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Xiao Lihua knew that her husband, Xie Youshun, was not at home; he had gone to the county town to work on a construction project. He often took on long jobs outside because they paid more, but no matter how much he earned, it all went to the public funds. Xiao Lihua recalled that she had always been dissatisfied with her husband for being away so much, not because she particularly liked him, but because she felt that all her grievances stemmed from his absence.
She thought there must be some truth to this; it was the sorrow of women in ancient times. No matter how strong they were, they were still seen as dependent on men, and their lives became complicated when men were not around.
In her memories, Xie Youshun was not a bad man. She decided to wait and see how things went. If their relationship improved, she would advise him not to go away so often, especially since they would eventually have to split their household. At that time, she would need to think about how to earn money, and having a man around would make things easier. The two children also needed their father by their side.
"Sister Four, I'm coming in."
A woman's voice rang out. Xiao Lihua responded and the door opened to reveal a woman; Xiao Lihua recognized her as Second Sister, Zi Clan.
Zi Clan had a round face with a gentle appearance, her figure neither too fat nor too thin. She wore a blue dress and had a bamboo hairpin in her hair, looking neat and tidy. Upon entering and seeing Xiao Lihua sitting closely with the two children, she paused in surprise because Xiao Lihua usually kept her distance from them, almost as if avoiding them. Was today truly an unusual day?
"Second Sister."
Xiao Lihua greeted her. In her memories, Second Sister had never had any major conflicts with the original owner of this body; any disagreements were usually instigated by the original owner herself. Xiao Lihua remained polite towards Second Sister, adhering to the principle of not offending others if they did not offend her.
Zi Clan carried a tray with two bowls and a pair of chopsticks on it. She set the tray down and noticed that one bowl contained a watery corn porridge while the other held half a bowl of green vegetables—spinach, as indicated by its red roots—but it looked like it had been cooked without any oil at all, making it appear quite unappetizing.
Zi Clan approached and observed Xiao Lihua's pale complexion. "You look so sallow; you must be feeling quite unwell. Is this medicine effective? Your head doesn’t hurt anymore? Parents said you were injured and shouldn’t move around too much, so I brought your meals over. Just eat here; I’ll come back to collect the bowls after you finish. Shitou and Muto can come eat with me."
Shitou glanced at Xiao Lihua before getting off the bed to help Muto down.
"Thank you for your trouble, Second Sister," Xiao Lihua said gratefully before turning to the two children. "Shitou and Muto, after you finish eating, come back to the room; it’s boring for your mother to be alone."
Shitou and Muto nodded eagerly. Their mother had become so gentle; they wanted to spend more time with her, hoping that this would make her love them even more!
Zi Clan thought that this sister-in-law had indeed changed a bit, but she didn't ask much and took the two children away.
Xiao Lihua looked at the bowl of thin porridge and a bowl of greens, thinking that the meals were really frugal. With such food, she wouldn't even need to diet; eating like this would keep her from gaining weight even if she didn't work every day. Now she was too lazy to be picky and decided to eat first; once she earned money in the future, she would definitely improve their meals. She wanted her two sons to be chubby and healthy!
"This porridge is as thin as water, and this vegetable has no oil flavor at all. I really admire the person who cooked this."
Xiao Lihua thought that the cooking skills of the Li Family were not great, but for the sake of her health, she finished both bowls of greens with the thin porridge, feeling only half full. She completely resonated with the saying that dinner was eaten like a beggar.
After finishing the meal, perhaps because the food was too light on her stomach or because she hadn't gone to relieve herself all day, she ran out once. When she returned, she found that Wood and Stone had already come out from the Hall.
"Kids, have you finished your meal?"
Xiao Lihua went over to pat their heads and wondered if these two children were also eating that thin porridge and greens. If they ate quickly, it would make sense.
Stone looked at Xiao Lihua, lowered his head, and said nothing. Little Wood put his finger in his mouth to suck on it while looking at Xiao Lihua, also silent.
"Little Wood, don't suck your finger; it's not clean. Your teeth and nails will grow poorly, and your teeth might become crooked." Xiao Lihua gently pulled Little Wood's finger out of his mouth and took their hands to head back to their room. Just then, two boys about six or seven years old walked out from behind the curtain. They were relatively clean and tidy, each holding half a cake and munching on it. Xiao Lihua frowned slightly, thinking these two children were even older than her two sons. Their eating style was quite fierce; how could her two sons finish first and come out empty-handed?
Xiao Lihua felt suspicious in her heart. Looking at her two sons again, she saw their eyes fixed on the cake. Little Wood had put his finger back in his mouth again, while Little Stone tightly pressed his lips together but his throat kept moving. Her eyes suddenly felt sour.
The two boys noticed that Xiao Lihua was silent but continued to stand at the door, taking big bites of their cake while loudly exclaiming how delicious it was, making faces at Wood and Stone.
Xiao Lihua asked Little Stone: "Little Stone, tell me, did you eat cake tonight? Did everyone get some?"
Little Stone looked up at his mother and said: "The adults didn't."
Little Wood then said, "Neither do my brother and I."
Xiao Lihua felt a surge of anger inside her. She understood that this cake was something that adults did not have, but children did. However, her son did not have it! So they could only watch others eat the cake, and when they ran out, people chased after them, craving what they had!
"Is it that all the children have it, but only you two do not? Why?"
The two children nodded but did not answer her question. Xiao Lihua patted their heads and said, "You two go back inside. Mother will return shortly. Little Stone, take your brother back. Be obedient."
Little Stone glanced at Xiao Lihua and took his brother back inside.
Xiao Lihua looked at the two children and remembered that they seemed to be the sons of Li Family. She recalled the scene of them standing next to Li Family. Thinking about their earlier actions and expressions, Xiao Lihua mused that such sons must come from such a mother; these two nephews had indeed gone astray.
Shackles took a step back when Xiao Lihua looked at them, forgetting to swallow the cake they were chewing. They were still somewhat afraid of this Aunt Si. They dared to eat cake in front of Stone and Wood because they knew that this Aunt Si did not care about Stone and Wood. Usually, when they bullied Stone and Wood, Aunt Si would sometimes just glance at them or not even look at all. This had emboldened them, but they were still somewhat afraid of Xiao Lihua, so seeing her being so gentle with Stone and Wood today and looking at them with that kind of gaze made them wonder if today Aunt Si had lost her mind.
Xiao Lihua would not hold a grudge against two small children; she lifted the curtain and entered the Hall.
Inside the Hall, there were two tables: one for men and one for women and children. Although the Wang Clan was made up of women, they sat at the men's table, along with a slightly older child who was the son of the First Wife.
As soon as Xiao Lihua entered, she scanned the table and saw that most of the food was nearly finished. There were stir-fried greens and a plate of pickled vegetables. Some children still held small pieces of cake in their hands, while the adults did not have any. She thought to herself that indeed other children had it, but her son did not.
When the people in the room saw Xiao Lihua enter, they all fell silent, looking at her with unsightly expressions. Xiao Lihua was not well-liked at home, and having spent one or two taels of silver today only made it more unpleasant for others to look at her.
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