The night they divided the family, Pei Qin stewed a pot of bamboo rat meat, and as for the eldest branch's meal? They'd have to cook their own!
The mothers had almost enough with just a pot of soup.
After eating, they tidied up, carried everything inside, soaked their feet, bolted the door, and went to sleep.
Pei Wenlee came over and eavesdropped at the door, but didn't hear a thing.
Pei Wendong had a piece of candy stuffed in his mouth, quietly sucking on it.
Lady Fang stared at the pitch-black ceiling in a daze, tears streaming down her face.
Pei Qin didn't speak either, thinking about getting someone to knock down the back wall and carve out a door the next day. As for the door facing the courtyard, she'd brick it up! After all, there was a patch of open land outside, and the families living there were quite far away. They could completely encircle a small yard with a hedge, and build a simple kitchen with wooden boards.
