Chapter Five: Seizing the Opportunity

After Su Yanchu spread out the hay, she found herself locking eyes with a pair of eyes. It was a venomous snake, its body coiled high and taut. Upon seeing the snake, Su Yanchu thought, "Oh, this creature is a treasure trove; I can sell it to the procurement station!"

With that thought, she picked up a stone and casually struck the snake squarely in its vital spot. The snake went limp instantly. Su Yanchu then used another stone to crush its head, placed the snake into her wicker basket, and headed down the mountain.

"Third cousin, I didn't see you go up the mountain this afternoon?" Just as she reached the front door, she ran into Su Qiqi. The eldest branch of the family had a son named Su Qingshu, who was currently out working in the fields to earn work points. Su Yanchu was the third in her generation, and Su Qiqi was the same age.

"I didn't go. Do I need to report everything I do to you now?" Su Yanchu retorted.

"..." Su Qiqi had a nagging sense of foreboding. Just as she was about to ask something, she heard Su Yanchu say, "Sister Qiqi, let me show you something good!" Su Yanchu pulled the snake from her basket and tossed it toward Su Qiqi.

Before Su Qiqi could react, the cold, limp object hit her forehead and slid into her arms. She caught it instinctively, but once she realized it was a snake, she was so terrified she nearly lost her wits and almost fainted on the spot.

"Ahhh! It's a snake!"

"Su Qiqi, what are you shrieking about?" Grandma Su emerged from the house, looking impatient.

"Grandma, it's a snake! It's a snake!" Su Qiqi was deathly afraid of soft, squishy creatures; she was trembling all over, her face pale as a sheet.

"Sister Qiqi, the snake is already dead. I crushed it. It's not poisonous," Su Yanchu explained, adding, "You really are such a coward!"

"Su Yanchu, don't you dare throw a snake at her again!" Grandma Su scolded. She would settle the score regarding the chicken soup she had snatched at noon with their family later that night. "Where did this snake come from?"

"I originally wanted to go up the mountain to pick mushrooms or find some herbs, but I hadn't even climbed far when I spotted this snake, so I killed it and brought it back," Su Yanchu explained. The poison in a venomous snake was contained in the glands and transmitted through saliva; as long as the head was removed and the glands and gall bladder were handled properly while processing the meat, it would be safe.

"Oh, well, give the snake to me. I'll take it to the procurement station to exchange for money!" Grandma Su said. This snake was worth a fair amount. Once she got the money, she would head to the black market to trade for meat coupons to buy some meat for Yaozu. The snake's gall bladder had medicinal value, so the station would certainly take it.

"Grandma, you can take it to the station if you want, but the money must be mine." Su Yanchu would not give Grandma Su the chance to take advantage of her.

"Absolutely not. This belongs to the household; it must be kept for family expenses." Grandma Su didn't want to split the family; she wanted the first, second, and third branches to pave the way for Su Yaozu so she could continue to drain them of their resources.

"Grandma, if you put it that way, I'm the one who caught the snake, so the money is naturally mine. If you take it to trade and don't give me the money, I'll go to the mountains every day to catch snakes and throw them at you!" Su Yanchu threatened.

"..." Grandma Su glanced at Su Qiqi, who was still pale and hadn't recovered, and eventually relented.

"Take it to the procurement station yourself, but don't let it interfere with your classes tomorrow." The commune had a middle school, and Su Yanchu was currently in her third year, facing the high school entrance exam soon. Grandma Su was afraid she might underperform and fail to get into a vocational school. That was the very reason she refused to divide the family—she intended to keep a tight grip on Su Yanchu.

"Put the snake down and hurry up and help Su Qiqi with dinner. The workers will be back soon!" Grandma Su instructed, then glared at Su Qiqi. "Su Qiqi, what are you just standing there for? Get to cooking with Su Yanchu!"

Su Qiqi had finally recovered. As she stood up, she shot a resentful glare at Su Yanchu; she would remember this grudge! However, possessing a secret treasure, she still had to head up the mountain tonight to see if anyone had touched that box. That was a huge sum of money! It wouldn't hurt to check just to be safe.

After putting away her basket, Su Yanchu went to the kitchen to cook. Su Qiqi followed closely behind. While lighting the stove, she tentatively asked, "Third cousin, did you really not go up the mountain?"

"No," Su Yanchu replied coldly.

"Su Yanchu, don't put so much salt in the stir-fry tonight. The food at noon tasted like you'd killed a salt seller!" Grandma Su entered the kitchen, grumbling. "At this rate, all our family's assets will be squandered by you, you spendthrift!"

"Oh," Su Yanchu decided she would burn the vegetables a little bit tonight. Grandma Su left once she received the acknowledgment.

That evening, after taking one bite of his cornmeal bun, Su Yaozu refused to eat any more, complaining that it tasted terrible.

"Next time, let the seventh girl cook, and you light the fire!" Old Man Su took a bite of the salty vegetables Su Yanchu had stir-fried and frowned deeply. However, seeing the bowl of chicken soup beside him, he turned to scold Grandma Su. "Don't kill any more chickens. There are only three left in the house. If you kill them all, where will we get eggs from the hens?"

"Yaozu wanted to eat it. How long has it been since our Yaozu had meat? If he doesn't eat something good, he'll get thin!"

"Yaozu is already as fat as a pig, Mom. It's truly no easy feat for you to raise him like this!" Su Dawei remarked with heavy sarcasm. In these times of scarcity, it was incredibly difficult to raise a boy to be obese.

"..." Old Man Su looked at Su Yaozu, who was eating meat with grease all over his mouth, and then at his obese frame. "It's better to be a bit thinner," he muttered.

"Got it." Old Man Su was the head of the house; Grandma Su didn't dare to talk back.

"Mom, let's just split the family," Su Dawei said. He already knew what Su Yanchu had done at noon and thought to himself that Grandma Su was remarkably tolerant, not saying a word.

"You want to split the family? Not unless your father and I are dead!" Grandma Su glared at Su Dawei and cursed, "As long as your parents are alive, you cannot split the family. You're always thinking about it, you ungrateful wretch! It was a waste of effort for your father and me to raise you!"

"I really wish I could shove you back into my womb right now!"

"Don't mention splitting the family again, Third Son!" Old Man Su also gave Su Dawei a stern look. "It's lively when the whole family lives together."

"I hope you and Mom won't regret this in a while," Su Dawei said.

"..." Old Man Su felt a jolt in his heart; he had a bad feeling.

"The biggest regret of my life was giving birth to you, you little wretch!" Grandma Su grumbled.

"I regret being born into this family too, getting stuck with you two unlucky parents!" Su Dawei sneered.

"Su Dawei!"

"Eat!" Old Man Su banged the table heavily, seeing they were about to start an argument. Everyone else in the room fell silent. Su Yanchu quietly gave Su Dawei a thumbs-up.