The family situation is roughly as follows: the head of the household, Su Jinnian, is fifty-five years old. He attended a private school for a few years in his youth but gave it up to care for his parents. Aside from farming, he once worked as an accountant at a restaurant in the nearby Zhulinqiao Town, so he has seen a bit of the world.
He took Madam Su Lin, from the next village, as his wife. Madam Su Lin is a very traditional woman, two or three years his junior, who holds a deeply ingrained belief in the superiority of sons over daughters. They had four sons and five daughters. The sons are Su Jian, Su Jing, Su Pei, and Su Yu. The daughters are Su Damei, Ermei, Sanmei, Simei, and Wumei.
The eldest son, Su Jian, is thirty-seven. He married a woman surnamed Lin, his maternal cousin, who is thirty-six. Five years ago, after passing the imperial examination, he took his wife and children to the Capital.
Su Jian has two daughters and one son. His daughter Su Lian'er, twenty-two, is married in the Capital, and Su He'er, twenty, is also married there. His only son, Su Bao'er, is sixteen and reportedly studying at an academy in the Capital.
The second son, Su Jing, is thirty-five. He received little schooling as a child and grew up working the fields at home. He married a woman surnamed Li, also thirty-five, and they have five sons: Su Shifu (20), Su Shigui (18), Su Shifa (15), Su Shicai (13), and Su Shilu (12).
Su Shifu and Su Shigui are already married with children; their wives are cousins from the Wang family in the same village. Su Shifu married the elder cousin, Elder Lady Wang, and they have two sons, aged five and three. Su Shigui and his wife, Younger Lady Wang, recently welcomed their first daughter.
The third son, Su Pei, is thirty-four. He never cared for school or work. He didn't marry until he was twenty-three or twenty-four, taking a girl from the Hong family as his wife. They had two daughters: Su Tao'er, seven, and Su Mei'er, six.
He did not cherish his wife, often beating her. To make matters worse, she had to deal with Madam Su Lin, a mother-in-law who believed a wife was always at fault. Eventually, the situation reached a breaking point where Su Pei was slashed by his wife and fled.
Since then, Su Pei has been disabled, which only gave him more reason to avoid work. Madam Su Lin, however, is indulgent toward him, having established a principle that the best food in the house always goes to him first.
The fourth son is Su Yu, the father of the body that Shi An now inhabits. He has just turned thirty-two. He was a good student as a child and earned the title of *xiucai* at twenty, but without anyone to recommend him, he could never secure an official position. He continued to study, but the family, having already provided for him for years and now having a son who had become an official, intended to give up on him.
Fortunately, the head of the academy where he studied appreciated his talent and thought it a pity for him to quit. He allowed Su Yu to teach the beginners, earning a little tuition to help with household expenses. In his spare time, Su Yu continues his studies, preparing for the provincial examination next year.
He married Deng Xian, the thirty-year-old sister of his former classmate Deng Qiyue. They have four children: Su Daya (13), Su Shikuan (11), Su Shirong (9), and Su Xiaoya (6)—who is the current Shi An.
The heads of the Su family are partial to their sons and grandsons. While they don't live in luxury, if food is scarce, the ones who go hungry are always the granddaughters—like Su Daya and Shi An—or their mothers.
As for why Shi An died of hunger, one must start with breakfast this morning. Madam Su Deng had already gone to the fields with the others early on, and they weren't expected back until the afternoon.
Looking after the younger siblings is primarily Su Daya's job. Because Su Yu was returning home today, Su Shikuan and Su Shirong were sent by Madam Su Lin to the town to meet their father.
Su Daya and Su Xiaoya were not allowed to go; they were driven out on empty stomachs to collect pig feed. Their third uncle's two daughters followed along. Those two are known for being lazy, always favored by their grandmother because their father is her favorite.
Following Su Daya and her sister was merely a way for them to throw their chores onto the others. The workload for two suddenly became four, and since Su Xiaoya is still small, almost the entire burden fell on Su Daya.
When they reached the riverside, Su Daya was busy cutting grass. Seeing the time was getting late and she was still far short of the required amount, she had to hurry; otherwise, even with her father returning, she, her sister, and their mother would have nothing to eat.
She spotted a large empty field nearby, but Su Xiaoya was already so tired and hungry she couldn't move. Su Daya told the cousins not to play in the river and to just sit on the bank.
Fortunately, she managed to fill her basket quickly. But when she returned, she found Su Xiaoya splashing in the water while the two cousins stood nearby, laughing happily. She rushed to the edge and used a tree branch to pull Shi An out.
Though it was late spring, the weather was still cold. Su Xiaoya had choked on water and passed out, still shivering uncontrollably. With no other choice, Su Daya hoisted the basket of pig feed and carried the limp Su Xiaoya home, hoping to beg her grandparents to let the village's barefoot doctor see her sister.
Su Tao'er and Su Mei'er happily took the fruit of Su Daya's labor, following her home with their own baskets of pig feed.
Even though she walked as fast as she could, her plea for help was useless. Instead, Madam Su Lin shoved her out the door. "If you don't bring back the pig feed for that little girl's share, none of you will eat! You want to see a doctor? I think you've all eaten too much."
Su Daya had no choice but to lay Su Xiaoya at the door and prepare to go back for more grass. She still pleaded with Madam Su Lin, "Grandmother, my sister’s clothes are wet. Let me change them for her first!"
"Change? What kind of young lady is so fussy? You're no princess. I’m telling you, if you don't go back out, even if your father comes home, I’ll make sure you get nothing to eat."
She had to leave immediately, hoping her father would return soon so they might at least have an easier time today.
As soon as she left, Madam Su Lin kicked the unconscious Su Xiaoya. "You dead girl, playing dead, are you?" Seeing no response, she slapped Su Xiaoya’s face, completely failing to notice that the girl’s skin was already as pale as a corpse's.
Just then, someone inside called for Madam Su Lin—her precious grandsons. Furious, she picked up Su Xiaoya and threw her into the woodshed, leaving her be.
When Su Daya returned, she found her father and brothers had already come home. Everyone was at the table eating; no one had waited for her, and she didn't see Su Xiaoya.
Su Yu saw her and asked with immediate concern, "You girl, why didn't you come back sooner for dinner? Here, eat up."
There was no food left on the table. Su Yu handed her one of the two remaining dough dumplings from his own bowl. Not seeing his youngest daughter, he asked anxiously, "Where is your sister?"
Her sister... she had left her with her grandmother... Finally, she gathered the courage to walk up to Madam Su Lin. The old woman was drinking porridge and eating vegetables, not even looking at her. Su Daya had to ask even more boldly, "Grandmother, where is my sister?"