Chapter 25: Thinking of the Eldest Sister

Chunnuan had cooked a pot of fish. She filled a bowl—the one Luo Xiaogang usually used for pickles—with the fish and told him to take it home for his family before returning to eat with the Xiao household.

"Got it! Wait for me, I'll be right back!"

Luo Xiaogang ran off at top speed. He loved spending time at the Xiao house. With Brother Chunning leading him to earn money—he had secretly calculated that he had already made forty-two wen—and the delicious food made by Sister Chunnuan, such as her fried flower cakes, he knew it was no exaggeration to say that even when using the same wild vegetables, Sister Chunnuan’s cooking was far better than his mother’s.

When Luo Xiaogang brought the fish home, his mother scolded him. "They went through all the trouble to cook this; how could you be shameless enough to take it?"

"Mother, I’m the one who caught the fish! Besides, the pickles were from our house, so this is just a fair trade." Luo Xiaogang set the bowl on the table and turned to leave. "No time to talk, I have to go to Brother Chunning’s house for dinner; they’re waiting for me to start."

"You’re just like a radish in loose soil—the moment someone pulls, you’re off. You really have no shame." Mother Luo felt embarrassed as her son disappeared in a flash.

"Mother, can we eat this fish? It smells so good." Sanya swallowed hard. "Chunyan and Chunshu were right; Sister Chunnuan really can cook. Just looking at it, I can tell it’s delicious."

"What, you think your mother’s cooking isn't good?" Mother Luo laughed in frustration. "If you think my cooking is so bad, then you do the cooking! Sanya, it’s not that I want to nag, but you’re already thirteen. Your cooking skills are nothing to brag about. In a couple of years, you’ll be talking marriage; you need to practice more, or else when you go to someone else’s house, they’ll blame me for not teaching you well and look down on you."

"Mother, will I just be cooking and washing clothes when I go to someone else’s house?" Sanya asked, perplexed. "If that’s all there is to it, what’s the point? I might as well stay here and cook and wash for you; it would be easier for you, too."

"Nonsense! A girl has to marry when she reaches the right age. If you don't marry, who will provide for you later?"

"I will," six-year-old Luo Xiaocheng chimed in immediately. "Third Sister, if you play with me and help me with my chores, I’ll provide for you when I grow up."

"Oh, you little rascal, you’re such a smooth talker." Mother Luo chuckled. "They say a man forgets his mother once he takes a wife. You’re only saying you’ll provide for your third sister now because you want her to play with you. If she really doesn't marry and stays home an old maid, you won't even be able to find a wife yourself."

"Why not?"

"Because nobody wants to take on an extra burden," Mother Luo explained. "Which family wants a daughter-in-law who still has to provide for her husband's sister? Sanya, you need to wake up. None of these brothers of yours are reliable. For a girl, the only way out is to marry into a good family and raise your own children."

"Mother, what is a 'good family'?" Sanya looked at her mother. "Did you marry into a good family?"

The question left Mother Luo silent.

Was it good? She honestly didn’t know what was good about it. Was it bad? It didn’t seem terrible either. After all, she had children—a whole crowd of them. Her eldest daughter was already married and had made her a grandmother; her second son was engaged, and the bride would be brought home in the twelfth month... Perhaps that was just how life was lived.

"You child, wait a couple of years and I’ll have your aunt help you find someone decent."

"Why do I have to marry just because I’m grown up? Sister Chunnuan is so grown up, why hasn't she married yet?"

"You don't understand. Since Dr. Xiao passed away, the Xiao family is still in mourning. They can't discuss marriage until the three-year mourning period is over." Mother Luo felt worried for Chunnuan. "That girl is beautiful and capable, and she used to be from the capital. I fear her marriage prospects will be difficult."

People say one should look up to marry a daughter off and look down to take a wife. Chunnuan’s background and the current state of the Xiao family were truly awkward. The wealthy and official families likely feared being associated with them—one only had to look at the attitude of the greater Xiao clan to see they were afraid of being implicated. If she married into a farming family, well, it would be like a fresh flower stuck in cow dung; it was unthinkable. In Mother Luo’s eyes, whoever Chunnuan married, it would be a step down. It was truly tragic.

She thought again about Chunnuan mentioning that she was sick, feeling conflicted about whether to ask her for a prescription. She tallied the family savings: with a wedding to pay for in the twelfth month, they really couldn't afford medicine.

"Mother, let’s eat. I’m so hungry." Sanya watched her mother shaking her head and sighing, having no idea what she was fretting about.

"Eat, let’s eat." Mother Luo felt she was truly ill herself, worrying about the Xiao family’s affairs while eating her own food.

Back at the Xiao house, Luo Xiaogang was eating with great gusto, smacking his lips and sighing with pleasure. Suddenly, he realized that among so many people eating, he seemed to be the only one making any noise.

"Brother Chunning, why is your family so quiet when you eat? Are you not allowed to talk?"

"One does not speak while eating or sleeping," Chunning said with a gentle smile, placing a piece of fish into his bowl. "Besides, when eating fish, one must keep their mouth closed, or a fish bone might get stuck in your throat."

"Ah, right, okay." Luo Xiaogang looked over at the table where the elders sat, secretly clicking his tongue in admiration. The Xiao children all sat perfectly straight, quiet and well-behaved, so full of etiquette. It was nothing like his own home, where his younger siblings were constantly demanding this or that, or bickering and making a headache-inducing racket.

After the meal, the grandmother watched her granddaughter, who was already busy slicing herbs, with deep emotion. "Nuannuan, your grandmother’s eyes were dim before."

This granddaughter was truly excellent in every way. Even her cooking had improved significantly. Only after the family’s decline did she realize that this usually unremarkable girl was a real talent. It was natural that Nuannuan had learned some pharmacology from her grandfather—she had never cared much for zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting. They knew she could diagnose, but they hadn't known she could survive. Now, with her in the house, it was as if they had a backbone. She realized how right her husband had been to favor her.

"Grandmother, your health isn't great, please rest." Seeing her grandmother come to help with the drying, Chunnuan smiled. "As long as you don't mind that your granddaughter is clumsy."

"Grandmother minds that she lived for decades without seeing things clearly." She felt she had failed her granddaughter. "Our children are all good." She looked off into the distance. "I wonder how Chunyu is doing?"

"Calculating the time, our eldest sister should be giving birth around the Dragon Boat Festival."

Chunnuan was also worried about her eldest cousin. As the eldest granddaughter of the Xiao family, she had truly been the apple of their eye—gentle, virtuous, respectful to elders, and loving to her younger siblings. Every festival, all the younger ones in the house would receive carefully prepared gifts from her, all things they loved. She had married the second son of the Wu family, which was considered a match of equal status.

However, the Wu family was not like the Xiao family. Master Wu had one wife and three concubines. Her eldest cousin hadn't intended to marry so soon, but Lady Wu had fallen gravely ill, and fearing that the mourning period would delay the auspicious date, they had rushed the wedding. Sure enough, Lady Wu passed away less than three months after the wedding, and within a year of her passing, Master Wu had already remarried. In short, the inner court of the Wu family was a chaotic mess, and Chunnuan feared her cousin wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Yes, according to custom, we should send a gift for the birth," Lady Xu, the eldest aunt, said with tears in her eyes. "Back then, I had prepared the same things for Lingling and Yu'er, but unfortunately..."