“I see… it’s not easy,” Lu Zhaozhao mused, then let the thought go. At least they finally had eggs to eat—this was a good thing. Tonight, they could fry some eggs.
Gu Yan, hearing this, seemed to recall some unpleasant memories. His brow furrowed. After a moment, he shook his head, sighed, and muttered to himself:
“Forget it… it’s someone else’s family matter. Even if he wanted to intervene, he couldn’t.”
Then he returned to his chores.
He went to fetch a bucket of water. Living at the foot of the mountain made accessing water inconvenient. There was no well in their yard, so water had to be carried from the river bucket by bucket—a physically demanding task. Fortunately, the house had a large water jar, which made things much easier.
Earlier, he had noticed that the water in the jar was nearly gone. Since it was still daylight, he hurried to fill it up. Otherwise, Lu Zhaozhao would have no water at night.
Even though he had only spent a day or two with her, he had already noticed that Lu Zhaozhao was meticulous about cleanliness. She would want hot water to wash her face and soak her feet at night. She would also prepare it for the two children. The jar could not be allowed to run dry.
Meanwhile, Madam Zheng returned home with a basket and saw her three daughters in the yard, washing clothes and playing.
Seeing her, they called out immediately:
“Mother, you’re back! Did Gu Family’s eldest son deliver the eggs?”
“Yes, yes, he did. These are gifts from Gu Family’s new wife. Each of you take one. They’re still warm!”
Madam Zheng smiled with relief. This felt like a burden lifted from her heart. She no longer felt she owed them something, and for the first time in a while, she felt at ease.
Wang Linghua’s eyes lit up at the sight of the plump, white buns. She had almost forgotten the last time she had eaten buns.
Only when each of her elder sisters had one in hand did she confidently take a large bite, and her entire expression changed to one of astonishment.
“Wow, these buns are so good! I’ve never eaten buns this delicious before. They taste even better than the big meat buns we buy in town. Sister, Mother, you have to try them!”
Madam Zheng was slightly puzzled. Weren’t these filled with wild bitter greens? She had eaten that vegetable before—how could it taste this good?
Then the three sisters, along with Madam Zheng herself, sat down to eat the wild vegetable buns together.
When they finished, they sighed with admiration:
“Mother, these buns were made by Gu Big Brother’s new wife? Her skills are incredible—they’re so tasty!”
“Yes, Mother, I think there’s lard in them. I can taste it.”
“Right, I can taste it too. Gu Big Brother is so lucky to have married such a capable new wife. An An and Momo are going to have such good meals in the future.”
The three daughters chatted excitedly, savoring the buns. They were truly delicious.
Madam Zheng also felt amazed. She couldn’t understand why the wild vegetable buns from Gu Family’s new wife tasted different from the ones she made herself. Perhaps it was the addition of the lard? Maybe so—it was so fragrant that even the wild vegetables became delicious.
Looking at the last remaining bun, Jinhua asked,
“There’s one left. Mother, should we save it for Father? Will he come home today?”
“I don’t know. It’s better if he doesn’t come.”
Madam Zheng shook her head expressionlessly. She truly did not want him to return. Life with just the four of them—mother and daughters—was calm and peaceful.
Whenever he returned, the house would be in chaos. He was either demanding money or drunk and ready to beat her!
Just then, Madam Zheng thought she smelled alcohol.
A hateful voice came from behind:
“Stinking woman! Hurry up and give me the household money! I’m out of money for drinking, got it? If you dare not give me money, I’ll beat you to death! And your worthless children too, all of you! Hurry up, did you hear me?”
Hearing his voice, Madam Zheng immediately shielded her three daughters and shouted hysterically at the man:
“We have no money! The money from before was all taken by you to buy alcohol. Where else could we have money?”
“Ha! If you won’t give me money, I’ll find it myself! You think I don’t know where you’re hiding it?”
Wang Daniu, staggering drunk, managed to locate their house and ransacked it. Finally, in a small jar, he found a string of copper coins that Madam Zheng had hidden.
He came out and immediately slapped Madam Zheng, shouting:
“You stinking woman! Isn’t this money? I knew you were secretly hiding it from me!”
“You can’t take this money! It was saved for Jinhua to buy fabric for a new dress. Her birthday is coming soon, and she’s been waiting so long! Give it back!”
Madam Zheng, seeing the copper coins, realized where he had found them. She had hidden money in several places to prevent him from squandering all the household funds. She hadn’t expected him to find it so easily.
“Get out of the way! Don’t stop me from drinking.”
Wang Daniu cursed and kicked Madam Zheng before storming off, slamming the door behind him.
The three girls, seeing their mother being hit, couldn’t stop crying. They had been too frightened to move earlier, and now they huddled together, weeping uncontrollably.
Now that their father had left, the eldest daughter, Wang Jinhua, finally crawled over and asked with concern:
“Mother, are you okay? Does it hurt?”
“Oh, my poor Jinhua… that was money I had saved for so long, and that damn man took it all again! The new dress I promised you… I won’t be able to make it now! Wuwuwu… why is my life so hard, married to such a man? How am I supposed to live like this?”
Madam Zheng was in pain physically, but her heart ached even more. In her previous life, what sins had she committed to be entangled with such a man in this one?
Heavens, why don’t you open your eyes? Why don’t you strike him dead?
Previously, she had some sense of pride. Even when beaten, she hadn’t dared to make it known. Any grievances, she swallowed silently.
But thinking of how happy she and her daughters had been just moments before he returned, and then glancing at the buns trampled into the mud by that wretched man… she could no longer endure it!
She truly didn’t want to spend another day of her life with him!
And so, she sat in the center of the yard, holding her three daughters, and began to wail uncontrollably.
Xinghua Village had houses close together, though Gu Family was a newer household located at the foot of the mountain, a bit farther away. The Wang family lived nearest to the Gu Family, but even on the other side of Wang Family’s house were several other households.