Chapter 6: Sneaking Meat

In that desolate, overgrown paddy field, the two figures worked apart—one east, one west—and not a single word passed between them until the sun hung low.

Liu Huaixu said nothing because there was nothing to say.

Yu An said nothing because she was sulking—angry at Liu Huaixu.

Before she could even answer the matter of the silver bracelet, Liu Huaixu had pressed on: had she run into Widow Cui at the river that day?

Yu An never lied and hadn’t thought this needed hiding. She answered yes—and Liu Huaixu’s face turned stormy. “And you still claim the bracelet has nothing to do with you?”

In her eyes, Yu An’s failure to answer immediately was an admission of guilt.

Most of all, she had already settled on her own answer in her heart.

Having worked that much out, Yu An’s own temper flared. She put her head down and worked, refusing to speak.

That evening, neither said a word when they got home; each gathered her own firewood and lit her own fire.

The flames burned bright, burning off a good deal of the day’s fatigue. Yu An sat on a small folding stool by the fire, watching Liu Huaixu cook, her thoughts beginning to drift.

Truthfully, Liu Huaixu hadn’t done anything so terribly wrong. Her attitude was just hard to swallow.

Especially that afternoon, when she’d said all that—as if she’d already known Yu An would deny it, with no intention whatsoever of hearing her out.

She’d spent the whole afternoon racking her memory and found absolutely nothing about any silver bracelet. The original owner, clearly, had never done it.

Given how foul the original’s reputation was, such a deed wouldn’t have been out of character. Liu Huaixu’s suspicion was fair.

Liu Huaixu must have had it hard, too.

The Liu Huaixu of her first day here and the Liu Huaixu of now were practically two different people.

That day she’d worn a white ruqun of fine cloth, her lips a thin, alluring red, hair swept up—in every way the icy, regal beauty.

And now… Yu An stole a glance at Liu Huaixu busy over the stove: pale green hemp clothes, hair tied up carelessly, a strand or two clinging to her cheek.

A sudden pang of guilt hit Yu An.

She shouldn’t have lost her temper with Liu Huaixu today.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, Liu Huaixu brushed back her hair and turned…

The instant their eyes met, heat rushed to Yu An’s face and she whipped her head away—too fast. Her foot knocked half-burning firewood out of the pit, and sparks scattered right onto her shoe.

She jolted and sprang upright.

Liu Huaixu startled too, glanced down, saw the sparks on her shoe, and doused them with water at once.

Once everything had settled, Liu Huaixu still looked shaken, her tone stern. “Be more careful around open flames.”

“…Oh. Sorry.” This one was on her. Yu An ducked her head meekly—and when she looked up again, she thought she caught a flicker of softness in Liu Huaixu’s eyes.

Afraid she’d imagined it, she looked again—and the softness was gone. Liu Huaixu’s face was expressionless once more.

After a long day’s work, Liu Huaixu threw together a few simple dishes—but Yu An’s rice was still polished, while her own remained coarse.

Yu An had noticed over these past days. The first time she’d asked why Liu Huaixu ate coarse rice, Liu Huaixu had gone silent—not even a glance.

After that, whenever Yu An tried to swap bowls with her, Liu Huaixu refused outright—once even silencing her with a glare.

This time.

This time, Yu An said nothing and didn’t ask. Before they ate, she simply switched her bowl with Liu Huaixu’s.

Perhaps accounting for her bigger appetite, Liu Huaixu always served her a somewhat larger bowl. Having swapped them, Yu An said quickly, “I’m not very hungry today. I want to eat less.”

Liu Huaixu looked at her coldly, opened her mouth—and in the end said nothing.

She held the bowl and ate in small bites.

Everyone knew polished rice beat coarse rice by miles—Liu Huaixu knew it better than anyone. But habit was habit: however wretched Yu An was, the best the household had went to her first.

It wasn’t that she didn’t crave it. But this was all they had—polished rice at every meal would be downright extravagant.

Coarse rice for once wasn’t half bad, actually. Yu An finished her bowl in two or three bites, then fixed her eyes on Liu Huaixu.

Stared at, Liu Huaixu grew uncomfortable. “If you’re done, go back to your room. What are you looking at me for?”

Sitting there so properly, no less. Liu Huaixu shot her a glance and returned to her meal.

Yu An was getting used to this treatment; she took no offense. Instead, she said what she’d been rehearsing for ages: “I didn’t give Widow Cui any silver bracelet. Stop wronging me.”

At that, Liu Huaixu looked up, surprised.

So Yu An actually fears being wronged by me?

As for the bracelet—Liu Huaixu had held no expectations when she raised it. She’d only wanted to say it aloud, knowing full well Yu An would never confess.

One silver bracelet, next to everything else she’d done, hardly ranked as a major crime.

Liu Huaixu had long since made a habit of disappointment. So she wouldn’t confess—fine. She’d never expected Yu An to still be stewing over it now.

“Noted.”

“You believe me?” Yu An’s heart lifted at the reply.

Who didn’t like being believed? Yu An certainly did. But when she pressed further, Liu Huaixu went silent again.

Setting down her bowl and chopsticks, Liu Huaixu said evenly, “I’m finished.”

The meaning was plain: she would clear the table now, and Yu An should remove herself to her room.

Yu An clicked her tongue, on the verge of speaking—and let it go.

No use. The mess the original owner left behind couldn’t be undone in a day. Slow and steady.

Over the following days, Yu An kept going out to the fields with Liu Huaixu, whose surprise gradually hardened into acceptance. She’d assumed this was a passing whim—yet Yu An worked straight through until every last crop was in.

The pace was far faster than working alone. Most years the harvest took her ten days to half a month; with Yu An there, it was finished in four or five days.

They still spoke little while working, but Yu An could feel a different kind of gentleness from Liu Huaixu now.

That first day, Yu An came home still hungry—and realized just how big her appetite was, and how hard those steamed buns were to choke down. From the second day on, Liu Huaixu began packing a few bean-paste buns for her. She never said a word—just pressed them into her hands.

They were filling and genuinely tasty. No longer minding Liu Huaixu’s cold face, Yu An munched her bean-paste buns with delight, and her work got stronger for it.

On the final mu, Yu An could feel Liu Huaixu picking up the pace—and matched her stride for stride.

When they got home, Liu Huaixu freshened up briefly, changed her clothes, and headed out.

Yu An, arms full of firewood, had just opened her mouth to ask where she was going—already Liu Huaixu was hurrying out the gate.

Once the fire caught, warmth filled the room at once. Yu An tended it idly, wondering: it was freezing out—what had Liu Huaixu gone out for?

Liu Huaixu headed straight for Butcher Li’s. She wanted to buy some meat—go too late, and the good cuts would be gone.

For all her anger at everything Yu An had done, Yu An had worn herself out these past days, and Liu Huaixu couldn’t bear to see her suffer.

Perhaps it was a habit grown from childhood—one that couldn’t break overnight.

“Madam Liu, buying meat today?” Butcher Li was a Alpha; at Liu Huaixu’s arrival, surprise flickered through his eyes—then a wave of pity.

Such a striking Omega—how could she be so utterly devoted to an ignorant good-for-nothing like Yu An?

Yu An’s name was mud in the village, and plenty of people mourned for Liu Huaixu—the Omega with sympathy, the Alpha with a very different sort of regret.

“Mm.” With outsiders, Liu Huaixu was colder still than she was at home—Omega she could just about tolerate, but she had not one ounce of warmth to spare for Alpha.

Butcher Li didn’t take offense at the cold beauty’s silence; he just launched into idle chatter. “It’s about time you had some meat to build yourself up, Madam Liu. Look at you, all skin and bones.”

The remark made Liu Huaixu’s skin crawl. Brow knitting, she said nothing, her gaze icing over further.

Realizing he’d said too much, Butcher Li dropped it, cut the meat, and handed it over.

As luck would have it, before Liu Huaixu could step out the door, Cao Guan walked in.

Before the whole business with Yu An, Cao Guan had always greeted her with a bright “Sister Liu!” These days, she met her with a frosty face and hate-filled eyes.

Liu Huaixu couldn’t fathom it. Yu An had no other talents to speak of—so how did she manage this? Turning such a sweet, well-behaved girl into this.

As they passed, Liu Huaixu still gave Cao Guan a small smile and made to leave—only to be stopped.

“Sister Liu…”

Liu Huaixu turned—and came face to face with the meat Cao Guan was holding out.

“Sister Liu, take it home for Sister Yu~”

Cao Guan’s smile was bright and darling, but her eyes gleamed with triumph.

The meat in Cao Guan’s outstretched hand was nearly two jin’s worth. Her own was barely one.

Cao Guan was mocking her, plainly—mocking her over Yu An, no less.

She wanted to refuse, but Cao Guan gave her no opening, pressing the meat straight into her arms. Even Butcher Li chuckled, “Come now, Madam Liu, it’s Miss Cao’s kindness. Accept it.”

At those words, Liu Huaixu lowered her eyes. She would not accept it. In the end she set the meat down on Butcher Li’s chopping block.

Most of the village treated her household as a joke. How could she not know?

If she was weary of Widow Cui, her feeling toward Cao Guan was closer to pity.

So young, and already Yu An had sown the seeds of infatuation in her—turning the girl against her at every turn, handing the whole village free entertainment.

“Little Sister Cao, take it home and eat it yourself. This is plenty for me.” Clutching her own meat, Liu Huaixu nodded and turned to go.

But how could Cao Guan let her leave?

Before, it had been tolerable—Liu Huaixu was merely a cold person. But now, convinced that she and Yu An had confessed their hearts, Cao Guan couldn’t stand the sight of her.

If her heart held no place for Sister Yu, why cling to the title of wife?

“Sister Liu, this meat is for Sister Yu.”

Liu Huaixu’s step faltered. She closed her eyes briefly. Just as expected—Yu An has addled the girl’s wits. Such senseless words, and she can say them to my face.

The world forgave Alpha far more easily. A kept concubine or a mistress on the side—those things would have been almost tolerable.

But Yu An’s current notoriety came from her endless rounds of gambling dens and brothels. The squandered fortune was one thing; the wanton conduct was another. Widows weren’t spared—nor was the Village Head’s own daughter.

That had incurred public wrath.

And Liu Huaixu’s.

So in matters like this, she laid the blame mostly at Yu An’s feet—Cao Guan spouting such senseless things, for instance.

Without answering, Liu Huaixu made swiftly for the door—but Cao Guan wouldn’t relent.

She planted herself in the doorway, barring the way.

“Sister Liu, I’m speaking to you. Why do you ignore me?”

“I only asked you to give Sister Yu some meat. How can you bear to refuse?”

Cao Guan’s face was all sweetness and light, but her words cut to the bone. Liu Huaixu was literally holding a piece of meat, and still Cao Guan insisted on framing it this way—the implication being that Liu Huaixu wouldn’t even share bought meat with her own wife.

Let Yu An be frivolous and dissolute, with no good name in the village—she was still Liu Huaixu’s Qianjun.

If people learned she wouldn’t even give her own Qianjun a piece of meat, the cruel one in the story would be her.

Liu Huaixu stood in the doorway, caught between advance and retreat.

Silence would brand her as exactly that sort of cruel wife. But to speak…

…Cao Guan was still only a child.

Just as she stood there, not knowing what to do, a tall figure appeared before her and lifted the meat from her hands.

“Wife, how come you left without even telling me? And you even went and secretly bought me meat.”

Yu An’s appearance startled Liu Huaixu enough. The arm that curled around her waist startled her far more.