Chapter 34: Satisfaction

"Sister, what did the physician tell you in there?"

On their way back, Shao Erdan asked Shao Diandian.

Shao Diandian panted, "Before I answer your question, I think it’s necessary for us to find an ox cart."

She had walked too much today; her little chubby legs could no longer carry her.

Shao Erdan quickly replied, "Sister, you wait here. I’ll go to the market and hire an ox cart!"

That was the only way; her plump little body truly couldn't handle any more exhaustion.

Shao Erdan went to the market. Old Li wasn't in town today, so he hired an ox cart from another village. In the process, he successfully forgot his earlier question.

It was already afternoon by the time the two returned to the village. At the village entrance, several neighbors were gathered around the ancient well drawing water. Seeing Shao Panya and Shao Erdan return, they weren't as shocked as they had been in previous days.

This family seemed to have undergone a sudden change of character. Especially Shao Panya; the villagers kept running into her gathering firewood on the mountain or doing laundry by the river. They also saw her leaving early and returning late every day, supposedly to do business in town.

"I saw her sitting in Old Li’s ox cart last time, and she actually paid him!" said Auntie Wu.

"I saw it too!" added Sun’s daughter-in-law.

Auntie Wu continued, "Hey, what do you think is going on? How did Shao Panya suddenly change into a different person? Could she be possessed by a ghost?"

"Nonsense! Have you ever seen a ghost possession like this?"

The speaker was Zhou, a woman in her early thirties who looked older than her years, appearing more like forty.

Auntie Wu asked, "Then how do you explain it—"

Zhou scoffed, "How else? She found a good husband! If I had a handsome man like that, I wouldn't be lazy either!"

The villagers erupted into laughter. Jokes aside, Shao Panya’s husband was truly handsome—one glance was enough to make anyone’s heart melt.

Sun’s daughter-in-law sighed, "How is Shao Panya so lucky?"

Zhou retorted, "What good is luck? A fresh flower stuck in cow dung! It’s a pity for that young man."

The others agreed deeply.

"I won't allow you to talk about my husband like that."

Shao Panya’s chilling little voice suddenly rang out from behind them. She looked up at the sky and sighed, "If my husband is cow dung, then what are your men? Cesspits?"

Everyone: "..."

Having successfully rendered the villagers speechless, Shao Diandian walked away in a great mood.

Shao Jinnian walked over, carrying a basket. She greeted the women, but seeing their sullen expressions, she asked, "Did something happen?"

Zhou looked at Shao Panya’s retreating, chubby figure and rolled her eyes coldly. "Shao Panya!"

"What’s wrong with Daya?" Shao Jinnian asked.

The Shao family was a family of refinement, and Shao Jinnian never used the derogatory nickname "Shao Panya" like the others; she always called her Daya.

Zhou grumbled, "She just doesn't understand plain speech. She’s obviously cow dung, yet she thinks she’s a flower! Who knows how much silver she spent to buy a live-in son-in-law like that! She should look in a mirror and see if she’s worthy!"

Sun’s daughter-in-law teased her, "If she’s not worthy, is your daughter worthy?"

The villagers laughed again. Zhou didn't have a good reputation in the village; she loved to gossip, but the other women enjoyed listening, so they would gossip with her while simultaneously looking down on her.

Zhou spat, "Pah, pah, pah! How old is my daughter?"

Auntie Wu laughed, "She's fourteen, old enough for marriage. I’m just afraid that young man wouldn't look twice at your daughter!"

Zhou retorted, "If he doesn't look at mine, would he look at yours? In my opinion, let’s stop arguing. Across all the surrounding villages, only Jinnian is worthy of that handsome man!"

Shao Jinnian blushed. "Auntie Zhou, stop joking. He is Daya’s husband; it doesn't sound right to say things like that."

Auntie Wu seized the chance to fire back, "Exactly. If you want to be thick-skinned and talk nonsense, don't drag Jinnian into it! Jinnian is currently being courted, right, Jinnian?"

"...Yes," Shao Jinnian replied vaguely.

--

At noon, the three little ones had endured another "culinary disaster" from Grandpa Shao. Seeing Shao Diandian return, they threw themselves into her arms, looking utterly aggrieved.

"Eh? Where is Grandpa?" she asked.

"Farming," said Dahu.

"Daddy is farming too," added Erhu.

"Yeah!" Xiaohu had nothing to add.

Shao Diandian and Shao Erdan hadn't eaten lunch.

"Erdan, go to the kitchen and light the fire. I’m going to change my clothes." She was soaked with sweat.

"Alright!" Shao Erdan scurried off to the kitchen.

Shao Diandian opened the wardrobe and started rummaging. After searching, she found she didn't have many wearable outfits—they were either too plain, too flashy, or painfully tight.

She finally found one that fit, but the moment she put it on, she crossed paths with Shao Jinnian, who was walking by the house. She looked at Shao Jinnian in surprise, and Shao Jinnian happened to be looking at her too.

The thought flashed through Shao Diandian’s mind: *It’s not embarrassing to wear the same clothes; it’s only embarrassing if you’re the uglier one.*

Neither of them spoke. Shao Jinnian walked away with a cold expression.

Shao Erdan came into the main room clutching a roasted sweet potato. "Sister, Auntie Wu sent over some roasted sweet potatoes. Do you want to have one to tide you over?"

After he spoke, he saw Shao Diandian staring at the doorway and glanced over himself. "Oh, it's Shao Jinnian."

Shao Diandian was puzzled. "Why am I wearing the same clothes as her?"

Shao Erdan’s expression was hard to describe. "Sister, have you forgotten? All your clothes were made to mimic Shao Jinnian’s."

"Uh... is that so?" She hadn't inherited those memories.

Shao Erdan muttered, "When Shao Jinnian wears red, you wear red; when she wears green, you buy green. You even secretly mimicked the way she walks a hundred times!"

Shao Diandian pressed a hand to her forehead: this was a classic case of an ugly person imitating beauty to their own detriment. No wonder Shao Jinnian had looked at her like that.

Shao Erdan said weakly, "Sister, don't copy her anymore."

"I won't," Shao Diandian said, looking down at her outfit.

She didn't have anything else to wear, so she decided to make do for now.

After finishing half the sweet potato, Shao Diandian went to the kitchen to cook. She sliced the sweet potatoes, coated them in a savory batter mixed with chopped green onions, and deep-fried them in oil until golden. The sweetness of the potato perfectly blended with the savory batter—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and fragrant with the scent of green onions and oil.

With some batter left over, she fried a batch of small crispy meat pieces. The three little ones hovered by the stove, eating as she fried, their little hands and mouths covered in grease. For children, this was likely the most satisfying moment of the day.