Chapter Eight: The Fight

Little Lucky was meeting her maternal grandmother for the first time. At that time, her mother's heart had finally been unburdened, and she was growing close to Madam Meng. When she saw her granddaughter staring at her with wide eyes, in the blink of an eye, Little Lucky was scooped into Madam Meng's arms, who doted on her, calling her “my precious, my darling,” much to the envy of Old Madam Lin.

Madam Meng’s arrival made the Lin family rather nervous; after all, she was a person of great importance to them, and as simple country folk, they wanted to treat her with proper hospitality. For several days, the eldest and third sons of the Lin family ventured into the mountains daily, hoping to catch some game for her to try. As luck would have it, the traps kept yielding wild hares and pheasants one after another. Even the earthworms that Little Wolf and Cen Hai had been catching lately were much bigger than before, which often led to fierce squabbles among the household chickens.

Madam Meng, however, was used to delicacies from land and sea and had little interest in wild fare. Though she secretly looked down upon it, she said nothing. Each night, rather than staying at the Lin household, she would return to the Meng family’s estate nearby—after all, with more than a dozen people squeezed into a single courtyard at the Lin home, Madam Meng, being accustomed to finer living, wanted nothing to do with such arrangements.

She treated the rest of the family politely enough, but had little fondness for the “mud-legged peasant” who had taken her daughter—her attitude toward him was cold and her expression never softened.

That “mud-legged peasant” was Lin Sanlang.

Lin Sanlang thought to himself, “Alright, alright. Who told me to marry your daughter? Whatever you say goes.”

“Yun’er, are you living well here? Has Lin Sanlang ever bullied you? Has your mother-in-law made things hard for you? I’ve heard that in villages like this, there are plenty of wicked mothers-in-law who love to torment their daughters-in-law, making them work nonstop…” Madam Meng, cradling her granddaughter, started fussing over her daughter again, her worries multiplying the longer she dwelled on them.

“Mother, no, nothing like that. The Lin family is kind and reasonable. My mother-in-law is understanding, and though my father-in-law is in poor health, he’s never lost his temper with any of his sons or daughters-in-law. My sisters-in-law are good to me as well, so please don’t worry.” Watching her mother grow increasingly anxious, Meng Yun couldn’t help but smile wryly, hastening to reassure her lest her mother frighten herself with wild imaginings.

“Truly, I’m fine. If only, back then…” Madam Meng trailed off, casting a glance at her daughter and saying nothing more.

“Mother, please don’t worry! I’m truly happy now—I have Little Lucky, and my life is full of joy.” Meng Yun gently squeezed Little Lucky’s tiny hand.

Seeing the happiness on her daughter's face, Madam Meng held her tongue. If anything ever did go wrong, she thought, there was always the Meng family to rely on. What was there to fear? With that thought, her mind was at ease, and she devoted herself to playing with her granddaughter.

Lately, Gou Dan had been taking the fine medicinal herbs Madam Meng had brought, and his mother had been preparing special meals for him every day. His health was no longer so frail, and he could finally get out and about, though he still couldn’t go far. For a child who’d spent his life bedridden, even this small freedom left him content.

At home, Old Madam Lin was feeding the chickens, Mrs. Li was preparing lunch in the kitchen, and Mrs. Wu was tidying up her son’s room, airing out whatever needed to be aired. The men of the household were either working the fields or weaving baskets to earn a bit of extra money. Gou Dan, seeing the sun shining brightly, took a small wooden stool to the courtyard entrance to watch his two mischievous little brothers roughhousing—children of four or five were at that age when they loved nothing more than to play.

Watching his brothers running about freely, he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy.

“Look, the sickly one from the Lin family is actually outside!”

“Sickly boy, what are you doing out here instead of staying home? Aren’t you afraid you’ll infect everyone else?” Several shrill, unpleasant voices rang out.

Gou Dan opened his eyes and turned toward the sound, only to see two or three scrawny, dark little brats and a fat, round ball of a child.

Gou Dan thought, “What on earth is this?”

His expression must have been too exaggerated, for the “fat ball” grew furious. “Hmph, what are you staring at? My grandma was right—you’re just a sickly wretch who’ll drag your family down.”

“How dare you! How dare you insult my brother! You fat pig, you’re as round as a sow. I’ll teach you to talk about my brother like that!” Before Gou Dan could speak, his younger brother Little Wolf couldn’t hold back anymore. The words their mother always said—about how their brother was frail and had to be protected—flashed through his mind, making him even angrier. Cen Hai also charged forward, trying his best to look fierce.