Chapter 4

Chapter 4: A Bowl of Refined-Rice Porridge Zhao Lan hurried to the kitchen, dug out half a bowl of polished rice from the cabinet, and placed it in a water dipper to wash. This polished rice was all meant to be eaten by her younger brother-in-law and Bo'an after they returned. Normally, her mother-in-law kept it locked in her room. The bit in the kitchen had been left behind after her younger brother-in-law and the others left two days ago. Her mother-in-law had probably forgotten to put it away. Zhao Lan had seen it when she was making breakfast that morning. She had just put the rice into a small pot and lit the fire when— “Second Daughter-in-law, what are you cooking?” As soon as the voice fell, Wang Guizhi rushed into the kitchen, lifted the pot lid, and saw the polished rice inside. She slammed the lid back onto the pot, pointed at Zhao Lan, and cursed, “Well, well! You greedy thing! That polished rice was saved for Bo'an and Wangshu. Do you think you're worthy of eating it?” She raised her foot and kicked at Zhao Lan's head. Zhao Lan's entire body quickly fell backward, dodging the kick. Wang Guizhi couldn't stop her momentum. She stumbled and nearly fell. Furious, she stomped her foot and shouted, “Li Erzhu, you useless good-for-nothing! Hurry up and deal with your wife. She even dares to steal the family's polished rice now!” Zhao Lan slowly got to her feet. “Mother, listen to yourself. I only took some of the family's rice to make porridge for Qingqing and help her recover. How did that become stealing in your mouth?” Seeing Li Erzhu standing at the doorway, Wang Guizhi cursed, “Look at the fine wife you married! She even knows how to talk back now. Aren't you going to discipline her?” Li Erzhu glanced at Zhao Lan, who stood to the side with an utterly calm expression, and spoke helplessly. “Zhao Lan, why do you spend every day making a fuss? The family's polished rice is for Third Brother and Bo'an. They work hard at their studies and need nourishing.” Hearing her husband's words, Zhao Lan felt utterly heartsick. His own daughter was on the verge of dying, yet he had never tried to manage that. But wanting to eat a little polished rice was considered making a fuss. She stared straight at Li Erzhu. “Li Erzhu, let me ask you this. Qingqing just woke up and is weak. Isn't it only right for me to use a little polished rice to make her some porridge and help her regain her strength?” Li Erzhu opened his mouth, just about to answer. Wang Guizhi immediately sprang up and shouted, “Bah! That idiot thinks she can eat polished rice? Why doesn't she just fly up to the sky while she's at it? Is she even worthy?” Zhao Lan ignored her mother-in-law's tirade. She merely fixed her gaze on Li Erzhu and said, each word distinct, “Li Erzhu, do you think so too? Do you think we aren't worthy of eating polished rice?” Li Erzhu turned his head away, not daring to meet Zhao Lan's eyes. That was his mother, and he couldn't defy her. After a moment of silence, he mumbled, “That polished rice is for Third Brother and Bo'an. They are the hope of the Li Family.” Zhao Lan clenched her fists tightly. Her voice was hoarse as she nodded. “Fine. Fine, very fine.” She took a deep breath and said calmly, “Since that's the case, I'll go ask the village headman. I've been married into the Li Family for more than ten years, working like an ox and a horse to serve the entire household. Am I not even worthy of letting my own daughter eat a little polished-rice porridge to nourish herself?” Li Dazhu leaned against the doorframe and said blandly, “Sister-in-law, you make it sound as though our Li Family is bullying you. “The family isn't wealthy to begin with. The polished rice is saved to nourish the two students. Isn't that how every household does things? “Everyone else in the family can follow the rules, but you and your children insist on eating polished rice as though you're so precious? And that Qing girl is just an idiot. Couldn't you give her some wotou soaked in water? Why does she need polished-rice porridge?” Wang Cuilan curled her lips. “Exactly, Sister-in-law. Do you still think that Qing girl is the young lady of some wealthy family? She's sick, yet she expects to be served good food and drink. Our Bo'an studies so hard—for what? Isn't it for the future of the Li Family?” Standing beside Wang Cuilan and eating an egg, Li Jinbao said with a laugh, “A money-losing wretch. No one would want her even if she were sold.” Zhao Lan looked at this entire family. Were these truly the people she had lived with for more than ten years? She should have realized long ago that aside from her own children, no one in this family cared whether they lived or died. “Fine. Since that's what you all think, I'll go to the private school and ask the teacher just how hard Bo'an and the others study. Apparently even a niece who's nearly dying isn't allowed a little polished rice, because all of it has to be saved to nourish him.” She finished speaking and lifted her leg, about to walk toward the door. “Enough!” Li Shoutian shouted sternly. “What are you all arguing about? It's only a little polished rice. If she wants to eat it, let her have some. Our family hasn't fallen so far that we can't afford to eat a little polished rice.” Wang Guizhi cried out, “No... They—” Li Shoutian glared at her. “You! Shut up!” Seeing the old man's dark expression, Wang Guizhi didn't dare make another fuss. Li Shoutian picked up the wooden bucket beside the wall and ordered, “Boss, Second Brother, come with me to water the fields. We can water a little more while it isn't hot yet. “The weather has been dry this year, and it still hasn't rained. The harvest is definitely going to be reduced. Yet all of you make a fuss every day instead of thinking more about the family.” As he finished, he gave Zhao Lan a pointed look. Li Dazhu curled his lips, picked up the water bucket beside him, and followed Li Shoutian outside. Li Erzhu glanced at Zhao Lan, picked up a bucket, and silently followed them. Wang Guizhi let out a “Hmph!” She pulled Li Jinbao along and said with a smile, “Good darling, Granny will get you some pastries to eat.” Li Jinbao cheered, “Yay!” Zhao Lan silently sat down in front of the stove and relit the fire beneath the pot. At that moment, she could no longer hold back her tears. She covered her mouth, forcing herself not to sob aloud. She truly wanted to leave this place. But she still had her children; she couldn't abandon them. For their sake, she had to stay strong. If she left this family, her children would have even less chance of survival. She wiped away her tears and continued tending the fire and cooking the porridge. This porridge was something she had fought hard to obtain for Qingqing. She couldn't let it go to waste. In the room, Li Wanlian carefully said to Li Qinghe, “Third Brother, Mother and Granny are arguing again. Will Granny come over and hit us?” In the past, whenever Mother and Granny quarreled, Granny would take out her anger on her, Second Sister, and her younger brother. She would hit them in secret, pinching the skin on their thighs with her fingers. It hurt terribly. Li Qinghe's little face was taut. He stretched out his arms, struggling to embrace them. “Second Sister, Lianlian isn't afraid. If Granny wants to hit someone, she can hit me first. You take Second Sister and run. Once Granny hits me to vent her anger, she won't hit you anymore.” Li Wanlian hurriedly said, “No! That would hurt Third Brother. I'll stay with you. Second Sister can run!” As she spoke, she clenched her tiny fists tightly, as though she had made an enormous decision. Li Wanqing looked at the two little ones, both of them wearing solemn expressions on their taut little faces. She found it both amusing and heartbreaking. Was this what it felt like to be protected unconditionally? Ever since her maternal grandparents had passed away, she had never experienced that feeling again. She hadn't expected to feel it again less than a day after arriving here. She glanced around. This family really was poor. The room she lived in was not large. A small bed had been placed beneath the window. The two pillows at the head of the bed belonged to her and her younger sister. Beside the bed was a short cabinet that seemed to be quite old; most of the paint had fallen off. A straw curtain had been hung beside the cabinet, dividing the room in two. On the other side were the small beds of her elder brother and younger brother. She had seen them in her memories. Separated by a single wall was the room belonging to her parents. It was not large either. After placing a bed, a two-doored wardrobe, and a small table inside, there was hardly any space left. All of the siblings were quite good-looking, taking after their mother. They had large eyes, double eyelids, small, delicate noses, and somewhat thin lips. Her elder brother and younger brother had slightly longer faces, while she and her younger sister had somewhat rounder faces. Still, all of them were very thin. Their clothes were also old garments left over from their uncle's family, covered in patches, though they were washed very clean.