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Yu Chunmiao finished his meal and dug up some Banxia, and by evening, he was counting money in the house. As he earned, he spent, leaving him with a total of eight hundred and eighty wen.
Two days later, he had saved up five taels and sixteen wen. On the evening of the third day, Yu Chunmiao and Qi Rong returned with two full baskets of Banxia, only to find that Chen Ruolan was not home. Knowing that Qi Chong was not in town, Chen Ruolan had rented an Ox Cart from the village. The village was small, with only about thirty households, and there was just one Ox Cart belonging to Wang Butcher's family. He used it daily to collect pigs from nearby towns and occasionally transported people when he had the time.
When they arrived at Wang Butcher's gate and called out, it was Wang Butcher's wife, Lin Qiujiu, who came out. Coincidentally, Wang Butcher was going to town to sell meat the next day, so the three of them would each get two large pieces.
Chen Ruolan paid the fare and was about to leave when Lin Qiujiu stopped her. With a curious expression, she asked, "Sister Chen, what’s going on with your uncle’s family? I’ve heard that they’ve been fighting every day lately. Is it true that Qi isn’t Qi Changsheng’s child? What’s the story?"
Chen Ruolan's heart raced. The daughter-in-law was acting foolishly and casually spreading rumors that disturbed the peace of a family. What a sin!
"Sister, I haven’t been to the village in ages; I don’t know any more than you do."
"What a sin! Lying is also a sin; I’ve contributed to this mess as well."
Upon hearing Chen Ruolan’s words, Lin Qiujiu became even more animated and wouldn’t let her go. This was common knowledge throughout the village; it was rare to find someone who didn’t know about it, so she had to share.
"I’ll tell you, I noticed something was off a long time ago. Just look at Your Man and Qi Changsheng; they look alike, don’t they? Your three sons can’t all be cut from the same mold; they all look like one family! And that Qi—tut-tut-tut—they’ve been arguing so much that Zhang Guihua has had a swollen face for days!"
Chen Ruolan barely registered Lin Qiujiu’s words as she became lost in her own guilt.
"Sister, I have to go home; there’s a lot to do at home," she said hurriedly.
"Go on then! If you listen any longer, you might feel compelled to clarify things yourself!"
Lin Qiujiu watched as Chen Ruolan hurried away like she was fleeing home. She felt somewhat unsatisfied; she hadn’t even finished telling her about Wang Xicai yet.
When Chen Ruolan arrived home, Qi Chong was busy cooking Braised Pork while Qi Rong stood by the stove watching eagerly.
"Where’s Yu Chunmiao?" Chen Ruolan asked casually when she didn’t see him.
Qi Rong stared at the Braised Pork and replied, "Sister-in-law said it’s too late to wash her hair because it won’t dry properly. She went straight to wash up when she got here; she should be done by now."
Chen Ruolan acknowledged this with an "oh" as she took her medicine.
Qi Chong playfully pushed his younger brother aside. "Do you want me to throw your head in with the pot too?"
He plated the Braised Pork and handed it over to Qi Rong. "No sneaking bites!"
Qi Rong sighed; he had been thinking about stealing a piece. Instead, he could only lick his finger after dipping it in the sauce to satisfy his craving.
The piece of meat was bought by Yu Chunmiao that morning, and she still felt unsatisfied from the last time they had meat. With her hair half-dry and casually tied back with a single hair tie, she came to the dining table. At the table, apart from her and Qi Rong, who were enjoying their meal, Chen Ruolan appeared less than pleased, lost in her thoughts.
Chen Ruolan found no joy in her food, occasionally counting grains of rice with her chopsticks. Qi Chong placed a piece of Braised Pork on her plate and calmly said, "If you keep this up, Mother, I won't be able to take it anymore."
Chen Ruolan simply set down her chopsticks, letting her tears flow freely. "It hurts, my dear," she lamented.
Yu Chunmiao hurried to wipe her tears, appearing calm on the surface while the phrase "it hurts" echoed in her mind. Qi Chong jokingly patted his mother's shoulder and said, "Oh come on, it's a small matter. If I hum tomorrow, you can call Father to come and scold me."
Chen Ruolan shot him a reproachful glance. "If it hurts, just say it; don’t hold back."
"Alright, if it hurts tomorrow, I will definitely shout. If I don’t shout, it means it doesn’t hurt," Qi Chong reassured her with a smile. After some coaxing from him, Chen Ruolan finally managed to eat her meal.
The next day, Qi Rong stayed home to look after the house. In the morning, Qi Chong steamed some buns so that he could heat them up for lunch later.
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