Chapter Twelve: Returning to Her Parental Home

The mantis stalks the cicada, all the while wishing to be the oriole—Gu Xiaoyao, who harbored such ambition, turned away without so much as a backward glance. She knew full well her actions were less than honorable, but the gnawing pain of hunger had sunk deep into her bones. At that moment, she believed both parties she encountered were desperadoes.

Taking from those already living on the edge, Gu Xiaoyao felt little guilt. She walked from morning until afternoon before finally emerging from the dense, wooded mountains. Descending was not as arduous as she had feared, and as her path leveled, the landscape opened up before her—fields stretched out in neat rows, dotted with people hard at work.

Unlike the villagers of Lotus Village, the folk here all swung their hoes, turning the earth. Now that the ground had thawed, it was time for labor to begin anew. After leaving the mountain and following the main road, it was another thirty li to her destination—Shuitang Village.

She sat on a cold stone, wiping the sweat from her brow, and set down her bamboo basket.

"Isn’t this Xiaoyao? You’ve come down from the mountains. How come I don’t see your husband with you?"

A middle-aged man driving an ox cart pulled to a stop. He looked at Gu Xiaoyao, perched atop the large stone, and called out to her.

Just having taken a sip of water, Gu Xiaoyao looked up at him and immediately recognized who he was.

"Uncle Bighead, are you gathering firewood in the mountains?"

About ten li from Shuitang Village stood a scattered marketplace. People often needed firewood, so many from Shuitang Village would venture into the mountains to collect and sell it. While it didn’t fetch much, every little bit helped—small gains would add up over time.

"That’s right. Heading home, are you? Hop on, I’m heading back too," Uncle Bighead said with a wide grin, urging her onto the ox cart. "At this pace, when will you ever get there?"

Gu Xiaoyao didn’t stand on ceremony. She picked up her basket and leapt onto the cart, settling herself atop the tightly bundled firewood.

"Uncle Bighead, this is for you," she said.

She had no money for fare—she didn’t have a single coin to her name. Given the circumstances, she figured food would be even more welcome. Sure enough, Uncle Bighead’s eyes lit up at the sweet potato she handed him. He took it with delight, managing to eat while steering the cart.

"Uncle, how are my mother and the family doing?" Gu Xiaoyao asked, probing for news with a calm air.

Since her marriage, only her mother, Mrs. Li, and perhaps her younger brother would be left to handle the household chores.

Uncle Bighead finished the sweet potato in three quick bites. At her question, he sighed, uncertain whether he should speak. But on second thought, this child knew her family’s situation well enough.

"Your father’s gone gambling again. The silver you brought to your marriage—he’s gambled every last coin..."

Her father, Gu Dacai, had seized the two taels of silver from her marriage the moment he saw them, rushing out to wager them away. Luck was never on his side; he lost every time he played, and every penny the family possessed had found its way to the gambling den.

"He hit my mother, didn’t he?" The storm in Gu Xiaoyao’s dark eyes was unmistakable.

These were the remnants of the original soul’s emotions, and she let them surge quietly in her heart.

"That’s right. Gave her a real beating. Your mother’s still lying in bed, can’t get up. No one in the family can rein your father in."

Uncle Bighead was a sensible man—he knew a gambler could squander everything the family owned. With just one person in the family falling prey to gambling, chaos and misery were sure to follow.

"I understand," Gu Xiaoyao murmured, falling silent, and Uncle Bighead let the matter drop.

The ox cart rumbled into Shuitang Village. Uncle Bighead jumped down, while Gu Xiaoyao slung her basket onto her back and leapt nimbly from the pile of firewood.

"Thank you, Uncle Bighead," she said.

He watched her retreating figure and heaved another sigh. Poor child—she had thought selling herself would bring her mother and brother some respite, but the silver hadn’t even had time to warm their hands before Gu Dacai lost it all.

Gu Xiaoyao was still some distance from her own courtyard when she heard a woman’s voice raised in scolding. It belonged to her grandmother, Madam Yang.

"You heartless wretch! That was the silver from Xiaoyao’s marriage, and you gambled it away too!"

"Do you even deserve to be called a father? These days, people drown by accident all the time—why is it you’re still living so well?"

Madam Yang was a strong-willed and sharp-tongued woman. Watching her youngest son slide into ruin broke her heart. Worse yet, his addiction to gambling had only grown, and now he dreamed of striking it rich every day.

"Mother, it was just two taels of silver. When your son makes his fortune, I’ll be sure to honor you properly," Gu Dacai said, chewing on a wild grass stem and flashing a roguish grin, utterly unrepentant.

"Bah! You think you’ll make a fortune? Take a look at yourself—do you really think just because I named you ‘Dacai’ that you were born with luck in your bones?"

Enraged by his words, Madam Yang snatched up a broom and charged at him, ready to teach him a lesson.