Chapter 72: Begging for Food
The coldness in the big cave is even worse than the wind and snow outside.
Aunt Sun put her hands in her pockets, rubbing her feet on the frozen mud. She kept glancing at the pile of grass where Wang Xiaobin was curled up. "Xiaobin, come up with something! That little girl from the Wu family is hiding in the little cave in the west. The aroma of meat wafts from far away every day, while we're left to eat frozen steamed bread. How can we endure this?"
Chen Chunhe chimed in, her voice as shrill as the wind across ice: "That's right! The other day, I was collecting firewood over there and saw that old man Wu Shoutian drying some meat. It looked like freshly hunted game. There are only a few people in their family, so why would they need so much food? Who knows, they might have hidden away some goodies!"
Wang Xiaobin pulled his tattered cotton-padded jacket tighter around him and muttered, "Why rush? I know what's going on." Even so, he patted his rumbling stomach, a flicker of annoyance in his eyes. The cave's food reserves were indeed running low. Yesterday, the family had already boiled down the last handful of brown rice into thin gruel, leaving not even a grain untouched.
As they were talking, Liu Linlin opened the tent curtain and walked out. She used to be the most respectable girl in the village. After all, she was the daughter of the headman, and she had no worries about food, clothing, and daily expenses in the town. But now she was wrapped in old cotton pants that were washed white, and her face had several red marks from the cold. Seeing Aunt Sun and Chen Chunhe were there, she didn't hesitate like usual. She walked straight up to Wang Xiaobin and said, "I don't care what you think. If you don't think of a solution, we will starve."
Wang Xiaobin looked up and glared at her: "What do you know?"
"I don't understand how much your little bit of face is worth!" Liu Linlin's voice suddenly rose, tears welling in her eyes. "Back then, when Wu Yuetang chased you around and gave you food and gifts, who was it that said, 'I'd rather starve to death than eat her food'? And now? You keep trying to hold on. Do you want your whole family to starve like you?"
This remark struck a nerve with Wang Xiaobin. He truly couldn't bring himself to do that. A few years ago, Wu Yuetang had gone with his family to the mountains to farm, nearly risking their lives to catch a wild rabbit. She'd offered the whole rabbit to Wang Xiaobin, but he'd thrown it back on the ground in front of the entire village, declaring, "Not even a dog would eat anything from the Wu family." Wouldn't it be a slap in the face for him to go begging for food now?
But Liu Liuliu was right. If they delayed any longer, the family would be in dire straits. Most of the families in the cave had run out of food. Some had secretly gone to the mountains to look for food, but couldn't even dig up frozen grass roots. A child from one family even nearly fell into a snow hole.
"If you want to go, go ahead." Wang Xiaobin turned his face away, his voice muffled.
Liu Lingling bit her lip, finally swallowing her pride and arrogance. "I'll go if I want to. But let me be frank. If they don't give it to you, you can't be a coward anymore."
Aunt Sun and Chen Chunhe perked up immediately after hearing this. Chen Chunhe said quickly, "Linlin, it's just right for you to go. You're sweet-talking and very polite. The Wu family won't resort to violence against you no matter what." Aunt Sun nodded and said, "Yes, just tell them that the elderly family member is starving to death and she can't just stand by and watch them die."
Liu Linlin didn't respond, turning to head out of the cave. Snowflakes pelted her face, yet she felt even colder inside. She knew she was going to be humiliated, but she glanced down at her purple-frozen toes and thought of the Wang family's wealth—they feared they couldn't even afford a hard, steamed bun. Her pace quickened.
As the small cave on the mountainside drew closer, the aroma of the broth grew stronger. Liu Linlin stood at the cave entrance for a long while before finally raising her hand and knocking on the wooden door.
It was Wu Yongqiao who opened the door. Seeing her, the smile on his face faded a little: "Oh, isn't this Wang Xiaobin's maid? What's going on?"
Liu Linlin clutched the corner of her clothes and forced a smile: "Brother, is Sister Yuetang here? I...I want to borrow some food from her."
Wu Yuetang, who was sitting by the fire pit, researching how to maximize the heat in the cave, looked up at him. The firelight illuminated her face, and her eyes were so clear that Liu Linlin felt a little uneasy.
"Borrow some food?" Wu Yuetang put down the bamboo stick in her hand and said in a calm voice, "Who are you to borrow food from? Wang Xiaobin's... fiancée?"
Liu Linlin's face turned red, her lips trembled and she couldn't speak.
Wu Shoutian sighed aside, "Miss Liu Linlin, it's not that we don't want to help you. But with the heavy snow blocking the mountains, everyone's food reserves are precious. If you're really starving, I'll have my maid pack you two steamed buns and take them back with you."
"What good are two steamed buns?" Liu Linlin's voice suddenly became tearful. "There are four or five people in our family! Sister Yuetang, you grew up with Wang Xiaobin. Considering that, you should give more! Your family can hunt, so you won't be short of food..."
"We paid with our lives for our food." Wu Yuetang stood up, her eyes sweeping across her red, frozen face. "My brother and Jingchen braved the wind and snow to go into the mountains, nearly being buried in the snow several times, before they managed to hunt those wild game. We have to keep our food for the winter, to keep us alive. It's not something that can be taken away by anyone just because they cry."
She turned around, picked up two hard-wheat steamed buns from the stone shelf, and stuffed them into Liu Linlin's hands. "Take it. This time, I'm doing it for my father's sake. Don't come again. We can't help you."
Liu Linlin stood in the snow, clutching the two cold steamed buns. She watched the wooden door of the small cave creak shut, and tears finally fell. She knew that not only had she failed to borrow any food, but she had also lost the last shred of her dignity.
In the cave, Wang Xiaobin's face darkened when he saw her return empty-handed. Aunt Sun and Chen Chunhe fanned the flames, saying all sorts of bad things about the Wu family.
"If you don't accept my toast, you'll have to drink for it!" Wang Xiaobin stood up abruptly, a fierce look in his eyes. "Since you can't get me to do it with kind words, don't blame us for being rude!"
The wind and snow outside the cave seemed to be getting stronger.
The two hard buns felt like two pieces of ice in Liu Linlin's palms. When Wang Xiaobin saw her return with tears in her eyes, the little pride he had lost to Liu Linlin suddenly became a burning fire. He wasn't angry about his own humiliation, but about the Wu family's audacity to humiliate him like this!
"Waste!" He snatched the steamed bread and threw it into the snow, then rushed up the mountainside. The front of his coarse cotton jacket was blown up by the wind, revealing the patched clothes underneath.
Chen Chunhe and Aunt Sun stood on tiptoe at the back, their wrinkles on their faces widening with smiles: "Xiaobin is really courageous! Finally, we can have some hot soup tonight!"
The people in the cave were having different thoughts. Some shook their heads and sighed, "Just two years ago, I saw him reading 'A Gentleman is Always Poor,' and he's become like this in just a short time..." Others rubbed their hands in anticipation, "It would be great if he could beg for something, so we can all get some of that too."
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