When Tao Shi, Liu Dahai’s eldest sister-in-law, heard Liu Zhang’s explanation, she felt deeply satisfied. After all these years as sisters-in-law, she knew Liu Zhang well—clear-minded, capable, and considerate. The fact that the fourth branch thought of their elder brothers and sisters first whenever they had something good truly pleased her.
“All right, just this once,” Tao Shi said warmly. “Don’t bring any more in the future. You’ve finally managed to start a small business—keep it to earn money. I heard little An has begun studying. That’s a wonderful thing. He’s clever and sure to have a promising future. There will be many expenses ahead.”
Liu Zhang smiled. “Eldest Sister-in-law, no need to be so polite with me. Actually, there’s something else I wanted to mention.”
She leaned in and quietly explained about gathering longevity greens—twenty jin per day for now. Tao Shi’s eyes lit up with delight. “That’s a great arrangement. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure everyone in my household keeps quiet about it.”
After thanking her, Liu Zhang prepared to leave for the second brother’s house. Before she could go, Tao Shi had her eldest daughter-in-law quickly fetch a basket of vegetables and ten eggs.
“It’s not much. Take it back for little An.”
Liu Zhang knew refusing would only offend her, so she accepted with a smile. “Then I’ll thank you on An’er’s behalf.”
At the second brother’s home, Sister-in-law Hu was feeding chickens in the courtyard. She greeted them enthusiastically.
“Brother’s wife! What wind blew you here today? Come inside and stay for a meal!”
Liu Zhang waved her hands. “No need, no need. I just brought some food we made at home.”
Hu Shi caught the scent and burst out laughing. “So that’s where that fragrance came from! Sister-in-law, you truly have skill—I must taste it!”
After chatting for a while, Liu Zhang mentioned the matter of gathering longevity greens again. Hu Shi agreed gladly and promised to keep it confidential. Before they left, she insisted on giving them twenty eggs “to nourish little An,” refusing to let them decline. Liu Zhang accepted graciously—there would be chances to repay the kindness later.
Xiao Chen, Liu Zhang’s third daughter-in-law, followed quietly and cooperatively the entire time. With the eldest and second households taken care of, only the third brother’s family remained.
Liu Zhang wanted to finish quickly; there was still work waiting at home.
As they reached Liu Dahu’s house, they could hear shouting from inside. Qian Shi, the third sister-in-law, was loudly berating her daughter-in-law. Liu Zhang might scold her daughters-in-law occasionally, but she had never humiliated them like that.
Liu Zhang and Xiao Chen exchanged a look. Then Liu Zhang cleared her throat lightly and called out with a smile, “Third Sister-in-law, are you home?”
Qian Shi turned around. Seeing it was Liu Zhang, she snapped at her daughter-in-law, “What are you standing there for? Invite your Fourth Aunt inside!”
Liu Zhang quickly waved her hands. “No need. We won’t stay. There’s still work at home.”
Qian Shi studied them carefully. “What brings you here today?”
She knew that little Liu An had nearly died from illness last year, and that the fourth branch had emptied their savings to save him. Recently, word had spread that he’d even started school. Seeing Liu Zhang arrive with her daughter-in-law, Qian Shi couldn’t help wondering—were they here to borrow money?
Liu Zhang wasn’t so old that she couldn’t read that guarded expression.
“Our third daughter-in-law prepared some food to sell at the town’s construction site,” she said calmly. “We brought a portion for our elder brothers and sisters to taste.”
Qian Shi’s suspicion deepened. “Your household isn’t wealthy. Keep it for yourselves. We have plenty of food here.”
Ignoring the tone, Liu Zhang handed over the bowl. “We may not be as well-off as Third Brother’s family, but we can manage. It’s just a token of goodwill. We’ve already sent some to the eldest and second households. We won’t stay long. Oh, and one more thing—this dish requires wild greens. If your children have time to gather some in the mountains, we’ll purchase them at one yuan for two jin. But only from the eldest, second, and third families. We haven’t mentioned it to others yet.”
Qian Shi accepted the bowl with a thin smile. “I’ll ask them. If they wish to gather, they will. If not, so be it. Thank you.”
Liu Zhang could tell the suggestion hadn’t truly interested her. Smiling politely, she left with Xiao Chen.
On the path home, Xiao Chen spoke softly. “Mother, Third Aunt doesn’t seem to welcome us.”
Liu Zhang glanced around to ensure no one was nearby and lowered her voice. “She’s afraid we came to borrow money. Didn’t you see that guarded look? If it weren’t because we’d sent food to your First and Second Uncles, I wouldn’t have gone at all. Your Third Uncle’s thoughts are practically written on his face.”
Xiao Chen nodded. She remembered that before she gave birth to An’er, Third Uncle had constantly suggested passing one of his grandsons into their branch to “carry on the line.” After An’er was born, his visits grew rare—and his attitude toward the child noticeably cooled.
“Why doesn’t Third Uncle like An’er?” Xiao Chen murmured.
“Hmph. Does it matter whether he likes him? He wanted to pass his grandson into our branch to inherit our few mu of land. He expected us all to work for his grandson someday,” Liu Zhang muttered resentfully.
Xiao Chen was startled. “Mother, really? Then why does Father still get along with him?”
“Your father’s fooled by appearances. Enough of this—don’t repeat these words. If your father hears, he’ll be upset. We’ll focus on raising An’er well. As for others, we won’t concern ourselves.”
Xiao Chen nodded earnestly. “Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll take good care of An’er. But what if Third Aunt gathers the greens herself and sells them in town?”
“Let her try,” Liu Zhang replied calmly. “If those greens aren’t blanched in boiling water before stir-frying, they taste terrible. And even if she takes them to market raw, who would buy them? What worries me more is that after tasting the spicy mix, she’ll pester your father for the recipe. Thankfully, he said it came from your maternal family. Otherwise, dealing with them would be troublesome.”
Both women privately agreed: Liu Dahu’s family was simply unpleasant.
That evening, when Liu Dahu returned from the fields with his sons and grandsons, he caught the lingering aroma in the house.
“What’s cooking today?” he asked.
Qian Shi brought out the bowl of spicy mix and said, “Fourth Brother’s wife and her daughter-in-law brought this. They’re selling it in town—it’s from her in-laws’ family recipe. They sent us a bowl to try.”
When Liu Dahu heard his wife’s words, he raised an eyebrow. The whole family gathered around the table. He picked up a chopstickful of the spicy mix and took a bite.
The moment it entered his mouth, his eyes lit up. It was a flavor he had never tasted before—numbing, spicy, fragrant, and savory all at once. Unable to resist, he took another bite before finally saying to his sons and grandsons, “Go on, eat.”
Once they started, no one could stop. The children nearly came to blows over who had taken one chopstick more or less. In the end, Liu Dahu, seeing his grandsons’ lack of manners, scolded them harshly and drove them out of the room before peace was restored.
Qian Shi turned to her husband. “Don’t you think this spicy mix is delicious? Should we ask Sister-in-law to teach us how to make it? We could sell it too.”
Liu Dahu was tempted. But he remembered that they had said it was the daughter-in-law’s family recipe—unlikely to be shared easily.
“That wouldn’t be appropriate,” he replied. “It belongs to her family.”
The small spark of hope in Qian Shi’s heart immediately went out. Then she remembered what Zhang Shi had said about gathering longevity greens. She brought out the sample Zhang Shi had left behind.
“She said they’ll pay one wen for two jin of this wild vegetable. If our children gather it, their household can buy up to twenty jin a day.”
Liu Dahu thought for a moment. “Tomorrow, have them gather some. Try to replicate the ingredients from today’s spicy mix and see if we can reproduce the same taste. If we can manage it ourselves, then we can sell it too. We’d have developed it on our own—no one could accuse us of stealing a recipe.”
Qian Shi slapped her thigh in admiration. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? You’re the clever one!”
She immediately called in her sons and daughters-in-law and ordered them to experiment.
But after two more days, Liu An’s family business only grew more prosperous. Watching this, Liu Dahu’s household became increasingly envious.
Qian Shi led her daughters-in-law in making their own version of spicy mix—but for some reason, the result turned out bitter and foul-smelling. It wasn’t just unsellable; even their own family could barely swallow it.
“This is awful! It stinks!” Qian Shi complained, pinching her nose.
“Keep your voice down!” Liu Dahu snapped. “Are you trying to let the whole village hear? You’re just too foolish—even something this simple and you can’t get it right!”
After scolding his wife, he paused briefly and then ordered, “Throw it far away. Don’t attempt this again.”
Humiliated by her husband’s harsh rebuke, Qian Shi simmered with resentment. Still, once she calmed down, she began considering alternatives.
If they couldn’t copy the spicy mix, then they could at least make money from gathering longevity greens. They grew everywhere—collecting twenty jin a day wouldn’t be difficult. Selling them to Liu Zhang would at least bring in some small change.
Decision made, Qian Shi assigned the task to her eldest daughter-in-law.
“Starting tomorrow, you’re responsible for gathering twenty jin daily and delivering it to your Fourth Aunt’s house. That’s ten yuan a day. Remember, only your Fourth Uncle’s household and your First and Second Uncles know about this. Don’t tell anyone else. If everyone starts digging, we won’t earn a thing. Watch your mouth!”
Her daughter-in-law nodded respectfully. “Don’t worry, Mother. I won’t tell a soul.”
Satisfied, Qian Shi left.
At dawn the next day, just as the sky began to lighten, the daughters-in-law from the four related households rose early, carrying bamboo baskets and hoes, heading toward the hills to gather longevity greens.
They greeted one another politely before bending down to work. Carefully, they dug up each plant, shaking off the dirt and placing it into their baskets.
Xiao Chen reminded them gently, “Sisters-in-law, let’s not gather too much at once. If we can’t use it, it’ll just go to waste.”
“You’re right. Thanks for the reminder,” one replied, and the others agreed.
All the daughters-in-law were hardworking. Before long, each household had gathered the required amount. They picked a few extra wild vegetables for themselves and returned home together.
Meanwhile, at the village school:
“Liu An, you’re too much!” Wang Fugui complained dramatically. “You’ve only been here a few days and already caught up to me. Are you trying to make life impossible?”
His expression looked like a wronged young wife.
From the side, Zhou Shen added calmly, “He hasn’t caught up to you.”
Wang Fugui’s eyes brightened. “Zhou Shen, you’ve finally recognized my talent!”
Zhou Shen rolled his eyes. “He hasn’t caught up. He’s surpassed you.”
Wang Fugui’s proud expression instantly deflated like a punctured balloon. The others burst into laughter.
Flustered and irritated, Wang Fugui retorted, “Don’t get too smug. If Liu An can surpass me, he’ll surpass all of you soon enough!”
His words caused the others to stiffen. One by one, they silently resolved to study harder—they couldn’t let Liu An overtake them.
Watching their reactions, Liu An found it rather amusing. Leaving aside this lifetime, he had already lived more than twenty years in his previous life. How could he possibly lose to a bunch of green, hot-blooded boys?