Chapter 30: Li Xiangdong’s Ironclad Backing

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Mother Li asked, “Where’s your wife?”

“She’s tidying the room.”

Li Xiangdong let out a sigh of relief. He had been sitting on the steps in a daze with his daughter in his arms when his mother suddenly called out to him, giving him quite a fright. He had thought she was about to find another excuse to scold him.

“Since you’re holding the child, have your wife come over and help get breakfast started. The chores in your own room can wait until after we’ve eaten.”

Before Li Xiangdong could say anything, Zhou Yuqin must have heard them from the west-side room, because she hurried out.

“Mother, I was just washing the bedding. Xiaoqi wet the bed again last night. Let me wash my hands, and I’ll be right there.”

Just then, Li Xiaolan came out of the small kitchen in front of her eldest uncle’s house and ran over, standing obediently before Mother Li.

“Grandma, the corn buns are steaming. Mommy said they’ll be ready soon.”

After the neighbors had moved away, Li Xiangdong’s grandfather had torn down the makeshift coal sheds and earthquake shelters they had put up without permission.

He had left only the small kitchens in front of each house, thinking that when the children grew up and the family divided, they could save some money by not having to build new ones.

Now that there were so many people in the household, one stove was nowhere near enough when it was time to cook.

To save time, the small kitchen in front of his eldest son’s house was fired up as well.

“All right, Grandma knows. You and your sister go set out the bowls and chopsticks. Once the water boils, Grandma will make you some egg-drop water to drink.”

Mother Li treated her granddaughters far better than her grandsons. She had never been afflicted with the notion that boys were worth more than girls.

Of course, it might also have been because she had too many grandsons and was already tired of looking after them. Compared with the boys, who were forever causing mischief, she was much gentler with her granddaughters.

After washing her hands, Zhou Yuqin came over and asked, “Mother, what should I do?”

Mother Li pointed at the pickle crock beside them. “Fish out a chunk of salted vegetable, chop it up, and we’ll have that for breakfast.”

“All right, Mother.”

Zhou Yuqin was quick and capable. She answered, fished a lump of salted vegetable from the crock, rinsed it briefly, set it on the chopping board, and began slicing it with a knife.

“Mommy… hold…”

Li Xiaozhu stood on the ground with one arm around her waist, stretching out both hands as she took a step toward Zhou Yuqin.

Li Xiangdong frightened her by saying, “Your mother’s working. You can’t go over there and bother her. Your grandmother has a bad temper. Be careful, or she’ll get angry and come over to hit you.”

“Third Son Li, I heard that!”

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Mother Li came around behind him and seized his ear.

“Hee-hee-hee… Hit… hit…”

Seeing her father being punished, Li Xiaozhu clapped her little hands happily, drool running from her mouth.

“Mother, let go! I was only teasing the child!”

Li Xiangdong sat on the steps with his daughter in his arms, unable even to escape.

Zhou Yuqin wanted to come over and plead for him, but before she could move, Mother Li glared her back into place.

Li Xiangdong had no choice but to exchange meaningful looks with his elder and second brothers, who were brushing their teeth by the washbasin.

The two men merely watched with broad smiles. Neither came over to say a word on his behalf, so he could only endure it on his own.

“Why are you winking? Don’t try any tricks with me.”

Mother Li gave him a hostile look and twisted his ear again.

“Third Son Li, tell me, are you even a decent human being? No, you’re not! If you were, would you mutter about your own mother behind her back? You miserable creature, always gossiping about people when they aren’t around!”

As his mother continued her endless tirade about what did and did not make a person, Li Xiangdong’s ears began to ache and his head grew dizzy.

His mother’s mind was truly sharp. No wonder that decades later, even leaning on a cane, she could still insult him until he was unable to utter a word.

Just then, Old Li and Old Mrs. Li returned from buying vegetables. The moment they entered the courtyard, they saw Mother Li twisting Li Xiangdong’s ear with all her strength.

Old Mrs. Li felt terribly sorry for her youngest grandson. But she was old and could not walk quickly, so all she could do was call out anxiously, “Oh, dear! What did Dongzi do to upset you? How could you be so rough on him? You’re his mother!”

When Mother Li saw Old Mrs. Li hurrying toward them in tiny, shuffling steps, she knew her youngest son’s protector had arrived. Ignoring her, she let go with an annoyed snort and returned to the stove to continue preparing breakfast.

Old Mrs. Li came over and rubbed Li Xiangdong’s ear, asking with concern, “It’s nearly purple. Dongzi, are you all right?”

Li Xiangdong gave an embarrassed smile. “Grandma, I’m fine. Go back inside and rest. Breakfast will be ready soon.”

Following Old Mrs. Li, Old Li glanced at his eldest and second sons, who were still brushing their teeth.

“You two busy?”

Hearing their grandfather, the two men hurriedly rinsed their mouths.

“Not busy. What is it, Grandpa?”

“Oh, nothing. I thought you two were busy.”

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After saying this, Old Li glared fiercely at his two grandsons. He stepped forward to support Old Mrs. Li, then called Li Xiangdong inside with them.

The eldest and second brothers exchanged puzzled looks. They had no idea what their grandfather was trying to accomplish. After thinking about it for a while without reaching an answer, they went back to washing up.

Once her parents-in-law had gone inside, Mother Li stood by the stove and began muttering, “Go on, spoil him. Keep spoiling him. Let’s see what good comes of it. Anyone who didn’t know better would think Third Son was the only one who belonged to this family, and the rest had been adopted. What’s wrong with me giving my own child a couple of whacks? It’s not as if I’m his stepmother!”

Zhou Yuqin saw Mother Li standing motionless with eggs in her hands, mumbling something under her breath.

“Mother, what are you saying? I’ve finished chopping the pickles.”

“Oh, nothing. Since they’re chopped, just leave them there.”

Mother Li cracked all the eggs into a small iron basin and beat them with chopsticks. Then she ladled boiling water from the pot, stirring the eggs as she poured the water into the basin.

Once the egg-drop water was ready, she took a bottle of sesame oil from the cupboard. She dipped the tip of her chopsticks into the bottle, then stirred it through the eggs.

She dipped the other end of the chopsticks into the sesame oil as well, mixed the pickles, and stirred that end through the egg mixture too. Not a single drop of oil went to waste.

The boiling water in the large iron pot was not wasted either. Mixed with cornmeal, it became a whole pot of corn porridge.

When she had finished, she looked up and saw her eldest daughter-in-law approaching with a winnowing basket, followed by her second daughter-in-law.

“Are the corn buns ready?”

“Yes, Mother.”

Mother Li reached out and pinched one. It was still quite soft.

Whether they were steaming mantou or corn buns, the family always used leavened dough. Old Li and Old Mrs. Li were both elderly, and their teeth were no longer strong enough to manage anything hard.

Two plates of pickles mixed with sesame oil, a winnowing basket of corn buns, a small basin of egg-drop water, and a large pot of corn porridge—that was breakfast in the Old Li household.

“Grandpa, breakfast is ready!”

Li Xiaojiang ran to the gate and shouted toward Father Li, who was still chatting with the neighbors outside. Then he dashed back into the courtyard as if his trousers were on fire and raced into the main room.

The children took their seats around the small dining table. Mother Li carried over the little iron basin and served each of them a bowl of egg-drop water.

The other children caused no trouble. They obediently held their bowls and began sipping.

But Li Xiaotao, that little fool, had no fear of scalding his mouth. He gulped down several mouthfuls in quick succession.

Not only was he none too bright, he also took Mother Li for a fool. He held out his bowl with a foolish grin and said, “Grandma, you didn’t fill my bowl all the way.”

Mother Li: “…”

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