In the courtyard, the faint sound of children’s exclamations could still be heard.
“So many fish!”
“Big brother, do we get to eat fish now?”
“Keep your voice down. Grandma caught them all for Uncle to eat. We can’t even think about it.”
…
Seeing Wu Yulan, the children quickly pulled their heads back inside, keeping their distance from the water vat.
“Grandma~.”
“Grandma.”
Looking at those pairs of timid, fearful eyes, Wu Yulan felt a twinge of discomfort in her heart.
“Hmm.”
“Dalang, do you know how to clean fish?”
Song Dalang, who had been called out, quickly nodded. “Yes.”
Wu Yulan scooped out a four-jin grass carp and then grabbed a one-and-a-half-jin crucian carp, placing both into a basin.
Song Dalang saw the two lively fish jumping around in the basin and froze for a moment. “Grandma, do you want both of them cleaned?”
“Clean them both. We’ll cook and eat them in a bit.”
As she spoke, Wu Yulan put the remaining fish back into the water vat, then washed her hands and went into the kitchen to prepare the meal.
But upon entering the kitchen…
Shards of broken porcelain were scattered all over the floor, and chopsticks had been snapped in half and tossed aside.
Wu Yulan took a deep breath, her forehead throbbing.
She knew exactly who had done this. Aside from that spoiled pest in the house, no one else would dare to smash the family’s bowls.
Chunni walked in, shrinking back against the doorframe. “It… it was Uncle who broke the bowls.”
Wu Yulan calmed herself down, then reached out and dragged Chunni out of the kitchen.
“Go wait in the yard.”
After giving that instruction, she found a broom and cleaned up the broken chopsticks and porcelain shards from the floor.
Counting them, the family didn’t even have enough bowls left.
And they were short a few pairs of chopsticks as well.
Just then, Song Zhiyong came back, limping as he carried a bundle of bamboo on his shoulder.
Ever since he had broken his leg falling while hunting in the mountains during the winter, Song Zhiyong had never gone hunting again. On ordinary days, besides working in the fields, he also did carpentry and wove bamboo baskets and crates to exchange for money.
“Eldest, carve a few wooden bowls and a few pairs of bamboo chopsticks.”
After giving her orders, Wu Yulan continued into the kitchen to do her own work.
Song Zhiyong said nothing, his face wooden, and silently went to take care of what Wu Yulan had asked.
Seeing this, Wang Guiqin and Zhao Lijuan quickly followed into the kitchen.
“Mother, you rest. Let us handle it!”
Wang Guiqin clasped her hands nervously, watching the busy Wu Yulan, at a loss for what to do.
On ordinary days, her mother-in-law never set foot in the kitchen. These past two days had been extremely strange.
Not only did she come into the kitchen, but she even boiled chicken soup for them. They had never even caught a whiff of oil or meat on ordinary days, let alone chicken soup!
Thinking of this, Wang Guiqin and Zhao Lijuan exchanged a glance, both seeing the same confusion in each other’s eyes.
Their mother-in-law had been truly strange these past two days!
Could it be… that their mother-in-law had been possessed by some unclean spirit…
Wu Yulan noticed the expressions on their faces and frowned, scolding, “Lazy women! Can’t even light a fire anymore?”
“If you keep lazing around and not moving, just watch me give you a beating!”
Wang Guiqin and Zhao Lijuan exchanged another glance. Well then, their mother-in-law was still the same mother-in-law!
The two hurriedly scrambled to get to work.
Wu Yulan sent Wang Guiqin off to prepare the powdered milk, leaving Zhao Lijuan to tend the fire.
When Zhao Lijuan saw her mother-in-law cooking porridge with two large bowls of rice, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.
“Mother… isn’t this too much rice?”
Wu Yulan paused mid-motion, then snapped, “From now on, whatever I cook, you eat. Don’t you dare nag me about it!”
After being scolded, Zhao Lijuan kept her head down and tended the fire obediently, not daring to say another word.
Wu Yulan busied herself with the cooking. It wasn’t until she was about to prepare the crucian carp soup that she realized she hadn’t bought any tofu.
There was a household at the village entrance that sold tofu. Wu Yulan fished out five copper coins from her room and, stepping outside, casually pointed at one of the children to run an errand.
“Erlang, go to the village entrance and buy some tofu.”
Song Erlang took the copper coins and trotted out the door. Before long, he returned with a banana leaf full of tofu.
“Grandma, the tofu is three pieces for one coin, so I bought fifteen pieces in total. All five coins are spent—I didn’t pocket any for myself.”
Afraid Wu Yulan wouldn’t believe him, Song Erlang even hopped twice to prove his innocence.
Wu Yulan pinched off a small piece of tofu. “Come here.”
Song Erlang shrank his head, thinking he was about to be hit.
“Open your mouth.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and opened his mouth.
Mm… a light, sweet taste blossomed on his tongue.
It was tofu! Grandma had given him tofu to eat!
“Consider that your reward for running the errand.” Tossing out that one line, Wu Yulan turned and carried the tofu into the kitchen.
As soon as Wu Yulan left, the other children in the household gathered around.
“Second Brother, Grandma really gave you tofu to eat!” Nine-year-old Song Yinhua’s eyes were full of envy and surprise.
The other children’s eyes also held astonishment.
Song Erlang nodded emphatically. “Mm, Grandma really did give me tofu just now—it was light and sweet!”
This was the first time Grandma had ever been this good to him. If she stayed this way, he’d run errands for her for the rest of his life.
Song Dalang rubbed his chin, imitating the adults as he thought.
“How strange. In the past, Grandma was good to us as long as she didn’t beat us. But these past two days, she’s not only given us sweet potato porridge, she’s also fed us chicken and chicken soup.”
Twelve-year-old Song Qianhua nodded in agreement. “Grandma has been a bit strange these past two days.”
Song Yinhua blinked her eyes. “Whatever the reason, if Grandma never beats us again, wouldn’t that be wonderful!”
Song Zhiyong watched the children chattering in a huddle, his gaze lowered in thought.
These past two days, his mother had indeed been somewhat out of the ordinary.
Chunni peeked through her mother’s doorway, glancing at her mother and little sister inside the room, then at her brothers and sisters in the courtyard.
She clenched her little fists and trotted into the kitchen.
“Grandma, just sell me. As long as you’re good to my mother and stop beating my brothers and sisters, I’m willing to be sold!”
Wu Yulan, who was simmering the crucian carp and tofu soup, paused mid-motion. Turning her head, she saw the little girl clenching her fists, her stubborn eyes filled with determination.
“Who said I was going to sell you?”
Chunni didn’t believe her. She reached up and wiped her reddened eyes. “If you weren’t planning to sell me, why have you been so good to my mother?”
Wu Yulan looked at those pitiful little eyes and suddenly felt like teasing her. She leaned in close.
“That’s right, I am going to sell you, and I’m going to sell you off as a maidservant, making you fetch tea and water all day long.”
Hearing this, Chunni’s tears, held back for so long, finally slipped from the corners of her eyes. She bit her lip. “Grandma, as long as you’re good to my mother, I’m willing to be sold!”
Wu Yulan raised an eyebrow. “Fine, then you’ll be sold to Wu Yulan! From now on, you’ll fetch her tea and water all day long.”
“Go back and wait!”
When Chunni heard this, she suddenly let out a long sigh of relief. Knowing she was truly going to be sold, all the strength drained from her body.
She forced herself to run back to her mother’s room, burying herself under the quilt and sobbing softly.
“What’s wrong, Chunni?”
Hearing her daughter cry, Li Xiuyun came over with concern to ask.