Chapter 4: Chicken Soup

Chen Xinwan spoke outside for a long time, but in the end, only a muffled voice came from within: "Mother, I'm not hungry. You and Ning go ahead and eat."

With a sigh, Chen Xinwan returned to the dining hall. Even as she ate, she seemed distracted.

Xie Ning was nearly finished with her meal when she suddenly snapped to attention and asked, wide-eyed, "Where’s the chicken soup? Didn’t I tell you to slaughter a chicken? You didn’t make it, did you? In this heat, you can’t just leave it sitting."

"I made it. But wasn’t it for Sister-in-law? I kept it warm over charcoal, waiting for her and Yinyin to wake up so they could have it." Xie Ning finished her porridge in one gulp.

"The whole chicken, just for the two of them?" Chen Xinwan was dumbfounded.

Xie Ning didn’t even look up. "Don’t worry, Sister-in-law can finish it."

What a joke—was she worried they couldn’t finish it? Even if it were a six-pound chicken, who would turn their nose up at meat?

She might not eat, but... "At least save a drumstick for Chongzi."

"Heh." Xie Ning let out a cold laugh. "So after what he’s done, he deserves a reward—a drumstick, is that it?"

Chen Xinwan choked on her words. "You and that mouth of yours..."

Xie Ning ignored her, urging, "Hurry up and eat so I can wash the dishes."

Chen Xinwan felt stifled. This daughter was hopeless. She’d made chicken soup and hadn’t even thought to save her mother a bowl.

—It wasn’t that Xie Ning hadn’t considered it; she simply knew that if she served her mother, the bowl would ultimately be saved for her second brother.

Deep into the night, heavy breathing filled the room, growing more rapid, then suddenly falling silent.

Gu Zhuo opened her eyes, her gaze shifting from confusion to alertness as she began to search the darkness around her.

Only when she saw the small figure beside her did her breath steady.

She climbed out of bed carefully, sat on the edge, and, trembling, reached out her hand to her daughter’s nose and lips.

A faint, moist warmth brushed her palm.

In that instant, Gu Zhuo felt as though a thousand-pound burden had lifted from her shoulders. Her whole body relaxed.

Tears poured down her face, silent and uncontrollable.

Yinyin had truly been saved.

Thank goodness.

The room was pitch black. In her youth, her night vision had been poor, but tonight’s full moon was bright enough that she could see her daughter’s face.

Gu Zhuo touched Yinyin’s forehead. It was a little warm, but not too hot. Though Yinyin was small, under her care, the child was healthy. Fever after near-drowning was common in children; as long as it wasn’t high, there was little to worry about.

Once she was sure her daughter was all right, Gu Zhuo sat at the bedside, staring at her unblinkingly, as if afraid she might vanish at any moment.

She feared it was all just a beautiful dream.

In the night, Xie Ning heard a noise outside. Already a light sleeper, she immediately got up and went out.

The sound came from the dining hall, which lay beyond Gu Zhuo’s room. Passing the window, Xie Ning glanced in, and the sight startled her.

"Sister-in-law, you’re awake—why didn’t you say anything?" Sitting there in silence was enough to scare anyone.

Gu Zhuo jumped, her mind snapping back to reality. "Ning, why are you up?"

"I heard noise in the dining hall, thought a cat might have gotten in, so I came to check," Xie Ning replied. After a pause, she added, "You missed dinner. You must be hungry—wait here, I’ll get you something to eat."

Gu Zhuo meant to refuse, but Xie Ning didn’t wait for an answer and dashed off.

At that moment, Gu Zhuo’s mind was foggy, filled only with thoughts of Yinyin.

Xie Ning didn’t return right away. Instead, angry shouts drifted from the dining hall. Gu Zhuo frowned, at first wanting to ignore it, but as the arguing grew louder, she worried it would wake Yinyin.

Hesitating, she finally got up and, taking one last look at her sleeping daughter, headed toward the dining hall.

It was just next door. Opening the door, Gu Zhuo saw Xie Ning pointing and scolding Xie Chong: "Are you a glutton? You ate a whole chicken and a pot of soup by yourself! Didn’t you know Sister-in-law and Yinyin are both sick? And what about your sense of shame? Do you forget who’s to blame for what happened to them?"

Xie Chong’s face flushed. "I was just too hungry. I didn’t think. I thought it was leftovers."

When he saw Gu Zhuo appear in the doorway, he froze, shame making him avert his gaze.

In truth, Gu Zhuo’s mind was dazed. Her thoughts, like a hibernating animal, were slow and sluggish. It took far longer than usual for her to grasp what was happening in front of her.

Xie Ning was so angry she burst into tears, turning to Gu Zhuo with her grievance: "Sister-in-law, I made that chicken soup especially for you and Yinyin. Mother and I didn’t have a single sip, and now Second Brother has eaten it all!"

All her life, Gu Zhuo had never fussed over such things.

Whether in times of scarcity, when everything was rationed, or in later years when plenty meant you could buy whatever you wanted, she had always cared little for material things, nor was she one to dwell on gains and losses. Losing out on a chicken hardly mattered.

She gave without seeking return.

Her entire life was a testament to that.

She worked for what she wanted and never begrudged what she gave to others.

Gu Zhuo had always been this way.

The one she raised, Mengmeng, often resented this—saying such boundless kindness would only lead to being used up, down to the bone.

But what had Gu Zhuo replied then?

"They’re just worldly things. What’s there to fuss about?"

Yet, after reading that book, even she was forced to overturn this belief.

Had she not been so unconcerned, how could someone like Xie Chong—who had caused Yinyin’s death—have benefited so much from her, gaining both fame and fortune in the end?

Even if she hadn’t known at the time that Xie Chong was responsible, looking back now, she felt unforgivable.

The truth was, she’d never liked Xie Chong much. But she was not one to act on personal preference. For Xie Lin’s sake, even if she didn’t like him, she never refused him help.

And hadn’t Xie Lin told her, more than once—

"You’re the most important person to me. No one else in this family matters as much. If you like someone, treat them well; if not, you don’t have to bother with them at all. If you suffer for the sake of others, that would be the real mistake, at least to me."

All these thoughts flashed through her mind in just a second.

To Xie Chong and Xie Ning, Gu Zhuo only paused for a moment before saying, "The chickens in this house are all ones I raised."

What?

Both Xie Chong and Xie Ning were stunned.