Li San strode into the courtyard, whistling at Shen Ru who was cooking, then turned to ask Liu Cuihua, “Is the meal ready yet?”
He looked so relaxed and at ease, as if he had walked into his own home.
“What’s it to you?” Shen Ru gripped the spatula in her hand and retorted indignantly.
Liu Cuihua tugged at Shen Ru’s arm and said, “It’s alright. It’s not ready yet.”
Li San sat down on a wobbly chair nearby. “No matter. I’ve got all the time in the world.”
Liu Cuihua had stir-fried a dish of wild amaranth. Simple as it was, her cooking was so skillful that it smelled absolutely mouthwatering.
She was still cooking porridge on the stove, so she set the amaranth dish on the table.
Li San picked up the chopsticks and began eating straight away, all the while wearing a look of pure disdain. “Not enough salt. A bit bland. Hardly tasty at all.”
Shen Ru was fuming and about to speak up, but Liu Cuihua pulled her hand and whispered, “Don’t provoke him.”
“If only Qingqing can stay, we’ll just have to bear it.”
Shen Ru glanced at Li San, then looked away unwillingly. She stared at him eating and helping himself so freely, burning with resentment, biting her lip to hold back her anger.
But her restraint only made Li San more audacious. He pushed food all over the rough wooden table, messing up the dish completely.
“Has Shen Yougen gone to earn work points yet?”
Liu Cuihua smiled apologetically. “Yougen hurt his back while working yesterday. It was quite painful, so he planned to go a little later today.”
Li San scowled immediately. “Go later? That means no work points, doesn’t it?”
“I reckon he’s doing it on purpose! If he doesn’t want to earn points for us, he can just say so!”
“You’ve already taken one person from our family. Mengyao doesn’t earn points for us anymore and doesn’t live with us either.”
“I think there’s no need for Qingqing to stay here. She should come back with me!”
Shen Yougen stepped out of the house, holding his aching lower back. He hurried over, forcing himself to ignore the pain.
“I’m going now. I’m leaving right now.”
He reached for the hoe leaning against the wall, ready to head out despite the pain, determined not to miss a single moment of work.
Shen Qing came out of the house and stood under the eaves. “Father, don’t go!”
She stepped forward and stopped him.
“Qingqing, don’t worry about this. Go and eat. I’ll be back soon,” her father said, trying to gently push her aside.
Shen Qing took the hoe from his hands and set it on the ground. “Father, you’re not going anywhere today. You’re staying home and resting.”
Li San was furious. “If he doesn’t go, then Shen Qing comes back to our Li family!”
“Fine I’ll go!”
Shen Qing stood firmly before him, her voice clear and resolute. “I’ll go with you now.”
Before she swapped lives with Li Mengyao, no one from the Li family ever came to make trouble. They only wanted Mengyao to live well and not suffer. But now that identities were restored, they harassed Shen Qing every day because they simply didn’t value her the way they valued Mengyao.
This couldn’t go on. Shen Qing decided to go back to the Li family.
Li San froze, utterly taken aback. He had never expected her to agree so readily.
“You… you’ll come with me?” he stammered.
“Yes. Right now.”
Shen Qing picked up a quilt and walked straight toward the door. Liu Cuihua, Shen Ru, and Shen Yougen blocked her way, speaking all at once.
“Qingqing, don’t go. Mother wants you here.”
“Do you know what awaits you there? Mengyao left because she couldn’t bear the hardship. You’ll suffer too!”
“Qingqing, I’m fine. Please don’t do this. Stay with us.”
Li San thought they were just putting on an act. He couldn’t believe she would choose to live in a run-down cattle shed.
“Stop the performance! Do you think this means we’ll let your father off from earning points?” he sneered. “Shen Yougen get to work! Stop dawdling!”
Her father nodded meekly. “Yes. I’m going now.”
Shen Qing gently pulled free from their grasp. “You know me. Once I’ve made up my mind, nothing changes it. And it’s not as if I’m leaving forever don’t look as though I’m gone forever!”
“If anyone tries to stop me, I’ll jump into the river!”
Terrified by her words, Liu Cuihua and Shen Ru stood aside helplessly and watched her walk away.
Li San was completely stunned. She was actually going?
Shen Qing walked along the rough dirt road for more than ten minutes until she reached the Li family’s home a ramshackle cattle shed.
The place was far worse than she had imagined. Several low, dark earthen huts stood crookedly in the most desolate corner of the village. The thatched roofs were black with mold and falling apart, shedding straw at the slightest breeze. One half was still used to keep cattle; the ground was covered in wet dung, and the stench was overpowering. The other half had been partitioned off as living quarters. There was no glass in the windows only tattered, hole-riddled newspaper offering little shelter from wind or rain.
This was where the Li family lived. No wonder Li Mengyao had fought so hard to leave. Who could endure such wretched conditions?
Li San followed her inside, his face showing pure shock as she walked in without hesitation. He had assumed she was bluffing that the Shen family would beg her to stay and her father would go to work as usual. He never imagined she would actually come.
He cleared his throat, suppressing his surprise, and adopted a haughty, unkind tone.
“Well, since you’ve decided to come back of your own free will, that suits me just fine. From today on, you’ll do every last chore feeding the cattle, cleaning the shed, washing clothes, cooking not a single moment of idling!”
He snatched the thin quilt from her arms. “This stays here. We’re short of bedding. You’ll be sleeping on straw—you’re just a laborer, after all.”
Shen Qing looked him in the eye, calm but with a quiet resolve that unsettled him. In her past life, she would have yielded in fear. But having lived through betrayal and death, this petty cruelty meant nothing to her.
“Give me back my quilt,” she said evenly.
“It’s mine now!”
Shen Qing reached out, took his hand in hers, and squeezed.
“Ouch! It hurts! Let go!” he shrieked. “Shen Qing take it! I won’t take it! Let go!”
Tears sprang to his eyes. He couldn’t understand how she could be so strong.
Shen Qing retrieved her quilt and was about to turn away when a voice called out playfully, “Well, well… looks like we’ve got new neighbors!”