Thinking of the impending great battle, Yu Chun felt as restless as if she were sitting on burning coals.
She yanked on her shoes and rushed out. Where was the food at home? The price of staple grains had risen—what about coarse grains and brown rice? And vegetable seeds, sweet potatoes, potatoes, cotton cloth… right, this was Chang’an—there was also firewood. The yard needed some trees planted too—
There were children at home; there was never such a thing as “too much.”
Yu Chun pushed open the main room door and saw a harmonious scene in the courtyard. Cao Rong was teasing Cao Fang. Cao Jie was sharpening a knife, holding a bowl of saltwater, preparing to bleed a chicken with bound feet. Water was already boiling on the stove.
“Don’t kill it—” Yu Chun startled herself with her own dialect. Only then did she realize she could speak seamlessly with Cao Jie and the others—probably the brain interface. “Wait until we have nothing to eat. There are children—I can raise it for a few more days!”
Ah, a cheap life for a worthless person. She didn’t want to be virtuous at all, but this shabby household clearly wasn’t wealthy.
“It’s fine. Yesterday Ah Jin and I caught two hundred chicks and let them roam by the fish pond. In two months, they’ll be ready to eat.” Cao Jie stepped on the chicken’s feet with his left foot, gripped its head with his right hand, plucked a few feathers from its neck with his left hand, then held it steady and raised the knife. “Little chicken, don’t blame me. You’re a dish for the King of Hell—”
“Cluck—”
The chicken was slaughtered just like that.
“Hurry and hold its legs!”
“Huh?”
Cao Rong rushed forward and grabbed the chicken’s legs. Blood flowed into the bowl like running water. After draining it, Cao Jie tossed the chicken aside onto the empty ground, placed the bowl of blood on the stove, and when Cao Rong saw Yu Chun still standing there, he quickly scooped a ladle of water for Cao Jie to wash his hands. Only then did Cao Jie pick up Cao Fang and hand her over.
“The deed—”
“I told you to stop making trouble for no reason. It’s just me and Ah Jin in my family. If we don’t support each other, who will?” Cao Jie rubbed his head irritably, clearly unwilling to continue.
“Support? You call this support? Your own child can’t even go to school and you call that support? If you want to support someone, why drag us into it? Why did you even get married and have children? Why not just spend your whole life with him instead—”
“What nonsense are you spouting? Every family lives like this! People like you just need a beating. All you do is eat and sleep. Without me, you’d starve to death in a day. What do you know?”
“I don’t know? You don’t know anything either! You squeeze your wife to death for your brother—you’re insane. Who’s the one supporting the family? Look at how your brother lives, and look at you. Are you even better than a beggar?”
“Compare, compare, compare—that’s all you do all day! If you’ve got the ability, then get out! Go live on your own! Stop nagging me—I can’t afford to support you. Go die wherever you want!”
Cao Jie kicked the door. It slammed against the wall with a loud bang. Cao Rong stood in front of Yu Chun, his voice trembling with tears. Cao Jie breathed heavily in anger, but finally fell silent.
So there was this kind of relationship behind the beatings!
Yu Chun felt her face sting, her heart burning with anger, her head buzzing. Every inch of her body throbbed with piercing pain. “Boot up, boot up, boot up—”
“Logically speaking, what you said is correct. Brothers should support each other; fathers and sons fight side by side. You two brothers have supported each other all these years, so naturally your bond is stronger than most,”
“Fengjie: You must be blind to marry someone like this! If your brother is so good, go live with him—why marry and have children?”
“But look at our current situation, and look at your brother’s. Our house is so poor not even a mouse can be found. The houses you bought with your salary over the years should indeed be used to support your parents—filial piety comes first among all virtues—but—” Li Wan controlled Yu Chun’s body and placed Cao Fang into Cao Jie’s arms. “How will these two children live? Even if they can take what they need to eat, without proof, won’t Xiao Rong’s future marriage and A Fang’s betrothal be ridiculed?”
“I’ll go take a look.” Without caring about the chicken, he put on a bamboo hat and went out.
‘Chun: It was that simple?’ Yu Chun could hardly believe it.
‘Xiangyun: Why does he listen to sister-in-law like a dog the moment she speaks!’
‘Daiyu: A single thought can make one a Buddha, another can make one a demon. Truly, understanding the world is knowledge, and mastering human relationships is literature. I am not as good as sister-in-law in this regard!’
‘Fengjie: You’re all fooled by her. In the end, she just doesn’t take this man seriously!’
‘Hengwu Jun: In handling matters, reason should come first. Do not let emotions cloud your judgment. Even within turmoil, one must observe as if outside the situation. Only with a calm mind can one see clearly; only with detached feelings can one reach completeness.’
‘Baoyu: All feelings are karma!’
‘Xiangyun: I’m not as complicated as you all. If marriage requires this much calculation, then what’s the point!’
‘Daiyu: One must survive, after all.’
Yu Chun fell silent, gently stroking Cao Rong’s face, still carrying traces of fear. Her heart ached as if pricked by needles. She agreed with Daiyu—one must survive.
‘Chun: If possible, I will never marry. Thank you, everyone. I want some quiet.’
‘Shutdown.’
Before anyone could respond, she withdrew.
The chicken on the ground had stiffened a bit. Instead of resting like yesterday, she went to the kitchen, took out a wooden basin, placed the chicken in the shed, and poured hot water over it.
“Mother, I’ll help you!” Cao Rong smiled ingratiatingly.
Yu Chun pressed her lips into a smile. Looking at his bright, sunlit face, she pinched his cheek and kissed him hard. She had a son now. As long as she lived, she would protect them.
“Help me study instead.”
After scalding the chicken, she began plucking the feathers. Fortunately, she came from the countryside—skills never go to waste.
“‘Bright, bright is the moon—when can I pluck it? Sorrow arises from within and cannot be cut off—’”
Besides cooking, she had many more things to do in the afternoon. Money and food—the more, the better. Ideally, a suitable knife for self-defense, and salt—yes, salt was the most important.
Cao Jie still hadn’t returned by mealtime.
“Even the heavens can’t wake someone determined to die!”
Bang—
Yu Chun slammed the ladle down. In the end, she only dared to smash the ladle. She knew it wouldn’t be that easy.
She took the stewed chicken out, rinsed it in cold water, grabbed some vegetables, and, not bothering with her messy hair, scooped half a ladle of flour, muttering like a resentful woman, “He definitely won’t get the document. I knew it, I knew it.”
She knew—because her father had been just like this.
She was so angry she didn’t want to cook for Cao Jie, but thinking of Li Wan, she added another half ladle of mixed flour, poured in water, kneaded it into crumbs, then quickly formed dough.
The dough was a bit soft. She let it rest and went to the vegetable patch to pick some cabbage. “I wonder what this cabbage soup is called—there’s even scallions and cilantro. The cilantro has gone to seed; the smell is too strong, so I’ll use less.”
“I’m so stupid, really. How could I ever rely on someone like this? I’m so stupid—how could I think of relying on such a person!”
Under the moonlight, Cao Rong’s slightly furrowed brows were faintly visible, as if this scene had played out countless times. He even let out a sigh of relief—this was the mother he was used to.
He kept an eye on his sister, occasionally picking her up and kissing her forehead, holding her belly with one hand and her bottom with the other. Chubby little Cao Fang looked like an oversized sunshine doll, nearly covering Cao Rong’s small frame.
Only Cao Rong’s ingratiating smile appeared again and again—ready to comfort his collapsing mother one moment and amuse his crying sister the next.
That pitiful, ingratiating look pierced Yu Chun’s heart. Her younger self overlapped with little Cao Rong before her eyes, and the bitterness in her heart burst out like something long suppressed. She slapped herself twice.
“Mother—waa—”
“From today on, whether by coaxing, grabbing, stealing, or deceiving, I will live like a proper human being. I will take good care of you!”
Yu Chun was ultimately kind. Faced with such obedient and lovable children, even the hardest heart would soften.
She soaked the vegetables. Cao Fang woke up, and Yu Chun fed her for a while. Cao Rong had already lit the fire, and the chicken soup simmered in the pot.
Yu Chun quickly placed Cao Fang on a piece of cloth on the ground, sprinkled some dry flour on the rested dough, and kneaded it again until it became more elastic. “Rongrong, do you want noodles?”
Without waiting for a response, she tore off a piece of dough for him to play with. Finally, she saw the child’s first genuine smile in two days.
She rolled out the dough, stretched and pulled it, sliced it with a knife, and quickly stirred the noodles apart in the pot with chopsticks. Once they floated, she added the washed greens and served two bowls.
She tore some chicken meat and placed it on top, added two cloves of garlic—a simple meal.
“Mother’s noodles are the best! When I grow up, I’ll earn lots and lots of money, become a high official, and buy you many things. Then father won’t dare hit you!”
Yu Chun stroked Cao Rong’s head. Her heart softened as if slightly intoxicated. Years of modern education told her this was just a child’s beautiful dream—raising children was less effective than raising oneself—but she had also trained as a maternity caregiver. This was, after all, a child’s love for his mother.
“Alright, I’ll wait,” Yu Chun smiled even more warmly. “But my good Rongrong must take care of himself first. If you’re well, I’ll be happy. As for what I want, I’ll get it myself.”
“Mm, I’ll listen!”
“Mother, and little sister!” Cao Rong exclaimed after eating, looking at babbling Cao Fang. He went into the kitchen, took a small gourd bowl, picked a few noodles from his own bowl, and placed them with a pair of tiny connected chopsticks into Cao Fang’s little cart. The little girl grinned sweetly, grabbed the noodles, and ate, only to pout from the heat, making Yu Chun and Cao Rong laugh. In the end, Yu Chun blew on the noodles to cool them before feeding her.
After eating, with Cao Rong’s help, they hung the chicken in the well in the courtyard.
Knock—knock—
After two knocks, a drawn-out, slightly hoarse shout came from afar and grew nearer: “All is safe—beware of fire—”
“First watch of the Xu hour—close doors and windows, guard against fire and theft—”
The voice gradually faded as the watchman walked past the courtyard gate. Yu Chun curiously listened—this was her first time hearing time announced. The first watch of the Xu hour?
She looked up at the sky. The sun had just set. Close doors and windows—there was a curfew in this dynasty. That meant Cao Jie wouldn’t return tonight?
Though she feared thieves, Yu Chun felt Cao Jie was far more dangerous.
She carried a basin of hot water and began wiping the bamboo bed. Aside from her hoarse voice and slightly blurred vision, she felt fine—but she couldn’t tolerate the filth and disorder.
Cao Rong took out three sets of coarse cloth undergarments from the cabinet. The yellowed cotton clothes had small sewn pockets. He put one on himself and handed one to Yu Chun.
“So clean!” Yu Chun wondered if the original Yu Chun had also been a transmigrator.
How could a commoner’s child be this clean? A transmigrator from some unknown dynasty had been strangled to death—she truly wondered how long she herself could last.
Yu Chun began tidying the room.