The large water jar in the Xiao family’s courtyard was quite old—it had been bought by Chen Xiuzhi’s in-laws when she first married, and had served three generations.
Normally, moving it meant rolling it across the ground. Even at New Year’s, when it was time to clean it, they had to tip it over, climb inside to scrub it, then flip it back upright once it was dry.
In all her life, Chen Xiuzhi had never seen anyone lift such a jar straight off the ground. She was so shocked she stood frozen, unable to react or speak for a long moment.
After a few seconds, she found her voice again. “Ye Qing, put it down right away! Don’t push yourself—if it slips, it could crush your feet.”
Ye Qing walked steadily toward them, holding the jar easily. “I’m not showing off. This weight is nothing to me.”
With a heavy thud, she set it down right in front of Chen Xiuzhi and Xiao Lei.
The sound rang through the yard, leaving both mother and son stunned and buzzing in their heads.
The whole family fell silent, staring from Ye Qing to the jar and back again. For a moment they wondered if she was even human.
There were certainly strong men in the village who could lift such a jar, but how had Ye Qing managed it?
No one spoke for what felt like ages—until Xiao Yang finally snapped out of it. He scrambled quickly behind his older brother, peeking over Xiao Lei’s shoulder with a look of pure alarm.
This woman was technically his wife… what kind of wife had he married?
Xiao Lei noticed his brother cowering and shook his head, half-amused, half-exasperated. He patted Xiao Yang’s arm. “Have some backbone. She’s your wife, not a man-eating tigress.”
Xiao Yang opened his mouth as if to reply, but then clamped it shut, shook his head, and said nothing at all.
Turning back to Ye Qing, Xiao Lei still asked cautiously, “Ye Qing… you don’t go around hitting people, do you?” What he really meant was: Don’t you dare hit my little brother.
Seeing their expressions as if facing some great threat, Ye Qing could not help but laugh.
As she laughed, her mind began to turn. When she first arrived in this world, she had thought Xiao Yang was her savior. He looked decent enough and seemed gentle; perhaps she could try to build a life with him. But after these past few days, she had changed her mind. Xiao Yang was clearly terrified of her—and though she did not know why, she had no desire to live with someone who viewed her with fear. She would find a chance to speak plainly, and when the time was right, they would go their separate ways.
Having made up her mind, she stopped smiling and said seriously, “Hitting people is against the law. I don’t do that.”
Everyone let out a collective breath of relief.
Still unconvinced, Xiao Lei took off his jacket, steadied his breath, and stepped up to the jar. Copying what he had just seen, he tried to lift it. He squatted down, face turning red with effort, yet only managed to raise one side slightly off the ground. Lifting it effortlessly as Ye Qing had done was completely beyond him.
He gritted his teeth and held it for a few seconds before setting it back down with a grunt. Wiping his hands, he shook his head at the others. “It’s far too heavy. I can’t do it. Ye Qing, how did you manage? It’s not just brute strength—you must have some special trick.”
He began to wonder if she had found a clever way to use leverage.
Ye Qing shook her head. “No trick at all. It’s just pure strength. The only thing I did was wipe the sweat off my hands first so I could get a good grip. I’ve always been naturally strong.”
“Then why didn’t we notice it before?” Shi Fengxia asked, curious.
“When I lived at home, I was always hungry, so of course I had no strength. Now that I eat well and rest properly here, my strength has naturally returned.”
Xiao Lei and Shi Fengxia exchanged glances, still full of questions—but Chen Xiuzhi seemed to accept the explanation.
She spoke up. “Now that you mention it, Ye Qing’s own mother was also very strong. Back in her day, she was known as the strongest girl for miles around.”
Shi Fengxia asked, “Mother, did you know her personally?”
Chen Xiuzhi nodded, her eyes softening with memory. “When I was still unmarried, my family came from the same village as hers. We didn’t live close by and weren’t related, but I remember everyone saying how powerful she was. It must run in the family.”
Since heredity was the only logical explanation, the rest of the family quickly accepted it.
Ye Qing spread her hands. “You said that to make a living from the mountains, one needs to be quick, strong, and know the terrain. I meet all those requirements. Now will you let me go up there to gather and hunt instead of working in the fields?”
This time, Chen Xiuzhi did not refuse outright. She hesitated, wavering in her resolve. After studying Ye Qing for a long while, she finally compromised. “Let me think it over properly. This is no small decision.”
Ye Qing nodded, then turned to urge everyone on. “Come on then—let’s pluck and dress the pheasant and get it stewing. Do we have any potatoes? If we add them in, they’ll turn soft and sweet, perfect with the meat.”
“It’s been ages since I’ve had a proper meal with meat—I’m sure it’s the same for all of you. Tonight we’ll eat well.”
Truth be told, Ye Qing had not tasted meat in years. Even thinking about the tender, fluffy potatoes simmered in rich broth made her mouth water.
Night had fully fallen, and the room was pitch black except for the faint, flickering glow of the kerosene lamp in Chen Xiuzhi’s hand.
Everyone exchanged glances, and Xiao Lei frowned. Though he remained calm as the eldest, he looked up at the sky. “It’s already deep night. By the time we prepare the bird and cook it, it will be well past midnight.”
He waved his hand. “No, it’s too late. Tomorrow we have to work clearing new land and hauling water—heavy labor. We won’t have the strength if we stay up late.”
Chen Xiuzhi yawned in agreement. “We’ve done hard work all day, and I have no energy left to cook. Let’s just eat something simple and go to bed. We’ll save the pheasant for tomorrow.”
After a moment’s thought, she added, “Or if you prefer, we could wait until the market day and trade it for grain. One bird only feeds us for one meal, but grain would last the whole family three days.”
In her eyes, eating the whole bird in one sitting seemed wasteful.
Ye Qing shook her head. “Mother, you don’t realize—there are plenty of pheasants and rabbits deep in the hills. This is just the first one I’ve caught, and it’s a plump one too. Let’s enjoy it ourselves.”
She was already making up her mind that she would be going into the mountains regularly. “From now on, anything good I find will come first to the family. Whatever we can’t eat, or anything smaller or less fresh, we’ll trade for grain. Why risk the mountains if I don’t bring the best food to our own table?”
She added quickly, “Besides, this bird is already injured and won’t live long. By market day it will surely be dead—and a dead bird is worth far less than a live one. It makes more sense to put it all in our bellies.”
“Very well—we’ll do as you say,” Chen Xiuzhi agreed, handing the decision over to Ye Qing. “From now on, you decide what to do with whatever you bring back.”
Ye Qing had planned to cook it right away, but seeing the family’s reluctance to stay up late and feeling it would be a shame to eat and then go straight to sleep, she settled on having it for lunch the next day. Everyone agreed readily.
With the matter settled, the household sprang into action. In the dim light, they lit the stove, boiled water, and ate a simple supper before washing up and hurrying off to bed.
The next morning, the first one up was not Ye Qing, but Xiao Lei.
He roused himself early and dragged Xiao Yang out of bed, where the younger brother had been lying awake staring blankly at the ceiling. Before dawn, the two brothers headed down to the river to haul water, filling the large jar to the brim.
Soon after, Chen Xiuzhi and Shi Fengxia got up. Shi Fengxia went to the kitchen to help prepare breakfast, then suddenly remembered Ye Qing was still in bed. She went to the bedroom and laughed.
“Got you! You’re still lazing around today! It’s nearly time for everyone to leave for work, and you’re still curled up under the covers!” She pulled back Ye Qing’s quilt. “The sun is high—get up at once.”
Ye Qing pulled the blanket back over her head. “Quiet down… let me sleep a little longer.”
“Aren’t you coming to the fields with us today?” Shi Fengxia asked, confused.
“I spoke with Mother last night,” Ye Qing mumbled. “I’ll rest at home for a few days. When I have time, I’ll go up the mountain to look for food—that helps the family too. So I won’t be working in the fields for now.”
Shi Fengxia accepted the explanation. “All right then—sleep a little more. I’m going to check the chicken coop for eggs. Don’t forget to get up and eat breakfast later.”
Ye Qing hummed in agreement, half-asleep, but after being disturbed, she could not drift off again. She yawned and pushed herself up to sit, ready to get out of bed.
But the moment she moved her legs, she winced sharply. Her thighs ached terribly, especially along the inner muscles—it felt as though a fully loaded truck had run over her from the waist down, leaving them feeling like they no longer belonged to her.
Grimacing in pain, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing her sore muscles as she stood up.
She had drunk a lot of water the night before—no matter how much she wanted to stay lying down, her body would not let her.
Her face twisted with discomfort as she held onto the wall and limped toward the courtyard. Just as she stepped outside, she ran into Shi Fengxia returning from the coop with eggs in hand.
Shi Fengxia stared in shock. “Ye Qing—what happened? Are you limping?”
Hearing her sister-in-law’s loud exclamation, Xiao Yang, who was brushing his teeth nearby, looked over. Seeing Ye Qing’s pained expression, he raised an eyebrow and quickly hid a smile behind his hand.
Ye Qing grabbed Shi Fengxia’s arm urgently. “Don’t make a fuss—quick, help me to the outhouse!”