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Su Zhi listened to Shen Zi’an’s words and thought about how things were in other places. In their village by the river, within a hundred and eighty miles around, sons who had left home still felt obligated to visit their parents whenever there was a strong wind or heavy rain, let alone when there was heavy snowfall. It was customary to show filial piety.
Su Zhi thought this custom was quite normal. It was a way to encourage sons to be respectful to their elders. Although she didn’t like Shen’s elderly parents, she wouldn’t oppose filial piety. It was a traditional virtue.
She took some pastries she bought at the market and a piece of green fabric, suitable for making clothes for both adults and children. These were for Widow Wang. Su Zhi felt she deserved the gifts, especially since she had helped Su Zhi yesterday. It was only proper to thank her.
Of course, she also prepared pastries for Shen’s family. Su Zhi also took two pieces of fabric, one green and one dark red, both made of fine cotton. These were for Shen Youfu and Shen Zhang shi. Despite her dislike for Shen’s family, she still believed in fulfilling her duty as a daughter-in-law. Providing food and fabric was a duty that she thought of even before Shen Zi’an.
Shen Zi’an looked at what Su Zhi had prepared, glanced at her, and squeezed her hand.
With heavy snowfall, both of them wore boots made by Su Zhi, lined with rabbit fur, keeping them warm. Initially, it wasn’t cold right after the snowfall, but it became bitterly cold once the wind picked up after the snow stopped.
As Su Zhi was about to leave, Little Black caught up with them, unwilling to stay behind. Su Zhi thought it wanted to join in the fun, so she picked it up, exchanging a few words with Big Black and White Wolf. Then, she asked Shen Zi’an to hold Little White. With Big Black and White Wolf watching, the two of them set off.
The snow was heavy, and with each step, they sank into it. Walking was difficult, with each step shallow and slow, leaving a blanket of white behind them. But looking up, apart from white, there were other colors too. To the east, there was a patch of green bamboo. Far ahead, the distant mountains appeared black, although they were actually a mix of yellow and green. Above was the gray sky, vast and expansive, with a few black dots gliding across, which were birds.
Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an left the courtyard, locked the gate, and headed towards the village. Along the way, they encountered few people, indicating that most were staying indoors to keep warm.
Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an first went to see Li Shi. Li Shi was sitting on the kang at home, sewing clothes. When he saw Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi, he was very happy and took the basket that Shen Zi’an handed over. Seeing the meat pies inside, he smiled and said, “I was just thinking about Sister and Brother-in-law’s food. Eating these meat pies and having a drink on such a snowy day, that would truly be heavenly.”
Su Zhi smiled and said, “Brother Shitou, if you have any sewing to do, you can give it to me to do before you marry Sister-in-law.”
Li Shi teased Little Black for a moment, then laughed heartily, “That would tire Sister out. It’s still far from my wedding!”
After leaving Li Shi’s house, Su Zhi asked Shen Zi’an, “Brother Shitou is not young anymore, why hasn’t he gotten married yet? Doesn’t his father arrange anything for him? Even if it’s a stepmother, she should take care of it, right?”
Shen Zi’an said, “Brother Shitou doesn’t let them interfere. In the beginning, they wanted him to work as a laborer, but Brother Shitou said from that time on, his affairs would no longer be their concern. Brother Shitou is quite independent. When he wants to get married, he will naturally do so. When the time comes, we can help with the arrangements.”
Su Zhi nodded. As they passed by Liu Siniang’s house, Su Zhi suddenly thought of the interactions between Liu Siniang and Brother Shitou. She always felt that Brother Shitou took extra good care of Liu Siniang. Whenever Liu Siniang saw Brother Shitou, she would lower her head, which was quite different from her usual confident demeanor. Although Liu Siniang appeared reserved at home, she usually carried herself with confidence in front of others, except when facing Brother Shitou. Su Zhi felt that there was an ambiguous atmosphere between them. Of course, they both remained quite reserved. Su Zhi just wished they were a couple, as they seemed so well-suited for each other. Unfortunately, Liu Siniang was already married.
After crossing the bridge, they entered the village and first went to Wang Huazhi’s house.
Wang Huazhi kept dogs at home. As they approached the door, they could hear the dogs barking. Soon after, they heard Wang Huazhi’s voice scolding the dogs to stop barking. When she heard Su Zhi’s voice, she opened the door.
“Oh, it’s Brother Shen Zi’an and Sister Su Zhi! It’s snowing heavily outside. Why did you come? Come on in quickly and take a seat.”
Wang Huazhi looked at the two of them for a moment and then invited them inside.
In the courtyard, there was a large yellow dog tied up. As soon as it saw Little Black and Little White, it dared not bark and instead hid in its kennel. It seemed that even though these wolves were small, they were still wolves, and the dog dared not provoke them.
Wang Huazhi looked at Little Black and Little White and said, “Are these the cubs of the Sacred Beast? They look really sturdy.”
Su Zhi rubbed Little Black’s head and smiled faintly. Anyone who saw Little Black would praise it like this. This little creature looked like a ball, but its size had only grown a little since they first saw it. Little White was a bit bigger than it. Su Zhi thought that maybe Little Black would take after its mother and stay smaller. Little White, on the other hand, would grow into a big white wolf, becoming the new generation of Sacred Beasts.
Wang Huazhi’s house had three main rooms. As soon as they entered, there was the kitchen, with various utensils placed around. To the left was a cotton curtain, and beyond that was the kang, where Tieto was sitting.
“It’s the Little Sacred Beasts!”
Tieto immediately perked up when he saw Little Black and Little White, but he was also a bit hesitant to approach, so he just stared eagerly at Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an holding Little Black and Little White.
Wang Huazhi said, “Tieto, greet Uncle Shen and Aunt Shen.”
Tieto obediently called out.
Su Zhi said, “Sister Wang, thank you for yesterday. Without your son speaking the truth, we wouldn’t have been able to clear up what happened yesterday. This is a token of our appreciation, please accept it.”
Shen Zi’an took out the package of pastries and fabric from the basket and placed them on the kang.
Wang Huazhi quickly declined, saying, “That’s unnecessary. I just made my son tell the truth. You don’t need to be so polite. If you keep giving me things for this, what will you think of me?”
Su Zhi said, “Please accept it, Sister Wang. We don’t have any other intentions. Consider it as my first visit to your home, a gift for Tieto. In the future, we should visit each other more often, and not worry about these things.”
Shen Zi’an also chimed in from the side.
Wang Huazhi was straightforward and didn’t dwell on it, simply offering her assistance whenever needed. In truth, she was delighted that Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi came to visit. As a widow, no matter how capable she was, she still faced gossip. Su Zhi was a good person; Wang Huazhi could tell from the way she shared her kang-making method. Moreover, Su Zhi’s affinity with the Sacred Beasts was auspicious. Wang Huazhi enjoyed their company, believing it would bring blessings to her son.
“Sister, I’m going to teach Shugen’s wife and others how to weave knots. Would you like to learn? I sell those knots for ten wen each now. Even if the price drops when you learn, you can still sell them for a few more wen than other common knots. Would you like to come learn with us? If you do, go to Shugen’s wife’s house tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be there.”
Wang Huazhi readily agreed. She could weave knots herself, but only the simplest ones, which sold for just one wen each. If she could learn to make more profitable knots, that would be great.
Tiedan sat on the kang, locking eyes with Little Black and Little White. He reached out to touch Little Black, but when Little Black growled at him, he quickly withdrew his hand.
Su Zhi chuckled and said, “Little Black doesn’t like being touched by others, but it loves to play with people. Once the snow melts, you can play with them. They’re really fast runners, but they do tend to tumble like little balls.”
Tieto chuckled, but Little Black whimpered, clearly not fond of hearing Su Zhi mention its mishaps.
Leaving Wang Huazhi’s house, the couple turned down several streets and arrived at the Shen family’s residence. It was uncommon to close the door during the day unless there were few people at home or no men. In a household like the Shen’s, with many family members, the door was naturally left open. They pushed the door and entered.
As soon as they stepped inside, they heard commotion coming from the hall.
Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an exchanged glances, wondering what was happening.
Inside the Shen family’s hall, it was chaotic, with quite a few people crowded inside, engaged in a confrontation.
The third grandson stood behind Sun Shi, saying, “Keep clamoring, and you’ll regret it later! My mother said if Second Uncle couldn’t have sons, he would rely on me in the future! By then, the three girls like Chunyue will all rely on me for support. If they keep insulting me, I won’t care about them anymore! By then, they’ll all be beaten to death by their in-laws!”
As soon as the third grandson spoke, the room fell silent, then erupted into even more chaos than before, like poking a hornet’s nest.
Li Shi’s eyes immediately turned red, her face pale with distress. She covered her mouth and rushed outside, accidentally colliding with Su Zhi.
Shen Zigui’s face turned blue. Not having a son was a sore point for him, even though he didn’t mind having three daughters. He still hoped for a son, especially since Chunyun was still young, and he and his wife weren’t old yet. There was still a chance. It was a small hope in his heart. But now, his nephew had directly denied it. The third grandson’s words implied that he wouldn’t have a son in the future, and he would have to rely on him instead.
Sun Shi wished she could sew her son’s mouth shut. How could he say such foolish things! Seeing Shen Zigui’s pale face, she didn’t know what to say for the first time.
Shen Zigui pointed at Sun Shi’s nose, his fingers trembling as he said, “Sun Shi! I’m not dead yet! Even if I were, you wouldn’t have the right to toss out my son’s pot! Get it through your head!”
Chunyue widened her eyes and said, “Third Aunt, Second Aunt kindly advised you not to eat too many red berries, and you said they were cursing you. I think you’re cursing my parents for not having a son! Maybe the reason I haven’t had a brother all these years is because of your curse! Let me tell you, there’s no way your side of the family will ever take advantage of us!”
Chuncao stared at the fourth grandson and said, “With you being such a foolish glutton, my parents wouldn’t want you anyway! I want my own little brother!”
Upon hearing Chuncao insult her son, Sun Shi glared and retorted, “You’re a worthless brat, what are you cursing about?”
Li Shi, upon hearing Sun Shi insult her daughter, ran back inside. Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi had no choice but to follow. If they were found eavesdropping outside, it wouldn’t look good.