Faced with her mother’s concern, Chun Ni quickly wiped away her tears. “Mother, I’m fine. I just ran too fast earlier and tripped.”
“Let Mother take a look. Where did you fall? Does it hurt?”
Chun Ni forced a smile and shook her head.
…
Wu Yulan bustled about for nearly half an hour before finally finishing the meal.
When everyone saw the white rice porridge on the table, a large pot of fish, two plates of pan-fried tofu, and a basin of stir-fried cabbage, not a single person dared to move their chopsticks.
Wang Guiqin wiped her hands and turned as if to leave. “I’ll… I’ll go call Little Uncle to eat.”
“Stop right there!”
“In the future, no need to call him for meals. I’m setting new rules—anyone in this family who doesn’t work doesn’t eat!”
As she spoke, Wu Yulan took up her bowl first and picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks.
Mm… there was no salt left at home, so the taste was a bit bland, but it would do.
Seeing that no one else had started eating, she urged them, “Hurry up and eat. Dalang, Erlang—after you finish, come with me to sell fish.”
Song Zhiyong stared at the fish on the table, slightly dazed.
After a long moment, he said in a low voice, “Mother, what exactly are you trying to do? Just say it plainly.”
Song Zhiyong had once been extremely filial. But after his eldest daughter, Song Jinhua, had been sold by his mother, and after he himself had been forced to hunt in the mountains during winter and broken his leg—after incident upon incident—his heart had long since grown cold.
Wu Yulan knew that her behavior over the past two days had indeed been unusual. If she didn’t provide a suitable explanation, no one would feel at ease.
With that in mind, she put down her chopsticks. After a brief moment of thought, she decided to use the late Old Man Song as an excuse.
“Yesterday, when I fainted, I had a dream. I dreamed of your father. He scolded me, saying I had tormented you all and made your lives difficult, and that I had spoiled the fourth child into lawlessness.
Our ancestors also reproached me for selling the Song family’s bloodline. They said that if I continued to mistreat my descendants like this, when I die, they wouldn’t allow me into the ancestral hall, and I would be left wandering outside as a lonely ghost.”
Song Zhiyong pressed his lips tightly together, saying nothing.
Wu Yulan sighed and continued, “Thinking back over these years, I truly was in the wrong. Eldest, second, and third—you three have always been the most filial, yet in my eyes I only saw the fourth.
All these years, I not only made you three brothers toil like beasts of burden for him, but even sold your daughters so he could study.”
As she spoke, she even wiped at the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, though there were no real tears.
“When I think about what I’ve done, I’m ashamed to face our ancestors even in death. So from now on, I want to turn over a new leaf and be a good mother and a good mother-in-law.”
“Eldest, are you still willing to acknowledge me as your mother?”
At those words, Song Zhiyong felt his mind explode with a buzz. The chopsticks in his hand trembled slightly.
Had Mother finally seen their sacrifices?
The others were also moved when they heard this.
Wang Guiqin tugged at Zhao Lijuan’s sleeve, hope flickering in her eyes. “Lijuan, is Mother-in-law really going to change for the better?”
Zhao Lijuan forced a bitter smile, thinking to herself that if her mother-in-law truly changed, at least she wouldn’t have to live in constant fear that her younger daughter would also be sold.
“I hope so.”
Seeing that Song Zhiyong had not answered, Wu Yulan called again, “Eldest?”
After struggling internally for a long time, the resentment in Song Zhiyong’s heart finally softened into a thread of hope.
Perhaps… Mother really could change?
In a low voice, he said, “Mother.”
Wu Yulan responded cheerfully, “Ah!”
Looking down at the extra piece of fish that had appeared in his bowl, Song Zhiyong fell into a daze once more.
Wu Yulan had not only given him a piece of fish—she had given one to everyone at the table.
When she noticed Song Yinhua staring at her fish and swallowing, she said gently, “Go on and eat. From now on, Grandma will do her best to make sure you can eat meat every day.”
Song Yinhua looked at Wu Yulan’s kind expression and felt that Grandma really did seem different.
In the past, Grandma would never have treated her this way. But today, not only was she speaking gently to her, she had even given her a piece of fish.
In the room off to the side, Li Xiuyun gently rocked her younger daughter to sleep. Glancing at the food on the table and recalling what her mother-in-law had just said, a faint sense of hope stirred in her heart.
Chun Ni sat on a stool, picking at the porridge in her bowl. Remembering how Grandma had once tried to sell her, she secretly raised her hand and wiped away a tear.
…
After the meal, Wu Yulan pushed the family’s handcart, while Song Dalang and Song Erlang carried two buckets of fish out the door.
Song Family Village was located south of Pingjiang Town, about twenty li away. Even at a brisk pace, it would take at least an hour to get there.
Relying on the memories in her mind, Wu Yulan walked for over an hour before finally reaching Pingjiang Town.
The Dongchen Kingdom encouraged commerce, and merchant culture was thriving. As soon as they entered the town, they heard vendors calling out one after another.
“Sour plum soup~ Refreshing and heat-clearing sour plum soup~!”
“Wontons~ Authentic Nanxiang wontons~!”
“Candied hawthorn! One wen per skewer~!”
Wu Yulan turned her head and saw the brothers’ gazes simultaneously drift toward the candied hawthorn vendor.
After all, they were only thirteen or fourteen—still children. Naturally, they craved sweets.
Wu Yulan took out the bamboo water flask she had brought from home, took a sip, and handed it to them.
“Let’s go. We’ll check out the vegetable market.”
Upon arriving at the produce market, Wu Yulan noticed there were quite a few people selling fish. After asking around, she learned that grass carp were selling for seven to eight wen per jin, while crucian carp were even cheaper, only five to six wen.
Thinking about it carefully, Pingjiang Town was a water town. Fish and shrimp were abundant, so lower prices were only natural.
Deciding to sell what she could, Wu Yulan found a spot and arranged the fish.
“Fresh fish for sale! Fresh grass carp and crucian carp~!”
With people constantly coming and going in the market, it didn’t take long before someone stopped.
“How much for this grass carp?”
An elderly woman carrying a basket pointed at the fish in the bucket.
“If weighed, eight wen per jin. If you estimate by the whole fish, it’ll be cheaper. This one weighs a little over three jin—just twenty-five wen.”
When she was studying traditional Chinese medicine in her previous life, she had often weighed herbs. Wu Yulan was confident in her ability to estimate weight.
The woman took the grass carp and weighed it in her hand. “It does seem about three jin. But others are selling for seven wen per jin. Yours at eight is a bit expensive.”
“Auntie, theirs are caught with nets—the scales get scraped off. Our fish are caught with hooks; the scales are still intact!”
It was Song Erlang speaking. Wu Yulan remained silent, letting him continue.
Seeing her tacit approval, Song Erlang grew more enthusiastic. “Auntie, just look at this fish—the scales are dark and shiny. The meat must be tender and sweet! With skin as good as yours, you must eat fish often. Why not buy one?”
Flattered, the woman unconsciously touched her cheek, a smile spreading across her face.
“You little rascal, what a sweet tongue you have!”
“Fine, I’ll take one.”
She quickly counted out twenty-five wen and handed it to Wu Yulan.
Seeing this, Song Dalang hurriedly took out the bamboo strips their father had shaved and strung the fish onto one.
“Thank you, Auntie! If you enjoy it, be sure to come back next time!”
Song Erlang handed over the fish with a grin, watching as the woman walked away.
As soon as she left, Song Erlang immediately turned to Wu Yulan.
“Not bad! If you manage to sell both buckets of fish, I’ll reward each of you with a candied hawthorn skewer!”
Wu Yulan hadn’t expected the two boys to be so capable. She had only brought them along to help watch the fish. Discovering that Song Erlang had a knack for business was a pleasant surprise.
“Grandma, you mean it? If we sell both buckets, you’ll buy us candied hawthorn?” Song Erlang swallowed and asked eagerly.
“Of course I mean it.”
With that, she found a stone stool and sat down.
Encouraged, Song Erlang grew even more spirited, imitating Wu Yulan’s call.
“Fresh fish for sale! Fresh grass carp and crucian carp! Come take a look!”
Song Dalang, emboldened, joined in. “Fresh fish for sale~!”
The brothers looked remarkably alike—at first glance, they could pass for twins. Coupled with their delicate features, their enthusiastic calls attracted quite a few aunties and grannies.
Of course, not everyone who came over truly intended to buy fish. Many approached simply to tease the two boys.
“Young lads, if we eat your fish, will we give birth to twins?”