The younger brother had an accident, and Zhao Pandie was worried. She quickly told the children to go to Grandpa and Grandma’s house for dinner that night, informed her husband, and set off for the town.
Her husband heard it was her younger brother-in-law who had the accident, came out pushing his bicycle, and said to Zhao Pandie, “Get on, I’ll take you there!”
Zhao Pandie didn’t hesitate. She got on the back of the bicycle, and the two of them sped toward the town.
The situations at Zhao Fourth Sister’s and Zhao Fifth Sister’s houses were about the same.
On the way, Zhao Fifth Sister complained to her husband Lu Jianhua, “Weren’t we supposed to be helping take care of my sister-in-law during her postpartum confinement? How did he end up falling like that? Could it be that he was fooling around at some dance hall again and fell at the skating rink?”
There was no denying it: the one who really understood a younger brother was his own elder sister.
As she spoke, she gave Lu Jianhua’s waist a sharp pinch, warning him, “Listen, we’re going to the Neighboring City to take care of him, but if you start running off to dance halls or skating rinks like Zongbao, don’t even think about coming along!”
Zhao Fifth Sister and Lu Jianhua had fallen in love and dated by themselves. Lu Jianhua was smitten at first sight, determined to marry only her. Though he was gentle by nature, he liked her fiery temper. He quickly laughed and begged for mercy, “Ouch, easy! I’m riding the bike here—don’t send you tumbling into a ditch. If I fall, that’s nothing, but if I drop you, you’d kill me!”
Satisfied, Zhao Fifth Sister huffed twice, “Good, you know better!”
The phone at Zhao Fourth Sister’s house was answered by her husband.
Her husband was a Bamboo Weaver by trade, always either cutting bamboo in the mountains or weaving bamboo baskets, sieves, and other bamboo goods at home. Their house was littered with bamboo strips and bamboo yellow fibers. When the phone rang, he was near the brigade office, cutting this year’s new bamboo by the roadside.
After finishing the call, he tossed a large bundle of slender bamboo into the big pond outside the door to soak and said to Zhao Fourth Sister, “Pandie, the old father-in-law just called. He said the younger brother-in-law fell outside, and the old mother-in-law is alone taking care of the younger brother-in-law’s wife and your eldest nephew. They want you to go check on them in the Neighboring City.”
Zhao Fourth Sister was a timid woman, not very talkative and without much initiative. Sitting on a small bench, swiftly weaving bamboo yellow fibers with her hands, she looked up at her husband in confusion, “Should I go or not?”
Her husband took off his dirty, black-gray tattered coat, wiped his face and neck with a towel, and said, “Of course you should. How could you not?”
If she didn’t go, next time he’d get scolded to death by his old father-in-law and younger brother-in-law!
Sometimes their bamboo baskets and sieves were even sold on consignment at the old father-in-law’s shop, so she definitely had to go.
He told Zhao Fourth Sister, “Go change your clothes. You might not be back today. Take two sets of clothes to change. I’ll take you there and also bring the bamboo baskets I’ve been weaving these past few days.”
Zhao Fourth Sister always listened to her husband. Hearing this, she took off her apron covered in bamboo strips and dust, put on a Plaid Coat, grabbed two sets of clothes, and sat on the iron box beside the tractor’s cab outside the door. The Small Four Wheels sputtered black smoke as it headed toward Shuibu Town.
Among the sisters, Zhao Eldest Sister had the best marriage and lived closest to Shuibu Town, so she arrived first.
As soon as she got to the Zhao family home, she dug out sunflower seeds, peanuts, and hickory nuts that Zhao’s mother had stashed away, stuffing a few handfuls into her husband’s coat pockets while sitting on the table, munching. She asked Zhao Father, “How come he fell? Where did he fall?”
“I don’t know where he fell! Your mother can’t even explain things clearly when she talks!” Zhao Mother’s parents had long passed away, and with no siblings on her side, her only support was her husband’s family. Since youth, she had been subservient to them.
Zhao Eldest Sister cracked sunflower seeds, “At least they know where he fell, right? It’s so vague, just telling us to come over. With so many of us, where are we supposed to sleep at night? We can’t all sleep in the vehicle, can we?”
Zhao Eldest Sister’s husband’s father was the Commune Director, and their family had some money. Seeing his eldest son idle, he bought him a tricycle to drive, ferrying people around Shuibu Town and nearby areas to earn some income.
The tricycle was covered with a Rain Cover, and the doors were made from oilcloth. If a few grown men squeezed in, four people could fit to sleep inside.
Hearing his daughter’s words, Zhao Father knew she was just asking for money.
Among the sons-in-law, he valued the eldest one most, because his father was the brigade office director and their family was the best off.
He pulled out thirty yuan and handed it to Zhao Eldest Sister. “Here, is that enough?”
Zhao Eldest Sister had been spending lavishly with her husband over the past few years. She shook the thirty yuan in her hand, “What can this do? Do you think the Neighboring City is like our little town? A night in a guesthouse costs more than thirty yuan!”
Zhao Father scolded her, “Is the guesthouse made of gold? You think I haven’t been to the Neighboring City? I’ve crossed more bridges than you’ve walked roads!”
“Doesn’t Shenglong need gas money to drive?” Zhao Eldest Sister grabbed more money from Zhao Father’s hand, counting about sixty or seventy yuan. Only then did she tuck it into her pocket, satisfied.
Before the money in her pocket had even warmed up, her husband took ten yuan, coaxing her, “I’ll buy you some crispy candy tonight!”
Sweetly, Zhao Eldest Sister handed the money to her husband.
When Zhao Third Sister, Zhao Fourth Sister, and Zhao Fifth Sister all arrived, the sisters together rode in Zhao Eldest Sister’s husband’s tricycle to the Sixth Hospital in the Neighboring City.
***
After a series of examinations, Zhao Zongbao finally woke from his initial coma.
The severe head trauma and body pain left him dizzy and with brief amnesia. He didn’t know what had happened. Xu Huiqing suddenly bumped into him on the stairs, hitting his nose with her head. He felt dizzy, stars flashing before his eyes, and his vision darkened.
Having stayed up playing for several days and nights without rest, his body was weak. He fell backward in a tumble, his spine and tailbone hitting the stairs hard. Then he flipped down the stairs, his head smashing heavily against the wall. The intense pain in his head made him lose consciousness, and he woke up later in the traditional Chinese medicine outpatient department.
Zhao Zongbao’s first reaction was that Xu Huiqing had done it on purpose. He asked Zhao Mother, “Mom, where’s Huiqing?”
At this moment, Zhao Mother had no time to think about Xu Huiqing.
“How would I know where she is? It’s that wretched woman who knocked you into this state. If anything happens to you, I swear I’ll fight her to the death!” Zhao Mother said fiercely, wiping her tears.
Already suffering from a mild concussion, Zhao Zongbao winced more with each wave of pain from his mother’s harsh words. He snapped, “Shut up! Can you stop crying? I’m not dead yet!”
Zhao Mother immediately stopped, turning her voice to soft sobs.
A young male doctor was treating his injuries.
The middle-aged male doctor had finished checking him and setting the bones in his arm, thinking there were no major problems, and handed him over to the young doctor.
The young doctor examined his injuries while speaking gently, “You really talk to your mother like that? You fell down the stairs, so naturally, your mother is the most worried about you.”
Feeling the pain all over his body, Zhao Zongbao asked the doctor, “Doctor, what about my wife? She’s still in her postpartum confinement. I heard she fainted. How is she?”
The young doctor from the obstetrics and gynecology department was very handsome, dressed neatly, and spoke kindly. “The nurse who brought you said your wife is in the obstetrics and gynecology ward undergoing emergency treatment, and that she fainted, right?” As he adjusted Zhao Zongbao’s bones, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“You’re something else. Your wife is still in confinement, and you should be supporting her. I heard from the nurse that she just barely survived a heavy bleeding episode, was on the brink of death, and nearly lost her life to postpartum epilepsy. Why didn’t you let her stay in the hospital longer? Why rush to take her home?”
He glanced at Zhao Zongbao’s clothes and said, “Judging by your well-dressed appearance, you don’t seem like someone who can’t afford the few dozen yuan for a hospital bed.”
Because Zhao Zongbao was registered as a rural resident early on, he naturally had a non-agricultural status that made him very concerned about face.
After the family came into money, he wore gold chains around his neck, polished his leather shoes until they gleamed, wore the latest floral shirts and bell-bottom pants, and styled his hair with so much Moss that it could snap a fly’s leg.
Before Zhao Zongbao could answer, Zhao Mother interrupted, “She’s already stayed half a month. What more does she want? She’s been the longest-staying patient in the ward. Other new mothers have long gone home. We’ve been too generous already.”
She truly believed she was the kindest mother-in-law ever. Who else would let their daughter-in-law stay in the hospital for half a month? Eating half a chicken every day, no less! She hadn’t even tasted a sip of the soup herself!
Unconsciously, she started talking about the old days to the doctor, “When I was young, I gave birth to six children. Except for the oldest son, I never had a full confinement. Back then, no one did the full month.”
The young doctor smiled and nodded, “That’s true. Those were hard times. I know—I grew up in that era, too.”
Encouraged by his agreement, Zhao Mother launched into her complaints, “During these past half months, she’s eaten half a chicken every day—she never even shared the chicken’s butt with me or my son. A big bowl of chicken noodle soup and half a chicken every day, all gone!”
The young doctor smiled and said, “Half a chicken isn’t much. Many new mothers eat a whole chicken a day. Pregnancy and childbirth consume a lot of energy; if you don’t nourish the body, how can it recover? It’s not like in the old days.”
Zhao Mother raised her voice, “But she shouldn’t be so selfish, eating all the food alone and not giving my son even a sip of the soup. Which daughter-in-law is so greedy? If it were in the past, she’d have been scolded badly!”
Still smiling warmly, the doctor said, “Do you want to fight with your daughter-in-law over the confinement meals? They’re all salt-free. Would you even be able to eat them?”
Zhao Mother shouted, “Old hens can eat whatever! I can even gnaw the bones clean!”
The young doctor kept smiling as he treated Zhao Zongbao’s wounds, remaining silent.
It was April, and normally one would wear a coat this season, but Zhao Zongbao was young and full of energy. Proud and flashy, he disliked coats and always wore a floral shirt. When he fell down the stairs, there was no cushion at all—the arm that caught the fall was directly stretched on the stairs, breaking his arm. His legs and back also suffered abrasions and bruises.
Though he suspected Xu Huiqing had done it on purpose, after learning she fainted herself, he dropped that suspicion.
The force of her collision was indeed too strong. That headbutt broke his nasal bone.
The doctor treating him still smiled calmly, speaking slowly and steadily, “Isn’t that normal? If she fainted, how could she control which way she fell?” He then said to Zhao Zongbao, “You’re her husband. You should have supported her when she was going downstairs. Would she have fallen if you did?”
Zhao Mother angrily said, “If I had known she was this frail, why would I have paid such a high bride price to marry her?”
Zhao Mother truly felt she had suffered a big loss!
They had liked Xu Huiqing first because she was the first female university student in the area and because Xu’s mother had many children and was fertile.
She had given birth to five daughters in a row, with one girl not surviving—actually six children total—before finally having the precious Zhao Zongbao. With family planning policies so strict, they feared a woman who couldn’t bear children and paid a high bride price to marry Xu Huiqing quickly, lest she be taken by someone else first.
She could indeed bear children. Not long after marrying in, she had a daughter, then a big healthy son in her second pregnancy, securing the Zhao family line. But her body was useless, with heavy bleeding and postpartum epilepsy. Now she had even fainted!
The young doctor used birch bark to stabilize Zhao Zongbao’s lower leg, wrapping it carefully with bandages. His smile had disappeared. He said, “Since you’ve had so many children, you should know that after giving birth, a woman’s body is at its weakest and can’t be subjected to stress. That’s why they do confinement, right?”
His voice remained calm and deliberate. “I also asked about your wife’s postpartum epilepsy. It’s not pathological; it’s caused by stress after childbirth. You all knew she couldn’t handle stimulation but kept provoking her. Now that it’s triggered, you blame her?”
Suddenly, the doctor applied a strong force, causing Zhao Zongbao to cry out sharply in pain.
Only then did he pat the wrapped injury on Zhao Zongbao’s leg and say, “All done.”