Such a tiny amount of food—how could anyone be full on that? Even if she wasn’t her own flesh and blood, you can’t treat someone like this!
Wang Guiqin was so startled that her hand trembled, nearly spilling the rice bran soup.
“I’m sorry, Mother. I’ll take a smaller portion, a smaller portion!”
Wu Yulan noticed the half-bowl of rice porridge set aside and asked, “Who is that bowl for?”
Wang Guiqin forced a smile and replied, “Mother, that bowl is for Xiuyun. She just gave birth, so I gave her a bit more. Please don’t be angry.”
Hearing this, Wu Yulan’s vision darkened again.
Giving rice bran soup to a woman who just gave birth?
“Don’t you dare bring it to her!”
After giving the order, Wu Yulan stood up and made to leave.
Song Zhiyong couldn’t bear it and spoke up, “Mother, sister-in-law is weak right now. It’s not good to let her go hungry.”
“She won’t die from a little hunger!”
With that, Wu Yulan hurried out.
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances at her words.
Wang Guiqin was at a loss. “This… what do we do now? Mother won’t let Xiuyun eat.”
Chunni looked at the bowl of rice bran porridge and licked her lips. “It’s fine, I won’t eat. I’ll give mine to my mother!”
With that, she picked up her own bowl of rice bran porridge and snuck toward her mother’s room.
Just as she reached the door, Wu Yulan caught her red-handed.
“Didn’t I say she’s not allowed to have rice bran porridge?”
Chunni stubbornly craned her neck, her red-rimmed eyes filled with determination. “Grandma, my mother lost so much blood. If we don’t feed her, she’ll starve to death!”
Wu Yulan curled her lip and snatched the rice bran porridge away.
“I said no, and that’s final!”
“You don’t get to eat either. Go boil some water for me!”
Chunni stood still, her stubborn eyes fixed firmly on Wu Yulan.
Seeing this, Wang Guiqin quickly urged, “Chunni, go boil the water, or your grandma will hit you again. I’ll keep that bowl of rice bran porridge aside, and once your grandma falls asleep, you can take it over.”
Only then did Chunni relent and head to the kitchen to boil water.
Wu Yulan had just set down the rice bran porridge when she heard a knock at the door.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
Assuming it was Physician Jiang’s eldest grandson delivering the medicine, Wu Yulan hurried to open the door.
“You’re Grandma Wu, right? My grandpa sent me to deliver your medicine.” A half-grown boy stood at the door, holding a wrapped bundle of herbs.
“Thank you.”
Wu Yulan took the medicine.
The boy said nothing more, nodded, and turned to leave.
Wu Yulan put the medicine away, went to the chicken coop, and grabbed a hen at random.
…
Song Zhishu waited and waited, but Wu Yulan never came to coax him into eating. He grew a little anxious.
He opened his door to peek outside and spotted Wu Yulan carrying an old hen toward the kitchen.
“I knew it—Mother loves me best!”
That chicken must be stewed for him!
However, Song Zhishu waited and waited, but Wu Yulan never came with chicken soup to coax him.
Little did he know, Wu Yulan had no intention of giving him any of that chicken soup.
Once the soup was done, Wu Yulan ladled out a large bowl of broth and a bowl of chicken meat, then evenly divided the rest into ten small bowls, each with a few pieces of chicken.
Seeing Chunni standing off to the side drooling, Wu Yulan picked out a drumstick and shoved it into her hand.
“Huh?”
Suddenly handed a drumstick, Chunni was stunned.
“What are you standing there gaping for? Eat it quickly! There’s no more.”
“Grandma, you’re really… really giving this to me?”
“Enough nonsense!”
Wu Yulan picked up the chicken soup and meat, then grabbed the two steamed buns from the table.
Seeing Wu Yulan carrying the chicken and chicken soup into her mother’s room, Chunni seemed to realize something.
“Could it be… that Grandma isn’t giving Mom rice porridge because she wants to make chicken soup for her instead?”
“No, that’s not right, impossible, Grandma couldn’t be that good! It’d be a miracle if she didn’t torment Mom to death!”
With that thought, Chunni quickly chased after her.
“Creak~.”
Li Xiuyun was so hungry she was dizzy, and in her daze, she smelled the rich aroma of chicken soup, thinking she was dreaming.
Opening her eyes, she saw Wu Yulan carrying in a large bowl of chicken soup and a large bowl of chicken, and she was too stunned to speak.
She struggled to sit up, “Mother…”
“You’re awake, so get up and eat. Your old mother doesn’t know how to wait on anyone.”
“This… is for me?”
It was no wonder Li Xiuyun was surprised. In all her years married into the Song family, she’d never had a single sip of chicken soup, let alone a whole big bowl of chicken meat.
“If it’s not for you to eat, then what, for the little one?”
After Wu Yulan finished speaking, she set down the chicken soup, chicken meat, and flatbread and turned to leave.
But then she thought that without a couple of harsh words, Li Xiuyun probably wouldn’t eat obediently, so she turned back and scolded, “Hurry up and eat to get your strength back. Don’t think you can lie around for the rest of your life and not work!”
Li Xiuyun had been worried the chicken soup was bought by selling her daughter, but when she saw her timid daughter hiding by the door, she immediately felt relieved.
After Wu Yulan left, Chunni took out the chicken leg she’d hidden in her sleeve and showed it to Li Xiuyun.
“Mother… Grandma gave me a chicken leg.”
Li Xiuyun stared at the chicken leg, lost in thought.
“Chunni, you stay close to your mother these days. Don’t run off anywhere, you hear?”
After instructing Chunni, Li Xiuyun picked up the chicken soup and drank it in big gulps.
Whether or not her mother-in-law really intended to sell Chunni, she needed to get her health back quickly. Otherwise, what would she have to protect Chunni with?
With that thought, Li Xiuyun took a big bite of the flatbread in her hand.
“Chunni, eat! Take big bites!”
Hearing her mother’s words, Chunni could no longer hold back and put the chicken leg in her mouth. The oily, fragrant chicken meat was so delicious she wanted to swallow the bones too.
At that moment, a thought arose in Chunni’s mind—if she could let her mother eat chicken meat a few more times, she’d be willing to sell herself for it.
…
The family looked at the chicken soup on the table, exchanging glances, none daring to touch it.
“What are you all staring at? Do you need me to feed you?”
As Wu Yulan spoke, she was the first to pick up her bowl and drink the fragrant chicken soup.
There weren’t any seasonings in it, just a little salt, but that couldn’t overpower the fragrance of the home-raised chicken!
Tasting the chicken soup, Wu Yulan’s stomach growled incessantly.
After finishing one bowl of soup, she still felt unsatisfied.
Turning to see that no one else dared to move, she raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t tell me you really need me to feed you?”
Song Zhiyong numbly pushed the chicken soup over. “Mother, you drink it. I’m a useless cripple—it’d be a waste on me.”
Hearing this, Wu Yulan suddenly remembered that this eldest son had been sent out to hunt by his mother in the dead of winter and had broken his leg.
Because he hadn’t received proper treatment, he’d become a cripple, and before, he’d been called a useless waste every day.
Ah, she’d have to see another day whether this poor boy’s leg could be treated.
Seeing this, the others also pushed their chicken soup over.
When something out of the ordinary happens, there must be something behind it. They really didn’t dare drink it! Who knows what might be in that soup!
Seeing this, Wu Yulan slammed her chopsticks on the table with a “smack.” “Since when do any of you get to defy your old mother? If I say drink, you drink!”
Seeing Wu Yulan angry, Song Zhiyong turned to signal the others not to move, then picked up the chicken soup and brought it to his lips.
“Mother, don’t be angry. I’ll drink it!”
His face was full of resolve, as if drinking the soup meant certain death.
However, after finishing the soup, he was completely fine.
Huh… he didn’t die?
Seeing his expression, Wu Yulan felt a bit speechless.
“Do you really think I’d poison you all? If I poisoned you to death, who would be left to serve your old mother?”
Crude words, but the logic held!
Everyone, upon hearing this, thought the same—even if Wu Yulan were to poison them, she wouldn’t kill them all, since she still needed people to work and earn money.
Moreover, Song Zhiyong had already drunk the chicken soup, and so far, it appeared to be non-toxic.
Once they figured this out, they carefully picked up their bowls of chicken soup and took a small sip.
“Ah, Mother, this chicken soup is so sweet!”
Nine-year-old Song Yinhua, tasting the flavor of the soup, squinted her eyes in bliss.
Wang Guiqin turned to observe Wu Yulan’s expression, and seeing her face calm, she found it hard to believe—her mother-in-law had actually let them drink chicken soup!!
This was a rare occurrence indeed!
The others were equally astonished, carefully sipping the chicken soup in their hands.
After finishing the fragrant soup, they wished they could lick the bowls clean.
Wang Guiqin, unwilling to waste the greasy residue, poured a bowl of hot water to rinse the bowl and drank the rinsing water as well.
Seeing this, the others followed suit, not wanting to waste a single drop of the oil.
Wu Yulan, witnessing this, let out a sigh and walked toward the door.
She ran straight into her youngest son, Song Zhishu.
Song Zhishu, seeing Wu Yulan, assumed she was coming to urge him to eat, and immediately raised his chin, putting on airs, looking as if he wanted nothing to do with her.
“Mother, don’t bother trying to persuade me. I won’t eat a single bite even if it kills me!”