As soon as Song Yaodong and his wife entered the courtyard, they were so tempted by the delicious aroma that they swallowed several mouthfuls of saliva.
Song Pandi pointed to the kitchen where smoke was billowing from the chimney and shouted, “Mom, this smell seems to be coming from our kitchen!”
With that, he swung his short legs and rushed towards the kitchen.
“Pandi, slow down, don’t fall,” Zhao Lanzhi gently instructed, then helped Song Yaodong, who was using crutches, to catch up.
A few days ago, Song Yaodong broke his leg while chopping firewood on the mountain. He originally wanted to see a doctor immediately, but he endured the pain for a few days because he was afraid of spending money.
The condition hadn’t improved, and the couple, fearing they’d delay, went to town this morning to have their leg checked, despite Sun Xiuhe’s sarcastic remarks.
Pandi also went along in the morning.
Song Zhaodi was chopping water celery when she heard the noise. When she turned around, a short, small figure, like a firecracker, had rushed over and hugged her leg.
The delicate, soft baby tilted its head back, its big, dark eyes shining, and tiptoed to look into the pot.
“Big sister, what delicious food are you making? It smells so good!”
This is the original owner’s younger sister, Song Pandi, who is five years old this year. Her face, which should be chubby, is so thin that it is no bigger than the palm of her hand. She has been suffering from long-term malnutrition, and her hair is also dry and yellow.
Despite her young age, she is capable of doing a lot of work, and her small hands, which should be soft and delicate, are covered with calluses.
Song Pandi was short and couldn’t see what was in the pot, but she remembered the food in her arms.
“Big sister, Mom bought me some delicious malt candy. I only ate a small piece, and I’ll leave the rest for you and second sister.”
“You are older than me, so you should eat the bigger ones.”
Looking at the candy, which was no bigger than a fingernail, Song Zhaodi was touched. She bent down and picked her up. Just as she was about to speak, she saw two more figures standing at the door.
They were the original owner’s parents, Song Yaodong and Zhao Lanzhi.
“Zhao Di.” Zhao Lanzhi helped Song Yaodong lean against the doorframe, smelling the aroma, and walked over curiously. “Are you cooking?”
“It smells so good.”
Song Zhaodi nodded, “I cooked fish.”
The Song family hadn’t had any meat for a long time, and they thought the three of them would be happy to hear that they were going to eat fish. However, the light in their eyes only appeared briefly before disappearing again.
Song Pandi hung her head dejectedly and said, “Is Uncle coming back? Am I only getting soup today?”
Looking at the oily, fragrant fish slices in the large porcelain bowl, Zhao Lanzhi pursed her lips, both to comfort her child and to herself.
“Being able to drink some soup is good; it’s better than eating wild vegetables every meal.”
Song Pandi stared longingly at the large bowl of fish, her face revealing undisguised disappointment.
“But Pandi hasn’t eaten fish in a long time, and she’s almost forgotten what fish tastes like.”
Song Yaodong sighed, lowered his head, and said guiltily, “It’s all because your father is incompetent that you and your mother have suffered so much by eating chaff and wild vegetables with me.”
Zhao Lanzhi shook her head. “Father, you’ve done your best.” As she spoke, the light in her eyes dimmed further. “It’s my fault. If my womb had been more fertile, I wouldn’t have been unable to stand up for myself in front of Father, and wouldn’t have been disliked by Mother…”
Song Pandi was unusually precocious. Seeing her parents say this, she quickly comforted them, saying, “Pandi will definitely be able to bring you a little brother.”
Over the years, Zhao Lanzhi has been belittled and mistreated by Song Dachuan and his wife because she has no son. Even the names of her three children were decided by Song Dachuan: Zhaodi, Yadi, and Pandi.
Zhao Lanzhi didn’t want her child to have such a name, but was scolded by Song Dachuan.
Song Yaodong always stood up for his wife, but he was always morally blackmailed by Song Dachuan, who used family discipline to punish him on the grounds of “unfilial piety” and “having no offspring”.
Zhao Lanzhi felt sorry for her husband, so when she encountered grievances later, she kept them to herself and didn’t say anything.
They only reported good news and kept the bad news to themselves, enduring it for many years.
Song Yaodong knew his wife was unhappy, but he was bound by moral constraints and could not break free. He could only try his best to be good to Zhao Lanzhi and his three daughters.
As the saying goes, poverty makes life miserable for couples, but Song Yaodong and his wife are a well-known loving couple in Shuangping Village, which is the envy of many.
If it weren’t for the bloodsucking elders, their family would have lived a beautiful and peaceful life.
While family ties are certainly hard to sever, if all that remains between relatives is exploitation and indifference, then one should simply keep one’s distance.
What Song Zhaodi needed to do was to make Song Yaodong see the true colors of Song Dachuan and Sun Xiuhe.
But she also knew that changing the status quo wouldn’t be something that could be done in a day or two.
So, she smiled and said to the three of them, “Who said we can only drink soup? The fish we caught today are big enough that we can all have some fish meat.”
After saying that, he picked up his chopsticks, put a piece of fish into Song Pandi’s mouth, and said, “I have already removed the fish bones from this fish, so you don’t have to worry about choking on it.”
The tender fish meat, soaked in the broth, releases a fresh and delicious flavor with each chew, providing an ultimate experience for the taste buds and satisfying Song Pandi’s body and mind.
“Good… times.”
Song Pandi was still just a child of a few years old. When she ate the fish she had been longing for, her eyes lit up and she praised it repeatedly. She swallowed it whole in just a few bites.
With a mixture of admiration and curiosity, she asked, “Big sister, the fish you made is so delicious! How did you make it? Can I have another piece?”
“Of course you can.” Song Zhaodi picked up another piece, put it in her mouth, and said with a smile, “Don’t rush, there’s plenty, no one will take it from you.”
After hearing this, Song Pandi shook her head, “I won’t be able to eat it when Grandma comes back.” Then she nodded in praise, “It’s really delicious.”
Zhao Lanzhi, standing to the side, had tears in her eyes. In her opinion, Song Zhaodi’s words, “Everyone can eat fish,” were just meant to comfort people. She didn’t expect to be able to eat fish herself.
It was already a great favor that Song Pandi was able to secretly taste two pieces behind her back.
Just then, the courtyard gate opened again, and Sun Xiuhe’s voice arrived before she did.
“Song Zhaodi, come out here.”
Upon hearing this, Song Yaodong knew it couldn’t be anything good, so he quickly leaned on his cane and went outside.
“Father, Mother, you’re back.”
Zhao Lanzhi, fearing that Song Zhaodi would be beaten or scolded, wiped away her tears and followed her out, trying to smooth things over by saying, “Father, Mother, are you hungry? Zhaodi has already prepared the meal, let’s eat first.”
Sun Xiuhe walked up to Zhao Lanzhi and scolded her in a low voice, “Eat, eat, all you know is how to eat. Are you a reincarnated starving ghost?”
Zhao Lanzhi didn’t dare to retort. Song Yaodong quickly stood in front of her, not looking at Sun Xiuhe, but at Song Dachuan a few steps away.
“Father, it’s getting late. Let’s talk about it after dinner. Otherwise, we’ll just be wasting money on oil if we eat by lamplight.”
Song Dachuan had been working in the fields all day and was starving. As soon as he entered the yard, he smelled the aroma of food. Hearing that the food was ready, he had no interest in helping Sun Xiuhe teach the others a lesson.
“Let’s eat first.”
Sun Xiuhe glanced resentfully in the direction of the kitchen, then returned to the main room and sat down at the table to wait.
After blanching the water celery, Song Zhaodi stir-fried it and served it in the pan. She also made a cold salad of purslane. Zhao Lanzhi had already come over to help serve the dishes and rice.
Boiled fish fillets, braised fish chunks, stir-fried water celery, cold purslane salad, and river fish and brown rice porridge.
The table was piled high with food, and the aroma and flavor were irresistible, making Song Dachuan’s mouth water.
Sun Xiuhe’s face also showed shock, but seeing Song Dachuan’s greedy look, she cursed him in her heart, “Worthy of no ambition.”
She didn’t hold back either, saying, “Heavens above! How can we live like this? How much oil are we wasting!”