Chapter 10: Ten Sticks as the Minimum Batch Wang Hua's mother, who had never taken a liking to Wan Zhenzhen, had moved in with her elder sister at her maiden home to sulk against her son. She had originally planned to hold out for a few more days to teach her daughter-in-law a proper lesson, but today she found herself blocked at the door and viciously scolded by her sister-in-law—the mother of Wang Youqing, Wang Hua's older cousin. The grudge between Wang Youqing's mother and Wang Hua's mother dated back many years and had never faded; the insults she hurled were a hundred times more vicious, dragging up every trivial grievance from the past. Shamed by the tirade, Wang Hua's mother finally heard, delivered with biting sarcasm after the ranting ceased, about what Wan Zhenzhen had done. Spitting on the ground, the woman snapped, "Truly, she's the wife your family deserves—causing chaos the moment she steps through the door! Ma Qiuju, I'm warning you: if you let that daughter-in-law of yours spread slander and ruin my household again, I'll come over myself and tear her mouth apart!"

This family was beyond belief. By all rights, given the trouble their new daughter-in-law had stirred up, Wang Hua should have shown some decency and come last night to apologize, at least making a gesture of contrition. Instead, she had waited all day without seeing hide nor hair of him. When she asked around the compound, people told her they'd seen Wang Hua carrying large and small packages, accompanying his new wife back to her maiden home. Wang Youqing's mother was nearly exploding with rage. Were the skins of this entire family made of pig hide? They casually dumped a bucket of filth on others and then carried on as if nothing had happened. If she hadn't been furious, Wang Youqing's mother wouldn't have gone to Factory No. 3 to confront Ma Qiuju. With that, she strode off, leaving Wang Hua's mother so enraged she nearly toppled over. Gnashing her teeth, she packed her things and stormed back to the tube-style apartment building.

She was going to demand an answer from Wang Hua: why had he desperately insisted on marrying such a jinx? Wan Zhenzhen returned to her maiden home seething with anger. Her elder sister had also come back early that morning, bringing one jin of meat and half a jin of fruit candies. Though the gifts were modest, placed beside Wan Zhenzhen's own return-home presents, they instantly made everything feel off. Return-home gifts were traditionally more abundant to demonstrate greater respect for the bride's family. Wang Hua's large bundle looked impressive, but inside, only the packet of walnuts was somewhat rare. Her mother's face immediately darkened, and her younger brother curled his lips in displeasure. Only her sister knew how to put on a show; pretending to defend her while actually pouring salt on her wounds: "Zhenzhen has just married; there are many things she hasn't gotten the hang of yet. Once she bears children, everything will be fine."

Only then did her mother reluctantly let the matter drop and rise to prepare a meal for the returning son-in-law. Wang Hua watched coldly as the two sisters sparred, while his mother-in-law and brother-in-law plainly disdained the gifts he had brought, which only fueled his anger. The matter of the two-hundred-yuan betrothal gift being entirely pocketed by them had not yet been settled, and now this family dared to give him the cold shoulder! Lunch was a perfunctory affair; the only meat dish was a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, which Wan Zhenzhen's mother placed directly in front of her son. Wang Hua was never a man who could swallow his pride. His own mother had never let him suffer since childhood, and as the child of a martyr, he had always been given priority in everything during his school years. The conduct of Wan Zhenzhen's family showed him no respect whatsoever.

With a cold laugh, he finished his meal and left, taking Wan Zhenzhen with him.

Not long after they returned home, his mother burst in, grabbed Wan Zhenzhen by the hair, and slapped her twice.

"Wang Hua! Are you just going to watch your mother beat me like this?"

"Beat you? You little whore! You death-seeking bitch! Has my son shorted you on food or drink? You cause trouble the moment you walk in! Wang Hua, send this woman back to her maiden home immediately! We don't want this troublemaker!"

"Boohoo… I only did it for Wang Hua's good! On what grounds do you hit me? I'm going to report you to the Women's Federation!"

"Go ahead! Anyone who doesn't go is a bastard, a son of a bitch! Hua, go push the bicycle; we're heading to the Women's Federation office near her maiden home!"

"…Wang Hua, are you just going to let your mother bully me like this? Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Bah! What does this have to do with my son!"

… Trapped in the middle, Wang Hua felt utterly exhausted, body and soul. Who the hell said that after marriage life would be all about a warm bed with a wife and children? Could these days possibly be any more infuriating?With Wang Hua's furious shout, the commotion next door finally subsided. Qian Qing clicked her tongue twice, wondering how many ears were pricked up just like hers; Wan Zhenzhen's days were surely not going to be easy. But that had little to do with her. She washed her face early and went to bed, waiting for the next day to go wholesale ice pops. Zhou Hao owned a bicycle. Qian Qing tied a large cardboard box onto the rear rack, lining it with the thickest quilt from home. After some thought, she rummaged through the house and found a large metal trunk as well. With considerable effort, she strapped the metal trunk onto the rear rack, then tucked the cardboard box and the cotton quilt inside.

Once arranged this way, the ice pop cart looked somewhat presentable. Qian Qing didn't head out to wholesale the ice pops until eleven in the morning. Riding her bicycle past Factory No. 3, she could see the red storefront of the ice pop factory. A large service window had been cut into the outer wall, alongside a main entrance. Inside sat a young clerk; seeing her push up with an ice pop cart, he immediately knew she was there to buy in bulk.

"How much worth are you buying?"

A price list was posted on the wall. The factory wasn't large, offering only seven or eight varieties. Qian Qing examined them one by one: salted ice pops at five fen, red bean and mung bean at eight fen, orange and grape flavors at fifteen fen, and milk-flavored ones in two grades—one at twenty fen and another at fifty fen.

"Why are there two prices for the milk ones?" The clerk replied curtly,

"The fifty-fen ones have their reasons for costing that much. Are you buying or not?" Qian Qing thought for a moment.

"Then give me twenty salted ones, ten red bean, ten mung bean, five each of orange and grape, five of the twenty-fen milk ones, and two of the fifty-fen ones."

Although his attitude was poor, his words weren't wrong; if they sold for such a high price, there must be a reason. She would start by buying just two; if they didn't sell, she could taste them herself. Without even raising his eyebrows, the clerk said, "Minimum wholesale quantity is ten sticks."