By the pond, Gu Nianzhi took a small knife from her space and cleaned the river fish, then skinned the wild rabbit.
Looking at the whole rabbit hide, she thought she could make a rabbit-fur scarf for Gu Nian’an for the winter.
At that moment, Mrs. Liu came over carrying a wooden bucket. Gu Nianzhi thought she was coming to fetch water for cooking.
“Mother, I’ll cook tonight’s meal,” she said.
She was craving fried river fish and a dry-pot rabbit!
“Okay,” Mrs. Liu replied, her voice small and calm. Gu Nianzhi glanced up at her.
“Nianzhi… have you really… come back?”
What?
Gu Nianzhi froze. Could it be that Mrs. Liu really was a reborn soul?
“Mother, what do you mean? Famine? War? Or…?”
Hearing this, Mrs. Liu suddenly broke down.
“Waaah… Nianzhi, you really came back!”
She had long suspected it! Nianzhi was born kind, but her personality had suddenly changed.
She should have become the local landlord Liu’s concubine, yet she forcefully changed her fate. Everything about her was extraordinary.
It was all her fault.
In her previous life, she couldn’t protect these two children. This life, they were even taking care of her—it was her failure!
“Mother, I’m so sorry!”
Mrs. Liu sat on the ground, sobbing loudly, either from all the injustices of her previous life or from the guilt she felt toward the children.
“Mother! It’s not your fault! Blame the old Gu family; our family’s suffering all comes from them.”
At these words, Mrs. Liu stopped crying.
She recalled that in the original story, when the protagonist died, she and Gu Dachui were still alive. But poor Gu Nian’an, just seven years old, was sold by that bastard Gu Tiezhu in exchange for a pound of coarse flour.
The book even said that Gu Nian’an was later cooked alive by refugees as food.
At first, she hadn’t reacted much to this plotline. But after spending these past few days with Gu Nian’an, she had grown fond of him and would absolutely not let that happen in this life!
Mrs. Liu calmed herself and remembered the bitter circumstances of her previous life.
“After you died last time, An’an was sold by that animal Gu Tiezhu. Gu Dachui and I searched for days but couldn’t find him.”
Even back then, she knew the child’s odds were slim—but she refused to believe it, clinging to hope.
“Later, we were relocated to Yong’an City. Gu Tiezhu’s family attached themselves to a powerful figure, and soon they took Grandmother Gu’s family to the capital.”
Gu Nianzhi noticed sharply that Mrs. Liu said “Grandmother Gu’s family” and didn’t mention taking her along.
“And you?”
“Me?”
Mrs. Liu smiled bitterly.
“They attached themselves to the powerful and despised me for having been a maid, a former slave. Gu Dachui divorced me and took all my possessions. That winter… the snow was heavy…”
She didn’t finish, but Gu Nianzhi already understood the ending.
The two of them fell silent, each returning home with their tasks.
Gu Nian’an, sensing that his sister and mother were troubled, carefully shrank behind the stove.
“Mother, sister… what’s wrong with you two?”
The two of them saw the tiny figure curled up by the stove and couldn’t help laughing.
“Who told you to hide there?” Gu Nianzhi chuckled.
“Dog Egg said that when women argue, they’re the scariest. At such times, you have to protect yourself and minimize your presence.”
He dared not offend either his sister or mother, so he had no choice but to shrink himself.
“Alright, this is making it seem like we beat you all the time,” Gu Nianzhi muttered.
She grabbed the iron pot and scooped a large ladle of lard.
“Ah! What are you doing? That much fat could last half a month!”
Heavens! She’d never seen anyone put that much oil in a dish!
Ignoring Mrs. Liu’s protests, Gu Nianzhi put the lard into the pot to melt.
“Mother, our bodies are weak. From now on, our meals must have enough oil and fat to stay healthy.”
Mrs. Liu restrained herself from throwing the lard back into the container and sat aside, leaving Gu Nianzhi to cook.
Yes! Next year they would face famine. If they didn’t build up their strength now, they would suffer even more.
From now on, Mrs. Liu decided she would never skimp on oil, salt, or food again. Everyone would eat well and be nourished.
Watching the vegetables in the garden grow day by day, soon there would be fresh greens to eat. They had to hurry with the harvest—otherwise, it would be wasted.
That evening, fried small fish and dry-pot rabbit were served. Even without dried chili or other seasonings, they conquered both Mrs. Liu’s and Gu Nian’an’s taste buds.
“So delicious!”
“I’ve never eaten anything this good in my life!”
“Sister, you’re even better than the town’s top chefs!”
“From now on, I’ll follow your directions—just make me the food I want.”
Gu Nian’an continued to shower compliments, his cheeks puffed full but not slowing him down.
Mrs. Liu laughed heartily. She had never noticed how funny her little son could be.
Meanwhile, the kitchen was filled with warmth and laughter, but the Gu family’s old home was tense.
One person had a bowl of thin porridge, a large basin of wild vegetables on the table, while Grandfather Gu smoked a dry pipe with a dark expression. As long as he didn’t eat, no one dared touch the food.
“The household grain is almost gone, the silver spent, the formal gifts borrowed. Who knows if we can survive these days?”
He muttered, eyes fixed on Zhang Cuihua.
The family still had some grain left. If rationed, it could last until spring. But Zhang Cuihua had secretly given grain to her natal family. By the time the household noticed, it was gone. The remaining grain, even as porridge, would last only half a month—what a nightmare.
“Father, Mother, my brother said he would repay it…”
Zhang Cuihua tried to explain quietly but lacked confidence.
“Did he repay it?”
Grandfather Gu set down his pipe, eyes sharp and fierce.
Zhang Cuihua dared not speak.
Her eldest brother had promised to repay days ago, yet nothing had happened, which is why the elders discovered it.
In previous years, when she supplemented her home with grain, the elders would turn a blind eye. Even if borrowed, her brothers would repay on time. This year, however, her family had no money, leaving her helpless.
“Tiezhu.”
Hearing Grandfather Gu call him, Gu Tiezhu quickly responded.
“Yes, Father.”
“Today, go with Zhang to your maternal family and see what’s going on.”
In previous years, the family knew Zhang Cuihua borrowed grain from her family. Each time, her family would repay and sometimes send eggs or vegetables, so no one minded.
But this year, with grain scarce and silver gone, there was no room for error. They had no choice but to confront Zhang Cuihua’s family.
Gu Tiezhu nodded. That meal, the whole family ate in silence.
The next day, the couple from the main household returned to Zhang Cuihua’s maternal home. Only then did Zhang realize that her family’s fields had been mostly flooded by the river. The harvest barely covered taxes—there was no money to repay the Gu family’s grain.
She felt the sky had fallen.
Her maternal family was her backing. She dared not offend them, but returning empty-handed meant the Gu elders would surely berate her.
“What do we do now?”
Gu Tiezhu glared at the sobbing woman in front of him, irritated.
“You caused this problem yourself. Why ask me?”
Hearing this, Zhang Cuihua cried even louder.
Over the years, supporting Chengwen’s education had cost a lot. She and Gu Tiezhu had squandered freely, assuming the second household and the Gu elders would supplement them. Now there was no money left to fill the gap.