They Say I Can Curse People (11)

Chapter 42

Chang Fang listened very intently. She found it incredible herself; in the past, whether it was Eldest Aunt or Third Aunt, or even her favorite at the time, Second Aunt, she never had the patience to listen when the adults were chatting.

Now, Chang Fang and her younger sister were squatting outside the window. Her sister had already started playing with the thatch on the ground, but Chang Fang leaned in, catching every single word the two people inside were saying.

To her past self, nothing the adults said could change her life, so she naturally wasn’t curious.

But now, she had broken away from her original life yet hadn’t quite entered a new one. She was standing on the path of her own life, feeling for the first time that she could decide her own destiny. Naturally, she felt a lack of information about the outside world and was eager to master more.

She took everything Third Aunt said to heart, especially Third Aunt’s evaluations of her father and her mother.

“None of them are any good anyway.”

As Chang Fang listened, a very different feeling stirred in her heart. So her parents were those kinds of people? How were they any different from the local hoodlums she knew in the village?

In the past, even though she harbored resentment, she always felt her parents were clever and powerful.

Chang Fang blinked, starting to wonder why. Her parents had always been these two people. They didn’t raise her; they dumped her at a relative’s house. They could have registered her Hukou for free, but they refused to do it. Even so, every time she went back, they still felt she wasn’t obedient or sensible enough, that she was a burden to them. And in the past, she had been led by the nose every time…

Why?

In young Chang Fang’s mind, those voices that had screamed day and night—”Go die,” “Why aren’t you dead yet”—were gone, and her brain was working much faster.

She remembered some things. When she was in school, the thing she heard most was that parents are the people who love their children most in the world, that there are no parents who don’t love their children. There were many parents around her who were very good to their kids. Before she truly recognized her own biological parents, school, teachers, and everyone else had already shaped her understanding of what the title “parent” meant.

Thinking of this, another memory surfaced. It was back when she was at Third Aunt’s house. Her grandfather had fallen off a field embankment while carrying firewood back from the mountains, breaking his ribs. Third Aunt was told to go back and look after him for a while.

The messenger had said: “Chang Fang is a big girl now; she can help your family cook.”

“Your parents only have you as a daughter. The son doesn’t know how to take care of people, and it’s inconvenient for the daughter-in-law to do it. Your mother is busy earning money, so you have to go back and see him. He is your father, after all.”

She still remembered how Third Aunt’s face had turned red with anger: “Father? What father? He never treated me like a human being. He wouldn’t register my Hukou. After I got married, he told my in-laws that if I wasn’t obedient, they should just beat me. He’s the one who said that, right? Just because he holds the title of ‘father,’ he thinks he’s done everything other fathers in the world have done for their children!”

At the time, Chang Fang didn’t understand those words, but she remembered them.

And now, she was beginning to understand.

There are many wonderful parents in this world, like the couple near the river dam who love their children and do their best to help them. These parents use their own flesh and blood to gild the title of “parent” in gold. Meanwhile, her parents—those two immature hoodlums—hid behind that golden facade, imagining they were just as great and demanding she repay them for that greatness.

Squatting under the window, Chang Fang felt an indescribable surge of emotion. It made her face feel slightly hot and her throat very dry.

Yun Song waited until Chang Fang’s Third Aunt had left before walking over to the window and opening it. “Don’t squat here anymore, there are too many mosquitoes. Come in and wash up. We’ll have breakfast together in a bit.”

Yun Song was a police officer, after all; she had noticed the two little eavesdroppers. It was just that it didn’t matter if Chang Fang heard these things.

At Chang Fang’s age, if she wanted to take more control of her own life, Yun Song didn’t think it was a bad thing.

Chang Fang was initially a bit scared at being caught eavesdropping, fearing the officer would think she wasn’t a good girl. But when she looked up, she saw the officer’s gentle smile.

She felt a sense of relief and said, “Officer, I don’t think my parents will ever register my Hukou.”

She just had that feeling. As she spoke, she climbed in through the window. Neither her tone nor her movements were depressed because of her parents. With a push of her hands, she vaulted through the window, showing a bit of youthful spirit.

“It’s okay, there are other ways.” Seeing her climb in, Yun Song used her own hands to vault out, then picked up Huanhuan and lifted her inside.

“Take your basins and go wash your faces and brush your teeth.”

The two girls went to the sink at the far end of the first floor to wash up, while Yun Song prepared to make breakfast.

Tang Chao and Tong Jin had headed out at the first light of dawn, so only Yun Song was left.

She planned to cook noodles for breakfast.

When Chang Fang returned from brushing her teeth, she saw Yun Song pouring water into the pot with three eggs sitting nearby.

Chang Fang’s years of cooking experience made her want to say something, but her past experiences with adults made her keep her mouth shut.

She watched helplessly as the officer put hot oil in the pot, then immediately poured in water. Once the water boiled, she added the noodles and finally cracked the three eggs into it.

She didn’t understand!

In her mind, Chang Fang had already replanned the meal: there was oil, eggs, and noodles.

First, you should heat the oil, fry the three eggs, and then pour in the water. That way, both the noodles and the eggs would be delicious!

The officer from the city must have her reasons for doing it this way. Maybe it was tastier…

In the end, the two girls and Yun Song each had a bowl of noodles with a poached egg inside.

Yun Song poked the poached egg, thinking it looked quite good.

Chang Fang said, “This is delicious.”

Yun Song took a bite. It wasn’t very good. She had a feeling that this child before her wasn’t eating noodles; she was eating social graces.

Ignoring the fact that the noodles weren’t very good, Yun Song and the other two quickly finished their breakfast.

“Do you have any plans for today?” Yun Song asked.

Chang Fang didn’t know. In fact, she had never experienced a situation like this in her life, where she was the one in charge of an entire day.

In the past, the things she had to do every day were almost always the same: weeding the fields, applying fertilizer, going to gather firewood in the afternoon, and then cutting pig grass to cook slop and feed the pigs after coming back.

Throughout the day, every moment except for the time she spent sleeping and dreaming was scheduled.

Now, it was morning, and the whole day depended on her own thoughts.

Chang Fang actually did have an idea: “I want to go to Second Aunt’s house to get my Golden Cicada Flowers back. I’ll sell them for money when the time comes. Once I have money, my sister can go to kindergarten first, and then I’ll figure out another way to make a living.”

She hadn’t attended kindergarten herself, and her sister was just the right age. She hoped her sister could go to kindergarten before starting primary school.

Furthermore, she had a small ulterior motive. She was always saying bad things about her parents, and she still felt a bit of a burden in her heart, fearing that others would think she had a bad personality. By speaking her plans aloud, she wanted the police officer to know that she was actually a very good person.

Yun Song looked at this seventeen year old girl. She was thin and short, barely over 150 centimeters tall, and didn’t look seventeen at all. Yet, she was already worrying about another child’s life.

Even if she managed to get these two girls registered in the Hukou, would they really have a better life then?

Yun Song pondered how to handle the matter properly, but they still had to go to the village today.

And so, the three of them set off. Huanhuan was young after all, and it wasn’t long before she got tired. Yun Song carried her on her back. At first, Chang Fang was a bit reluctant; she had a constant sense of responsibility, feeling that she should look after her sister and not let her trouble others.

Fortunately, when they reached Maotou Mountain, Chang Fang remembered to return the old fortune telling book to its owner, as it was a family heirloom.

The Old Lady took it back. It was the first time Chang Fang had seen the Old Lady looking so cheerful. “It’s good that you brought it back,” she said.

She tossed the heirloom aside carelessly and asked Yun Song, “Where are you all headed? Come by for lunch in a bit.”

“Up to Laoma Village to promote the Hukou registration issue. We definitely won’t make it back in time for lunch.”

The Old Lady saw Huanhuan on Yun Song’s back and said, “Carrying her up like that will be exhausting. Why don’t you leave the little one here with me? We aren’t going out today anyway.”

Although Yun Song trusted the old couple, she was carrying someone else’s child after all, so she didn’t speak up immediately.

Beside her, Chang Fang didn’t mind at all. “Then thank you so much, Granny. We’ll be back soon. Huanhuan, is it okay if you stay here with Granny?”

“It’s okay!” Huanhuan didn’t care where she was. Anywhere was fine.

For the rural people of Tonglin Town, the only condition for leaving a child in someone else’s care was knowing the person. After all, there was almost no movement of people in the villages; everyone had lived there for generations, so naturally, they didn’t have much guard against one another.

For Chang Fang, this was even more common. She herself had been tossed from one house to another since she was a child.

The Old Lady came over to take the girl’s hand, saying to Yun Song as she did, “You must come back before dark to take this girl back to town. It’s not safe at night in an isolated house like this.”

Since they lived in a solitary household, things were fine during the day, but if they encountered a thief at night like last time, the Old Lady felt that at her and her husband’s age, if they died, they died, but she didn’t want to involve a small child.

So, the Old Lady brought out a small stool. Huanhuan sat on it and began shelling corn kernels with her. For such a small child, she seemed to understand exactly what to do and when, never causing any trouble for others.

Yun Song sighed inwardly. Chang Fang’s parents! As they said in Tonglin Town, what a sin!

Chang Fang was worried about her sister being a burden to the old woman, so she walked faster and faster for the rest of the journey. They soon reached Group Six of Sanli Village.

“Officer, I’ll go find my Second Aunt first. Once I get the Golden Cicada Flowers, I’ll go back to the old lady’s house to wait for you. We can go back to town together then.”

Chang Fang was quite organized.

Yun Song was a bit uneasy. “By yourself…”

Chang Fang waved her hand and said, “Don’t worry, Officer. I just look a bit small, but I’m actually an adult. Besides, I’ve been going down the cliffs to gather firewood alone since I was ten. There won’t be any problems.”

Chang Fang did not want the police officer to view her as a child. To her, being treated as a child meant that adults wouldn’t consult her when deciding her life later on.

She was an adult. She had already done so many things that only adults could do. She deserved to be treated as one.

She liked the police officer, but she wouldn’t become a burden to her. As a child who was always staying in other people’s homes, she knew best of all not to let herself become a nuisance.

Yun Song understood her meaning and said, “Then wait for me at Granny Li’s house.”

Chang Fang breathed a sigh of relief. She parted ways with the police officer and soon arrived at her Second Aunt’s house.

Second Aunt was originally tilling the field. When she saw the girl, she was somewhat surprised. “Chang Fang, why are you back? Where is your sister?”

Chang Fang said, “Second Aunt, I came to get my things.”

Second Aunt climbed out of the field and said, “I told you to come to my house last time, so why did you go back? How did you end up with the police later?”

She asked a string of questions, yet seemed not to care about the answers as she continued, “I heard from your Eldest Aunt that you want to get a Hukou. Your mother is pregnant right now, so don’t hold a grudge against her.”

Chang Fang followed behind her. Listening to the sound of her voice, she couldn’t help but remember the words the old woman on Maotou Mountain had said.

She had originally put that matter out of her mind, but now she remembered it again.

“Second Aunt, I have a very good fate.”

Second Aunt was silent for a moment before asking, “Who told you that?”

Chang Fang said, “Second Aunt, my fate doesn’t bring bad luck to others.”

“Let’s not talk about this anymore.” Second Aunt’s eyes darted away, unwilling to continue the conversation.

Chang Fang understood.

“Second Aunt, I left my Golden Cicada Flowers on the windowsill. You didn’t throw them away, did you?” Since Second Aunt refused to discuss the matter, Chang Fang dropped it.

Second Aunt said, “I didn’t throw them out, don’t worry. Stay and eat before you go, I’ll boil some egg noodles for you.”

“No need, I’m a bit busy today. My sister is still waiting for me.”

Second Aunt couldn’t help but say, “Chang Fang, you’ve really grown up.”

Chang Fang simply gave a polite smile and said, “It’s all thanks to the care from you, Eldest Aunt, and Third Aunt.”

As Chang Fang said those words, she decided in her heart to let it go. She was an adult now; there was no need to dwell on the past with these people.

She wouldn’t dwell on whether Second Aunt had used her in the past to relieve her own son’s guilt over causing his younger brother’s death.

She wouldn’t dwell on how the villagers claimed her fate was cursed whenever they brought up the incident.

She wouldn’t dwell on how Eldest Cousin had bullied and beaten her over it…

Ah!

Chang Fang followed Second Aunt to the front door. Eldest Cousin had been married for two years now. When Chang Fang saw him, his face immediately fell into a scowl.

Chang Fang ignored him and went straight into the house.

She had left the Golden Cicada Flowers on the windowsill. She had been worried they might be gone, but fortunately, no one usually bothered with that spot.

Chang Fang took down the large bag of Golden Cicada Flowers.

“Stay for a meal before you go,” Second Aunt said again.

Chang Fang waved her hand and said, “Thank you for the kind offer, Second Aunt, but I really don’t have time today.”

She walked out after speaking. As she passed Eldest Cousin, she saw the look on his face.

She remembered how he used to bully her. Back then he was so foolish, perhaps because he wasn’t yet an adult.

What about now? He stood there with a long face, looking at her as if she truly were a murderer.

This man was twenty-four years old.

Chang Fang suddenly realized that some people only look like they’ve grown up.

In reality, nothing had changed.

As Chang Fang passed him, she said softly, “Eldest Cousin, have you ever dreamed about your younger brother? I don’t know why, but even though I’m the one who supposedly cursed him to death, I’ve never once dreamed of him.”

Chang Fang left immediately after saying that, not staying for another minute.

She still had to find her sister, then wait for the police officers at the Old Lady’s place, and finally, they would head back to town.

She would sell the Golden Cicada Flowers, and once she had the money, her sister could go to kindergarten while she looked for other ways to make a living.

She strode forward, and eventually, she began to run along the ridges of the fields.

On the other side, the Old Lady and Huanhuan were shelling corn kernels together. The old woman and the young girl had long since forgotten the unpleasantness of their first meeting and were chatting away.

“The last time you went back, did your sister talk to your parents about her life being precious?”

“She did. My mom wouldn’t let her talk about it, and my sister cried. Sigh,” the little girl let out a heavy sigh.

“Then what will you two do in the future?”

“My sister said she wants me to go to kindergarten. But I don’t even have a Hukou. There’s no point in going to kindergarten if I can’t take the exams¹ later anyway.” Having heard her sister talk about it so much, Huanhuan naturally understood these things.

The Old Lady looked at the girl and fell into deep thought.

Translator’s Notes