In the Jiang household, the four daughters-in-law took turns cooking. Technically, Madam Cai’s turn came once every four days, but because of her soft nature, she ended up in the kitchen twice as often. A few sweet words from Fan Shi were usually enough to trick her into covering someone else’s shift.
She had filled in for Fan Shi yesterday, so today was officially her turn. She headed to the front courtyard at dawn to begin the morning’s labor.
None of them could have guessed that young Jiang Lei’s prediction would hit the mark so soon. Not even a day had passed before the front house made their move—and the one to strike first was Jiang Youfang.
It started with Fan Shi. Convinced that the eldest branch wouldn’t dare hoard the pheasant meat for themselves, she had uncharacteristically risen early and scurried to the kitchen, hoping to snag a choice morsel. To her horror, all she found were two empty, scrubbed basins returned by Madam Cai. After a few fake pleasantries, Fan Shi spun on her heel and went straight to Madam Liu to tattle.
Madam Liu was already seething. She had lost a basin of meat and several steamed buns the night before, and her dinner had been ruined by the eldest branch’s “rebellion.” Nearly twenty people in the house had gone to bed on empty stomachs.
The more she thought about it, the more her fury suffocated her. She stormed into the kitchen, pointing a trembling finger at Madam Cai’s nose.
“You lazy, wretched woman! Your parents went hungry all night, and what time is it now? Why isn’t breakfast ready? Are you trying to starve us to death? Your whole branch is a nest of vipers!”
Madam Cai was used to this. Usually, no matter how foul Madam Liu’s insults became, she would simply lower her head, keep working, and dry her tears in secret.
But today was different. Her children were thriving; they had found the taro, and her eldest daughter was recovering. No matter how ugly the insults became, they didn’t seem to sting. In fact, thinking of Jiang Yue, she couldn’t help but let a small, unconscious smile play on her lips.
As Madam Liu raved, the other daughters-in-law, Li Shi and Qian Shi, arrived to fan the flames.
Jiang Youfang had also been driven out of bed by hunger. She had spent half the night paralyzed by the memory of Jiang Yue looking like a vengeful ghost; by the time she calmed down, it was nearly dawn. Now, listening to her sisters-in-law’s taunts, she felt a toxic mix of shame and rage. She was currently being scouted for marriage—to be made a fool of by the “idiot” of the eldest branch was an indignity she couldn’t stomach.
When she saw Madam Cai actually smiling, it felt like a direct provocation.
She’s laughing at me!
In a flash of heat, Youfang grabbed a bowl of hot porridge and hurled it. It struck Madam Cai squarely in the head.
Madam Cai swayed, then collapsed to the floor. Her stunned, helpless expression only fueled the desire of the onlookers to bully her further.
Madam Liu glanced down. There wasn’t much blood. She turned away, her voice icy. “Eldest Son’s wife, get up and go wash yourself. Look at the state of you.”
Dazed and pale, Madam Cai struggled to stand.
At that exact moment, the four children burst into the kitchen, surrounding her with frantic cries.
Perhaps it was the bond of blood, but the children had felt a nagging restlessness the entire way out. Fearing their mother would be victimized, Jiang Yue had nudged them: “Let’s go back and check.”
In this era, a mother-in-law was a woman’s entire world. With such a low status, a wife was often little more than a punching bag. Leaving Madam Cai alone had been a mistake.
Jiang Ming had shaken his head at first. “If Grandmother sees us in the front yard, she’ll only get angrier. It’ll be worse for Mom.”
Jiang Yue had smirked. “We’ll eavesdrop first.”
They had crouched beneath the back window of the main hall, listening intently, ready to sprint in if things went south.
Seeing Madam Cai’s furrowed brow and half-closed eyes, Jiang Xue began to wail. “Brother! Mom is bleeding! She looks terrible! We have to find a physician!”
Jiang Ming panicked. “I’m going! Quickly, help me get her to our room so she can lie down!”
Madam Liu stepped back, remaining silent.
Jiang Youfang, however, shrieked, “Stop pretending! Just get out of here. Don’t get your filth all over the floor!”
Jiang Yue looked up, her gaze locking onto Youfang. The girl froze, an insult dying on her lips. Those eyes… they were terrifying. Youfang quickly looked away, her heart hammering.
“We’re leaving,” Jiang Yue said.
Jiang Ming hoisted Madam Cai onto his back and started toward their quarters in the back. But Jiang Yue grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the main gate—the one leading to the village street.
Jiang Ming was confused. “Sister, we need to put Mom in bed first. Then I’ll go find the doctor.”
Jiang Yue kept pulling, shaking her head. “We have no money.”
Jiang Ming didn’t quite understand her angle, but he let his sister lead the way.
Not a single person from the main hall came out; they remained firmly seated inside, finishing their breakfast.
Jiang Yue helped Madam Cai down, leaning her against a tree just outside the front gate. She glanced left and right—the street was empty. She grabbed Jiang Xue and pointed toward the neighbor to the left. “Cry. As loud as you can.”
“Huh?” Jiang Xue was momentarily dazed, but she caught on fast. She remembered telling Jiang Yue yesterday that the neighbors on both sides couldn’t stand Madam Liu. Sister is brilliant, she thought, she’s going to make a scene.
She filled her lungs and let out a piercing wail. “Mother! What’s happened to you? Mother, if they beat you to death, how are we supposed to live? Someone, please help! My mother is being hounded to her grave!”
Jiang Yue nodded approvingly. The girl’s got lungs, she thought. She then turned to young Jiang Lei and pointed to the neighbor on the right. “You, too. Cry.”
Jiang Lei took to the role like a little professional. “My mother is being beaten to death! Such cruel people! They’re killing my mother!”
Sure enough, the heavy wooden doors of the neighboring houses began to creak open.
Jiang Xue doubled her efforts. “Our aunt is trying to kill our whole family! Yesterday she beat my sister until her head was covered in blood, and today she’s split my mother’s head open! We’re all going to be killed!”
Before the onlookers could even process the drama, Madam Cai panicked. She reached out to grab Jiang Xue. “Quiet, go back inside! I’m fine. If this gets out, it will ruin your reputation…”
Hearing this, Jiang Xue only wailed louder. “Mother! Don’t leave us behind!”
Madam Cai grew desperate and opened her mouth to argue further.
“Shut up.”
Madam Cai’s eyes shrank in surprise, and she went instantly silent.
Jiang Yue felt a flash of awkwardness. She wasn’t a drill sergeant anymore; she shouldn’t be barking at her parents like they were recruits. She softened her tone. “Mother, don’t say a word. Just lie here and rest for a bit.”
Madam Cai blinked, then obediently lay back down.
“Mother, listen to Big Sister,” Jiang Ming added, his voice thick with pain. “Don’t say anything.”
Madam Cai gave up. Fine, she thought, everyone’s already listening anyway. Let them have their scene.
By now, the neighbors from both sides had gathered around. An old woman with a face full of wrinkles couldn’t hide her excitement. “Jiang Xue, what’s happened? Has that Liu woman finally kicked you all out?”
It was clear this woman had no love for Madam Liu.
“My mother was just cooking for the whole family,” Jiang Xue sobbed. “And Auntie threw a bowl right at her head! She knocked my mother unconscious!”
Madam Cai kept her eyes squeezed shut, her fists clenched in anxiety. If Xue’er keeps talking like this, will Mother-in-law beat her to death?
The old woman’s eyes lit up. “I heard the commotion yesterday, too! Look at Jiang Yue—her head really is split open. They’re all her granddaughters; how could she be so ruthless?”
“Yesterday,” Jiang Ming added, his eyes red, “we caught a pheasant on the mountain. My father cooked it, but they snatched it all away. When Big Sister went to beg for just one bite of meat, they beat her until her face was covered in blood…”
As the crowd of onlookers grew, the murmurs turned into an indignant roar.
“I saw it!” one man chimed in, swallowing hard. “The kids really did bring back a bird yesterday.” During the lean season between harvests, everyone craved meat; if he hadn’t known Old Man Jiang’s reputation so well, he’d have tried to talk his way into a bowl of soup himself.
“It’s true! How could they not give the eldest branch even a single bite of the bird they caught?”
“What kind of patriarch is Old Man Jiang? Those are his own flesh and blood!”
“Hah, you even have to ask? Didn’t you hear it was Madam Liu’s orders? Seems to me she wants to starve the eldest branch to death.”
“And the daughter of the house? Throwing bowls because she’s in a bad mood? If that were my daughter, I’d take a broom to her backside!”
The crowd swelled further. Jiang Yue remained half-kneeling beside Madam Cai, using her body to shield her mother’s trembling hands from view. She kept her head down, listening to the tide of public opinion turn.
“Don’t forget, they have plenty of land and grain,” someone muttered.
“Exactly! With the eldest son as their beast of burden, they could harvest the whole crop without even feeding him.”
“Old Man Jiang has money, too. Whoever marries his daughter will surely get a fat dowry.”
“Ha! Don’t be fooled. You marry a wife to raise children and run a home, right? This girl beats her nieces today and her sisters-in-law tomorrow—who would dare take her in?”
“She’s so fierce we’d never be able to control her. Bringing a girl like that home is like inviting a tyrant to sit on your head.”
One villager who had attended a bit of school added virtuously, “An elder sister-in-law is like a mother. This is unfilial and a violation of the natural order. With behavior like this, her prospects for marriage are…”