Chapter 1

“Sister, it’s time to eat.” A young boy’s voice came from outside the door, followed by slightly hurried footsteps. The beaded curtain made of Job’s tears was pushed aside, and a boy entered carrying a chipped ceramic bowl.

Without even looking, Gu Xinxin knew the ceramic bowl contained millet porridge – so thin you could see your reflection in it, with a few pickled vegetables floating on the surface.

The boy set the bowl aside, first helped Gu Xinxin sit up, then sat by the bed holding the bowl, ready to feed her.

Gu Xinxin quickly raised her hand: “I can do it myself. I’ve regained some strength these past couple of days.”

Without using a spoon or chopsticks, she tilted her head back and drank the entire bowl of porridge in one go – the pickled vegetables inside weren’t something to savor carefully, otherwise their sour bitterness could make you vomit up even bile.

Another meal finished.

Gu Xinxin put down the bowl with a sigh, realizing that with this, half the day had passed. Well, if she could endure through the afternoon, she could have dinner.

She pressed her lips together, suppressing the hollow feeling of hunger in her stomach, and asked the boy: “A Rong, have you eaten?”

Gu Xiangrong quickly nodded: “I’ve eaten.”

No sooner had he spoken than his stomach emitted a loud rumbling sound, so loud that the young boy froze in surprise. After a moment, he lowered his head in embarrassment, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Gu Xinxin reached out her hand: “Help me up.”

The stepmother in her memory wasn’t exactly a good person – she had always kept the original host constantly working, working, working. Now that the original host was sick, why would she kindly leave food for her?

So, what she had eaten was most likely this boy’s share of food. Although it was also quite meager, it was probably just enough to keep someone from starving to death.

Gu Xiangrong quickly supported her arm and helped her up: “Do you need to use the outhouse?”
Gu Xinxin shook her head and walked toward the opposite room after leaving hers. The Gu residence was a classic small courtyard house with three main rooms – one where Grandmother Gu lived, another where Father and Mother Gu lived, with the central hall between them containing the dining table.

There were two wing rooms each on the east and west sides. The east wing housed Gu Xinxin and her stepsister Gu Qiuhe in one room, while Gu Xiangrong and his stepbrother Gu Wenshu shared the other. The west wing contained the kitchen and the grain storage. There were two reverse-facing rooms – one being the outhouse and the other a storage room.

In the center of the courtyard stood a jujube tree, said to have been planted by Gu Xinxin’s birth mother. Now in summer, the jujube tree provides a patch of shade, with a wooden table leaning against its trunk.

Gu Xinxin only gave it a brief glance before heading straight into the kitchen.

Only then did Gu Xiangrong realize what she intended and quickly said: “There’s no more food. Mother and Father only left this much this morning…”

Gu Xinxin asked: “Has Grandmother eaten?”

Gu Xiangrong pressed his lips before answering: “They left some for Grandmother too. Grandmother has eaten.”

Gu Xinxin snorted lightly and instructed Gu Xiangrong: “Go get a hammer.”

Gu Xiangrong gasped, hesitating: “Elder sister, what do you want to do?”

“To open the cabinet,” Gu Xinxin said. Gu Xiangrong immediately jumped in fright: “Grandmother will definitely come to stop us if she hears! And when Mother and Father return tonight and see it, they’ll be angry. Then Father will start hitting people again…”

Gu Xinxin waved her hand: “I have a plan. Just listen to me. Besides, if you don’t listen to me, our brother and sister will eventually starve to death.”

Gu Xiangrong was still hesitant: “We won’t starve to death. I’ll give all my food to Big Sister. Big Sister will recover in a couple more days. Once she can work, Mother will give you food.”

Gu Xinxin felt helpless—this young boy had been thoroughly brainwashed. Only those who worked deserved food.

She put on a stern face: “Will you listen to me or not? You know I’m sick right now and shouldn’t get angry. If I get too upset, I might faint.”
Gu Xiangrong looked puzzled: “Really?”
He didn’t recall the doctor saying she shouldn’t get angry… Wait, his big sister hadn’t even seen a doctor for her illness.

But he vaguely remembered someone saying that anger could worsen sickness.

Well, since he had that impression, it was probably true.

After a pause, he decided to throw caution at the wind. He’d just tell their parents he was the one who broke the lock when they returned. He went to the storage room and soon returned with a hammer. Following Gu Xinxin’s instructions, he forcefully smashed the padlock.

Old Mrs. Gu stuck her head out the window: “A Rong, A Rong, what are you doing?”

Gu Xinxin shushed him, and Gu Xiangrong fell silent. Though young and underfed, he still had enough strength to deal with the small lock effortlessly. In just a few strikes, it broke open.

Gu Xinxin pulled out the basket of eggs from the cabinet, told Gu Xiangrong to light the fire, and began tossing the eggs into the pot one by one.

Gu Xiangrong repeatedly tried to speak up, but Gu Xinxin glared him down each time. Afraid of making her angry and causing her to faint, he could only focus silently on his task.

The old woman wobbled out of her room: “A Rong, I’ve been calling you! What are you doing?”

When she saw the eggs boiling in the pot, her expression darkened: “You two have some nerves!”

Gu Xinxin smiled: “Grandma, would you like some?”

The old woman glared. Gu Xiangrong quickly stood up, shielding Gu Xinxin behind him: “Grandma, it was me. I was too hungry, so I broke into the cabinet. Scold me if you must—it has nothing to do with my sister.”

Gu Xinxin peeked out from behind him and asked again: “Grandma, would you like some?”

She described the taste of the eggs: “The egg white is soft; the yolk is crumbly… Take a bite with half white and half yolk, and the rich egg flavor is like tasting the food of the gods…”

*Gulong, gulong. *

Two swallowing sounds echoed—one from the boy in front of her, another from the old woman at the door.

Gu Xinxin grinned: “I cooked plenty. Grandma can have two—just blame it all on me later.”

Old Mrs. Gu blustered weakly: “You greedy wretch! Don’t you know these eggs are for sale? Besides, the old and young in this family need eggs to nourish themselves. You’re in your prime, what do you need eggs for?”

Gu Xinxin raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.

Gu Xiangrong defended her: “Grandma, Big Sister is sick. Sick people need nourishment too!”

“She’s tough and lowborn—she doesn’t need it!” Old Mrs. Gu snorted angrily. “Don’t expect me to plead for you two when you get in trouble.”

She turned back to her room, planning to claim she’d scolded them already, who knew they’d be bold enough to keep cooking and eating?

Gu Xinxin smiled at Gu Xiangrong: “See? She’s not stopping us now.”

Gu Xiangrong worried: “But Father will really beat us when he comes back… He’s strong, and it hurts…”

And they fought without regard for location—head, back, arms, buttocks, legs—wherever the blows landed, that’s where they struck.

Gu Xinxin asked, “How long does it take to get from our home to the county town?”

“If we have an ox cart, it takes about two hours. Walking would take six hours,” Gu Xiangrong replied. After a pause, he asked, “Does Elder Sister want to go to the county town? I’ll take you once you’re better. You’re still sick now, and we don’t have any money.”

Afraid that Gu Xinxin might get upset, he added, “I’ve been going with Da Niu and the others to catch cicada nymphs lately. If we gather more cicada exuviae, we can sell them to the village physician for a few copper coins. Then we can take the ox cart.”

Gu Xinxin tilted her chin toward the eggs boiling in the pot. “We’ll use these for the fare.”

Given the hot weather, she had boiled the entire basket of eggs, probably over thirty of them. The two of them couldn’t finish them all, and the eggs wouldn’t keep long anyway. It was better to make the most of what they had and avoid waste.

Gu Xiangrong opened his mouth but hesitated before speaking. “Elder Sister, if we eat the eggs and then go to the county town, Father will surely beat us to death when he returns.”

Making one mistake might leave them with their lives, but making more could cost them everything.

Gu Xinxin urged him to pack their clothes quickly. “At this hour, we probably won’t make it back from the county town tonight. We’ll have to stay overnight, so pack a couple of changes of clothes.”

Gu Xiangrong grew anxious. “Where will we stay if we don’t come back? I’m a man—I can just squat somewhere for the night. But you’re a girl, Elder Sister…”

What would people think if a girl wandered outside all night without returning home?

Gu Xinxin ignored him and began scooping the eggs out of the pot herself—they had been boiling vigorously for a quarter of an hour and should be fully cooked by now.

After rinsing them in cold water, she cracked two opens right there at the stove. Ignoring the heat, she tossed them between her hands and quickly ate them. Only after swallowing both did the gnawing hunger in her stomach feel somewhat eased.

Gu Xiangrong watched, swallowing hard.

When Gu Xinxin handed him an egg, he refused. “Keep them all for yourself, Elder Sister. We can store them in the well—they’ll keep for a day or two.”

Gu Xinxin pressed him. “We have to finish them today. It’s too hot to keep them. Besides, tomorrow’s meals will come tomorrow. If you don’t eat them, Grandmother might come and finish them off.”

With that, she shoved an egg into his mouth. As Gu Xiangrong opened his lips, the soft, springy texture and fragrant flavor of the egg filled his mouth. He was only thirteen, after all, and had endured hunger day after day. How could he resist such temptation? His teeth instinctively closed, splitting the egg in two.

Since he’d already taken a bite… Gu Xiangrong stopped holding back.

The hardest part is starting—once you begin, the rest comes easily.

While eating the egg, Gu Xiangrong went into the room to pack their clothes. He took most of the remaining eggs and stuffed them into a bundle, filled a waterskin, and then helped Gu Xinxin out the door.

Old Mrs. Gu waited for a long time but never received the eggs she expected Gu Xiangrong to bring her.

Worried that the siblings might finish all the eggs, she got out of bed after calculating the time and hurried to the kitchen in a few quick steps.

The moment she stepped inside, she nearly choked with rage—only two eggs remained on the stove, and the floor was littered with eggshells.
“You ungrateful wretches, greedy gluttons! Why didn’t you two choke to death?” While cursing, she cracked open the remaining two eggs. The rich aroma of eggs filled the air, and Old Mrs. Gu immediately forgot her cursing as she wolfed down both eggs in haste.

After finishing them, she still craved more but looked around to find there was indeed no third egg left.

She had no choice but to turn back while continuing to curse: “You starving ghosts reborn! Why didn’t you two trip and die on your way here?”

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