Volume 1, Chapter 11: One bowl per person; if you spill it, there is no more.

The old woman’s hair was sparse and white, with the few remaining strands twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck, secured by a strip of black cloth. Her face was a landscape of deep wrinkles, resembling the bark of a withered tree, and her sagging eyelids drooped into triangular slits. Dressed in a grey, coarse cotton tunic stained with grease, she sat upright on the kang, sharing the table with the men. She stretched out her bound, deformed feet and turned her head to look in this direction. Her triangular eyes scanned Tang Wanguan coldly, filled with undisguised disdain.

"Humph!" she snorted.

Sun Guijuan was profoundly dissatisfied with this granddaughter who had been swapped back into the family. Beyond her perceived laziness and gluttony, the real issue was that the Tang family had lost a golden grandson and ended up with a worthless girl. It was a massive loss! She had originally consoled herself that since the second son's family had at least one child, things were roughly acceptable. But when the news of the swapped children broke, Sun Guijuan nearly had a heart attack. Now, with three "money-losing goods" in the second branch, that line of the family was effectively finished. Consequently, Sun Guijuan looked at her second son, Father Tang, with growing irritation.

Thinking of it made her chest tight. After scolding Tang Wanguan, she couldn't help but glare sideways at Father Tang and his wife. The second son was slow-witted and unlikable, and his wife’s womb was useless. She much preferred the eldest son’s family; they had given her three golden grandsons!

Receiving the glare, Father Tang’s weathered face flushed, and he turned away in embarrassment. He was a filial man who never dared to talk back to his parents. He looked at his seventy-something-year-old father, Tang Tiezhu, with a silent plea for help, hoping his father might speak a word of justice to keep the eldest brother’s family from bullying his second daughter.

Tang Tiezhu lifted his heavy, sagging eyelids but remained silent. A pot of cheap liquor warmed on the table; he took a few sips and stuffed a handful of peanuts into his mouth. Missing several teeth, he winced as the peanuts pressed painfully against his gums. After grimacing and chewing for a while, he finally swallowed the mush and looked up. "Second son, listen to your mother."

Tang Tiezhu was a henpecked man. His wife managed everything in the household, large or small. Father Tang sighed inwardly. His father had been spineless his entire life; how could he possibly stand up for his small family? It was his own fault for foolishly pinning his hopes on him. He looked at his second daughter with a heavy heart. This was her first time eating with the whole family since returning to Stone Village; he prayed she wouldn't be provoked into leaving. Tang Wanguan had no intention of causing a scene right then. Though she felt uncomfortable, she found a spot at the low table on the floor.

Just as she was about to sit, the small stool beneath her was snatched away. She nearly landed hard on the floor. Tang Wanguan frowned and looked up to see her eldest cousin, Tang Lizhen, wearing an innocent, fake smile.

"Second sister, I didn't see you were about to sit down," Lizhen said, pushing the stool into the corner. "It’s too crowded here, second sister. Why don't you take your bowl and eat over there?"

"Sure," Tang Wanguan replied. She took her bowl of rice and vegetables and headed toward the corner. Tonight, everyone had a bowl of white rice. On the table sat two chipped bowls—one with potato sauce, one with plain stir-fried radish strips—and a plate of sweet potatoes. Tang Wanguan didn't care for the radishes, so she ladled some potato sauce over her rice.

Seeing Tang Wanguan’s compliant behavior, Tang Lizhen couldn't hide her triumph, smugly stroking the red ribbons in her braids. So what if she was a "young lady" from a wealthy family? She still had to take her abuse!

Tang Wanguan pretended not to notice the other girl’s expression. After serving her food, she stood up, and as she passed Tang Lizhen, she kicked the small stool beneath her. Tang Lizhen let out a sharp cry and landed hard on the floor. Her younger sister, Tang Jing, seeing how fierce the second sister was, had eyes that brightened with admiration. She feigned an attempt to help Lizhen up but "accidentally" knocked over Lizhen’s bowl.

"Oh! Cousin, I didn't see! The authorities are calling for us to live frugally; waste is shameful! You can pick up the rice on the floor and still eat it, don't waste it!"

Tang Lizhen was stunned. Tonight was a rare treat of white rice, and now that it had spilled onto the dirt floor, the white clumps were coated in grime. It was so dirty—she didn't want to eat that!

"Mother!" Tang Lizhen cried out, her eyes reddening with heartbreak.

Xu Lanzhi, unable to bear seeing her daughter bullied, glared fiercely at Tang Wanguan and comforted her daughter, "It's alright, Mother will get you another bowl."

No sooner had she spoken than the old woman, Sun Guijuan, slammed the table. "Get another bowl? Do you think grain grows on trees?! One bowl per person; if you spill it, you go without!"

Tang Wanguan felt a sense of relief. It turned out the old woman didn't just dislike her; she disliked all the girls! Tang Lizhen hadn't even taken two bites, and at the prospect of no more rice, she looked ready to burst into tears. Tang Wanguan raised an eyebrow at her: *You little brat! Go hungry then!*

"You—you bitch—" Tang Lizhen was so angry she started to lunge at Tang Wanguan, but then, the sound of a bicycle bell rang out from outside the door. Instantly, Tang Lizhen’s face lit up, and she bolted outside.

It was the clear, crisp sound of a heavy-duty bicycle bell. The only person in the Tang family who owned a bike was the eldest cousin, Tang Jinghai. He was the only scholar in the family. After the college entrance exams were reinstated two years ago, he had responded to the call and returned to his studies, attending high school in the county. He rarely came home, usually staying in the school dormitory. It was unclear why he had returned today.

Tang Lizhen felt her pillar of support had arrived. She rushed out, eager to have her elder brother back her up. The grandparents doted on this scholar grandson; if he said a word, never mind a bowl of rice, even if she asked for meat, the old couple would serve it with a smile. As Tang Jing followed her out, the eldest aunt's family also followed, their faces full of joy. Tang Tiezhu and Sun Guijuan peered through the window to catch a glimpse of him.

Tang Wanguan couldn't be bothered with these people; she didn't even know who Tang Jinghai was. She signaled to her younger sister, Tang Jing: *Take this chance to eat! Eat more!*

Tang Jing understood, pressed her lips together to hide a smile, and shoveled the food into her mouth faster. *White rice—it’s delicious even on its own!*

Tang Wanguan didn't hesitate either. She poured the potato sauce over her bowl of rice and finished it in a few quick bites. When no one was looking, she swiped two eggs from the table on the kang. In the Tang family, only the men and those doing heavy labor in the fields were allowed an egg a day. For the girls, eggs were reserved for holidays. She needed to save these for Lu Hang. Seeing his second daughter’s hand, Father Tang turned his head, pretending not to notice, and even nudged the bowl of eggs closer to her.

After hiding the eggs, Tang Wanguan went to get some food for Lu Hang. Just then, the eldest aunt's family crowded into the room with Tang Jinghai. Seeing Tang Wanguan’s actions, the eldest aunt, Xu Lanzhi, immediately lost her temper.

"Didn't we say one bowl per person?!"

Tang Wanguan curled her lip and plunged the serving spoon into the rice pot. "I'm serving this for Lu Hang."

"Lu Hang?" The eldest aunt’s voice rose several octaves, sharp and shrill. She shoved Tang Wanguan aside. "He isn't a member of the Tang family! Why should he eat our food?!"