Chapter Twenty: Shameless

Downing a bottle of nutritional water, Su Jinyu felt her parched throat ease significantly. The soreness from the morning's journey vanished in an instant, and even her fatigue from waking up early dissipated.

Her eyes fixed on the five water flasks she carried, and she began to plot how to fill them with the nutritional water so her family members could enjoy it too.

Chen Shulan took out two large packets of dry flatbreads she had carried in her bundle, both wrapped tightly in yellow paper. The flatbreads had been pan-fried in lard from the kitchen. Since the family had plenty of flour, Chen Shulan had used white flour first, saving the scallion-oil flour for later once the white flour was gone. The flatbreads were stuffed with chopped water celery, and the fragrance of the lard, combined with the browning from the pan and a pinch of salt, made them a satisfying meal.

Su Jinyu received two flatbreads, as did Su Jinxiao. Each was the size of a palm, enough to keep them full for a while.

Because they were only taking a short break in the woods, no one in the village lit a fire. Those who had prepared dry rations ate them; those who hadn't were forced to gnaw on raw sweet potatoes from their own baskets and packs. If they didn't even have those, the whole family had to go hungry, watching others eat.

Ever since Su Jinyu had separated from the main Su family, the household had lost its primary laborers and cooks. Wu Cuihua and Zhao Xiulan frequently bickered and fought over who should cook, and both were still nursing unhealed wounds. Consequently, their family had naturally failed to prepare any rations.

Su Wangfu, from the eldest branch, was ravenous. He tugged on the sleeve of his grandmother, Sun, who was lying down to rest. "Grandma! I want a vegetable flatbread! Those two little wretches, Su Jinyu and Su Jinxiao, each ate two! I want some too! I want some!"

Sun was still wrapped in bandages, and her scratched wounds had scabbed over. The sweat from the journey made them itch and sting, leaving her irritable, and now her eldest grandson was pestering her. "Eat? Eat what? I don't even have anything to eat! It's all because of your mother, who acts like a lazy donkey, sleeping until dawn. She’s doing this on purpose to starve our whole family!"

Wu Cuihua felt wronged. "Mother, it’s not that I was lazy this morning. The second daughter-in-law and I had clearly agreed to take turns cooking breakfast. Who would have thought that young couple would run off in the middle of the night, leaving only a letter behind! They have no respect for their elders at all!"

Ten-year-old Su Wangfu, seeing that his grandmother refused to move, pulled at his mother’s pant leg, clamoring for the flatbreads. "Mom, I want a vegetable flatbread too! I'm starving to death! Go make those two little wretches give me their flatbreads! Before, whenever there was good food, it was always prioritized for me, a boy of this thriving family! What right do those two little wretches from the third branch have to eat them?"

Hearing this, Su Daya, who had been sitting quietly in a corner, lowered her head even further. She was already fourteen, a year older than Su Jinyu. When Su Jinyu and Su Jinxiao were still at home, she at least wasn't the lowest in status or the one bearing the brunt of the abuse; any chores were pushed onto the third branch siblings first. She could even drink a few sips of the watery rice porridge left over by the three boys. But now, with two laborers missing, she had to pick up much of the slack, yet there was still no share of good food for her.

To survive in the Su household, Su Daya hardened her heart. "Grandpa, Grandma, even though Jinyu and Jinxiao have separated from the family, we were once all one. Blood is thicker than water. They are watching you starve, and they each have two flatbreads in their hands, yet they won't even offer you one out of filial piety. It’s truly disgraceful."

Sun’s stomach rumbled with hunger. Hearing Su Daya’s provocation, her face flushed red with rage, and her brows shot up. "Those two cutthroat wretches! They grew up eating the Su family's rice and drinking our water, and now that their wings have hardened, they want to fly off on their own? Not a chance! To dare to forget the meaning of filial piety—they are truly ungrateful ingrates! They want to cast aside their elder and hoard the food all for themselves? Not on my watch!"

Su Pinggui, also hungry and reduced to drinking water, naturally agreed with Sun’s rant. Even if they had broken ties, those two little wretches could not simply stop honoring him.

Sun gave the order: "Eldest daughter-in-law, take Daya and go get ten flatbreads from them!"

Wu Cuihua looked troubled. "Mother, let... let me go? Can't Daya go alone?" Although she was truly craving the flatbreads—especially seeing Su Jinyu and the Li family members eating with such joy—she knew she couldn't even handle Su Jinyu alone, let alone with the Li family men, who were all sturdy and strong. Wouldn't going there be like a sheep walking into a tiger's den? She preferred to let Su Daya go alone, which might spare her a beating.

Wu Cuihua had never liked this daughter, focusing all her attention on her young son, Su Wangfu. She had tried to sell Su Daya several times when she was younger, but the girl always found a way to escape back, refusing to submit despite multiple brutal beatings. Over time, she had grown up, and Wu Cuihua only kept her around in hopes of marrying her off to a wealthy family for a large dowry.

Su Daya bit her lip, her nails digging into her palms. She had thought inciting Sun’s resentment would work in her favor, but instead, it had backfired. To avoid facing the Li family alone, she flattered Wu Cuihua: "Mom, I’m clumsy with my words and can’t even count. I don't have your sharp mind or silver tongue. You must come with me to show me how it's done, so I can learn even a fraction of your grace and wisdom."

Wu Cuihua, simple-minded as she was, puffed up with pride at the praise. With the second branch gone, she was now the most "useful" person in the house. Everything required her to get things done.

Thus, just as Su Jinyu was about to bite into her second flatbread, Wu Cuihua and her daughter hurried over. Without a word of greeting to Wang Qiaohui or Li Yongzhi, Wu Cuihua walked straight up to Su Jinyu, thick-skinned, and demanded, "Jinyu, how many more flatbreads do you have? Your grandmother told me to come and collect ten from you."

"Even though you two have separated from the family, you should remember the kindness the Su family showed you. When you have something good, you should offer it to your elders first. How can you sneakily enjoy it all by yourselves?"