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Poem in the Rice Field
墨書 Inktalez
Aunt wore a stern expression and said nothing, while Uncle chuckled, “Shi Shi, go pack a few clothes.”
My biological mother smiled broadly, “No need to pack; the two sisters have plenty of clothes.”
Taking advantage of Uncle's absence, my biological mother secretly grabbed my hand and whispered, “Come back with me. Staying here means you’ll have to work in the fields; it’s too hard.”
Just then, Aunt came out of the kitchen with a glass of iced tea and saw us. I immediately pulled my hand away from my biological mother and said loudly, “I’m not going. Big Brother has gone to work, and we need more hands at home. I have to stay this year to help out.”
My biological mother grabbed my arm tightly, refusing to let go. “You child, why are you being so disobedient? Do you think I would harm you?”
Aunt quickly walked over and pulled me away. “If Shi Shi doesn’t want to go, don’t force her. Let her come visit you during the winter break instead.”
That summer, I helped Aunt harvest rice. The villagers teased, “Oh, Shi Shi is working in the fields for the first time!”
Aunt shouted back, “I’ve raised her for years; it’s only right that she does some work!”
From that point on, I never returned to my biological father's home during summer breaks. Although Aunt didn’t show me much kindness, every New Year she would always make sure I had new clothes. Unlike my biological mother, who for five years made me wear hand-me-downs from my two sisters. My little pants had several holes in them, and no one bothered to get me new ones. I knew very well who was good and who was bad.
The year I graduated from elementary school, Second Brother was accepted into the first high school.
Eldest Brother sent back two thousand yuan, saying it was for Second Brother's tuition. He worked hard in the factory, and his salary wasn't high; two thousand yuan was no small amount. That year, he turned twenty, and Aunt began to worry about finding him a wife.
Eldest Brother always said there was no need to rush. Late at night, Aunt would cry to Uncle, saying, "We have nothing at home, and there are two kids in school. What girl would want to marry into this? He won't end up a lifelong bachelor, will he?" Uncle comforted her, saying, "He's still young; didn't I marry you when I was twenty-three?"
"Young? His classmates already have two kids!"
Second Brother stayed at school during high school. As he grew older, his personality became more stable. At that time, being non-mainstream was all the rage. Every day after school, there was always a group of boys and girls with dyed yellow hair and piercings crowding the school gate. I usually tried to avoid them.
But on the last day before the National Day holiday, I stayed late to clean up and was stopped by a girl who seemed to be the leader of the group. Chewing gum, she tugged at my hair and asked, "Got any money?"
I shook my head vigorously.
"Then let’s cut off your braid; you could get some cash for it." She pulled me toward a nearby barbershop when suddenly a loud voice rang out:
"What are you doing?"
Second Brother came racing on his bicycle, skidding to a halt right in front of me.
Mud splashed up a layer of dust.
He was fierce:
"Let go of my sister!"
On the way back, he kept scolding me:
"Why don’t you fight back, shout, kick? Don’t let them bully you..."
Halfway through his lecture, he sighed again:
"Forget it, just don’t resist. Your braid can grow back; the most important thing is that you’re safe."
The next day, he took me to find one of his middle school classmates.
A chubby guy with tattoos and yellow hair.
He often loitered around the entrance of our school.
From that day on, even if I passed by them, no one stopped me anymore.
By the time I reached the third year of middle school, the women in the village started talking about me:
"Shi Shi is about to graduate, right?"
"Your uncle Aunt raised you with great difficulty; you must be filial to them."
They would also tell Aunt:
"Shi Shi is beautiful and well-behaved. Next year she can go out to earn money, and then your eldest's bride price will be covered."
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