The family dinner that evening consisted of a new member, Ha Da.
Shang Ruo Pai wanted to pat Ha Da, but Qian Xiao Qi wouldn’t let her.
Ha Da sat beside Qian Xiao Qi, and she instructed Liu Lu to prepare a plate of the burnt braised beef and pieces of chicken meat for Ha Da.
Song Liang Zhuo was unhappy to see Qian Xiao Qi feeding Ha Da.
‘Ha Da only eats a little,’ Qian Xiao Qi rea.s.sured.
‘Xiao Qi, you shouldn’t waste food like this,’ Song Liang Zhuo said. ‘There are orphans starving on the roads.’
The small criticism felt heavy on Qian Xiao Qi’s shoulders. She silently ate, but she didn’t touch the chicken meat that night.
‘You two can continue eating,’ Qiao Xiao Qi said. She stood and carried Ha Da in her arms. ‘I’m going to my bedchamber.’
Qian Xiao Qi ignored Ha Da whimpering and carried Ha Da outside to find Liu Lu.
‘Liu Lu, it’s not going to kill him if Ha Da eats a piece of chicken meat,’ Qian Xiao Qi complained.
Qian Xiao Qi agreed with Song Liang Zhuo that there were starving orphans who didn’t have food to eat. But her father brought Ha Da home from a sea village, Ha Da was used to eating meat. If Ha Da only ate buns and drank water, within two days Ha Da would be ill.
Qian Xiao Qi didn’t want Ha Da to suffer at the Song Manor.
Liu Lu gave Ha Da a bun, but Ha Da refused to open his mouth.
Qian Xiao Qi carried Ha Da to the clean kitchen to look for leftover meat for Ha Da.
Qian Xiao Qi rubbed her hungry stomach and humphed. ‘If you’re not going to let me eat then I’ll go buy food.’
Qian Xiao Qi carried Ha Da back to the bedchamber, took out some money from the chest and went outside the Song Manor with Liu Lu to buy food.
‘Mistress, it’s too dark to go buy food,’ Liu Lu said.
‘Taverns are opened at night,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘We’re only going to buy food to eat. We’re not committing a crime.’
‘Mistress, master will be angry if he finds out you’re missing,’ Liu Lu said.
‘He won’t notice I’m missing,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘He wants to spend time with his little sister Pai. Let’s go buy food quickly at the tavern.’
Qian Xiao Qi carried Ha Da and walked with Liu Lu for a long time before they found a shop that sold grilled chicken.
‘Boss, don’t close yet!’ Qian Xiao Qi cried out and ran to the chicken shop. ‘Boss, do you have grilled chicken left?’
‘Young lady, I only have one chicken leg left,’ boss said.
Qian Xiao Qi was disappointed the chicken leg didn’t look fresh.
‘Boss, I’ll buy the chicken leg,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
‘It’s not a fresh chicken leg,’ boss said. ‘I’ll only charge you ten copper coins.’
Liu Lu gave boss ten copper coins. ‘Mistress, Ha Da can eat this chicken leg. We’ll go to another place to buy mistress food.’
‘Young lady, if you haven’t eaten dinner yet, you can come inside the chicken shop and my wife will cook you a bowl of noodles,’ boss offered.
Qian Xiao Qi, Ha Da and Liu Lu followed boss into the small chicken shop and they sat at a small table.
Boss’ wife was a friendly woman. His wife warmly served Qian Xiao Qi and Liu Lu. Qian Xiao Qi didn’t want Ha Da to break anything in the small chicken shop so she held Ha Da on her lap instead of letting Ha Da run around.
‘Is it a cat or a dog?’ boss asked. ‘It’s wearing clothes. What a rare pet.’
‘Ha Da is a small dog,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
Liu Lu quietly fed Ha Da the chicken leg.
‘What a good dog,’ boss praised. ‘It eats like a gentle lady. Why are you two young ladies walking around at night by yourselves? It’s not safe at night.’
‘Mistress and I got hungry after walking around lost,’ Liu Lu explained.
‘Lost?’ boss asked. ‘Where do you two live? After you two finish eating, I’ll escort you two back to your home.’
‘Boss, we don’t want to trouble you,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘I suddenly remember the way home.’
Boss’ wife put two bowls of noodles on the table. Liu Lu couldn’t decline her hospitality and ate with Qian Xiao Qi.
Qian Xiao Qi thought the simple bowl of noodles that only had chopped spring onions at the top and one egg at the bottom was delicious.
‘Aunty, you make delicious noodles,’ Qian Xiao Qi praised.
‘This plain noodles can’t compare to the noodles in young lady’s home,’ boss’ wife said.
‘Even the broth tastes delicious,’ Qian Xiao Qi said and slurped a spoonful of noodle broth.
Boss prepared chickens to grill the following morning while his wife talked with Qian Xiao Qi and Liu Lu.
Qian Xiao Qi savored the chicken egg little by little.
‘Young lady, the way you eat shows that you must be from a rich family,’ boss’ wife said.
‘Aunty, your bowl of noodles is truly delicious, which is why I’m eating slowly,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
‘Young lady, haven’t you ate a chicken egg before?’ boss’ wife asked.
‘Lately I rarely get to eat chicken eggs,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
‘Is your family business going down a slope?’ boss’ wife asked.
‘No,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘I moved to a new home. I feel anxious to eat in my new home.’
‘Oh,’ boss’ wife said. ‘I understand. Young lady, you’re this young but already have a husband. Don’t worry, when I married my husband, I wasn’t used to serving my husband and his family. At the start of my marriage, my husband’s mother didn’t let me eat at the same table with them.’
‘Aunty wasn’t allowed to sit at the table?’ Qian Xiao Qi asked.
‘Yes,’ boss’ wife said. ‘I had to eat in the kitchen and wash their feet. But I think a rich young lady like you won’t have to suffer like I did.’
‘I’m suffering too,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘I don’t get to eat my full, and I’m hungry every day.’
‘Yes, I used to be hungry every day too,’ boss’ wife said.
Qiao Xiao Qi ate and contemplated her escape. She didn’t want to stay at the Song Manor and suffer. What if Song Liang Zhuo’s family bullied her like boss’ family used to bully boss’ wife? Would she get to eat even one bowl of rice after she met Song Liang Zhuo’s family?
‘Mistress, why are you sad?’ Liu Lu asked.
Qian Xiao Qi sniffed her nose. ‘Liu Lu, I’m going to die of hunger.’
‘Impossible,’ Liu Lu said. ‘Why would master starve you?’
‘I haven’t ate my full for three days,’ Qiao Xiao Qi said. ‘If I didn’t get to eat aunty’s delicious bowl of noodles tonight then I would have died of hunger.’
Liu Lu thought Qian Xiao Qi couldn’t die of hunger by how many watermelon seeds and dates Qian Xiao Qi ate in the last three days.
The neglected Ha Da finished eating the chicken leg while Liu Lu sacrificed her egg for Qian Xiao Qi’s stomach.
Qiao Xiao Qi ate her full, accepted the handkerchief from Liu Lu and wiped her mouth.
Boss’ wife thought Qiao Xiao Qi’s husband must have starved Qiao Xiao Qi by the way Qiao Xiao Qi heartily ate a plain bowl of noodles.
Liu Lu picked up the bowls and chopsticks to wash, but she froze when she saw Song Liang Zhuo standing at the front door.
‘Liu Lu, quickly help aunty wash the bowls and chopsticks,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘We need to go home soon.’
‘There’s no rush,’ boss’ wife said. ‘Let me wash them.’
Boss’ wife turned around and was pleasantly surprised to see Song Liang Zhuo.
‘Official Song, what are you doing at this small chicken shop?’ boss’ wife asked and faced the kitchen. ‘Husband, quickly come here and greet Official Song.’
Qian Xiao Qi’s back stiffened. She slowly turned around and avoided Song Liang Zhuo’s angry eyes.
***
End of Chapter Eight