Chapter Ten: Zheng Chunmei’s Jealousy Explodes

After a period of busy work, Zhao Zheng wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at his account balance which had just surpassed one thousand wen. "I take back what I said earlier; chopping wood is actually quite lucrative—it's no worse than hunting!"

The total balance stood at 1,160 wen. Feeling a bit extravagant, Zhao Zheng spent five wen on an energy drink and another twenty on a bowl of braised chicken with rice. He didn't care if it was a pre-packaged meal; he devoured it greedily to replenish his body's nutrients.

Once satisfied, he checked the time, packed up his "tools of the trade," and left Jinji Mountain. By the time he returned to the village, dusk had settled again. Before he even reached the door, he could hear the sound of conversation inside, and the hearth was burning brightly. Pushing the door open, he was surprised to find an extra person in the house.

Zheng Chunmei? Why was she here so late?

"Father-in-law is back!" Yang Zhaodi, sitting by the hearth, stood up in a hurry. "Xiao'e, go get Father-in-law some water." Xiao'e responded quickly and went to pour the water.

"Father-in-law, why did you chop so much firewood again?" Yang Zhaodi asked with a touch of concern.

Zhao Zheng sighed. "My leg is injured, so I only managed half the usual amount. Who knows when this leg will heal?" As he spoke, he deliberately cast a glance at Zheng Chunmei. "Oh, Chunmei, why are you here?"

Zheng Chunmei stood up hurriedly, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Uncle Zhao, I... I came to give you a foot massage!"

"It's so late. Did your mother-in-law agree to let you out?"

"Yes, she knows." Zheng Chunmei's face burned. Thinking of what her mother-in-law had said before she left, she felt a wave of resentment.

"Father-in-law, drink your water."

Zhao Zheng took a sip, glancing at the clay pot hanging above the fire, from which the fragrance of millet rice wafted. He couldn't eat a bite more.

"Father-in-law," Yang Zhaodi said, "the millet rice is ready. Please, have some."

"Have you two eaten?"

"Not yet," Yang Zhaodi said, speaking loudly enough for Zheng Chunmei to hear. "One meal a day is enough for us, but you are the head of the household and have to do heavy labor; you must eat twice a day, otherwise your body won't hold up!"

*Millet rice?* Zheng Chunmei thought to herself. *What a waste. Wouldn't boiling porridge with rice bran paste last much longer?* If she knew the two women were eating three meals a day—and white rice at that—she would have been green with envy.

"I'm tired and can't eat. You two go ahead," Zhao Zheng said as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Zheng Chunmei swallowed hard. With an empty stomach, she felt faint from hunger. "Uncle Zhao, it's getting late. Shall I... shall I start the foot massage for you?"

"I haven't washed my feet yet; they're quite smelly."

"I... I'll wash them for you!" Zheng Chunmei braced herself. Looking at Zhao Zheng's blackened feet, she really didn't want to touch them, but she had no choice.

"That's very kind of you," Zhao Zheng said, looking at her with genuine surprise. He had expected her to be reluctant, not so proactive.

"About what happened yesterday, it was my Erdan's fault. I'm sorry for the trouble," Zheng Chunmei said while asking Xiao'e for hot water. Xiao'e didn't say a word; she poured out the pre-heated water and tested the temperature with a ladle.

Zheng Chunmei then stepped forward. "Uncle Zhao, put your feet down."

Zhao Zheng didn't stand on ceremony and offered up his feet, which hadn't been washed in two days. The stench nearly made Zheng Chunmei retch. It was eye-watering. Suppressing her reluctance and grievance, she began to wash his feet.

Surprisingly, Zheng Chunmei was quite thorough. Despite being a widow, she was one of the prettiest in the small mountain village. She had delicate features and an air of gentleness, unlike other women who looked aged by daily toil. It was said her late husband had doted on her and never let her do dirty or heavy work, so she was well-preserved. Even now, having just given birth, she still carried a faint scent of milk, and her figure was quite attractive. However, times were tough for everyone, and she suffered from severe malnutrition, leaving her complexion sallow.

After carefully washing and drying his feet, she began the massage. Zhao Zheng hummed in comfort. "I thought you said you didn't know how to massage?"

"When my father-in-law was alive, he taught my husband bone-setting and massage techniques. I watched a few times and learned a bit," Zheng Chunmei replied. Inside, she was furious; Zhao Zheng's left foot was perfectly fine—he was clearly extorting them. If she weren't afraid of him acting like a rogue, she would have walked out long ago.

"You're doing well. Keep it up," Zhao Zheng said with a smile, turning to his daughters-in-law. "Zhaodi, Xiao'e, you two eat. I'm really not hungry."

"Yes, Father-in-law." Yang Zhaodi nodded and served a bowl for Xiao'e. The two women ate their millet rice with pickled vegetables, appearing to enjoy it immensely. Zheng Chunmei could practically feel herself drooling.

*They say Old Zhao is cruel to his daughters-in-law?* she wondered. *That doesn't seem right.* She thought of her own mother-in-law, who kept all the good food for herself. After giving birth, she had been so hungry she felt dizzy, yet she wasn't even allowed extra millet soup to help with her milk. Seeing how well Yang Zhaodi and Zhang Xiao'e were eating, she felt a profound sense of injustice. *These two new brides don't understand social graces at all. They didn't even ask if I wanted any. How terrible!*

"Uncle Zhao, you are so good to your daughters-in-law," she remarked.

"Of course. They are my daughters-in-law, which means they are my own daughters. Anything good to eat or drink, I naturally save for them."

"I haven't had millet rice in a long time. It's rice bran paste every day. I have no strength, and since I have no rations, the baby cries from hunger all the time!"

Zhao Zheng understood her implication. He sighed, "You should talk to your mother-in-law. You just gave birth; you need nutrition, and the baby needs to be fed. You can suffer yourself, but you shouldn't let the baby suffer."

"You're right," Zheng Chunmei said, brightening. "But my mother-in-law is in poor health, and Erdan is at that age where he's growing fast—they say a growing boy can eat his father out of house and home—and I still have to nurse... it's just so tight."

"Your mother-in-law doesn't do much work anyway. Going hungry for two days won't hurt her. Just have her share given to you."

Zheng Chunmei froze. *That wretched Old Zhao!* Even though she had been so clear, he was still playing dumb. If she actually dared to steal her mother-in-law's rations, the old woman would be shouting through the village by the next day about how unfilial she was. She couldn't afford that reputation.

Just as she was considering whether to lose all sense of shame and ask for a bowl of rice, Zhao Zheng reached into his tunic and pulled out two eggs he had just bought from the store. "Xiao'e, these are eggs I traded with someone from another village for some firewood today. You two boil them and eat them. Living on just pickled vegetables isn't nutritious."

Zhang Xiao'e paused, then said with a bitter face, "Father-in-law, maybe not. My sister-in-law and I both had diarrhea today..."

Zhao Zheng was taken aback. "How did you get sick?"

Yang Zhaodi quickly covered Zhang Xiao'e's mouth. "It's nothing. We probably just caught a chill. Let's save them for tomorrow."

Zhao Zheng suddenly realized; he had also had some diarrhea today. It was likely because they had been hungry for too long and their stomachs weren't used to the sudden intake of meat.

Zheng Chunmei stared at the eggs in Zhao Zheng's hand, her mouth watering uncontrollably. *Is this old man a little too good to his daughters-in-law?*