Chapter 13: A Forced Melon Isn’t Sweet, Alas

Su Yi’an learned about Second Aunt He’s broken leg three days later.

The He family lived at the foot of the mountain, far from any neighbors, so news from the village rarely reached them.

If Mother He hadn’t gone to Dr. Wang for medicine, Second Aunt He’s leg might have healed completely before they even heard about it.

When He Ningwen heard the news, her eyes widened in disbelief. “Really, Mother? Tell me exactly what happened!”

Mother He calmly explained, “The villagers say Second Aunt He’s family lost some meat. She insisted Sister Xing must have failed to guard it properly, and they all started arguing. You know how brittle bones become with age—a simple fall was enough to break her leg.”

“Poor Sister Xing! How can they blame her for the lost meat? Second Aunt He’s family has so many people—didn’t anyone else see anything?” He Ningwen asked, biting into a wild fruit that puckered her face with sourness.

“Exactly! Now that Second Aunt He’s leg is broken, Sister Xing’s life will be even harder,” Mother He sighed, clearly disapproving of their behavior.

The Second Branch of the He Family had two sons and a daughter. The eldest had moved to town years ago to start a small business, leaving the elderly couple and younger son to tend the fields.

Recently, the younger son had married Sister Xing, whose family was poor and still had two younger brothers to support.

Fortunately, Sister Xing was hardworking, handling all the cooking and laundry. Second Aunt He had approved of this, offering a generous six taels of silver as a bride price—a substantial sum in the village.

Now that this incident had occurred, the missing meat seemed trivial. The real fear was that Second Aunt He would blame Sister Xing for her broken leg, accusing her of being unfilial or disrespectful to her mother-in-law.

Su Yi’an had been listening silently, without interjecting.

Even in her previous world, people often used filial piety to control others.

In essence, the argument boiled down to: I gave birth to you and raised you—how could I possibly be wrong?

“If He Zhong were a good, reasonable man, Sister Xing’s life might be better,” Mother He said, her meaning clear. If even her own husband wouldn’t stand up for her, Sister Xing’s life would be unbearable.

Ultimately, it was someone else’s affair. After Mother He finished speaking, everyone returned to their own tasks.

As Su Yi’an stepped outside, she spotted Yun Niang and Zhuang Shan approaching with bamboo baskets in hand.

“Yi’an,” Yun Niang called, “Zhuang Shan and I are going to town. Do you have anything you want to sell or buy?”

This was common in the village. When people couldn’t leave their work, they’d ask others to run errands. Everyone knew the standard prices—no one would cheat over a copper or two.

Su Yi’an had nothing to sell, but she did want to buy something.

With so many recovering family members, eating an egg every few days would help them regain their strength. But eggs were expensive—three copper coins each now, and Mother He said they’d go for six in winter.

They couldn’t afford eggs, so they would have to buy chickens to lay them.

When Yun Niang heard that Su Yi’an wanted to buy chicks, she quickly dissuaded her. As the weather got colder, few chicks would survive the winter, let alone lay eggs. Even grown hens laid fewer eggs in the cold. Not long ago, a hen had fetched forty wen, but now they sold for just thirty-five.

Hens were bulky and hard to carry in a back basket, and Su Yi’an didn’t want to trouble them.

“Why don’t we all go together? We’ll be riding the oxcart—it’ll be quick,” Yun Niang said, nudging Zhuang Shan to chime in.

“Hmm,” the man grunted in agreement.

The suggestion made Su Yi’an hesitate.

She did want to go to town—there were still many household items she hadn’t bought last time. But going would mean imposing on Yun Niang’s family.

“Little Aunt, I want to go too!” He Xingchen suddenly appeared, clinging to Su Yi’an like a shadow these days. He followed her everywhere, from cooking to chopping firewood—a veritable little tail.

“Go ahead. Your mother wouldn’t feel safe letting you go alone,” Mother He said, wiping her hands and pinching He Xingchen’s ear. “But it’ll be too much trouble for your aunt to take you along while she shops.”

He Xingchen looked imploringly at Su Yi’an, but before she could agree, Wan Xu arrived and pulled him away.

Yun Niang chuckled. “Let’s go together. We can bring him back some food.”

Su Yi’an tucked away the remaining silver and slung a large bamboo basket—big enough to hold three hens—over her shoulder before joining Yun Niang on the oxcart.

Even after the cart disappeared from view, Mother He stood there, gazing down the road.

“Mother, let’s go back,” Wan Xu said gently, knowing what was on her mind. She knew Mother He hadn’t slept soundly in days.

“If she leaves… that might be for the best,” Mother He murmured, barely holding back tears. “Our family has wronged her. These past few days must have been hard.”

As He Yunhuai’s health improved each day, Mother He’s guilt grew heavier. The young couple had no affection for each other, barely speaking at all. Forcing this match would only bring bitterness—they simply weren’t right together.

But there was still a chance to fix it. If Su Yi’an left, no one would ever know what had happened. Mother He could burn the marriage contract, erasing it all like a dream.

All that mattered now was whether Su Yi’an was willing to leave.

And today was the perfect opportunity. Mother He prayed she wouldn’t return.

Not many families in the village owned oxen. Villagers typically paid one copper coin for a one-way ride to town, two for a round trip.

In the past, the villagers disliked the He family and never let them ride.

This time, Yun Niang was accompanying Su Yi’an. The cart driver glanced at them but said nothing. The other passengers, though clearly reluctant, stayed quiet out of respect for Yun Niang.

When they reached town, Zhuang Shan went off alone to sell the game, while Yun Niang and Su Yi’an headed to the embroidery shop.

Yun Niang mainly needed embroidery thread. Her skill with the needle allowed her to sell embroidered sachets and purses for a good price—enough to cover household expenses.

“Would you like to buy some too?” Yun Niang asked casually. She had long since noticed Su Yi’an lacked the airs of a noble lady, and spoke to her more freely.

Su Yi’an admired Yun Niang’s ability to earn money through embroidery. She genuinely wanted to learn, but she didn’t even know how to hold a needle.

She couldn’t even read the characters here. The shop’s signboard had been hanging outside, and if she hadn’t known what they were buying, she wouldn’t have recognized it as an embroidery shop.

“Miss, please take this. We’ll buy more of your embroidery next time,” the shopkeeper said with a friendly smile, counting out a hundred and ten copper coins.

“Thank you, shopkeeper,” Yun Niang replied, tucking the coins into her purse and adjusting it at her waist.

Su Yi’an had seen Yun Niang bring four embroidered pieces. Four pieces for a hundred and ten coins—that was quite a profit.

“Shopkeeper, I’ll take some of these,” Su Yi’an said, pointing to several popular colors of embroidery thread. She bought a small amount of each.

Though she couldn’t embroider, perhaps Mother He or Wan Xu could. If not, she would learn.

Outside the shop, Yun Niang pulled her aside and whispered, “This shopkeeper favors floral patterns. If you use better fabric next time, you’ll get a higher price.”

Su Yi’an was deeply moved. Most people would hoard such profitable secrets. But Yun Niang was openly teaching her how to earn more.

“Good Yun Niang, thank you for helping me. I’ll make you something delicious when we get back.”

Yun Niang hummed in response, secretly curious about what this “delicious food” could possibly be.

After buying the thread, they went to find Zhuang Shan.

He had already sold the game and was waiting at the butcher’s stall to have the meat cut.

The butcher recognized him and handed over a choice cut of pork belly.

Su Yi’an followed suit, ordering two pounds of pork belly. She also asked for some pig intestines.

The butcher was puzzled—why buy pork only to also buy intestines? But he didn’t question paying customers.

Ten copper coins got her two full strings of pig intestines, the pungent odor filling the air.

“What are you going to do with these? They don’t taste good,” Yun Niang warned, frowning.

“I’ll make something delicious for you,” Su Yi’an replied, grinning at the bargain. She was glad she’d always made her own sausages—she knew exactly how to clean intestines. Most people wouldn’t have a clue.

Yun Niang glanced at the pig intestines again and sighed inwardly. She had little hope this “delicious food” would live up to its name.