Volume One, Chapter Nine: I Am Not Called "Feed"

“Go ahead and eat. If Father and Mother have taken the food out, they surely won’t take it back. Why waste time hesitating?”

“Well, alright then...” Tang Jing felt her second sister made a good point. Knowing their parents’ temper, they would rather leave some food wasted than let her eat more.

She tapped the red-skinned egg twice against the edge of the kang bed, peeled off the shell, and devoured it ravenously.

When the little girl finished eating, she looked up suddenly and asked Tang Guanwan, “Have you eaten yet?”

Tang Guanwan wanted to smile. She thought to herself that this little girl wasn’t so bad; even if she didn’t like her, she still cared enough to ask if she had eaten.

Though she asked only after finishing her own meal, as an elder sister, she decided not to make an issue of it.

“Finished eating? Come out with me afterward.”

Tang Guanwan didn’t answer her sister’s question directly but gave a roundabout instruction.

With full hands, Tang Jing hesitated for a moment, then bit off a loose thread on her clothes, tidied up the sewing basket, put on her cotton-padded jacket, and followed Tang Guanwan out of the room.

In the courtyard, Tang father and mother had returned to their room to rest.

Since last month’s poor harvest in the fields, the Tang family had shifted from three meals a day to two.

When you don’t eat enough and don’t rest well, you really don’t have the strength to work.

Tang Guanwan planned to weave some fish traps; since the afternoon’s work was light, she didn’t call anyone else.

Pointing to a pile of bamboo strips in the corner, she instructed the little sister trailing behind, “Find a spot and soak these bamboo strips in water.”

After speaking, she looked up at the sun.

The temperature difference between day and night was significant; she had to finish weaving a few fish traps before sunset.

If she waited until the night when it froze, the soaked bamboo would harden, making it difficult to work with.

Tang Jing eyed the heap of bamboo strips suspiciously, not knowing what her second sister was up to.

But then she thought, as long as her sister didn’t run off again and break their parents’ hearts, she might as well go along with this mischief.

The little girl said nothing and quietly went to work.

Tang Guanwan, meanwhile, turned back and slipped another egg into the house for Lu Hang.

She did not linger long.

Lu Hang looked at the egg with a strange expression in his eyes.

Tang Guanwan felt a chill run down her spine and thought to herself that the man probably suspected she had stolen the eggs again!

“It’s from Father and Mother!” she tossed out the explanation and turned toward the storage room.

The freshly picked shepherd’s purse needed washing.

Half a year ago, after she returned, Tang father, worried that his pampered second daughter might go hungry, had built a small kitchen right next to the storage room within their yard.

When the meals in the main house were unsatisfactory, Tang father would pay out of his own pocket to prepare separate dishes just for Tang Guanwan.

The small kitchen was simply constructed from some old wooden boards.

Inside was a single stove.

Very rudimentary, indeed.

Fortunately, there was some rice, flour, and oil stored inside.

Tang Guanwan even found an enamel jar containing some lard.

She planned to make some shepherd’s purse wontons and dumplings.

Since the weather was cold, the food wouldn’t spoil after a few days outside.

After washing and draining the shepherd’s purse, Tang Guanwan went into the small kitchen to knead dough, chop vegetables, and mix fillings.

Tang Jing passed by the small kitchen, clutching a bundle of bamboo strips.

Seeing her second sister scoop two large ladles of fine white flour and watch Tang Guanwan scoop a hefty spoonful of shiny lard, her small face scrunched up in pain at the waste.

“Truly never had a hard life, wasting food like this!” she muttered quietly, though she dared not say more.

If her second sister got upset and ran away, their parents would certainly scold her!

After two hours of busy work, Tang Guanwan had made five large trays full of wontons.

She hadn’t dared make dumplings since the filling was heavier and would go bad quickly.

Five large trays of wontons, with some broth, would last the whole family several days.

No meals were served in the east courtyard at noon, so these would be perfect for when they got hungry.

Shitou Village was surrounded by vegetable gardens; in winter, every family would gather some cabbage leaves and small potatoes from the fields and store them for the cold months.

When cooking wontons, adding a bit of cabbage to the broth would help fill them up.

After two hours, the bamboo strips had soaked through just right.

Tang Guanwan rolled up her sleeves, took a small stool, and began weaving in the courtyard.

Her fingers moved deftly; Tang Jing watched as her second sister’s hands flew, and soon a large oval-shaped trap was completed.

The little girl was naturally curious, her eyes moving left and right as she peered closely.

Tang father could also weave baskets, but after watching her second sister’s work for a while, Tang Jing noticed the trap was very different from the usual baskets their father made.

She didn’t know what it was for and was quite curious.

Puzzled, she looked up and asked, “Second—uh, hey! What are you making with that?”

The little girl almost called her “second sister” by accident, then awkwardly changed it.

Tang Guanwan heard this, pursed her lips, and said, “Don’t call me ‘hey’!”

She then ignored her and picked up bamboo strips from the side to continue weaving.

She didn’t answer the little sister’s question at all.

Though small, Tang Jing was stubborn.

Turning away, she muttered, “Say whatever you want, who cares anyway!!”

Tang Guanwan stifled a smile.

Her family seemed honest and unassuming, but they all had a streak of stubbornness deep down—she must have inherited it.

Suddenly, Tang Guanwan thought of her elder sister, Tang Fengjuan, whom she had only met once and whose temperament was completely opposite to hers.

Her brow furrowed.

Tang Fengjuan was about thirty, a typical rural woman, timid and meek, speaking softly and lacking confidence.

When talking to others, she always cast a hurried glance and then lowered her head to stare at her toes.

She had come to the family home only once for recognition when Tang Guanwan was first sent back to Shitou Village.

Later, when Tang Guanwan married Lu Hang, their eldest sister didn’t come home but sent over a small gift of money.

It seemed her elder sister’s life was difficult; otherwise, she would have visited more frequently, as the in-laws’ village and her natal village were only a short distance apart.

“Second, second sister, what’s that trap for?”

Lost in thought, Tang Guanwan was startled by the little girl’s shy call.

She nearly cut her finger on the sharp edge of the bamboo strips.

In disbelief, she turned sharply. “Did you just call me?”

“Mm, second sister,” Tang Jing nodded, her cheeks faintly flushed.

Her jet-black eyes fixed intently on the fish trap, filled with unmistakable curiosity.

Tang Guanwan chuckled quietly.

She had thought the little girl might be strong-willed, but it took only a blink for her to soften.

“This is a fish trap! It’s used for catching fish—”

Patiently, Tang Guanwan explained the purpose and usage of the trap.

This fish trap was formidable; it didn’t discriminate by size—any fish or shrimp that entered couldn’t escape.

Because of this, overfishing often resulted, causing serious damage to aquatic resources, and the trap was eventually banned by national law.

However, since the policy hadn’t been enacted yet, Tang Guanwan had found a loophole.

As they spoke, she casually picked up a thin, short bamboo strip, deftly wove a dragonfly shape, and handed it over.

“Here, this is for you to play with!”

Tang Jing froze for a moment, staring fixedly at the bamboo dragonfly, then curled her lips in disdain.

“I’m not a child anymore. I don’t want to play with this!”