All the way there, my mind was filled with all the things my mother, Yao Ji, had done.
Back when Lu Jiao and I first got married, he would send money home every month. But the money, my mother took all of it. She even told everyone she was afraid we young couple would spend it recklessly, so she was helping us save it. But in reality, all that money was used to buy things for my older sister, Lin Man. Pretty clothes, face cream, and even the fees for her university entrance exam prep classes. It all came from that money. I never saw a single cent of it. It was as if I wasn't her biological daughter.
But that dream I had later woke me up completely. I made up my mind to stop being a pushover. Besides, we were thousands of miles apart. There was nothing Yao Ji could do to me.
When we got to the guard house, Xiao Lu gave me a number to call back. The phone was answered after just a few rings.
"Lin Yao, is that you?" It was my mother's furious voice. It burst out of the receiver.
I answered, "Yes. What happened?"
That one word was like lighting a firecracker. She immediately started screaming at me. "You little— You think you've grown wings, huh? How dare you run away from home without a word. If Wang Fu from the village hadn't told me, I still wouldn't have known you'd run off to the army. You little— Are you asking for a beating?"
She was yelling so loudly and crudely that Xiao Lu and Lu Jiao, who were standing next to me, heard every single word. Xiao Lu awkwardly touched his nose and quickly left. Lu Jiao frowned, looking at me with concern. He looked like he wanted to say something, but was holding back.
But as for me, I was perfectly calm. I've been hearing these words since I was a child. I was immune to them long ago.
I spoke into the phone's receiver. "You were the one who told me to get married. Now I'm married. Wherever my husband is, that's where I'll be. Is there a problem with me joining him at his post?"
But then my sister Lin Man, who was next to her, got upset. She snatched the phone and yelled, "Lin Yao, you think you're justified for running away from home, huh? Don't forget, you're the one who stole my marriage. Why are you acting so tough now? How dare you speak to Mom like that?"
A wave of anger I had been holding in for years swelled inside me. Ever since we were little, Lin Man got all the good things. And yet, she still had the nerve to turn around and accuse me. Weren't they making this call now just because they didn't want me to join my husband at his post, so that Lu Jiao could keep sending money home?
I said, feigning indifference, "Say whatever you want. I'm not going back."
Lin Man was about to curse me out again, but my mom pushed her shoulder, signaling her to stop. My mom snatched the phone back, cleared her throat, and put on a gentle tone.
"Lin Yao, I have no objection to you joining your husband. But Mom raised you all these years. Even if I don't get credit for success, I get credit for the effort. You have to get Lu Jiao to send some money back, right? The expenses at home are high."
She went on and on about how difficult her life was. I couldn't be bothered to listen to her act anymore. I cut right to the chase.
"Mom, right now, Lu Jiao's salary has to support me and the baby. The pressure is already high. There's no extra money to send back home."
Beside me, Lu Jiao looked at me and his eyes darkened slightly. The truth was, his salary was more than enough to support us. But when he saw that I seemed to be standing up for him, a delighted look spread across his face, and the anger he'd felt that afternoon completely vanished.
I continued. "Besides, you can't be too greedy. I haven't seen a single cent of the bride price Lu Jiao gave you for me. You said you were saving it for us. Well, I'm pregnant now, and I really need the money. Why don't you give it to me now?"
The line went silent for a few seconds. Then, with a click, she hung up.
Lu Jiao had heard everything I said clearly through the receiver. Now, he finally believed what I had told him before about my family.
I put the phone down and said, "Let's go back. I doubt they'll be calling again for a while."
Lu Jiao looked at me as if he thought I seemed a little different, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what had changed.
Meanwhile, back in Lin Family Village, Lin Man looked at my mom, who had just hung up, and asked anxiously, "Mom, what did Lin Yao say? Is she still sending the money or not? The tuition for my university prep class is due soon. If I can't pay, how am I supposed to get into university? How am I supposed to marry into a good family?"
My mom's heart ached for her. She said comfortingly, "Don't worry, the deadline isn't here yet. Let Mom think of something."
It wasn't that she couldn't afford the fee. She just wanted to get the money from somewhere else, preferably without having to spend her own.
Having failed to get any money, the mother and daughter cursed and swore the whole way home.
Lin Man said, gritting her teeth, "That Lin Yao stole my marriage, and now she won't even send a little money for my education. What an ungrateful wretch."
My mom was also fuming. "Who knew she had it in her? She's usually so quiet, but she ended up running away secretly. I should have just locked her in the room so she couldn't go anywhere. It would have been so much better with Lu Jiao sending money every month."
The more she thought about it, the more she regretted it.
As the two of them were cursing and grumbling on their way home, they saw a man standing at their front door from a distance.
Lin Man asked, "Mom, who is that back at the house?"
My mom recognized the person, and suddenly her eyes darted as an idea struck her. She winked at her daughter and quickened her pace.