The three men of the Lin family, who had hurriedly retreated indoors due to Chu Chi's disheveled appearance, only dared to come out again when they heard voices of conversation gradually rising from the courtyard.
Lin Yuanshan looked at his sister-in-law crouching there, staring at the little child, and inwardly heaved a bitter sigh.
Having such an unpredictable sister-in-law made his role as the elder brother-in-law quite perilous. One careless moment could ruin his reputation! Of course, he didn't have much of a good name to speak of now. But it was like the wormwood growing in front of the ancestral graves - having some was better than having none, right?
He gestured for his two sons to take the rabbits and pheasants to the riverside for cleaning, while he walked a few steps forward and stood beside his nephew. Forcing a smile, he greeted her very cordially.
"Sister-in-law, you're up?"
Chu Chi looked up at him when she heard his voice. Recalling the relationships her sister-in-law had explained yesterday, she quickly made the connection in her mind and decisively called out.
"Elder Brother."
"Ah, yes, yes!" Lin Yuanshan's smile instantly became two degrees more genuine.
"Well, Sister-in-law, I wanted to discuss something with you."
Chu Chi tilted her head slightly, putting on an intelligent look of contemplation, waiting for him to continue.
"You see, it's so hot now, and the game you've brought back won't keep. I mean, how much of it can we eat? If we're not careful, it'll spoil, and that would be such a waste, wouldn't it?"
"So?" Chu Chi didn't quite understand, so Lin Yuanshan spoke more directly.
"So, if it's alright with you, why don't we take them to the county to sell? I mean these two big ones. While it's still early, I could borrow a mule cart from the clan leader and take them to the county.
I used to often deliver game to the Taihe Restaurant, and Manager Wang always gives fair prices. Even though your bear is missing two paws, it should still fetch a good sum. The wild boar is quite large too, so the price should be decent.
What do you think, Sister-in-law?"
I don't think so!
Chu Chi, now understanding, shook her head vigorously.
"I want to eat meat."
Seeing that he hadn't gotten through to her, Lin Yuanshan tried to persuade her even more earnestly.
"I know, I know, but we still have a pile of rabbits and pheasants, don't we? If that's not enough, we can always buy some pork or fish from the market. But why should we eat all this game ourselves? Isn't that wasteful? These are rare delicacies, sure to fetch a good price.
You can't just think about the present, you need to consider the future too. You'an, why don't you try to persuade your mother?
It's not right to just eat such valuable game instead of selling it for money. How will you and your mother and sister manage in the future?"
Lin You'an didn't even look up, continuing to scrub the dirty clothes in his basin.
"It's what my mother brought back herself, so she should decide. If she wants to eat it, I'll cook it for her. If she wants to sell it for silver, that's fine too. It's all up to her."
This display of filial piety made his uncle laugh with anger. He slapped the young rascal on the shoulder, his words tinged with gritted teeth.
"You little brat, you're clever when you should be honest, and now when you should be practical, you're being overly generous?
We didn't get much money back from the Zhou family yesterday, and now you're not even thinking about the future?
Have you considered how young you and your sister are? Don't you think we should find a way to treat your mother's mental illness? There will be many expenses in the days to come.
If you want to be the man of the house, shouldn't you learn to be frugal? Your mother already lacks judgment, and if you listen to her in everything, you'll all end up begging in the streets. You'll starve to death then!"
Lin You'an paused for a moment, then continued washing.
He currently had 50 taels of silver, which would keep the three of them from starving for now. If they were careful with their spending, it would certainly last a few years, and by then he'd be older and able to work more. The situation his uncle described was impossible.
Besides, he had tricked this mother into coming here in the first place, and now she was acting as a shield for him. That alone was an immense kindness. How could he mistreat her further?
Although Lin You'an wasn't a good person, he wasn't a scoundrel either. He couldn't bring himself to do such a heartless thing.
Chu Chi, crouching nearby, had listened for a long time before finally understanding her elder brother's meaning.
She lowered her eyes in thought.
Game equals money, money equals food, food equals all delicious things.
And then there were You'an and Wan'wan. She was their mother; she couldn't let them starve. In her shallow understanding, she knew one thing very clearly: all mothers have the responsibility to nurture their young.
So, having figured it out, Chu Chi stood up and pointed at the bear and wild boar.
"Sell them, exchange for money."
"Ah, that's right!" Lin Yuanshan slapped his thigh and started walking out.
"Sister-in-law, you've finally understood. Alright, you wait here, I'll go borrow the mule cart right away. The sooner we get them to the county, the sooner we can relax. If we leave them at home and they start to smell, I'd be heartbroken!"
After Lady Liu and her daughters had finished cooking breakfast, they all went to water the vegetables in the garden. Zhang Xuanniang was hiding in her room, not daring to come out. Only Chu Chi and her two young ones were left in the courtyard.
Lin You'an stopped his work and looked up at Chu Chi, who was pinching the baby's toes.
"Mother, why do you want to sell the game? Didn't you want to eat meat?"
He was asking a question he already knew the answer to.
Chu Chi replied without turning her head.
"I am a mother, I need to feed my young... no, I need to feed my children."
At this point, she turned her head to look at him proudly.
"I am truly a qualified mother. Aren't I?"
So, having offspring is also my deserved reward!
The smugness in her eyes poured out unrestrained, reddening Lin You'an's eyes. He took a deep breath, trying to force a smile onto his lips, but failed.
A few tears fell unbidden. He quickly lowered his head and wiped them away, then finally managed to form a smile.
"Yes! You are a qualified mother, a very, very good mother. No matter how far I go or how high I climb in the future, I will never forget that you are my mother."
"Mm-hmm, I really am very good."
Chu Chi, who had always been supremely confident in herself, was always certain of the fact that she was very good.
When she was a zombie, she was the best zombie, and now as a mother, she would naturally be the best mother.
One big, one small, with completely different thought processes, yet miraculously resonating on the same frequency, both moved themselves to tears.
When Lin Yuanshan returned driving the mule cart he had shamelessly borrowed, they quickly loaded the game onto it. Then, calling for his eldest son and nephew, the three men set off for the county town, too busy even to eat breakfast.
