As I reached the Ye family’s courtyard, I went straight to the cow shed and hid my purchased item in the pile of hay. Right after I hid the things, I saw the eldest brother coming to unload the bags and many others followed. I too helped get the thing off the carriage. The eldest sister-in-law came and was busy inspecting things. “I do think the amount is less. Did you steal some goods on the way?” Madam Ye on the side who heard this approached the goods as fast as a leopard hunting its prey. She hurriedly ordered her eldest son to measure the rice.

. “If the eldest sister-in-law does doubt that I stole, then you can check my body”, seeing I easily agreed, the eldest sister-in-law Lian was further excited and wanted to humiliate me more, she started moving toward my direction. Seeing her happy face I added, “But if you didn’t find anything, then I would also check your courtyard to see if you are keeping any private money”. Hearing this she was stunned. Sister Lian could feel the sharp eyes of her money hungry mother-in-law. She hurriedly turned back to the kitchen saying, “I think it is about time rice cooked” and left smoothly. But madam Ye still weighed the rice and found that there was no problem, entered the house.

After the dinner as I was lying on the bed with the little girl, I felt truly exhausted. This is the first time so hard for a month. And during the harvesting my workload was increased. And finally the busy 2 weeks were over. If I continue to work as a cow sooner or later I would either go mad or die of exhaustion. The only way to be freed from here is separation. But how am I going to do that? If I were to raise that idea myself, all the people in the village are going to hang me for being unfilial and Ye family is going to drive me off. Well by the time that letter reaches him and another letter comes back it would take half a year, I don’t think I could hold it for so long. I should find a chance to go to town and write a letter for the Ye family as it was written by Ye Qui from the battlefield. But the reason why I still didn’t write the letter when I went to town was because it is about time for Ye Qui’s salary to arrive. Along with the salary he would also sometimes send a letter, if the contents in his letter mismatch with mine it would be a problem. That night I returned all the stuff I stole in Ye Zhao’s yard.

Next morning as usual I was feeding the pig, I forgot to mention the pig had given birth to 8 piglets. A very tall lady with a similar look as madam Ye walked into the yard and into the main courtyard, with tears all over the face. First I thought Madam Ye had dyed her hair black, but soon from memories I figured out what was happening. That was the Ye family’s first child, Ye Zhen married to the Nou family. Years back, when flood hit the village and all the crops failed, the current clan head’s father married the family’s eldest daughter to the sick child in Nou’s family. Nou family was a small family with 1 son and 6 acres of field. Believing that giving the boy a marriage to ward off the evil, the Nou family looked for brides from good families and with good character for 6 silver. But most of the members from good families would not marry their daughter to a sick child who only has a few years to live. But for Ye family it was either marry a girl or sell the land (since for large farmers tax rate is higher than the small farmers). So they married the girl to the Nou family. But still 3 years after the marriage the son of the Nou family passed away and father and mother Ye always sorry for the daughter.

But this woman Ye Zhen was not such a weak girl. She makes her in-laws do all the work in the 4 acre field (2 acres sold for treatment of the son) and bosses them around. They do all the work fearing that if they angered her, she might leave the family with their grandsons to maternal home and they would not have anyone even to worship their graves.

Every year during harvest or for any happy days she comes home crying saying that her life is so hard and takes sacks of rice from Ye family. All the daughter-in-laws in the family hate her the most. But I don’t think she is wrong, at most she takes only 100 pounds of grains home in a year. Just because you married your daughter does not mean you are freed from all the responsibilities. And with Madam Ye’s stingy character, there is not much she could gain. But I do feel sorry for her in-laws. Hm, who am I to feel sorry for them when my life is in a bigger mess.

As I was continuing with my job, I could hear the argument of Ye Zhen with my youngest sister-in-law, sister Hua. I cornered my ears into it . Ye Zhen is wailing “Mother, you know how poor my family is, if we could raise a piglet, then we could sell it to the village during the new year, and increase the food for my boys. Mother I heard from children in the family that there are 8 piglets, I am only asking for one, mother please.”

As soon as Ye Zhen’s plea ended then came sister Hua’s. “Mother you can’t do this, Ye Zian is already thinking of how to sell the piglets in the town. Mother 1 piglet cost 500 copper, so if we sold all the 8 we could gain 3 to 5 silvers . And Ye Zian is trying to sell these to traders for a higher price.” This shameless woman would come here to shout about poverty always, she had been seeing her character from the day she had been married. I don’t know which devil in the home told her about the piglets. Most probably those monkey children of the eldest brother.

Ye Zhen started crying again, “Mother please don’t leave me, you know that I am a widow, I don’t have anyone else other than you, eh,eh..” . Madam Ye’s heart truly softened after hearing this. She softly sighed and said “Well then you take one.” Ye Zhen was happy, she knew the old lady’s spot to melt her heart.

Kong Hua was dissatisfied, her husband told her that he met a trader who would pay them more if they sold to him at least 6 piglets of 2 months old (for the first 2 months piglet drinks the milk of its mother). Even though there are 8 piglets now, the new born ones are hard to survive the first month. If Ye Zhen took one and the other 2 died, then how could they do that deal to earn extra money. She was about to object, but suddenly a sound from behind beat her into it. “Mother, I think it is better to give the older boar to the elder sister. If you think it is too much, we could sell it to her for 2 silvers. After she fatten it, she could sell it for more.” said by me. You know if one of the big pigs is gone, it would decrease my workload to great length.

Hearing this, Kong Hua wanted to kill me. A big pig cost nearly 4 silver. Even though this family’s pig is all skin and bones, it is still a pig. Kong Hua argued back, “No way, we can’t sell the pig, we need it for breeding. If the pig is not fat enough, then it is your fault. You are the one feeding pig.” I gave Kong Hua no mind, and said back to Madam Ye. “Mother, it is now the time the female pig needs more food since she produces milk, I can’t find that much food in the mountain. So if in the future when more piglets die don’t blame me. Or you can send sister Hua to the mountains to collect more food.”

Kong Hua was shaking in anger, does this woman think she is a mud leg like her. She lived her entire life in town. Even though her father works as a waiter in the hotel and her mother washes clothes in town, her parents never wronged her. She had cotton clothes and silver bangles for dowry. Does that stupid Hui Juan honestly wanted her to climb the mountains now, she is even pregnant. “Do you want to kill my child? I am 5 months pregnant, today I understood how evil your heart is.”

“Well I have done even worse than going to the mountains when I was pregnant. Also mother told me it is good to work hard when you are pregnant, isn't that right mother?” Madam Ye averted her eyes. This second daughter-in-law is becoming more uncontrollable lately. She should be taught a lesson soon, but what she said is true, it would be hard for the family to provide for two pigs. “Okay, I have decided, if Ye Zhen wants the boar you could buy it for 2 silvers from me.” She decided this by considering other accepts too, if the family wants to breed pig they can just borrow from neighbours.

Ye Zhen was so happy hearing this and couldn't stop smiling and she thanked her mother before going home to fetch 2 silver from home in the speed of wind. If she just fatten it up a little bit, she could gain 4 silvers for it. Here the price of pork is 25 copper for a pound in town, even though pigs in villages are thin, there would still be 150 pound. When Ye Zhen pushed the pig out to take it to her house, I also helped her. “Thank you sister Hui Juan, I will not forget your help today and will help you back. I would say good about you, in front of my mother.” I didn’t refuse her and smiled back at her.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At night in Ye Zian’s courtyard. “Your shameless sister today snatched the big pig from us, and that slave was there to help her. I don’t know why our family is accommodating for a married daughter. Have no one in your family ever heard of ‘ Married daughters are like spilt water’, hm”. Ye Zian started coaxing his wife, “relax wife, it is not a big deal but yesterday I met a group of traders in Nati island, they were from far away city, they were going to Ping city to collect seafood and kelp. If we buy some seafood from them for wholesale then we can slowly sell it in hotels in town for a higher price. But this requires some money, if you could give me one of your bangles and I would also borrow some from mother we could gain huge profit”. By hearing this Kong Hua anger increased. “No way, you are always like this, you have great enthusiasm to come up with ideas, but you won’t follow through out the plan, I already lost my earrings because of this now you want my bangles.” Ye Zian spent an whole hour convincing his wife before succeeding.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Few weeks passed after that incident and a news spread like wildfire across the nation, the war has ended. I was washing the clothes near the bank when Roulan came running towards me giggling, “mother Ting Ting (some child in the village) said the war has ended”. So that’s why the letter has not come yet, probably he is going to come in person in a few months. If I somehow got my husband trapped in my fingers like sister-in-law Fang done with my 3rd brother, then I can make him raise separation from Ye house and get out of this hell hole. I was truly happy hearing this news and hoisted the giggling girl up and laughing with her.

But our happiness only had life till Ye Qui’s letter came.