Chapter 4: Steamed Egg Custard

“Dad, what’s really going on with you?” Seeing that his father remained silent, Zhao Chun immediately grew anxious.

Seeing the child was frightened, Zhao Mengcheng quickly comforted him. “Dad is fine, just a little tired.”

“Then you should rest quickly. I’ll cook as soon as I finish brewing the medicine. I’ll call you to eat once the food is ready,” Zhao Chun said immediately.

Other people’s children seemed more and more filial the more he looked at them. Especially with that little face, he was quite adorable.

Zhao Mengcheng’s eyes were full of warmth. “Then I’ll leave things to you. With Zhao Chun here, I can rest easy.”

Hearing his father’s praise, Zhao Chun immediately puffed out his small chest and patted it, promising, “Leave it all to me. You just need to rest well and get better soon.”

Who knew that just as Zhao Mengcheng lay down, someone arrived outside.

“Zhao Mengcheng, are you home?”

“It’s the Village Chief,” Zhao Chun said in surprise.

Zhao Mengcheng had to support his body as he walked out. Sure enough, he saw an old man around fifty years old standing at the door. It was the Village Chief of Qingshan Village.

The old Village Chief was holding a basket. “Don’t come out if you’re not feeling well. Sit down, sit down.”

Zhao Mengcheng felt suspicious. The Zhao family were outsiders¹. Although they had married local wives and entered the household registry², they weren’t close to the people of Qingshan Village, except for their immediate neighbors.

For the Village Chief to suddenly visit, there must be a reason.

Zhao Mengcheng glanced at the basket and had an idea. “Uncle, is there something you need from me?”

“I should have come to see you sooner, but I just haven’t had the time. Take these eggs. You can stew them for the children later, and it’ll help you recover faster too.”

The Village Chief pushed the basket forward first.

“How can I take your things?” Zhao Mengcheng tried to decline.

The Village Chief was persistent. “It’s just a few eggs for the children. Just take them.”

Once Zhao Mengcheng finally accepted them, the Village Chief smiled. “That’s more like it. We’re all fellow villagers and should look out for one another. Everyone has times when they need help. It’s common to lend a hand.”

His eyes swept over Zhao Mengcheng. Seeing that while his complexion was still poor, his spirit seemed alright, he nodded inwardly.

He had originally feared that Zhao Mengcheng would fall into a slump after Yunniang died, but now he saw the man was pulling himself together.

Taking a puff from his pipe, the Village Chief finally revealed his purpose. “Your older brother came to see me just now. He said the two of you want to sever your kinship. I came to ask if this is true.”

Zhao Mengcheng nodded. “It’s true.”

The Village Chief fell silent, took another puff of dry tobacco, and then said, “You are brothers of the same blood. How could things reach this point? Severing kinship is no joke. If you really do it, that brotherly bond will be gone.”

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t feel they had any brotherly bond left. “Uncle, you know the situation with my family. He doesn’t care about me as a brother, so why should I force it? If we sever ties, everyone will have peace.”

Thinking of the terrible things Zhao Wencheng had done, the Village Chief couldn’t find any words of persuasion.

To him, the eldest brother should act like a father³, but Zhao Wencheng hadn’t acted like a brother at all. Back then, he had kicked his unmarried younger brother out of the house, refusing to give him any property or money. And now…

But severing kinship was never a good thing. If word got out, it wouldn’t be good for the village’s reputation.

The Village Chief said tactfully, “Your household stands alone⁴. If you sever ties, there will be no one to lend a hand if something happens in the future.”

Zhao Mengcheng wished the two families would never interact again. “Uncle, I’ll speak from the heart. This time, while I was still alive, he could already trick Zhao Chun into selling land. In the future, if something happens to me, wouldn’t he just sell off my three children as well?”

“If something really happens, I’d rather ask Uncle Wang and Auntie Wang next door, or shamelessly ask you. We’re all from the same village, and people won’t just stand by. He’s the only one who would kick me while I’m down. If all else fails, there are still Yunniang’s relatives.”

“Uncle, I know you mean well, but I can’t afford such an older brother. I’ll only feel at ease if we sever ties early. Right now, I only want to raise my three children well. I don’t want to deal with anyone else.”

Seeing his determination, the Village Chief realized he couldn’t be persuaded. He could only nod. “Fine. Since both you brothers want to sever ties, I can’t force a cow to drink water by pushing its head down.”

“Rest well. If you need anything, let your eldest boy come find me. You call me uncle, so I’ll have to look after you a bit in the future.”

With the Village Chief’s approval, the ties were completely severed.

Zhao Mengcheng felt only a sense of relief. He stood up and said, “Uncle, let me see you out.”

“No need, no need. Go back and lie down. There’s no need for empty formalities between us.” The Village Chief waved his hand and left.

As soon as he was gone, Zhao Chun pulled at his sleeve and asked, “Dad, have we really severed ties with Uncle?”

“That’s right. From now on, he isn’t your uncle. He’s just a stranger,” Zhao Mengcheng said.

Zhao Chun immediately cheered up, laughing and cheering, “That’s great! I really hate Uncle. The way he looks at people is so scary.”

The boy was honest but not stupid. In the past, the two families had maintained a facade of politeness, but he could tell that his uncle and aunt didn’t like him. His cousins had always mocked and bullied them as well.

Zhao Mengcheng sighed. The original owner’s greatest mistake had been forgiving his elder brother so easily, giving the man a second chance to hurt him.

Grrrrrumble.

A loud sound rang out, and Zhao Xin clutched her stomach. “My tummy accidentally made a noise.”

“Didn’t you eat this morning?” Zhao Mengcheng asked with a frown.

“I did, but I didn’t dare eat too much at Auntie Wang’s house,” Zhao Xin said timidly.

“Daddy, I’m not hungry. I can hold out a bit longer.”

She was young, but she already knew that one couldn’t eat their fill when visiting someone else’s home. Even though Auntie Wang had kept telling her to eat more, she had held back.

Seeing how precocious and sensible the little girl was made Zhao Mengcheng’s heart ache with pity. He decided then and there, “The Village Chief sent some eggs over. I’ll go steam them now. We’ll have egg custard for lunch.”

Zhao Xin jumped for joy. “Really? I love eggs!”

“Dad, let me do it,” Zhao Chun called out.

“You watch the medicine. I’ll handle this.” Zhao Mengcheng carried the basket of eggs into the kitchen.

Zhao Chun hesitated, his eyes full of worry.

“Big Brother, does Dad know how to cook?” Zhao Xin asked, biting her finger.

“Probably,” Zhao Chun said uncertainly. After all, when their mother was alive, their father was only responsible for earning money away from home. Their mother had handled all the household chores. He had never seen his father cook before.

Zhao Mengcheng was unaware of his children’s concerns. He set down the basket and looked around; the house was pitifully bare.

The rice bin was nearly empty. There was a full set of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, but not much of any of them. It was clear these had been prepared by the original owner’s wife before she passed away.

If he hadn’t transmigrated, the original owner would be dead and the family would be penniless. It was easy to imagine the three siblings living a life of cold and hunger.

Zhao Mengcheng did some mental math. Zhao Mao’s medical treatment had cost one and a half taels of silver. Half of what Zhao Wencheng had given him remained, which, combined with the half-tael he already had, totaled only two taels.

These two taels were the Zhao family’s entire savings. Now that the family had no good land to farm, they had to buy food. While it might seem like a lot at first glance, it wouldn’t actually last very long.

Fortunately, he had a special advantage.

Zhao Mengcheng set the matter aside for now. Thinking of his three emaciated children, he simply tipped the rice bin over and poured out everything that was left. It looked like enough for at least one full meal.

He opened the basket and saw that the Village Chief had been very generous, providing ten eggs.

Zhao Mengcheng cracked four eggs, quickly whisking them with chopsticks before adding water and salt. Soon, the large bowl was filled to the brim.

After putting it on the stove, Zhao Mengcheng found himself facing a challenge with the earthen hearth.

It was only by searching through the original owner’s memories that he found the fire starter⁵. It took a great deal of effort, but he finally got the fire going.

Before long, the aroma of steamed egg custard began to waft through the air.

Zhao Xin, who had been helping in the yard, couldn’t stay away. She came running over and stood there biting her finger, neither speaking nor rushing him.

The little girl was truly adorable. Zhao Mengcheng beckoned for her to come closer.

Zhao Xin had always stayed close to her mother and wasn’t as close to her father as her two older brothers were. She felt a bit timid now, yet also a sense of longing. She stopped a pace away from him.

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t force her. He said with a smile, “It’ll be ready to eat soon. Just wait a little longer, okay?”

“I’m not hungry yet,” Zhao Xin said, though her constantly rumbling stomach betrayed her.

The little girl clutched her disobedient stomach, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t make the children wait long. While waiting for the food to cook, he made a trip to the vegetable garden. This garden had also been planted by the original owner’s wife. Even though no one had tended to it lately, the plants were still growing well.

Soon, the sound of stir-frying echoed from the kitchen.

Zhao Chun’s eyes widened in surprise. He kept turning his head to look, unable to believe that his father not only knew how to cook, but could even stir-fry.

“Dad, you’re amazing! You can read and you can even cook!” Zhao Chun cried out in amazement when he saw the table full of food.

Zhao Mengcheng patted his son’s head. “Go get the bowls and chopsticks.”

Before Zhao Chun could go in, Zhao Xin had already come out, balancing the bowls and chopsticks on her head.

The little girl wasn’t even as tall as a stool, yet she balanced the items steadily. Zhao Chun hurried to help his sister set them on the table.

The more Zhao Mengcheng looked at these two children, the more he liked them. He said with a smile, “Eat up. Eat until you’re full.”

The two children couldn’t wait to sit at the table. Seeing the bowls heaped with white rice, the steamed egg custard, and even three stir-fried vegetable dishes, they couldn’t help but start salivating.

“It smells so good!” Zhao Xin instinctively reached for her chopsticks.

Zhao Chun asked, “What about our younger brother if we eat it all?”

“Don’t worry, I set aside a bowl and kept it warm in the kitchen. He can eat as soon as he wakes up.”

Zhao Mengcheng picked up his chopsticks first, and only then did the two children start eating. However, they both stuck to the vegetables and rarely scooped any of the egg custard.

“Why aren’t you eating the eggs?”

Without looking up, Zhao Chun said, “Dad is sick. You need to eat more eggs to get better faster.”

“You eat them, Daddy. I don’t like eggs,” Zhao Xin insisted, even though she was clearly salivating from hunger.

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He simply stood up and divided the food, scooping the egg custard into the children’s bowls. “We’ll all eat. From now on, our family will have eggs every day.”

Zhao Chun knit his brows in worry. Between the white rice and the eggs, even back when his father worked in the city, their family hadn’t dared to eat like this every day.

He took a bite of the egg custard. The smooth, tender texture made him squint his eyes in enjoyment, but a moment later, his worry deepened.

His father hadn’t gone and cooked all the family’s remaining food, had he?

Translator’s Notes