The General Under the Skirt - Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Shen Roujia noticed Liu Wei’s frown deepen when the woman spoke, so she quickly said, “Don’t… don’t worry, I-I’ll take care of this child, I’ll look after him, don’t worry, he won’t cause any trouble.”
Shen Roujia glanced at the woman, her words were heavy with implications. The woman understood what Shen Roujia meant and said quickly, “I-I won’t take him! But, but you can’t kill him, or I’ll kill myself right here!”
Liu Gang slapped the woman hard across the face. Blood immediately flowed from the corner of her mouth.
“You dare to bargain with us?”
The woman looked up, glanced at the child in Shen Roujia’s arms, and showed no fear.
“Go ahead and kill him, I’d rather die than go to those places!”
Liu Gang wanted to say something, but Liu Wei seemed impatient with the delay.
“Alright, alright, forget about the child, just take them down to the ship.”
They hadn’t intended to bother with the child anyway. Otherwise they would have killed it at birth. They had no interest in a child born to a used-up woman, whether it lived or died.
In the end, they didn’t care if there was one more or one less child on this ship, as long as it didn’t affect their profits.
Although Liu Gang looked grim, he seemed to be listening to Liu Wei. Since Liu Wei had spoken, although he was reluctant to let the woman go, he held his tongue and said angrily, “You’re damn lucky today!”
Shen Roujia knew they wouldn’t be bothering with the child anymore. She tightened her grip on the child and stood there, bent over, watching as the woman was led away.
The woman’s hair was disheveled, her face covered in dirt and blood. She looked back at the child in Shen Roujia’s arms. There were still tears in her eyes, an emotion Shen Roujia couldn’t read in her gaze. Then she looked at Shen Roujia. Unexpectedly, she managed a faint smile, and Shen Roujia could even see the blood on the woman’s teeth.
She was grateful to Shen Roujia.
Her voice was soft, but from the movement of her lips and the faint sounds that reached Shen Roujia, she understood the words.
“Thank you for saving him.”
Shen Roujia suddenly realized that despite the conflicting emotions a mother might have for her child, in the end she always wished her child well.
She hoped he would live, that he would have a normal life.
She must have had some hope for this child, even in this bleak environment.
No sooner had she finished speaking than someone pushed her from behind. The woman stumbled and was led out of the door.
Her figure disappeared from Shen Roujia’s sight.
The men locked the door from the outside, the sound of the bolt echoing. The footsteps outside faded.
What kind of future awaited them?
Meeting again was a luxury she could not afford. All she could hope for was that the child she so hated to give birth to would survive.
Shen Roujia stood there for a moment before slowly making her way towards Qingrong, her steps slightly unsteady.
The child in her arms was unaware that his mother had left. He stared at Shen Roujia with wide, innocent eyes and sucked on his fingers.
Regardless of the child’s origins, he was an innocent life.
Qingrong made way for Shen Roujia and said, “Why did you save him? He won’t survive even if you save him.”
Shen Roujia spat out a mouthful of blood. She bent down, sat beside Qingrong, and said in a hoarse voice, “At least he’ll live another day.”
As soon as she finished speaking, someone sneered and said sarcastically, “Playing the Good Samaritan at a time like this, how stupid.”
Before Shen Roujia could reply, Qingrong frowned and replied sharply, “If you can’t speak properly, then don’t. Don’t spew shit all over the place like rotten garbage.”
The woman’s voice suddenly became sharp, and she said, “What did you say? It’s none of your business what I say about her!”
Qingrong replied, “Then it’s none of your business who I talk to, you piece of trash.”
The woman’s face contorted. She opened her mouth to retort, but then seemed to be at a loss for words.
Shen Roujia didn’t want Qingrong to argue with others on her behalf, so she tugged at her arm and said quietly, “It’s okay, Qingrong.”
But the woman suddenly seemed to remember something, started laughing sarcastically, and said, “Trash? One of us is definitely trash. How dare a woman like you call others trash? You yourself are…”
Qingrong stood up abruptly and retorted sharply, “Ah! Shut up! Believe it or not, I will tear your mouth apart!”
The woman seemed to have touched on some taboos. Qingrong jumped at the woman, slapping her face and grabbing her hair.
“Are you crazy? You crazy bitch, stop it!”
Qingrong’s nails raked the woman’s face, leaving bloody marks. The scene descended into chaos, filled with the women’s screams and curses. It was unbearable to listen to.
***
Shen Roujia understood.
She had been with Qingrong for about half a month. Although Qingrong never talked about it, Shen Roujia had heard things from others.
She didn’t feel disgusted, just powerless.
She was useless, unable to protect herself, unable to protect her friend.
She was even dependent on Qingrong for food.
Shen Roujia held the child the woman had left behind and rocked it gently. The little one had just drunk some relatively clean porridge and eaten some buns. She didn’t know if he was full, but he seemed a little more energetic. Shen Roujia held and soothed him for a long time before he finally closed his eyes and fell asleep. The child slept restlessly, his little arms twitching as if he might wake at any moment.
His mother had only left yesterday.
Shen Roujia gently stroked the child’s cheek. It was soft and tender to the touch. Shen Roujia had never held a child before; this was the first time in her life. She smiled faintly and whispered, “I wonder how old you are. Has your mother given you a name?”
Shen Roujia removed her hand from the child’s face and adjusted the small blanket wrapped around him. As she put the child’s hand down, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her finger with his tiny hand. He held on tightly and refused to let go.
Shen Roujia froze, a strange sensation washing over her.
The warm, tiny hand gripping her finger wasn’t strong, but it wasn’t easy to break free either. Suddenly a sense of fulfilment and tenderness welled up from deep within her and overwhelmed her.
Her heart was full, the only thought remaining, ‘Worth it’.
“Your mother has left, and you have no name. From now on, I will call you…”
The door opened again.
Nothing good ever happened when they came in. Shen Roujia looked up at Liu Gang as he entered. The ship hadn’t stopped, so they weren’t here to take anyone away. Everyone around them huddled together, the quiet whispering abruptly stopped.
Shen Roujia held the child tightly, afraid to speak, afraid to look at Liu Gang.
A moment later, a shadow fell over her. Shen Roujia tightened her grip and looked up.
Liu Gang looked down at her, his gaze moving from her face to the child’s.
He grinned, the fingers of his hand twitching at his side.
Suddenly, Liu Gang reached out and grabbed the blanket wrapped around the child, trying to rip it from Shen Roujia’s arms.
Shen Roujia quickly tightened her grip, but Liu Gang was a large, powerful man, almost twice her size. If he used his full strength, she wouldn’t stand a chance. Besides, he had no regard for the child’s safety. Their struggle could suffocate the child.
Shen Roujia’s injured back couldn’t withstand the force of Liu Gang’s push, and she fell to the ground, unable to get up. The child was easily snatched away, and he began to wail. Shen Roujia struggled to her feet and tried to get the child back, but Liu Gang kicked her down again.
Shen Roujia was a delicate young woman, raised in luxury, with no experience of physical confrontation. She had been starving for the past few days, and yesterday’s kick had really hurt her. Just standing up was a struggle, let alone fighting Liu Gang.
He grinned maliciously. The blanket had come loose during their struggle. Liu Gang tore it off, leaving the child clad only in a thin, oversized woman’s undergarment. The winter night was bitterly cold, even adults had to blow on their hands to keep warm, let alone a child less than six months old.
Shen Roujia clenched her hands and said, “What do you want to do? Didn’t we agree on it..”
“Agree on what? That we’d let the child live? Who agreed with you? We were in a hurry to deliver the goods, we didn’t want to bother explaining. What, did you actually believe us?”
Shen Roujia pushed herself up with one hand, her body swaying as she stood, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“You… how can you be so vicious?”
Shen Roujia’s words amused Liu Gang. He burst out laughing and said, “You call me vicious? You’re such a stupid woman.”
The child continued to cry, tears streaming down his face, his tiny arms and legs flailing in the air. Liu Gang frowned and said, “So noisy.”
With that, Liu Gang walked out carrying the child. Shen Roujia suddenly had a bad feeling.
She stumbled after him, but while Liu Gang was free to leave, Shen Roujia was not. Before she could leave, two men stopped her at the door.
Liu Gang walked farther and farther away. On the empty deck, the child’s cries were carried away by the wind and grew fainter and fainter.
The river was roaring relentlessly. Amid the crashing waves, a splash echoed, almost shattering Shen Roujia’s eardrums. The faint, incessant cries abruptly stopped, replaced by the howling wind whistling past her ears. The wind was loud, but Shen Roujia seemed to hear nothing. Just like that, Liu Gang had casually, indifferently thrown the child into the cold, turbulent river.
Shen Roujia’s expression froze and her voice broke.
“Aah! You killed him! You beast! He’s just a child!”
Shen Roujia’s voice broke. She couldn’t believe that the child who had just slept peacefully in her arms had been so casually discarded. His young and fragile life had been taken so callously.
Shen Roujia had never lost control like this before. This was the first time she had seen a life snuffed out before her eyes.
“You… how could you… How…”
Shen Roujia doubled over, unable to finish her sentence, tears streaming down her face. Her fingers still seemed to retain the feel of the child’s grip, but she couldn’t imagine the child’s current situation.
The icy river water would engulf his mouth and nose. The piercing cold pierced his body like countless needles. Suffocation, a desperate suffocation.
Liu Gang was walking towards Shen Roujia. His beard covered half of his face. His cheeks were puffy, his thick lips turned up, and his bulbous nose blended seamlessly with his coarse features. His clothes reeked of fish, he sprayed saliva when he spoke, his teeth were yellow. His belly was flabby, his legs were short, his calves bound with strips of cloth that accentuated their curved shape. His feet pointed outwards when he walked.
Shen Roujia found his every move repulsive.
Liu Gang stopped in front of Shen Roujia, waving the hand that had held the child, now empty.
“What, are you crying?”
Shen Roujia’s chest heaved, her long hair falling forward, strands clinging to her face. She looked up and asked, “He’s just a child, why can’t you tolerate…”
Liu Gang stood in front of Shen Roujia and looked at her tear streaked face. Even in this state, her beauty wasn’t diminished, but rather enhanced. He clucked his tongue in admiration.
“Because I wanted to see a beauty cry…”