Yu Chunmiao asked Chen Ruolan to bring over an earthen jar and poured the remaining loquat leaves into it. Once it cooled, she instructed her to drink a bowl before bed and another early the next morning.
“Mother, this does help, but it won’t work overnight. You have to keep drinking it. If I find other herbs later, I’ll bring those for you too.”
Chen Ruolan’s nose stung with emotion. She had been so well cared for by her husband that she’d never learned much herself—yet the moment this new daughter-in-law arrived, she was already fussing over her illness and even thinking of ways to earn money to treat her son’s injured leg.
She couldn’t help but believe her late husband was watching over them, blessing her with such a good daughter-in-law.
At dinner, Qi Rong followed Yu Chunmiao’s example and sucked the meat from the river snails. Just like chewing on sugarcane, the taste stunned him.
So this was the secret. The snails had to be kept alive for two days to purge the mud and sand. Before stir-frying, they were blanched, then rinsed in cold water—making the meat springy and firm. Add plenty of chili, scallions, and ginger, splash in a bit of wine, and not a trace of fishiness remained.
Most importantly—cut off the tail.
As his big brother’s loyal lackey, Qi Rong piled a plate high and hurried it over to Qi Chong’s room.
Qi Chong was inside reading. When he saw the plate of snails, he immediately guessed they were Yu Chunmiao’s handiwork.
In his eyes, she was no longer that foolish girl. Her presence had quietly woven itself into daily life, without feeling intrusive at all.
“Big Brother, Sister-in-law made these—so good!” Qi Rong said excitedly. “There are tons of these things. We can have meat every day now. I’ll show you how to eat them.”
Proud to be teaching his brother something new, he picked up two snails and sucked them clean.
After demonstrating, he shut the door and left. Forgetting to close it would earn him a scolding—he remembered that clearly.
Qi Chong copied his brother and tried a couple himself. The more he ate, the better they tasted.
This bought wife of his… seemed pretty good after all.
That night, before bed, Chen Ruolan drank another bowl of loquat leaf water.
In the middle of the night, she began coughing as usual. Footsteps sounded next door. She always coughed in her sleep—unless someone woke her, she never noticed.
A door creaked. Footsteps followed. A dim glow flickered.
“Ah—!” Yu Chunmiao’s scream pierced the night, and the oil lamp went out.
Qi Chong jolted upright and fumbled in the dark. Before he could even lower his injured leg, his mother’s voice came from outside.
“Chunmiao, what’s wrong?”
The light flared back to life.
“Mother, there’s a snake—so big! It scared me to death!”
The slight sob in her voice stirred an inexplicable urge to protect her. Qi Chong didn’t even grab his crutch—he hopped outside on one leg.
“What happened? Where’s the snake?” he asked, bracing himself against the wall.
He saw his mother holding Yu Chunmiao, who was trembling, gently comforting her.
“It’s alright. The snake’s gone. Don’t be afraid.”
She completely ignored his question.
Yu Chunmiao leaned into Chen Ruolan’s shoulder and pointed behind her.
“Mother, I’m scared. Can you check if it’s really gone?”
Qi Chong hopped over, took the oil lamp, and said, “I’ll look.”
Yu Chunmiao had always been terrified of snakes. When she was young, she’d been bitten by a non-venomous green snake—but the fear had never left her.
Qi Chong crouched and scanned the ground with the lamp, but he couldn’t go very far. The moment he tried to hop, the flame threatened to go out.
Seeing her son’s difficulty, Chen Ruolan moved to take the lamp—but Yu Chunmiao clutched her tightly.
“Mother, don’t go… I—I’m scared.”
Chen Ruolan patted her back gently.
“Alright. Mother won’t go.”
“Rong’er, get up!” Qi Chong shouted.
Qi Rong answered with a groggy “Mm?” and stumbled out, rubbing his eyes.
Qi Chong handed him the oil lamp. “She was scared by a snake. Go check if it’s still around.”
Holding a stick, Qi Rong made a round under the eaves and across the yard. “Didn’t see anything.”
Only then did Yu Chunmiao loosen her grip on her mother-in-law. She turned cautiously, her voice muffled. “It’s really gone? Maybe… maybe you should check again?”
Qi Rong obediently started another sweep of the yard.
That was when Yu Chunmiao noticed a tall figure standing right beside her. By the moonlight, she could make out half the outline of his face.
“Why did you come out?” she asked softly. Guilt crept in—her own fear had disturbed the whole household’s sleep.
Hearing her gentle, almost whispery voice, an unfamiliar sensation rose in Qi Chong’s chest. He cleared his throat. “Didn’t you call out? I… came to take a look.”
“I’m sorry,” Yu Chunmiao said, embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s fine,” Qi Chong replied, speaking before he could think. “We’re family. That’s how it should be.”
She thought his voice sounded especially nice—low, steady, and faintly magnetic.
Chen Ruolan smiled without saying a word. She didn’t interrupt; watching the young couple talk like this was enough. Back when she and her husband first spoke to each other, it had been just as brief and awkward.
Qi Rong came back, not yet reaching the group, when Chen Ruolan added, “Pick up your sister-in-law’s oil lamp.”
Taking the lamp from her younger son, Chen Ruolan yawned and said to Yu Chunmiao, “I’m sleepy. I’ll walk you back to bed. You boys should sleep too.”
With that, she wrapped an arm around her daughter-in-law’s shoulders and led her away, leaving the two sons standing in the dark—one of them barely able to walk.
Qi Rong froze on the spot, feeling as if half his mother’s affection had just been taken away.
“What are you standing there for?” Qi Chong snapped. “Light the lamp. Bring me my crutch.”
The sharpness in his brother’s voice was nothing like the tone he’d used with their sister-in-law just moments earlier.
Qi Rong had the strange feeling that his brother’s affection had shrunk as well.
The next morning, Qi Chong got up and left his room, intending to eat breakfast with everyone in the kitchen. More than that, he wanted to see Yu Chunmiao. He’d been curious all night—what did she actually look like?
But only Qi Rong was there, eating. He looked surprised to see his brother. “Big brother, how did you know Mother and Sister-in-law went to town?”
Qi Chong frowned and sat down. “I… didn’t know. I was just hungry.”
Qi Rong quickly served him porridge and handed over a coarse-grain pancake with wild vegetables. “Try it! Sister-in-law’s cooking is really good.”
The millet porridge with wild mustard greens was cooked just right. Not like their mother’s—she always overcooked it. Forget eating it; even the smell reminded him of pig feed.
Qi Chong asked casually, “Why did Mother go to town with her? To sell clams? Why didn’t you go?”
Swallowing a mouthful of porridge, Qi Rong replied, “I was supposed to go, but this morning Mother suddenly told me not to. She said Sister-in-law’s clothes are too worn out, and they’re going to buy some cloth to make her new ones.”
Before dawn, Yu Chunmiao and her mother-in-law had already set out, arriving early to secure a good spot while the market was crowded. Chen Ruolan took a quick look around the seafood stalls—no one else was selling clams.
“Chunmiao, clams usually go for eight coins a jin. Since no one’s selling today, let’s ask for ten. That way there’s room to bargain.”
This was something her husband had taught her back when he brought her to sell mountain goods—if you’re the only seller, it’s fine to raise the price a little.
Yu Chunmiao thought her mother-in-law was quite savvy. She’d never done business before, so she decided to follow her lead entirely.