Standing Up for Dignity
"Wow, this sausage is really delicious!" Mrs. Zhao squatted by the charcoal brazier, skewering sausages scavenged from Su Sanyun's kitchen with a bamboo stick. She took a bite, her mouth dripping with oil, looking incredibly happy.
Beside her, Su Daqi was also chewing heartily. The sausage made by Sun Shi was indeed quite tasty.
Old Man Su heated a pot of yellow wine taken from Su Sanyun’s house, eating it with the sausages and peanuts. It felt like they were finally tasting some real New Year flavor this first month of the lunar year.
"Ah, the older you get, the wiser you become. It’s all thanks to Mom’s idea to have us go to the Third Uncle’s house to move stuff. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have any meat to eat during the New Year!" Su Daqi said.
"Exactly, Mom’s brain is sharp," Mrs. Zhao said dismissively, pursing her lips. She thought to herself, the old lady might be paralyzed, but it’s still us who have to scavenge from Su Sanyun’s house. Still, the things we got now belong to the main branch, so it’s not bad at all.
The few of them roasted by the fire, eating and chatting, laughing and joking. At a glance, it really looked like a warm and happy scene. Even Su Meixiang sat obediently by the fire.
Suddenly, with a bang, the door was kicked open.
Everyone turned their heads to see Su Sanyun, his face purple and blue, shoulders and head covered in white snowflakes, glaring angrily at them with wide eyes. Behind him followed Su Shirong, also covered in wind and snow.
Old Man Su scolded Su Sanyun unhappily, "Third son, what’s wrong with you? Kicking the door open in the middle of the New Year?"
Su Sanyun looked at the things around Old Man Su’s hand, all taken from his place. Old Man Su was eating his own food, yet he didn’t even show a good face towards him, which made Su Sanyun shiver with coldness inside. "Dad, do you even know it’s the New Year? This is the third time this month you’ve come to empty my kitchen. You celebrate the New Year, but what about us?"
Old Man Su stood up angrily, glaring at Su Sanyun and yelling, "You little brat, getting cocky, huh? How dare you shout at your own father? I gave birth to you, raised you, and you complain about eating a little of my food?! Ungrateful wretch!"
Su Sanyun shrank his head instinctively when scolded by his father. He grew up under the threat of his parents. Whenever Old Man Su shouted, he would be scared out of his wits and dared not even speak. Now Old Man Su shouted again, making Su Sanyun tremble inside.
But just as he shivered, he saw his son standing beside him.
Su Shirong wore tattered clothes, thinly dressed. Due to years of hard labor, his once youthful face was now rough and darkened, looking like a man in his fifties. Thinking of his daughter Su Lanxiang, who was burning with fever and unconscious, her life hanging by a thread.
Thinking of his two children, Su Sanyun suddenly felt braver.
Now that he was a father himself, even if just for the sake of his children, he had to stand up for himself!
"Dad, how am I unfilial? Before the family split, I did all the heavy work. Later, when Shirong grew up, he did too! The hardest and heaviest work in the house was done by our third branch; yet the money and best things always went to you and the main branch. How are we unfilial?" Su Sanyun straightened his back, looking at Old Man Su, questioning him word by word.
Old Man Su didn’t expect the third son to talk back, and so logically. For a moment, Su Sanyun blocked him, and he couldn’t refute, so he could only shout, "Why split the family so clearly? You’re strong, so it’s only right you do more work..."
"Yes, I’m strong, and I’m willing to take on more for the family, so I work harder. But if you truly see my contributions, why do you always say I’m unfilial? Since the split, we’ve given every bit of grain and money we owe each month without fail. During festivals, we even send extra gifts. Who in the village doesn’t know that the third branch gives the most filial support to you and Mom? Dad, look around the village—whose son has done what I have?" Su Sanyun felt increasingly wronged as he spoke.