Chapter 41: Roles Reversed

Granny Wang had a total of three sons, though they were not at odds with each other as the books often described.

Her second son had died in early childhood.

As for her third son, that good-for-nothing, he actually went off to live with his bride's family as a matrilocal son-in-law. Granny Wang had originally wanted to disown him entirely, pretending he had died the very moment he was born. But who would have thought this fellow was so thick-skinned? Every year on the second day of the first lunar month, he would return to his "mother's" home just like a newlywed bride. Granny Wang had often wished she could sweep him out the door with a broom.

Nowadays, only her eldest son remained at home, and he was blessed with two sons and a daughter. The eldest girl had already been married off, leaving only the second granddaughter, Wang Xiaohua, and her only grandson, Wang Pinggui, among the younger generation.

Outsiders all said she favored boys over girls, and Granny Wang was self-aware enough to admit that she indeed did. But how many people in this world did not favor boys? They all spoke with high-sounding righteousness in public, yet practiced differential treatment behind closed doors. Besides, her household had only one grandson; naturally, he had to be treasured, and everything of the best was reserved for him.

Granny Wang’s favoritism was a matter of course to her, though it wasn’t as if she truly loathed her granddaughters.

When the eldest girl had still lived at home, things were quite fine. She was nimble with her chores, generous, and sharp-witted—a capable hand both inside and out, whom Granny Wang held in high regard.

However, the second girl, Wang Xiaohua, was a different story.

Granny Wang usually had a mountain of chores, with endless tasks both around the house and in the fields, leaving her little time to fuss over a little girl. Yet whenever she ordered Xiaohua to do something, the girl always wore a timid, shrinking expression, looking utterly small-spirited and incapable of holding her own in public. Sometimes, when guests came to the house, Xiaohua wouldn’t even know enough to greet them properly.

Naturally, Granny Wang held her in low esteem, and thus frequently scolded her. Sometimes, when her anger flared up, she would even resort to physical blows.

Occasionally, when villagers passing by her gate overheard the shouting and scoldings, they would chime in with a few meddling words of advice. Over time, her reputation for favoring boys over girls spread far and wide.

Every time she heard it, Granny Wang would roll her eyes. Which young girl didn't grow up taking a few beatings? Was anyone really more precious than the next?

Although she knew this might breed resentment in Xiaohua, Granny Wang didn't care in the least. She herself hadn't escaped being beaten by her own grandmother when she was little, yet when that grandmother fell ill and was bedridden, hadn't she still had to wait on her hand and foot?

Things were different now, though. The second girl in the storyteller's tale had encountered miraculous fortunes, and the eerie coincidence of the names and similar family backgrounds had started to prick at Granny Wang’s mind.

Such a speculation wasn't entirely impossible. Not that Granny Wang truly believed it—after all, the story was far too fantastical—but one could never be too careful. What if Xiaohua really did soar to greatness in the future? If she climbed above ordinary mortals and still held a grudge against the Wang family, what good could come of it?

This story made Granny Wang take the suspicion to heart.

Of course, that wasn't the most important part. Even if Xiaohua rose to wealth and power in the days to come, the Wang family didn't expect to ride her coattails to the heavens. At the very worst, they were still her maternal family; even if she didn't help them, she surely wouldn't plot to destroy them.

The most crucial concern was Wang Pinggui—her precious grandson, whose childhood nickname was Gouguan. Lately, he was growing increasingly arrogant and willful, showing a distinct tendency to turn into that wretched Wang Xiaoliu from the story.

It was normal for a boy to be a little mischievous. But the story's description of Wang Xiaoliu was exceptionally detailed, recounting numerous instances of him running amok in the village, stealing chickens, and pilfering dogs. In his childhood, he had been especially fond of snatching things from his older female cousin, Wang Erya.

It was only right for an older sister to yield to her younger brother. Besides, Gouguan was the sole continuation of the Wang family lineage; whatever he wanted ought to be given to him. That was how Granny Wang had originally thought.

Yet, as she pondered it carefully now, the more she chewed on the thought, the more wrong it felt. She had frequently ordered Xiaohua to hand her things over to Gouguan. But what about Gouguan? What was in his heart? Did he also come to believe that snatching things from others was his natural right, completely disregarding his older sister?

This doubt hovered endlessly in Granny Wang's mind, refusing to disperse.

Just then, she reached her front door.

From inside the house came the sound of the two siblings quarrelling once again.

***

"Give it to me right now! You were actually drinking sugar water behind my back. Just you watch, I'm going to tell Granny that you're hoarding treats for yourself!" Wang Gouguan threatened righteously, knowing full well that his grandmother would take his side.

"Mother gave it to me. There's only a tiny bit, I can't give it to you." Wang Xiaohua was on the verge of tears.

Her monthly visitor had arrived not long ago, leaving her terrified and panicked. Unexpectedly, her mother had given her a pinch of brown sugar and told her not to be afraid, saying that drinking the warm brown sugar water would make the discomfort pass quickly.

She had just finished stirring it with boiling water when her younger brother, Wang Gouguan, spotted it and tried to snatch it away.

Logic dictated that such things had happened many times before, and Wang Xiaohua should have been accustomed to it. Giving it up would at least spare her a scolding. But this was a rare token of care from her mother, and a spark of selfish desire stirred within her, giving her the courage to fight back.

"Granny, look at her! She drank sugar water behind my back and won't share with me!" Wang Gouguan's sharp eyes caught Granny Wang standing outside the door, and he hurriedly called for reinforcement to back him up.

He glared at the ungrateful Wang Xiaohua, gloating with the thought that she was about to get another thorough dressing-down.

He put strength into his arms, giving the ceramic bowl a sharp pull toward himself. Who could have anticipated that upon seeing Granny Wang appear at the threshold, a startled Wang Xiaohua would loosen her grip, and the bowl would slide right across the table with the momentum?

Failing to check his momentum, Wang Gouguan tumbled backward onto the floor, sending the sugar water spilling all over the ground.

Seeing the sugar water he was about to get his hands on vanish into thin air, Wang Gouguan burst into loud wails.

"Granny! She didn't want to give it to me, she deliberately poured the sugar water on the floor!"

Witnessing this scene, Granny Wang didn't feel the surge of affection she usually did. Instead, the image of Wang Xiaoliu being cornered in the street by gamblers with a look of absolute terror flashed through her mind.

If things continued this way, Gouguan might really grow up to become another Wang Xiaoliu.

No, an evildoer of that sort must never come out of her household.

Gouguan had to be straightened out, and right now.

Granny Wang slipped off one of her cloth shoes, took it in her hand, and marched straight toward the two children amid Wang Gouguan's expectant, gloating gaze.

Wang Xiaohua retreated two steps in sheer terror.

However, the anticipated beating did not land on her.

Wang Gouguan had not yet reacted when he was yanked up by his collar. It wasn't until the sole of the cloth shoe connected heavily with his backside that he let out a piercing shriek of pain, "It wasn't me! It wasn't me! Granny, you're hitting the wrong person!"

"I saw it with my own two eyes! It was clearly you trying to snatch your sister's sugar water and spilling it on the ground yourself, yet you still have the nerve to blame the victim first?" Granny Wang’s anger flared even higher.

Wang Gouguan, who had never suffered a beating in his life, was thoroughly spoiled and pampered. Even in the countryside, he had been raised with delicate skin and tender flesh, and he simply couldn't endure the pain. Overwhelmed by rage and humiliation, he lost all filter and blurted out, "You old hag! When you die, I refuse to carry your funeral urn!"

The motion of Granny Wang’s hand froze mid-air, her hands trembling slightly in shock.

It matched. Everything matched. That Wang Xiaoliu had said nearly identical words to his own grandfather.

Stunned by the fury of being defied by the child she had always cherished, coupled with the chillingly coincidental facts, Granny Wang became all the more convinced of the story’s plot trajectory.

Thus, the moment Wang Xiaoliu thought he had a brief reprieve, he was met with an even more ferocious storm of pain.

"I'll teach you to curse people, you ungrateful little white-eyed wolf!"

At that moment, Granny Wang’s daughter-in-law, Wang Liu's wife, finished listening to the storyteller's tale down the lane. Returning home, she was greeted by the horrifying sight of her son being thrashed.

"Mother! If you have a grievance, take it out on me! Why are you beating the child?" she screamed in alarm, rushing forward to shield her son.

The rest of the family members began to trickle back one by one, all rushing forward to hold Granny Wang back.

Yet, filial piety outweighed the heavens. With Granny Wang stubbornly determined to discipline her grandson, the eldest son and his wife were helpless against her. Old Man Wang was naturally mild-mannered and no match for Granny Wang’s fierce temper; under her stern orders, he even ended up holding down the struggling Wang Gouguan.

***

Finding that hitting him with the shoe sole wasn't satisfying enough, Granny Wang discarded it and picked up a heavy bamboo broom handle, preparing to put on a real performance.

Before she could strike, she was blocked by Wang Xiaohua, who threw herself over Wang Gouguan's body, trembling as she stammered, "Granny, if you want to hit someone, hit me instead. Don't hit Gouguan."

She wasn't genuinely trying to protect Wang Gouguan, but the whole incident had started because of her. If the adults later remembered the injuries Gouguan sustained, they would undoubtedly vent their fury upon her.

Her sudden movement startled the two adults holding Wang Gouguan down. Their grips slackened instinctively, allowing Wang Gouguan to wriggle free.

Showing no gratitude whatsoever for Xiaohua's intervention, Wang Gouguan shoved her aside ruthlessly. "Who asked for your fake kindness!"

He had no idea that this series of events had utterly shattered his image in Granny Wang’s mind, transforming him in her eyes into an embryonic scoundrel.

This realization only hardened her resolve.

Having bolted only a few steps, Wang Gouguan was hauled right back. The broomstick rained down heavily upon his backside, transitioning his frantic shrieks from initial agony into weak, exhausted whimpers.

.

The dining table at the Wang household was unusually quiet that day.

Wang Xiaohua sat in a different spot than usual, swapping places with Wang Gouguan and moving one seat closer to the head.

Perched on the low wooden stool, she felt as though the seat were pricked full of pins, making her feel as though she were sitting on needles and pins. She stiffly straightened her small back, holding her breath.

Wang Gouguan had no stool to sit on and was forced to eat while standing.

In the past, whenever he was injured, he would enjoy special privileges, eating his meals while lying comfortably on the heated brick bed. Now, ordered to stand while eating, he had originally intended to throw a tantrum and go on a hunger strike, but yesterday's ordeal had frightened him out of his wits, leaving him too terrified to defy his grandmother.

He stood at the front of the table with a pouting mouth, barely touching the food in front of his eyes. He miserably shoveled mouthfuls of coarse grain rice, hoping this pitiful appearance might soften his family's hearts just a fraction.

Beside him, Wang Xiaohua mimicked his posture, though not out of feigned grievance—she had always been this way, terrified of taking too many dishes and earning a scolding.

Granny Wang picked up a chicken drumstick with her chopsticks and placed it into Wang Xiaohua's bowl. Her deeply wrinkled face strained to squeeze out an amiable smile. "Good child, eat up."

With that, she gave Old Man Wang beside her a sharp poke, gesturing for him to follow suit.

Old Man Wang looked thoroughly reluctant, finding the whole thing baffling. He was the grandfather, after all; was it proper for him to go out of his way to ingratiate himself with a granddaughter?

Noticing his reluctance, Granny Wang reached over and viciously pinched the soft flesh at his waist.

There was no way this old man was going to slip away from his share of the duty—she had seen right through him yesterday. Just like the grandfather in the story, he wanted to lurk in the background, letting Granny Wang bear the brunt of every confrontation while he sat back and reaped the benefits.

What a daydream!

Granny Wang considered herself thoroughly awakened; how could she possibly allow him to shirk his responsibility? Good or bad, the two of them had to face it together.

Old Man Wang let out a sharp gasp of pain. Feeling the eyes of the entire household turn toward them, he forced out a dry, wooden smile. Following Granny Wang's lead, he picked up a piece of meat from the table and dropped it into Wang Xiaohua's bowl.

That wasn't the end of it. Granny Wang cast a pointed glare at the eldest son, Wang Dalang, and Wang Liu's wife.

The two of them were equally unwilling. Because they had a son, they had never paid much mind to their daughter; this sudden performance of favoritism felt utterly bizarre.

Wang Liu's wife even muttered under her breath, "Does a little girl really need to eat something this good?"