Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Mother

By the time they returned to the village, it was the Chou hour—well past midnight.

Most houses were dark. Only the occasional dog bark broke the cold silence.

Tang Ji Zu helped his wife and child down first. Then he handed the ox-cart reins to Tang Yi Chen and his siblings.

It was too late to disturb Third Master Tang. The old man would have been asleep for hours, so Tang Yi Chen kept the cart for the night and would return it tomorrow.

“Uncle,” Qin Hui Yin called out, her voice crisp enough to ring across the courtyard walls. “The ox-cart rental is 20 wen. Will you pay Third Grandpa yourself, or should we pay it for you?”

Tang Ji Zu’s jaw tightened. He fished out his money pouch, counted 20 copper coins, and shoved them into Qin Hui Yin’s hand. “…Please pay it for me.”

“And tomorrow,” Qin Hui Yin added without missing a beat, “we’ll go to the Village Head and make the final settlement clear. Uncle isn’t going to take them and hide, is he?”

“Of course not.” Tang Ji Zu clenched his fist so hard his knuckles went pale. “Tomorrow I’ll bring them to apologize in front of the whole village.”

“And you must promise it won’t happen again,” Qin Hui Yin said. “If it does, we won’t show you any courtesy.”

“Of course.” His smile looked like it hurt.

“Since you’re such a reasonable man,” Qin Hui Yin went on, “you should teach your son properly. If this keeps up, your only son will be ruined.”

Li Er Niu’s glare was so hot it could have scorched the ground, but Qin Hui Yin didn’t care. She kept pushing—quietly, precisely—like pressing a needle into a bruise. If the anger turned inward and cracked that family from the inside, that was their problem.

“Yin Yin,” Tang Yi Chen urged, “come on. We’re going home.”

Qin Hui Yin climbed up beside him. Tang Yi Chen flicked the reins, turned the ox, and rumbled down the road toward the Tang Family’s yard.

At the gate, two figures paced back and forth. The moment they heard hooves and the cart wheels creak, they turned, relief flashing across their faces.

“You’re back,” Li Tao Hua breathed.

From far away, Qin Hui Yin had already recognized their silhouettes. She leaned toward Tang Yi Chen, pleased with herself. “See? I told you they weren’t asleep. I guessed right.”

Tang Yi Chen’s mouth curved faintly. “How could Auntie Li sleep when you haven’t come back?”

“She even saved my younger brother this time,” Qin Hui Yin said softly. “My mother is simple—whoever treats her well, she treats well in return. She’s just lived through too much hardship, so she’s guarded.”

“I understand.” Tang Yi Chen’s voice was quiet, sure. “Don’t worry. As long as Auntie Li doesn’t do anything to hurt my younger siblings, I’ll respect her like my own mother. And I’ll treat you as my own sister.”

“Then thank you, Elder Brother,” Qin Hui Yin said sweetly. She pointed ahead. “Careful—there’s a pothole. Turn a little.”

The cart rolled in and stopped. Li Tao Hua hurried forward to help Qin Hui Yin down, while Tang Da Fu went to tie the ox to the big stone by the gate.

“Daughter, are you all right?” Li Tao Hua grabbed Qin Hui Yin’s shoulders and looked her up and down, eyes frantic. “That crazy servant woman didn’t bully you, did she? Tang Ji Zu works for a rich household—he’s full of tricks. You didn’t get taken advantage of, did you?”

“Mother, you’re the one who got hurt.” Qin Hui Yin caught her hand. “Why are you still worrying about me? Look—I bought medicine for you. Come on. I’ll help you apply it.”

She pulled Li Tao Hua along and proudly revealed the bottles she’d collected.

Tang Yi Chen and Tang Lu Wu turned to Tang Yi Xiao, who’d already been treated.

Tang Yi Xiao had woken on the way back, but he hadn’t wanted to look at Li Er Niu. He’d kept his eyes shut and played dead all the way to the village. Now that they were home, he didn’t need anyone to carry him. He braced one hand on the cart railing, sat up, then—with Tang Lu Wu supporting him—climbed down slowly.

“What did the doctor say?” Tang Lu Wu asked Tang Yi Chen in a low voice.

Tang Yi Chen answered evenly, like he’d already sorted the facts into order. “With ointment, the scratches on his face should heal in three days. We should stop the medicine we were using to nourish him for now. The doctor prescribed something new. Once his internal injuries stabilize, then he can go back to the old medicine. In short, he needs rest.”

He glanced at Tang Yi Xiao. “My own wounds are almost healed, so I can work.”

The moment Tang Yi Xiao heard the word rest, his face tightened with stubbornness. “Elder Brother, I’m fine. I can work.”

“The surface wounds aren’t the problem,” Tang Yi Chen said. “That woman hit you too hard. It’s already affected your body.”

“I’m really fine,” Tang Yi Xiao insisted. “If I rest at home tomorrow and the day after, I’ll be healed.”

“Why are you so eager to work?”

Tang Yi Xiao’s fingers curled against his side. “I… I just want to. If you won’t let me, it feels like there’s nothing I can do.”

Tang Lu Wu tugged Tang Yi Chen’s sleeve. “Elder Brother, forget it. We still have two days. There’s no need to rush.”

Inside the house, the Tang Family lit an oil lamp. The warm glow pushed back the darkness, turning the rough walls soft for a moment.

Qin Hui Yin dipped a finger into ointment and rubbed it gently onto Li Tao Hua’s scratches. Li Tao Hua wasn’t badly hurt—just faint marks that disappeared as soon as the medicine settled in.

“Mother,” Qin Hui Yin said, unable to keep the admiration from her voice, “you were amazing today. Why did you protect my younger brother so fiercely?”

Li Tao Hua tilted up her chin so Qin Hui Yin could reach her cheek. Her voice was righteous, almost stern. “Don’t you like the people in their family? If you like them, then Mother will look after them for you.”

“I thought you’d decided to become their stepmother,” Qin Hui Yin teased, “so you protected my younger brother like that.”

Li Tao Hua’s expression flickered—softening, then hardening, then softening again. “Mother’s heart is small. It can’t hold too many people. When you were a tiny bundle and fell into my arms, I swore the one I’d love most in this life could only be you.”

Her eyes didn’t waver. “What you like, Mother likes. Whoever you protect, Mother protects.”

Qin Hui Yin wrapped both arms around Li Tao Hua’s waist and pressed her cheek against her. “Thank you, Mother. It feels so good to have a mother.”

“You must be starving.” Li Tao Hua patted her hair, voice finally gentler. “I kept the dishes warm in the pot, waiting for you. They’re still hot—we can eat as soon as we bring them out.”

Tang Da Fu’s voice came from outside, half relieved and half scolding. “The dishes are out, and the rice is served! Tao Hua, children—come eat!”

“Uncle Tang is still up?” Qin Hui Yin asked.

Li Tao Hua snorted. “If you hadn’t come back, I wouldn’t sleep either. How would he dare sleep? If he doesn’t even have that much sense, tomorrow I’ll replace him with a rich father for you. Even if the man’s ugly and old, at least you won’t have to suffer with him.”

Qin Hui Yin laughed and pulled her by the hand. “Come on.”

As they stepped outside, Qin Hui Yin leaned in and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper, as if sharing treasure. “After I followed the doctor inside, I took a lot of medicine from him—external injury ointment, diarrhea medicine, fever medicine…”

Li Tao Hua’s eyes widened. “You did?”

“I even told him that if we hadn’t brought him such a fat sheep, he wouldn’t have made such a big profit,” Qin Hui Yin said, smug as a cat with stolen fish. “So he should prepare a month’s worth of medicine for my younger brother for free.”

“A month for free means…?” Li Tao Hua asked, suddenly calculating.

“When we go back next time, my younger brother’s outer and inner injuries should be mostly healed,” Qin Hui Yin explained. “We’ll start taking the tonic medicine we were using before, then have the doctor check him again to see if the prescription needs adjusting.”

Li Tao Hua’s mouth curved with fierce pride. “What a clever little rascal—just like your mother. We saved another chunk of money.”

“Of course.” Qin Hui Yin’s voice turned practical again. “We can earn money now, but if we can save it, we absolutely shouldn’t miss the chance.”

Tang Da Fu beamed at her, the tension of the day finally draining out of his shoulders. “Yin Yin, you’re truly capable. We owe today to you.”

Qin Hui Yin glanced at the untouched bowls. “None of the food has been touched. Have you been waiting on empty stomachs? You didn’t have to. Just leave some for us.”

Li Tao Hua’s answer came sharp and proud. “You and your elder brother run around for this family. We stay at home and do nothing—how could we have the right to eat and drink first? In our household, whoever contributes the most has the highest standing.”

Tang Da Fu nodded solemnly, as if it were a rule carved into stone. “That’s right. If you don’t come back, we don’t have the right to eat.”