Chapter 9: Marriage Arrangem

有人帮我讨债还债，别人打了我们家其他人，我去找人论事由，可是我有事了，没有一个人敢出头，没有一个人敢哼一人，我只有把所有的希望都寄托在我的孩子身上。

I gave birth to two boys and a girl. Ah Bao and I often quarreled in our impoverished life and even fought each other. We were always in conflict because of our struggles, and our children suffered alongside us.

我生了两男一女，贫贱夫妇百事哀，因为贫穷，我和阿宝经常吵架，甚至打架；因为日子苦，我们常常闹；因为自己没有能力，孩子也跟着自己苦。

With no proper food to eat, we would roast and crush chili peppers as a makeshift meal. The children would eat the peppers and get stomach aches, pressing their bellies against cold stones to ease the pain.

没有菜吃，只能把辣椒烤了弄碎当菜吃，孩子吃了辣得肚子疼，就把肚子贴在冰凉的石头上用来缓解疼痛。

..........

I endured endless hardships, hoping my children would grow up and change their fate. I placed all my hopes on them, just as my parents had done with me.

万般苦楚，只盼儿女长大成人，能改变命运，我把我一生的希望都寄托在了儿女身上，就像当年我的父母把他们的希望寄托在我的身上那么地如出一辙。