The second couple returned to their room. He checked outside the door to make sure no one was there and then closed it. Seeing their two sons still sleeping soundly on the bed, she kissed them twice and then noticed Gu Chengyi lying fully clothed at the edge of the bed.
Recalling what happened in the main room just now, He still felt uneasy. She glanced cautiously at Gu Chengyi, afraid he might still blame her for what happened earlier.
"Husband, you know Father always plays favorites, usually favoring the younger ones, and now that there's another one, I bet this one will become a darling too. Mother-in-law fell herself and blamed it on me. It's not like our family is as poor as some in the village that can't even put food on the table. Why do we have to be so stingy? Can't even have a decent meal. Always so busy, only to drink that wild vegetable lump soup every meal. People are starving here. I'd say, they're reluctant to let us eat, while they cook separately for the little ones all the time. Clearly, they want you and your brother to work yourselves to the bone for them!"
He waited for a while, and when Gu Chengyi still remained silent, she started to complain, feeling unconvinced by the punishment from earlier.
"Enough, you did make some mistakes too. If you hadn't been greedy, none of this would have happened. Besides, it would be fine if it was only you eating, but you gave some to Da Ya as well. There's one less egg for every piece eaten. Even if no one saw you at the moment, wouldn't they notice the eggs are missing afterwards? Father was truly furious this time. I pleaded for you. Don't create any trouble in the coming days. Otherwise, I won't intervene next time." Gu's second son replied impatiently, already exhausted from the day's work and now having to deal with these trivialities.
"I was just thinking that if Da Ya saw me eating secretly and reported it, I'd be in trouble. So, I let her have a taste, thinking that if some went missing, we could claim Da Ya ate it. Who knew Mother-in-law would come in at that time?" He felt wronged, thinking about how the third and fourth sons, even the wretched Gu Wan, all got to eat eggs, but she wasn't allowed.
Only during holidays do they get a taste of meat, almost forgetting what eggs taste like. But then she realized something.
"How about this? Haven't I borne you two big, plump sons? Even if I don't deserve credit, don't I deserve some hardship? You really think you can get rid of me? No way. Let me tell you, Gu Chengyi, don't get any foolish ideas. Even if you divorce me, can you find someone young and pretty? I bet your good father won't even find you another wife."
He, feeling both angry and sad at the thought that Gu Chengyi might actually abandon her, spoke bitterly.
"I'm just talking. Of course, I won't leave you. Mother is probably waiting to get back at me for this time's setback. You go ahead with your antics. But when the time comes, I won't be able to help you." Chengyi was also annoyed. These past few days, working in the fields had been tough. He felt listless, had little to eat, little to drink, and now he had no patience left for He.
He noticed Chengyi genuinely was losing his patience, so she didn't dare to say much more. However, there was still something weighing on her mind that she had to clarify.
"Husband, did you happen to see the Jade Pendant that monk gave Father yesterday? Is it valuable? We've worked so hard all year and haven't seen much money. If we could exchange it for some silver, that would be great."
"I can't tell if it's good or bad, but it didn't look like something cheap. It looked even better than the one Mr. Zhao from the village wears."
"What? How did such a fine thing end up with Father? This could be our fortune. Maybe that jade could be exchanged for some Copper Coins!" In He's mind, all she could see were Copper Coins. This was going to be their big break. As for why it was Copper Coin instead of silver, well, she didn't dare to dream so big. She'd lived so many years without ever having seen silver. The most she ever saw was copper coins.
Gu Chengyi glanced at the dreaming He.
"Stop dreaming. That was indeed good jade, but it was cracked, with several lines across it, and it was only half a piece. Could it be worth much?" Gu Chengyi spoke with regret. "Huh? I figured, if it were really worth that much, would that monk have given it to Father? Ah! I didn't see the jade myself. Does it still have any value even though it's damaged?" He pounded her chest, eager to sell the jade immediately.
"Don't even think about that jade. It's Fifth's. That master seemed to be a high monk. When you were at the stove working, he knew Mother was giving birth to a son, even before she went into labor, and he mentioned Fifth would bring honor to the family. Though I didn't catch everything, it was something along those lines. The master said the jade is Fifth's, to begin with, as a return to its rightful owner. Father absolutely won't allow you to sell the jade. Don't you go causing trouble?" Gu Chengyi gave He a warning look. That jade, being cracked, probably wasn't worth much. Suggesting selling it wouldn't bring in money and would only anger Father and Mother.
"Really? Is that true or just a trick from Mother? And bringing honor to the family?" He looked incredulous.
"What nonsense are you talking? How would Mother have known she was giving birth today? If Fifth really becomes successful, we could benefit too, right?"
Gu Chengyi was half skeptical. As a farmer's son, how successful could Fifth be? Still, if Fifth really did make it big, he probably wouldn't forget his own brothers.
"Come on! He's just a little baby now, and you're already counting on him? Why not think about how to earn more Copper Coins yourself? When you went to the town for work last time, you handed all the money to Father and Mother. How did you end up keeping only five?"
He, seeing the Jade Pendant couldn't be turned into cash, remembered a few days ago when Gu Chengyi went to town for some day labor. He worked at the riverbank dock for half a month but handed everything over when he returned. The past few days, with the fields busy, he had eaten and then slept immediately, not having the chance to question him about the details.
"That carrying job paid fifteen Wen a day. I worked exactly half a month. That's a fixed amount, and those five Copper Coins were extra, given by Manager Zhou as bonus money because he saw Big Brother and me working hard. Otherwise, these five Wen wouldn't have been left. Five Wen isn't too little. What? You think it's too little, want me to hand it to Father?" Chengyi, irritated, motioned to get up.
Actually, this extra was because Big Brother worked earnestly, and Manager Zhou, satisfied, also rewarded him. While Chengyi wasn't lazy, he didn't exert as much effort either. But Gu Chengyi didn't plan to admit that. Besides, men tended to care about their pride and didn't want their wives to know that their bonus came thanks to Big Brother. Seeing her dissatisfaction with the, originally, non-existent five coins, he was further provoked.
"I'm just saying, why would I think it too little? I know you work hard. Yesterday, I took two steamed buns from the kitchen, almost got caught by Sister-in-law. Doing all this hard work and not having enough to eat, wouldn't you collapse? You eat one, and give one to the two kids." He was just curious. She knew the work at the dock under Manager Zhou was something even Father was aware of, so trying to stash any money secretly wasn't an option. She had thought those five Copper Coins were possibly from some private work the kids' father did.
Gu Chengyi, who had been quite annoyed, saw the buns in He's hand, and his anger dissipated, realizing she was really thinking about him.
She really cared for her man, as living in these times meant a woman had to rely on her husband. Especially since there were two kids at home, and raising them wasn't easy.
"Take a rest. There's still fieldwork that needs to be finished; it won't be long before you have to go down to the fields again." He handed one of the buns to Chengyi, turned, and placed the other on the table beside the bed, covered it with a bowl, and planned to split it among the kids when they woke up.
Seeing Chengyi lying down, He thought for a moment, then moved to the corner of the room. She faced the whole wall filled with nooks and crannies, counting from the left to the eighth spot, and removed a loose earthen brick, taking out the contents inside. It turned out to be a bundle of Copper Coins, about a hundred in number. She counted each Copper Coin, unable to suppress her upward-curving mouth, and after finishing counting, she caressed the coins, reluctantly placing them back in the wall's cavity, covering it with the earthen brick, ensuring it looked no different from the surrounding wall before leaving the room at ease.