Thirteen Wonders (ShíSānYāo) : Chapter 42 - One Tong Nine Tong
Chapter 42: One Tong Nine Tong
Zhou Yao cried for a long time after returning home. Her eyes were so swollen that they looked completely different. Even in her dreams, her brows were slightly furrowed. Chen Xuze stayed up most of the night. Even when her eyes were closed, his hand gently patted her back in comfort, never stopping.
The next day, the dispute between the Zhou family and Lin's second daughter-in-law became the talk of the alley. Fortunately, the Zhou family had good relations with their neighbors, whereas Lin's second daughter-in-law was notorious for her shrewish temper, having offended many people. Many of the neighbors sided with the Zhou family.
Moreover, everyone in the neighborhood knew each other. Sometimes, they even sat at the same mahjong table. Playing was one thing, but losing and refusing to admit it, holding grudges—that kind of behavior was already disgraceful. Not to mention, most people present that day had heard the awful things Lin's second daughter-in-law said. Pointing at someone else's daughter and hurling such vile insults—if it had been any other family, they would have beaten her even more fiercely. No one could tolerate it.
—The key was, this wasn't just any daughter. She was the pride of her family, celebrated with firecrackers circling the outer city in a car, the kind of daughter who had school leaders and city education officials delivering floral wreaths and red banners to her doorstep.
The national college entrance exam happens once a year, with countless students competing nationwide. Their city had produced two top students, standing side by side, and both came from this very alley.
Let alone the fact that they were already at an age where dating was normal, they had never let it interfere with their future. With children like these, what parent wouldn’t wish for the same?
Hearing Lin’s second daughter-in-law cursing such an outstanding girl, even some of the neighborhood women—who often used Zhou Yao and Chen Xuze as examples to motivate their own children—felt the urge to go up and hit her on Mother Zhou’s behalf.
Sharp-tongued gossips deserved to be slapped the most!
Zhou Yao remained calm for the most part. Apart from her eyes being sore from crying, she acted as usual. Chen Xuze soaked a towel in ice water, wrung it out, and placed it over her eyes, forbidding her from doing any housework.
But Zhou Yao couldn’t sit still. Once her eyes felt a little better, she insisted on going out to buy groceries.
When Chen Xuze offered to go with her, she paused and shot him a look. “What, are you afraid I’ll run into that woman and get bullied?”
“Two people are always better than one.” Chen Xuze didn’t care about anything else. Her safety was his priority. More than that, he didn’t want her to suffer any more grievances—not even a single word of it.
But Zhou Yao refused to let him come along. “Go back inside. I can handle this myself.” She waved him off impatiently. “I’m not that weak. If I run into her, so what? She should be the one avoiding me, not the other way around. If she dares to hit me, I’ll cry—cry while calling the police. Who doesn’t know how to put on an act? I’ll scare her to death.”
Chen Xuze was still uneasy. Zhou Yao quickly changed her shoes and left. Her steps weren’t as light as before, but they weren’t particularly heavy either.
She didn’t care what that woman said. No matter how nasty the insults were, a street shrew like her wasn’t even worth her attention. The tears she shed last night had nothing to do with outsiders. They were for her father and mother.
Walking through the alley, she didn’t run into Lin’s second daughter-in-law again. Some neighbors looked a little awkward, but when she greeted them as usual, they smiled back as if nothing had changed.
At the market, most people carried bamboo baskets or cloth bags. Only she was empty-handed.
“What do you need, young lady?” The vegetable stall owner greeted her with a smile as soon as she walked in.
Zhou Yao stepped up and looked carefully. She wanted to make stir-fried pork with green peppers. The best peppers for that dish were the large hollow ones, which had almost no spiciness and were more like vegetables than seasoning.
Just as she was scanning the produce, a figure appeared beside her and clicked their tongue. “That one’s spicy!” Then, they picked up another type of large pepper with a slightly different shape. “This one’s not spicy.”
Zhou Yao turned her head and met Mother Zhou’s eyes. The two of them froze awkwardly for a second before pretending nothing had happened and looking away.
“…Oh,” Zhou Yao mumbled. “I was just looking.”
“Didn’t Shisan not like spicy food much? If you’re making stir-fried pork with green peppers, buy the non-spicy kind. Then get two of those long, thin green peppers—they’re spicy, just for seasoning.” Mother Zhou directed her. “Ah! Pick the short ones! The long ones add too much spice. He doesn’t eat spicy food, remember?”
Zhou Yao wordlessly followed her instructions.
Just from the way her gaze lingered on the peppers and the meat stall, Mother Zhou immediately knew what she wanted to cook.
“Don’t forget the ginger! Slice some for flavor!”
“Hey, hey! No garlic? You took wet garlic—wet garlic is for pickling, it’s impossible to chop!”
“….”
Mother Zhou went on and on, making Zhou Yao’s head spin. She knew all of this, but for some reason, with her mother standing beside her, she suddenly became clueless—forgetting this, overlooking that.
After paying, she wanted to say something to her mother before leaving, but Mother Zhou gave her a chance to keep her dignity. Pretending to examine the vegetables at the next stall, she walked away.
Looking down at the plastic bag in her hands, Zhou Yao suddenly felt like sighing. Their family had always gone to the other market outside the alley to buy groceries. They rarely came here.
She made her way to the butcher’s stall. “Boss, I want six yuan’s worth of pork—lean meat.”
“Six yuan of lean meat?”
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
The butcher picked up a piece of meat, estimated the weight, sliced it, placed it on the scale, and saw it was slightly short. He added another strip to make it exact.
Zhou Yao reached for her pocket to pay, but Mother Zhou ‘coincidentally’ strolled over. “Hey, boss, mince it for her!”
“Mince it?” The butcher looked at Zhou Yao.
She didn’t answer, but Mother Zhou spoke up. “Just into strips.”
“Got it.” Most butcher stalls had meat grinders, so it wasn’t a hassle. In just a few seconds, it was done.
“You’re no good with a knife. Slicing is fine, but cutting meat into strips will take you forever. By the time you’re done, your fingers will be covered in meat bits—so annoying!” Mother Zhou scolded, without actually looking at her.
Zhou Yao lowered her head slightly, and for some reason, the corner of her lips curled up just a little.
The butcher packed the minced meat into a bag and handed it to her.
Mother Zhou kept muttering, “Buying groceries without bringing a basket… really…”
“I didn’t feel like carrying one,” Zhou Yao said quietly.
Finally, Mother Zhou ‘acknowledged’ that she was talking to her. But instead of continuing, she shifted her complaints to Chen Xuze. “Out in this heat without an umbrella? You went grocery shopping alone? Where’s Shisan? What’s he doing at home? The sun is scorching—what if you get heatstroke? Leaving everything to a woman… Who did he learn that from? Just like your father—doesn’t know how to…”
“I wanted to come alone. He wanted to come, but I told him not to.” Zhou Yao said.
Mother Zhou stopped, snorted, “Hmph, whatever. I can’t be bothered with you two.” She glanced at the groceries in her hands. “Just one dish? You think that’s enough to eat?”
“I’ll buy two more.”
“I don't care how many you buy,” Mother Zhou turned her face away. “It's your business—do whatever you want.”
With that, she walked away, maintaining a facade of indifference.
Standing there, Zhou Yao found herself feeling both amused and exasperated for the first time.
After buying groceries and returning home, Zhou Yao recounted what had happened at the market to Chen Xuze. “I originally knew everything, but she kept nagging me so much that I forgot. You have no idea, I—”
She looked up and noticed him staring at her. “What?”
“You’re smiling,” Chen Xuze said.
Zhou Yao paused, then lowered her head to wash the green peppers. “Am I not allowed to smile?”
Chen Xuze knew that she understood what he meant, so he didn’t push the topic further.
She was smiling.
When mentioning her mother, she no longer had a blank, emotionless face, nor did she sound cold and unwilling to talk about her. There was a faint smile on her lips, just like any other girl her age when talking about her parents.
Silently washing the vegetables, Zhou Yao left something unsaid. On the way back, she had noticed that not long after she left, her mother had come out too, trailing a few meters behind her—never too close, but not too far either.
She hadn't spoken or caught up, just followed quietly. Passing by a house with a tightly shut door, her mother's eyes first showed a flicker of disdain, then, as if relieved, she let out a breath.
Zhou Yao wasn’t stupid. She could understand what all of that meant.
……
While she was stir-frying, Chen Xuze suddenly looked off. Zhou Yao, busy cooking, still took the time to ask, “What's wrong?”
“Your mom... she’s outside.”
“Huh?” Zhou Yao paused, then immediately continued stirring. “Go check.”
Chen Xuze did as told, heading to the front yard, but by the time he got there, the figure was already gone.
He came back and reported, “She left.”
Zhou Yao’s movements stalled for a moment. She couldn't figure it out either, so she simply let it go. After plating the stir-fried dish, she finished cooking the other two, and then she and Chen Xuze sat down for a meal as usual. The food tasted pretty good.
That evening, Zhou Ma came knocking. Zhou Yao opened the door to find him holding a crate of watermelons—two big, heavy ones.
“You and Shisan put them in the fridge. Let them chill a bit. When the sun's scorching in the afternoon, take them out and eat—feels great!”
Zhou Yao was helpless. “We already bought some watermelons…”
“Aiya, why buy them? These are from our relatives in the countryside. They grew them themselves—way better than the ones sold outside! So sweet!”
“Then... did you and Mom... keep some?” Zhou Yao hesitated for a moment.
“Of course! We kept one—it’s chilling in the fridge. They’ll be sending more in a few days, plenty to go around. It's summer, after all. Watermelons are everywhere.”
Seeing how her father was afraid she wouldn’t accept them, he quickly placed the crate inside their yard. Zhou Yao felt a warmth spreading through her chest.
“Oh, right. Your mom asked me to tell you something,” Zhou Ma said.
Zhou Yao looked up. “What is it?”
“She said the order you added the ingredients in when cooking today was wrong.” Zhou Ma coughed. “She happened to pass by and caught a whiff. Said just from the smell, she could tell you didn’t do it right.”
Zhou Yao opened her mouth but had no idea how to respond.
Zhou Ma chuckled. “She said she just happened to be passing by, but honestly, she came on purpose. You know how she is—tough mouth, soft heart. She's always been like that.” He looked at his daughter and sighed. “She even followed you to the market, didn't she? Said she wanted a change of place because the vegetables were fresher, but actually, the moment she saw you stepping out of the Chen family’s door, she grabbed a basket and rushed after you. She was afraid that Lin’s second daughter-in-law would bully you—didn’t their family live over that way?”
Zhou Yao pursed her lips, silent for a long while. “I’m not that easy to bully…”
“But what if?” Zhou Ma scolded her lightly. “Your mom said you don’t have much strength and you’re too honest. If you really got bullied, running over there from here wouldn’t even be fast enough. Better to keep an eye on things—just in case.”
A sudden wave of warmth surged in Zhou Yao’s chest. She caught a faint scent of tea from Zhou Ma. Because he often brewed tea for customers, the fragrance lingered on him. Earlier at the market, when her mother had stood beside her, she had smelled the same scent.
It was a familiar smell—the smell of home.
She suddenly thought of something and asked, “Dad, the portrait... of my brother... that used to be on the cabinet, where is it?”
Zhou Ma hadn’t expected her to notice that. He straightened up and said, “Oh, that? Your mom put it away.”
Zhou Yao was stunned.
“Your grandparents’ memorial tablets are inside the main hall, right? She placed your brother’s photo with them. Your grandparents' are on the top shelf, and his is on the one below,” Zhou Ma smiled. “He’s been gone for years. It’s enough to dust the frame and the table from time to time and offer tributes during holidays.”
“—No need to place it somewhere everyone can see. That’s what your mom said.”
Zhou Yao’s foot shifted slightly, and she heard the faint sound of gravel scraping against her shoe. The evening sun was unexpectedly bright, stinging her eyes. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat, and her vision blurred.
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