Chapter 6

Lin Dabao’s eyes lit up the moment he saw the meat. He lunged forward, reaching out to snatch the bone from Lin Beibei’s hand, but Jiang Qiuyue was faster, grabbing his arm firmly.

“I want to eat it! Give it to me!” Lin Dabao, small as he was, possessed surprising strength. He flailed his arms wildly, and Jiang Qiuyue, feeling the sting of his blows, hoisted him up and dumped him onto Qian Li.

“Second sister-in-law, if you don’t teach him some manners, I’ll do it for you next time.” Jiang Qiuyue cast a fierce look at Lin Dabao. “In the past, whenever you had something good, you never shared it with Beibei and Nannan. Now that they have something tasty, don’t you even think about having a bite!”

Lin Dabao sat on the floor, kicking and screaming, “I want the meat! Grandma said I’m the treasure of the Lin family, and that Lin Beibei and Lin Nannan are bastards who don’t deserve to eat… Waaah!”

Jiang Qiuyue pinched Lin Dabao’s mouth hard, making him howl with tears streaming down his face. Only then did Qian Li think to protect her son. “Big sister-in-law, why are you arguing with a child?”

“What’s going on? What’s happening?” Wang Chunhua and the others heard the commotion and came running out.

Seeing Lin Dabao’s mouth pinched red, Wang Chunhua pointed at Jiang Qiuyue and cursed, “You heartless shrew, Dabao is just a child, how could you lay a hand on him?”

“Mom, Beibei and Nannan are children too; how could you lay a hand on them?” Jiang Qiuyue retorted sharply. “And as for you, second sister-in-law, don’t talk to me about arguing with a child. I’m just helping you educate him since you clearly don’t know how, all to save the Lin family some face. You’re useless—you deceive your parents and coddle your child. If this family falls apart in the future, half the blame will be on you.”

Qian Li stammered, “I…”

“Don’t bother making excuses. If you really want what’s best for him, the next time Lin Dabao tries to snatch someone else’s food, you should slap him so he learns his lesson.”

They say people are born good, but Jiang Qiuyue didn’t believe that. For a child as young as Lin Dabao to be spewing such foul language, he had likely inherited his parents’ bad genes to the core.

“Beibei, Nannan, take your noodles into the room to eat. We have good food, and we only share it with those who treat us well, understand?”

While Lin Nannan stood there blankly, Lin Beibei carried his bowl over to her side and whispered happily—though loud enough for everyone to hear—“Quick, quick! Mom told us to go back to the room to eat. Mom is so good; she didn’t make us share with Lin Dabao!”

The two children retreated into the room without looking back. Jiang Qiuyue finished her own bowl of noodles, drained the broth, and raised her eyebrows in defiance at the Lin family.

Wang Chunhua looked as if she wanted to kill her. “You just wait! Don’t think you can be arrogant now; one day you’ll be crying and begging us!”

*So, she’s come up with a way to deal with me?*

Jiang Qiuyue took note of this, staying on guard. Two days later, she spotted Lin Sanzhu acting suspiciously as he called out to the postman. After Lin Sanzhu left, she took a shortcut and caught up with the courier.

“Mailman, wait!” Jiang Qiuyue panted, her face flushed from running. She pulled out a letter she had written herself and lied without batting an eye. “My mom said she sent the wrong letter and asked me to swap it.”

The postman had been coming to Peach Blossom Village for over a decade and knew everyone there. Suspecting nothing, he fished out the letter Lin Sanzhu had just given him and handed it to her. “Be more careful next time. If I’d already ridden further, you’d have wasted a stamp for nothing.”

“Thank you for the reminder. My mother-in-law is getting on in years and her eyesight isn’t what it used to be. I’ll be sure to check for her next time. Sorry for the trouble!” Jiang Qiuyue waved him off. Once he was out of sight, she confirmed the letter was addressed to the military and tore it open without hesitation.

“Tsk, tsk.”

As she suspected, the petty people of the Lin family were trying to frame her. They wanted Lin Dazhu to come home and discipline her?

*Ha! Keep dreaming.*

Back home, Jiang Qiuyue burned the letter. It took fifteen days for mail to travel to and from the village, so she decided to let the Lin family wait in vain.

Seeing her burning something, Lin Beibei thought she was cooking and trotted in. “Mom, what delicious thing are you making today?”

For the past two days, Jiang Qiuyue had been making handmade noodles, steamed buns, and pork floss. The aroma from the kitchen had been driving Lin Dabao to tears of frustration every day.

*Right, what should I make today?*

***

Half of the meat Jiang Qiuyue had bought was gone, and the rest was hanging up as jerky. She didn’t want jerky today; the house had plenty of rice and flour, but no vegetables.

Just then, the sound of a child being beaten drifted from the neighboring Niu family. Lin Beibei leaned in and whispered to Jiang Qiuyue, “Mom, Brother Zhuangzhuang is getting beaten again. Should we go see?” Brother Zhuangzhuang had shared his peanuts with him yesterday; he was a good person.

Seeing the worry on the little boy’s face, Jiang Qiuyue took his hand and walked to the Niu family’s gate.

“Grandma, I was wrong, I really was! Stop hitting me! I was just thinking about getting some food for the house!” Niu Zhuangzhuang ran circles around the yard, wearing only a vest, his pants having been pulled off by his grandmother.

Old Lady Niu chased after him, dripping with sweat, a bamboo switch in her hand. “Niu Zhuangzhuang, haven’t I told you not to go to the river? You little brat, you won’t listen, will you? Get over here! If I don’t beat the fear into you today, I’m not your ancestor!”

Seeing people at the gate, Niu Zhuangzhuang scrambled behind Jiang Qiuyue and Lin Beibei like he’d found a savior. “Auntie, save me! My grandma is going to beat me to death!”

Jiang Qiuyue searched her memory. The Niu family wasn’t bad; Old Lady Niu used to advise the original owner not to work so hard, and Niu Zhuangzhuang often brought the two children along to play. Since she had nothing to do, she asked what the boy had been doing.

Old Lady Niu shouted, “He went to the river to catch fish! Look at these, Qiuyue. They’re only as big as a thumb—hardly any meat on them, and they’re so fishy. How are you supposed to eat them?”

As she spoke, she caught the boy off guard, grabbed his ear, and swatted his backside a few times. “Your parents are out working in the fields. If something happened to you, how would I answer to them?”

Niu Zhuangzhuang wailed, “Grandma, be gentle! I won’t do it again, I promise!”

Lin Beibei watched, terrified. Grandma Niu was so different from usual. Would he still be allowed to come play with Brother Zhuangzhuang?

Jiang Qiuyue looked at the small fish in the wooden bucket and became interested. They didn’t have much meat, but if deep-fried, they were delicious, and if smoked then stir-fried with chili, they were perfect with rice.

Thinking of a tasty meal, she drooled. “Auntie, if you don’t want them, will you sell them to me?”

“What do you want them for?” Old Lady Niu asked, puzzled.

“To eat.” As soon as Jiang Qiuyue said it, Old Lady Niu’s expression turned sympathetic. She assumed Wang Chunhua was starving them again.

“Qiuyue, it’s not that I want to meddle, but your husband sends you money every month—you should be getting yourself and the kids some good food. Look at Beibei and Nannan, they’re so thin compared to Dabao.” Only families with absolutely nothing to eat would bother with such small fish, so Old Lady Niu insisted on giving them to her for free, saying she couldn’t stand the favoritism.

Jiang Qiuyue felt bad taking them for nothing, but Old Lady Niu insisted. There were about two pounds of fish. Niu Zhuangzhuang looked sad to see the fish go, until his grandmother patted his head and handed him two eggs. “Take these to your Auntie Jiang. Tell her they’re for Beibei and Nannan. Drop them off and come straight back—don’t take anything from her, you hear?”

Eggs were a precious commodity in the village, and the Niu family lived frugally, but she couldn’t bear how Beibei’s eyes had lit up when he saw the fish.

When Niu Zhuangzhuang delivered the eggs, he ran off before Jiang Qiuyue could even express her gratitude. “Auntie Jiang! Grandma said these are for Beibei and Nannan, and I’m not allowed to take anything from you!” He shouted this from the yard and vanished before Jiang Qiuyue could step out.

Looking at the fish and the eggs, Jiang Qiuyue felt a warmth in her heart. There were still good people in the world.

She gutted the small fish, coated them in a flour batter, and deep-fried them. Once they turned golden and crispy, the kitchen was filled with a mouth-watering aroma. Lin Beibei helped tend the fire, while Lin Nannan stood on tiptoes, staring at the wok. Jiang Qiuyue gave them each one. “Try it—is it okay?”

“Delicious!” Lin Beibei gave a thumbs up. “This is the best fried fish I’ve ever had!”

Lin Nannan nodded frantically, her eyes wide. It was the best thing she’d ever tasted.

Jiang Qiuyue fried a plate of fish, then pan-seared another. After removing the firewood and leaving only the embers, she sprinkled some old rice at the bottom of the pot, coated the seared fish in a spicy sauce, and placed them on a bamboo rack to smoke. After two minutes, the smoky aroma was unmistakable.

The smoked fish was ready to eat, but Jiang Qiuyue decided to stir-fry them with plenty of green and red chilies and garlic. No extra seasoning was needed; she tossed them in the pan until the peppers were just tender.

After finishing the fish, she beat the eggs into a bowl with warm water and steamed them into a custard. She set aside a plate of the fried and stir-fried fish to send back to the Niu family.

Old Lady Niu was weaving a basket when the scent reached her. Niu Zhuangzhuang, having already forgotten his beating, ran to the door excitedly. Seeing Jiang Qiuyue approach with the dish, he swallowed hard. “Auntie Jiang, what did you make? It smells so good!”

Jiang Qiuyue smiled and fed him a piece of fish. “Made with the fish you caught. Is it good?”

Niu Zhuangzhuang chewed and swallowed before he could even react. When the flavor hit him, he nodded vigorously. “So good!”

Old Lady Niu was shocked to see the fish, especially since it had been fried—that took a lot of oil. “Auntie, I couldn’t take your fish and eggs for free, so please take this as a thank you.” She handed the bowl to Zhuangzhuang. “Just have him bring the bowl back later. And Auntie, you were right—I didn’t know how to take care of myself and my kids before. Thank you.”

She was genuinely grateful. In this strange new environment, Old Lady Niu was the first person to show her kindness.

When Jiang Qiuyue left, Old Lady Niu was still stunned. She tried to refuse the fish, saying it was too much, but Jiang Qiuyue insisted, “If you don’t take this, I’ll feel terrible about the eggs.”

Old Lady Niu finally relented. She tried a piece of the crispy, spicy fish and was amazed. “Stop eating!” she scolded, swatting her grandson’s hand away. “Save the rest for your grandfather. I never knew your Auntie Jiang had such skills. If she’s finally waking up, Beibei and Nannan won’t have to suffer so much anymore.”

When Jiang Qiuyue returned home, she brought the food to her room just as Qian Li came in to cook. Smelling the lingering aroma in the kitchen, Qian Li’s stomach growled. For the past two days, Jiang Qiuyue had cooked before they returned, and she never shared a morsel—not even with the elders. Qian Li spat on the ground, “Hmph, let’s see how many more days you can stay so arrogant!”

In the room, Jiang Qiuyue taught the children how to mix the egg custard with their rice. The kids tried to share their custard with her, and she didn’t refuse. She had worked hard on the meal; she deserved a bit of it.

The fish was only enough for one meal. After they were full, Lin Beibei volunteered to wash the dishes. Jiang Qiuyue leaned against the wall, deep in thought. *What should I make tomorrow?*