The business had just started, and Su Zhen wanted to prepare three types of nutritious porridge. However, the house only had one stove and one pot. By the time the third pot of porridge was ready, the first pot would have cooled down considerably. If she took it to Ping’an Town to sell, it would be completely cold by then—who would buy it?
What should she do?
Seeing her distress, Mrs. Song whispered, “How about asking Old Village Chief and Mother Zhao to lend us a small pot? They both have small stoves.”
Oh, right!
Su Zhen suddenly remembered that the brown sugar water she had made for Sister A-Lian the night before last was prepared using a small stove. How could she have forgotten?
Old Village Chief’s family had many people, including children, so they must also have a small stove.
There was no time to waste—she had to act quickly.
Mrs. Song went to the Zhao family next door to borrow a stove and pot, while Su Zhen called her younger brother to go with her to Old Village Chief’s house to borrow a stove.
Before long, the siblings returned home happily, one carrying a pot and the other shouldering a stove.
As they passed by the old Su family house, they happened to run into Third Aunt Chen Qiaoyun, who was holding her young daughter Su Wan’s hand, heading to the foot of the mountain to pick elm seeds to eat.
Chen Qiaoyun exclaimed in feigned surprise, “Ah, A-Zhen, why are you even borrowing stoves and pots? Can’t you cook at home? Oh, poor things, children without a father really suffer!”
Upon hearing this, Su Anyu was so furious that the veins on the back of his hands bulged. “What are you saying! What’s wrong with not having a father? Does that mean we deserve to starve? If it weren’t for you…”
“A Yu!”
Su Zhen grabbed her brother, afraid that he might lose his temper and throw the stove at Chen Qiaoyun.
Hurting someone was a minor issue, but damaging the stove and delaying her porridge-making business was unacceptable!
However, she had no intention of letting Chen Qiaoyun off easily either. Enjoying all the benefits her father had brought while mocking them after his death—there was no such logic in the world!
“Third Aunt, you’re absolutely right. We haven’t even had a proper meal these past few days. If Mother Zhao hadn’t given us some sweet potatoes yesterday, we probably wouldn’t even have the strength to go out today.”
Seeing the gleeful expression on Chen Qiaoyun’s face, Su Zhen continued to play the victim. “Third Aunt, my mother said you’re the most beautiful and kind-hearted. When my father went to help your family with work, your words were sweeter than a song! Now that we sisters can’t even afford a meal, you surely can’t bear to see us suffer, right? How about giving us some money so we can have a good meal?”
What?
Chen Qiaoyun was dumbfounded. How did this suddenly turn into asking for money?
She instinctively covered the pouch at her waist. “You have no money, so why are you asking me? I don’t have any!”
Su Zhen smiled. “Third Aunt, I remember when your younger brother was building a house, he asked my father to help and promised to pay him. Did I remember wrong? Should I go to your family and ask?”
She turned to Su Wan beside her and asked with a smile, “A-Wan, isn’t your uncle about to get married? Which village is the bride from? Should your cousin take you to see your new aunt? You wouldn’t not know, would you?”
Su Wan was only seven years old and couldn’t resist Su Zhen’s provocation. She immediately blurted out, “Of course I know! She’s from Liu Family Village!”
“A-Wan!”
Chen Qiaoyun was shrewd. As soon as she heard Su Zhen mention Liu Family Village, she knew she intended to ruin her brother’s wedding. Gritting her teeth, she took out her pouch. “You little brat, still remembering something from two years ago. Fine, take it, take it! Just don’t go causing trouble at my family’s place!”
Chen Qiaoyun genuinely cared for her brother, actually giving over thirty copper coins.
But Su Zhen felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. Her cheap father had truly been foolish in his lifetime—working for the Su family and handing over money for free was one thing, but he even had to work for his younger brother’s wife’s family.
And what was the result? After all that toil, his own family was left without a single coin, while Third Aunt could casually pull out over thirty coins without a second thought.
Indeed, only the children who were not favored had to endure more hardship and suffering. She hoped Old Mrs. Su wouldn’t regret mistreating her second son, who had passed away early, in the future.
Watching Chen Qiaoyun so angry she had no mood to pick locust flowers, Su Anyu felt both vindicated and delighted. “Sis, you’re really amazing!”
He gave a thumbs-up, even more impressed with his sister.
Su Zhen put away the copper coins and took the opportunity to teach her brother. “I’m amazing because I didn’t fall into her trap. She said we were pitiful, but we didn’t need to prove we weren’t. Instead, we just went along with what she said and made her help us. And it just so happened that she was already in the wrong!”
She was also grateful that her cheap father had indeed done this before, and after returning, he had mentioned it to Mrs. Song and the children. Otherwise, Su Zhen wouldn’t have been able to quickly dig this memory out from the original owner’s mind.
Su Anyu was a smart child to begin with, frowning as he pondered seriously.
Su Zhen wasn’t in a hurry either. Teaching someone through words isn’t easy, but teaching through experience leaves a deeper impression.
After returning home, Su Zhen gave the over thirty coins to Mrs. Song and recounted what had just happened.
Mrs. Song looked downcast. “Your Third Aunt used to be closest to me. Whenever I had worries, she would give me advice. I never thought…”
“Mom, anyone can say nice things. We have to look at actions.”
Su Zhen left it at that, hoping Mrs. Song would figure it out on her own. She didn’t want to end up like Su Family’s Second Son in the future, supporting the entire Su family like a bloodsucker even after their own lives improved.
It was getting late, so Su Zhen put all the prepared ingredients into the pot to cook.
The first pot was peanut and red bean porridge, which could nourish the blood and strengthen the spleen, reduce swelling, and had a fragrant aroma—both delicious and nutritious.
The second pot was millet and pumpkin porridge, gentle for replenishing qi and blood, and also good for nourishing the stomach.
The third pot was the yam and lotus seed porridge they had cooked the night before. The whole family had already tasted it—sweet, delicious, and very tasty.
The ingredients for these three nutritious porridges were all common and affordable, the kind of porridge ordinary people could easily accept. Su Zhen priced it at ten coins per bowl, which should attract quite a few people.
However, how to attract people was also a challenge.
While tending the fire, Su Zhen thought about what to do next. When she looked up, she saw her brother Su Anyu tidying up the empty plot with a hoe. That plot had been used for growing vegetables before, but now it was overgrown.
“A Yu!” Su Zhen waved him over and handed him a bamboo basket. “Help me go up the mountain and cut some bamboo. I need pieces with joints, the kind that can be used as small bowls.”
She gestured with her hands, and Su Anyu understood immediately. He happily agreed, grabbed a machete, and ran toward the mountain.
Beside them, A-Qiao also lifted her little face, her big watery eyes full of expectation. “Sister, A-Qiao wants to help too.”
Mom said that Sister was holding up the entire family all by herself and that it was especially hard. She felt sorry for her sister and wanted to help her support the family together.
Su Zhen ruffled her younger sister’s fluffy little head. “Alright, then you can help Sister tend the fire!”
“Okay!”
A-Qiao’s eyes sparkled as she immediately sat down in front of the small stove. Tending the fire was simple—back at the old Su family home, she had always helped with the fire whenever meals were cooked.
Back then, though, she hadn’t liked tending the fire, nor did she understand why Su Wan, who was two years older than her, could go out and play with friends while she couldn’t.
With A-Qiao helping, Su Zhen could free up her hands to do other things.
She glanced at the half-collapsed side room, moved a few relatively intact mud bricks, and quickly set up three small, simple stoves.
Though crude, these stoves were perfectly adequate for cooking. After selling the porridge today, she would go to the general store to buy a few small pots. That way, she wouldn’t have to borrow someone else’s stove and pots to cook porridge tomorrow.