We Are Filthy, Born From Mud - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Yes, She is All Alone. Zhang Yinyang

Surrounding the factory was a cluster of low-rise housing.

Calling them “housing” was generous; they were actually converted sections of an old industrial area. Creepers crawled across the mottled, grey-white walls, and rust-stained window frames creaked in the wind. It had just rained, and the pitted ground was filled with puddles.

A limping figure walked cautiously along the damp, narrow path. It was Zhang Yinyang; she had just finished her shift.

Some time ago, she had worked at an electronics factory. She often engaged in petty theft, sneaking out small components to sell. She thought she was being discreet and that no one would notice. But as the saying goes, “walk by the river often enough, and you’re bound to get your shoes wet.” She was fired. No factory wanted an employee with sticky fingers, and no one in town would hire her. After resting for a few days, she had to head to the neighboring town to try her luck.

She successfully found work at a garment factory. Working in the dye room, the fumes made one’s head spin. Despite wearing layers of masks, her nostrils would be filled with vivid colors by the end of the day. Even so, the daily wage was pitifully small.

Her clothes were soaked from the rain, and as the wind blew, she felt a chill deep in her bones. She pulled her thin clothes tighter around her and kept walking. There seemed to be the sound of another person’s footsteps behind her, but when she looked back, there was nothing. She took two more steps, and the footsteps behind her became more distinct. The other person seemed to be exposing their presence on purpose.

She quickened her pace, and the footsteps behind her quickened too. Zhang Yinyang began to run, limping forward as she splashed through the puddles. In her haste, she didn’t account for the mud beneath her feet; the wet earth was so slippery that she saw her face getting closer and closer to the road.

Just at the moment she was about to fall, someone grabbed her. Before she could even stand up, she was turned around and restrained.

“You won’t be hurt. We just have something to ask you. We want the truth.”

The voice came from behind her—it was Liangu’s voice. Zhang Yinyang closed her eyes and said, “Okay.”

“Okay!”

More than ten years ago, Zhang Mumu would always agree to Zhang Yinyang’s requests with such cheer. She would give her egg pancake to Zhang Yinyang, and when playing games, she would allow Zhang Yinyang to change the rules at will. Although Zhang Mumu was a year or two younger than Zhang Yinyang, she seemed much more sensible.

“Okay, it’s a deal. We’ll go help Liangu make egg pancakes later.”

Zhang Yinyang loved playing with Zong Liangu and Zhang Mumu. Zong Liangu was older, so Zhang Yinyang naturally treated her as an older sister. And because Zhang Mumu always indulged her, she often forgot Mumu was younger and instinctively treated her like an older sister too. One could say Zhang Yinyang relied on Zong Liangu and Zhang Mumu.

“Liangu, we’re here to help you!”

Zhang Yinyang pulled Zhang Mumu along, running joyfully toward Zong Liangu. Zong Liangu’s face remained expressionless as she said, “You’re not here to help me; you’re just hungry.”

Zhang Yinyang, having been found out, felt no shame at all and let out a “hehe” laugh. She saw Zong Liangu crack another egg, beat it evenly in a bowl, and divide it into two portions. These were for Zhang Mumu and Zhang Yinyang.

“Liangu, we like you so much.”

Zhang Yinyang heard Zong Liangu give an impatient “tsk.” And so, Zhang Yinyang laughed again.

“Liangu, why are you called Zong Liangu? See, I’m Zhang Yinyang, and Little Cow is Zhang Mumu. We’re both named Zhang. Why are you called Zong Liangu? It’s so strange.”

Zhang Yinyang asked this while her eyes never left the fragrant egg pancake. Zong Liangu looked at her with some disdain, but Zhang Mumu answered first: “I know why! The director mentioned it. There was a character ‘Zong’ on Sister Liangu’s swaddling clothes; that might be her mother’s surname! Xiaoyang, we took the director mother’s surname.”

Zhang Yinyang nodded thoughtfully and said, “Then does Liangu not count as the director mother’s child?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized she had said the wrong thing. She saw Liangu’s brow furrow even tighter, and the small spatula viciously cut the egg pancake into several pieces.

“Liangu… Xiaoyang didn’t mean it that way…”

Zhang Yinyang heard Zhang Mumu comforting Zong Liangu, but she didn’t listen at all, because a brilliant idea had appeared in her mind.

“Little Cow, Liangu, let’s the three of us get married!”

The moment she spoke, all other sounds vanished. The sound of the spatula hitting the iron plate, Little Cow’s voice… everything went silent. Only Zhang Yinyang’s self-satisfied voice remained: “We saw it on TV the other day—once you’re married, you’re family. We can sleep in one bed forever, eat at one table forever, and live together for a lifetime! I even memorized that line: for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, we will be together forever.”

After Zhang Yinyang finished her excited speech, still no one spoke. The spatula scraped against the iron; the egg pancakes were ready, and she and Little Cow each received one.

“Psychopath,” she heard Zong Liangu say. Then Zong Liangu turned and left.

Only she and Zhang Mumu remained.

“Why is Liangu angry?” Zhang Yinyang took a bite of her egg pancake.

“Don’t know,” Zhang Mumu said, her voice muffled as she chewed.

Zhang Mumu pulled Zhang Yinyang along and told the director mother everything exactly as it happened. After hearing it, the director burst into laughter. Wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, the director patted the heads of the two children. She laughingly explained to them what marriage was. Then, rubbing her cheeks which were sore from laughing, she said, “Little Cow, Xiaoyang, you don’t need to be married to be a family. And even if you don’t marry, you are already family. We are all one family, understand?”

Later, Zhang Yinyang and Zhang Mumu found Zong Liangu on the roof. It was evening; the sun had set half the sky on fire, turning even the clouds a vivid, fiery red. Liangu and Little Cow are both so pretty, Zhang Yinyang thought to herself.

Zhang Yinyang and Zhang Mumu sat down beside Zong Liangu. “The director said even if we don’t get married, the three of us are family. Our relationship is even stronger than the ones on TV!” Zhang Yinyang shook her fist excitedly in the air, making Zhang Mumu laugh.

Silence fell again. They just looked at the distant sky, saying nothing. They watched the sun slowly sink and the sky grow darker until it was pitch black.

“Hey? If we were to marry, Liangu, Xiaoyang, who would you marry?” Zhang Mumu suddenly asked.

“Huh?” Zhang Yinyang was stumped. Aside from the children in the orphanage, she had almost no contact with outsiders. She couldn’t think of a single person she’d want to marry.

“Marriage?” Zong Liangu seemed to seriously consider it. All eyes focused on her. “They can’t talk too much, must be quiet… must be smart, quick to learn things…” Zong Liangu propped up her head, thinking very seriously. “Most importantly, they must know exactly what I’m thinking.”

Zong Liangu nodded with certainty.

“Isn’t that just yourself, Liangu?” Zhang Mumu hit the nail on the head.

“Is it?”

Zhang Yinyang couldn’t take it anymore and shouted in frustration: “No! No! None of you should get married! If you marry, you’ll be family with someone else, but we are the ones who are family! Little Cow, Liangu, neither of you can get married, not for your whole lives! If you get married, what will happen to me?”

Zong Liangu and Zhang Mumu both laughed; their laughter echoed in Zhang Yinyang’s ears. How wonderful it would be if time stayed like this, Zhang Yinyang often thought.

Zhang Yinyang was slow, but after that conversation, she became anxious, fearing Zhang Mumu and Zong Liangu would suddenly marry someone else and abandon her. So she watched them constantly; during the day, her eyes never left them, and she even kept one eye open while sleeping at night.

Zong Liangu and Zhang Yinyang wouldn’t be getting married for the time being. Zhang Yinyang breathed a sigh of relief. While observing, she discovered another little secret of Zong Liangu’s. Every time Liangu went out under the guise of setting up her stall, she went to steal things.

Would she report this to the director? Of course not. Would she hate Liangu for it? Absolutely not. In fact, she felt happy about it. She only told Little Cow. This was their family’s shared secret.

That night, neither she nor Little Cow slept soundly. When they heard the sound of Liangu packing the pushcart, they both rolled out of bed.

“Liangu, we’re coming with you.” “If you don’t agree, Little Cow and I will start crying right now and wake everyone up.”

The three of them walked toward the town together. As they walked step by step, the sky slowly brightened. Although Zhang Yinyang knew stealing was wrong, she was still happy. This was a collective action for their family. None of the three foresaw the misfortune that was about to strike.

Memories of happiness and joy are always so similar and easily forgotten; what remains deeply etched in the mind are forever the painful memories one wishes to forget but cannot.

Zhang Yinyang was born slow—slow to sense danger, slow to sense pain. So when that large dog rushed out, she didn’t feel much fear. She calmly relied on her instincts and jumped onto a high wall. She saw Zong Liangu running behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. This was the first crisis their family faced together; how meaningful. At such a time, she was still so optimistic and naive.

When she leaped onto the wall and looked down, she froze. Because she saw Zhang Mumu being cornered by the dog. She saw the dog pounce toward Zhang Mumu, who was too paralyzed with fear to move. Bright red blood stained Zhang Mumu’s clothes.

“Vicious beast,” she heard Zong Liangu mutter beside her. Then, a pale-faced Zong Liangu jumped down from the wall and rushed toward Zhang Mumu. As she ran, she shouted loudly, trying to drive the dog away. Zong Liangu was pale; Zhang Yinyang had never seen Liangu like that.

Belatedly, she finally realized the gravity of the situation. The big dog, the bitten Zhang Mumu, the charging Zong Liangu. Her gaze flickered back and forth between the three. She was used to relying on Little Cow and Liangu. Without them, she was lost.

The salivating dog turned its head, shook off Zhang Mumu, and fixed its glowing, evil eyes on Zong Liangu, ready to strike. My family is going to break apart, Zhang Yinyang thought.

Before she could think clearly, her body acted. She jumped off the wall and forcibly pulled Zong Liangu away to escape. The moment she turned her head, she saw that Zong Liangu’s eyes were still fixed on that dog.

Upon their return, Zong Liangu developed a high fever. During that time, Zhang Yinyang never left her side. Sorry, Little Cow, I can’t lose both of you at once, Zhang Yinyang thought.

When Zong Liangu woke up, she didn’t cry or scream. She just stared at the ceiling like a newborn infant. Zhang Yinyang was terrified and quickly called her name twice. Zong Liangu finally came to, smiled at Zhang Yinyang, and got up to go outside. She skillfully stood before the pushcart and took an egg from underneath.

Clink—

An egg landed in the enamel bowl, and the white and yolk were beaten together. The clear, golden liquid was divided evenly twice, becoming two egg pancakes of nearly equal size.

“Just like before: one for you, one for Little Cow. You’re not allowed to hog it all.”

Zong Liangu spoke expressionlessly, but there was a hint of indulgence in her eyes.

“Okay.” Zhang Yinyang accepted it dazed.

Liangu’s memory had a problem. She ran to the roof and ate both egg pancakes. Tears flowed unknowingly. At least she still had Zong Liangu. She just didn’t expect that this would be the last time she would see Zong Liangu.

All alone. Zhang Yinyang smiled self-deprecatingly.

“I’m Su Tongguo, and she’s Zong Yougu. We’re both extras. Yeah, right, we’ll make it big sooner or later. Failure? We won’t fail. If she fails, she’ll have to pick through trash; if I fail, I’ll just have to go back and inherit the family estate. Haha, I’m joking—we won’t fail.”

This was a random interview from a filming set. It was also the first time in many years that Zhang Yinyang saw Zong Liangu again.

No, it was Zong Yougu.