Section 2

She is a serious university graduate, a respected female teacher, and even though each day may be less favorable than the last, she still maintains a dignified and graceful appearance in front of others. If it were not for today's outburst, she would not have realized how exhausting it has been to keep up this facade in recent days

She pulled Mrs. Feng back into the room and slammed the door shut.

Where are you going? Are you just going to leave your injured parents behind?

Feng Shizhen leaned close to his ear and said, "Brother is on his way back."

Mrs. Feng, however, was very concerned about her son and said happily: "As long as our family is together, we have nothing to fear. With your brother here, everything will be fine. This family cannot do without a strong man as the pillar. If your brother were here, we wouldn't have to endure being neighbors with that shrew."

"Mother, what happened?" Feng Shizhen took out a handkerchief to wipe her mother's face, her voice suddenly rising, "Did she hit you on the face?"

Feng Shizhen has been busy for months, taking care of her father’s illness, searching for a house, moving, and working part-time to earn money, single-handedly supporting the entire family. However, in her mother’s eyes, she still cannot compare to her elder brother who is far away and has done nothing. She feels a pang of bitterness and grievance in her heart, remaining silent for a while.

Upon hearing that her daughter had not yet eaten lunch, Mrs. Feng hurriedly wiped her hands and went to prepare a meal for her

Feng Shizhen cast a cold glance at the onlookers, and the crowd retreated in unison. She took Mrs. Feng by the hand and pushed through the crowd to enter the building

Mrs. Feng sighed, "Most neighbors are still good people. I just fear that if you make such a fuss, everyone will think you are too aggressive"

Feng Shizhen was troubled, "He has indeed applied for a leave of absence. Now that he has returned, it is uncertain when he will have the opportunity to go back again."

The onlooking neighbors burst into laughter and applauded. Widow Zhang had been domineering in the neighborhood for quite some time, and today, seeing her come to grief, everyone felt a great sense of satisfaction

The clear blue sky and bright sun are bullying me, an old widow. Do you still have any shame? You won't even leave me this little bit of sauce; are you trying to drive me to my death? What is so great about the doctor? He just burned a white base and came over to squeeze into our pavilion. Accumulate some virtue for your old man; bullying a widow will bring down the wrath of heaven.

I saw the sun shining brightly, and I was airing the quilt in the yard. She... she said that our quilt was blocking the sun, obstructing the sauce she was currently drying, and then she lifted the quilt. The quilt happened to knock over her sauce...

I was originally a poor family tutor, and even if I don't provide for him, what difference does it make?" Feng Shizhen pushed the money back, "Don't buy cigarettes for father anymore. I know you care, but you are harming him!"

"Not bad." Feng Shizhen felt a sense of despondency, "Mom, is there anything else to eat?"

"Mother," Feng Shizhen said, "in this world, one cannot be too kind-hearted. If we do not make a fuss, people will not know that we are not to be bullied. Otherwise, it will be either Widow Zhang or Widow Li, and there will always be someone above us who will act tyrannically. Who has the patience to let you steal a handful of vegetables from me while I just pluck a green onion from you and we go on bickering day after day? Of course, it is better to settle it all at once to save trouble. One must adapt to local customs. Once our situation improves in the future, we will move out and live in a better neighborhood. At that time, it will not be too late for your daughter to act like a proper lady."

On the ground, there was a sticky chili sauce trampled by people, yet Mrs. Feng had snatched the quilt and held it in her arms, leaving a large stain of sauce on the snow-white bed sheet

Mrs. Feng lowered her head and remained silent

The lanes are filled with semi-old Shikumen houses, crowded like an ant nest. In the passageway, ropes are strung up to dry bed sheets and children's diapers, with droplets of water falling steadily. The air is permeated with a sour stench of excrement and rotting garbage.

Feng Shizhen retorted angrily, "The wicked are always the first to complain. You knocked over the sauce yourself, what does that have to do with our family? Just because you are a widow, everyone should accommodate you? Your husband was not killed by us!"

Feng Shizhen sneered, "If someone is killed, there must be a corpse on display. You'd better die immediately, so the police won't make a wasted trip!"

Feng Shizhen, feeling helpless, handed over the ten yuan he received from Congrong Family and said softly: "This is half of the salary. Mother will keep it for household expenses"

Mrs. Feng is a kind-hearted and indecisive person, and after the family encountered difficulties, it is her daughter who has been holding everything together outside, leaving her with no choice but to follow her daughter's lead

Upon entering the room, Feng Shizhen collapsed into the rattan chair, and only then did he begin to catch his breath

Feng Shizhen had not yet entered the courtyard when he heard intense arguing coming from inside

Feng Shizhen walked into the inner room to change the bandages for her father. Mr. Feng woke up in a daze and instinctively called out: "Shixun..."

Mrs. Feng cannot stop talking about her son while washing the bed sheets, saying: "Your brother is an outstanding student from the Medical University. Even if he doesn't graduate, it won't be difficult for him to find a job in a hospital or clinic. By then, we will be able to move away from here. Oh, is your new employer kind?"

The crowd watching erupted in exclamations, clearly finding the increasingly intense battle even more interesting

Mrs. Feng pushed the money back, saying, "This morning, two old friends of your father came to visit, brought some medicine, and insisted on giving me fifty yuan. You should keep this money for yourself; while staying at the host's place, it is inevitable that you will need some money to manage the servants."

The Feng family originally operated a Chinese and Western medicine shop in Hongkou District, with a sizable storefront, employing four to five staff members, two resident doctors, and an accountant. Mr. Feng himself was also capable of treating minor ailments. The Feng family had a good income, which not only allowed them to support their daughter in attending university in Nanjing but also enabled their son to study abroad.

Did we not obtain pain relief medication from the Western doctor before?" Feng Shizhen said, "That Doctor Li also mentioned that father's injury has improved significantly now, and it should not hurt that much anymore. I fear that father has become dependent on the medication. Mother, we should help father to quit it.

Cursing widows for bringing misfortune to their husbands hits the nail on the head, as Widow Zhang cries loudly while tossing her slippers and socks, saying, "Having read some books, you now bully others. How can a little girl from a humble family be so vicious?"

At this moment, Widow Zhang regained her imposing presence and charged back into the battlefield, making a leap to seize Feng Shizhen.

Since Feng Shizhen moved in, she has always presented herself as a demure and refined female teacher in front of others. This is the first time the neighbors have seen her lose her temper and speak harshly, which startled them, and their gazes towards her have completely changed

Widow Zhang was unexpectedly slapped, stepped on her own sauce, and without even touching a single hair of Feng Shizhen, she was again sent flying upside down.

Feng Shizhen suddenly regretted that there was no wine at home, otherwise he could have enjoyed a drink

Madam Feng was so angry that she wanted to reason with her, but Feng Shizhen held her back and shouted in return: "You disrespectful old woman, taking advantage of our family's poverty and weakness to bully us. In the past, you stole the dried fish and pickled vegetables we had out in the sun, and when caught, you refused to admit it, even splashing dirty water at our doorstep! I tolerated you before because you were an old widow, but you have gone too far, daring to hit my mother! I am stating this clearly today: our Feng family has nothing now, just the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled, yet we are not afraid. I tolerated you before because you were an old widow, but you have gone too far, daring to hit my mother! I am stating this clearly today: our Feng family has nothing now, just the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled, yet we are not afraid. If you push us too hard, we will fight back with everything we have. If you touch even a hair on my family, I will chop off your arm; if you throw even a piece of garbage at my doorstep, I will burn down your house! I, Feng Shizhen, am young and have the energy to fight you to the end!"

Widow Zhang's uniquely hoarse voice was particularly clear

Feng Shizhen smiled wryly

The small courtyard of the Shikumen was enveloped in silence, as the crowd dispersed in a dejected manner

Widow Zhang did not expect that the refined Miss Feng not only hit hard but also had such a sharp tongue. She was stunned for a moment before reacting, and then she hysterically shouted: "Kick the widow's door! Kick the widow's door! A little girl dares to slap me and even wishes me dead. Everyone come and judge this, how can one survive in this world!"

Mrs. Feng had no choice but to accept the money, and then said: "I received a telegram from your brother this morning, stating that he has already boarded the ship and it will take a month and a half to arrive"

"Father picked me up, do you remember?" Feng Shizhen pressed her face against the only intact back of her father's hand, her gaze distant. "I wasn't drowned in that river back then, so how could I be defeated by this little difficulty now?"

Feng Shizhen pushed Mrs. Feng aside with a backhand, nimbly dodged, and swiftly slapped Widow Zhang across the face

Mr. Feng clearly saw it was his daughter, unable to hide his disappointment, "Why haven't you left yet?"

A group of half-grown children were kicking a ball in a stinky puddle by the roadside, getting themselves covered in mud. Their mother rushed out with a spatula, scolding them fiercely, and pulled the children back by their ears

An overbearing old woman reprimanded Feng Shizhen, saying: "You are the younger generation; it is wrong to strike an elder, especially since she is a widow..."

A murmur of discussion arose behind her. Widow Zhang, with a lack of energy, muttered, "Looks so refined, yet is so fierce; one wonders where all the reading has gone."

No, it is clearly you who caused it to fall yourself

Feng Shizhen turned back and stood at the stairway, shouting sternly: "Just because you have read books, does that mean you deserve to be bullied and cannot speak up? What do scholars owe you? If it is like this, I would rather be treated as a shrew. If others do not offend me, I will not offend them. Today, I declare that if anyone dares to bully my family again, I will definitely retaliate a hundredfold!"

Unfortunately, a great fire broke out in the alley at midnight, destroying more than half of the street. The Feng family's residence, along with the upstairs living quarters, was reduced to ashes. In an attempt to salvage a few precious medical texts, Mr. Feng had his leg crushed by a beam and suffered severe injuries. To treat his father's illness, the family's savings were completely depleted. Now, they reside in a three-room unit on the second floor of a Shikumen building, having partitioned one of the outward-facing rooms to rent to a maid who works short-term and brings her son.

The rickshaw delivered Feng Shizhen to the front of the alley in the old city. The Rong family had paid the fare in advance, yet Feng Shizhen still tossed a dime to the rickshaw puller

This slap is for you!

A group of gossiping women surrounded the yard, pointing and discussing. Feng Shizhen parted the crowd with one hand and saw Widow Zhang gripping Mrs. Feng's hand tightly. Mrs. Feng's fair face was flushed red, and she kept wiping her tears.

Mrs. Feng poured herself a cup of cool tea and sat beside her, unwrapping the quilt. Feng Shizhen downed the entire cup of tea, finally letting out a sigh of relief, and began to chuckle softly while supporting her forehead

Mrs. Feng anxiously rubbed her hands together, "Your father said he is in great pain, what can I do? At least if he smokes, he might be able to get a good night's sleep"

Feng Shizhen keenly caught the sound of her mother's aggrieved sobs, and immediately, her blood surged to her head as she strode in.

"Let go!" Feng Shizhen shouted angrily, charging forward like an eagle, and with one swift motion, pushed Widow Zhang off balance, protecting his mother behind him

The hatred and determination in Feng Shizhen's eyes burned like a raging fire, leaving Widow Zhang stunned and momentarily speechless

Widow Zhang fell heavily this time, unable to get up for a while. She simply lay on the ground, kicking her legs and crying out loudly, "Someone has been killed! Murder! Quickly go call the police!"

In the room facing north, the hoarse cough of her father could be heard. Feng Shizhen then noticed the lingering smell of burnt opium paste in the air. Anger surged within her once again, and she said to Mrs. Feng: "Why has mother bought father opium again? His injury hasn't healed yet, and smoking it will do him no good!"

Mrs. Feng is a frail and delicate woman, who usually speaks in a soft and gentle voice. At this moment, feeling both shy and angry, her voice trembles even more softly.