Guo Fugui stood up with a "whoosh" and said, "Why are you always talking about 'fox-spirited women'? How many times do I have to tell you, he isn't…"
Before he could finish his sentence, he shoved the bewildered Guo Xiaomei out first.
Old Madam Guo angrily said, "Not what? Not born from a fox-spirited woman, but your precious woman's child, isn't it? If I hadn't been stronger back then, would you have dared to bring that little bastard into our home?"
Old Madam Guo thought of Guo Laosan's exceptionally good-looking face and became even more envious and hateful. Her mother must have been an extremely beautiful, fox-spirited thing!
Guo Fugui was utterly speechless and muttered in despair, "Where would I find a woman willing to become my concubine? I'm just a simple farmer, and I would need that kind of ability to do so!"
Old Madam Guo pressed him further, "Then where did he come from? You better answer me! This knot has been tormenting my heart for twenty years. If you don't give me an explanation today, I will make you sorry!"
Guo Fugui sighed and finally said, "He isn't my child."
"You're lying! That's clearly your bastard child that you brought home!"
"He was given to me by someone else. They told me that I must raise this child to adulthood. When I brought him back, I also received one hundred taels of silver. Do you remember that?"
Old Madam Guo thought back and realized this was true. However, she had assumed that the one hundred taels of silver came from that fox-spirited woman. It was because of that money that she had reluctantly kept the child, though she had always been angry about it.
"Then why didn't you just take the silver and get rid of the child? Why did you have to bring him back?" Old Madam Guo glared at him.
Only someone like Old Madam Guo would act this way.
Guo Fugui shook his head repeatedly, "That person held a knife to my neck and threatened me. They said if this child didn't grow up safely, they would come to claim my life. What could I do?"
Old Madam Guo, "Really?"
"I'm not lying to you. That person even threatened me further, saying the child had to always be claimed as his own, and I couldn't tell anyone the child's origins. Out of fear, I kept this secret all these years. But five years ago, you had him join the military and die in battle. Now you've even driven his wife and children away. Do you think that person won't come back…?"
"Stop your nonsense! If you wanted revenge, you should have done it years ago. A hundred taels of silver and raising a child wasn't a bad deal. That child was already twenty when he died on the battlefield. Why should I care now? Have you ever seen anyone show up to exact revenge after so much time? You're scaring yourself, and I think that person was just trying to frighten you! You're just naïve to believe such nonsense!" Old Madam Guo scoffed.
How could Guo Fugui not believe it? Old Madam Guo had never experienced the man's murderous intent or felt the cold blade pressed against her neck. She didn't value it the same way.
"Forget it. Talking to you is pointless! I live in fear, yet you never try to understand," Guo Fugui said irritably.
Old Madam Guo grabbed his ear and twisted it angrily. "Hey, how dare you speak to me like that? Who knows if you made all this up? This is a poor, remote mountain village. There's no one around here with knives or swords. You better not try to deceive me. If one day someone comes to harm you, and they're a fox-spirited woman, I'll be the first to kill you!"
Old Madam Guo's words carried a cruel edge, even though she seemed only half-convinced.
Guo Fugui quickly protested, "No, no, no! My ear! My ear!"
Old Madam Guo snorted coldly, let go of him, and turned to leave. She no longer cared much about the events from twenty years ago since the fox-spirited woman and her child were gone now. As for Guo Fugui's words, she couldn't verify their truth, but she was sure this man was trying to scare her. After all, Laosan had been dead for years, and if someone was out for revenge, they would have appeared by now. What was there to fear?
If it really were a fox-spirited woman showing up… she could kill her without hesitation.
Li Xiangli brought back the wild rabbit from Jiang Dong that morning. Today's lunch would be much more plentiful. She had originally planned to make a fancy dish, but the family's supplies were insufficient, so she simply stewed it. Despite this, to the children who hadn't had meat for a long time, it was a rare and heavenly treat. The aroma alone made them eager, and Le'er practically glued herself to the stove, looking at the pot with longing.
Li Xiangli fed Le'er a spoonful of soup, tasted the saltiness, and found it just right. Le'er immediately exclaimed, "Le'er wants to try too, Mother!"
Li Xiangli, remembering her clumsy habit of burning her mouth, warned her, "Sit outside for now. Mama will bring it to you later."
Le'er pouted but obeyed.
Li Xiangli found her adorable and amusing. She couldn't help but think—were the children really twins? Why was their personality so different?
After a while, Li Xiangli brought out the food. Because rice had run out, she used cornbread instead to make do. The bamboo shoots went into the soup as well, adding sweetness. She had pre-cooked the bamboo shoots in boiling water to remove their bitterness. The result was tender and delicious.
Watching the children eat the meat, she added some bamboo shoots to their bowls. "Try some. They're not bitter, and you need fiber. Eating only meat isn't healthy for your stomach."
Le'er trusted her and eagerly tried a bite. "Yum! Mother, you're amazing!"
Li Xiangli smiled proudly, "Of course."
Xiaozhu also enjoyed the bamboo shoots, saying, "Mother, these are so much better than wild vegetables. Plus, no one's fighting us for these. If we bring them to town to sell, we could make some money."
Li Xiangli agreed but said, "There isn't enough time today. We'll focus on selling the herbs in town first. Once we return with the money, we'll think about these bamboo shoots."
The children nodded excitedly and continued eating, happy and full.
Disclaimer:
I am not the original author of this work. This is a translated version of the original text, shared for reading and reference purposes only. All rights to the original content belong to the original author. I do not claim ownership of the original work or its characters. This translation is intended solely for informational and entertainment purposes.