"Mother of a Slave" is based on the novel of the same name by Roushi, which tells a story about the old social system, women as vulnerable groups, involuntarily, were conceived and born by unscrupulous husbands to the landlord's family.
The plot uses a simple and poignant tone to indict the evil "pawn wife" system, and explores the cultural and human tragic meaning contained in it.
Ah Xiu's husband was infected with bad habits because of poverty, he was originally sick, and he was also stained with alcohol and gambling, drinking and gambling all day long, and the person also became "fierce and grumpy".
In the absence of a loan and an exhausted family, he pawned his wife to a local landlord surnamed Li as a temporary wife, and the pawn period was three years and the pawn was one hundred yuan.
Ah Xiu arrived at Li Xiucai's house, Mrs. Li was jealous of her youth and beauty, let her husband linger, often mocked her maliciously, and after giving birth to a child, Qiu Bao, he did not even let her touch the child, and let the child call her aunt.
Li Xiucai deliberately wanted to leave Ah Xiu, but she was preoccupied with her former husband and son, and when her husband asked her for money to treat her son, she had a hot head and gave him the heirloom that Li Xiucai had given her, which made Li Xiucai, who was single-mindedly good to her, feel cold and had to endure the pain to drive her back.
Ah Xiu stumbled back home, seeing her husband's cold eyes, and her son's indifference, at that moment, her heart was like a knife, and she remembered Qiu Bao's wah-wah-w
Ah Xiu's fate is tragic, she can't decide her own life, can't decide her right to be a mother, and has been led by fate, but behind her tragic fate, there is also her own ignorance of reality and cowardice.
<h1>01 The husband has no money to pay off the debt "pawn wife", and the wife has no power to resist</h1>
The old master of the Li family is a local talent, the family is rich, but because the wife can not give birth, and do not let him take a concubine, so he did not have a concubine when he was fifty years old, the elders of the clan put pressure on him to go to a good woman, so that the offspring also have it, and there is no need for concubines.
Wuhou is a knot in Li Xiucai's heart, but because of the fear of the inside, the wife does not let him take a concubine, he does not dare to accept, this time the family elders put pressure, Mrs. Li has no way, had to compromise, personally looking for a surrogate candidate for him.
Ah Xiu is the candidate who was selected by Mrs. Li, she looks handsome, not like the average peasant woman, five big and three thick, and has just been born and raised, and she is the best candidate to have a child at first glance.
The husband found a notary and the old man of the Li family, signed a contract in front of everyone, and gave his wife a price of one hundred yuan to Li Xiucai, for a period of three years, after giving birth to a child, it can be redeemed for 20 yuan, if it is overdue, it will be used by the Li family for life.
After Ah Xiu listened, he hugged his five-year-old son and begged his husband bitterly, but his husband said with an indifferent face, I can't help it, I don't dare to die, and I can't borrow money, I can only find a way to make money from you.
When Ah Xiu left, she was carried by a palanquin, behind her was the cry of her five-year-old son Chunbao tearing her heart and lungs, her crying liver and intestines were broken, but no one had half pity for her, but constantly urged her to leave quickly, and could not delay the time for Old Master Li to eat lunch.
As soon as Mrs. Li first saw Ah Xiu, she developed a strong hostility towards her, before seeing her wearing a coarse cloth and doing rough work, her face was haggard, she didn't want to clean up a little, but she had a bit of a posture, which made Mrs. Li feel as uncomfortable as swallowing a fly.
This woman was personally selected for her husband, and no matter how dissatisfied she was, she could not show half a point.
So she let Huang Mama eat and drink well for her, did not let her do rough work, did not let her go out for half a step, and reminded her over and over again that the Li family only borrowed her belly to give birth, so that she should know her identity and not move her mind.
In the old society, women had no right to autonomy, and like livestock, they were owned by their mothers-in-law's house and bought and sold at will in their in-laws' homes.
The husband completely decides the life and death of his wife, and she not only has no strength to resist, but also willingly becomes the reproductive tool of the landlord's family, which is her sorrow and the sorrow of all women in the old society.
<h1>02 Can't recognize reality, didn't grasp the opportunity to change fate</h1>
Li Xiucai was very satisfied with Ah Xiu, not only because of her feminine appearance, but also because of the softness of her personality, which made his long-term depressed mood of Mrs. Li, who had been like a tigress, instantly relax and satisfy.
At first, Ah Xiu was very resistant to Li Xiucai, and later found that he was gentle and elegant, for the body, she was sad and sad, she would coax her, chant poems with her, make her happy, bring her different fruits every day when pregnant, and after giving birth, let the next person take care of her wholeheartedly.
This made Ah Xiu, who had been living under her husband's roughness, doubly moved, and the balance in her heart slowly tilted towards Li Xiucai, and the original home gradually blurred.
After Ah Xiu became pregnant, Mrs. Li looked at her more and more unfavorably, especially when she saw Li Xiucai's intimate care for her, she was even more angry, scolding and grinning at her every day, once she was sick and slept for three days, Xiucai accompanied her every day, softly coaxing her.
Mrs. Li became more and more angry, mocking her, As soon as I arrived at Xiucai's house, I became noble, what a waistache, my aunt's shelf was also laid out; in my own home before, I was afraid that like the on the street, the puppy with a belly in her belly was about to give birth, and she had to run everywhere for food. ”
Ah Xiu was accustomed to Mrs. Li's sneering at her, and did not dare to really enjoy the blessing at home, and most of the clothes she changed herself washed herself.
Huang's mother, who has been serving Ah Xiu, comforted her and said that she would be at ease with her pregnancy, she is now pregnant differently than before, and she will have a boy in the future, that is, the second wife.
Ah Xiu listened, a little flustered, this question she did not think about, she also thought about staying in this family, but thinking of Mrs. Li's harshness and oppression of herself, she was a little timid, at the same time she also thought of her son Chunbao, she said with some sadness: I still have a home!
Huang Mama said that he can pawn you out for money, you still think about what that family does, think that the child can give his father more money, let him eat better and dress better, you go back and don't suffer together.
Ah Xiu's heart could not let go of her original home, she thought about whether poor Chunbao would be beaten by her father, thinking about whether he would starve and freeze, but she did not think that her departure was the thorn that destroyed the child's heart.
Ah Xiu often revealed her thoughts about her children, and even expressed this emotion in front of XiuCai, which made Xiucai very dissatisfied, although she repeatedly said that she was reluctant to have children, but in Xiucai's eyes, what she could not give up was the poor family of the past, the former husband, her children had nothing to do with him, and he could not empathize with her.
Ah Xiu wanted to stay, but instead of seizing this opportunity and seizing xiucai who could change her fate, she pushed Xiucai outward step by step.
Huang Mama also mentioned that as long as she gave birth to a son, let Xiucai straighten her waist in front of the clan, the ancestors would also stand by her side, and the wife would not be able to do anything at that time.
Ah Xiu's heart is contradictory, in the process of staying or not staying, suffering alone, depressed all day, not taking advantage of this best opportunity to cultivate feelings, to fight for a way out for himself.
Huang Mama still knows that people's vision should be a little longer-term, recognize the cruel reality, her husband can honor her once, who knows if there will be a second time, a man who drinks and bets money to beat his wife, what future can she bring, even if he goes back, he can't change anything, it is better to live well, give the child some money, so that he can at least eat and wear warm.
<h1>03 I can't figure out my identity, but I always want to have both fish and bear paws</h1>
A year later, Ah Xiu gave birth to a boy as he wished, named Qiu Bao, and Li Xiucai burst into tears with happiness and became more and more fond of Ah Xiu.
Huang Mama's attitude toward her has also changed qualitatively, using her only as a slave servant before, but now she is very dedicated to her.
Ah Xiu's heart was not as happy as the Li family, she often listened to Mrs. Li scolding her outside, and then thought of her embarrassing identity, that is, not an aunt, not a slave, her heart was also sour.
Huang Mama seemed to see through her heart, enlightened her, she said: People like us, what heart do you want, you have a belly that can change money, if I want to give birth to a few more, give birth to a hundred yuan, three is three hundred yuan, then there is no need to suffer here, as long as you can earn money, the bitter point in your heart will be bitter.
Ah Xiu did not hear her words in her heart, she was afraid of staying, she would be sorry for her son Chunbao, it was her contradiction and entanglement that caused her to be unflattering on both sides.
Sun Xiucai once expressed the idea of thinking of her staying, and also gave him a white jade bracelet, saying that it was the heirloom of the Li family, so that she would pass it on to Qiu Bao in the future, which was also a recognition of her identity in the Li family, and said that as long as I did not let you go, you could not leave, which was also a promise to Ah Xiu.
But Ah Xiu thought of her former child Chunbao at that moment, she said that she could not let go of Chunbao, Li Xiucai was angry after hearing it, saying that your child has nothing to do with me, and then angrily threw up her sleeves and left.
This reminds me of "Xianglin Sister-in-law", Xianglin Sister-in-law is a woman with a rough life, but she has always confided in the people around her about her tragic experiences, which not only did not get everyone's sympathy, but also ridiculed and ridiculed her suffering.
Ah Xiu made such a mistake, always wanting Xiu to understand her, sympathize with her, and empathize with her, but ignored it, their relationship was originally based on interests, Xiu Cai only wanted her young body and belly, leaving this aside, she was nothing.
From the perspective of the old society, Xiucai is really okay with Ah Xiu, compared to her life, it can be said that one is in hell and one is in heaven.
In the past, she was a tool for her husband to take care of housework, ren beat ren scolding ren venting, when giving birth to a child was born by the mother-in-law hard pressed stomach, after giving birth did not look at it, just because she was a daughter, she was thrown into the hot boiling water by her husband and burned to death, not enough to eat and wear not to say, not to mention, the husband is still a scum.
Although in the Li family, her role is also passed down from generation to generation, but Xiu will say love to her, will coax her, hold her, let her enjoy love, will care for her, when giving birth to a child, there are also a bunch of people around her to serve her, after giving birth, you can also have a confinement, the child cries and someone hugs her.
The same is a life without dignity, without freedom, without self, and the latter is much better than the former.
Ah Xiu never wanted to fight in the past, she has been just sitting and waiting for the arrangement of fate, at this point, Huang Mama is more thorough than she thinks, knowing that only money can change fate, the same is suffering, one is the torment of money, one is the torment of no money, why not use their useful time to be bitter, poor, living is a problem, but also talk about self-esteem.
Because she was confused and lost Xiucai's heart, Mrs. Li even found a wet nurse to forcibly take Qiu Bao away, losing the identity of the child's mother, and Ah Xiu was also reduced to a slave in the house, and she did all the dirty work.
On the day qiubao was one year old, her ex-husband came to her and said that chunbao was ill and needed money to treat her illness, so she tried to find a way to ask Li Xiucai for money.
Ah Xiu's brain was hot, and she gave him the bracelet that Li Xiucai had asked her to pass on to Qiu Bao, and After Mrs. Li bumped into him, she angrily wanted to take back the bracelet and reprimanded her for not giving the Li family heirloom to outsiders.
Ah Xiu not only did not restrain in the slightest, but also desperately stepped forward to grab it, while crying and begging that her son was sick and needed money.
Between the two of them, the bracelet was broken, Li Xiucai was very cold after seeing it, originally intended to keep her, but her heart has been in the poor family of her ex-husband and former child, not only gave the family heirloom that should have been given to Qiu Bao to her ex-husband, but also begged them to give money to treat her child.
Mrs. Li was so angry that she wanted to drive her out of the house directly, but Li Xiucai was unbearable in the end, and she still had a trace of affection for her, and proposed to leave her at home to work.
Mrs. Li was very displeased, saying that she had enjoyed all the blessings of the next life in this family and was not satisfied, ah Xiu listened to the two eyes indifferently, coldly returned, such a blessing I do not enjoy.
Seeing this, I have a kind of hatred for iron not steel, her backbone, her pride, is simply worthless.
A woman who doesn't even have the right to decide to be the mother of her child, what kind of backbone she has, what backbone she has.
How she did not have pride when her husband punched and kicked her, how she did not have a strong spirit when her husband burned her newborn daughter, and where did she come from when her husband went out for money.
At this time, she suddenly became proud, and she did not think at all that her pride would lose another child.
She has not been able to clarify her identity, in the original home, she has no choice, can only resign herself to fate; follow Xiucai, thinking of Chunbao, being driven out of the Li family, and thinking of Qiubao, even if she thinks, she can't hide these emotions.
Her thoughts limited her destiny, and her resignation doomed her miserable life.
04
Ah Xiu is a kind and industrious woman, but also represents the inferior status of tens of millions of low-level women in the old society, they bear the endless humiliation of life and endless suffering, so that they are willingly subject to the constraints of real life, do not fight or fight, will only swallow their anger and let others manipulate, have no power to fight back.
Ah Xiu was deeply poisoned by the old social thoughts and was accustomed to being obedient, but she should at least have the consciousness of Huang Ma, see the reality clearly, see her identity clearly, and if she wants to stay in the Li family, she must have the attitude of staying in the Li family, learn to be a small low, learn to observe the color of words, and learn to please people.
She would not put down the shelf to please people, and did not see her situation clearly, "She was really willing to live in this new home forever, but she could not give up Chunbao, so she asked her second husband to bring Chunbao over, so that Chunbao was also in front of her eyes." ”
Ah Xiu's final tragedy stems entirely from her own confusion, Huang Mama mentioned and knocked many times, but she did not listen to half a point, and has been entangled in dual identity, resulting in the final loss of Qiu Bao, and was hated by Chun Bao.
Three years ago, she was humiliated and unwilling to leave; three years later, she returned in pain and wandering, and she would eventually struggle between her two children for the rest of her life.