Shen Danian had come to mourn with his wife and son. When the couple entered the house, they wailed exaggeratedly, but as soon as someone gave them an arm to lean on, they immediately fell silent and briskly took their seats at the banquet.
When Zhao Mu was buried, Shen Ning put on another performance of crying, making up for yesterday’s act. After she returned, she saw Shen Danian sitting at the table, wielding his chopsticks at astonishing speed.
Her original body’s mother, Liu Cuiyun, looked timid and fearful, eating cautiously—but her chopsticks never stopped, either.
Remembering how the two of them had treated their daughter like a servant from childhood and then sold her off to someone else without allowing her any say, Shen Ning could not be bothered with them. She turned and went inside to check on Xiao Nanchen.
Xiao Nanchen was fast asleep.
She reached out and felt his forehead. After confirming that his fever had not worsened, she did not disturb him. She carefully pulled the door shut and stepped back outside.
As soon as she turned around, she saw a youth dressed in gray-black standing across from her.
“Older Sister.”
It was her younger brother, Shen Qingbai—the bai pronounced bo.
Shen Qingbai did not resemble Shen Ning, but he looked very much like his mother, Liu Cuiyun. His complexion was pale, his single-lidded eyes tilted slightly upward, giving him a somewhat cold and thin-lipped appearance. His features were delicate and refined, though his build was exceptionally frail.
Shen Ning remembered that this younger brother had been in poor health since childhood. He seemed to have gone to take the imperial examinations last year, but after returning, he had fallen seriously ill, and his health had never fully recovered.
The original Shen Ning had not been particularly close to this younger brother, so Shen Ning’s expression remained impassive as she asked, “Qingbai, is something wrong?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Qingbai held out a worn, faded money pouch.
The youth clenched his fist and coughed several times. His voice was slightly hoarse. “Older Sister, Zhao Mu is gone now, so take good care of yourself from here on… This money is what I’ve saved. Keep it with you for emergencies.”
Shen Ning was genuinely surprised this time.
In the original body’s memories, all of Shen Danian and his wife’s attention had been focused on their son. They had treated their daughter entirely as a servant who existed to work.
Shen Qingbai had always been frail and was normally a man of few words. He was not particularly close to his sister either. Yet, while Shen Danian and his wife sat at the table devouring food, this young man had come to give her money.
After a moment of silence, Shen Ning reached out and accepted the pouch. The moment it landed in her hand, she could tell it contained some fragments of silver.
Shen Qingbai coughed several more times. After a pause, he said quietly, “There are still people in the Zhao family. He may be an imbecile, but he is still a male member of the family. If something happens in the future, have someone send word to me… But if nothing happens, don’t go home.”
With that, he turned and left without waiting for Shen Ning to respond.
Shen Ning withdrew her gaze from the youth’s thin back, put away the money pouch, and walked outside, silently pondering what he had meant.
Don’t go home if nothing happens?
Well, she had not intended to go back anyway. As for that so-called home, the original Shen Ning had no pleasant memories of it and not the slightest trace of attachment.
Only after she went outside did she learn that Shen Danian and his wife had already left after finishing their meal. They had not even bothered to tell their own daughter they were going.
The funeral was already drawing to a close. Shen Ning entered the kitchen, where several older women were sorting the bowls and dishes borrowed from the neighboring households.
Shen Ning set aside some food for Xiao Nanchen, then packed some more to take outside. Just as she was about to leave, she remembered something and turned back to say to the women, “Aunties, please divide up the remaining food and take it home.”
The women immediately beamed. One of them courteously tried to refuse. “That wouldn’t be right.”
Shen Ning said gently, “You aunties have worked hard all day, and I’m very grateful. Besides, the weather is getting warmer, so this food won’t keep. Leaving it here would only be a waste.”
The women exchanged glances, then smiled and agreed. “Then thank you, Zhao Mu’s wife… Thank you, Madam Shen.”
Zhao Mu had only just passed away, so the village women deliberately changed the way they addressed her.
After Shen Ning left, the women happily divided the remaining food among themselves.
Come to think of it, in the rural villages, it was only at weddings and funerals that people got to eat anything particularly good. Though these dishes were nothing special in Shen Ning’s eyes, they were already extremely precious to the villagers.
After dividing the food, the women did not forget to clean the kitchen and courtyard spotless for Shen Ning. Only then did they leave one after another.
Shen Ning, meanwhile, went to the neighboring hunter Zhao Tong’s home.
If she remembered correctly, Zhao Tong’s wife had given birth just two days earlier. That morning, she had even sent someone to apologize and say that she could not come over to help with the funeral.
Zhao Tong went into the mountains to hunt, and sometimes did not return for two days at a time. He was not home these past two days, either.
A woman who had just given birth and a baby crying out to be fed had it difficult enough. Since there was food to spare, Shen Ning had brought some over for them.
Zhao Tong’s wife was called Lian’er. Shen Ning did not know her surname. When she reached the door, she knocked and called, “Sister-in-Law Lian’er, it’s Shen Ning. I’ve brought you some food.”
A response immediately came from inside. “Sister Shen, just push the door open. I can’t get up to open it.”
Shen Ning pushed the door open. The first thing she saw was the heated brick bed by the window. A pale-faced woman wearing a cloth cap she had sewn herself sat on the bed, holding a baby wrapped in floral cloth.
Beside the mother and child was a small brick-bed table. In the large bowl atop it lay half a black-flour baked bun…
“Sister Shen, I heard about what happened at your home. Ah, poor Zhao Mu—he was still so young. The dead cannot come back to life, so you must try to look on the bright side. I’m truly sorry that I couldn’t go help you.”
Lian’er’s face was filled with apology.
In truth, according to the original body’s memories, she and this neighbor had not often interacted. Yet at this moment, the sympathy and concern on the other woman’s face were completely genuine.
Shen Ning said gently, “Sister-in-law, you’re still in confinement after giving birth. How could I not understand? I knew Brother Zhao wasn’t home, so I brought you some food.”
Lian’er had already noticed the large bowl in Shen Ning’s hands. Hearing this, she was both surprised and grateful.
Zhao Tong had not yet returned, and there was not much food left of what had been prepared for her. After giving birth, she was hungry again quickly, and she had been worrying that if she did not get enough to eat, she would not have enough milk for the baby. She had never expected Shen Ning to bring her food.
Having just given birth and still being emotionally unstable, Lian’er began to cry. “I truly don’t know how to thank you.”
Shen Ning hurriedly comforted her. “Sister-in-law, please don’t stand on ceremony…”
A short while later, Shen Ning left the hunter’s home and walked back. As soon as she reached the courtyard gate, she saw a round figure waddling briskly toward her from across the way.
“Ningning, your grandaunt has come to help you clean up.”
As she walked inside, Dong Chunhua spoke earnestly. “I’m not saying this just to say it, but in the end, you can still count on your own family. Outsiders don’t care whether your house is a complete mess after you finish holding the funeral…”
As she spoke, she entered the courtyard and headed straight for the kitchen.
But when she saw that the kitchen had already been put in order, Dong Chunhua froze. Then she grew anxious. “Eh? What happened to the food that was left? I clearly saw an entire basin of it just now!”
Shen Ning said, “The aunties who came to help divided it up and took it home.”
Dong Chunhua immediately became agitated. “How could you do that? Huh? I’m your grandaunt! We’re family! When there’s work to be done, you rely on your own family, but when it’s time to divide up the benefits, you only think of outsiders? Don’t you know how to conduct yourself?”
Shen Ning looked puzzled. “Then where were you just now when they were dividing up the leftovers, Grandaunt?”
Dong Chunhua choked hard, and her rapid-fire accusations abruptly stopped.
First, she had eaten a meal herself. Then she had taken a large bowl home. After resting at home and estimating that the work was nearly finished, she had come back, intending to claim a share of the benefits. She had never expected them to leave her without even a single grain of food.
“You don’t know who’s close and who’s distant. You’re letting your elbow turn outward…”
Dong Chunhua continued cursing as she walked away. “Your husband is dead, and from now on, you’ll be a widow raising an imbecile. Won’t you still have to rely on our family to support you? You don’t know how to conduct yourself, so you’ll suffer for it soon enough. You ungrateful wretch!”
Shen Ning clicked her tongue and slammed the courtyard gate shut.
Dong Chunhua’s startled cry came from outside. “You nearly caught me in the door, you heartless little wretch!”