sanfeng’s attention. She turned back, saw Jiang Dani on the ground and the two girls confronting her grandson, and immediately stomped over, yelling, “What’s going on here? What’s all the noise?!”

As soon as she arrived, Jiang Aiguo rushed over and clung to her leg. “Grandma! They called me a bully! I just wanted to play with them, but they pushed me and shouted at me!”

“You liar!” Jiang Erni cried.

“You still dare to talk back?!” Miao Sanfeng snapped.

She glanced at the dirty steamed bun on the floor and her gaze sharpened. “Where did this come from? Did your mother give it to you?”

Jiang Dani hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

Seeing her admit it, Miao Sanfeng’s face turned cold. “How generous of her. The whole family’s barely eating well, and she’s sneaking food out for you to eat behind everyone’s backs.”

She bent down and picked up the now-dusty bun, her tone full of disdain. “What a waste. You girls are getting more shameless by the day. Now that there’s a boy in the family, you think you can still act like you used to?”

Jiang Erni flushed with anger and shouted, “We didn’t steal anything! Dad gave it to us!”

“Did I ask you?” Miao Sanfeng snapped. “I’m not blind. That mother of yours is sneaky. Always pretending to be so virtuous when her heart’s full of selfishness!”

TR Note: In rural Chinese households, especially during hardship years, food distribution within extended families often favored boys due to patriarchal traditions. Miao Sanfeng's attitude reflects a generational belief that girls were less worthy of resources like meat and buns.

Jiang Dani didn’t say a word. She lowered her head and gently rocked Jiang Sini in her arms. Although her lips were pressed tightly together, tears quietly rolled down her cheeks.

Jiang Erni clenched her fists and glared at her grandmother, but under that withering stare, she didn’t dare say anything more.

Miao Sanfeng took the bun and turned to head back into the house, mumbling as she walked, “Hmph, feeding it to a girl is such a waste. Better to save it for your little brother.”

Van Xiaoyuan, who had just come in from outside, smiled coldly. “What a nice family scene, full of love and harmony.”

“Who’s being sarcastic now?” Miao Sanfeng turned to glare at her. “Aren’t you supposed to be going back home? Hanging around here like you own the place. Go cook if you’re staying—don’t just stand there like a post!”

Van Xiaoyuan didn’t even bother to respond. She turned around, picked up her basket, and walked straight out of the house.

She thought to herself: These people only ever scold others. No matter how much you curry favor, they’ll never give you true respect. Just wait, old hag. The day I become prosperous, I’ll never let you step foot in my home again.

Jiang Aiguo, seeing that the steamed bun had been taken away, stuck out his tongue at his cousins and went back to finish the bowl of malted milk. Jiang Aidang, who hadn’t said a word the entire time, also held onto his bowl and quietly sipped the warm drink.

Meanwhile, Jiang Dani picked herself up from the floor, brushed off the dust, and wiped the tear stains from her face. Then, she hugged Jiang Sini a little tighter and led her sister back to their room.

Jiang Erni followed closely behind, gritting her teeth as she whispered, “One day, I’ll grow up and leave this place. I’ll never let them bully us again!”

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Chapter 9: Name (2)