On this freezing winter night, the Old Bai family was brimming with high spirits and excitement thanks to the bountiful harvest of wild game.
Even You Jingui, who usually harbored resentment toward the household, snapped at Xie Chuntao, and bickered with Bai Erzhuang, had tucked away her sharp-tongued sarcasm and bitter attitude. Her face was now a mask of pure joy, having completely forgotten her previous antics. She even took the initiative to go to the kitchen to help Xie Chuntao tend the fire.
Of course, with Bai Zhaomei and Dalang already helping, Xie Chuntao didn’t actually let her lift a finger.
The Bai family didn’t subscribe to the nonsense that men didn’t belong in the kitchen; the brothers had been taught from childhood how to chop wood and start fires. Whoever was free would help out.
Old Lady Bai, acting as the grand manager, gave the order to stew two pheasants and one wild rabbit for dinner. This prompted Bai Zhaomei, Dalang, and Sanlang to be even more diligent in helping Xie Chuntao chop wood and boil the pots. The fish they had stewed last time was delicious enough, but meat was even more fragrant than fish.
In the courtyard, Bai Muban led his sons in bleeding, de-hairing, and gutting the wild boar.
Bai Sanzhuang was the first to volunteer, wanting to be the lead butcher. This was his first time killing a pig, and he racked his brain to recall the techniques used by the local butcher girl, Tian Maomiao. Unexpectedly, his first strike with the knife went completely wide.
Bai Sanzhuang sighed inwardly. It looked easy, but the practical execution was incredibly difficult. That girl, Tian Maomiao, was truly impressive; for a pig this size, her strikes were always ruthless and precise. He resolved to ask her to be his master and learn the craft properly next time.
Seeing that his third brother was all talk and no action, Bai Dazhuang took the knife with a look of utter disdain and proceeded to gut the pig himself.
The wild boar was truly massive. It took several grown men, panting with exhaustion, just to finish butchering and segmenting the meat. A large basin of pig blood was collected, which Old Lady Bai carried into the house. Half would be used in the stew that night, while the other half would be left to congeal for future meals.
Xie Chuntao happily took the pig blood, planning to stew it with some tofu.
“Zhaomei, come here. Take these to your Auntie Xia’s house. Tell her it’s to thank her for the goat milk for Qinghe,” Old Lady Bai called Bai Zhaomei out of the kitchen and handed him a basin.
Inside the basin was a skinned wild rabbit and a large slab of meat from the boar’s hind leg.
You Jingui, who was watching the butchering in the courtyard, felt a pang of jealousy. That old woman is certainly generous, she thought. Giving away such a fat wild rabbit without so much as a blink.
It would have been one thing to give it to anyone else, but she specifically named Xia Qinghe. Did Xia Qinghe even deserve it?
You Jingui had played with Xia Qinghe when they were children. Xia Qinghe loved roasted rabbit more than anything and used to follow Bai Erzhuang around, chirping, “Brother Erzhuang, let’s go up the mountain to catch rabbits!”
The memory felt like a blockage in You Jingui’s chest. She felt Old Lady Bai was intentionally trying to irritate her. The old woman still remembered Xia Qinghe’s preferences after all this time, yet even though You Jingui loved rabbit too, Old Lady Bai hadn’t said a word about giving her a whole one to eat.
Old Lady Bai did things openly and fairly. She simply wanted to thank Xia Qinghe for the goat milk provided to her little granddaughter. As the head of the Bai family, she had no interest in managing You Jingui’s petty thoughts.
“Mother, look at this. This boar yielded so much meat; we won’t have to worry about meat for Fuyuan’s one-month feast. Combined with the pheasants and rabbits, I calculate we’ll even have some left over after the banquet,” Bai Muban said cheerfully to Old Lady Bai as he hung the meat in the ventilated area of the storage room.
The feast was still seven or eight days away, but luckily it was winter, so the meat would keep.
“We’ll eat our fill tonight to satisfy our cravings, and the rest of the extra meat will be sold for money,” Old Lady Bai instructed.
“Agreed. Then we’ll only need to buy some vegetables and fruit and get a few jars of wine to make the event respectable,” Bai Muban rubbed his hands together. Since they had decided to hold the feast, it couldn’t be too shabby.
“I’ll go to town tomorrow to sell the meat,” Bai Dazhuang volunteered.
“I’m heading back to the shop tomorrow; I’ll go with Big Brother,” Bai Sanzhuang added.
Bai Muban looked at his sons—splattered with blood, smelling of raw meat—and frowned. “You lot, boil some water and bathe before coming inside,” he ordered.
“What? Father, in this freezing weather? Forget a bath; a quick wipe-down is enough,” Bai Dazhuang didn’t understand why his father had become so particular. Had his trip to Huai City infected him with the “fussy cleanliness” of city folk?
The other brothers also looked at their father suspiciously.
“Father, I’ll wash when I get to town.” The mere thought of bathing at home in the dead of winter made Bai Erzhuang shiver. Besides, he didn’t feel dirty; his students’ family owned a bathhouse, and he went there frequently.
“Everyone washes! Everyone! I’ll wash too. Dazhuang, go boil the water,” Bai Muban remained unmoved and continued his orders. “Your sister is so small; don’t let the smell of blood overwhelm her. If you don’t wash, that’s fine, but stay away from her. And don’t come inside the house to eat dinner, either.”
Before Bai Muban could even finish, the Bai brothers were already hauling water and lighting the stove.
Not being allowed to see their sister was unacceptable, but letting the smell of blood disturb her was even worse. That tiny, delicate baby was the treasure of every brother’s heart. Compared to her, what was a bath in the cold? They would just have to grit their teeth and get through it.
If Old Lady Bai hadn’t shouted at him to stop, Bai Dazhuang would have even tried to go to the Village Head’s house to borrow a bar of soap. Not being allowed to see their sister was a threat they couldn’t endure.
Inside the main room, Xiao Fuyuan lay in Lady Zhen’s arms, her large eyes wide open. She heard everything happening outside perfectly.
Ah, my doting father! And my silly brothers! Being the family treasure really does feel good.
“Yi yi ya ya,” Xiao Fuyuan tried to speak, but only babbling came out. When will I finally learn to talk?
“You little clever thing,” Lady Zhen tapped Xiao Fuyuan’s head and nuzzled her face.
Xiao Fuyuan marveled inwardly. Her mother’s features didn’t look old at all; her skin was white and fine, yet her brothers were already so grown up. Do people here have children that early?
“Mother.” You Jingui lifted the curtain and walked in.
The sight gave Xiao Fuyuan a start. This aunt—no, she was the Second Sister-in-law—looked like she was not to be trifled with. She reminded Fuyuan of the mother of that boy in her class who liked to hit people; every time her son bullied someone and she came to school to argue, she would blame the victim instead.
Lady Zhen felt Xiao Fuyuan tremble in her arms. Thinking the baby was cold, she tucked in the swaddling cloth and cooed at her.
You Jingui curled her lip inwardly. They really are spoiling this little brat; she’s just a girl.
“You’re pregnant; why aren’t you resting?” Lady Zhen asked flatly.
You Jingui forced a smile and patted her still-flat stomach. “…I only hope I can give birth to a daughter as beautiful as my Little Sister-in-law. Then I’ll be satisfied.”
Xiao Fuyuan couldn’t help but look toward You Jingui’s stomach. But where is the baby? I don’t see it.
“Mother, our family has had great luck lately,” You Jingui smiled. “That huge boar, plus the pheasants and rabbits… Father just said the one-month feast won’t need that much meat and he’ll sell some. Sanlang’s cotton jacket is already falling apart…”
At this point, You Jingui became indignant. For the fish, the rabbits, and the boar, her Sanlang had been involved every time. Why shouldn’t he enjoy the benefits? She didn’t dare ask Old Lady Bai, so she came to her mother-in-law. After all, Lady Zhen’s temper was much softer than Old Lady Bai’s.
Before You Jingui could even finish, Lady Zhen understood her meaning.
“Sanlang is a child of this family. Do you think your father, your grandmother, and I wouldn’t care for him? I thought of this long ago,” Lady Zhen replied neutrally. She had already planned to use the silver Erzhuang gave her to buy cotton for new jackets for Xiao Fuyuan and the three grandsons. She just hadn’t said it out loud yet.
“Mother, I knew it! You’re the one who truly cares for Sanlang,” You Jingui patted her stomach again. Her eyes, however, flickered toward Xiao Fuyuan in Lady Zhen’s arms.
If it weren’t for this little girl, she wouldn’t be worried. But now, the entire Bai family held the baby on a pedestal. Even the formidable Old Lady Bai was clamoring to hold a one-month feast for her. Which child or grandchild in the Bai family had ever received such treatment? When her Sanlang was born, they had simply handed out two red eggs to each neighbor and called it a day.
She couldn’t help but suspect that in the future, the Bai family would hide away all their assets just to give them to this little brat.
Xiao Fuyuan met You Jingui’s gaze and felt another shiver. She could clearly sense the hostility from this Second Sister-in-law.