Chapter 12 : The Sharp-Tongued Widow Takes Action

 

“We’re planning to sell these at the big market in a few days. I wanted you two to try them first and see if there’s anything we need to improve,” Xu Shuyue said, handing over the treats.

Hearing this, Eldest Brother Liang breathed a sigh of relief. He was a straightforward man and immediately took a bite. His eyes lit up.

“This is apple, right? And it’s coated with sugar? It’s sweet and sour—feels even better than the candied hawthorns they sell in town!” he exclaimed in delight.

Hearing such high praise, Madam Wei beamed, her smile blooming like a flower.

It wasn’t enough that their family found the treats delicious—they also needed to hear feedback from others. Since even the simple and straightforward Eldest Brother Liang and Second Brother Liang thought they tasted good, there was no doubt the candied fruit skewers would sell well.

Even after finishing the treats, neither Eldest Brother Liang nor Second Brother Liang had any suggestions for improvement. Scratching their heads, they said, “Aunt Wei, if you’re planning to sell these, will you need bamboo skewers? Second Brother Liang can carve some for you. After all, we’ve eaten so much of your food—it feels wrong to leave it at that.”

Madam Wei chuckled and playfully scolded, “If that counts as freeloading, then I suppose the firewood you gave us just magically dropped into our house on its own, huh?”

The two brothers laughed awkwardly, not saying much, but from the determined look on their faces when they left, it was clear they had already decided to carve the bamboo skewers.

Xu Shuyue’s mind stirred. Returning to the house, she discussed with Madam Wei. “Mother, how many bamboo skewers do you think Eldest Brother Liang and Second Brother Liang could carve in a day?”

With only a few days left until the market, she and Madam Wei still needed to focus on boiling sugar. Leaving the skewer carving entirely to Qi Ansheng might not be feasible, so it would be better to delegate the task to Eldest Brother Liang and Second Brother Liang.

The two brothers were quick workers, so they wouldn’t slow things down.

Most of the fruits in the cellar had already been dried into fruit snacks, but there was still a small portion left. Apart from selling them directly, Xu Shuyue also planned to make miniature versions of the candied fruit skewers.

“Miniature versions?” Madam Wei repeated, unfamiliar with the term. She looked puzzled.

However, she knew the brothers’ skills well. If they worked seriously, they could easily carve over a hundred skewers a day.

Xu Shuyue explained, “It’s when we only put four or five pieces of fruit on each skewer, and we sell them at a lower price. This way, people won’t worry about wasting food if they can’t finish it and more people will be willing to buy.”

Madam Wei didn’t think “not being able to finish” would ever be a problem. Nowadays, every household had several kids, and even one skewer wouldn’t be enough for all of them to share a bite. How could anyone think it was too much?

Still, Xu Shuyue’s reasoning made sense in its own way. Madam Wei trusted her capable and resourceful daughter-in-law. A small matter like this wouldn’t have much impact, so she let her take charge.

With the plan finalized, the two women began soaking wheat to grow another batch of malt sprouts. Once the sprouts reached the same height as before, they started harvesting them.

By the tenth day of the month, they had rushed to boil a fresh pot of sugar syrup. Seeing that there wasn’t enough time to string the fruits onto skewers, Eldest Brother Liang and Second Brother Liang happened to come by to deliver the bamboo skewers.

Madam Wei was overjoyed and hurriedly called out, “Eldest Liang, Second Liang, don’t leave yet! I’ll give you ten wen each—stay and help us with some work.”

Eldest Brother Liang frowned and didn’t like the sound of that. “Aunt Wei, just tell us what needs to be done. As long as we can do it, we’ll do it. Why would we take your money? That doesn’t feel right.”

Madam Wei didn’t feel comfortable asking for their help for free either, but seeing how resistant they were, she swallowed her words and decided to settle it later. She figured once they finished helping, she’d find a way to get the money into their hands somehow.

“Alright, alright, you win,” Madam Wei relented. “Wash your hands and come over to help.”

The task assigned to Eldest Brother Liang and Second Brother Liang was stringing the fruits. After boiling the bamboo skewers in hot water to disinfect them, they were dried near the stove. Then, Eldest Brother Liang and Second Brother Liang began skewering the fruit chunks that Qi Ansheng had prepared earlier.

Before the two brothers arrived, Qi Ansheng had already strung half a basin of fruit. When the syrup was ready, Xu Shuyue carried off the half-basin to start coating them in sugar.

Seeing how carefully the two brothers were working, Xu Shuyue encouraged them, “Don’t hold back—just go for it. If the fruit gets skewered wrong, it’s not a big deal. We can still dry them into fruit snacks, so there’s no need to worry about waste.”

Hearing this, Eldest Brother Liang heaved a sigh of relief and joked, “Good thing you said that, or I don’t know how long it’d take me to finish this whole basin.”

Xu Shuyue chuckled. “Brother Liang, you’re just taking it too seriously.”

Second Brother Liang nodded in agreement.

With Eldest Brother Liang and Second Brother Liang helping, the assembly line sped up by more than double. By nightfall, the planned three basins of fruit were all turned into candied fruit skewers.

Xu Shuyue placed the skewers in the courtyard. In the freezing weather, there was no need to worry about the sugar melting—they would freeze into an even firmer and crunchier texture, improving the taste.

As for the twenty wen Madam Wei had promised the two brothers, she still found a way to secretly slip it into their hands, despite their protests.

The next morning, the family of three quickly ate breakfast, each carrying a basket as they headed to catch the ox cart at the village entrance.

The cart owner, Yu Yougen, was initially reluctant to let Xu Shuyue ride on his cart. Only after Madam Wei paid an extra coin did he finally agree, sparing her the trouble of walking over ten kilometers on foot.

Because it was the last big market before the Lunar New Year, nearly everyone in the village was heading out to stock up on supplies. The ox cart was packed to the brim with passengers.

Even so, people kept climbing aboard. Yu Yougen, eager to make more money, didn’t refuse anyone.

At this point, no one cared about Xu Shuyue’s infamously “bad reputation.” In fact, they squeezed even closer to her, hoping to secure a seat for themselves or their children.

Madam Wei, annoyed at the overcrowding, pulled Xu Shuyue closer to her side and grumbled, “This Yougen is really something—loading so many people onto the cart. The poor ox is slowing down. By the time we get to the market, there might not even be any good spots left for stalls.”

As fate would have it, the last person to climb aboard was none other than her long-time nemesis, Wang Qiuniang. Upon hearing Madam Wei’s complaint, Wang Qiuniang snorted loudly and sneered, “Selling fruit in the dead of winter? What’s the point of getting a good stall? No one’s going to buy it anyway.”

The people on the cart pretended not to hear, their eyes downcast. While Wang Qiuniang’s words were unpleasant, they weren’t entirely unreasonable. After all, who would want to eat cold, sugary fruit skewers in the middle of winter when hot food was far more appealing?

Madam Wei glared and snapped back, “What does it matter to you whether we sell our fruit or not? Who asked for your loud opinion?”

“Well, excuse me, you old hag!” Wang Qiuniang retorted, craning her neck indignantly. “It’s not like I wanted to sit here. But seeing how kind-hearted Yougen was, letting an old widow like me ride instead of walking dozens of kilometers, I couldn’t refuse. And now listen to you complaining that the ox is slowing down? I spit on that!”

“Oh, sure, you’re so important! If you don’t like it, why don’t you just buy your own cart instead of squeezing in with the rest of us?” Madam Wei shot back.

While Wang Qiuniang’s earlier remarks had some merit, her latest comments were completely self-serving and petty.

Xu Shuyue frowned, her gaze cold as she cut in sharply, “Uncle Yougen isn’t kind-hearted. He’s just looking to make a few extra coins in one trip. Aunt Wang, are you flattering him because you’re hoping he’ll return those two extra coins you paid and let you ride for free?”

“Pfft!” Someone nearby couldn’t hold back a laugh.

Wang Qiuniang, thick-skinned as she was, didn’t take the words to heart.

“What right do you have to butt in when the adults are talking?” she screeched, raising her voice at Xu Shuyue before turning her attention to Madam Wei. “Madam Qi, let me tell you something—you should keep a tighter leash on your daughter-in-law. With her bad reputation, if you don’t discipline her, she’ll end up ruining your entire family’s name!”

Madam Wei remained unshaken, looking at Xu Shuyue with pride. “Anyone who badmouths my daughter-in-law must not only be blind but also heartless. Such a capable, kind person marrying into our family—I’m overjoyed! Why would I waste my time listening to outside rumors to criticize her?”

She finished with a pointed glance at Wang Qiuniang, snorting lightly. Though she said nothing more, her meaning was crystal clear.

She might as well have said outright that Wang Qiuniang was both blind and heartless for failing to recognize a good person when she saw one.

Wang Qiuniang was immediately infuriated, sputtering angrily and repeating, “Fine! Fine! Fine!” as if on the verge of launching into a tirade.

But seeing as they all lived in the same village and were currently stuck on the same ox cart, someone finally intervened. “Qiuniang, just let it go, will you? Whatever grudge you’ve got, it’s not worth picking a fight over this.”

After all, what kind of feud could justify such mean-spirited remarks?

Wang Qiuniang ignored everyone else, acting as if she couldn’t care less.

Yu Yougen, worried that the argument might escalate into a physical fight on his cart, quickly tried to smooth things over. “Alright, alright, everyone just sit tight! We’ll be at the market soon.”

By “soon,” he meant they had only been traveling for half an hour since departing. Still, the remark served as a convenient excuse for Wang Qiuniang to quiet down, lest the other passengers start complaining.

Turning her head away, Wang Qiuniang acted as though she couldn’t even stand to look at Madam Wei.

Madam Wei, for her part, had no interest in engaging further. The person who had stepped in earlier to de-escalate scooted closer to Madam Wei and comforted her, saying, “That’s just how Qiuniang is. Don’t take it personally. I heard her good-for-nothing son has been out gambling again, and she’s worried sick about it.”

Life in the village was like that—people worried about you when you suffered, but they also resented you if you became too successful.

Truthfully, Wang Qiuniang didn’t have any major grudge against Madam Wei. Most of their disagreements were over trivial, petty matters that had been blown out of proportion over time.

What really bothered Wang Qiuniang was the stark contrast in their lives. Before marriage, Madam Wei’s family was no better off than hers. But after marriage, everything changed.

Madam Wei had married a good husband, raised two capable sons, and despite losing Qi Siming to the battlefield, she still had Qi Qingfeng.

And what about Qi Qingfeng? He was still so young but already a scholar, about to take the provincial exam. If he passed, he would become a “juren” (provincial graduate), an esteemed title that would elevate the whole family’s social standing. Madam Wei would then become the honored “mother of a juren.”

In contrast, Wang Qiuniang’s life was stuck in a miserable rut. She was still tilling the fields for a living, her husband was abusive, and her son was ungrateful, spending his days gambling and loafing around. Her life felt like a dead end.

Xu Shuyue could understand why Wang Qiuniang harbored resentment and constantly targeted Madam Wei. But understanding didn’t mean tolerating it.

Pulling Madam Wei’s hand from the person who was trying to comfort her, Xu Shuyue, with a blank expression, said, “If you’re so concerned about Aunt Wang, you should go console her directly. Why are you explaining things to my mother?”

The woman hesitated, replying, “I was just trying to explain—”

“Do you want to play the peacemaker?” Xu Shuyue interrupted bluntly, exposing her intentions. “Then you should definitely not come here to comfort my mother. Clearly, it was Aunt Wang who started it by speaking out of line. Instead of addressing her, you’re asking my mother to endure it. What kind of reasoning is that?”

She continued, her tone cold and sharp. “Why don’t you take a moment of silence, Aunt? My mother and I don’t appreciate hearing this, and in fact, she agrees with me completely.”

The woman was left stunned. Seeing that Madam Wei truly didn’t object to Xu Shuyue’s words, her face turned red with frustration. Huffing, she went back to her seat without saying another word.

Xu Shuyue’s words sent shockwaves through the entire ox cart. For a long moment, everyone sat in utter silence. Even the children, sensing the tension in the air, stopped crying and nestled quietly in the arms of their parents and grandparents.

Some of the other passengers blatantly stared at Xu Shuyue, while others stole glances from the corners of their eyes. All of them had the same thought: This new daughter-in-law of the Qi family isn’t someone to mess with.

Xu Shuyue, unfazed by their scrutiny, leaned against Madam Wei and fell asleep for the rest of the ride, unaware of the impression she had left on the entire cart.