Chapter 5

She had just finished her work when she heard Jiang Er shouting outside. She hurried over to open the door.

After closing it again, she lifted the basket off his back, and the two of them went inside.

Jiang Tian poured him a bowl of warm spiritual spring water to warm him up.

“I traded at Grandma Zhang’s place. Got three chicks and ten eggs. She said hens couldn’t be exchanged, but these chicks are female. Once they grow up, they’ll lay eggs.”

Jiang Tian nodded. She knew that in these times, families raised hens mainly for their eggs, which could be bartered for other things. Clearly, rushing to go hunting was a bit premature.

She placed the chicks in the box, gave them some spring water, and mixed a bit of cornmeal for them. Seeing the three chicks eat happily, she felt very pleased.

As for the ten eggs, she decided to save them for now.

After finishing his drink, Jiang Er felt much better. His gaze fell on the bow and arrows nearby, full of curiosity.

“Sis, what’s this you made?”

“A bow and arrows, for hunting.”

Jiang Er stared at her intently. “Sis, how come after you got better, you suddenly know all these strange things?”

Jiang Tian knew this boy would be suspicious sooner or later, so she patted the back of his head. “Even though your sister used to be silly, I lived with our father for a long time. These are all things I picked up from him.”

Jiang Er remained half-convinced.

“What, you think just because I was silly, I couldn’t learn anything?”

He scratched his head. “No.”

“Good. Then be obedient. Tomorrow morning, the two of us will go hunting in the mountains.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Now go call your brother-in-law to light the fire so we can cook lunch.”

Jiang Er tugged at her sleeve. “Sis, two meals a day are enough for us.”

Jiang Tian knew he was worried about conserving food, but children needed to eat more while growing.

“Don’t worry. We’re not short of money anymore. We need to nourish ourselves to have the strength to work. Look at you—you’re so skinny, you don’t look like an eight-year-old at all.”

Hearing this, Jiang Er’s eyes filled with tears. He threw himself into her arms, sobbing softly.

She gently patted his back. “Alright, alright. I know how hard it’s been for you while I was stupid. But now your sister isn’t anymore. From now on, we’ll live well. Once I earn big money, I’ll send you to school.”

Choking back his sobs, he whispered, “Sis, I don’t want to go to school. I want to make lots and lots of money with you—but not let that man spend any of it.”

Jiang Tian was both angry and amused. “Not going to school isn’t an option. You have to. Only with knowledge will you have a future.”

The boy still had teardrops clinging to his lashes. He wiped them away with his hand, sniffled, and said seriously, “But sis, people in the village say school is useless. Maybe going for two or three years just to learn to read is enough.”

“No. You must go.”

“…Alright then.”

Seeing his pout so exaggerated it looked like it could hang a soy sauce bottle, she tapped the bridge of his little nose. “Now, go tell him to light the fire.”

“No need. I can do it.”

She gave him a light smack on the bottom. “Go on, you’ve got other chores to do too.”

•  

With his short legs, Jiang Er trotted to the east room and opened the door.

“Come light the fire.”

Xie Chen met his eyes, gave a quiet “Mm,” and stood up.

While Jiang Er went off to find something else to do, Jiang Tian prepared lunch—sautéed cabbage with vinegar, scrambled eggs, and steamed mixed-grain rice.

By now, Xie Chen was skilled at tending the fire. Once the pot heated up, Jiang Tian rolled up her sleeves and got to work—rice steaming in one pot, stir-fry sizzling in another.

“All done, time to eat.”

The table Jiang Er had washed was now clean.

Since their table and stools didn’t match, when Jiang Tian had been working on the bow, she happened to find a broken old table in the storeroom. She patched it up and brought it back for use.

“Come on, let’s eat inside.”

Jiang Er carried the dishes, Xie Chen brought the bowls and chopsticks, and Jiang Tian scooped the rice. The three worked together seamlessly.

Sitting on a stool, Jiang Tian looked at the one big and one small figure seated by the kang. “Alright, let’s eat.”

The words were barely out before the little one eagerly grabbed a chopstickful of scrambled eggs.

“Sis, it’s so good!”

Jiang Tian smiled and piled more onto his bowl. “If you like it, eat plenty.”

As she pulled her chopsticks back, she noticed someone staring at her with expectant eyes.

“You too. Eat more, so you can grow strong.”

“Mm.”

The three of them were eating happily when a loud knock suddenly came at the door.

Bang bang bang!

“Jiang family? Jiang family?”

Jiang Er started to get up, but Jiang Tian set down her chopsticks. “Little Ears, I’ll go with you.”

“Sis, didn’t you want to keep it hidden?”

Jiang Tian hadn’t expected trouble so soon, but apparently it couldn’t be avoided. “It’s fine. If the secret’s out, so be it. You can’t handle them alone.”

Xie Chen also tried to rise, but Jiang Tian stopped him. “It’s too cold outside. If something happens, I’ll call you.”

So the two of them headed to the gate, full of resolve.

At the entrance, Jiang Tian opened the door, Jiang Er at her side.

“Village chief, last night I saw that little fool throw someone into the back mountain!”

The speaker was Chen Meiling, the wife of the second branch of the Xie family.

“That’s nonsense! My sister didn’t throw my brother-in-law into the mountain!” Jiang Er shot back.

“If it’s nonsense, we’ll know once we go in and check!” Ma Yueying tried to push her way inside, but Jiang Tian blocked her.

Ma Yueying was Xie Chen’s stepmother. His birth mother, Huo Yuling, had died less than a week after childbirth—due to heavy bleeding and poison.

Within a month, his father, Xie Tianming, had married Ma Yueying, bringing with her two sons, one six and one five.

Later, she even had their surnames changed. Everyone said it was because she believed in “following her husband’s surname,” a show of true love for Xie Tianming. But Jiang Tian, having read the original book, already knew the truth—Xie Tianming had been with her long before.

Back then, seeing Huo Yuling as an educated youth sent down to the countryside, Xie Tianming had chased after her.

His family had just fallen on hard times but still had some wealth, sending her food and goods daily.

Within half a year, he and Huo Yuling had married. Two months into the marriage, she became pregnant.

Then, when Ma Yueying gave him two sons and their relationship grew sweeter, she befriended Huo Yuling and used the chance to poison her. That was how everything afterward unfolded.

“And you think you can just barge in here? That’s breaking into someone’s home!”