After breakfast, Ye Jiu was forcibly kept in bed by Mrs. He, who insisted she should lie down and nurture her body, then stuffed that leftover egg into her hand, saying, "My sweet child, Zhao's words weren't wrong—eggs are indeed precious items. Those kids are all robust, they don't need eggs to nourish their bodies. But you, you've been frail since you were little; you're the one who really needs to nourish yourself. Listen to mother, from now on you must not give the eggs mother saved for you to those kids!"
Ye Jiu knew Mrs. He's personality, that she held deepest affection for her, and would surely persist to persuade if Ye Jiu refused.
Helplessly, Ye Jiu could only nod, "Mother, I understand."
It all came down to the fact that the household was too poor. They needn't own mountains of gold and silver; even a bit of wealth would mean that they wouldn't have ended up quarreling over an egg.
As they were talking, suddenly the heart-wrenching sobs of Ye Qingzhi came from outside.
Along with it resounded Zhao's angry scolding, "What an impertinent girl, eating half an egg and forgetting one's place, fancying yourself as a rich young lady from town that can wear gold and silver, and indulge in delicacies? Today, it's our branch's turn to do the chores. If you don't hurry up and wash the dishes, are you waiting for your old mother to serve you?"
The incessant scolding made Ye Jiu's head throb with pain.
And the ultimate reason why Ye Qingzhi was being scolded was, when it came down to it, because of that half an egg!
Ye Jiu now truly regretted her meddling; Ye Qingzhi would not have died of hunger had she not eaten that half an egg, but now, she was resented and scolded by her own mother, Zhao, because of it.
The situation was after all triggered by her own meddling, and Ye Jiu wanted to get up and go outside to intervene, but Mrs. He held her back.
"Mother, if it weren't for my meddling, Qingzhi wouldn't be getting scolded. I can't just stand by and do nothing," said Ye Jiu.
"My dear child, mother knows you're kind-hearted, but Qingzhi is Zhao's daughter. It doesn't matter that Zhao is just scolding her and ordering her to do some chores today; even if she sold her tomorrow, outsiders have no right to utter a single word."
Patting Ye Jiu's arm and looking at her lovingly, Mrs. He advised further, "And you're not to blame for this. It's Zhao who values sons over daughters and doesn't treat her daughter like a person. Even without today's egg incident, if Zhao were in a foul mood, she'd still take it out on that girl."
Ye Jiu believed what Mrs. He said because in the past, Ye Qingzhi really hadn't been spared from being Zhao's outlet for venting her frustration.
Ye Jiu lay on the bed in despair. Ye Qingzhi was Zhao's daughter, and ultimately, she, Ye Jiu, was merely a younger aunt, hardly entitled to meddle in her brother's household affairs.
Mrs. He tucked in Ye Jiu's blankets, using the opportunity to teach her, "Dear child, in the future, just eat what mother gives you. Even though you have good intentions in sharing with those kids, it can easily lead to conflict.
Take today's situation as an example. Zhao's children might be young, but they're not Zhang's children. By giving an egg to the second branch, the main branch can only watch in envy; wouldn't your sister-in-law harbor ill feelings?
Because Qingzhi ate the egg, Zhao resents her. Whereas Wenqing and the others, even though they are older, could still hold a grudge because they didn't get a share. So you see, it's better to eat the egg yourself and avoid all these troubles!"
When Ye Jiu gave away the egg, she thought only of how they were the youngest, believing the youngest children should receive some extra care.
But she hadn't foreseen that even within such a humble farming family, there would be so many conflicts and grievances.