Han Xiaoxiao took the bowl of noodle soup and blew on it first. She sipped the hot broth. It was pleasantly sour and spicy, instantly whetting her appetite. After one mouthful, both her mouth and stomach seemed to wake up. Unable to wait any longer, she eagerly picked up the noodles and began eating.
By the time she finished the large bowl, tiny beads of sweat had appeared on the tip of her nose, and her pale face had regained a healthy flush.
The more heartily Han Xiaoxiao ate, the more Han Xiuxiu’s heart ached.
The poor child had never known an easy life.
She had lost her mother the day she was born and survived on milk begged from nursing women throughout the village. Once she grew a little older, she lived on thin rice porridge. Somehow she had managed to survive.
After their stepmother entered the family, she had grown up half-starved, sometimes eating, sometimes going hungry.
She was already eight years old, yet looked no older than six or seven. She was so thin that the blue veins on her neck were clearly visible.
Han Xiuxiu couldn’t imagine how much courage it had taken for the little girl to come all the way here by herself.
Seeing Han Xiaoxiao drink every last drop of soup, Han Xiuxiu asked gently,
“Would you like another bowl?”
Han Xiaoxiao shook her head immediately.
“No, Big Sister. I’m full.”
Han Xiuxiu didn’t insist.
“Alright. Then we’ll eat again at noon.”
“Come dig bamboo shoots with me.”
Han Xiaoxiao instantly relaxed, a smile spreading across her face.
“Okay!”
Truthfully, she’d been afraid her sister would ask why she’d come or what had happened at home.
She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from crying.
Before leaving home, she’d decided she would pretend nothing had happened, visit her sister for a little while, perhaps stay for lunch, and then quietly go home.
Instead, her sister had immediately noticed something was wrong.
She’d seen the bruises on her arm.
Han Xiaoxiao’s mind had gone completely blank before she could invent an excuse.
Yet after sighing, Han Xiuxiu hadn’t questioned her any further.
Instead, she’d simply cooked her a bowl of noodles.
That single bowl had finally allowed the tension she’d been carrying inside to melt away.
Han Xiaoxiao followed closely behind Han Xiuxiu like a little shadow.
She watched as her sister washed the pot and bowls, picked up a basket and a sickle, then locked the gate before leading the way toward the bamboo grove.
The mountain paths were narrow goat trails lined with tall grass.
Han Xiuxiu walked in front, occasionally sweeping the grass aside with her sickle to clear the way.
Han Xiaoxiao followed behind like a little tail.
The bamboo grove wasn’t far from home.
In less than half an hour they arrived.
Neither sister spoke much along the way.
Even so, Han Xiaoxiao felt happier and happier.
Her footsteps grew lighter.
She absentmindedly picked a foxtail grass and braided it into a tiny ring, slipping it onto her finger.
Several days had passed since Han Xiuxiu’s last visit.
Many fresh bamboo shoots had pushed up through the ground.
The sisters snapped them off and piled them together.
They planned to peel off the outer husks before putting them into the basket.
Since the husks would be discarded anyway, this let them carry home more shoots.
The bamboo fungus Han Xiuxiu had left untouched last time had now grown up through the covering of bamboo leaves.
The timing couldn’t have been better.
They looked tender and delicate.
Once the little gray caps were removed, they resembled tiny fairies dressed in white lace skirts.
“Big Sister… can you really eat these?”
Han Xiaoxiao looked puzzled.
“They don’t look edible.”
“They smell like mushrooms… but they’re so strange.”
“They’re not just edible—they’re delicious.”
Han Xiuxiu carefully picked the remaining dozen bamboo fungi, taking care not to damage them.
“Your brother-in-law went hunting today.”
“If he brings back a pheasant, I’ll make bamboo fungus chicken soup.”
“I guarantee it’ll be so delicious you’ll want to swallow your tongue.”
Han Xiaoxiao couldn’t help swallowing.
She had wanted to say she would go home that afternoon…
But after hearing about the bamboo fungus chicken soup…
She simply couldn’t bring herself to say it.
As Han Xiuxiu placed the bamboo fungi into the basket, she suddenly asked,
“Why did she hit you?”
Han Xiaoxiao’s hand trembled.
She nearly tore one of the delicate mushroom skirts.
In a tiny voice, she said,
“Ever since the Zhang family proposed to Sister Xianglan…”
“Mother has been cursing every day.”
“Yesterday… she came home and saw me playing with the shuttlecock…”
“She scolded me for playing instead of working…”
At that point her voice caught.
Tears began pouring down her face.
“She cut my shuttlecock apart with scissors.”
“I tried to grab it back…”
“So she beat me with a broom.”
Han Xiuxiu gently wiped away her tears with her sleeve.
“I’ll make you another shuttlecock.”
“It’ll be even prettier than the last one.”
“Mhm.”
Han Xiaoxiao cried harder.
At home she’d always been careful.
She never dared talk back to her stepmother.
When her elder sister had still lived there, she’d always protected her, so she hadn’t suffered too much.
But after Han Xiuxiu got married…
Their stepmother had begun finding fault with everything she did.
Only then did Han Xiaoxiao truly realize how difficult her sister’s life had been.
Cruel words hurt more than knives.
Every chance Madam Li got, she would bring up their deceased mother.
Now she also constantly belittled Han Xiuxiu for marrying out.
If Han Xiaoxiao showed even the slightest disagreement…
Madam Li would launch into another tirade.
Otherwise she’d simply refuse to feed her.
Yesterday, not only had she been beaten for trying to protect her shuttlecock…
She’d also been left hungry all night.
At daybreak that morning, she’d run away from home, wiping away tears as she hurried toward her sister’s house.
“When Xianglan gets married, you can come back with us afterward.”
“Stay here and play for a few days.”
Han Xiaoxiao’s eyes immediately sparkled.
But just as quickly, they dimmed again.
“Won’t Father and Mother be angry?”
Han Xiuxiu snorted softly.
“When are they ever happy?”
“A few more days won’t make any difference.”
Han Daliang was the sort of man who ignored everything at home.
He only cared about work in the fields.
The household was entirely managed by Madam Li.
As long as he didn’t witness something himself, he pretended it never happened.
In front of him, Madam Li at least kept up appearances.
Behind his back, however, she frequently beat and scolded the girls.
She especially liked pinching the tender flesh on their thighs and arms.
It hurt terribly…
Yet left bruises hidden beneath clothing where no one else could see them.
After peeling all the bamboo shoots, the sisters filled an entire basket with shoots and bamboo fungi.
Back home, they washed everything and spread it out to dry.
There were too many bamboo shoots to eat all at once.
Some would have to be pickled.
Han Xiuxiu sliced a portion and set them aside.
Then she took down a slab of cured meat hanging from the kitchen beam.
She roasted it briefly over the fire before scraping away the soot, revealing a beautiful golden skin underneath.
It was wild boar bacon.
Perfect for stir-frying with bamboo shoots.
She simmered the cured meat first so it wouldn’t be too tough to chew.
Han Xiaoxiao sat beside the stove tending the fire.
The moment she saw the meat…
She couldn’t help swallowing again.
It had been so long since she’d last eaten meat.
Once the bacon was cooked, Han Xiuxiu sliced it into thin pieces while it was still hot.
Each slice alternated beautifully between lean meat and translucent fat.
The fat gleamed crystal clear.
The lean meat was a lovely rosy pink, glistening with oil.
Han Xiuxiu picked up a slice from the cutting board and stuffed it into Han Xiaoxiao’s mouth.
“Taste it.”
“Is it too salty?”
Cured meat was always heavily salted so it could be preserved for a long time.
That way less salt was needed when cooking.
Han Xiaoxiao chewed the steaming slice.
The smoked meat carried a unique aroma.
The rich fat blended perfectly with the lean meat.
Every bite was filled with delicious meaty flavor without feeling greasy.
One piece wasn’t nearly enough.
“It’s delicious.”
Laughing, Han Xiuxiu slipped her another piece.
“This one you have to taste properly.”
“Is it salty?”
This time Han Xiaoxiao paid attention.
“It’s a little salty.”
“When you cook with it, you can use less salt.”
Truthfully, Han Xiuxiu had only wanted to satisfy the little girl’s craving by letting her eat a couple of slices first.
The bamboo shoots they’d gathered were bitter bamboo shoots.
They had to be blanched first to remove the bitterness.
Afterward, Han Xiuxiu stir-fried them with the cured meat.
She also added some leafy greens to the leftover sour rabbit soup from the day before.
One stir-fried dish.
One soup.
Rice steamed in the pot.
Han Xiuxiu piled a huge bowl of rice for Han Xiaoxiao.
The meal was so delicious that the little girl barely lifted her head, focusing entirely on eating.
Whenever her bowl ran out of vegetables or meat, Han Xiuxiu quietly added more.
All Han Xiaoxiao had to do was keep eating.
One bowl wasn’t enough.
She got up for another half bowl.
As each mouthful went down…
It felt as though all the grievances she’d suffered over the past several days disappeared with it.
The happiness of finally having a full stomach soon made her eyelids droop.
She was still only a little girl.
She hadn’t slept well the night before.
She’d walked all morning.
Now, full and warm…
All she wanted was to sleep.
Since Lu Yunfei wasn’t home and there wasn’t much to do, Han Xiuxiu lay down beside her little sister for an afternoon nap.
Han Xiaoxiao asked softly,
“Big Sister…”
“Is Brother-in-law good to you?”
“He treats me very well.”
“Is Brother-in-law rich?”
Han Xiuxiu blinked.
“I don’t know why you’re asking…”
“But honestly, no.”
“He doesn’t have much money.”
The few broken pieces of silver he’d given her before amounted to only two or three taels at most.
Han Xiaoxiao was quiet for a while.
Then she suddenly said,
“Then she’s wrong.”
Han Xiuxiu immediately sat up.
“Who?”
“What did she say?”
“She said…”
“…that girls should marry rich men.”
“She said after you married Brother-in-law, you’d spend your whole life suffering in poverty.”
“She said your life was ruined.”
“But you’re happy now.”
“So she was wrong.”
Han Xiuxiu smiled gently and stroked her hair.
“Don’t listen to her.”
“Whether you’re happy or not has nothing to do with how much money you have.”
“Go to sleep.”
Han Xiaoxiao murmured a few more words before gradually drifting off.
Han Xiuxiu tucked the blanket around her and lay staring silently at the canopy above the bed.
When Han Xiaoxiao woke up, it was already nearing evening.
She hurriedly got dressed and walked outside.
Han Xiuxiu was sitting on a small stool feeding the chicks.
Beside her sewing basket lay a newly made shuttlecock.
After several days, the little chicks were no longer weak and wobbly.
They ran all over the courtyard, chirping nonstop as they searched for food.
In a few more months…
They would all be fully grown chickens.
Han Xiaoxiao sat down beside her sister.
“This shuttlecock is so pretty.”
Han Xiuxiu smiled.
“When you’re with me…”
“If there’s ever something you want, just tell me.”
“Okay?”
“I know.”
Seeing the sun beginning to sink in the west, Han Xiuxiu stood up.
“Your brother-in-law said he’d be back by evening.”
“It should be about time.”
“Let’s go meet him.”
Although they’d only been apart for a single day…
Han Xiuxiu found that she already missed him.
Lu Yunfei had spent most of the day roaming the mountains.
In the end, he’d caught only two pheasants.
One rabbit had been caught in a trap.
The rest of his traps had all been sprung but were empty.
The animals had probably escaped.
He repaired every trap, hid them again carefully, and seeing it was getting late, started for home.
It had been a disappointing day.
He wasn’t in the best mood.
But as he rounded the mountain path…
He suddenly saw a slender figure standing on the hillside ahead.
Looking more closely—
It was his wife.
His footsteps immediately became lighter.
Han Xiuxiu spotted him too.
She smiled brightly…
…and waved at him.