Facing her mother’s concern, Chunni quickly wiped away her tears. “Mother, I’m fine. I just tripped while running too fast.”
“Let Mother see. Where did you fall? Does it hurt?”
Chunni forced a smile and shook her head.
……
Wu Yulan busied herself for the better part of an hour before the meal was finally ready.
Everyone saw the white congee, a large pot of fish, two plates of pan-fried tofu, and a basin of stir-fried cabbage on the table—not a single person dared to move.
Wang Guiqin wiped her hands and turned to head outside. “I’ll… I’ll go call my brother-in-law to eat.”
“Stop right there!”
“From now on, no need to call him for meals. I’m setting new rules—anyone in this household who doesn’t work doesn’t eat!”
Wu Yulan said this as she was the first to pick up her bowl and take a piece of fish with her chopsticks.
Hmm… there was no salt left in the house, so the flavor was a bit bland, but it would do.
Seeing that no one else had picked up their chopsticks, she urged them, “Eat up, quickly. Dalang and Erlang, after you eat, come with me to sell the fish.”
Song Zhiyong stared at the fish on the table, momentarily dazed.
After a long while, he said in a low voice, “Mother, what exactly are you trying to do? Just say it outright!”
Song Zhiyong had been extremely filial in the past, but after experiencing his eldest daughter Song Jinhua being sold by his mother, and being forced by his mother to go hunting in winter and break his leg—one thing after another—Song Zhiyong’s heart had long since turned cold.
Wu Yulan knew that her behavior over the past two days had indeed been somewhat unusual. If she didn’t come up with a plausible reason, no one would be able to rest easy.
With that in mind, Wu Yulan put down her chopsticks, thought briefly, and decided to use her long-dead husband, Old Man Song, as an excuse.
“Yesterday when I fainted, I had a dream. I dreamed of your father. Your father scolded me, saying I mistreated you all, made your lives difficult, and spoiled your fourth brother beyond measure.
The ancestors also scolded me for selling away the blood of the Song family. They said if I continued to mistreat my descendants like this, they wouldn’t let me into the ancestral hall when I die, and I’d be left outside as a wandering ghost.”
Song Zhiyong pressed his lips tightly together, saying nothing.
Wu Yulan sighed and continued, “I’ve thought carefully about all these years, and indeed, I’ve done wrong. Eldest, second, third—you’ve always been the most filial, yet in my eyes, I only ever saw your fourth brother.
All these years, not only did I make you three brothers work like oxen and horses for your fourth brother, but I even sold your daughters to pay for his schooling.”
As she spoke, she even wiped the corner of her eye with her sleeve, where there were no “tears” to speak of.
“Looking back on the things I’ve done, I’d have no face to face the ancestors even in death. So, from now on, I want to turn over a new leaf and be a good mother, a good mother-in-law.”
“Eldest, would you still be willing to acknowledge me as your mother?”
When Song Zhiyong heard these words, his mind exploded with a buzz. The chopsticks in his hand trembled slightly.
His mother… had she finally seen their efforts?
Everyone else was also somewhat moved upon hearing this.
Wang Guiqin tugged at Zhao Lijuan’s sleeve, hope shining in her eyes. “Lijuan, is Mother-in-law really going to change for the better?”
Zhao Lijuan gave a bitter smile at the corner of her mouth, thinking to herself that if Mother-in-law truly did change for the better, at least they wouldn’t have to worry day and night about their youngest daughter being sold off too.
“I hope so.”
Seeing that Song Zhiyong didn’t answer, Wu Yulan called out again, “Eldest?”
Song Zhiyong struggled inwardly for a long time, and in the end, the resentment in his heart still transformed into hope.
Perhaps… Mother really could change?
He said in a low voice, “Mother.”
Wu Yulan responded cheerfully, “Yes!”
Looking at the extra piece of fish that had appeared in his bowl, Song Zhiyong drifted into a daze once more.
Wu Yulan not only gave Song Zhiyong a piece of fish but also gave one to everyone in the family.
Seeing Song Yinhua staring at the fish and swallowing her saliva, she said softly, “Go ahead and eat. From now on, Grandma will make sure you all get meat every day.”
Song Yinhua looked at the kind and gentle Wu Yulan and felt that Grandma really did seem a bit different.
In the past, Grandma would never treat her this way, but today she not only spoke to her softly but also gave her a piece of fish.
In the room next door, Li Xiuyun gently rocked her little daughter to sleep. Turning to look at the food on the table and recalling what her mother-in-law had just said, a glimmer of hope rose in her heart.
Chunni sat on a stool, scooping porridge from her bowl. Remembering how her grandmother had sold her off, she secretly wiped away a tear with her hand.
……
After the meal, Wu Yulan pushed the family’s cart while Song Dalang and Song Erlang carried two buckets of fish as they headed out the door.
Song Jia Cun was located south of Pingjiang Town, a full twenty li away—even at a brisk pace, it would take at least an hour to get there.
Relying on the memories in her mind, Wu Yulan walked for over an hour before finally reaching Pingjiang Town.
Dongchen Guo encouraged commerce, and the culture of peddling was deeply ingrained. No sooner had they entered the town than they heard the vendors’ cries rising and falling in succession.
“Plum juice here~! Refreshing plum juice that cuts the grease and cools the fire!”
“Wontons~! Authentic Southern Village wontons!”
“Candied hawthorns, one wen a stick!”
Wu Yulan turned and noticed both brothers’ gazes had unconsciously fixed on the candied hawthorn vendor.
After all, the two brothers were only thirteen or fourteen—still children at heart. Seeing candied hawthorns, they naturally craved them.
Wu Yulan took out the bamboo water flask she’d brought from home, took a sip, and handed it to the two.
“Come on, let’s go check out the vegetable market.”
Arriving at the vegetable market, Wu Yulan noticed there were quite a few people selling fish. After asking around, she found that grass carp sold for seven or eight wen per jin, while crucian carp was even cheaper, only five or six wen.
Thinking it over, Pingjiang Town was a water town to begin with—fish and shrimp were hardly scarce, so the low prices made sense.
Figuring she’d sell however much she could, Wu Yulan found a spot and laid out the fish.
“Fresh fish for sale~! Fresh grass carp and crucian carp~!”
Shoppers came and went through the market, and upon hearing Wu Yulan’s call, someone soon stopped to look.
“How much for this grass carp?”
An elderly woman carrying a basket pointed at the fish in the bucket.
“If weighed, it’s eight wen per jin. If you take it by the piece, it’s cheaper—this one’s about three jin or so, just twenty-five wen.”
Back when she’d first studied traditional Chinese medicine in the modern world, she’d often had to weigh herbs for prescriptions, so Wu Yulan was fairly confident in her ability to estimate weight.
The elderly woman took the grass carp and hefted it in her hand. “It’s indeed three jin. But everyone else sells it at seven wen a jin—yours at eight is a bit steep.”
“Auntie, the others catch theirs with nets, so the scales get scraped up. Our fish were caught with hooks—the scales are all in perfect condition!”
Hearing that it was Song Erlang speaking, Wu Yulan stayed quiet and let him take the lead.
Seeing that Wu Yulan was letting him have his way, Song Erlang grew even more enthusiastic. “Auntie, take a look at this fish—the scales are dark and glossy, so the flesh must be wonderfully sweet! With skin as fine as yours, you must eat fish often. Why not buy one?”
The elderly woman, flattered, unconsciously reached up to touch her cheek, a smile spreading across her face.
“You young man, what a silver tongue you have!”
“Alright then, I’ll take one.”
With that, she deftly counted out twenty-five wen and handed them to Wu Yulan.
Seeing this, Song Dalang quickly took out the bamboo skewers their father had whittled and threaded the fish onto one.
“Thank you, Auntie! If you enjoy it, be sure to come back and buy from us next time!”
Song Erlang handed the fish over with a beaming smile and watched the woman walk away.
The moment she was gone, Song Erlang immediately turned to Wu Yulan.
“Nice work! If we can sell both buckets of fish, each of you gets a candied hawthorn as a reward!”
That these two little rascals were so good with people was something Wu Yulan hadn’t expected. She’d originally brought them along just to have extra eyes on the fish, but discovering that Song Erlang had a real knack for business was a pleasant surprise.
“Grandma, are you serious? If we sell these two buckets of fish, you’ll buy us candied hawthorns?” Song Erlang swallowed hard and asked eagerly.
“Of course I’m serious.”
With that, she found a stone block and sat down.
Encouraged, Song Erlang grew even more spirited, imitating Wu Yulan’s manner and hawking the goods.
“Fresh fish for sale! Fresh grass carp and crucian carp, come take a look!”
Seeing this, Song Dalang also mustered his courage and joined in, “Fresh fish for sale~!”
The two brothers looked remarkably alike, at first glance resembling twins. With their delicate features, their calls attracted quite a few aunties and grandmothers.
However, not everyone who came over was there to buy fish—many approached with the intention of teasing the two brothers.
“Young lads, will eating your fish give you twins?”