Rise Up Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Marriage Arrangement婚配

Feeling helpless and powerless, with no one to turn to for help, I married Ah Bao and accepted a life of sorrow and desolation.

在无可奈何下，在无能为力的情况下，在叫天天不应的情况下我嫁给了阿宝，也认证了一生被人凄凉的悲苦命运。

Whenever a conflict arose, Ah Bao dared not take any action, and I was always the one to fight on the front lines.

每一次起冲突，阿宝都不敢有所动作，都是我在前冲锋陷阵。

When people hit Ah Bao, I would help, but when people hit me, Ah Bao wouldn't dare to do anything. He was afraid that he would get hurt.

有人打阿宝，我去帮忙，可是有人打我，阿宝不敢付出任何行动，他怕打到了他。

In my life, I've experienced too many scars and shed too much blood and tears.

我这一生有过太多次的伤痕累累，也有过太多的血和泪。

I was fully aware that they would bully us much more the following time, which would be even more unfair if we didn't fight back or show fear in the face of their unjustified behavior.

我很清楚如果被别人无故欺负时，如果不反抗，怕事，那下次他们会更欺负我们，会更毫无理由地欺负我们。

So, from a young age, I knew that if I was bullied, even if I knew I couldn't win, I couldn't just let people hit and scold me for no reason. I had to fight back.

所以我从小就知道，被欺负了，即使明知道打不过，也不能平白无故地遭人打骂，也一定要还手。

Resistance and retaliation were meant to let those around me know I wasn't a pushover and wouldn't simply take a beating. Even if I were just a rabbit, I would fight back if I've been bullied for no reason.

反抗和还手只想要让周围人知道，我不是软柿子，我不会就白白地挨打受罪，即使我是只兔子，被逼急了，也是咬人的。

Since I was the only one in my family who fought back when we were bullied, I was the one always left bruised and bloody, and it was always just me.

因为我们家别人欺负我们时，只有我一人反抗，所以被别人打得血淋淋的只有我一个，永远也只有我一个人。

Whenever I was beaten to the point of bleeding, I had to let it go because nobody would stand up for me or help me seek justice. When others in my family were hit, I would confront the aggressors, but no one dared to step forward or utter a sound when I was in trouble. I could only place all my hopes on my children.

被人打得头破血流，都是就这么算了，因为我被打了，没有人帮我主事，没有人帮我讨债还债，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。