Chapter 6

In the evening, Mrs. Xiong and her five children returned home. The children, as usual, held their bowls and waited for dinner in the main room.

Due to low productivity, their dynasty typically had only two meals a day: breakfast and dinner. The rabbit meat they had as a midday snack made the five members of the Xiong family quite satisfied, but they usually complained about being hungry. Today, if they didn’t say anything, it would arouse Madam Xiang’s suspicion. So, Mrs. Xiong had the children cry out that they were hungry, just as they always did.

Madam Xiang grumbled and told the third daughter-in-law to serve the porridge to them.

Lihua looked at the clear-bottomed porridge in her bowl and said, “It’s porridge in the morning, porridge in the evening, and each meal is thinner than the last. How can we have the strength to work?”

Madam Xiang scolded, “Which family in the village isn’t like this? We barely have any rice left, and you’re the one who eats the most. The family’s rice has all been eaten by you.”

Rika called out to the system in her mind, “System, what good things are in the kitchen?”

The system scanned and reported, “There is a plate of scrambled eggs, a dish of steamed preserved pig ears, and the rest are vegetables and rice.”

Pear Blossom turned to Madam Xiang and said, “Don’t slander me. I have two meals a day, each with half a bowl of porridge and two chopsticks of wild vegetables. I haven’t seen a drop of oil, let alone salt.”

She sniffed towards the kitchen, “Why do I smell preserved meat, specifically preserved pig ears?”

Xiang Zizi glared, “Where are the pig ears? We haven’t had oil for months. You just have a dog’s nose and a pig’s stomach.”

Rika sniffed again, “Dog’s nose or not, I think I also smell scrambled eggs.”

Xinghua and Erniu, hearing this, wrinkled their noses and sniffed as well, which scared Madam Xiang. She had deliberately assigned the main house to the west room, not only because the other two families disliked the smell near the livestock shed but also because it was far from the kitchen. Usually, they would bring the porridge over, and whatever the second and third families ate, the main house wouldn’t know, making it easier to manage.

But now, this little brat of Pear Blossom could actually smell the preserved pig ears and scrambled eggs cooking tonight. Could she really have a dog’s nose?

“Where are the eggs? Eggs are kept to be sold in town for money. All you think about is eating. Even pigs don’t eat as much as you,” Madam Xiang belittled Pear Blossom.

Mrs. Xiong, hearing her mother-in-law speak this way about her daughter, felt very unhappy and said, “Mother, why do you speak to Pear Blossom like this? After all, she is your granddaughter. We never slack off when working in the fields. We haven’t had meat for half a year, and the children are just talking. There’s no need to get so angry. Even if you’re dissatisfied with your daughter-in-law, don’t take it out on Pear Blossom.”

Madam Xiang disliked Mrs. Xiong and disliked her talking back even more. She grumbled, “If you knew how to teach your children, they wouldn’t be so disrespectful to their elders. No sense of hierarchy.”

Seeing her mother being scolded, Rika stood up suddenly and said, “My nose is very good. I’ll check the kitchen to see if there are pig ears.”

Xiang Pozi quickly stopped her, “Don’t go. I said there’s nothing, so there’s nothing.”

Mrs. Xiong, seeing Madam Xiang like this, felt clear in her heart. In the past, she might have just suspected, but after Lihua brought back that pot of pig’s trotters last night, she was convinced. Now that her daughter said there were pig ears and eggs, there couldn’t be a mistake.

Feeling extremely cold-hearted, she said coldly, “Whether there is or not, you know very well. We don’t ask for meat, but this porridge is too thin, like drinking plain water. How can we have the strength to work if all we drink is water? If we could have porridge that’s not so watery, we would be content.”

“This year’s harvest wasn’t good. We’re saving food. Look at other families, they’re drinking the same porridge. It’s only your family that acts like nobility, wanting to eat dry rice.”

Mrs. Xiong said, “Regardless of the harvest, Dagen serves in the military and gives you his military pay every time he comes back, three times per month. But we haven’t even touched a single coin, and we can’t even eat enough. If this got out, no one would believe it.”

“You shrew, it was agreed that Dagen’s military pay would go to the public fund for the whole family. Now you want to take it back for yourself. How can you be a daughter-in-law like this, trying to stir up trouble in the family? I must have been blind to let Dagen marry a woman like you.”

Mrs. Xiong’s eyes turned red at these words. She had married into the family because Dagen was honest, but she didn’t expect that because of his honesty, Madam Xiang and her husband would take advantage of him. He had been a soldier for nearly twenty years, and all the money he brought back was handed over to the public fund, not knowing his own wife and children were starving and cold. Truly a good son.

At this moment, a deep voice came from outside, “Why is it so lively at home? Are you all talking about me because you knew I was coming back?”

When Pear Blossom and the other children heard this voice, they jumped up. Erniu and Xinghua dropped what they were holding and ran towards the door, shouting, “Dad—”

Daniu, who was thirteen, had become more composed over the past two years and only stood up and looked outside without behaving as impulsively as his younger siblings.

Pear Blossom, now a grown girl, also couldn’t act like the younger ones.

But the system’s voice popped into her head, “Pear Blossom, your father has three taels of silver on him. It should be the military pay from the past few months.”

Hearing this, Pear Blossom remembered that every time her father came back, he would hand over the saved military pay first thing. Madam Xiang would be affectionate to them in front of him, but after he left, she would revert to her old ways, treating them with no kindness.

After what Madam Xiang did yesterday, Lihua hated her to the bone and didn’t want the money to fall into her hands. She immediately dropped her chopsticks and followed Xinghua outside, shouting “Dad” as well.

In her mind, she asked, “System, where did my father put the silver?”

“In a small pouch at his right waist.”

Rika ran outside after her siblings, seeing Xiang Dagen holding the two younger ones in his arms. She happily ran over, grabbed her father’s right arm, and cheerfully called out, “Dad.”

Xiang Dagen, having not seen his children for a long time, felt heartbroken seeing them as thin as bean sprouts. He held Pear Blossom close along with Erniu and said, “Good children, Dad finally gets to see you.”

Erniu hugged his father’s neck and nuzzled affectionately, while Lihua took the opportunity to take the small pouch from her father’s right side.

At this moment, a few people came out of the house. The mother-in-law, who had just shown a sharp and mean face, now smiled and said, “The eldest is back, come inside quickly.”

Xiang Dagen took the children by the hand and led them into the house, with Lihua following closely behind, feeling the hard silver pieces in her pocket, giving her a sense of security. The children of the eldest family had never touched silver before, not even a copper coin.

Upon entering the house, Xiang Dagen saw his wife looking unwell and then noticed the clear and plain porridge on the table, which made him feel uncomfortable.

The mother-in-law, noticing his expression, quickly stepped forward and said, “Dagen, the harvest has been bad these years, and you haven’t been home for a long time. The family is almost out of food, and we only have this bit of porridge to drink.”

Erniu, remembering what his elder sister had said about there being other food in the kitchen, immediately wanted his father to take charge and shouted, “Dad, don’t listen to Grandma. There are pig’s ears and scrambled eggs in the kitchen, but Grandma won’t let us eat them. She only lets us drink porridge. It’s the same in the morning with porridge and wild vegetables. Dad, since you left last time, we haven’t had any meat.”

Hearing this, Xiang Dagen’s face turned very unpleasant. No wonder his wife looked so unhappy; this was the state of their home.

The mother-in-law quickly scolded, “You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting? There are no pig’s ears. Dagen, don’t listen to the child’s nonsense. You know the situation at home, little land and many mouths to feed. Your third brother and the third and fifth sons need to study, and we can’t even afford their tuition fees. Where would we get meat to eat? We have to endure this hardship for a while, but once your third brother passes his exams, the family won’t be so tight.”

Pear Blossom said, “San Lang and Gorou are younger than Da Niu, so why can they go to school but Da Niu cannot? Why should my father, who works so hard as a soldier, support the second and third families?”

The mother-in-law’s face turned sour and she said, “Da Niu is slow-witted, and even if he went to school, it would be a waste of money. It’s better for him to stay home and help with chores. Besides, your father is the eldest, and how can the eldest not take care of his younger brothers? Your third uncle is studying away from home, and it’s more taxing than your father’s work. Moreover, your mother and you need the help of your second and third uncles at home. You’re just spouting nonsense.”

Rika widened her eyes and said, “Help? What help? All the fieldwork is done by my mother, me, and my younger siblings. They’ve never set foot in the fields. What kind of help are you talking about?”

“Oldest son’s wife, how are you teaching your children? I’ve never seen a granddaughter dare to talk back to her elders like this,” the old man Xiang walked out, immediately pointing at Xiang’s wife.

Xiang’s wife first glanced at her husband, saw his avoiding eyes, and then slowly said, “Lihua might be a bit slow, but she never lies. If you don’t like hearing the truth, I’ll just tell her not to speak.”

The old man glared at her and then said to Xiang Dagen, “Dagen, these years have been tough with disasters. You haven’t been home for a long time, and life is hard for all the families. There’s no such thing as favoring one over the other.”

Hearing his father’s words, Xiang Dagen’s face showed guilt and he said, “There have been many things happening in the camp recently, and everyone couldn’t leave. I finally managed to find some time to come back and see the children.”

As he spoke, he reached for his waist and his expression suddenly changed.

The mother-in-law, seeing him reaching for his waist, thought he was going to hand over the military stipend as usual. But when he didn’t find anything, her face turned dark immediately. “Dagen, you haven’t been home for nearly a year, and now you’re not even bringing back money to honor your parents?”

Xiang Dagen quickly stood up, frantically searching himself, but couldn’t find the small pouch. Cold sweat began to form on his forehead. It was his hard-earned military stipend saved over ten months. He had felt it when entering the village, so how could it now be missing?

He thought it might have fallen outside while playing with the children, so he went out to search the place again, but found nothing.

He had no choice but to brace himself and say, “Father, Mother, the money seems to have fallen somewhere, and I couldn’t find it.”

Upon hearing this, the mother-in-law’s voice rose several octaves: “What— the money is missing?”

The old man’s eyes were fixed on him, dark and unreadable.

Xiang Dagen said, “It was there when I entered the village, but now I don’t know where it fell. Let me retrace my steps and search again.”

The mother-in-law didn’t believe him and sharply said, “Dagen, you must have hidden the money to give to your own family. Have you forgotten how we raised you, got you married, and helped you have children? Now that we’re old and can’t work anymore, you want to abandon us!”

Xiang Dagen stared at the mother-in-law in disbelief and said, “Mother, how could you think that of your son?”

“If you dare to do it, there’s nothing I won’t dare to think!

I believe you’ve been planning this for a long time!”