Chapter 3: 3. Chapter 3: Dinner

Chapter 3: Dinner

Su Ruojin brought over the rice soup with sugar, but being small and weak, she couldn't lift her mother up. She called out to Uncle Shutong outside for help, but her mother refused, saying it didn't matter: "Wait until your father comes back to eat."

"But if you don't eat, you won't have milk to feed your little brother."

Cheng Yingzhen still disagreed, telling her daughter to tuck the baby into her arms: "Let him eat first."

Not knowing if there was any milk or not, Su Ruojin had no choice but to place her little brother into her mother's arms so he could start nursing.

Outside, Shutong was anxious. He looked at the courtyard gate and then toward the side room. The north wind was howling, and the sky was growing increasingly gloomy, as if it were about to snow. He couldn't help but call out: "Second Young Miss, I’m going to fetch the Master."

Su Ruojin quickly lifted the heavy curtain and stepped out sideways. She looked up at the sky; it was cold, dim, and freezing enough to kill a person. "Alright, Uncle Shutong, be careful."

Shutong grabbed his felt hat, went to the shed to lead the mule out, and set off to fetch Su Yanli. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from the sight of Su Ruojin and her brother.

If she had known that the stone paintings could sell for silver, she wouldn't have let her father go out.

But money can't buy foresight. Su Ruojin could only sigh, turn around, and re-enter the side room. Her little brother was nursing away with a rhythmic *huff-huff* sound. Assuming he was getting something, she looked at her mother. Having given birth to four children in eight years, her mother looked exhausted and pale, as if she had aged several years in a single day.

It made Su Ruojin’s heart ache. "Mother, just wait."

As if thinking of something, she turned and left the side room again. She went to the bedroom vanity and took a stalk of wheat from a plum vase—a dried stalk she had picked while playing in the countryside in midsummer and brought back to decorate the room. She found a small pair of scissors and snipped it twice, turning it into an eco-friendly straw. She hurried to the kitchen to rinse it off, then ran back to the side room on her little legs.

"Mother, once little brother is done, use this to drink the rice soup."

Her daughter was always full of strange and clever ideas, and Cheng Yingzhen was used to it. She was simply too weak after childbirth to have any strength, so she just curved the corners of her mouth, her eyes brimming with a look of approval.

She didn't even have the strength to smile; this birth had truly drained her vitality. Su Ruojin felt a pang of heartache. While waiting for her little brother to finish nursing, she thought of countless nourishing delicacies. Half an hour ago, she had been worried that the family only had two days' worth of rice left, but now... with seven taels of silver, she could definitely ensure her mother had a well-nourished postpartum recovery. She was determined to feed her until she was plump and healthy.

Outside, the cold wind whistled, but inside the side room, there was a fire brazier. Her little brother finally finished eating and fell into a peaceful sleep, snuggled in his mother's arms.

Su Ruojin had her mother turn her head to the side, placed the wheat straw to her lips, and let her drink the rice soup.

A quarter of an hour later, after Cheng Yingzhen had her fill, she drifted off into a weary sleep.

Su Ruojin tucked in the blankets for her mother and the baby, tidied up, took the empty bowl, and left the side room for the kitchen.

With the birth settled and money in hand, Su Ruojin finally had the mood to prepare dinner. She decided to use the vegetables and meat she had set aside for tomorrow tonight. Everyone had been exhausted all day, and in the dead of winter, one needed a hearty meal to ward off the cold.

When Su Dalaang, Su Anzhi, saw his sister move a small stool to stand in front of the cupboard and open the door to take out the stored meat and vegetables, his eyes lit up. "A-Jin, are we having meat tonight?"

Su Ruojin took out a small piece of pork belly and a large marrow bone. "We'll stir-fry the pork belly, and I'll boil the marrow bone to make soup for Mother to nourish her body."

Three-year-old Su Sanlang, Su Ganzi, jumped for joy when he heard there was meat. "Meat! We're having big pieces of meat!" If the kitchen hadn't been so small, he would have been doing somersaults.

Su Dalaang was older and the eldest son, so while he was happy, he was also worried. "Then what will we eat tomorrow?"

Su Ruojin took three trips to get all the ingredients out of the cupboard. Seeing her older brother’s furrowed brows, she smiled and said, "The stone paintings I asked Father to draw a few days ago sold! We got over seven taels of silver!"

Su Dalaang had been tending the fire in the kitchen earlier and heard Shutong return, but he hadn't seen the silver in the purse, so he hadn't known that the stone paintings his little sister had asked their father to make had sold for money.

Upon hearing that the stone paintings could sell for money, he was both shocked and delighted. "Really?" Su Dalaang couldn't believe it.

"Of course it's true." Su Ruojin happily instructed, "Big Brother, scoop some hot water from the big stove into the wooden basin. I need to wash the vegetables and meat to prepare a feast!"

Su Dalaang’s mind was half on the stone paintings and half on the oily, delicious pork belly. His hands moved faster than his brain, and in a daze, he had already mixed the water in the basin.

The siblings worked together—one washing, the other helping change the water. After a few rounds, all the vegetables and meat were clean.

Su Ruojin stood on the small stool in front of the stove, frying the fatty meat to render the oil. She scooped out the excess oil and set it aside. Su Dalaang kept the stove fire burning bright red. The hot oil sizzled, and the aroma of the pork cracklings was mouth-watering, making Su Sanlang swallow hard.

Su Ruojin used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of crackling for him. "Here, be careful, it's hot." As she spoke, she blew on it several times before putting it into Su Sanlang's mouth.

The little guy crunched down on it, and Su Ruojin, with her old soul, almost couldn't help but laugh. She quickly poured the shredded meat into the pot to stir-fry. Once the pork belly changed color, she added the garlic sprouts and radish slices.

Red meat, green garlic sprouts, and white radish—the three colors tumbled together. The aroma of the meat rose in the small kitchen, making everyone's mouths water with unbearable hunger.

"Sister... Sister..." Su Sanlang pressed against Su Ruojin, tugging at her sleeve, begging to eat.

Su Ruojin’s heart softened at the little kid's gaze. She helplessly and quickly scooped up some of the stir-fried pork belly, picked up a large mouthful with her chopsticks, blew on it three times, and fed it to Su Sanlang. "Is it delicious, what Sister cooked?"

Su Sanlang was too busy eating the meat to answer his six-year-old sister's question.

Su Ruojin wasn't actually six, so she didn't mind. She picked up another large mouthful for Su Dalaang, who was tending the fire. "Brother—" she signaled for him to lean over, not daring to move too much while standing on the stool for fear of falling.

Su Dalaang stood up but didn't lean over. He said shyly, "I'm a big kid now. Should we wait until Father and the others get back to eat?" The eight-year-old boy wanted to eat, but felt it wasn't right to eat before Father returned and the dishes were on the table. He was extremely conflicted.

Year after year, the Su family grew, but their income remained the same. Between food, clothing, daily expenses, social obligations, and the occasional illness, everything cost money. The Su family’s life was tight and difficult; it was truly rare to have a meal with meat.

If it weren't for the fact that she had bought this meat for her mother's postpartum recovery, it would have been a real hardship for these two growing boys.

Su Ruojin had no choice but to lean halfway over the stove and shove a large piece of meat and vegetables into Su Dalaang's mouth. "Eat up. I'm going to make some braised tofu, stir-fry some cabbage, and stew the marrow bone and tofu soup for Mother. Dinner will be ready, and we'll just wait for Father to come back to eat."

As the tender, fatty pork belly hit his tongue, it was smooth and delicious. Su Dalaang didn't realize that he looked as satisfied as a little tabby cat.

Just one bite of meat made the two boys look incredibly content. Su Ruojin felt both happy and sad. She deftly placed the sliced tofu into the hot oil. With a *sizzle*, steam rose up, enveloping the three children in the kitchen with warmth.

If only there were chili peppers, she could make Mapo Tofu—that would be truly wonderful. Unfortunately, the Great Yin Dynasty didn't have chili peppers yet; what a loss of culinary delight!

*(Note: During the Tang Dynasty, one tael of silver was worth 2,000-4,000 RMB; in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, it was worth 600-1,300 RMB (or 1,000-1,800 RMB); in the mid-Ming Dynasty, it was worth 600-800 RMB; in the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty, one tael of silver was worth about 150-220 RMB. This story is set in the Song Dynasty.)*