Right now, there were only three adults staying at the Meng household: Wang Cuilian, Chen Rou who had just given birth, and Xu Chunhua who had also recently delivered a child.
Naturally, the responsibility of cooking fell onto Wang Cuilian.
Chen Rou had just given birth and was extremely weak, so Wang Cuilian immediately decided to slaughter the family’s egg-laying hen to make soup to nourish her.
Back when her three daughters-in-law had been doing their postpartum confinement, Wang Cuilian would at most steam an egg custard with two eggs every few days.
At noon, after finishing work in the fields, the three Meng brothers gradually made their way home.
The group walked along the narrow ridges between the fields, golden wheat ears swaying on both sides.
Walking in front was Meng Dazhuang. Only forty-six years old and still in his prime, he was thin and gaunt, always hunched over like a spineless clay figurine with no temper at all.
Following behind him was the eldest son, Meng Qiufeng. He had a sturdy build, dark skin, sharp calculating eyes, and a faint smile hanging on his face.
Meng Qiufeng’s wife, Tian Lan, had died young, leaving him with a son and a daughter. His son Meng Wen was ten years old, and his daughter Meng Hong was seven.
Behind Meng Qiufeng walked Meng Qiushou. Thin and pale-skinned, he kept his head lowered and looked so honest and weak that it seemed three blows couldn’t force a fart out of him.
Beside Meng Qiushou was his sturdy wife Wang Yun. Her features were strikingly attractive, her only flaw being that standing beside Meng Qiushou made her appear especially dark-skinned.
Wang Yun was domineering and strong-willed, completely suppressing her husband.
The second branch only had two daughters: the eldest, Meng Sang, was nine, and the younger, Meng Liu, was eight.
Lazily trailing at the very back with a carefree swagger was Meng Qiushi. Among all the Meng children, the best-looking were the dragon-phoenix twins Meng Qiushi and Meng Qiucan, who seemed to have inherited only the best features from their parents.
The moment he stepped through the courtyard gate, Meng Qiushi smelled the rich aroma of chicken soup. His eyes lit up instantly, his previous sluggishness vanishing as he charged straight into the kitchen like a dog spotting meat buns.
“Mom, what are you making?” Meng Qiushi craned his neck to peek into the pot.
Wang Cuilian twisted her body to block his view and rolled her eyes, unwilling to answer.
Meng Qiushi continued grinning mischievously. “Mom must feel sorry for my wife after she gave birth, so you specially made chicken soup for her, right?”
Wang Cuilian turned and glared at him. “Pah! Is she worthy of drinking it? This soup was specially stewed for Xiao Rou!”
“Mom, what kind of talk is that?” Meng Qiushi wasn’t angry at all. Instead, he grinned shamelessly as he complained, “Both of them just gave birth, so why do you only make chicken soup for Chen Rou? You’re clearly playing favorites.”
Wang Cuilian immediately started shooing him away. Of all her sons, this youngest one was the most unlikable—completely disobedient.
“Go, go, go! There’s no share for your wife. If she wants chicken soup, let her own mother make it for her.”
Meng Qiushi wailed dramatically, “Mom, since you hate our third branch so much, fine! From now on, separate us out so we can live on our own!”
Wang Cuilian refused outright and cursed him for being unfilial. “As long as the parents are alive, the family doesn’t split apart. Which young couple in the village lives separately from their parents? Ungrateful wretch! I should’ve strangled you to death when I gave birth to you so you wouldn’t anger me now.”
She wanted to keep all three sons firmly under her control. Once they separated households, their hearts would drift apart, and over time they would stop being filial to her.
Wang Cuilian greatly enjoyed being the head of the household. Holding power in her hands felt wonderful.
Meng Qiushi stubbornly refused to leave without results and planted himself in the kitchen, noisily demanding they divide the family property.
In the end, Wang Cuilian resentfully ladled out a small bowl of chicken soup. “Here, take it. Don’t go saying I’m biased.”
Meng Qiushi immediately added, “Put in more meat too.”
Wang Cuilian hissed in annoyance and tossed in a few bony pieces with barely any meat attached.
Then Meng Qiushi grabbed the entire soup pot and bolted, running back to his room and locking the door.
“Hurry, hurry, eat this drumstick!” As he spoke, Meng Qiushi stuffed one chicken leg into Xu Chunhua’s mouth and shoved the other into his own.
Who cared? What entered their own mouths was what truly counted.
Then he gave the two wings to Meng Wei and Meng Qing.
Violent pounding suddenly erupted outside the door, the wooden door shaking as though it would collapse at any moment.
Meng Qiushi hurriedly took out small bowls from the room and served everyone a bowl of chicken soup.
“Quick, drink more! This door probably won’t hold much longer.”
Meng Wei and Meng Qing exchanged glances and hurriedly sped up. Xu Chunhua drank three bowls of chicken soup in one go.
Finally, the wooden door collapsed.
Xu Chunhua let out a full burp rich with the smell of chicken soup.
Wang Cuilian rushed forward and snatched the pot away. Seeing only one-third of the soup remaining along with some bony chicken pieces with barely any meat, flames practically burst from her eyes.
“You starving ghosts reincarnated! Why didn’t you choke to death?!”
Meng Qiushi answered righteously, “Didn’t I leave some for Chen Rou? My wife gave birth to two babies while Chen Rou only had one. It’s only fair my wife eats more.”
Wang Cuilian’s vision darkened. She staggered backward two steps before glaring viciously at Meng Qiushi and Xu Chunhua, who were both licking their lips with satisfied expressions.
“You drank so much of this soup—you have to compensate me!”
Meng Qiushi grinned. “Mom, we haven’t split the household yet. All the work points we earn go to you. Where would I get money? How about this—we split the family now, divide up the money we’ve earned over the years, and then I’ll have money to pay you back.”
“Pah! Dream on. Unless your father and I die, none of you are splitting this family!” Wang Cuilian stormed off furiously, clutching the pot as she stepped over the collapsed door.
Meng Qiushi lifted the fallen wooden door and looked at it wobbling on the verge of falling apart. “This door’s done for. Good thing there’s still some lumber at home. I’ll make another sturdy one.”
Heart aching over the chicken soup, Wang Cuilian carried the pot to Chen Rou’s room.
The main house had two rooms on each side of the central hall. The two western rooms belonged to the eldest son, while on the eastern side, one room belonged to Chen Rou and the other to the elderly Meng couple.
South of the western rooms were three more rooms in order: the kitchen, the second branch’s room, and the third branch’s room.
South of the eastern rooms stood only a woodshed used for storing miscellaneous items and for bathing.
Vegetables grew in the open space of the courtyard, while behind the courtyard were the dry toilet and the area for raising chickens and ducks.
Inside the room, Chen Rou leaned against the headboard while breastfeeding her daughter. Seeing Wang Cuilian enter, she smiled warmly with concern on her face.
“Mom, you’ve worked hard all morning. Once I finish my confinement month, I can help you with some chores.”
Chen Rou’s words soothed Wang Cuilian’s heart. Her face became even more loving. “Mom’s still healthy. I don’t need your help. I can’t bear to let you do such rough work.”
Chen Rou curved her lips into a smile. Seeing the pot in Wang Cuilian’s hands, she praised, “Mom, this chicken soup smells wonderful. I could smell it even from inside the room.”
Wang Cuilian sighed. “Those useless people from the third branch stole more than half the soup to drink. I’ve wronged you today. Just make do for now. Tomorrow, Mom will secretly kill another chicken and stew more soup for you.”
The smile on Chen Rou’s face stiffened slightly. Internally, she cursed Meng Qiushi and his wife for being as shameless as ever.
Yet none of it showed on her face. Magnanimously, she said, “Third Sister-in-law gave birth to dragon-phoenix twins for the Meng family. She’s made a great contribution to the family. It’s only right for her to drink more chicken soup.”
Wang Cuilian disagreed and looked at Chen Rou tenderly. “You’re just too considerate. In my heart, none of them are as important as you. Tomorrow I’ll secretly kill another chicken and make soup to nourish your body.”
Chen Rou finished all the remaining chicken soup and meat.
In those days, meat was hard to come by. The Meng family’s conditions were considered fairly decent—they ate meat once a month. Poorer families in the village might not taste meat for half a year or even a whole year.
Even back when she had lived in the city, Chen Rou only got to eat meat once every half month. Her dead husband Zhao Ming had two older brothers above him, and the entire extended family lived together. Out of a big bowl of braised pork, Chen Rou could eat at most two pieces.