Just then, the sound of a pig’s agonized squealing came from the Ma family, the Fengs’ neighbors.
At the noise, the Feng children’s eyes lit up as they stared eagerly at the wall, while the adults’ expressions darkened further, their faces drooping with displeasure.
After a moment of searching her memories, Huang Yaning suddenly recalled—it was now December, the time when the villagers of Taohua Village began slaughtering their pigs.
Life in Taohua Village was decent enough. Most households raised two pigs a year, fattening them from spring to winter. If well cared for, each pig could yield up to 150 jin of meat. Even those raised less carefully could still reach around 100 jin. Typically, one pig would be sold for extra income, while the other was slaughtered for the family’s own consumption.
Villagers usually coordinated the slaughtering in groups, with several families’ able-bodied men teaming up—about seven or eight people working together to process one household’s pigs in a single day.
The host family would then provide a communal “slaughter feast” as thanks.
The feast often featured dishes made from the pig’s offal—stir-fried lungs, heart soup, and vegetable stew with pork bones were common. More generous families might also add stir-fried kidney and liver to the spread.
The most lavish hosts, like the village chief’s family, went beyond offal dishes. They’d fry up a batch of crispy pork lard cracklings to make buns or dumplings stuffed with pickled greens and cracklings…
In previous years, the Feng family had always collaborated with their neighbors, the Mas, and two other families to slaughter their pigs. But this time, the Mas hadn’t invited the Fengs—a clear sign of how much the Fengs had fallen out of favor.
At the thought of past slaughter feasts, the Fengs couldn’t help but salivate.
“Mother, what about our pigs…?” Feng the Eldest ventured timidly.
Before he could finish, Old Madam Li tore into him like a lit fuse.
“Are you out of your damn mind?
“Those thieves stole my burial savings, and you’re still dreaming of pork?
“I ought to sell you off—no, your whole family of four!
“Meat? Keep dreaming! Not a single bristle of our pigs will be left this year—they’re all going to market for cash!”
The old woman’s tirade only stoked her fury further. She spat toward the Ma family’s direction before storming back inside, emerging moments later with a few sweet potatoes and a small handful of rice.
Ever since the theft of the family’s silver, the Fengs’ meals had grown increasingly meager—now reaching downright pitiful levels.
Unlike the previous act they’d put on, this time Old Madam Li wasn’t secretly supplementing anyone’s diet. She couldn’t bear to indulge even herself.
So every Feng member was stuck with the same fare: sweet potato and vegetable porridge.
Or more accurately, sweet potato and vegetable soup, since the pot contained only a few dozen grains of rice—practically negligible.
This watery soup was served just twice a day: a large bowl for the men, a regular bowl for women and boys, and half a bowl for girls.
The Fengs ate miserably, especially Young Madam Li, Feng Dabao, and Feng Erbao, who looked on the verge of tears. Yet none dared complain, fearing Old Madam Li’s wrath might cost them even this meager portion.
Glumly, they choked down their shares.
Thanks to her prior experience with pumpkin soup, Huang Yaning managed to stomach the meal. She finished quickly, then rinsed her bowl with half a measure of water and drank it down.
After eating, Old Madam Li assigned tasks.
A small county town lay near Taohua Village, home to several butchers. Old Man Feng and Feng the Second were to scout meat prices and secure a good deal with a butcher willing to buy their pigs. Once a deposit was paid, the butcher would come to collect the livestock.
In the past, Old Man Feng would’ve taken Feng the Eldest on such a lucrative errand. But with the eldest son currently out of favor, Feng the Second got the assignment instead.
Young Madam Li was ordered to wash the family’s laundry, while Feng the Eldest, Dabao, and Erbao cleaned the pigpen and chicken coop.
As for Huang Yaning? Without a word, she slung a basket over her shoulder and headed out to gather firewood.
At the foot of the village’s back hill, she spotted the village chief leading an unfamiliar middle-aged couple to a small, vacant house nearby.
Huang Yaning’s eyes brightened. Though their clothes were slightly worn, the fabric was decent quality—and the styles were fashionable in the capital two years prior.
…..
“Husband, did you see that girl earlier?”
Once the village chief left, Auntie Zhao whispered to her husband.
Uncle Zhao nodded eagerly. “I did. Just as Madam said—that wet nurse is shameless!
“She actually found a girl who looks like Madam… Who knows what schemes she’s plotting…”
“Keep your voice down!”
Auntie Zhao smacked her husband’s wrist, gesturing for him to lower his volume. She hurried to the door, peered outside to ensure no one was nearby, then shut it and leaned in.
“I’ve heard that high-ranking maids in wealthy households earn two taels a month—” She held up two fingers.
Uncle Zhao’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Th-that’s twenty-four taels a year! In five years, that’s 120 taels… Ten years, 240 taels…”
He stammered, overwhelmed. To farmers, 100 taels was a fortune—enough to build a fine brick house with half left over.
Auntie Zhao covered her mouth with a light laugh. “That’s not all. Beyond monthly wages, masters give holiday bonuses—often worth more than the wages themselves…”
The couple exchanged glances, their eyes alight with the same thought: their two daughters.
Both girls now worked in the manor, surely destined for bright futures.
“Wife, that Tao Niang—isn’t she too greedy? Good food, easy work, generous pay… Yet instead of gratitude, she schemes against Madam…”
“Who knows? Maybe she was born with a black heart…”
Indeed, Uncle Zhao and Auntie Zhao had been purchased by Sheng Minmin. Their daughters, Zhao Daya and Zhao Xiaoya, now served in the Sheng household.
Needing someone to monitor “Feng Liuya” and the Feng family in Taohua Village, Sheng Minmin had chosen the Zhao couple—fellow peasants who’d blend in.
She also knew they’d immediately notice “Feng Liuya’s” resemblance to her. In her past life, it was Sheng Mingshu’s discovery of this likeness that first cast doubt on her identity.
To prevent the Zhaos from misinterpreting the situation, Sheng Minmin fabricated a story:
She told them the sixth young miss’s wet nurse was a cunning, wicked woman who’d adopted a girl resembling her (Sheng Minmin) to later pass the child off as a Sheng—disrupting the family bloodline.
Outraged, the Zhaos vowed to keep close watch on the Fengs and the girl, hence their rental in Taohua Village.
When they saw Huang Yaning, they instantly recognized her as the “Feng Liuya” Madam had described. The girl bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance—paler skin and a little more weight, and it’d be uncanny.
The couple now loathed the Fengs, never suspecting Sheng Minmin might’ve deceived them.
Their only concern was finding a way to interact with the Fengs, so they could relay information to Madam and thwart the wet nurse’s schemes.
Little did they know, Huang Yaning would approach them first.
By then, Huang Yaning had already learned about the couple from the village chief’s granddaughter, Xiao Hong.
The story went: Originally a family of four, the wife fell ill, forcing the father to sell their two daughters.
Miraculously, they encountered a kind, wealthy mistress who not only paid generously but gifted them used clothing.
After recovering, the couple learned their daughters were thriving in the manor and decided to settle nearby.
The father, hoping to educate himself for better opportunities in the capital, heard of an affordable rental near Taohua Village’s talented scholar and moved in.
To Huang Yaning, it felt like “seeking a needle in a haystack, only to stumble upon it effortlessly.”
Daughters in the capital? What could be more natural than parents visiting them?
She knocked lightly on the Zhaos’ door.
