After Chen Shi left, Zhao Shi’s face immediately darkened. “You’re so generous with the poor—when my mother fell last time, why didn’t your sister bring anything to visit?”
Chen Da was baffled. After hanging up the meat, he said, “Well, you didn’t mention it then. This time we happened to run into her. We’re relatives—how could we pretend not to know?”
Zhao Shi rolled her eyes. “Why couldn’t we pretend not to know? They didn’t say anything either.”
Hearing this, Chen Da grew angry. “But my sister didn’t even accept it!”
He didn’t understand what he had done wrong. Was giving his own sister a piece of meat such a big deal? Was it worth Zhao Shi saying all these unpleasant things?
Besides, he didn’t do it often—at most once or twice a year. Most of the time, his younger sister didn’t even take it. Was it really necessary?
And every time they visited his family, if he brought too many things for his parents, she would complain. Sometimes he felt less like a person and more like a servant in a landlord’s household—toiling all day slaughtering pigs without seeing a single coin, only to be scolded and berated by his wife, listening to her mock his sister and parents. The more he thought about it, the more meaningless it all felt.
Noticing her usually mild-tempered husband’s anger, Zhao Shi’s voice softened. “I only said a couple of things. Why are you so angry? I have a mouth—can’t I even speak?”
…
Meanwhile, when Su Li and Su Tao pushed the cart to the Yiguan, there weren’t many people there. Only a young apprentice dozed off while boiling medicine, accompanied by the hoarse chirping of cicadas in the Michelia alba tree.
Hearing footsteps, the apprentice didn’t even dare look up. He quickly adjusted his posture, bowing his head as he frantically fanned the stove, muttering, “Almost done, almost done.”
No one was rushing him. Su Tao gave the apprentice a puzzled glance.
Su Li, however, was suddenly reminded of when she had stayed up too late watching anime and was caught napping in class the next day—she had acted just like this. She couldn’t help but find it amusing.
“What are you two doing here?” Su Laotou was squatting on the ground changing Wu Pozi’s bandages. At the Yiguan, even having the doctor change the bandages cost two coins each time. Unwilling to spend the money, Su Laotou had taken the initiative to learn how to do it himself to save some silver.
“Grandpa, Grandma, we brought you lunch.”
The two entered the room and approached Su Laotou and Wu Pozi. The room was quite narrow—it had been converted from an old woodshed—and could only fit one bed. Fortunately, its location was good. When the window was propped open, it faced the Michelia alba tree outside. With a breeze, the room filled with fragrance, diluting the pungent smell of medicine.
Su Li took out the food and arranged it on the small table, while Su Tao went to help Su Laotou change the bandages.
“Didn’t we say you didn’t need to bring lunch?” Wu Pozi suddenly spoke up. The family had already spent so much silver on her, and this medical expense was likely no small amount. Although her daughter-in-law Chen Shi hadn’t mentioned it and acted as if nothing was wrong every time she visited, Wu Pozi wasn’t blind—she could see the worry on her daughter-in-law’s face.
She wondered who Chen Shi had borrowed the medical fees from. She would have to ask later.
In the end, their family was indebted to their daughter-in-law. A good girl from a decent family had married into their Junhu household and suffered along with them. The thought made Wu Pozi feel miserable.
“Yes, your grandmother and I haven’t done anything all day—we’re not even hungry. Don’t bring lunch tomorrow.”
Su Laotou also chimed in, but his words carried no conviction. His hunched frame bore no extra flesh, and when he bent over, one could even see his spine protruding sharply.
Although no one in the Su family was plump—including Su Li and Su Tao, who were much thinner than girls their age—the leanest were the elderly Wu Pozi and Su Laotou. They worked the hardest in the family yet ate the least.
During the recent busy farming season, the two elders had practically rooted themselves in the fields, refusing to take breaks no matter how often they were urged. Even now, many days after the busy period, their sunburns hadn’t healed, and their necks were still peeling.
Nearby, Su Li felt an inexplicable pang of sorrow upon hearing this, as if it were a remnant emotion from her original self.
So she slowly recounted the day’s food-selling venture, hoping to ease their worries so they wouldn’t skimp on meals.
“That’s right, Grandpa, Grandma, don’t worry. From now on, our family will have money.” After saying this, Su Tao launched into a vivid retelling of the day’s events.
“The customers loved it! Fifth Sister sold out all the food she made.”
“We earned a full 200 wen in just over half an hour.”
“Everyone who tried it said it was incredibly delicious.”
“And lots of people who missed out said they’d come back tomorrow!”
When Su Tao finished, Su Laotou and Wu Pozi were speechless, their eyes wide with disbelief.
“You’re saying you made 200 wen selling pig intestines?”
“You’re not fooling us, are you?” They couldn’t believe it—who would buy such a thing to eat? And for so much money? But their granddaughter’s expression showed no hint of a lie. Could it be true?
Seeing their skepticism, Su Li handed them the specially saved plate of stir-fried Feichang from that day, smiling. “Grandpa, Grandma, try it and you’ll see.”
Su Laotou took the bowl hesitantly and looked inside. It was indeed pig intestines, but unlike the foul memory he had, these were coated in a vibrant red chili oil, looking quite appealing and smelling nothing like rot.
Could this really be tasty?
He sniffed it, then picked up a piece and tentatively tasted it. The next moment, his eyes lit up in astonishment. Without even swallowing, he turned to Wu Pozi. “Old woman, you have to try this!”
Wu Pozi took a bite and was equally amazed by the flavor.
How could it be so delicious? There was no trace of the usual pig intestine odor. The Feichang had soaked up the spicy sauce, offering a slight numbing heat and a perfect crisp-tenderness—neither tough nor mushy.
“Well?” Chen Shi asked.
“Good!” Su Laotou exclaimed after several eager mouthfuls. He could already imagine how well it would pair with liquor.
“Did Fifth Girl really make this?” Wu Pozi was stunned once again by her granddaughter’s cooking skills. Was this truly her handiwork?
“Yes,” Su Tao nodded. She, too, was surprised that Fifth Sister could make even pig intestines taste this good.
Just then, “Grandma, your rice.” Su Li served a bowl of rice and handed it to Wu Pozi.
Wu Pozi reached out with her wrinkled hands to accept it. “Ah, good.”
Then she slowly began to eat. The Feichang was particularly easy to chew, making it perfect for someone like her with poor teeth. Spicy and fragrant, it went perfectly with rice. Wu Pozi unconsciously finished a whole bowl of rice in one go. It was worth noting that since she started taking herbal medicine daily, she had lost her appetite. Combined with the hot weather, she hadn’t been able to eat much. Yet today, she ate so much.
“Fifth Girl’s cooking is getting better and better,” Su Laotou said with satisfaction after finishing his meal.
Wu Pozi felt the same, though due to her medication, she hadn’t dared to eat too much Feichang. Instead, she had more of the stewed eggplant and beans, but she was still very satisfied with the meal.
Now, the two of them believed the story about Su Tao and the others earning money from selling Feichang that day.
Although they believed it, they still hadn’t fully processed it.
Even after Su Li and Su Tao had left, Su Laotou couldn’t quite believe it. “Old woman, am I dreaming? Did Si Ya and Fifth Girl really say they earned 200 wen in just one day?”
“Should I pinch you a couple of times?”
“Forget it,” Su Laotou refused.
Meanwhile, Wu Pozi added, “And we can’t calculate it like that. We have to subtract the cost of rice, oil, and salt. I estimate they probably earned around 100 wen.”
“100 wen is still quite good,” Su Laotou said, and Wu Pozi agreed. In these times, being able to earn any money at all was already an achievement.
Moreover, earning 100 wen in a single day meant a solid 3 taels of silver per month!! At this thought, both of them began to breathe heavily.
On the other side, after Su Li and Su Tao reunited with Chen Shi, the three of them returned home in the afternoon. They rested for a while before starting to wash the Feichang. Unlike the struggle of the previous day, Su Tao washed with great enthusiasm today, no longer disgusted by the dirt and smell of the Feichang.
Chen Shi watched as Su Tao washed while retching but still happily. In the end, it was Chen Shi who couldn’t stand it anymore. She went into the house and cut three pieces of scrap cloth, handing them to Su Tao and Su Li.
“Plug your noses with this, and it won’t smell.”
Su Tao took the cloth and stuffed it into her nose, speaking in a muffled voice, “Mom, it really doesn’t smell anymore.”
…
After washing the Feichang, they lit the fire to boil it, then washed it again. After multiple rounds of cleaning, the Feichang was finally clean. However, since they wouldn’t be stir-frying it until the next day, the cleaned Feichang was placed directly into a wooden bucket and lowered into the well to prevent it from spoiling.
After washing the Feichang, Su Li looked at the two large marrow bones that were said to be a gift from Da Jiu and went into the house to fetch an axe. Seeing this, Chen Shi asked curiously, “What are you doing with the axe?”
Su Li placed the bones on an empty patch of ground and said, “I’m going to split them open to make soup.”
There was hardly any meat left on the two bones. If they were boiled as they were, the marrow inside would go to waste. That’s why Su Li thought of splitting them in half before boiling them, so they could enjoy the marrow.
She imagined sipping the soup while blanching some greens in it—nothing could be more satisfying. The only pity was the hot weather. If it were winter, a hearty bone and radish stew would taste truly amazing.
Seeing Su Li’s determination, Chen Shi didn’t stop her. She had come to realize that her daughter had many innovative ideas and was far more skilled at cooking than she was. It was better not to interfere.
She decided to focus on what she could do.
With this thought, Chen Shi took the river snails that Su Tao and Su Li had gathered a couple of days earlier and went outside to the yard to clean them.
By the time Su Li finished splitting the bones, Chen Shi had also finished her task.