Dinner was served early. Everyone looked at the radish and pork bone soup, the cabbage fried with pork cracklings, and a large basin of white rice, then turned their eyes toward Tang Youyou in unison.
Mother Tang: "My daughter must have been deeply shaken today. It’s not even a holiday, how could we afford to eat this well?"
Old Man Tang: "Sigh! I’d better let the old woman stay here for a few more days; looking at our daughter, I’m afraid she’s still grieving."
Tang Wen: "Has my sister gone mad? To comfort us, she’s actually serving us white rice?"
Lin Huahua: "Our sister-in-law must be devastated. From now on, we must not cross her. If she loses her will to live, this family will fall apart."
The other children thought to themselves: *Does Mother intend to stop living? Are we going to have to drink cold water to fill our bellies after this meal?*
Xiaosi asked timidly, "Mother, may I have a piece of meat?"
Tang Youyou looked at him with a heart-aching tenderness: "Of course, you can have many pieces!"
Xiaosi was overjoyed, but he didn't pick up his chopsticks. Instead, he looked at Old Man Tang.
Old Man Tang sighed and waved his hand. "Go ahead and eat, all of you!"
Once he picked up his own chopsticks, the children began to eat.
"It’s so delicious!" Xiaosi exclaimed.
Moments later, the only sound at the table was that of people eating. Tang Youyou sighed; poverty was truly a curse.
She glanced at the wobbly table with one broken leg, the uneven, potholed dirt floor, and then swept her gaze across the main room. There was so much that needed to be replaced: beds, clothes, quilts, pots, pans, and a proper table.
She felt exhausted. Her body was tired, but her heart was even more weary.
Suddenly, a piece of crackling appeared in her bowl.
Mother Tang smiled and said, "What are you thinking about? Eat up!"
"Mother, you eat the meat!" Xiaosi added, placing a piece in her bowl as well.
The other children exchanged glances and began piling meat into her bowl.
"Alright, alright, the bowl is full!"
Seeing the heap of pork cracklings in her bowl, her eyes grew moist.
Mother Tang nudged her with her elbow. "No crying at the dinner table; the children are all watching."
Tang Youyou nodded, lowered her eyes, and took a bite of the crackling. The rich flavor of the lard filled her throat, and her taste buds were immensely satisfied. She had never found pork cracklings so delicious—in her past life, she had avoided fatty meat altogether to stay in shape.
Father Tang also added a portion to her bowl. "If you like it, eat plenty. Look at you, you’ve become as thin as a bamboo pole."
Tang Wen dropped a piece into her bowl, too. "Sister, there’s nothing we can’t get past."
Looking at the people around the table, the weariness in Tang Youyou’s heart instantly dissipated. She felt a ray of light shine into her soul, warm and gentle. She truly felt the love of her family.
A seed was planted deep within her: she would work hard to ensure her family was well-fed. No matter what difficulties she encountered, she would protect them.
She then began to shovel the food into her mouth.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone looked at the clean, empty basins and bowls and burst into laughter.
Old Man Tang sighed with satisfaction. "Hahaha... that was truly comforting!"
Mother Tang shot him a playful, reproachful look. "Look at you, acting like a child. Hurry up and get to work fixing the roof; we have to head back tonight."
Tang Youyou interjected, "Mother, don’t go today. It’s not safe to travel by night."
Tang Family Village was a three-hour walk away; even if they left now, they wouldn't arrive until the middle of the night.
Old Man Tang waved his hand. "It’s no trouble. There’s a moon out, we can see the path clearly."
*If we don't go, you'll be eating white rice every day? How are you supposed to live like that?* He looked at Mother Tang. "You stay here for a couple more days!"
She nodded, understanding her husband’s intent.
Despite the long persuasion, Old Man Tang insisted on leaving. Tang Youyou, feeling helpless, took out two taels of silver and handed them to him.
"Child, what are you doing?"
"Father, you’ve misunderstood. I want to ask you to help me purchase some common rush, as well as the wild vegetables we ate this morning!"
Old Man Tang’s eyes widened, and he realized what she meant. "You mean to...?"
She nodded. "Father, they must be fresh. I have a use for them. Try to bring them by ox cart!"
"Alright, don't you worry. Leave this to me."
Having lived more than half a century, how could Old Man Tang not see the change in his daughter? He thought of how she had been to the gates of the King of Hell, yet had returned not only with her life but apparently with some divine medicine and, surely, some new abilities taught to her. He looked at her with burning intensity; this child had truly proven the saying that those who survive a great disaster are destined for good fortune.
"Father?"
Old Man Tang snapped out of his thoughts. He only took one tael of silver. "The wild greens won't cost that much. One tael is plenty!"
Tang Youyou pushed his hand back. "Keep the rest as payment for your hard work, Father!"
"You child, the house is so poor we can barely afford a meal. Why would I take your money?"
Tang Youyou’s attitude was firm. "Father, Mother, I was young and ignorant before, and I caused you both such grief for so long. From now on, I will definitely be a good, filial daughter to you."
Mother Tang and Old Man Tang were stunned. They could hardly believe these words came from their once-taciturn daughter, and their eyes grew blurry with emotion.
"Good, good, good! As long as you three siblings are doing well, your mother and I can die without regrets."
"Pah, pah, pah! What talk is that about dying? You old codger, get to fixing the thatch, or it'll be dark before you're finished!"
Old Man Tang pursed his lips; the old woman’s temper was growing worse by the day.
As soon as it was dark, the Village Chief returned and handed two documents to Tang Youyou.
"Tang, here! Keep these safe!"
"Thank you, Uncle Chief!"
The Village Chief waved a hand and staggered away.
The news that Tang Youyou’s family had completely severed ties with the Old Man Bai family spread through the entire village that night. Several women were cooling off under a large tree in the center of the village, chattering away.
"Good heavens, the Old Man Bai family is truly heartless. How is Tang supposed to live now?"
"If you ask me, it’s a good thing they cut ties. When the Elder Tang was still alive, the Bai family was among the best in the village. Who would have thought they’d turn out to be such shameless wretches?"
"Exactly. Bai Hansong has been dead for so many years, and they're bringing up a divorce? What, are they expecting the dead to crawl out of the grave?"
"I really don't know what Old Man Bai is thinking. And that muddled Tang actually agreed; it’s utter stupidity. Even if she cut ties, she should have demanded what was owed to the children."
"Sigh! I saw the Old Man Bai family today; they looked miserable, beaten black and blue by Father Tang and the others. I heard it’s because Bai Hanfa is a gambler. A family like that is better off cut out."
"It’s true. They sold ten mu of fertile land yesterday just to scrape together the silver."
"Good heavens, is Old Man Bai brainless? The rice is already heading; it would have been ready to harvest in a month or two."
A woman fanned herself and complained, "Why is this weather getting hotter and hotter? During the heading stage, if the rice lacks water, the grains will be hollow. Heaven is giving us no way to live!"
"Who's to say otherwise? Sigh! Let's disperse. Sleep early; tomorrow we have to carry water to irrigate the rice paddies."
Everyone went their separate ways, heavy with worry.