"Oh, my son! Be gentle, don't beat her to death. I don't have any extra money to marry you a wife." When the old woman heard the noise in the room, she didn't even care about the chicken, and ran over quickly on her bound feet, trying to persuade Li Wangcai.
Li Chen, 55 years old, was a widow from Xiushui Village and the mother of Li Wangcai. Seeing the old woman, Su Niang's mind inexplicably filled with more information.
"Mom, I think she is not filial to you!" When Li Wangcai saw his mother, he changed his fierce look and shouted at the old woman in grievance.
"Okay, okay, mother knows that I am a good son. It's worth it for me to become a widow at the age of 20 and raise you. My son! You are so filial. Even if I go to the underworld to see your dead father immediately, I will be happy." Li Chenshi wiped the non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes with the corner of her clothes, and said with a loving face.
This is a typical green tea! She's used to saying one thing in front of people and another behind their backs. Su Niang had already made her assessment in her head.
Li Chenshi's features were classic, with triangular eyes, drooping brows, and a look of meanness and indifference. The loving expression she put on her face was like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken, a strangely awkward sight. However, Li Wangcai, perhaps accustomed to seeing his mother like this, wore a broad smile, enjoying it immensely.
As Su Niang expected, when Li Chen turned to face Su Niang, she immediately put on a vicious face and scolded, "Qiu Su Niang, we are a country family and can't afford to support lazy people who don't work. Now that you are awake, why don't you go to the river and wash the clothes for the whole family?"
Su Niang looked at the two vicious mother and son in front of her, and although she was reluctant, she still responded obediently: "Yes."
Su Niang felt something was amiss, but to avoid alerting the mother and son, she decided to use the laundry as an opportunity to relax and think about what was wrong with her. Why were so many inexplicable words popping up in her head? It was like she'd heard them before but was using them for the first time. Furthermore, Su Niang couldn't help but feel that her life wasn't like this. A mountain village? A butcher? A wicked mother-in-law? Was this really her life, Qiu Su Niang?
Seeing Su Niang carrying a large basket full of dirty clothes from the corridor and trudging out the door, the old woman snorted and said to her son, "Wangcai! I think your daughter-in-law is okay in all aspects except for not being able to give birth to a son. At least it saves me a lot of trouble.
Ever since Su Niang came into the family, Li Chenshi had barely done any housework. She'd been solely responsible for everything from washing clothes to feeding the chickens and cooking. During the past two days, Su Niang had been unconscious, leaving Li Chenshi hungry and forced to cook for herself. The chickens couldn't stand being hungry either, so Li Chenshi, fearing they might starve to death, had to take over the feeding duties. As for the dirty clothes, Li Chenshi had tossed them all into a large basket in the hallway, intending to have Su Niang wash them once she woke up.
After years of inactivity, Li Chenshi felt aches and pains in her back and body after doing a bit of work these past couple of days. This was the main reason the old woman persuaded her son not to use violence against Su Niang. Li Chenshi knew her son, Li Wangcai, was so strong he could flip a fat pig with one hand. If Li Wangcai hit Su Niang, she wouldn't be able to survive a few punches.
"Whatever mother says is what it is." Li Wangcai answered obediently, and then said: "It's almost dusk, mother, please hurry up and cook, I'm starving."
"Okay, make my son a plate of fried eggs today, and the piece of meat you brought back today, to go with the wine. It just so happens that the woman who doesn't lay eggs has gone out to work, and she probably won't be back before dark. Let's have a couple of drinks together." After the old woman said this happily, she went to work.
Su Niang had already walked a distance away, but the intimate interaction between mother and son in the yard somehow felt like something she had witnessed. Scrambled eggs? Meat? Drinking? I didn't even have a sip of porridge, and I'm so hungry!!!
Su Niang came to the Xiushui River with a basket full of dirty clothes. Looking at the clear Xiushui River and the fish swimming in it from time to time, Su Niang felt even hungrier.
Although Xiushui River is called a river, it is only about one meter wide in Xiushui Village and no deeper than the knees. The water is clear and you can see the bottom.
When Su Niang saw the fish swimming around in the river, she made up her mind, emptied all the clothes in the basket and put them by the river. She rolled up her trouser legs, took the empty basket and went into the river to catch fish.
For some reason, there were so many stupid fish in Xiushui River that Su Niang could always catch three or two fish with a basket.
Suniang was excited. Fish! Protein, vitamins, and various trace elements—it was exactly what she needed to replenish her body!
There were so many fish that Suniang stopped after catching about ten. The smallest fish weighed three taels, and the largest weighed more than a pound. These ten fish were enough for Suniang to fill her stomach.
That's right! Su Niang only wanted to fill her own stomach. As for Li Wangcai and Li Chenshi, they could go wherever they wanted. Su Niang had no masochistic tendencies. Would the people who hit or scolded her want to eat the fish she caught? No way!
Su Niang, carrying a large basket of pre-cooked fish, walked up the mountain along the stream. She'd planned to grill fish today, but she had no other options: no pot or firewood. Firewood could be found in the mountains, but pots seemed like a luxury item, unlikely to be loaned out. Go home for them? Su Niang wasn't that foolish. With her famished, dizzy little body, she'd be beaten up by the mother and son and probably die.
When she was preparing the fish, she used a flat stone she'd found by the river. With a simple scrape, she cut open the fish's belly. She examined the flat stone for a long time but couldn't see anything unusual. It was just a piece of stone, not iron or steel, and she couldn't understand why it had suddenly become so sharp.
However, Su Niang's best quality is that she doesn't dwell on trivial matters. She always puts things aside and waits for the right opportunity to find the answer. Right now, her most urgent concern is to fill her stomach. Didn't she see that the sight of the bloody fish makes her want to take a bite?
Su Niang used the clear river water to take out all the internal organs from the fish's belly and let the fish float away with the river. Even the scales on the outside were scraped clean by Su Niang with the stone she picked up.
As she reached the edge of the mountain, Suniang remembered she had no matches. Starting a fire without a fire wasn't impossible, but it would be too much effort. Suiang glanced at her malnourished, hungry body and, after some thought, ran to a house near the mountain and knocked on the door.
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