Chapter 27: Go In Plump, Come Out Skin and Bones
Something seemed to be happening in the courtyard; a woman was crying for help, and a child was calling for their mother. Tong Yao was on edge; could there be intruders in the yard?
While hesitating whether to peek through the door cracks at the situation, the door was suddenly pulled open. A man similar in stature to Wu Dalang—short and skinny—emerged from the courtyard, cursing as he went. Had Tong Yao not reacted swiftly to dodge out of his way, they would have collided.
The man didn’t seem to expect someone would be at the door. He paused briefly and then continued on his way, cursing all the while. Thereafter, a beaten-up woman with a swollen nose and messy hair emerged from the courtyard, clutching a child. She cried out after the man’s retreating figure, "Give me back my money, that money was for Niuniu’s school fees."
"Sister, is that man a robber?" Tong Yao asked cautiously, "Do you need help to call the police?"
The child in the woman’s arms was crying severely. After some time spent attempting to pacify the child, she managed to calm him down. Only then she was able to speak through her sobbing, "That’s my husband."
"..." Tong Yao was at a loss for words. It turned out to be a family matter. She didn’t feel it was her place to comment and was about to leave when she heard the woman sobbing, "It’s bad enough he’s lazy and doesn’t earn money. I barely managed to borrow some money from my family for our child’s school fees, and he even took that! How are we supposed to survive?"
Perhaps the woman had bottled up her grievances for too long. Now that she found someone to talk to, she couldn’t help but pour out her sorrows. The child in her arms, who looked about four or five years old, wiped his mother’s tears, while mumbling sweetly, "Niuniu will blow on mommy’s tears. Mommy, don’t cry."
Tong Yao hadn’t initially wanted to involve herself in the situation but couldn’t help feeling a pang of sympathy for the understanding and pitiful child. She decided to offer her two cents," If your husband is so terrible, why don’t you get a divorce?"