It was a sweltering summer’s day, but Qian Zhenniang, having hurried all the way, had no time to wipe the sweat from her face. As soon as she reached Qian Da, she couldn’t wait to speak: “Big Brother, you’ve heard about what happened to Tao Family’s eldest son the other day, haven’t you?”
“Of course I have,” Tao Da nodded.
Qian Zhenniang’s face was now flushed with anger. “The eldest son of the Tao family has simply kicked the bucket and left, yet the mother and daughters of the first household are now sitting at home waiting to be fed and served. The second son’s father is nothing but a hypocrite; he refuses to mention the matter of dividing the family at all. In this whole house, I’m the only one left to speak up—the villain!” She paused, then turned to her eldest brother. “Chunsheng and Shuisheng are growing up fast. With three more mouths to feed, how on earth can we manage on the few silver coins Erlang earns?”
By now, Qian Da had realised the purpose of his younger sister’s visit. Before he could speak, Qian San suddenly interjected: “If I’m not mistaken, isn’t the young lady in Tao Dalang’s household of an age to be considered for marriage?”
Qian Zhenniang nodded in reply. “That is indeed the case. The eldest is fifteen this year, and the youngest is twelve. But with this tragedy, they must observe three years of mourning! It would be better to send them away, so we don’t have to watch them in their grief.”
Qian Da understood, but could not think of a solution at that moment. He looked up at the sky and reckoned Old Qian would be arriving shortly. “Once I’ve a spare moment at midday, I’ll invite Constable Liu to the tavern for a jug of wine and see if he has any good ideas.”
“Thank goodness you’re a man of standing with the constables, otherwise I’d truly be bullied to death by that Tao family!” Qian Zhenniang’s face had already brightened.
At this, Qian Da snorted derisively. “I never approved of you marrying into the Tao family back then. Yet here you are, taken in by Tao Erlang’s sweet talk, ready to spend your days in that run-down village household!”
Even though she knew her family looked down on the Taos, Qian Zhenniang’s face darkened at these words. How was she to know that Tao Erlang was nothing but a smooth-talker? Yet, come to think of it, seeing how poorly she was getting by—with Tao Erlang earning only a pittance each month—her own family hadn’t offered a single penny of support; instead, they merely took pleasure in her misfortune.
Qian San, who had been listening in on the conversation, saw the signs of an argument brewing and quickly interjected: “Eldest Brother, aren’t you expecting the Sun family to arrive today? We’re not too busy at the moment, so why not sit down and have a rest? I’ll take Zhenniang back to the shop on the west side.”
Having said this, he tugged at Qian Zhenniang’s sleeve and gave her a meaningful look.
Qian Zhenniang, after all, needed his help and didn’t want to make a scene that would be difficult to resolve, so she could only say, “Go on with your work, Elder Brother. It’s hot, so do remember to rest,” She then put on a pleading expression. “I’d be grateful if you could look into the matter concerning the Tao family’s eldest branch.”
Seeing her like this, Qian Da felt thoroughly exasperated. Qian Zhenniang had been spoiled rotten by her family since childhood; it was only because she’d married into that village household that she was allowed to carry on like this! He waved his hand, signalling Qian San to take her away, so she wouldn’t be an eyesore any longer.
Qian San then led her away.
Tao Erlang was chopping wood at the shop entrance; sweat trickled down his temples, and before long, his clothes were soaked through. This was the scene Qian Zhenniang witnessed upon her return.
After all, they had been husband and wife for many years; how could she not feel a pang of pity seeing Tao Erlang in such a state? She hurried over to him. “I’ve come today to ask my elder brother for a favour. It looks like we’ll have to separate from the eldest branch of the family after all!”
“Does my elder brother have a good plan?” asked Tao Erlang.
“My elder brother may not have a plan, but Constable Liu is no ordinary man. A matter like this would be a mere trifle for him to handle, wouldn’t it?” Qian Zhenniang said, not without a touch of pride.
Tao Erlang pondered the matter. If this trouble could truly be resolved smoothly, it would be a blessing for him. With that in mind, he looked at Qian San with a guilty expression. “I’m going to trouble the family once again.”
Qian San knew Tao Erlang well enough to realise he was merely spouting meaningless platitudes. Instead of replying, he turned to Qian Zhenniang and asked, “Shall I take you out for a bite to eat?”
Qian Zhenniang shook her head. “Chunsheng and Shuisheng don’t know I’ve come over; they’ll surely cry and make a fuss when they wake up. I must hurry back whilst the sun is still low.”
Hearing this, Qian San made no further attempt to keep her. After Qian Zhenniang had given a few final instructions, she set off back home.
The Tao family home in Dongtou Village.
Zhao Liniang had risen at dawn to light the fire and prepare breakfast, whilst Tao Qinghe had been roused by the sound of a child’s wailing.
When she opened her eyes, she found the other two in the room were already up. She gently touched the wound, which still ached slightly, and once she was fully awake, she too rose and dressed.
Tao Qingmiao was helping in the kitchen when the wailing from the second room made her frown. “Why isn’t the auntie soothing the child?”
Zhao Liniang sighed. “Who knows what mischief she’s up to now.”
The wailing continued, growing louder by the minute. Tao Qingmiao could not bear it any longer. “Mother, I’ll go and have a look,” she said, her footsteps carrying her steadily towards the door of the second room.
“Auntie!” she called out.
Hearing no reply for a long while, Tao Qingmiao felt a sense of unease. She tentatively pushed open the door and saw two small children sitting on the floor; the one wailing incessantly was the younger of the two, Tao Shuisheng.
Tao Qingmiao could do nothing but pick him up and comfort him, then asked Tao Chunsheng, “Where’s your mother?”
Tao Chunsheng shook his head. “I don’t know.”
When Tao Chunsheng woke up, he found neither his father nor his mother in the room. He tiptoed quietly, trying to reach the jar on the cupboard—it was filled to the brim with malt sugar!
However, he was too short; even on tiptoes, he couldn’t reach it. So he shook Shuisheng awake, trying to carry his little brother to get the jar. But he hadn’t realised he didn’t have enough strength, and poor Tao Shuisheng was dropped onto the floor. Tao Chunsheng was terrified; he tried to cover his brother’s mouth to stop him from crying out, but his brother wouldn’t cooperate, and the crying grew louder and louder until his second eldest sister came over.
Tao Chunsheng looked nervously at Tao Qingmiao.
“Why is your little brother crying?”
Tao Chunsheng didn’t want to tell her, but seeing his brother still crying, he had no choice but to make up a story. “He wanted some sweets, but I wouldn’t get them for him, so he started crying.”
After saying this, as if he’d thought of a brilliant idea, Tao Chunsheng perked up. “Second Sister! Why don’t you give my brother a sweet? Then he’ll stop crying!”
He added, “And give you one too.”
Tao Qingmiao immediately realised what was going on. She had intended to refuse, but on second thought, she said to Tao Chunsheng, “What about our eldest sister? She’s still ill.”
Tao Chunsheng stammered, “Well… well, get one for eldest sister too.”
“And what about our mother? She’s still in the kitchen cooking for you and Shuisheng!”
“……”
“Grown-ups don’t eat sweets! Sweets are for children!” Tao Chunsheng said loudly.
“Never mind then. When your mother comes back, you can ask her to get some.” Having said this, Tao Qinghe set Tao Shuisheng down and pretended to be leaving.
Tao Chunsheng immediately panicked and hurriedly agreed, “I’ll get some for Auntie… Second Sister, don’t go!”
Only then did Tao Qingmiao turn back. “Where’s the sugar?”
“On top of Mum’s chest,” he pointed, “right there.”
Tao Qingmiao and her sister were both much taller than the average girl. She stood on tiptoe, placed her hand on the chest of drawers and felt around until she found it.
Once she’d taken it down, Tao Qingmiao looked at the exquisite sugar jar before her and felt it looked familiar, though she couldn’t quite place where she’d seen it. She could only weigh it in her hand, guessing there must be quite a lot of sugar inside.
Tao Chunsheng looked at the sugar jar with great longing. His mother never allowed him to eat sugar every day, always scaring him by saying it would give him tooth decay. But he didn’t believe a word of it! It was clearly just a story made up to fool children. Today, at last, he’d got the chance to eat some sugar!
He couldn’t resist reaching out, opening the jar, and popping a sugar cube straight into his mouth. Tao Shuisheng, standing nearby, caught the scent and reached out to grab some too.
Tao Chunmiao let them help themselves to the sweets. Seeing that Tao Chunsheng was reaching out again even before he’d swallowed the first one, she quickly blocked him with her arm. She took out three more pieces before speaking: ‘If you take any more, your mother will find out.’
Tao Chunsheng felt a bit disappointed; it was such a rare treat to have sweets! But if his mother found out, he’d be in for a good scolding and a beating. He pleaded, “Second Sister, please give me just one more!”
Tao Qingmiao had no choice but to let him take it, then warned him, “Keep an eye on your little brother. If he lets it slip, he’ll be in for a beating!” She then sealed the jar and put it back in its place.
Tao Chunsheng nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at grain. He understood; he understood even better than his second sister. After all, his mother’s beatings were excruciating.
Having given these instructions, Tao Qingmiao walked out, clutching the three pieces of sugar.
Tao Qinghe had just finished her morning wash when she caught sight of Tao Qingmiao emerging from the second wife’s room, looking positively beaming. Before she could say a word, the girl had already run over.
As soon as she reached her, Tao Qingmiao held out her hands. Tao Qinghe looked down. Good heavens! She’d taken three pieces of sugar from the second wife’s room? Wasn’t that just like carving flesh from Qian Zhen’s body?
Tao Qingmiao said gleefully, “Auntie’s gone off somewhere. Chunsheng was dragging Shuisheng along to steal some sugar when they tripped and fell. This is what he used to bribe me.”
Seeing the look of delight on her face, Tao Qinghe exclaimed, “ “Good heavens! This isn’t just sugar—it’s practically Auntie’s flesh!”
Tao Qingmiao burst out laughing and added, “Exactly! If she found out, she’d be heartbroken! On Dragon Boat Festival, when Father brought back some sweets, we’d only eaten one piece and she was fuming. If this were to happen…”
Before she could finish, Tao Qingmiao finally realised why the sugar jar looked so familiar. It was clearly the one Father had brought back! How had it ended up in the second courtyard? She immediately grew displeased, grabbed Tao Qinghe’s hand, and headed for the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Zhao Liniang was stirring the porridge in the earthenware pot with a wooden spoon to prevent it from burning to the bottom. Tao Qingmiao burst in, her voice full of indignation: “Mother! The sugar Father brought back on Dragon Boat Festival—why did you give it all to Chunsheng and the others?”
Upon hearing Tao Qingmiao’s question, Zhao Liniang paused for a moment before resuming her stirring. She tried to keep her tone steady: “ ‘Perhaps… perhaps Shuisheng was being fussy, and your grandfather gave it to him to placate him.’
Tao Qingmiao could not accept this explanation. She was about to argue further when Tao Qinghe, standing nearby, gave her arm a gentle squeeze and spoke up: “You know full well that our aunt is scheming to drive us out right now. Whose side are you still taking?”
Zhao Liniang hesitated several times before finally saying, “The sweets were meant to be kept, but Chunsheng and Shuisheng were throwing a tantrum in front of your grandfather, so I gave them to the boys in the end.”
Tao Qinghe couldn’t help but press her hand to her forehead. No wonder Qian Zhenniang was so arrogant; the Tao family’s eldest branch was practically like a lump of dough to be moulded at will.
“I’ll go and snatch the sweets back!” Tao Qingmiao suddenly declared, turning to leave the kitchen.
Zhao Liniang hurriedly grabbed Tao Qingmiao’s arm and said urgently, “Let’s… let’s just pretend we didn’t know.” Her tone was pleading. She had only given birth to two daughters, whilst Qian Shi had borne two sons; how could she possibly compete with Qian Shi…
“Do you think that if we pretend not to know, they’ll treat us kindly?” asked Tao Qinghe.
Zhao Liniang forced a smile. “Let’s not talk about this. Qingmiao, go to the western field and call your grandfather.” She then pulled Tao Qinghe towards her, her face pleading, “Go and fetch some pickles…”
Tao Qingmiao was still unwilling to accept this; she looked at her elder sister, as if hoping she would say something.
Tao Qinghe merely shook her head, signalling that they should speak after the meal.
The summer sun was particularly glaring, and the air was stiflingly hot.
Old Man Tao had taken his shoulder pole and water bucket out to the fields early that morning. The prolonged drought had left the earth cracked and parched, so he had no choice but to come and water it day after day. Having been at work since dawn, his clothes were now soaked through with sweat. He paused his labour, picked up the earthenware jug, and drank the last few mouthfuls of water.
This was the scene Tao Qingmiao encountered upon her arrival. Feeling rather awkward, she did not wish to greet Old Man Tao, merely leaving him with the words, “Mother says breakfast is ready,” before turning and running off, leaving Old Man Tao looking utterly bewildered.
……
By the time the sun had risen to its zenith, the Tao family had finished their breakfast. Seeing the two sisters tidying the kitchen, Zhao Liniang wrapped her headscarf around her head once more and went off alone to weed the vegetable patch behind the house.
After washing the sponge gourd and hanging it up to dry, Tao Qingmiao stepped out of the kitchen, firmly ushered Tao Qinghe into her room, and told her to rest properly. She then carried a basin to the riverbank to wash the clothes.
……
Meanwhile, having finished her errands, Qian Zhenniang had walked back to the Tao household under the scorching sun.
Qian Zhenniang was humming a tune as she pushed open the door. Seeing the house empty, she stepped out into the courtyard and called out loudly, “Chunsheng! Shuisheng! Where have you got to?” After calling several times with no reply, Qian Zhenniang had no choice but to go to the kitchen. Having been busy since early morning, her stomach was still empty.
Seeing the kitchen was completely empty, with not a scrap of food left, Qian Zhenniang let out a torrent of abuse: “Bunch of freeloaders, didn’t leave a single bite for me!” As if that hadn’t vented her frustration, she added, “Just you wait, you’ll get what’s coming to you in a moment!”
“Auntie, have you just come back from setting off firecrackers?” ” Tao Qinghe spoke as she approached the kitchen.
Qian Zhenniang was just about to start cooking some porridge for herself when the sudden voice from behind startled her. She turned to look at the person by the door and sneered, “Big Girl, since yesterday, your tongue has certainly grown sharper. Just wait and see—you’ll soon get a taste of your own medicine!”
Tao Qinghe had no idea what Qian Zhenniang was up to, but she suspected it had something to do with her leaving the house that morning. She replied calmly, “What are you on about, Auntie? We’re family, after all. If I get a taste of the good stuff, you’ll certainly get your share too.”
Has that little brat hit her head or has she got a new one? Qian Zhenniang hadn’t managed to get a single word of praise out of her these past couple of days. She glared fiercely at Tao Qinghe but said nothing more.
Seeing Qian Zhenniang’s expression, Tao Qinghe realised she was unlikely to get any information out of her, so she didn’t press the matter further and turned to go back inside.
Tao Erlang had been busy in the shop all morning; by the time the sun began to set, the streets were gradually emptying. He wiped the sweat from his face and lifted the jug to take a long swig of water.
It was then that Qian Da arrived. He had just finished drinking with Constable Liu and, to his surprise, had actually found a good way to get his younger sister to agree to the division of the family estate. Spotting Tao Erlang, he strode over, paused for a moment, and asked, “Erlang, have you made up your mind to go through with the division?”