Su Dahu stepped into the kitchen, and seeing that Eldest Sister-in-law Su was overwhelmed with work, he immediately began rolling up his sleeves.
“Wife, what should I do?” Su Dahu asked.
The men of the Su family had never adhered to the saying that “a gentleman stays away from the kitchen.”
Old Man Su doted on his wife; back when their sons were young, he himself used to help out in the kitchen and cook meals.
Su Dahu had been helping Old Lady Su scrub pots and wash dishes since he was just a few years old.
Hearing her husband’s words, Zhao Chunhua pointed to the basin on the floor.
“Clean these two carp; I’ll boil the crucian carp soup for Mother first.”
Everything else was secondary; quickly brewing the fish soup for her mother-in-law so she could produce milk to nurse was the most important thing.
After all, no matter who went hungry, they couldn’t let their little sister-in-law go hungry, could they?
While busy at work, Eldest Sister-in-law Su mulled things over in her mind, her whole heart focused on her mother-in-law and little sister-in-law.
Little Tangbao’s aggrieved little look had completely won Eldest Sister-in-law Su over.
What’s more, the house suddenly had both chickens and fish.
Although Eldest Sister-in-law Su didn’t say anything out loud, in her heart she was convinced that her little sister-in-law’s good fortune had brought all of it.
Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence?
It was practically like pie falling from the sky.
If such a huge pie landed on any family’s head, wouldn’t they enshrine and cherish their little sister-in-law like a treasure?
Working with full enthusiasm, Eldest Sister-in-law Su finished brewing the fish soup and carried it straight over to Old Lady Su.
“Mother, drink this quickly while it’s hot.”
As Eldest Sister-in-law Su handed the bowl to Old Lady Su, she couldn’t help taking a few extra glances at her little sister-in-law on the kang bed.
The more she looked, the more adorable she found her.
Taking the fish soup, Old Lady Su said, “Your father is so happy today—cook a bit extra. If we don’t have enough, go borrow some grain from your Third Grandmother’s house.”
“Got it, Mother, we still have enough grain at home.”
Having said that, Eldest Sister-in-law Su went back to busy herself in the kitchen.
Chicken stewed in a big iron pot, fish stewed in another big iron pot, and a ring of cornmeal flatbreads pressed against the edges of the pots.
Luckily, the Su family had a large household and usually cooked using two big iron pots.
One pot stewing chicken and one pot stewing fish—it worked out perfectly.
Su Liuhu and Su Dapan—uncle and nephew—helped stoke the fire.
Su Erpan circled around the stove, sniffing and breathing in the delicious aroma.
“Smells so good!”
Erpan took a deep breath toward the big pot.
Careless for a moment, a string of drool trickled down.
Seeing this, Dapan took a deep breath too.
“Mmm, smells so good!”
Seeing the children so starved for food, Eldest Sister-in-law Su felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
It had been so long that they had forgotten when the Su family’s pots last saw a trace of oil and meat.
It had truly been hard on these children.
If her little sister-in-law really was as the fortune teller said—able to make the family’s life better—she would be willing to burn three sticks of incense for her every morning and evening, enshrining her like a deity.
The meal was enjoyed thoroughly by host and guests alike, and Old Man Su drank to his heart’s content.
In his own words, aside from his wedding day, he hadn’t been this happy in all these years.
Hearing this, his sons were once again convinced that in their father’s eyes, they were nothing more than weeds.
After the meal, Old Man Su instructed Su Dahu and Su Erhu to head to town to sell the remaining fish and exchange the earnings for some rice and flour for his wife to eat during her confinement month.
Su Dahu and Su Erhu agreed verbally, but were in no rush to leave. Instead, each pulled his own wife back to their respective rooms to share a few private words.
What were they talking about?
“Wife, who does Little Sister look like? Is she pretty? Is she fair-skinned?” Su Dahu asked.
Hearing her husband’s question, Zhao Chunhua looked thoroughly proud.
“Of course Little Sister is pretty! Both pretty and fair!”
Zhao Chunhua’s air of shared glory made Su Dahu’s heart itch with excitement.
“Wife, how about… the two of us try a bit harder too, and aim to have a daughter?”
As Su Dahu spoke, the way he looked at Zhao Chunhua took on a certain suggestive spark.
Having drunk some alcohol at lunch, the liquor had already gone to his head, and now that the thought had crossed his mind, he couldn’t quite hold himself back.
A pair of large hands reached out uncontrollably toward his wife…
Zhao Chunhua’s face flushed bright red in an instant.
“Are you out of your mind?! In broad daylight!”
As Zhao Chunhua spoke, she slapped Su Dahu’s hand away with a sharp clack.
A look of aggrieved helplessness appeared on Su Dahu’s face.
Zhao Chunhua couldn’t care less whether her husband felt aggrieved or not; she turned around and began rummaging through the trunks and chests.
“I remember we still have a small piece of floral cloth at home. It’s just right for sewing a small quilt for Little Sister. Her current blanket is full of patches—we can’t have her looking shabby…”
Muttering to herself, Zhao Chunhua’s hands didn’t stop moving for a second.
Before long, she pulled a small piece of red floral cloth from the bottom of the trunk.
This floral cloth was her prized treasure at the very bottom of her trunk—a part of her dowry when she got married that she had never been willing to use for making clothes.
Now it was perfect: she could make a small quilt for her little sister-in-law, and maybe even a little floral padded jacket.
Holding the floral cloth, Zhao Chunhua hurried off toward Old Lady Su’s room.
As for her husband, he had already been thrown completely to the back of her mind.
Now that she had a little sister-in-law, her husband could go stay wherever it was cool and quiet.
Su Dahu: “…”
He watched helplessly as his wife walked away, feeling utterly desolate in his heart.
Not only had his father turned into a stepfather, but even his own wife had been snatched away by his baby sister.
While Su Dahu was in the east wing feeling utterly desolate, in the west wing Su Erhu was furious stormed off in anger.
“So when Mother gave birth to Little Sister, not only did you as a daughter-in-law fail to wait on her, you didn’t even drop by to offer a single greeting?” Second Brother Su questioned in a furious voice.
There was no helping it; he had asked Qian Yuemei what his little sister looked like, only for Qian Yuemei to be completely clueless.
It was obvious that Qian Yuemei hadn’t stepped foot inside Old Lady Su’s room at all.
Facing Su Erhu’s wrath, Qian Yuemei felt genuinely guilty and weak-winded.
“I… I just haven’t gotten around to it yet, alright?”
“Haven’t gotten around to it?”
The blue veins on Second Brother Su’s forehead throbbed wildly with rage.
“Did you do laundry, or did you cook? Or did you scrub pots and wash dishes? Sweep the floor and feed the pigs?”
Su Erhu bombarded her with a string of questions.
Qian Yuemei: “…”
She hadn’t done a single thing.
Without waiting for her answer, Su Erhu blurted out on his own, “Don’t think I didn’t notice—Eldest Sister-in-law made the food, while Liuhu and Dapan stoked the fire. What did you do?”
Qian Yuemei: “I… I…”
Su Erhu’s eyes bulged so wide they almost popped out.
“Qian Yuemei, speak up—besides eating, what else did you do?! Nobody expects you to do heavy chores, but couldn’t you keep Mother company and talk with her?! Pour a bowl of water for her?! Help her soothe Little Sister?!”
Qian Yuemei: “…”
She puffed her belly forward.
“I… I’m carrying a daughter for you!”
Qian Yuemei instantly found her confidence again.
Su Erhu: “…”
The rage in his chest flared up wildly, but looking at Qian Yuemei’s belly, he forced it back down again.
“Qian Yuemei! Let’s see if you can actually give birth to a daughter when the time comes! If you really bear a daughter, I’ll enshrine you like a deity!”
Having said that, Su Erhu stormed off in a huff.
However, as soon as he stepped out the door, he saw Eldest Sister-in-law Su holding a piece of floral cloth, heading toward Old Lady Su’s room.
Without even asking, he knew that Eldest Sister-in-law was definitely taking her prized, bottom-of-the-trunk fabric to give to his little sister.
Su Erhu felt even more frustrated and stifled.
Why was his own wife so disappointing?
All day long she was greedy, lazy, and constantly scheming over silly things.
“Second Brother, how is it? What does our little sister look like? Does she take after me? Is she pretty? Is she fair-skinned?”
Su Liuhu leaned over with a face full of excitement, with Dapan and Erpan following close behind like two little tails.
Su Erhu: “…”
The look he gave his younger brother was pure resentment.
Wasn’t this just stabbing him right in the heart!
Su Erhu slapped Su Liuhu on the back of his head.
“What do you mean ‘takes after you’? Are you pretty? Are you fair-skinned?”
Su Erhu’s mouth was full of disdain.
Finally, his heart felt a little better.