Chapter Nine: Serve Me at My Bath Tonight

"Of course, of course. How could your auntie not provide a little grain... wait, how much? You said how much?!"

The aunt’s smiling face froze. The corners of her mouth turned down, and her eyes, squeezed shut by layers of fat, widened in shock.

"Fifty jin... Our household is quite large, and that would barely last us ten days. But don't worry, Auntie, my mother and I will find a way to earn some silver to pay you back. We certainly won't take it for free."

Jiang Yuan’s words were sincere, tears hanging on her face, looking so pitiful that even those who had muttered about fifty jin being too much began to waver. Although it was a bit much, the poor girl was clearly in a desperate situation!

The aunt forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Fifty jin of rice! Yuan, that’s going to be the death of me. How about five jin? I’ll take you back to get it right now."

Suddenly, the grateful and expectant look on Jiang Yuan’s face vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp expression. The aunt felt a jolt in her heart; even she, a seasoned woman, found herself being led by the nose by a young girl's changing mood.

"If you are unwilling, Auntie, then so be it. But to offer only five jin—is that not an insult to me and my mother? It is nothing more than bullying me because I have lost my father!"

Jiang Yuan lifted her chin slightly, biting her lip. Her eyes were red and swollen, and though her voice trembled with unshed tears, she remained cold and stubborn. Before the aunt could attempt to salvage the situation, Jiang Yuan turned and knelt before the village chief.

"A person lives for a breath of dignity. I implore you, Uncle Chief, to make a judgment! Today, this family connection must be severed!"

She cried out, preparing to kowtow into the thick snow, only to be stopped by Xie Changzhi.

"Miss Jiang Yuan, please, do not do this," he said, feigning indignation. "I believe that as our village chief, he surely cares for us. But even an honest official finds it hard to settle family disputes; let us not add to the chief's burdens."

Some hot-blooded auntie in the crowd grew anxious and pointed at Xie Changzhi, criticizing him, "Young man, how can you say such things! Our chief is the fairest and best! If it were me, and the Jiang family was this selfish, I would have..."

The village chief: "..."

He looked at the two of them with a complex expression, then raised his hand to silence the aunt’s flying spittle. Under her shifting expression, which turned from blue to pale, he announced his agreement to Jiang Yuan’s request.

He coughed lightly. "Second daughter-in-law of the Jiang family, you see, now that the eldest Jiang is gone, and Yuan is grown and has found a husband, go back and explain it clearly to the old lady. Today, not only I, but everyone here shall serve as witnesses."

"No! Chief, Yuan is one thing, but Hu is a boy! He is the seed of our Jiang family!"

The aunt stomped her feet in anger. The onlookers began to disperse, but she wouldn't let Jiang Yuan’s family leave.

"Hu is my son, born through my own blood and sweat!" Mother Jiang immediately pulled Jiang Hu tightly into her arms, ready to do something rash if the aunt dared to snatch him.

"No! I don't care about you and Jiang Yuan, but Jiang Hu is coming back with me today." The aunt gritted her teeth. She considered herself unlucky; if she went back without the boy, she would surely be tormented by the old lady for days. If she lost Jiang Hu as well, she didn't dare imagine how many days she would go without food!

Jiang Yuan let out a soft laugh.

"Auntie, you have the wrong name."

"It is Cheng Yuan, and Cheng Hu."

From this day forward, they would no longer bear their father's surname, but their mother’s: Cheng.

As they walked away with a sense of liberation, the aunt was still reeling from the audacity of their name change. When she finally reacted and wanted to chase after them, she noticed a small piece of fabric fluttering down in front of her.

It was the fabric of her husband’s clothes!

Her husband had made some quick money, and she had specially gone to the county town to have new clothes tailored, which she had bragged about all over the village!

Could it be that they already knew about her husband stealing the grain?

A cold sweat broke out on the aunt’s back. She turned and ran away in a panic. No, she couldn't let this happen. Her son had to take the imperial examinations; if this wretched girl exposed them, wouldn't that ruin her son’s brilliant future?

The moment Cheng Yuan stepped into the courtyard, she was pulled aside by her mother. Her mother was holding Jiang Hu in her right arm; the boy had cried himself to sleep on her shoulder. She lowered her voice to a whisper.

"Yuan, you just said the surname... Cheng?"

There was a lingering shock in her eyes, making her voice tremble.

"Yes. Mother, your name is Cheng Zhi, isn't it? Now that Father is gone and we have severed ties with the Jiang family, it is only natural for my brother and me to take your surname."

Cheng Yuan spoke lightly, though only she knew how furious she was inside. After the shouting match with the aunt, a memory had suddenly surfaced in her mind. It was from when the original owner was very young, too small to climb onto a stool, being held by Cheng Zhi, who guided her hand to write in the sand with a small twig.

"Cheng. Zhi. That is Mother’s name."

"Where is the food? Why isn't it ready? Do you want to starve me to death?"

A tall, dark figure suddenly invaded her vision, kicking the mother and daughter to the ground.

"Do you still think you're some pampered young lady? Fine, if you won't cook, then give me another son!"

With a gasp, the memory turned blank. But that short sequence was enough for Cheng Yuan to understand the gist of it. Her mother had likely been abducted! In the original owner's memories, her father was a kind figure, but in reality, he had been cruelly mistreating her mother for years!

It was good that he was dead!

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that there wasn't a single decent soul in the Jiang family!

Mother Jiang—no, Cheng Zhi—looked lost, then shuddered and blinked.

Cheng. Zhi.

How long had it been since she heard that name? Over a decade, it seemed. For some reason, her nose felt incredibly sore.

Cheng Yuan took her hand and whispered, "Mother, it is just the beginning."

"I will help you find them."

"Mother, I will too." Seeing an opening to insert himself, Xie Changzhi spoke up quickly, though he didn't quite understand what they were referring to.

Cheng Zhi’s shoulders trembled. She didn't ask how Cheng Yuan knew, or perhaps she no longer felt the same intense agitation she had years ago. She looked at the peacefully sleeping Cheng Hu, then at Cheng Yuan, and forced a smile. "I appreciate your intentions, Yuan, but having you two is enough for me."

Cheng Yuan pressed her lips together.

Watching her mother carry Jiang Hu into the house, Cheng Yuan turned to look at Xie Changzhi.

"You don't need to follow me everywhere. You've worked hard today; go and get some rest."

When she entered the courtyard earlier, she had seen the woodpile with an axe stuck halfway through a log, left abandoned. The father and son were nowhere to be found, but with the secret guards watching, surely nothing would go wrong. As for Xie Changzhi, though he was technically a son-in-law living with his wife’s family, he acted more like her personal maid.

Seeming to think he had become a nuisance, Xie Changzhi’s face turned bright red. He waved his hands frantically. "I—I don't need to rest."

Cheng Yuan’s eyes swept over him, and she suddenly pointed to the woodpile. "Then go chop the wood."

Xie Changzhi nodded obediently, and before the words had even left her lips, he had already grabbed the axe.

As if on purpose, Cheng Yuan curled the corners of her mouth and added, "And wash the bathtub clean. When I return tonight, you will attend to my bath."

The axe in Xie Changzhi’s hand slipped, crashing down toward his own toes.