Bullying The Sister-In-Law - Chapter 10.2

The person on the other end seemed surprised she had picked up, and there was silence for a long time.

Su Zhiluo took a deep breath. The cold air made her nose sting. Just as she was about to hang up, the voice spoke in a local dialect, cursing her: “Are you dead? How many times have I called you, all these years? I thought you died outside. Do you know what people are saying about you? They say you became a mistress and got knocked up.”

Su Zhiluo opened her mouth to defend herself, then felt it was unnecessary. She only asked, “How did you find me?”

“How did I find you? Population census! Do you have a conscience? I let you go out to work, not to disappear! I raised you all this time, what are you thinking? You even ran off to North City. Did you get knocked up?”

Su Zhiluo said, “No…”

“I also heard something else. Did you raise a child…” Her mother’s voice was lower, presumably knowing about her and Liu Jinhuan and not wanting to ask directly.

Su Zhiluo asked, “Do you need something? If not, I’m hanging up.”

Her mother: “Are there any good schools over there? Your little brother is about to take his exams. Do you have any connections so he can go to Tsinghua or Peking University too?”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t the one you’re with at Tsinghua or Peking University? This is your biological brother…”

Su Zhiluo quickly hung up, finding it ridiculous.

Su Zhiluo had three older sisters and one younger brother. The three sisters were married. The one who treated her best was the third sister, who worked outside to support her schooling. Later, when her parents found out, they beat her sister and forcefully arranged for her to marry a man from the neighboring village. Her sister shoved the last bit of money she had into her hand and told her to run.

Many memories about the past were blurry.

She came out with people from her village, claiming to work, but she ran away with her money halfway. Later, the third sister texted her that those women who came out together never returned, possibly trafficked. When she settled down, she asked her sister if she wanted to join her, but the sister said no, mentioning she had a daughter and might not have an easy time with her in-laws, asking her not to contact her.

Su Zhiluo calmed herself down and texted her mother: [How is the third sister?]

Her mother replied: You still remember to ask? Your third sister died last year. We fought with the hospital for a long time, but they still haven’t compensated us. A perfectly healthy person, why was her uterus removed, and she still didn’t make it? They say the lawyers in North City are good. Go find some connections.

Su Zhiluo’s tears instantly streamed down. She wanted to type and ask, but a lump was stuck in her chest.

The four girls in the family were not valued much. She wore her sisters’ clothes for school and never had a new outfit. The eldest sister never got to work outside and never left the small mountain village. Her lifelong task was to cook for the family. In the end, they said she was getting old, and the family casually married her off. She had to bring her husband to help harvest rice even when she was pregnant.

The second sister was stubborn and openly defied their parents. When the second sister got married, she and the third sister played Mahjong together. The third sister built a tall tower of tiles and said, “The second sister is married. That’s scary. I must go out and see the world. Wait for me to earn money to support you through college.”

In the end, none of the four sisters in their family attended college.

Breathing in too much cold air, Su Zhiluo had a terrible headache. She covered her head and squatted by the window, weeping silently.

A message came in on her phone.

They used my phone to call. The third sister died of an amniotic fluid embolism. There’s no use in you coming back.

Another message followed: Don’t come back. Change your phone number. And don’t call again. I told the police station not to give your information to our parents. It’s best if you change where you live.

The message was unsigned. Su Zhiluo didn’t know which sister it was, but she wiped away her tears, still wanting to ask, for example, about her third sister’s child.

The other end seemed to know what she was thinking and replied: Your brother-in-law is already preparing to remarry.

Su Zhiluo deleted the text, long-pressed, and added the phone number to the blacklist.

Her palms were wet from crying. No matter how much she wiped, they didn’t seem to dry.

Liu Chengxu came out of the bathroom. Su Zhiluo quickly wiped her face dry. The light was dim, so Liu Chengxu didn’t notice her sister-in-law’s wet face.

Su Zhiluo thought.

Then, she would live her own life well.

She would treat herself as dead, dead outside.

The third sister once said: If I could run, I would run far, far away and never look back at this lousy place.

Times were different. Back then, it was hard for the third sister to find work. She had no money or travel expenses. Running away made her vulnerable to trafficking and abuse outside. Not everyone was lucky enough to have a smooth journey.

Among the four girls, Su Zhiluo was the most timid, and her parents once wanted to give her away. But it was precisely this Su Zhiluo who gritted her teeth and left that cannibalistic place. Su Zhiluo ran out after much hardship, and she was determined not to look back.

Lying in bed at night, Su Zhiluo reached out to wipe the corner of her eye. The hand behind her was faster.

Liu Chengxu was lying on her side, patting Su Zhiluo’s shoulder. Su Zhiluo hugged Liu Chengxu’s waist, encircling her in her arms. Although she was only 18, she had enough strength to be a support for her sister-in-law.

All the tears Su Zhiluo had been tightly holding back streamed out.

She whispered, “Chengxu, my sister died.”

Liu Chengxu’s heart ached repeatedly. She gently patted Su Zhiluo’s back, comforting her, “Sis, it’s okay. Your sister is gone, but you still have me.”

Liu Chengxu grabbed her phone and showed her the fireworks she had recorded. “Sis, look at the fireworks. Yesterday is over, and there is a future. Don’t think about it anymore. The fireworks are beautiful.”

Su Zhiluo’s vision was blurred by tears. The fireworks were just red and green halos in her eyes. The sound of fireworks exploding was in her ears. She said, “It was my biological sister.”

Even so, Liu Chengxu felt immense heartache.

Liu Chengxu said, “No matter who you are crying for, I will be heartbroken. I will always hold you.”

In that moment, Su Zhiluo’s heart beat heavily and inappropriately. She didn’t have time to examine the reason, only feeling the arm across her waist heavy. That weight was real and warm, making it impossible to ignore or break free.

Not knowing how to comfort her sister-in-law, Liu Chengxu showed Su Zhiluo the money she had saved. “I have three thousand yuan. That’s enough for two months of my living expenses, Sis. Our lives are getting better.”

Su Zhiluo “Mm’d.”

She called out again, “Chengxu.”

“I’m here.”

Liu Chengxu slowly moved closer and gently held Su Zhiluo’s fingers in the dark.

“I will always be with you.”

“Sis, don’t be afraid. I’ll always be with you.”

She clumsily imitated what her sister had once said, “I will give you a home. Forever. We will be together forever.”

The cold wind raged on New Year’s Eve. They didn’t have the bright homes of others, and the city’s neon lights had nothing to do with them. Cuddling in this small, rundown house, Su Zhiluo thought, Maybe, maybe one day, she really could move into a big house with Liu Chengxu, with bright lights, and scenery that soothed the mind right outside the window.

Liu Chengxu tightened her arms as much as possible to hug her, letting Su Zhiluo know that she still had her.

There had always been signs banning firecrackers in the city, but wealthy people didn’t seem to care, setting them off on the city outskirts if not in the center. Firecrackers popped and crackled all night, and neither of them slept well.

Su Zhiluo woke up and grabbed her phone. She had set it to silent the day before. She slid the screen open and saw several missed calls and New Year greetings.

The two slept until ten o’clock before getting up. They stewed the beef bone Aunt Zhang had given them. Su Zhiluo’s eyes were slightly swollen, but her state was much better. She said, “Don’t bother. Go put on your new clothes. I’ll just stir-fry a couple of dishes.”

Liu Chengxu tied the apron knot behind her waist. A section of her black sweater was rolled up, and Liu Chengxu lightly hooked it with her little finger, straightening the crease. Liu Chengxu softly said, “I don’t really want to wear it.”

“Why buy it if you don’t wear it?” Su Zhiluo poured the beaten egg mixture into the pan. She added, “If you don’t want to wear it yet, then you can wear it later.”

“Mm.”

“Is it still snowing outside?”

Their kitchen was very small, and it was crowded with two people standing together. Liu Chengxu pushed open the gauze window of the ventilator fan. The cold wind blew in her face. She said, “It’s still snowing. The snowflakes are swirling but not settling.”

Su Zhiluo: “Must be the wind.”

“Mm.”

Liu Chengxu closed the window. The kitchen was too small to move around, so she decided to do something else and went to tidy up the living room.

Her phone vibrated twice in her pocket. Su Zhiluo felt anxious whenever she heard a vibration now.

Yang Jie: [Visiting relatives for New Year’s. Passing by. Will drop by to wish you a Happy New Year later.]

Su Zhiluo frowned. She called out to Liu Chengxu to open the door, saying someone was coming to visit later.

Liu Chengxu was puzzled, but when she opened the door, she saw Yang Jie. Yang Jie was carrying something and smiled at Liu Chengxu, saying, “Happy New Year.”

Liu Chengxu couldn’t smile and instinctively wanted to close the door. Yang Jie walked to the doorway and said, “Your sister is here, right?”

That was a redundant question; Su Zhiluo certainly had nowhere else to go. Hearing the sound, Su Zhiluo came out and replied to Yang Jie, “Happy New Year.”

Yang Jie brought a box of Crown biscuits, a case of yogurt, two large boxes of cherries, and a big bag of fish. It was a bit extravagant, and Su Zhiluo was embarrassed to accept. She said, “You are too kind. I… how about you just give me the yogurt, and you take the rest back? No one in my family eats those.”

Liu Chengxu said, “Actually, I don’t drink yogurt either.”

Su Zhiluo was thinking of politely keeping only one item. She said awkwardly, “Why don’t you come in and sit? Take the gifts with you. You don’t have to be so polite. It would really be a waste if they stayed here.”

Yang Jie didn’t force her, thought for a moment, and smiled. “Okay, I’ll come in and sit. Haven’t you had breakfast yet?”

Su Zhiluo politely asked, “How about you? Have you eaten?”

Yang Jie said, “No, I’m planning to have breakfast at a relative’s house.”

As Yang Jie walked in, Liu Chengxu stuck out her foot to trip her. Yang Jie didn’t see it and stumbled forward. Su Zhiluo quickly helped her, saying, “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” Su Zhiluo hadn’t seen the foot and apologized, “The floor isn’t very even.”

Yang Jie “Mm’d,” flashing a smile.

Liu Chengxu looked at their touching hands, her face solemn.

Yang Jie carefully examined the house. It was quite small, the light wasn’t very good, and the first feeling was cold. She asked, “Have you been here the whole New Year?”

Liu Chengxu interjected, “We’re here all year round.”

Su Zhiluo found a chair for Yang Jie. Initially, she felt embarrassed, but then she thought, let her see the difference between the two of them, and she would know how to let go.

The three sat awkwardly. Su Zhiluo went to get dried fruit to entertain her guest. Yang Jie and Liu Chengxu exchanged hostile looks.

Su Zhiluo returned with the snacks. Yang Jie said, “Do you two want to come over to my place? You probably don’t visit relatives for the New Year, do you?”

“No need,” Liu Chengxu refused.

Su Zhiluo sensed the hostility and said apologetically, “We still have things to do.”

Yang Jie said, “Then I’ll come over to find you this afternoon. It’s boring when you live nearby.” She added, “Keep the fish. I heard Chang Ruyin say you like to eat fish. A relative sent it. It wouldn’t be very polite if I took it to her.”

Yang Jie behaved very politely, and since fish shouldn’t be kept out for too long—it would be a pity if it went bad—Su Zhiluo planned to secretly transfer money to her later.

Yang Jie stood up. “Well, I’ll be leaving now.”

Su Zhiluo told Liu Chengxu to watch the pot, planning to go downstairs to tactfully refuse Yang Jie. The two walked down to the first floor. Su Zhiluo was about to speak when Yang Jie asked, “Is it because of Liu Chengxu?”

“Mm.”

Yang Jie was actually unhappy. They had agreed to try dating, and now it had come to this. She looked back at Su Zhiluo and immediately spotted Liu Chengxu following them. She frowned and said, “Zhiluo, I know you don’t want to accept me because of Liu Chengxu, but what if she’s just making excuses?”

“What do you mean?”

Yang Jie said, “She likes you. It’s obvious.”

Liu Chengxu, who was following behind them, froze in place. She hadn’t expected Yang Jie to blurt it out without warning.

Su Zhiluo was equally stunned.