Chapter 15: Better Than You in One Respect

On the second day of Xia Xiaoqi’s hospital stay, Liu Chunhua went home. She said she had to work for the production team, or the whole family would be eating dirt by New Year.

On the third day, the doctor said Xiaoqi could get out of bed and walk a little to help her pass gas.

Under Qiao Ran’s urging, Xiaoqi reluctantly climbed out of bed and inched along the wall at a snail’s pace.

“Ugh…” She covered her mouth and retched.

That awful medicinal smell was so strong. Perhaps the anesthetic had still been lingering before, because she hadn’t noticed anything particularly sharp in the ward.

But out in the corridor—oh, that smell.

“Ugh…”

Qiao Ran gently rubbed her back. “Why can’t you get over this? You can’t stand even a whiff of medicine. Anyone who didn’t know you had appendicitis would think you were pregnant.”

“My sister-in-law is pregnant?”

Lu Xiangnan’s voice sounded suddenly behind them.

Qiao Ran had nothing to say.

“Ugh…” Xiaoqi retched again.

What a lovely, awkward misunderstanding.

Before Xiaoqi could explain, Qiao Ran said, “Yes, with a big, healthy boy. In one respect, your brother is better than you.”

Xiangnan’s face darkened. He seemed angry, but whether out of good manners or because there were people around, he remained silent.

Why did her friend sound a little sour? Before, whenever Qiao Ran saw Xiangnan, she’d been like a hungry dog spotting a bone, practically drooling. What was wrong today? She seemed rather cold.

Xiaoqi’s curious eyes darted between them.

“I bought fruit and canned food. Keep them to eat,” Xiangnan said.

He watched Qiao Ran as he spoke. Seeing that she ignored him, he lost interest and said quietly, “I’ll go back to school. I’ll visit again when I have time.”

As he walked away, Xiaoqi shook her head. “Your little puppy is sad. Look at that lonely figure, as forlorn as the fading sunset.”

“Has the smell of medicine inspired you?” Qiao Ran rolled her eyes. “Are you going to compose a poem now?”

“Sweetie, what’s going on between you two?” Xiaoqi covered her mouth, trying to suppress her rolling stomach. “You were drooling over him a couple of days ago, and now your attitude has taken more turns than a mountain road.”

“He didn’t take my side.”

Still angry at the thought, Qiao Ran told her about going to the school and meeting Chen Xiaomei again.

“Why are you upset? He didn’t take Chen Dongmei’s side either.”

“Chen Xiaomei,” Qiao Ran corrected her.

“Oh. That old woman has made me so angry these past two days that I even dream about Dongmei at night.”

“Take my advice,” Xiaoqi said earnestly. “You can’t blame him for not siding with you. You two don’t have much affection between you. If you ask me, divorce him now while your feelings are still shallow.”

Qiao Ran stared at her. “Is that how people in your village give advice?”

“I can’t stand seeing you with a handsome, sweet husband. If your life is better than mine, I can’t bear it.”

“In that case, I’ll show off our love eight times a day in front of you. I love building my happiness on your misery.”

“So you don’t love me anymore?”

“Our friendship was fake to begin with.”

Against outsiders they were perfectly united. Among themselves, well… They’d spent a lifetime teasing and loving each other, forever fighting and making up.

After five days in the hospital, Xiaoqi was discharged.

A bus left the county town for Geshi Village at one every afternoon. Xiaoqi leaned against Qiao Ran’s shoulder, watching the scenery through the window.

The poplar leaves along the road resembled withered yellow butterflies. Wind sent them fluttering down over the bumpy gravel road. The sky was a clear, cloudless blue, with an occasional bird flying overhead.

Unfortunately, both women had been born after 2000. They had never experienced the childhood memories cherished by those born in the seventies and eighties. Apart from the jolting against their backsides, the ride stirred no particular feeling.

After more than two hours of bouncing, just when their bones felt ready to shake apart, they finally heard the conductor call, “Anyone getting off at Geshi Village?”

Qiao Ran raised her hand. “Here.”

Even after getting off, they weren’t at the village entrance. They still had to follow a narrow path for another ten minutes or so.

By the time they reached the entrance at a tortoise’s pace, a group of older villagers had gathered beneath the big locust tree, chatting after dinner.

“We’ll be the center of attention as soon as we walk past,” Qiao Ran said.

Xiaoqi nodded. “Never mind us. Even a mouse going by would have them gossiping until it wanted to hide from the world.”

The two lowered their heads, hoping not to draw attention, but could still feel curious eyes turning toward them.

“Aren’t those the Lu family’s two daughters-in-law? Did they go to town?”

“I heard Yanbei’s wife was ill.”

“Yes, I think she miscarried.”

What utter nonsense. She hadn’t even been pregnant, and they’d already invented a miscarriage. Even rumors needed some kind of basis.

Xiaoqi was speechless, her face darkening.

Beside her, Qiao Ran laughed so hard she could barely straighten up.

Then someone else said, “The eldest son’s wife went with her for several days, didn’t she?”

“I heard she went for infertility treatment.”

“I reckon she’s too fat to get pregnant.”

Qiao Ran’s expression changed instantly, like a Sichuan opera performer switching masks.

Now it was Xiaoqi’s turn to clutch her belly and laugh. She laughed so hard that her stitched incision began to ache.

Just then, a little black village dog came running over. It was smaller than a ball and stopped to stare at them, as though ready to unleash some great attack.

“Will I prosper this year?” Xiaoqi called.

“Wang, wang, wang!” The puppy barked at them nonstop, like a wound-up toy. Its bark sounded just like the Chinese word for prosper.

“All right, stop barking,” Qiao Ran called loudly. “Go home and stay there. Don’t spend all your time outside making a racket.”

“Bark if you want,” Xiaoqi added, “but don’t gather in a pack and yap together. Nothing good comes of it.”

“Watch out or your mouths will rot,” Qiao Ran said.

“Right.” Xiaoqi nodded. “Then you’ll have to go to the hospital, and when you come out, people will say you went to get a death certificate.”

Their pointed remarks delivered, they felt much better and headed home.

Behind them, one dog and a group of older women were left in confusion.

The women thought, *That sounded like an insult, but every word was about dogs. If we argue back, won’t we be admitting we’re dogs?*

Lu Hongna’s children, Xiaoling and Xiaohu, were squatting in the courtyard playing. When their two aunts came in arm in arm, Xiaoling sprang up and ran over.

“Second Aunt, Grandma said you were sick. Is that true?”

“Yes.” Xiaoqi gently rubbed the little girl’s head.

“Are you better now?”

“Mm, much better.”

“Second Aunt, you have to get well. Otherwise Second Uncle will marry Auntie Dongmei from Grandma Wang’s family.”

Xiaoqi stared at her. Would this never end?