Chapter 8: The Piggy Smells So Good

The autumn wind rustled through the trees, sending withered leaves spiraling down to carpet the ground.

Su Yi’an walked back with Mother He, her basket slung over her shoulder. She glanced at the children gathering fallen leaves along the road.

Mother He hadn’t understood such things before, but after living in the village for so long and doing so much work, she’d learned.

She bent down to pick up a dry leaf.
“These brittle leaves catch fire easily,” she said. “They’re much easier to light than firewood.”

At this time of year, villagers collected them to start fires in winter. Dry leaves were plentiful in autumn and easy to find.

Su Yi’an tucked the information away, thinking she’d explore the mountains when she had time. The forests there would have plenty of firewood and dry leaves. She could fill her basket in no time.

She needed to prepare for winter. Having narrowly escaped death, she had no intention of freezing to death now.

Their baskets were heavy, and the thought of family waiting at home made them quicken their pace.

By midday, the village had fallen silent. The woman who had stopped them earlier had long since returned home, leaving only a few children playing under the big tree.

Their return journey was smooth, and they hadn’t even reached the gate when they saw two women surrounding Wanxu, their voices sharp and shrill as they argued.

The two women were so engrossed in their quarrel that neither noticed Su Yi’an approaching quietly.

“What’s this about selling fields?”

Su Yi’an’s words startled Second Aunt-in-law He and Second Daughter-in-law Yang.

Second Daughter-in-law Yang, in particular, patted her chest, trying to catch her breath.

“You’ve barely married into the family and you’re already acting out of line,” Second Aunt-in-law He said, sizing Su Yi’an up and down, her resentment simmering. “How dare you interrupt elders when they’re speaking?”

The He family’s eldest son had truly been blessed. Even marrying to ward off bad luck, they’d found such a pretty girl. But she didn’t look like she could handle farm work—what use was she?

Su Yi’an didn’t recognize either woman. After a careful look, she couldn’t find any family resemblance to the He family. They must be village elders, asserting their seniority.

“This is your Second Aunt,” Mother He quickly interjected, fearing her quarrelsome sister-in-law would seize the opportunity to lecture Su Yi’an on proper behavior.

Mother He had rarely returned to the village, and her interactions with Second Aunt-in-law He had been limited to two brief visits since her return. Those two encounters had been enough to reveal the woman’s true nature.

She’s never had enough of taking advantage of others.

“Oh, it’s Second Aunt,” Su Yi’an said, her tone indifferent.

If she hadn’t overheard their earlier argument, she might have greeted Second Aunt-in-law He politely. But now, she just wanted to get rid of her as quickly as possible.
What kind of relatives are these?

Second Aunt-in-law He was already displeased. Seeing Mother He return, she immediately began complaining.

“Sister-in-law, you need to teach your daughters-in-law some manners. You spent good money to marry them—you don’t want them running off one day.”

Her words were deliberately malicious. Everyone in the village knew that most wives who ran away were those who had lost their husbands. By saying this, Second Aunt-in-law He was practically cursing Mother He’s sons to die.

Mother He’s face turned ashen. She wanted to retort, but then she remembered her second son, Erlang, still lying unconscious in bed.

“Thank you for your concern, Second Aunt,” Su Yi’an said. “I heard your family is welcoming a new bride this year. If she ever runs away, I’ll be sure to invite her to join me.”

“You! You little brat! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?” Second Aunt-in-law He snapped, her face flushed with anger.

“If Second Aunt knows it’s nonsense, then I’m glad I didn’t have to explain it.”

Few juniors dared to talk back to her like this. Second Aunt-in-law He’s face burned with humiliation.

Second Daughter-in-law Yang watched the commotion with amusement, unable to suppress a chuckle. She couldn’t blame the new bride for her sharp retort.

If her husband’s aunt dared to curse her like that, she would have slapped her across the face and shut her up for good.

Therefore, she didn’t find Su Yi’an’s words particularly harsh. In her eyes, verbal sparring meant nothing; only a physical victory mattered.

“I remember you left with bamboo baskets earlier. How did you end up with a back basket?” Second Daughter-in-law Yang asked, eyeing the basket behind Su Yi’an. She was convinced it held something valuable.

Su Yi’an had no intention of hiding the truth. The villagers would inevitably discover the two empty trunks of her dowry. Rather than let them speculate about where the He family had gotten the money to buy supplies, she decided to be straightforward.

“I traded my wedding dress for it.”

“Did you get a good price?” Second Daughter-in-law Yang pressed. She had touched the dress herself and knew it was made of fine fabric.

“It’s all here,” Su Yi’an replied, wisely refusing to take the basket off her back. “Three qian of silver. I mostly used it to buy medicine for Erlang.”

The price seemed low, likely due to haggling, but three qian was still a decent sum.

When Second Aunt He heard that all the silver had been spent on medicine, she scoffed.

“This little bit of silver won’t cure his illness. The Shen family sold all their fields back then, and it still didn’t save their son.”

“Sold their fields?” Su Yi’an mused, then deliberately asked, “Mother, doesn’t our family still own a few acres?”

Land was a farmer’s lifeline. Families rarely sold their fields unless truly desperate.

“Your family has six acres—all prime first-class land,” Second Aunt He said with a sarcastic edge.

If the eldest son hadn’t returned, her family would still be farming half of it.

Su Yi’an knew exactly what they were thinking: they coveted the He family’s last six acres of fertile land.

“Second Brother’s health is still poor, and he’ll need medicine for some time. We’re running out of funds. If Second Aunt would be willing to buy the fields, it would truly help us,” Su Yi’an said, winking at Mother He. “How about ten taels of silver?”

First-class land typically sold for about three taels per acre, making six acres worth eighteen taels.

This young lady from a wealthy family likely didn’t know the market price for good land. Ten taels was a steal, and Second Aunt He couldn’t resist. She practically itched to rush home and gather the silver.

Even Second Daughter-in-Law Yang couldn’t hide her excitement.

“Don’t try to trick your Second Aunt,” Second Aunt He said, glancing at Su Yi’an. She didn’t believe this household was Su Yi’an’s to control.

“What’s there to trick? Ten taels per mu, sixty taels for six mu. If Second Aunt agrees, we can finalize the deal tomorrow.”

“What? Ten taels per mu!” Second Aunt He’s face still beamed with delight, but her voice sharpened. “You little thief! Why don’t you just rob a bank?”

Wan Xu turned away to stifle a laugh, realizing Su Yi’an was teasing Second Aunt He and the others. She grew even more fond of this Su sister.

Yang, realizing she wouldn’t gain anything by staying, said,“It’s getting late. I need to head up the mountain. I’ll take my leave now.”She turned and hurried toward the back mountain without pausing.

Second Aunt He gritted her teeth in anger. She had started this conversation herself, and now that she had been outmaneuvered and mocked, she had no choice but to swallow her humiliation.

“You little vixen, just wait! There will come a day when you beg me to buy your fields!” Second Aunt He muttered, shouldering her firewood and storming off.

Once the two women had walked far enough away, He Ningwen finally slipped over.

She hadn’t dared approach earlier, fearing a lecture from Second Aunt. Now that Second Aunt had stormed off in anger, she was delighted, her gaze toward Su Yi’an filled with admiration.

“Mother, do you think Second Aunt will come back?” He Ningwen asked, sidling up to Mother He and tugging at her sleeve.

“And she’s your own Second Aunt,” Mother He said, shaking her head as she watched Second Aunt He’s retreating figure. “If she comes back, just ignore her.”

Su Yi’an hadn’t expected this reaction from Mother He. She’d assumed Mother He, a woman from a scholarly family who valued propriety, would disapprove of her “disrespect toward elders.”

“Yi’an, that basket looks heavy. Let’s take it off first,” Mother He said, snapping out of her thoughts and reaching to help her remove it.

“Let’s go inside first,” Su Yi’an replied, glancing toward the back mountain.

Second Daughter-in-Law Yang was hiding behind a large tree halfway up the mountainside, where the elevated position gave her a clear view of everything below.

She’d originally wanted to see what was in the basket, refusing to believe it contained only medicine for Second Brother He.

But now that the He family had carried the basket into the house, she couldn’t see anything. Defeated, she trudged down the mountain.

Su Yi’an entered the house with the He family, still carrying her basket.

It was the same room as yesterday, with the two He brothers lying in the inner chamber.

“This is Second Brother’s medicine. Let’s brew it first,” Mother He said, handing the herbs to He Ningwen.

Despite being the youngest sister in the family, He Ningwen was already skilled at preparing medicine.

She took the herbs and didn’t linger near the basket. She knew medicine was expensive, and this trip must have nearly exhausted their funds. She didn’t expect to find anything else in it.

“I bought some rice and flour, and a little bit of meat.”

“Meat?” He Xingchen hadn’t tasted meat in ages. His eyes widened at the mention of it.

Su Yi’an knew this family hadn’t had a proper meal in a long time. She quickly assured him:

“Yes, real meat! Little Aunt will make you something delicious soon.”

Wan Xu, hearing Su Yi’an refer to herself as Little Aunt, glanced at Mother He. Their eyes met, and they exchanged amused smiles.

Su Yi’an, focused entirely on the pork, didn’t notice their expressions.

If she had known that merely accepting the title of “Little Aunt” could bring such joy to this family, she might have thought them too naive…

With only one pot in the house, Su Yi’an first scooped out the rice before starting to render lard.

Rendering lard wasn’t difficult; every household knew how to do it.

Typically, they used back fat, but Su Yi’an and her family had arrived too late, and it was already sold out. Fortunately, fatty pork belly would work, though it required more effort.

First, she had to remove the skin and separate the lean meat from the fat.

The process itself was straightforward: she placed the fat in cold water, blanched it, then drained the water and returned the fat to the pot with fresh water. She simmered it until the fat turned golden brown, signaling the lard was ready.

Planning to use the cracklings for stir-fries, Su Yi’an let the fat render a little longer, until it was deeply browned, before scooping them out.

“I’ll make you something even tastier next time,” Su Yi’an said, picking out a piece of cooled crackling and handing it to He Xingchen.

He Xingchen sat obediently on his small stool, took a bite, and his eyes lit up.

“Little Aunt, it’s so fragrant! Piggy is so delicious!”

Su Yi’an agreed wholeheartedly. She believed pigs were the best thing in the world.

Every part of a pig was valuable, a treasure from snout to tail. There wasn’t a single bad thing about them.

Even the often-disliked pig intestines could be used as sausage casings, filled with pork to make flavorful sausages.

I wonder if sausages even exist in this era.
If not, I could try making some. Selling them would bring in extra silver, which I could use to buy more pigs.

Lost in thought, she saw He Ningwen rushing over, slightly breathless.

“Sister Su,” she gasped,
“Second Brother… Second Brother…”