Chapter 29: Go Back and Eat Your Slop

Upon hearing the mention of building a house, Zhao Yue’e’s brows knitted into a tight knot. She shook her head repeatedly, asking, "The people in the village are all incredibly selfish; would they ever be willing to help?"

"Even if they were willing to risk coming to the foot of this mountain, we are penniless. How could they possibly work for free?"

"You don't need to worry about these things; leave it to me," Su Yanwen said, not wanting to see Zhao Yue’e looking so distressed. He simply added, "It looks like tomorrow will be another sunny day."

"Don't pile the leftover ducks and fish together; find a way to store them."

The topic was successfully shifted. Zhao Yue’e’s gaze fell upon the pile of frozen-solid ducks and fish in the corner. The abundance of food made her momentarily forget the cold and fear, and her lips curled into a smile. She muttered to herself, "We have plenty of salt; we could actually make air-dried duck and fish. They taste quite good, and even when the snow melts in the spring, we won't have to worry about them spoiling."

Su Yanwen nodded and shifted his body, trying his best to block most of the wind and snow.

Early the next morning, after drinking a bit of fish soup, Su Yanwen headed deep into the mountains. Using a small amount of dog meat as bait for his traps proved more effective for hunting. He made a full circuit, resetting his traps while collecting the ones he had set previously. Though the work seemed simple, it was incredibly time-consuming.

The snowy ground on the mountain was different from the flat terrain below, where one could generally discern whether it was safe or not. The deeper he went, the steeper and more rugged the mountain paths became; no one knew if there was a deep pit hidden beneath the thick layers of snow. If one were to fall into a hole in such a place and couldn't climb out, it would be a death sentence.

Setting traps was an art in itself. It could not be rushed; every detail had to be perfectly arranged to ensure success. Several of the traps he had set the day before had been destroyed. These traps, fashioned from vines and branches, were fine for catching small rabbits or ermines, but they stood no chance against anything larger, like a fox. He cleared away the broken ones and replaced them with new ones.

After a full day of walking, his haul was modest: only one rabbit, two squirrels, and a bamboo tube of berries.

On his way back, before he even reached his doorstep, he saw a figure stumbling toward their shelter. At the sight of this person, Su Yanwen’s face filled with disgust. He had no desire to engage and wished he had a house with a door he could shut right now.

The man spotted Su Yanwen first and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Oh, look, it’s Brother Su! It really is you!"

"Hahaha, how did you end up in such a miserable state, living in a place like this?" The man stopped, puffed out his chest, and looked down his nose at Su Yanwen.

Su’s third son—though, strictly speaking, he wasn't really a "Su." He was merely the son that Miao Qin had brought with her. He had been entered into the Su family register as the third-born, Su Xing. The name had been a sycophantic choice by his father, who had fawned over Miao Qin, claiming that this third son was his own flesh and blood. These memories truly disgusted Su Yanwen.

He remained silent, but Su Xing kept chattering away. "Brother Su, the house at home burned down, and you just up and left for the mountains—what’s the meaning of this? You’re done doing your chores at home, right?"

"Whether or not you build that pathetic grass hut of yours doesn't matter, but our house also burned down. Father told me to bring you back."

Su Yanwen stood motionless, tossing the rabbit and squirrels onto the ground.

"Oh? Meat!" Su Xing’s mouth watered the moment he saw the prey. He took a few excited steps forward, but then, thinking better of it, he suppressed the urge to reach out. He stood his ground and lifted his chin. "Bring those along. I just got home today; stew them up for me to help me recover my strength."

Seeing the man’s sense of entitlement made Su Yanwen’s blood boil. He scoffed, "If you want to eat, go into the mountains and catch it yourself. Why are you coming here to scrounge for food?"

Su Yanwen ignored him entirely, squatting down to skin the rabbit. Animals in winter were all fur and little meat, but meat was meat!

Su Xing, who had been working as a laborer in town and hadn't seen a scrap of meat in half a year, cursed viciously, "I think you’re just lucky—what do you have to be so smug about? Brother Su, I brought back twenty catties of wheat bran and five catties of broken rice this time. I’m not like you, living hand-to-mouth and having to rely on luck just to eat."

Su Yanwen remained silent. Saying too much to this sort of person felt like a waste of breath.

"And look at what I'm wearing," Su Xing said, patting himself. This was his greatest source of pride. He had been working in town for years, and when his employer heard about the fire at his home, they had taken pity on him and gifted him this fur coat. Although it had several holes, they had been neatly patched with cotton cloth. In this day and age, aside from the village head’s family, he was the only one in the village who owned a fur coat. Recalling the envious looks from the villagers as he entered the village, he couldn't help but smirk with satisfaction.

He didn't even look at Su Yanwen, but said with his nose in the air, "I'm telling you, don't be so ungrateful. Why go crazy and burn the house down? You just up and left—who’s going to do the work at home? I only came back to check on things; don't expect me to actually repair the house or take care of the old lady!"

Su Xing spoke of her with utter disdain.

Su Yanwen said indifferently, "Get out! Take your bragging elsewhere and go home to eat your pig slop."

This cheap excuse for a younger brother was truly an ungrateful wretch. Even though they didn't share a mother, Su Yanwen had carried this child on his back, coaxing him and caring for his younger siblings while doing all the chores ever since the boy arrived. Even after Su Yanwen started his own family, he was always the one doing all the dirty, back-breaking work.

Surprised by the retort, Su Xing clicked his tongue twice. "Mother was right—you really have lost your mind. Tell you what, Brother Su: since you’re my brother after all, if your family just obediently moves back, I’ll let you wear this fur coat whenever you go hunting in the mountains. Of course, all the game you catch must be handed over for Mother to handle. From now on, Mother still calls the shots at home."

As he spoke, he glanced at their simple tent. Although Zhao Yue’e had added an extra piece of cloth today to serve as a door, what could a ragged piece of fabric possibly block? "Mother also said that if you return, she’ll let you live in the cowshed."

"Daddy!"

A warm, cheerful voice rang out. Cao’er ran happily out of the tent, spreading her arms and spinning in a circle. She was bundled up warmly; Zhao Yue’e was clever with her hands and had finally finished the clothes. Cao’er was wearing a cotton-padded jacket filled with down—to prevent the duck feathers from flying everywhere, Zhao Yue’e had beaten the old cotton until it was soft and pressed it together. Although the fabric was dated, it was new, and it looked quite fashionable. She had even used the large duck feathers to make a hat for Cao’er, which shimmered with a green luster in the light, looking truly beautiful.

"Mother just finished this, isn't it pretty?"

"Of course it is," Su Yanwen said, doting on her. His Cao’er was naturally sweet-natured, and having eaten well these past few days, she finally had some color in her cheeks. With her chubby, rosy face and big eyes, combined with this warm and adorable look, Su Yanwen felt his heart melting.

"Husband, come and try this on to see if it fits."

At that moment, Zhao Yue’e stepped out as well. She was wearing a thick down jacket of her own and holding a fur garment in her hands. It was lined with dog fur, with the collar and cuffs trimmed in the ermine fur they had collected earlier. She had used rabbit fur for decoration, making it look both imposing and warm.

Zhao Yue’e stepped forward and draped the fur coat over Su Yanwen’s shoulders.