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Day by day, the relationship between Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an gradually grew more harmonious. Despite being plagued by sickness and so poor that they couldn’t afford two full meals a day, Su Zhi felt more comfortable than during her wealthiest days. She harbored hope that her illness would soon be healed.
Su Zhi slept soundly, having used a folk remedy for eczema that Shen Zi’an had procured for her, allowing her to rest well. This time, she was awakened by the cold, and in her groggy state, she felt someone tucking the blanket around her. Slowly opening her eyes, she found Shen Zi’an by the bed.
“You’re back?”
Su Zhi smiled, then quickly suppressed it, thinking her smile must not look good with her face as it was.
However, Shen Zi’an’s mood brightened at Su Zhi’s smile. He brought her a bowl of water and said, “It’s raining today, so I didn’t go out. I’ve been at home with you. Have some food later, and then I’ll prepare your medicine.”
“Is it raining? Open the window; let me see.”
Su Zhi felt like she was suffocating in this room, almost excited about the rain, as if it was a small reprieve. If it weren’t for the cold, she would have thrown off the blanket to take a look outside. The blanket was thin, torn, and stiff—an old thing, with little left of its warmth-retaining properties.
“It’s a bit chilly; don’t look now. You can look as much as you want once you’re better.”
Upon reflection, Su Zhi agreed. Already ill, she didn’t need to catch a cold on top of everything else, especially since the blanket covering her offered no warmth and the room was drafty from all sides.
Speaking of the house, Su Zhi was well aware that it wasn’t meant for living. She was placed there because of her illness, under the guise of preventing contagion, and Shen Zi’an moved in with her to provide care. From what she knew of Shen Zi’an, he must have brought all his personal belongings here, which were pitifully few—a thin blanket, a small bundle containing a few worn clothes, including a thin, old cotton jacket and trousers. She wondered if that was all Shen Zi’an had to get through the winter.
“Are you cold?” Shen Zi’an noticed Su Zhi shivering and went to open his bundle, taking out all the clothes and layering them over her. “I’m sorry for your discomfort.”
“Didn’t we have a new blanket when we got married?” Su Zhi asked. She knew from Sun Shi’s gossip that Zhao Xiaomei was able to marry into the family because her parents had concealed her illness, which meant there must have been at least some sort of wedding. Even the poorest farmers would have a blanket for their son’s marriage, wouldn’t they?
Shen Zi’an’s lips moved twice before he said, “Don’t worry, I will definitely get you a new blanket.”
Su Zhi could tell there was more to it; there must have been a new blanket, but it was gone now. She remembered that the bridal veil had fallen off almost as soon as Zhao Xiaomei entered the bridal chamber, and the chaos that ensued probably meant that they no longer wanted to give her the new blanket.
“Did the third sister-in-law take it to use?”
Seeing Shen Zi’an’s silence, Su Zhi knew she had guessed correctly. It seemed the novels didn’t lie; there were indeed such characters in every farmer’s family.
“I’ll go get you some food, wait here. Today I made cornbread with the newly harvested corn. You’ll definitely like it.”
Seeing that Su Zhi had fallen silent, Shen Zi’an felt guilty. Even though she was married to him by her in-laws without disclosing her illness, she was still his wife. The fact that she didn’t even have a proper blanket was inexcusable. Feeling remorseful, he thought he should quickly fetch her something to eat, hoping it would alleviate some of his discomfort about the situation.
Su Zhi watched as Shen Zi’an squeezed out through a crack he opened in the door and then swiftly closed it behind him, likely worried that opening the door wider would let in more cold air. She appreciated his thoughtfulness. Feeling the man’s simple and gentle nature, she thought that perhaps life with such a man could give her the kind of home she desired.
Shen Zi’an was unaware that Su Zhi was no longer the same woman he had married. Of course, he also didn’t know what she was thinking. His only wish was for her illness to heal quickly, for her to be well-fed and warm. Even though her smile didn’t look good now because of her illness, he still thought it was better when she smiled; it gave a sense of what a home should feel like.
The Shen family’s house was about twenty meters away from where Su Zhi was staying, separated by a vegetable garden. Su Zhi’s room was originally used for storing firewood and other miscellaneous items. To prevent her illness from affecting the rest of the family, a hedge had been placed in front of her quarters, making it look like a separate small courtyard.
“Yo, fourth younger brother, you’re here? Weren’t you in that room with your wife? What are you doing over here? Don’t tell me you’ve come to get hot water again? I’m not trying to nag, but you already have firewood in your place, why do you keep using our pot? It’s just the two of you there, while we’ve got over a dozen people here. You should think of the family too, don’t forget about your parents just because you got a wife now. And remember, you promised to chop firewood, don’t forget that.”
Sun Shi was alone in the kitchen and immediately started to scold Shen Zi’an upon his arrival.
Shen Zi’an gave her a faint glance, choosing not to engage. He knew what kind of person his third sister-in-law was; she could always use a past issue as leverage for the current one and had a way of twisting the unreasonable into something seemingly reasonable. Although he was clear-minded and not one to be tongue-tied, he always felt that arguing over such trivial matters with a woman—especially since she was his sister-in-law—was pointless. He preferred to stay silent, treating her words as if they were just a gust of wind that passed by without taking a piece of flesh with it.
“Don’t worry, third sister-in-law, I’ll bring back the firewood as soon as the weather clears up.”
After finishing his sentence, Shen Zi’an went over to lift the lid of the pot, remembering he had left some cornbread inside for his wife. However, upon inspection, he found the pot was empty, which made him frown. He searched the other pots but found nothing.
“Third sister-in-law, where is the cornbread I left for my wife?”
“Who knows? Do I have to keep an eye on that for you too?”
Sun Shi was taken aback by the sternness in Shen Zi’an’s eyes. Usually, this younger brother-in-law was competent and taciturn, rarely smiling and often indifferent to her words. She had grown accustomed to being overbearing in his presence, but being questioned so sharply by him truly startled her. Her hands instinctively tightened, and suddenly she grimaced.
It turned out that Sun Shi had indeed taken the two pieces of cornbread that Shen Zi’an had left in the pot, hiding them in the front of her clothes. That’s why her hand defensively covered the area. When she had accidentally pressed down, the heat from the bread, which had been kept warm in the pot, burned her despite the layer of underclothing. It was scalding.
Seeing her reaction, Shen Zi’an’s gaze fell on her hand, and noticing grease seeping through the fabric, he immediately understood what had happened. He was furious.
“Third sister-in-law! How could you take the food I left for my wife? Bring out the cornbread, and we’ll leave the matter at that.”
Sun Shi was torn between standing her ground and giving up the stolen goods when suddenly, a child’s voice called out from the doorway, “Grandpa! Grandma! Hurry, Fourth Uncle is asking mom for bread!”
Sun Shi was furious. She cursed the child inwardly, thinking that his shouting would bring everyone running, and then her theft of the cornbread would be out in the open. Despite her anger, she couldn’t do anything about the approaching footsteps.
The rain was still falling, so only a few people had come over, but they were the most important members of the family.
Seeing who had arrived, Sun Shi became even more anxious and immediately started wailing loudly, “How am I supposed to live like this? Since when does a younger brother-in-law demand food from his sister-in-law? I can’t take this anymore, I might as well be dead!”
Her dramatics were an attempt to flip the narrative and position herself as the victim, a common tactic used to deflect blame and garner sympathy. This response illustrates the tension and complex dynamics within the family, where hierarchy and face-saving play significant roles in interpersonal relationships.
As she spoke, Sun Shi rushed towards the door frame, intending to pretend to hit herself against it for dramatic effect. She had seen her husband, Shen Ziping, standing there and expected him to intervene. However, she hadn’t counted on a wooden stick lying on the ground, which caused her to stumble and actually hit her forehead against the frame. Shen Ziping did reach out to grab her, but it was too late to prevent the collision.
Sun Shi let out a cry of pain, clutching her forehead, and when she saw blood on her hand, she was momentarily stunned. Then, she promptly sat down on the ground and began to wail and cry.