Second Brother shot Xiaohu an annoyed look.
“Xiaohu, why’d you come to our house carrying such a huge bowl? Go on, go home and eat at your own place!”
Even a fool could tell he’d come to beg for meat.
Xiaohu didn’t dare say anything.
He simply followed his mother’s instructions and stared fixedly at the basin of meat.
Drip.
A string of drool fell from the corner of his mouth onto the floor.
“Y-What are you trying to do?”
Third Brother instinctively shielded his own bowl.
“This is our family’s meat, not yours! We’re not giving you any!”
“I… I’m not eating…”
Xiaohu’s face flushed bright red.
He sniffed back his drool and mumbled, “I just… just wanted to look…”
“Look? If you’re only looking, why’d you bring such a big bowl? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Whenever your family has something good to eat, when have you ever invited me to have any?”
Second Brother snorted angrily.
“One time your dad brought you a piece of fatty pork. When your mom saw me come over to play, she acted like she’d seen a ghost, chasing me away over and over because she was afraid I’d eat even one bite.
Now that my family’s finally eating meat, don’t even think about getting any. Not a chance! Go on, get out!”
“That’s right! Second Aunt even called us beggars!”
Third Brother puffed up with anger.
“Brother, even if our family has meat, we’re not giving Xiaohu any!”
“My mom calls me a beggar every day too…”
Xiaohu’s face turned even redder as tears welled in his eyes.
“Second Brother… I-I really won’t eat any. Can’t I just… watch?”
“No! You’re not even allowed to watch!”
Second Brother sprang to his feet, ready to chase him out.
“My house smells like meat, and you’re not even allowed to smell it!”
“Changgui, Chang’an, eat your dinner.”
Fenniang gave her two sons a reproachful look before beckoning to Xiaohu.
“Come here. Auntie will get you some meat.”
“Mom, don’t give him any!”
Second Brother glared fiercely at Xiaohu.
“His mom never even let us have a sip of their porridge!”
“That’s enough.”
Fenniang shook her head.
She stood up, took a small bowl, filled it with several chopstickfuls of pork offal, and handed it to Xiaohu.
“Put your bowl down and eat this instead. Eat as much as you can. Fill your stomach before you go home.”
Xiaohu wasn’t really a bad child.
He’d just been raised by a mother who taught him all the wrong things.
Fenniang wasn’t like Fan Cuihua.
She could never turn away her own nephew without giving him even a mouthful of food.
Besides, whatever grudges existed between the adults had nothing to do with the children.
If they didn’t teach the children properly now, then when they grew up, they wouldn’t treat each other like family.
They’d become enemies.
As for that huge bowl…
Forget it.
Fan Cuihua probably thought she was such a pushover that she’d fill an entire bowl for Xiaohu to carry home.
“Big Aunt…”
Tears filled Xiaohu’s eyes.
Holding the bowl, with tears, snot, and drool all running together, he looked at Fenniang.
“I’ll listen to you from now on… okay?”
“Good boy. Eat.”
Fenniang broke her corn bun in half and handed one piece to him.
“From now on, play nicely with Second Brother and the others. No more fighting or causing trouble, understand?”
Xiaohu burst into loud sobs.
“I will! I promise! I’ll never fight with Second Brother again! I’ll listen to everything Second Brother says!”
Second Brother curled his lip.
“Hmph…”
Just as Xiaohu picked up his chopsticks to eat, two knife-sharp gazes swept across his face.
Zhuo Ling tilted her little head and gave him a sidelong glance.
Clack.
Xiaohu shuddered.
His chopsticks slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor.
Why did it feel like she’d just stabbed him?
A chill shot straight down the back of his neck.
Zhuo Ling let out a small snort.
She might be living in a child’s body, but mentally she was still a woman in her twenties.
She understood Fenniang’s good intentions, so she didn’t say anything.
But she still couldn’t stand Xiaohu—or his obnoxious mother.
She rolled her eyes at him before going right back to stuffing herself with food.
“Silly… I mean, Sister Ling’er… Brother Xiaohu won’t ever bully you again. Really!”
Picking up his chopsticks, Xiaohu looked at her awkwardly and swore earnestly,
“If I ever bully you again, then… then let Heaven strike me with lightning!”
Zhuo Ling snorted.
If the Marketplace System sold heavenly lightning, I’d buy one right now and drop it on your head, just so you’d remember what you just promised.
…
“You got to eat meat? Where’s the bowl? Why isn’t there even a drop of grease left in it?”
Xiaohu returned with shiny lips but an empty bowl.
Fan Cuihua immediately flew into a rage.
“They only let you eat by yourself? They didn’t even fill your bowl with some meat to bring back for me?
Doesn’t everyone in the village say she’s kindhearted? Bah! That little bitch really had the nerve!”
“Mom, can you stop insulting Big Aunt?”
Xiaohu frowned unhappily at his mother.
“You keep cursing Big Aunt and picking fights with their family. Eldest Brother, Second Brother, and even Sister Ling don’t want to play with me anymore!”
“What did you just say?”
Fan Cuihua froze, thinking she’d misheard.
She grabbed his cheek and twisted it hard while shouting,
“Xiaohu! You ate a few bites of their meat, and now you’ve got the nerve to lecture your own mother?
Did that little slut teach you this? Tell me! Is she making you come home and talk back to me? Is that it?”
“No! No! Big Aunt didn’t tell me to!”
Xiaohu covered his aching cheek and wailed.
“Second Brother and the others chased me away. Big Aunt was the only one willing to give me meat!
Mom, if you keep insulting her, even Big Aunt won’t be willing to give me meat anymore! Then what am I supposed to do?”
Fan Cuihua laughed in anger.
“So one mouthful of meat is all it took to turn you against your own mother? Now you’re singing that little bitch’s praises?
What’s so great about her that she wrapped you around her finger like this?”
Nothing irritated her more than hearing someone praise Fenniang.
Whenever she heard it, it felt like maggots were crawling inside her ears.
“I raised you with my own hands! You ungrateful little bastard…”
Furious, Fan Cuihua grabbed a broom and chased her son all over the yard, swinging it wildly.
“I’ll beat you to death!”
The commotion drew the neighbors, who climbed onto their courtyard walls to watch.
“Second Brother’s wife, are you beating your kid because you’re jealous you didn’t get any meat?”
“You make a racket every single day! Are people supposed to sleep or not?”
“Second Brother’s wife, calm down already…”
…
Once night fell and no one was around, Zhuo Ling pulled Zhuo Chang’an behind a haystack.
She dug out two neatly packed boxes and showed them to him.
“Eldest Brother, these are the miracle medicines I told you about.
“I already gave Dad one dose this morning. I didn’t get the chance to sneak him another dose at noon. Later, find an opportunity to mix this into his drinking water.
“The medicine from the future reduces inflammation and relieves pain when taken internally. The ancient wound medicine works on the outside to remove dead tissue and help new flesh grow. Using both together, Dad’s injury will heal very quickly.”
“The herbs from your underground city… are this small?”
Zhuo Chang’an stared at the bean-sized capsules in astonishment.
“Something this tiny can cure illness?”
Zhuo Ling nodded.
“The good stuff is concentrated! This is Western medicine… um, medicine made by extracting effective compounds through chemistry. Each one is designed to treat specific illnesses.”
“Western medicine?”
“There isn’t any traditional Chinese medicine where I come from.”
Zhuo Ling let out a long sigh.
“Traditional Chinese medicine extracts the essence from all kinds of plants. Some medicines even use animal bones, claws, or… well… manure. Where would anyone find those things in the underground city?”
Under the bright moonlight, realization dawned on Zhuo Chang’an.
“So the smelly grass you sold to the Marketplace System… was actually medicinal herbs?”
“Exactly!”
Zhuo Ling’s eyes sparkled.
“Who would’ve thought that the stinky weed everyone hated was actually a medicinal herb called boneknit herb? It’s worth a fortune in the Marketplace System!”
The corners of her mouth lifted so high that they were practically impossible to suppress.
“From now on, whenever we go into the mountains, we don’t have to gather wild vegetables with everyone else.
“We’ll specialize in hunting medicinal herbs.
“We’re going to make a fortune!”