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Madam Li nodded in agreement. “I’m starting to regret it now—we shouldn’t have split Third Zhao off from the family. Ever since he left, he’s come back a completely different person.”
“I feel the same way. Ever since the division, I’ve had this unease in my heart, especially after he went off with the Liu Family.”
“But Third Zhao has made it clear he won’t turn back now. There’s nothing we can do about him.”
“True. Even Father can’t keep him in line anymore. Luckily, he doesn’t have a son. Once he’s older and his daughter is married off, with no son to rely on, he’ll have no choice but to come crawling back. By then, controlling him will be easy. He won’t dare ignore our words.”
Madam Li nodded. If he didn’t return, if he refused to depend on his nephews, what else could he do? End up a lonely ghost with no one to care for him after death?
Meanwhile, inside Zhao Dashu’s house, things were no quieter.
“Father, after we deliver the goods tomorrow, let’s go straight to the Village Chief and buy some land. Business has slowed down anyway—we’ll have time to manage it.” She’d had enough of the whole family crammed onto one ‘kang’ bed. In the middle of the night, with her parents busy “making little people,” she didn’t even dare breathe too loudly. Damn, it was way too stimulating—a live performance right in front of her? Absolutely unbearable.
Buy land, build a house—they had to do it as soon as possible. One room per person, then they could do whatever the hell they wanted.
She was still a child! They couldn’t just corrupt her like this!
“Why the rush? We could move into the Village Chief’s old house first.” She was afraid the old house wouldn’t be peaceful either—what if they came to make trouble again?
“Mother, no matter where we move, it’s only temporary. We must have a home of our own.”
Madam Song suddenly realized—yes, no matter where they stayed, it was someone else’s place. They still didn’t have a home of their own. Without a home, they had no roots. Her eyes reddened again; even her child understood this better than she did.
“You’re right. We’ll buy land and build a house. Daughter, how much land should we buy? How many rooms should we build?” Zhao Dashu looked at Zhao Zhenyu eagerly.
“Buy a larger plot, Father. That area at the end of the village looks good to me.”
“But isn’t it too remote? There’s hardly anyone around.”
‘That’s exactly why we want it—no people.’ “At the foot of the mountain, it’ll be easier for me to forage in the hills. And with hardly anyone nearby, no one will know what our family’s up to. If we settle at the village’s edge, we can quietly make our fortune—how does that sound?”
Zhao Dashu and Madam Song were tempted. ‘Quietly make our fortune’—now that was a phrase they liked.
“Deal! We’ll buy land at the village end. How many rooms should we build, and what kind?” He was already imagining it—at the very least, they’d build a few sturdy brick-and-tile houses. Back at the old house, everyone else lived in proper brick homes while his family was stuck in a rammed-earth hut. All these years, only he knew the bitterness he’d swallowed.
“Let me think. We’ll definitely build big. Father, tomorrow you should ask around—how much silver does a brick-and-tile house cost per room? How much for the land? We’ll figure out the numbers.”
“Alright, we’ll do as you say!” Hearing Zhao Zhenyu’s plan to build a brick-and-tile house, Zhao Dashu’s eyes lit up. As expected, his daughter truly understood him.
Zhao Zhenyu intended to build a proper, spacious home—comfort was non-negotiable when it came to her own living space. The only problem was, she had no idea about local prices. ‘Sigh’, she’d have to make a trip to the county town soon. Her space was empty—no supplies, nothing. She needed to stock up on food, daily necessities, and drinks. Having supplies on hand would give her peace of mind.
As she mulled over the house layout, Zhao Zhenyu realized she’d always liked Beijing’s ‘siheyuan’ courtyard houses. Back then, she couldn’t afford one, but now—why not build one here?
“Father, are there dogs for sale in the county town?”
“Hmm? You want to raise one? Some folks in the village have dogs, but I’m not sure if there are any pups available right now.”
“Let’s buy two—for guarding the house. If we live at the foot of the mountain, someone might get greedy. We’ll also build the walls extra high and line the outside with broken pottery shards.”
“You’ve really thought this through. But no rush—tomorrow I’ll ask about land prices first and secure the plot. Once the house is built, we’ll buy a few chickens and a couple of piglets. Then we’ll have eggs to eat every day.”
‘No rush? The house doesn’t even exist yet!’
Late at night, when all was quiet, Zhao Zhenyu let out two big yawns and stealthily slipped out of bed. They were about to move out of the Liu Family’s place—and the Lius were the closest neighbors to the Zhao Family, separated only by a low wall.
After checking that no one was around, Zhao Zhenyu dragged over a stool and climbed over to the other side.
Familiar with the layout, she made her way to the backyard. She had been eyeing the Old Zhao Family’s pigs and chickens for a long time. If her father hadn’t mentioned raising chickens earlier that night, she might have forgotten about them entirely. Quietly, she took the still-sleeping chickens and pigs into her space. The pigs had grown noticeably bigger—excellent, that meant more meat for her.
Glancing at the vegetables in the yard—planted by her mother—she decided to pull them all up too.
After clearing the vegetables, she headed to the cellar and took all the stored grains, then moved to the kitchen to swipe every bit of food and even the firewood. The entire household was sleeping like logs, the yard utterly silent. Zhao Zhenyu was practically giddy with excitement, unable to stop herself.
She swept through every corner of the property except the rooms where they slept. On her way back, passing through the small courtyard, she casually collected all the farming tools, brooms, and anything else left outside. Surveying the now-bare yard with satisfaction, she returned to the Liu Family’s side to catch a few more hours of sleep.
Morning.
Old Zhao Family Household.
Whenever Eldest Zhao returned home, the family’s meals would improve slightly—and naturally, he got the best portions.
The hens laid four eggs a day, and Madam Li, upon waking up, automatically headed to the backyard to collect them. Usually, the eggs were sold—only when Eldest Zhao was home would they be boiled for him to eat. ‘Him alone’, not the rest of them. Resentment simmered in her heart, but for the sake of the future, she forced herself to endure.
Backyard.
Madam Li stared at the barren vegetable patch. She closed her eyes—’must be seeing things from waking up too early’. When she opened them again, the patch remained nothing but bare soil.
“AHHH!”
“Second Zhao’s wife! What are you screeching about so early in the morning?! If you wake Eldest Zhao, I’ll skin you alive!”
“Mother! Something terrible has happened! The vegetables in the backyard—they’re gone! And the chickens and pigs—vanished!”
“Gone?! Have you gone blind?!”
The old woman tottered to the backyard on her bound feet, ready to unleash a scolding—only to find nothing but pockmarked, empty soil stretching before her.
Where were her vegetables?!
She took a few more steps forward, her eyes landing on the empty chicken coop and pigpen.
“AHHH!”
Where were her chickens?! Her pigs?!
“What’s all this racket first thing in the morning?! Eldest Zhao isn’t even up yet—can’t you keep it down?!”
“Old man, we’ve been robbed! Look—the vegetables are gone, the pigs are gone, even the chickens are gone! Wuwuwu…” The old woman slumped onto the muddy ground, genuinely heartbroken. She had scrimped and saved, denying herself even the basics—only for some thief to clean them out in one go. Which damned bastard did this?!
The old man squinted, rubbed his eyes, then rubbed them again—Good heavens, they’d really been robbed!
“Eldest Zhao! Second Zhao! Get over here, now!”
Madam Wang rolled over in bed, utterly exasperated. ‘What the hell was all this commotion first thing in the morning? Couldn’t they let a person sleep?!’