Li Renzhong’s wife straightened her clothes, gave her son a look, and then sauntered away.
Although the Li family’s house and Zuo Daya’s house were next to each other, they were back-to-back neighbors.
To get to Zuo Daya’s house, one still had to go out and around a few corners.
The wheat grains in the fields had all been gleaned today, so the children didn’t have to work.
Yuan Si was home alone.
‘My mom must be starving after a long day’s work,’ she thought, ‘and she definitely won’t get enough to eat at the communal kitchen.’ So, when the time came, she stopped cultivating.
Instead, she hid in the kitchen to roast a fish, figuring she could cook it early so her mother could eat it as soon as she got back.
She meant well, but she never expected that while she was roasting the fish, someone from the house across the way would return, smell the aroma, and bring trouble to her door.
When Li Renzhong’s wife reached the entrance to Zuo Daya’s home, she saw that the courtyard was empty and the doors to the various rooms were all shut tight.
Especially the kitchen.
‘Someone must be in there right now, secretly cooking,’ she thought.
In order to catch them in the act, she quietly reached out, gently pushed open the wicker gate from the outside, and tiptoed towards the kitchen.
Inside the kitchen, Yuan Si was in the middle of turning the fish in her hands when she sensed someone entering the courtyard.
Yuan Si frowned, “watching” with her senses as the person crept in like a thief.
After a moment’s thought, she put the fish in her hands and everything else that shouldn’t be there into her space.
Then, she stuffed all the burning firewood on the ground into the stove.
‘The room still smells like roasted fish,’ she thought.
‘All I can do now is open the side window to air it out.’
Just as Yuan Si finished, Li Renzhong’s wife reached the kitchen door.
She suddenly shoved the kitchen door open, shouting, “Zuo Daya, are you home?
I need to talk to you about something.
Hey, Little Si, why are you the only one in the kitchen?
What are you doing in here?” She was surprised not to find the child eating meat, but instead standing by the window.
Yuan Si searched her memories and recalled that this was the woman from Li Renzhong’s family across the way.
Their family had a terrible reputation.
‘She’s definitely up to no good today.’
Technically, Yuan Si’s family had two immediate neighbors.
One was the Li family, whose house was near the kitchen.
The other was a neighbor whose house was back-to-back with their main building.
There were no houses on the side with the woodshed.
The remaining side was a path that led down to the private plots of each family.
Therefore, they only had two neighbors.
“Auntie, are you looking for my mom?
She went to work; she’s not home.
If it’s important, you can go find her at the communal kitchen.
She’s cooking there right now.
If it’s not a big deal, you can wait.
When my mom gets back, I’ll let her know you were looking for her.”
Yuan Si spoke calmly, walking to the doorway to stand right in front of Li Renzhong’s wife.
“Auntie, let’s not talk in the kitchen.
It’s hot from the fire.
We should talk outside.” After speaking, Yuan Si gave her a little push with her small hands, causing Li Renzhong’s wife to stumble back out of the kitchen.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing, kid?
What’s the difference?
I don’t even mind the heat, so why are you pushing me?” Having been pushed out, the expression on Li Renzhong’s wife’s face soured.
Yuan Si paid her no mind.
She bent down, grabbed a nearby stool, placed it in front of the kitchen door, and sat down, making it clear she was guarding the entrance.
Seeing Yuan Si ignore her, Li Renzhong’s wife could only carry on a one-sided conversation.
“Look at you, child.
Still so quiet and withdrawn.
It’s a good thing I watched you grow up, or I’d really be angry with you.
Oh, it’s nothing important.
I was just wandering by and saw you were home alone, so I came over to chat.
I heard you came back from the city, but I haven’t even seen you yet.” Li Renzhong’s wife forced a smile, trying to look a little more amiable.
Yuan Si looked at her.
‘This woman can’t keep her story straight.
A minute ago she said she was looking for Mom, and now she says she came to see me.
She’s definitely up to no good.’
“Auntie, I’ve been back from the city for over two months.
Isn’t it a little late for you to come see me now?” Yuan Si retorted bluntly.
The woman couldn’t even bother to come up with a decent excuse.
Could you really blame Yuan Si for not giving her any face?
“Ah?
Heh heh, is that so?
I guess I didn’t notice.
I’ve been so busy, it just slipped my mind.
But I just remembered, didn’t I?” Li Renzhong’s wife explained awkwardly.
Fearing the girl would say something else to embarrass her, she quickly stated her purpose.
“Oh, right, look at me, getting carried away talking to you and forgetting the real reason I’m here.
Little Si, go get me some of that meat your family is eating.”
Yuan Si didn’t move.
She remained on the little stool, blocking the kitchen door, and stared at the woman with wide eyes.
“What, you don’t believe me?
Your mom and I are close.
She’s the one who told me, how else would I know?
She told me to come get the meat from you.
Hurry up, I have to get home after I grab it.
It wouldn’t be good if other people saw,” Li Renzhong’s wife urged impatiently, her words a mix of truth and lies.
“Auntie, are you still dreaming?
What meat?
We don’t have any meat,” Yuan Si finally said, though not in the way Li Renzhong’s wife and son had imagined.
‘There’s no way Mom, who’s so shrewd and protective of our food, would tell this old hag about the fish we have.
One look at this woman and you can tell she’s up to no good.
Besides, from what I remember, Mom can’t stand the Li family.
Why would she ever tell her we have meat at home?’
Fine, fine, I won’t waste my breath on a little girl.
Your mom told me to come get the meat.
If you won’t get it for me, then move aside.
I’ll go in and get it myself.” Li Renzhong’s wife had seen the fire still lit in the stove just now, and she’d smelled fish.
She was positive the child was hiding at home cooking fish.
‘If I just go in and search, I’ll definitely find it.
This kid is an idiot.
There’s no point explaining it to her.
It’s faster to just go in and grab the meat myself.’
‘You’re the idiot.
Your whole family is full of idiots.’
Of course, Yuan Si couldn’t let this old woman run wild in her house.
She didn’t move an inch, remaining firmly planted in the doorway.
“Auntie, I am young, so you don’t have to talk to me.
My mom will be back soon, you can talk to her.
And when she gets back, she’ll also tell you that we really don’t have any meat.
All the meat is at the communal kitchen.”
How could Li Renzhong’s wife wait for Zuo Daya to return?
She was hoping not to run into her at all.
Seeing that the girl really wasn’t going to let her pass, she cast aside all pretense of civility and used her large frame to try and drag Yuan Si away.
“Don’t try to fool me.
Your mom already told me that you two cook meat for yourselves at home.
I just want to take a look, I’m not going to take any of it.
Why are you hiding it from me?
Besides, we’re neighbors.
It’s only right to share when you have something good.
Move aside, little girl.
Don’t block the way.”
Seeing the woman actually try to use force, Yuan Si’s eyes went wide.
“Auntie, what are you doing?
Are you really going to get physical?
Don’t come any closer, or I’ll scream!”
“What do you mean, ‘get physical’?
I’m just telling you to move aside and stop blocking the way,” Li Renzhong’s wife said shamelessly.
“AAAAH!
Bandits!
There’s a bad person here!
Someone’s trying to rob us!
Mom, come back quick!
A bad person is going to beat your daughter to death!” Before Li Renzhong’s wife’s big paws could even touch her, Yuan Si suddenly went off like a wind-up toy, clutching her head and screaming.
The little girl’s scream was shrill and piercing, echoing all across Li Family Village.
Then, with a deadpan expression, Yuan Si watched the old woman, who stood there dumbfounded with her mouth hanging open.
‘This isn’t my style; it’s something my mom taught me.
Even though I don’t really like it and I’m not sure it will work, I trust her.
Mom is shrewd.
The ideas she comes up with are probably more practical for daily life than me just fighting back directly.’