Outside in the courtyard, Zhou Rong had already fried an entire basket of wild scallion flatbreads using the family wok. A pot of vegetable and egg-drop rice porridge bubbled away on the simple clay stove.
She raised her voice and called out loudly.
“Breakfast is ready! Come eat, you little rascals!”
Hearing her mother’s call, Song Xiaoyu quickly straightened her clothes and walked out of her room.
She and her two older brothers gathered around the wooden table. None of them touched their food immediately. Instead, they respectfully waited for Zhou Rong and Song Beichen to take their seats before beginning the meal together.
Once everyone was seated, Song Xiaoyu took a sip of porridge before speaking.
“I’m heading into the back mountains after breakfast. The herbs I used to treat Mother’s injuries have run out, so I need to gather more. Also, Father, if you want your leg to recover quickly, don’t be reluctant to eat the black bear meat and bone marrow. Even if Mother salts the meat and stores it in jars, it won’t last forever in this weather. It’s better to eat it while it’s still fresh.”
Zhou Rong looked at her daughter and couldn’t help laughing.
The child sounded like a little old woman fussing over everyone.
Yet the concern behind those words filled her heart with warmth.
“Your father and I are getting older,” Zhou Rong said gently. “Our bodies might not even be able to digest such rich food properly anymore. It’s better for you youngsters to eat it. Maybe it’ll help you grow taller.”
“Mother, you’re only in your thirties,” Song Xiaoyu replied with a bright smile. “You’re still in the prime of your life. How can you call yourself old? If you take care of yourself and nourish your body properly, you’ll look no different from an eighteen-year-old girl.”
Song Wu swallowed a large mouthful of porridge and immediately joined in.
“Mother is still incredibly beautiful! Father is truly blessed!”
The moment he finished speaking, Zhou Rong smacked him on the back of the head.
Smack!
Song Beichen’s face reddened slightly.
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Ahem! Song Wu, you’re already a grown man, yet you spend your days acting without any sense of propriety. We really need to send you to an academy as soon as possible and correct that terrible behavior.”
The moment the topic of schooling came up, Song Wu’s eyes lit up.
“Father, Little Sister said there are martial academies too! If I pass the imperial martial examinations in the future, I could become the Martial Champion!”
Zhou Rong shot her son a look filled with disdain.
“With your unruly behavior, you think you can become the Martial Champion? You’re dreaming with your eyes open.”
Hearing this, Song Beichen paused midway through lifting his chopsticks.
“The martial academies Xiaoyu mentioned do exist,” he said thoughtfully. “I remember hearing that Village Chief Wang’s nephew is eighteen this year and studies in the martial division of Wutong Academy in town. Since Song Wu genuinely wants to study, I’ll visit the Village Chief later and ask about it.”
“Father, Mother,” Song Xiaoyu said, seizing the opportunity, “once our family builds a new house and spring arrives next year, let’s send both Brother Wen and Brother Wu to school.”
The words stunned everyone at the table.
“Xiaoyu, what did you just say?”
Zhou Rong’s eyes widened in shock.
The rest of the family stopped eating altogether.
“Our family is going to build a new house?!”
Song Xiaoyu nodded and patiently explained her thoughts.
“That’s right.”
“Our family isn’t short on money anymore. Winter is already approaching, and this thatched cottage won’t survive the freezing weather. Even if we’re still a little short of silver for building a house and buying furniture, I can always go into the mountains and earn more.”
She looked around at the worn walls and leaking roof.
“We need to build a proper home, one that’s sturdy enough to withstand the winter.”