(This story takes place in a fictional setting.)
Dragon Kingdom, 1950, Taojialing.
A group of little boys were bickering over who would be the captain of their guerrilla squad when a little girl suddenly appeared. She was about four or five years old, with two braided pigtails.
As soon as she appeared, she announced loudly, "Stop fighting! Do you want my daddy to lead you in battle or not?"
Of course they did. Xiao Yanyan’s daddy hadn’t just fought in real wars; he was a deputy regimental commander.
"Xiao Yanyan, is your daddy back?"
"Xiao Yanyan, when did your daddy get home?"
"Xiao Yanyan, take us to see your daddy!"
"Xiao Yanyan, did your daddy bring you any good treats?"
"Xiao Yanyan..."
"Stop!" The little girl, whose nickname was Yanyan and whose full name was Tao Huanyan, raised her tiny hands and pressed them downward. "My daddy isn't back. But if you make me the captain, I’ll have my daddy lead you in battle once he returns."
"What? You want to be the captain?" The boys were astonished.
"That's right. And I won't just have him lead you in battle—I'll have him tell you all about how he fought! How he defeated the Japanese invaders! And how he chased the Chiang faction into the sea!"
The offer was tempting. But...
"You're a girl."
"And you're younger than us."
"Yeah, that's right!"
Xiao Yanyan puffed out her chest. "Just tell me, do you want my daddy to lead you in battle or not? Do you want to hear my daddy’s stories?"
Of course they did.
The boys began to hesitate. Suddenly, one boy remembered that Tao Huanyan had a twin brother named Tao Rushan. "Let's make Xiaoshan the captain. Xiaoshan and Xiao Yanyan have the same daddy."
"Oh, yeah! Let's go find Xiaoshan."
The boys turned around and saw Tao Rushan standing right behind them. They immediately swarmed him.
"Xiaoshan, we’ll make you the captain. You just have to get your daddy to lead us in battle and tell us stories, okay?"
"This... my sister wants to be captain, too. If I steal the captaincy from her, my mother will beat me."
The boys wanted the privilege of being led by Tao Huanyan’s father, but they didn't want a little girl as their captain. After some deliberation, they decided to make her the deputy captain.
Tao Huanyan pouted. "Fine. Brother, you take command."
"Okay." His sister was truly amazing; she said she could make him captain, and she did. Next time they had eggs, he would make sure she got an extra bite.
Just as Tao Rushan was about to divide the boys into two teams, he saw his uncle running toward them in a hurry. Before he could ask, "Uncle, why are you running?", his uncle scooped them both up.
Tao Rushan was stunned. "Uncle, what are you picking us up for? We’re the captain and deputy captain of a guerrilla squad right now."
Tao Daniu ran with the two little toddlers in his arms. "You still have the heart to play? Your daddy wants to marry another woman, your mother is about to jump down a well, and your grandma told me to bring you two back. She says if your mother sees you, she won't be able to bear the thought of jumping."
Tao Rushan’s little face turned dark. "My daddy wants to marry another woman?"
Tao Huanyan’s face darkened as well. She hadn’t even enjoyed the benefits of having a father yet, and he was already trying to abandon them? He clearly had a death wish. "Is my daddy back?"
"No. He sent a letter. Your daddy says his marriage to your mother was an arranged one. He says he can support her, but he can no longer be her husband. Your grandma told me to tell you that no matter if your daddy wants your mother, you two are still his own flesh and blood."
Tao Huanyan let out a cold snort in her heart. Children born to a "yellow-faced" wife were very different from the children his new beloved woman would give him. "Is my daddy going to take me, my brother, and my sister to go enjoy life with him?"
Tao Huanyan had an older sister named Tao Qiongyan, who was seven this year. Huanyan and Rushan were four.
"Your daddy wants you to stay with your grandparents. He says he will send money back."
Tao Huanyan snorted coldly again. He thought he could dismiss the three of them and their mother with a few coins? Not a chance.
Tao Rushan felt both angry and afraid. "Sister?"
Tao Huanyan hugged Rushan’s neck and whispered into his ear. Rushan felt reassured. "Uncle, put us down. We can run ourselves."
"Alright." Tao Daniu followed the siblings home, coaching them on how to persuade their mother.
When they arrived, the house was in absolute chaos. The siblings grabbed Jin Xing’s legs, one on each side.
Tao Rushan: "Mother, don't jump down the well. If you do, Yanyan and I won't have a mother anymore."
Tao Huanyan: "Mother, if you jump, the three of us will have to live under the thumb of a stepmother."
"Waaaah..." Jin Xing couldn't hold it back and hugged her two children, sobbing. "What did I ever do to him that he wants to cast me aside? I gave him three children! Three!"
The Tao family let out a sigh of relief when they saw Jin Xing crying.
Granny Tian wiped the sweat from her forehead. "There, there, stop crying. Didn't Xiaoshan’s daddy say he would provide for you for the rest of your life if you don't remarry?"
Tao Daniu’s wife, Xu Zhaodi, chimed in, "Exactly. You don't have to serve a man, and you still get money. Isn't that great?"
Tao Erniu’s wife, Zhang Huihui, secretly rolled her eyes—would you want that 'blessing' for yourself? "Sister-in-law, Xiaoshan and Yanyan are still young. They can’t grow up without a mother."
"Waaaah... why is my life so bitter?"
Xu Zhaodi: "You’re much better off than those women who get sent straight back to their parents' homes."
Zhang Huihui wanted to shut Xu Zhaodi up. "Sister-in-law, why don't you go back to the room and calm down for a bit?"
Granny Tian: "Yes, yes. Xiaoshan, hurry and help your mother inside."
The group pushed the mother and children into their room.
Granny Tian: "Xiaoshan, be sure to talk some sense into your mother."
Zhang Huihui: "Sister-in-law, Xiaoshan is so sharp—you'll definitely have a good life following him in the future."
Before Xu Zhaodi could remark on how "sharp" a boy who just followed his sister around could be, Zhang Huihui pulled her away. "Sister-in-law, we’re leaving. You think about it."
After they left, Tao Huanyan climbed into Jin Xing’s lap, looked her in the eyes, and asked, "Mother, am I your smartest child?"
Jin Xing wiped her face. "What does it matter if you're smart? Your daddy doesn't want us anymore."
A flash of fierce light crossed Tao Huanyan’s eyes. "My daddy was never home before, either."
Tao Rushan: "That's right."
"That's different."
Tao Rushan was confused. "How is it different?"
Jin Xing didn't know how to explain it.
Tao Huanyan: "That doesn't matter. Mother, if you remarry, given your situation, you'll either have to marry an old bachelor or become a stepmother to someone else’s children."
Jin Xing cried as she spoke, "I never thought about remarrying. If I remarried, what would become of the three of you?"
"Good. Mother, what you need to do now is separate the household from Grandma, Grandpa, and the others."
"What?!" Jin Xing was so stunned she forgot to cry. "Separate the household?!"
"Yes. Since my daddy wants to discard you, it isn't appropriate for you to keep living in the same courtyard as my uncles."
"Mother doesn't want to be separated from your daddy."
"Your wanting doesn't matter. You can't even see his face. Besides, I can see that Grandma, Grandpa, my uncles, and aunts are all on my daddy's side. We need to find a way to get as much as we can now."
Jin Xing felt like crying again. "They have no conscience. I gave the Tao family three children."
"Since they have no conscience, we should take even more."
Jin Xing sniffled. "How much do you want?"
"Half."
"What?!" Jin Xing was sure she had misheard. "How much?"
"Half." Only by demanding a significant amount would her father, who was eager to abandon his wife and children the moment he became wealthy, believe that they had accepted their fate.