Ah Qiao

Extra: Ah Hu (2)

3

In the second half of the night, it rained heavily, and the wind howled.
I remembered that when Madam Ah Qiao was cooking soup, the trellis in her yard looked freshly built.

Before dawn, I rushed over to check, only to be caught by that annoying Xu Chang.

Xu Chang thought I had knocked down the trellis and wanted to teach me a lesson.

Hah! Ah Hu wasn't scared. At worst, Ah Hu would just turn into a mangy dog!

But when Madam Ah Qiao came over, I found that the muddy ground, damp from the rain, felt like it was covered in thorns. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't bring myself to lie down in it again.
Oh no! With her here, I couldn't be the mangy dog Ah Hu anymore!

I shoved that annoying Xu Chang hard, knocking him down.

I was scared—I was afraid she was just like everyone else.

Whenever something bad happened, she wouldn't ask me first; she would blame me right away.

"Last night, there was a strong wind and heavy rain. Maybe I didn't set the trellis properly.

"How about this—next time something happens, I'll ask you first, okay?

"Now, let's pretend that Ah Hu didn't run away, and let me ask you again.

"Was it you who knocked down the trellis?"

I shook my head vigorously:

"It wasn't me. I listened to the wind and rain all night, worried about the trellis, so I came to check. But when I got here, it was already down."

Madam Ah Qiao smiled, as if everything made perfect sense:

"Of course, I knew it wasn't you."

All these years, I hadn't cried when I was beaten or scolded.

I thought Ah Hu had forgotten how to cry.

But it turns out that being loved makes the tears come again.
Seeing me clutching my bowl and crying, Mother just smiled gently:

"Speckled hen mixed with tears won't taste good too. It'll be too salty."

With Mother here, Ah Hu had a home.

I had clean clothes to wear, good food to eat, and a soft, fragrant bed to sleep in.

Mother asked me about many things, and then she took me to apologize to that annoying Xu Chang.

Mother said that even though it wasn't intentional, Brother Xu Chang had really gotten hurt.

When I bowed and apologized, Xu Chang looked away disdainfully:

"I'm a gentleman, and a gentleman is magnanimous. I won't hold it against you."

When we stood outside Er Dan's house, I hesitated and tugged at Mother's sleeve:

"...Do I have to apologize to Er Dan too?"

...I didn't want to apologize to him.

But instead, it was Er Dan who apologized to me:

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied and blamed you, but you also messed up our things, so let's call it even, okay?"

...I didn't know.

...I had hated Er Dan for so long, even thinking about how to get back at him.

But I had never considered what I would do if he ever apologized—whether I should forgive him.
Mother patted my head:

"It's okay if you don't forgive him. It must have hurt a lot when you fell back then."

"...I-I'm not that petty! I just need to think about it."

Er Dan, shameless as always, started calling me Brother Hu and following me around.

Only I knew that he was really just craving the food my mother made!

But with his cheeky grin, it was hard for me to stay angry at him for long.

Sigh, it turns out that hating someone for a long time is a difficult thing to do.

"Mother, I don't know if I should forgive Er Dan."

Mother thought for a moment and then said:

"Before you decide to forgive him, Ah Hu, ask yourself if this incident will still make you feel bad when you think about it later."

I thought about it very carefully.

It seems it won't—I mostly just remember how Er Dan shamelessly called me Brother Hu.

Brother Hu wouldn't get angry with Little Brother Er Dan, nor would he hold a grudge against him.

So I generously extended my hand:

"Er Dan, I forgive you."

I used to think that Mother was naturally wise and always knew the right thing to say.

But later, I realized it was because she had suffered so much herself that she understood how hard things could be for others.

From now on, Ah Hu will stand up for Mother. Ah Hu won't let her be wronged again.