This small courtyard was indeed a bit rundown, but Feng Xinyao had endured hardship before—she had even lived in the slums, which were likely worse than what lay before her.
She led the children to the wooden courtyard gate, most of which had already fallen away, and said, “Wait for me here at the entrance.”
She needed to go in first and clear away the dead branches and withered leaves that hadn’t been cleaned in over a decade, lest some biting critter be hiding within.
Shen Yu, understanding as ever, raised his arms to shield his two younger sisters.
Feng Xinyao picked up a wooden stick at random and made her way through the gate, tapping and knocking along the path until she reached the door of the house without incident.
She raised her hand, and the wooden door creaked open. A cloud of dust rushed at her face; Feng Xinyao turned aside to avoid it, and when she looked again, the interior of the room had come into view.
The entrance opened into a kitchen, containing nothing more than a wok and a bamboo shelf holding a few chipped porcelain bowls.
Further in was the inner room, with only a mud bed and a baby basket hanging from the beam—likely used by the hunter couple’s child.
The house was pitifully small, with cobwebs hanging in the corners and weeds sprouting from the ground, but at least it was good enough for sleeping and as a place to rest their heads.
When she finished her inspection and went out to call the children, she saw their small figures standing in the weeds of the courtyard, their little heads barely visible above the overgrowth.
“Don’t come in—”
Feng Xinyao hurried over and saw Shen Yu holding a sharp-edged stone in his hands, with a pile of cut weeds at his feet.
Warmth spread through Feng Xinyao’s heart, and she softened her voice as much as she could: “You came to help me clear the weeds, didn’t you?”
Shen Yu nodded.
Shen Jiaojiao, the second child, seemed to sense her gentleness as well, showing her the grass blade she had just cut and smacking her little lips: “Help, cool.”
Feng Xinyao’s eyes curved into a smile as she reached out and ruffled the little girl’s head: “Jiaojiao helped too—how impressive.”
She encouraged them, but still didn’t want the children staying in a courtyard that could be dangerous. Just as she told them to go outside, she saw Shen Yueyue, the third child, staring in terror at something behind her: “Bug, big bug…”
“Stepmother, it’s a snake.”
Shen Yu looked in that direction and gave Feng Xinyao the accurate answer.
Feng Xinyao turned around swiftly at his words and saw a snake as thick as a wrist, emerald green in color, hanging from the bare osmanthus tree behind her, its tongue flicking toward her with a cold, hissing sound.
Her gaze turned sharp in an instant, and she ordered in a low voice: “You three, go outside first.”
As the words left her mouth, she felt a small pair of hands silently press something cold and hard into her palm.
A smile tugged at the corner of Feng Xinyao’s lips. Shen Yu was a clever child, and the two girls, though clearly frightened, hadn’t screamed or wailed—they were sensible too. Living with such thoughtful little ones wouldn’t be so bad, would it?
Hearing the rustling of grass behind her gradually fade, Feng Xinyao knew the children had left, and she could face the great snake with full attention.
Soon, the snake struck, its body undulating like an arrow as it shot toward her.
Amid the children’s worried cries, Feng Xinyao grabbed the snake by the neck and smashed its head flat with the stone in her hand.
With a crunch, blood splattered onto her face, but she didn’t find it dirty at all. Dragging her prize behind her, she turned and smiled: “Extra meal for you tonight—snake soup.”
Before she could finish her words, she saw several village men carrying sickles and the Village Head staring at her with horrified expressions.
Feng Xinyao scratched her head. Had that scene of hers just now been too fierce?
While she was at a loss, Village Head Tang spoke first: “Feng girl… quite the skill, hehe, not bad.”
“Mm, not bad, not bad. We were worried you couldn’t manage on your own, but from what we just saw, there’s nothing to worry about.”
As the village uncles spoke, they cleared the withered branches and leaves from the courtyard in no time.
Feng Xinyao wanted to thank them, but this courtyard was so poor there wasn’t even a drop of hot water to offer. She felt a bit embarrassed.
Village Head Tang noticed her thoughts: “Our village has always been like this—we help each other when things come up. No need to take it to heart. This bundle is two bowls of grain and a bowl of flour I brought for you. You and the children can make do with it for now. The river’s nearly dried up from this year’s drought, so if you need water, just come draw from my well.”
“Uncle Lizheng, this food, I…”
Feng Xinyao was too embarrassed to accept it. Last year’s locust plague meant the fields yielded little, and having just endured a harsh winter, every household was short on food. What the Village Head had brought was several days’ rations for his own family.
“Take it. There’s nothing in this courtyard—even if you don’t eat, the children need to.”
After Village Head Tang spoke, seeing that the weeds in the courtyard had been cleared and the places needing repair had been fixed, he led the others to leave.
Feng Xinyao committed this kindness to memory and, with profuse thanks, saw the uncles off a good distance before returning to the small courtyard.
When she came back, the children were still carrying weeds from the yard and tossing them outside. Their three pairs of small hands were chafed red from the weeds, and she couldn’t bear to watch:
“You all go play. I’ll handle this.”
With that, Feng Xinyao reached to take the weeds from the children’s hands, but they dodged away.
Her hand hung suspended in midair, and the scene grew awkward.
She glanced at the children and saw Shen Jiaojiao and Shen Yueyue with reddened eyes. Shen Yu comfortingly squeezed his younger sister’s hand, then looked up at her and said:
“If there’s something we’re doing wrong, Stepmother only needs to teach us. We can change…”
Feng Xinyao understood.
She let out a soft sigh and reached up to ruffle Shen Yu’s head.
“Stepmother doesn’t think you’re doing anything wrong. It’s just that you’re still young—leave those things for me to do.”
Feng Xinyao thought the children would understand after she said that, but instead their expressions grew even more uneasy.
Feng Xinyao was puzzled. Shen Yu said in a low voice: “Father said children must also do what they’re capable of, otherwise they’re useless.”
Feng Xinyao: “…”
Their father really knew how to talk. Better he not speak anymore.
She smiled: “Now that you’re living with Stepmother, listen more to Stepmother. No need to mind what others say for now.”
“Others?”
Shen Jiaojiao blinked her innocent eyes and repeated, not immediately realizing that “others” referred to her father.
Shen Yueyue huddled behind Shen Jiaojiao, cautiously sizing her up, but what she cared about more was the top of Shen Yu’s head.
Stepmother had just very, very gently touched both her brother’s and sister’s heads…
Shen Yu didn’t understand adult matters, but he always felt that since they had begged their stepmother to bring them—three burdens—along, he couldn’t just watch her toil alone.
The young boy stood in place without moving, the weeds in his hands still not discarded.
Feng Xinyao knew she couldn’t change the children’s thinking overnight, and besides, the children not being pampered was a good thing for their future survival. Weighing the options, she said:
“Alright, just do your best, all of you. Rest when you’re tired. Your stepmother will go tidy up the kitchen and make some snake soup for you tonight.”