“Fufu, this is for you. Qingqing, this is for you.”
Ah Hua handed Pang Fu and Qingqing Yin each a slender green stalk about the thickness of a little finger and half an arm’s length.
When it came to Fu Little Six, she paused. “Who’s this? It’s not Xiao He.”
Fu Little Six, feeling a bit shy, stood close to Pang Fu and whispered, “I’m Fu Yuyi, Fufu’s sixth brother.”
Ah Hua blinked and said “oh,” not particularly concerned about the matter, and handed him a stalk as well.
“Eat up. This is sweet stalk. It’s really tasty.”
The three of them examined the sweet stalks in their hands, unfamiliar and curious.
Pang Fu tilted her little head. “It’s xiangxiang.”
Ah Hua shook her head. “It’s not xiangxiang. It’s sweet stalk. Eat it, it’s really delicious. Go on, eat.”
She took one herself and chewed it, her little mouth smacking loudly, reluctant to spit it out even after it turned to pulp.
The other little ones each had one too. This was a rare luxury snack for country children, and they all munched away with blissful expressions.
Fu Little Six didn’t dare eat it, thinking it looked like weeds and might taste awful.
He looked at Pang Fu. He still trusted his little sister’s judgment.
Pang Fu didn’t understand why Ah Hua said it wasn’t xiangxiang when it clearly was.
But that didn’t matter much to her. As long as she knew it was xiangxiang, that was enough. Mimicking Ah Hua, she put the sweet stalk in her mouth and chewed, her little mouth smacking along. She didn’t really taste anything special, just found it fun.
Or maybe it really was tasty. The little milk bun chewed happily. “Xiangxiang.”
“Baby, eat.” Seeing Pang Fu enjoying it, Qingqing Yin offered hers.
Pang Fu shook her little head. “Qingqing eat. Xiangxiang.”
The little one even knew how to share.
Qingqing Yin chuckled and imitated Pang Fu, chewing while swaying her head.
Fu Little Six hesitantly put it in his mouth. Oh, this thing was similar to sugarcane but not as sweet or juicy. The texture was just okay, passable.
Only after seeing them all eat did Ah Hua cheerfully say, “Fufu, we’re going to pick mushrooms. Do you want to come along?”
Pang Fu nodded. “Pick xiangxiang.”
Ah Hua didn’t correct her xiangxiang this time. “Alright, let’s go.”
A group of little ones shouted and ran up the hill.
The sun hung over the western mountains, casting an orange-red glow over the fields and the tranquil little village.
The little ones howled as they ran down from the hill.
The laborers in the fields dragged their tired bodies home, a stark contrast to the lively little ones.
“Xiangxiang, xiangxiang.” Pang Fu, carrying the wild fruits she’d picked that afternoon, looking a bit disheveled, ran home with Qingqing Yin and Fu Little Six.
Fourth Brother Fu, who had just sat down, heard his daughter’s voice and hurriedly stood up to greet her. He hadn’t seen her all day and missed her terribly.
But who was this glowing white dough ball?
“Fufu?”
Pang Fu didn’t even glance at Fourth Brother Fu. With a twist of her little waist, she dodged his hand and ran toward her brothers and sisters. “Xiangxiang, eat xiangxiang.”
The Fu Family members who had been working all sported various minor injuries.
They had hurt themselves while using sickles clumsily or had been scratched by citrus tree branches.
The adults could barely endure it.
The sixteen-year-old Fu Yuhui and fifteen-year-old Fu Yushan had already cried three times.
Even though they had only used sickles at the beginning and the adults, feeling sorry for them, later only asked them to help move sweet potato vines, they were still exhausted.
Her hands were not only injured but also stained with the sticky sap from sweet potato vines mixed with dirt, clinging stubbornly to her skin and impossible to wash off. The juice had seeped into her nail beds, turning black as it dried and refusing to come clean. For a girl who cared about her appearance, this was deeply distressing.
Add to that the unfamiliar surroundings, the scrutinizing gazes and whispers of others, and the uncertainty about the future—layers of anxiety piled upon exhaustion, leaving her feeling both terrified and utterly worn out.
Yet, though tears had welled up and nearly spilled over, she quickly held them back.
They understood their current predicament. While the Ma family might treat them kindly, not everyone would extend the same goodwill. The slightest misstep could bring trouble upon their family.
So no matter how bitter or exhausting it was, they gritted their teeth and endured, not daring to worry their family or give outsiders any leverage to cause trouble.
Finally, when the workday ended and they returned home, they collapsed onto their seats, too tired to move.
Suddenly, a little white dumpling of a child threw herself into their arms, catching them completely off guard.
“Fufu?”
“Eat, eat yummy.” The little dumpling shoved fruit into her two sisters’ mouths with her grubby little hands.
Second Child and Third Child Fu opened their mouths in a daze. The fruit was sweet, but was this plump, fair-skinned dumpling really their little sister? How had she become so pale?
After giving fruit to her sisters, Pang Fu distributed some to her brothers, uncles, and aunts as well, receiving nothing but stunned stares in return.
The ignored Fourth Brother Fu… Was he, as her father, not worthy?
“Mom, Dad, what happened to Fufu?”
Grandma Fu shot Fourth Brother Fu an annoyed glare. “What do you think happened? She got washed clean, that’s all.”
Everyone else… How was she washed? It was as if she’d been bleached.
The Fu family members were fair-skinned, but none were this pale—she practically glowed in the sunlight.
“You surnamed Fu, you bunch of beasts, wicked livestock who’ve done every evil deed under the sun, you shouldn’t have been allowed to come here and cause trouble. You should’ve been sent to be shot.
Get out here right now! If you don’t give me an explanation, I’ll make you regret it.”
The shouting quickly drew closer, and the Fu family tensed instantly, turning their eyes toward the path leading to their home.
Soon, a large crowd appeared on the path, led by a woman in her fifties or sixties, dragging a boy of about seven or eight by the hand.
The boy was sturdy and dark-skinned, with short legs that couldn’t keep up with the old woman, causing him to stumble and sway as she pulled him along.
The old woman’s curses were filthy, and the Fu family’s expressions darkened.
Old Master Fu said sternly, “Eldest son’s family, take the children into the shed. Wife, you go too.”
Just as the Fu family began to move, the old woman stormed over with surprising speed and, without a word, lunged at Old Master Fu’s face with her claws.
“You old beast, I’ll do heaven’s work today and teach you a lesson!”
Old Master Fu’s brows furrowed tightly. He had no time to dodge, but he also couldn’t bring himself to strike an old woman. Just as he braced himself to take the blow, Grandma Fu charged forward like a bull, knocking the woman flat on her back.
The Fu family stared in shock. When had their elegant old lady learned the fighting style of a country woman?
Grandma Fu smoothed her disheveled hair and glared angrily at the old woman. “Where did this madwoman come from, spewing filth and attacking people? Is there no law anymore?”
The old woman, having never been knocked down so embarrassingly before, felt utterly humiliated. Gasping for breath, she gritted her teeth and snarled, “Law? I am the law here, you old hag! How dare you knock me down? I’ll fight you to the death!”
Her wild, clawing stance startled Grandma Fu.
In their circle of noblewomen, conflicts were usually fought with words. She hadn’t expected country women to fight differently—skipping the talking and going straight for physical attacks.
She had just taken advantage of the element of surprise; in a real fight, she was no match.
Old Second Fu swiftly pulled his elderly mother behind him. The old woman’s claws landed on his chest, tearing the fabric of his clothes.
His chest was as hard as stone, so he didn’t feel any pain, but the old woman’s hand hurt.
“Hey, you son of a turtle, what are you doing?”
Grandma Fu stepped out from behind Old Second Fu. “What are you doing? Cursing as soon as you open your mouth, attacking at the slightest disagreement—what exactly do you want? Are you out of your mind?”
Old Master Fu said sternly, “Old comrade, speak your mind if you have something to say. But if you curse or attack without reason again, don’t blame us for being impolite.”