Chapter 5: A Slight Shock to Start With
Beneath the windowsill.
Li Ping’an sat down beside the old lady.
He spread out a large pile of nuts and said, “Mother, your son’s eyes aren’t sharp; some of these I don’t recognize. Please help me sort through them, so we don’t eat anything poisonous.”
The old lady, seeing that her son had returned with so much food from just one trip, didn’t scold her daughter-in-law this time.
She smiled warmly at Li Ping’an and murmured, “My son is promising! Not to mention the Li family, even in our village, who can find so much food in such a short time at this hour?”
“Ping’an, quickly tell your brother where you got these treasures,” Li Xiao leaned over, squatting nearby, his face full of curiosity.
“Enough chatter, come help me work,” Li Ping’an cut his second brother off and placed his hand on a pile of nuts. Among them, he spotted horse chestnuts and hurriedly picked them out.
He didn’t recognize the other nuts, but he knew these. In the future, they’d be everywhere on city streets, but if not specially processed, they were poisonous.
Still, tomorrow he could venture into the mountains; if these were abundant, they might at least serve as sustenance.
Li Xiao didn’t say much and sat down to help.
Perhaps from hunger, he grabbed the horse chestnuts Li Ping’an had tossed aside and shoved them into his mouth. Li Ping’an rushed to snatch them back, but it was too late.
Frightened, Li Ping’an hurried to take them away. Before he could, he saw his brother chew twice and his face turn green.
“Ugh! Why are these chestnuts so bitter and astringent?” Li Xiao looked at the chestnuts in his hand, then at Li Ping’an with disgust.
Before Li Ping’an could speak, the old lady tapped Li Xiao’s forehead and said, “You never remember what you’re taught. These are called monkey chestnuts. They’re plentiful in the mountains. Monkeys eat them without harm, but humans will die if they eat too many. This is food given by Heaven to the mountain spirits and wild beasts, not for people.”
The eldest sister-in-law realized her earlier loud words to the old lady were a mistake, but thinking of how her mother-in-law mistreated her daughter, she was filled with anger. Yet, the eldest brother Li Hu persistently pushed her hand away, so she joined in the work reluctantly.
However, when the two women were together, the atmosphere turned heavy and oppressive. Even the usually lively second brother was sweating on his forehead, too afraid to speak.
“Well, if none of you will say anything, I’ll lighten the mood,” Li Ping’an said quietly as he sat aside, looking at the various nuts being sorted. “In previous years, my father-in-law loved eating these things the most.”
Sure enough, as soon as Li Ping’an spoke, everyone in the courtyard felt a chill in their hearts.
Especially the eldest sister-in-law, who immediately directed her hatred at Li Ping’an, nearly spitting at him.
Even the old lady frowned; she had already driven that man away, so why was he still thinking about that useless father-in-law?
The children who hadn’t eaten because of Li Ping’an’s absence looked furious, snorting at their grandmother for denying them food just to favor him, yet he still thought of outsiders.
“Heh, thinking back now, I was a fool before. They treated me like dirt, yet I went everywhere chasing after mountain folk, trying to buy these treasures,” Li Ping’an sighed deliberately. “Now that they’ve thrown me out, I finally know who my true family is and who are outsiders.”
After saying this, Li Ping’an lowered his head, his face full of melancholy as if truly heartbroken.
The eldest and second sister-in-law exchanged glances, both puzzled.
Before, Li Ping’an had blamed his parents for abandoning him. How had he changed so much upon returning?
Could it be that his claim to earn twenty strings of cash to support the family was genuine?
Despite the eldest sister-in-law’s loud outburst earlier, deep down she hoped Li Ping’an would reform; it was just that he had deceived them too many times to let him off easily.
No one wants to fall into the same pit repeatedly!
Li Ping’an sighed again. “From now on, the money I earn and the food I bring will be for our Li family. Li Liang, stop glaring at me with those big eyes and come help cook these foods.”
Li Liang glared back. “Third Uncle, why should I cook?”
Li Hu kicked him. “You’re a bachelor. If you don’t work, do you think I’ll feed you for life?”
Li Liang retorted, “You’re a bachelor now too!”
Li Ping’an shook his head and ignored the brat.
The second sister-in-law frowned and said, “Leave it for now. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Li Ping’an understood what she was thinking.
The family’s grain reserves were running low, and with one more mouth to feed, things would be stretched thin.
The children had already started being denied meals; every meal saved mattered.
The old lady could be ruthless enough to withhold food from the girls, but Li Ping’an couldn’t bear to.
Having become a member of the Li family, he had to bear his share of responsibility, not just be a burden.
But Li Ping’an had been unreliable for so long that no one trusted him anymore.
So he patiently said, “Second sister-in-law, have Li Liang cook. From now on, I’ll take care of the family’s food.”
Seeing her glance toward the old lady, Li Ping’an immediately realized the absolute authority she held in the household.
If the old lady didn’t speak, no matter what he said was meaningless.
He stepped forward, took the old lady’s arm, and said, “Mother, please cook it. I’m starving. The little food we have isn’t enough.”
As he spoke, his eyes flicked toward the girls, who were all bloated from hunger. They needed to eat as soon as there was food.
Today, Li Ping’an’s return made the old lady happy. She bit her lip and said, “Cook it! Snake meat soup—Ping’an can have the meat himself, and you all can drink the broth.”
She didn’t forget to glare at the eldest sister-in-law. “Some people look down on our third son, but don’t you dare take advantage of him.”
Li Ping’an grinned and whispered in her ear, “Mother, I just got back. Please don’t give me trouble. Sister-in-law hasn’t had it easy these years.”
He glanced at the second sister-in-law, who understood and took the eldest sister-in-law to work.
The eldest sister-in-law seemed unappreciative of Li Ping’an’s repeated goodwill, muttering, “See? I told you Li Ping’an’s not fit for our family.”
“Sister-in-law, calm down. Don’t say that,” the second sister-in-law gently urged. “It’s not just us; any family with grain shortages wouldn’t let the girls eat.”
“And Ping’an just begged mother earlier. Stop targeting him.”
The eldest sister-in-law exhaled deeply. “I’m not targeting him! Look at these dried fruits—city folk treasure them. And the snake meat, they could sell it for money in the city. But he wasted it all in one meal!”
The second sister-in-law whispered, “That’s true. Why not trade them for some rice? If we saved the broth, the whole family could eat longer.”
The two sisters-in-law bent their heads to work. Their nephew Li Liang tried to help once but was waved away.
They continued whispering, “Sister-in-law, do you think Ping’an was upset by something on his trip? Ordinary people wouldn’t dare mess with a big snake like that.”
“The old lady didn’t say anything, but her face turned as white as paper.”
“Usually, he wouldn’t have the guts.”
The eldest sister-in-law lowered her head, adding firewood to the stove. “At least he grew up in the Li family. If he’s lost that bit of spirit, then he really should leave.”
Then, she suddenly squinted, as if realizing something. “Wait, this kid has good stuff and wants to share it. Could he have some plan?”
“He’s always been selfish before.”
“I don’t believe someone can change that much overnight.”
The second sister-in-law scratched her head and said after thinking for a while, “Maybe he wants the eldest and second brothers to go to the Song family and bring those kids back? Since he was thrown out, those kids must be suffering!”
After she spoke, her face clouded with worry. “Ah, the Song family is not to be trifled with! Last time, the second brother even got kicked in the rear.”
The eldest sister-in-law took a deep breath, seeming to make up her mind. “The children are innocent. Whether we want Ping’an or not, we must take them! If necessary, let the eldest and second brothers go again and suffer a little.”
The second sister-in-law smiled, “Sister-in-law, your heart is kind. But Ping’an did a good deed today—the nuts smell fragrant, and the snake soup makes my stomach growl.”
The end.