“Lin, you are a piece of shit! How could you do something so heartless? You’re hiding the fact that your nephew’s leg was broken just to trick someone into marriage!”
“You don’t even treat Man-ge’r as a human being, you’re just scheming to push him into cleaning up your mess. If Ruifeng hadn’t stood his ground, Man-ge’r’s life would’ve been ruined!”
“How dare you say that a crippled drunkard who gambles away everything is a good match? You’re not just thick-skinned, you’ve got no shame at all!”
“Why hasn’t heaven struck you dead with lightning yet?”
Feng Jie finished cracking melon seeds and, seeing everyone else cursing with gusto, chimed in: “And you call this a good match? Why don’t you marry your own daughter off to him? A worn-out shoe[mfn]破鞋 – a derogatory term for a promiscuous woman[/mfn] paired with a rotten gambler—what a perfect match!”
“Shut your damn mouth! If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll, I’ll beat you to death!” No matter how sharp-tongued Lin Xiuhua was, she couldn’t fend off so many people at once, so she could only lash out at Feng Jie, who was egging things on.
“Uncle Wang, do you really think you can just brush this off by saying you didn’t know? Fine, I’ll handle it myself. Whether I take it to the village chief[mfn]里正 – a local official responsible for managing village affairs[/mfn] or the magistrate, I won’t let this go!” Qiao Ruifeng stared daggers at Wang Qing as if he’d tear him apart with his bare hands if he said one wrong word.
Wang Qing felt a chill down his spine. Seeing Lin Xiuhua still causing trouble and remembering all the things she’d stolen for the Lin family over the years, a fire of rage erupted in his chest. He grabbed Lin Xiuhua and slapped her several times across the face. Even if a man wasn’t particularly strong, his strength was still greater than that of a woman or a fulang. Lin Xiuhua’s face immediately swelled red.
Wang Qing barked at Wang Ming’er and Li Yue, who were standing nearby: “Drag her inside! Haven’t you embarrassed yourselves enough?!”
“Mother!” Wang Ling’er was stunned.
Wang Qing’s anger only grew when he saw Wang Ling’er. He yanked her over and slapped her too, cursing: “Worthless brat! Get inside! I never agreed to this scheme of yours, but you and your mother had to go bang your heads against the wall. Useless! Coming out here to make fools of yourselves!”
Wang Ming’er and Li Yue were terrified that these two might cause even more trouble, so they forcibly dragged them into the house. Now, only Wang Qing remained outside.
Wang Qing took a deep breath, pounding his chest in exaggerated frustration, and wailed: “Ruifeng, I really didn’t know about this! Don’t worry, I’ll deal with that woman properly and give you an explanation!”
That was exactly what Qiao Ruifeng wanted. This time, they had the upper hand, but as outsiders and juniors, they couldn’t beat Lin Xiuhua too severely. Besides, once this blew over, if Lin Xiuhua started twisting the story, even if everyone knew the Lin family was at fault, there would always be malicious gossip. That wouldn’t do Xiao Man any good.
Only Wang Qing could truly discipline Lin Xiuhua. No matter how he handled her, it’d be a family matter. After suffering such humiliation today, and given his petty nature, he’d never let Lin Xiuhua off easy.
So Qiao Ruifeng didn’t press further, only saying coldly: “Aunt Lin has always loved gossiping behind our backs. I didn’t take it seriously before, which made her think we were easy to bully. That’s why she dared to go this far today.” He narrowed his eyes and added, “I believe you had no idea about the past, Uncle Wang. But if Aunt Lin spouts nonsense again in the future, I’ll take it as your doing!”
“T-this… ah, I understand.”
“Uncle Wang, you’ve got it rough. Aunt Lin is just too unreasonable. She’s always thinking only of the Lin family and leaving you here to apologize.” Feng Jie, having enjoyed the show, knew Lin Xiuhua wouldn’t get off lightly this time.
“Uncle Wang, I won’t stay any longer. Just don’t forget what you promised.” Qiao Ruifeng has no desire to keep talking to Wang Qing, as there is no point in dragging it out. He turned to the crowd of onlookers and said: “Folks, this was just a petty dispute between me and the Wang family, but you all took the trouble to come along.”
After a brief pause, he continued: “How about this, in a couple of days, I’ll have Xiao Man make more drinks[mfn]originally 饮子 (yinzi) – a traditional herbal drink or flavored beverage[/mfn], and everyone can come by for a drink. Consider it our thanks for speaking up for us today.”
“Oh, that’s too much! We just said a few words. It’s not worth this.”
“The Wangs were completely out of line. We only spoke the truth. Ruifeng, you’re making us blush with this offer.”
“What’s there to blush about? If Ruifeng says so, just go! Yu-ge’r, save me an extra portion. I’ve been craving it!” Feng Jie waved off the modesty. Qiao Suiman’s drinks are delicious, and she wasn’t about to pass up the offer.
“In the end, it’s just some flavored water. Just come, there’s no need to feel awkward. If no one shows up and it goes bad, that’d be a real shame.” Qin Yu knew these people were just politely refusing. When the day comes, there’d likely be even more visitors.
“Well, if you put it that way, Yu-ge’r, we can’t let it go to waste. I’ll shamelessly take you up on it!”
“Alright, alright, we’ll definitely come.”
“Great! We’ll make plenty and everyone will get a share!” Qin Yu said.
The crowd cheered in agreement. Wang Qing’s heart is churning with resentment as he watched. He once bought some of Qiao Suiman’s drinks at the market, and it was really tasty. If this mess hadn’t happened to his family, he might’ve been able to get a cup too. Damn that backstabbing shrew!
Wang Qing turned and entered the courtyard, slamming the gate shut behind him to block out the crowd. With a dark expression, he strode into the house and demanded: “Where’s your mother?”
“She’s crying in her room,” Li Yue answered.
“She still has the nerve to cry?!” A vicious glint flashed in Wang Qing’s eyes. That woman must’ve been stealing from the house again to give to her family. How dare she pull a marriage scam for that good-for-nothing nephew of hers, dragging him into this mess and getting him cursed at by everyone! She had a death wish!
Wang Qing stormed into the woodshed, grabbed a sturdy stick of firewood, and marched toward the bedroom.
—
The Qiao Household
Qiao Suiman didn’t know when Qiao Ruifeng and Qin Yu would return. After playing with Chen Xuesheng and resting for a while, he headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch so it’d be ready when they got back.
A dog’s bark sounded in the distance. Just as Chen Xuesheng went to check, Heijin burst into the courtyard like a whirlwind, dripping wet and holding something in its mouth.
Qiao Suiman stepped closer and saw it was a grass carp as long as his forearm! This rascal had gone swimming in the river again.
“Heijin can catch fish now?!” Chen Xuesheng exclaimed in amazement. Dogs have sharp noses, and Heijin was clever. They usually brought it along when foraging in the mountains since it could alert them to danger. But who knew it had this skill too?
Qiao Suiman was equally surprised. “Last month, when I took it to the river to bathe and tried catching fish, it just made a mess. A month later, and it can actually catch them!” He grabbed the grass carp from Heijin’s mouth. The fish was heavy. It’s at least four or five jin[mfn]斤 – a traditional Chinese unit of weight, approximately 500 grams[/mfn].
He vigorously rubbed Heijin’s head, grinning. “What a good boy. We didn’t spoil you for nothing.” It even knew not to bite, as it was just clamping the fish gently in its jaws so it’d still be edible.
Heijin stuck out its tongue, lifted its head, and let out a single “Woof!” before shaking its fur as if proudly showing off.
“So full of yourself,” Qiao Suiman laughed.
The fish had been out of water too long and had mostly stopped flopping. A fish this big couldn’t be finished in one day. It would also cover their meat portions for tomorrow too. Qiao Suiman’s eyes curved with joy, his earlier gloom seemingly swept away.
He’ll clean the fish, fry it, then stew it with mushrooms for porridge. It’ll be incredibly savory for sure. Plus, all these ingredients are nourishing and good for the body.
Heijin worked hard, so it deserved a treat too. He will pick out the less bony parts and mix them into its bran meal for a feast.
With that in mind, Qiao Suiman set the fish aside and said to Chen Xuesheng: “I’ll start cooking. If Aunt Shuifen doesn’t call you back, stay for a meal.”
“Sure! I’ll dry Heijin off.”
Qiao Suiman worked efficiently. He started by boiling coarse rice in the pot, then took a knife to the yard and swiftly cleaned the fish, splitting it in two. He didn’t throw away the innards. Instead, he placed them on a small winnowing basket for Chen Xuesheng to take back later and feed to the chickens. Their family doesn’t raise poultry, but the Chens have plenty. Nothing will go to waste.
After setting aside half the fish for tomorrow, Qiao Suiman lit the small stove. The house originally had three large iron pots and one small one left by their grandfather, but two of the big ones were sold off by Qiao Chengfu for liquor money. Now, only one large and one small pot remained. However, there was not much food in the family, so two were enough for them.
He washed the mushrooms, sliced them, and added them to the porridge. Then, once the porridge was boiling, he reduced the heat to avoid burning it.
When he was little, he didn’t know better and once burned a pot. His grandmother had beaten him badly for it. His brother, who had just returned from the fields, had seen it and took him out to hide until things calmed down. The scar from that day still marked his arm.
The small pot heated up. Qiao Suiman poured in a little soybean oil, pushing those memories aside. These past few years, with his brother carrying the family and Qin Yu joining the household, life had gotten much better.
The soybean oil was pressed from their own drought-resistant beans. He and Qin Yu both used it sparingly, only using enough for frying. The fish sizzled as soon as it hit the hot oil, and the skin quickly turned golden. Qiao Suiman set aside the tail portion and crushed the rest into the porridge to stew.
Though the rice was coarse, the aroma of mushrooms and minced fish made it mouthwatering. Fine rice and flour are considered luxuries; hence, country folks could not afford to eat them often. The Qiao family’s land was very little, yielding barely enough grain to feed the three of them after Qiao Chengfu’s drinking binges. They saved the good stuff for festivals.
In the yard, Heijin was mostly dry now. Qiao Suiman poured some rice bran into its bowl, mixed it with water into a thick paste, and stirred in the reserved meat.
Chen Xuesheng crouched beside Heijin, the tempting smell from the kitchen making his stomach growl. He licked his lips. “So fragrant. Just smelling it makes me hungry.”
Petting Heijin’s head as it ate, and with his eyes still wide with amazement, he said to Qiao Suiman: “Usually, only hunting dogs catch prey. I’ve never seen another dog do this. I should’ve picked one up too.”
Qiao Suiman chuckled. He raised Heijin for three years, and this was its first fish, so it’s probably just luck. “The porridge is ready. If it smells good, eat up. I made plenty.”
“I can’t. If I’m too full to eat at home, my mother will scold me.”
Just then, Qin Yu’s voice came from the gate, which was slightly ajar, and he seemed to be talking to someone.
Qiao Suiman didn’t open it. There were outsiders present, and he’ll have to pretend to still be upset if he’s seen. So he returned to the kitchen, put out the fire keeping the porridge warm, and grabbed four large bowls. He filled three to the brim and gave Chen Xuesheng a half-bowl.
Qin Yu and Qiao Ruifeng entered the courtyard and closed the gate behind them, shutting out the prying eyes outside.
One had disheveled hair, while the other’s forehead was caked with dried blood. They were a mess. Qiao Suiman hurried over to take the tools from their hands and asked anxiously: “Qin Yu-ge, did that shrew hit you? Are you hurt?”
Chen Xuesheng, who hadn’t seen their fight with Lin Xiuhua earlier, froze for a moment before murmuring: “Rui-ge, Qin Yu-ge, you… you…” He seemed at a loss for words before finally blurting: “Aunt Lin is really horrible.”
“It’s nothing serious. It just looks worse than it is. Xiao Man, fetch us some water. We’ll clean up in the room.” Qiao Ruifeng wiped his forehead, but the dried blood wouldn’t come off without a damp cloth.
“We’re fine. I even slapped that bastard twice and kicked her a few times for good measure. Felt great.”
To put it bluntly, the Qiao brothers had been beaten by Qiao Chengfu all their lives, and Qin Yu’s birth family treated him like dirt. Compared to the suffering they had endured, today’s scuffle was nothing.
“Qin Yu-ge, you’re amazing,” Chen Xuesheng said admiringly. He usually only dared to curse the Lin woman with Qiao Suiman. He couldn’t imagine how satisfying it must’ve been to actually hit her. His eyes shone with admiration.
Qin Yu laughed. “Silly boy, there’s nothing amazing about it.” To Qiao Suiman, he said: “Xiao Man, grab another cloth. I’ll clean your brother up.”
“Alright, I’ll get it now. You two rest first. The porridge is ready and cooling. It’ll be perfect to eat soon.”
His brother and brother-in-law knew their limits. Qiao Suiman relaxed since they said they were fine. He went to the woodshed for a basin, took down a drying cloth from the yard, scooped water from the kitchen, and carried it all to Qiao Ruifeng’s room.
Can’t wait for more face slapping