Micro-Fiction — Filial Rotation 微小说——《轮赡》
This is Suzhou Victory Textile Co., Ltd.
Old Widow Hua had three sons: Dapi, Erpi, and San Tuzi.
During a family dispute, Old Man Hua scolded San Tuzi a little too harshly. San Tuzi flew into a rage, went home, grabbed a bottle labeled “POISON — PESTICIDE,” and put it to his lips. The family rushed him to the clinic in panic. It wasn‘t until dawn that they learned the bottle contained only plain water. Old Man Hua sat on the bench, his back bent, aged overnight. Not long after, he was gone. The villagers knew — the old man was driven to his death by San Tuzi.
With her husband gone, Old Widow Hua lived on alone. When she grew too old to work, the three sons agreed to take turns caring for her — one month each, in rotation.
At Dapi’s house, life was ordinary. Dapi‘s wife had a quick temper and a sharp tongue, banging pots around, but she never skimped on meals. Hot porridge, steamed buns — she never mistreated the old woman.
At Erpi’s house, it was another story. Erpi‘s wife was slow — slow to act, slow to speak. Not warm, not cold. She did what needed to be done, just at her own leisurely pace. Life there was bland but tolerable.
But when it came to San Tuzi’s turn, everything changed.
On the west side of San Tuzi‘s house was a small room piled with fertilizer bags and pesticide bottles. The window was sealed with cracked plastic sheeting, airtight. When the door opened, the choking stench of chemicals mixed with dampness stung the eyes. The window paper had a hole, and the wind blew straight in, making the room even colder than outside. Old Widow Hua said softly, “The smell is too strong. Can’t I have another room?”
Wu Yanghua sat at the doorstep cracking sunflower seeds, not even looking up. “This is the only room free. Take it or leave it.”
San Tuzi stood by, grinning. “Ma, just make do for a month. Other people pay rent. You‘re staying for free, so why complain?” Old Widow Hua opened her mouth but couldn’t get a word out.
At night, the small room was cold and damp. The old lady coughed, one cough after another, her whole body shaking. In the next room, San Tuzi turned over, pulled the blanket over his head, and pretended not to hear.
Old Widow Hua‘s bedding was laid on hard fertilizer bags. The quilt was so damp it could be wrung out, the smell of mildew mixing with pesticide. Covering herself with it felt like pressing a block of ice against her body. She lay awake night after night, staring at the cobwebs on the ceiling, listening to the mice squeak in the corners. Meals were worse — thin sweet‑potato corn porridge in the morning, barley rice with pickles at noon, more porridge at night, not a drop of oil in her bowl. The family kept chickens, but eggs never appeared on the table. Once in a while, when an egg was in the cupboard, Wu Yanghua hid it away. San Tuzi saw it but said nothing, just lowered his head and ate his rice.
After a month, Old Widow Hua’s cheeks had caved in, her cheekbones stuck out sharply. She had to hold the wall to walk. Her fingers were swollen like radishes, and she gasped for breath just moving around.
Dapi came to fetch her. When he saw his mother, his face darkened. “Third Brother, how did Ma get so thin?” San Tuzi spread his hands. “Thin? How should I know? She‘s old and has no appetite. What’s that got to do with me?” Wu Yanghua chimed in, “She ate what we ate. No one starved her. If you‘re so concerned, take her away. Stop playing the devoted son here.”
Dapi’s temper flared, but his wife held him back. They swallowed their anger, helped the old lady onto a cart, and pulled her home. Dapi‘s wife grumbled the whole way, but the first thing she did at home was heat water for the old woman to wash her face and warm herself. Old Widow Hua sat by the stove, holding a bowl, unable to speak for a long time.
Meanwhile, at San Tuzi’s house, no sooner had Old Widow Hua left than the smell of meat drifted from their yard the next day.
When Erpi heard about it, he ambled over slowly. “Well… I‘ll take an extra month too. Can’t let Big Brother do all the work.” His wife followed behind and nodded quietly.
The three families agreed: Old Widow Hua would stay with Dapi and Erpi for a month and a half each. San Tuzi wouldn‘t take her in; instead, he would pay fifty yuan a month. On payment day, Wu Yanghua slapped the bills on the table. “Old hag, still worth fifty yuan. If you ask me, she shouldn’t get a single cent.” San Tuzi cracked sunflower seeds, grinning. “Just pay it. We‘re not losing anything. Ma stays with Big Brother and Second Brother. I save food and trouble. Good deal.”
Old Widow Hua died in the winter of her eighty‑second year. Before she died, she held Dapi’s hand, her voice faint as a mosquito‘s hum. “Your father is waiting for me… I have only one wish. Don’t bury me on Third Brother‘s plot. I hate the smell of fertilizer there.” Dapi nodded, his eyes reddening.
Old Widow Hua was buried on the riverbank west of the village, far from San Tuzi’s land. On the burial day, the wind was strong, scattering ash everywhere, falling on the withered grass of the riverbank and lifted again by the wind. San Tuzi knelt before the grave, kowtowed three times, stood up, and brushed off his pants. “Let‘s go home and eat,” he said to Wu Yanghua. She rolled her eyes. “You’re just putting on a show.” San Tuzi grinned. “Putting on a show for the living. Otherwise people in the village would say we‘re unfilial.” The two walked away one after the other.
Only Dapi and Erpi remained by the grave. Erpi handed Dapi a cigarette. Dapi took a drag, his throat tight. “Ma had a hard life,” he said. Erpi was silent for a long time, then answered softly: “Yeah.”
The wind swept over the grave, lifting the ash and letting it fall. In the distance, a rooster crowed. Silence.
化老太有三个儿子：大皮、二皮、三秃子。
一次家庭争执，化老汉多说了三秃子几句。三秃子当场翻脸，回家抄起一瓶贴着“剧毒农药”标签的东西就往嘴里灌。一家人吓得连夜送卫生院，折腾到大天亮，才知瓶里装的只是白开水。化老汉坐在长椅上，一夜之间脊背弯了，人也老了。没多久，咽了气。村里人都知道，老汉是被三秃子气走的。
老伴一走，化老太孤零零熬着日子。等年纪大了做不动活，三个儿子便说好，一家一个月，轮流养老。
轮到大皮家，日子寻常朴素。大皮媳妇性子躁，嘴上不饶人，动不动就摔摔打打，可饭菜从不短顿，热粥热馍，一餐一饭从没亏待过老人。
二皮家又是另一种光景。二皮媳妇慢性子，做事慢，说话也慢，不热不冷，不多言语，该做的事照样做，只是手脚拖沓，日子过得温吞平淡。
唯独轮到三秃子家，冷暖瞬间两样。
三秃子家西边一间小屋，常年堆着化肥袋、农药瓶，窗户糊着破塑料布，密不透风。门一推开，农药刺鼻的味道混着潮气扑面而来，熏得人眼睛发酸。窗户纸破了个洞，风直往里灌，屋里比外头还冷。化老太低声说：“这味儿太重，给我换个屋吧。”
伍扬花坐在门口嗑瓜子，眼皮都没抬：“就这屋空着，爱住不住。”
三秃子站在一旁，脸上挂着笑：“妈，将就一个月就过去了。人家租房还要花钱，您这白住，还挑啥？”化老太张了张嘴，半句苦话也说不出来。
夜里小屋阴冷，化老太一声声咳嗽，咳得浑身发抖。隔壁屋里，三秃子翻了个身，扯过被子蒙住头，任凭母亲咳得揪心，装耳不闻。
化老太的床铺铺在硬邦邦的化肥袋子上，被子潮得能拧出水，霉味裹着农药味，盖在身上像压着一块冰。她整夜整夜睡不着，睁着眼看屋顶的蛛网，听老鼠在墙角吱吱叫。吃饭更是潦草——早晚两顿稀得照人影的红薯干粥，中午一碗大麦饭配老咸菜，碗里连点油星都见不着。家里养着鸡，鸡蛋却从来不见上桌。偶尔碗柜里摆个鸡蛋，伍扬花随手就藏，三秃子看见了，低头扒饭，一声不吭。
一个月熬下来，化老太脸颊凹进去两大块，颧骨高高凸起，走路扶着墙才能挪动，手指头肿得像萝卜，喘气都费劲。
大皮来接人，一见母亲模样，脸色当即沉了：“老三，咱妈怎么瘦成这样？”三秃子两手一摊：“瘦了我哪知道。她自己胃口差，吃不下，跟我没关系。”伍扬花紧跟着插话：“我们吃啥她吃啥，没饿着就行。你心疼你就接走，别在这儿充孝子。”
大皮火气上涌，正要理论，被大皮媳妇一把拉住。夫妻俩忍下火气，默默把化老太扶上板车，拉回自家。大皮媳妇骂了一路，到家还是烧了热水，让老人洗脸暖身。化老太坐在灶台边，手捧着碗，半天没说出话。
三秃子家那头，化老太刚被接走，第二天院里就飘出了肉香。
二皮听说了这事，慢慢踱过来，慢慢开口：“那我也多担一个月，不能让大哥一个人扛。”二皮媳妇跟在后头，轻轻点头。
三家最终说好：化老太在大皮、二皮家各住一个半月，三秃子不接人，每月折算五十块养老钱。交钱那天，伍扬花把钱往桌上一拍：“老不死的，还值五十块。要我说，一分都不该给。”三秃子在旁嗑着瓜子，笑嘻嘻地说：“给就给呗，反正咱也不亏。她住大哥二哥家，咱省了伺候，还省了粮食。划算。”
化老太八十二岁那年冬天，走了。临终前，她攥着大皮的手，气若游丝：“你爹在那边等我……我就一个念想，别把我埋在老三家地头上，我嫌那地里一股子化肥味。”大皮点头，红了眼眶。
化老太葬在村西边河堤上，离三秃子家的地远远的。下葬那天风很大，纸灰漫天乱飞，落在河堤的枯草上，又给风卷起来。三秃子跪在坟前磕了三个头，起身拍拍裤腿，对伍扬花说：“走，回家吃饭。”伍扬花白他一眼：“你就装吧。”三秃子嘿嘿一笑：“装给活人看的，不然村里人该说咱不孝了。”两人一前一后走远了。
坟前只剩大皮和二皮。二皮递过一根烟，大皮抽了一口，喉头发紧：“妈这辈子，不容易。”二皮沉默许久，轻轻应了一个字：“嗯。”
风掠过坟头，纸灰卷起，又轻轻落下。远处，一声鸡鸣，四下无言。
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Suzhou Victory Textile Co., Ltd. （苏州维特瑞纺织有限公司）is located in Changshu city(belongs to Suzhou District) Jiangsu,China. 80 Kilometers away from Shanghai Port.
Our team has been working in textile over 18 years.Our mainly products are Tie dyed Fabric,Velour/Velvet,Quilt Fabric,Jacquard Fabric,Single Jersey, Pique,Rib Fabric,Bird Eyes/Mesh Fabric, Interlock, French Terry/Fleece, Polar Fleece, Coral Fleece, Flannel Fleece, PV Plush, Sherpa Fleece,Coarse Needle Fabric etc Fabrics.
Compositions include Polyester,Cotton,Spandex/Lycra,Nylon/Polyamide,Rayon/Viscose,Modal/Tencel,Bamboo,Arcylic,Soybean,Wool,Flax/Linen,etc.
Functional Fabric:Sportswear Fabric(Coolmax,Coolpass,Coolplus,X-dry,Cooldry,Feelcool Ice,Topcool,Sorona,Supplex etc.),Waterproof,Fireproof(Aramid,Polyimide),Heat(Thermolite),Antibiosis(Sanitized),Uvioresistant,Radiation-proof,Recycle,BCI,Organic,Pima/Supima etc Fabrics.
We also have invested a home textiles & garments factory where we move our fabrics to sew many kinds of Garments, blankets etc.
Our marketing team and QC department are checking all the day in every process and keep close contact with customers to make sure customer knows every stage of the production. All the fabrics and blankets are inspected by our QC before packaging and shipping. Also we can provide some certifications Such as Oeko-Tex standard 100, SGS, Intertek etc.
We have production capability 5000 tons of various type of fabrics annually.Our products are mainly transported to China, southeast Asia, Middle East, Europe and America etc.
Welcome to our company. We will highly appreciate any inquiry and question from you and respond asap.We believe you will enjoy one-stop service from us if you work together with us.