While the family of the second branch was harmoniously devouring their evening meal like a whirlwind sweeping away clouds, the atmosphere in the first branch was frozen in a near-dead silence.
Aside from a sufficient supply of mixed-grain rice, their meal consisted only of dried eggplant and pickled yellow sprouts. The only dish with a bit of flavor was the plate of wild vegetables in the center, stir-fried with a spoonful of lard.
Men like Ding Jin, Ding Yan, and Ding Shan, who spent their entire day working in the fields, needed fat and salt to replenish their strength, so this meal was considered standard.
Or rather, it was much better than what other families had. Countless people would be pained by the mere thought of using a spoonful of lard, let alone using it to stir-fry wild vegetables.
Ding Shan was regarded by Ding Jin and Madam Jiang as the eldest grandson of the primary line, and Ding Sheng was the only scholar in the family; both were precious treasures to the two elders. Even though the elders valued the second and third sons for their utility, they were naturally closer to the first branch, so they ate their meals together.
However, even as night fell, the air still seemed to carry that mouth-watering fragrance from earlier. It was truly pervasive, seeping into every corner.
Ding Sheng took a bite of the wild vegetables and found them completely tasteless. He couldn’t help but set down his chopsticks and complain:
“Grandmother, I’ve been reading all day, and my head is spinning from it. I want to eat meat!”
Even if the second branch wasn’t eating prime meat but offal, it at least had the flavor of meat. He didn’t know how it was prepared, but that sour-savory aroma was so strong he felt he could taste it without even putting it in his mouth. This made him find the wild vegetables even more difficult to swallow.
Seated at the head of the table, Ding Jin smoked a pipe of dry tobacco, surrounded by clouds of smoke. Madam Jiang’s face was dark, and she remained silent for a moment.
Wu Tang looked at the two elders, then at her husband and eldest son who were silently buried in their rice. A spark of anger rose in her heart, but she couldn’t let it out. She could only say coldly:
“That dish was made by your eldest cousin. If you want to eat it, go ask her for it. Your father and brother have been busy in the fields all day; where would they find the time to buy meat? They aren’t like your second uncle, who gets to eat meat every day!”
Ding Yan and Ding Shan looked up, sensing the tense atmosphere. They didn’t dare to speak, nor did they know what to say. After all, the second and third branches had their own families to feed, and they likely didn’t have much to spare. How could the men bring themselves to go and beg for food?
Only the youngest daughter of the first branch, Ding Baoling, asked in confusion:
“Big Sister actually cooked? I’ve never seen her do that before.”
Wu Tang gave a cold laugh and said:
“Who knows? She hit her head and turned into a different person. Today she was flaunting that large pig stomach right in front of my eyes, acting as if we truly couldn’t afford to eat it!”
Hearing “pig stomach” made Ding Sheng even more displeased. It felt as if something were clawing at his stomach, and he shouted again:
“I don’t care, I want to eat pig stomach too! Otherwise, I won’t go to school tomorrow. Anyway, I’ve failed before; I’m simply not cut out for it!”
“How can you say that? Don’t talk nonsense!”
Ding Yan finally spoke up, his face hardening.
“The examinations are coming up in a while. What kind of attitude is this? If you continue to be so willful, forget pig stomach—you won’t get any food at all!”
Originally, after having Ding Shan, the first branch had no extra ambitions; they only thought to have their son follow them into farming. But after the second son, Ding Sheng, was born, they slowly developed new ideas.
It happened that a new village school had opened nearby, and families with the means sent their children to study.
As a male, being literate was a good thing. If he were fortunate enough to pass the county examinations, wouldn’t he then have the qualification to take the imperial exams for official titles? That single step would be enough to bring glory to the ancestors.
At that time, it was the autumn harvest, and the first branch had surplus grain. After discussing it with Ding Jin and Madam Jiang—and because he was the son of the eldest branch—they paid the tuition and sent him to study.
Tuition had to be paid every year, along with fees for books, brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Especially the travel and registration fees for taking exams in the county town; it was no wonder everyone said that studying was an extremely expensive endeavor.
As for Ding Sheng, he initially listened to his parents and grandparents and studied hard, but his results were always mediocre and lacked any brilliance. Gradually, his mindset became unstable.
Additionally, two years ago, they had finally scraped together enough money for him to take the exam in the county seat, but he failed. This blow further crushed his confidence.
But the logic was simple: if they gave up now, wouldn’t all the money and effort from the past few years go down the drain? The mere thought made their hearts bleed. Therefore, regardless of the problems, the first branch and the grandparents were unwilling to let go.
Moreover, Ding Sheng was currently the only one in the family who was literate. Surely he would amount to something!
Madam Jiang looked at Ding Sheng, who was clamoring for meat. She knew that if she went to the second branch now, they would have likely finished eating. She could only comfort him and try to smooth things over:
“Alright, alright. Go to school obediently tomorrow, and I’ll have your father go buy some. You’ll be able to eat it when you get back. We aren’t in such a rush for a little time!”
Ding Sheng pouted, but he understood that no matter how much he threw a tantrum, he couldn’t eat it now. He could only give up for the moment.
However, just then, Wu Tang seemed to think of something and whispered to Madam Jiang:
“Mother, in the betrothal gifts you accepted for Ding Baozhu, wasn’t there some meat?”
Just as other families made pickled vegetables, hunter families had plenty of meat and would make bacon, salted meat, and dried meat. Such items were included in the betrothal gifts.
Ding Sheng’s interest was piqued, and he couldn’t help saying:
“That’s right! I even saw that pair of wild geese. Mother, I’ve never eaten wild goose meat. I wonder what it tastes like?”
“More nonsense. That pair of geese is a gift. If we touch them, they won’t be a pair anymore, will they?”
Ding Yan was displeased. He felt that after several years of studying, Ding Sheng hadn’t learned a thing. Wasn’t it a total waste?
Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang thought of those frustrating matters and couldn’t help but snort:
“In any case, since the Xu family sent the betrothal gifts, there is no reason to return them. Besides, which bride’s family doesn’t ultimately handle the gifts themselves? Why shouldn’t we be able to touch them?”
Wu Tang smiled slightly at this:
“Since Mother says so, then we simply won’t touch the wild geese. But those pieces of dried meat—if we just take a little, I’m sure the second branch won’t notice. After all, Mother is the one in charge!”
Seeing the prospect of eating meat, Ding Sheng continued to clamor. Madam Jiang, having been given a way out and seeing that no one else objected, truly decided to dip into those betrothal gifts.
Ding Baozhu was completely unaware of this matter. As the villagers tended to rest at sunset, after a few conversations in each room, everyone settled down to sleep.
The second branch had several people, so the room was divided by a curtain. Ding Hong and Liu Ping slept on the left, while the three daughters slept on a large bed on the right.
No matter how large the bed was, sleeping three people was still a bit cramped. However, Ding Baozhen and Ding Baoqin seemed used to it; they said goodnight, closed their eyes, and pulled up the quilts to sleep. Each had an old cotton quilt, and huddling together actually kept them from being too cold.
But Ding Baozhu did not sleep. She kept her eyes narrowed, quietly listening to the movements on the other side. Sure enough, after a long while, she heard Liu Ping say softly:
“Husband, don’t you think Zhu’er has become different?”
After all, she was flesh of her own flesh; such a sudden change still left a trace of doubt. How could Liu Ping know that the person inside that body was no longer the original? Ding Baozhu couldn’t help but feel her heart skip a beat.
Ding Hong, however, said:
“I have that feeling too, but isn’t Baozhu still standing right here before us? Besides, she nearly lost her life this time. It makes sense that she’s become more sensible. Who wouldn’t value their life after that?”
Liu Ping found this reasonable and said no more. Ding Hong comforted her further:
“Alright, let’s sleep. We’ve finished everything for today. I have to head to the town early tomorrow morning.”
Hearing this, Ding Baozhu breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart stirred.
She had just become familiar with the Ding family; next should be the entire village and even the area outside it. This was a great opportunity!
Furthermore, although the original owner had followed Ding Hong to learn butchery, she could currently only manage the basics based on memory. Not only might she reveal herself, but being a female butcher also came with various restrictions. It would be better to find a way to do something related to her own professional background…
The more Ding Baozhu thought about it, the more a wave of drowsiness hit her. Unconsciously, she closed her eyes.
Because she had things on her mind, Ding Baozhu did not sleep soundly. She woke up slowly at the first crow of the rooster.
In a state between sleep and wakefulness, a hazy glow of dawn seeped through the window. She finally heard a rustling sound from the other side and knew that Ding Hong had risen.
She also rose quietly. First, she reached up to remove the wrapping cloth from her head. It felt chilly, but the wound no longer hurt.
She quickly dressed, got off the bed, and happened to run right into Ding Hong.
Ding Hong said in low, slightly surprised tones:
“Why are you awake so early? It’s still early; why not sleep a bit longer?”
“No need, Father. I’m already awake and can’t fall back to sleep.”
Ding Baozhu shook her head, stepped forward, and tugged on Ding Hong’s sleeve:
“Father, are you going to town today? Take me with you!”
“I’m going to the butcher’s trade guild today. What would you do there?”
Ding Hong thought for a moment and smiled helplessly:
“Do you want to go to town for a stroll? Then there’s no need to go so early; it’s not like you’re going to the morning market.”
Ding Baozhu smiled: “Father has always understood me. Just take me along; I promise not to cause any trouble!”
She couldn’t exactly say she wanted to go for a field inspection, could she?
Ding Hong thought about how his eldest daughter would be married off soon. Although it was within the same village, it was said that a married daughter is like splashed water; she wouldn’t be like she was now, and they would only see each other on certain days. His heart softened.
After all, it was just a trip to town, and there were no strict rules for farm girls about not seeing strangers before marriage; she had already seen many people long ago.
“Alright, then get ready and let’s go.”
Ding Baozhu answered and used a wooden hairpin to casually put up her hair. She went outside, rolled up her sleeves, and briskly drew water from the vat to wash her face.
Once she was ready, Ding Baozhu left the house with Ding Hong.
The first rooster crow was only in the early morning hours. By the time they stepped out, a faint second crow could be heard in the distance. This was the time when some people began to rise.
Since Liu Ping was well aware that Ding Baozhu followed Ding Hong to work, she wouldn’t find it strange when she woke up and found them gone.
Ding Hong was heading to Xiang’an Town, which was more than ten li away from the village. If they relied purely on their feet, it would take at least an hour.
But the butcher’s trade started work early, and Ding Hong had to arrive ahead of time. So, in the end, he took Ding Baozhu onto a mule cart.
It seemed the driver had risen even earlier. The mule cart was a wooden four-wheeled flatbed hitched behind the animal, and several people were already seated on it.
Ding Hong gave two copper coins to the man holding the whip at the front and found a place to sit with Ding Baozhu.
However, the moment she sat down, she was met with many complicated gazes.
She glanced up slightly, and more than half of them looked away. They were mostly elderly women and some younger aunts carrying bundles or hemp sacks. They offered brief greetings and asked about her injury before falling silent.
By now, Ding Baozhu was famous in the village. At the very least, nothing like this had happened in the village for over a decade.
Those elderly women and aunts were used to gossiping and had likely discussed this matter countless times in private. Encountering the protagonist now, they naturally became silent.
Ding Baozhu ignored them and simply began to observe her surroundings in the semi-darkness of the dawn.