Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Lame

Ding Xiang put down her book and hugged Zhang's legs, saying, "Mother, I want egg custard."

"Alright, Mom will steam some for Xiang Xiang and add a couple drops of sesame oil."

Her daughter loved egg custard with a hint of sesame oil.

Ding Xiang's lunch was egg custard with half a steamed bun, while Zhang had three buns with a bowl of plain water and two slices of salted radish.

As Zhang fed Ding Xiang, the little girl pushed a spoonful of egg custard towards her mother, urging, "Mother, eat."

Zhang's face beamed with happiness.

Ding Xiang would remember that smile for a lifetime. Her mothers in both her past and present life were very beautiful, but their smiles couldn't compare to Zhang's, not even by a fraction.

"Xiang Xiang is so filial," Zhang said.

She brought the spoon to her mouth, making "ba ba" sounds as if eating, then pretended and fed the unchanged egg custard back to Ding Xiang.

This act was a routine between mother and daughter. Although Ding Xiang sincerely wanted Zhang to eat, Zhang always refrained from having even a little.

In the afternoon, after waking from her nap, Ding Xiang watched Mrs. Zhang make tassels. Mrs. Zhang, already skilled with her hands and having gained experience in a Beijing embroidery shop, created unique and popular tassel designs. Her enthusiasm for making them, combined with the good selling price, was ever-increasing.

Watching Mrs. Zhang make tassels was one of Ding Xiang's favorite activities, also laying the groundwork for some of her future plans.

Seeing her daughter's earnest attention, Mrs. Zhang would explain the process regardless of whether Ding Xiang fully understood.

The wisdom of ancient people should never be underestimated, as evidenced in the art of tassel-making. The techniques, styles, varieties, meanings, and color combinations all seemed to be perfected.

For instance, decorations on sachets, purse pouches, fan bags, and accessories, as well as designs like the double coin knot, butterfly knot, long coil knot, lucky grass knot, wishful knot, and more, were all beautiful and intricate.

Mrs. Zhang, with her clever hands, would swiftly turn several strands of thread into some exquisite item or accessory. However, the threads she used were not of the highest quality, limiting the price she could charge.

Suddenly, the sound of the courtyard gate was heard; Mrs. Zhao had arrived.

The two sisters-in-law got along well and often did needlework together.

Mrs. Zhang opened the door with a smile, "Didn't Zhen'er come?"

Mrs. Zhao replied, "She went to the town shop with my mother-in-law to find her father."

She took a piece of winter melon candy from her purse and put it into Ding Xiang's mouth.

Her family's shop sold dried goods, including these types of candies, and she occasionally brought a few pieces for Ding Xiang.

Ding Xiang mumbled a thanks, "Thank you, Auntie."

Mrs. Zhao then said with a laugh, "There's been trouble in the main house..."

On her way here, passing by the main house, she heard Mrs. Ding Xia scolding and Mrs. Wang crying loudly, so she went in to see what the commotion was about.

Ding Sifu, four months older than Ding Xiang, was almost two years old but still couldn't walk and was unsteady even when standing.

Initially, it wasn't taken seriously, thinking the child was just late in learning to walk. Later, doctors from the town and itinerant physicians were consulted, but they found no apparent issue.

Mrs. Wang, anxious, got two hundred copper coins from Mrs. Ding Xia and carried the child to the county clinic early this morning.

The clinic doctor said the child's right leg was broken at some point without proper treatment, causing the bone to heal incorrectly. Being young, there was a chance of recovery if they went to the provincial city for surgery to re-break and set the bone correctly. Without treatment, the child would be lame for life.

The cost of treatment in the provincial city, including various expenses, would be no less than twenty taels of silver.

The main household was poor, without even five taels in savings, let alone twenty. They couldn't possibly sell their house or land just for Ding Sifu.

It seemed Ding Sifu was destined to be lame for life.

Mrs. Wang, unwilling to accept this, made a fuss about borrowing money for treatment. Everyone else disagreed, arguing that even if they could borrow the money, they wouldn't be able to repay it.

Mrs. Wang cried and made a scene, and Ding Youcai ended up beating her.

Mrs. Zhang speculated, "The child never cried of leg pain. It must have been broken when he was a few months old."

Mrs. Zhao added, "Exactly. Mrs. Ding Xia scolded Mrs. Wang for not taking good care of their son and even choked her. Hmph, Mrs. Wang always bragged about having four sons in nine years, as if it were such an achievement. Now look, one of them is lame."

Mrs. Zhao detested Mrs. Wang's constant bragging about her ability to bear sons. Now that one of them was lame, she wouldn't be boasting anymore.

Mrs. Zhang said, "Heaven has eyes after all. It's not that they won't be punished, but the time hasn't come yet. The evil deeds of Mrs. Ding Xia and Mrs. Wang are now being repaid through their children."

Mrs. Zhao commented, "Yes. Just the other day, my father-in-law said that if Mrs. Hao couldn't bear a son, Uncle and Mrs. Ding Xia planned to adopt Sifu to them. Now that Sifu is lame, Ding Youshou and his wife surely won't want him, and I wonder who they'll adopt next. Tsk, they even dared to hope my grandson would serve as a scapegoat for my father-in-law and the head of the family."

The people of the main house had fallen into misfortune, and neither Mrs. Zhang nor Mrs. Zhao had any sympathy for them, even taking pleasure in their troubles.

Yet, Ding Xiang felt a storm of emotions inside.

She suspected that Ding Sifu's injury might have been an accidental fall from the bed, but more likely, Mrs. Hao, unwilling to adopt out a child and resenting Mrs. Wang for having many sons and causing trouble, might have intentionally broken or twisted Ding Sifu's leg.

That woman, who once thought of harming Ding Xiang when she was just five months old, was certainly capable of such an act.

To harm a defenseless infant was utterly heartless.

As evening approached and it was time to prepare dinner, Mrs. Zhao stood up to leave.

Mrs. Zhang got up to go to the kitchen to cook.

Ding Xiang sat beside the stove, watching Mrs. Zhang busy herself.

The meal included steamed mixed grain buns, smoked meat and radish soup, and stir-fried garlic sprouts with dried tofu. There was about half a pound of smoked meat, so everyone would get a few slices each.

Mrs. Zhang also cooked a small pot of minced meat and rice porridge for Ding Xiang. The minced meat, being smoked, added a delicious aroma to the rice broth.

Once the smoked meat was ready, Mrs. Zhang fished out a shiny piece of fat and fed it to Ding Xiang, who found it so delicious she was reluctant to swallow it.

In the simple, warm life of a rural family, even a small piece of fat could bring great happiness.

As the sun set and the sky was filled with rosy clouds, Ding Xiang ran to her family's doorway to wait for her grandfather, father, and brother to return home.

Heizi, the family dog, sat beside her.

This was a daily ritual for her and Heizi, previously joined by Ding Li Ren.

Mrs. Zhang brought a cotton cloak to wrap around her.

It was the time when villagers, carrying their farming tools, were returning home in groups. Ding Xiang greeted them loudly.

"Grandpa Li."

"Auntie Xia Er."

"Grandma Xia San."

  ……

Ding Xiang rarely left her home and didn't know many people, but almost everyone she knew liked her. They thought she was always smiling and indeed lovely and charming, much more pleasant than the overbearing and foul-mouthed blacksmith, Ding.

The villagers happily chatted with her:

"Xiang Xiang, are you out here waiting for your grandpa again?"

"Xiang Xiang, bring a big bowl tomorrow, I'll give you a bowl of fresh cow's milk to take home and enjoy."

"Hehe, Xiang Xiang is so clever, maybe she really could become like Feng Suzhen in the future."

  ……

"Yes, waiting for my dad and brother too."

"Thank you, Auntie Xia Er."

"Hehe, grandpa was just joking."

  ……

Soon, four figures, two tall and two short, appeared in the glow of the sunset at the village entrance.

Ding Xiang stumbled as she ran towards them.

Heizi, the dog, also barked happily, trotting along with its young mistress.

"Grandpa, Daddy, big brother, second brother."

The soft, childish voice floated joyously on the evening breeze.

Villagers passing by paused to smile at the little figure stumbling along.

Ding Zhuang quickly walked a few steps, lifted her up, and playfully tossed her in the air, making Ding Xiang giggle delightedly.

"Thank you to Mo Mo and Song A Mei for the rewards, and thanks to everyone for your monthly tickets and all the support... Some of you feel the updates and plot are slow, please don't worry, there will be more frequent updates once the novel is officially launched next month. The infancy period of the female lead in Qingquan has been controlled in word count, but some scenes are essential to show the love she receives from her family, and also to lay the groundwork for future developments. Be patient, our protagonist is about to grow up..."