Chapter 13: Putting Poison in Qian Yuemai’s Eyes

The Su family was alive with laughter and joyful noise, a whirlwind of celebration.

Every member of the household wore flushed cheeks and bright eyes, hearts lifted by excitement. Even Qian Yuemai—usually sharp-tongued and quick to needle—was beaming, her voice free of its usual sarcasm.

"Mother, Father’s luck is incredible," Qian Yuemai said with a grin. "That wild boar will bring in a good bit of silver. And Second Younger’s clothes are already too small..."

She hadn’t finished speaking when Su Grandma caught her meaning.

"With money now, do you think your father and I would ever shortchange our grandson?"

Her tone was firm, unyielding.

"Mother, don’t say that!" Qian Yuemai laughed nervously, bowing slightly. "Of course I know you two adore the little one."

But her eyes flicked toward the bundle in Su Grandma’s arms—the baby girl, Xiao Tangbao.

If it weren’t for this little sister-in-law, she wouldn’t worry at all.

But now? The old couple clearly doted on the child like a precious gem.

There was no telling what they’d save up—just for *her*.

Xiao Tangbao felt the cold edge of malice from her second嫂 (second sister-in-law) like a chill down her spine.

Snitching behind someone’s back? She wasn’t petty enough for that.

But—

"Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!"

She burst into loud, wailing cries—directly at Qian Yuemai.

No secret whispers. Just open, honest protest.

Su Grandma flinched instantly.

"What’s wrong, my little treasure?"

She couldn’t help it—since that time she’d wet her pants, the girl hadn’t cried once.

Now, suddenly, she was sobbing.

And not because she was hungry or needed a diaper.

Just staring at Qian Yuemai, screaming her lungs out.

"Er, Second Daughter-in-Law," Su Grandma said sharply, "you go outside for a moment."

Qian Yuemai shot a quick, resentful glance—then plastered on a worried expression.

"Mother, what’s wrong with Little Sister? Is she sick?"

Su Grandma’s temper spiked instantly.

"Ugh! Don’t jinx her! If you can’t speak kindly, then just shut up!" she snapped. "Out!"

Qian Yuemai’s face burned. She’d been married into the Su family for years—her mother-in-law wasn’t exactly warm-hearted, but she’d never *publicly* scolded her before.

Not like this.

No dignity left.

Fuming, she turned on her heel and stomped out.

As soon as the door closed, Xiao Tangbao stopped crying.

Su Grandma sighed, holding her daughter close.

"You little schemer," she murmured, shaking her head. "Thunder without rain. Who did you inherit that trick from?"

A shadow passed through her eyes—thoughtful, almost suspicious.

Xiao Tangbao felt a pang of guilt.

Had Mama seen through her?

"Yi-yi-ya… yiyi-ya…"

She waved her tiny arms, grinning goofily at Su Grandma, her big eyes wide with innocent sweetness.

Su Grandma stared.

Maybe she was overthinking it.

Children just *knew*—instinctively, naturally—when someone meant harm.

Outside, Old Su was barking orders to his two eldest sons, sharpening knives and preparing to butcher the boar. A few young villagers, strong and eager, joined in.

Old Su stood in the yard, chest puffed out, voice booming:

"Neighbors! Friends! Tomorrow marks my little daughter’s first month. Don’t forget to come drink some wine and eat some stew! We’ll have a big pot of meat—smells so good, it’ll carry ten miles on the wind!"

Everyone froze.

Wait—what?

No one had ever heard of a newborn girl getting a full moon banquet.

The Su family had raised dozens of sons and grandsons over the years—and never once thrown a party for a baby girl.

Now? They were doing it for *this* one.

Clearly, they’d wrapped this little girl in gold.

And Xiao Tangbao? She’d just given Qian Yuemai a silent side-eye, fooled her own mother with a well-timed cry, and now—feeling triumphant—she giggled and cooed at Su Grandma.

**
In the dim glow of an oil lamp, the whole family gathered around the table, eyes gleaming brighter than the flame itself.

"Mother," Su Liuhu gasped, pointing at the silver ingot on the table. "Is this… real silver?!"

He looked like he’d just discovered fire.

Su Erhu snorted, smirking at his younger brother.

"Of course it is! You’ve never seen one before? Well, today’s your lucky day!"

He tried to sound worldly, though truthfully, he’d only learned what a silver ingot was that morning.

A single ten-tael ingot could feed a family for half a year.

Xiao Tangbao, nestled in Su Grandma’s arms, blinked big, curious eyes.

So this was ancient China’s silver—finally seeing it in person.

Well, she was just as much a country bumpkin as anyone else. First time for everything.

"Yi-yi-ya… yiyi-ya…"

She waved her tiny hands, drool dripping onto the silver.

"My little treasure," Su Grandma smiled tenderly. "You know silver’s valuable, don’t you?"

"Yi-yi-ya… yiyi-ya…"

Yeah, yeah, I know.

Su Liuhu grinned, grabbed the ingot, and shoved it straight into his mouth.

"Little Six! What are you doing?!" Su Erhu shouted.

"Trying to bite it!" Su Liuhu said, grinning. "They say you gotta taste silver to tell if it’s real!"

Then—*crack!*—he yelped, spat out the ingot… and a tooth.

He was in the middle of losing his baby teeth. One hard chew, and he’d chipped a molar right off.

"Mother…" He sniffled, eyes watering. "I lost a tooth."

Su Grandma groaned, equal parts exasperated and amused.

"Next time, don’t put *everything* in your mouth!"

The whole room erupted in laughter.

Xiao Tangbao laughed the loudest.

Seeing his sister laugh, Su Liuhu wiped his tears and shrugged.

"Hey, sister, don’t worry. From now on, I’ll hunt wild boars too. When I earn silver, I’ll buy you candy."

He promised with solemn determination.

"Yi-yi-ya… thank you, Sixth Brother. You’re the best!"

Su Dahu, more serious, began tallying up the accounts, pointing at the silver ingot, two smaller pieces of silver, and several strings of copper coins.

"Mother, the wild boar sold for eighteen taels and two mace. We bought fifty catties of cornmeal, fifty catties of coarse rice, ten catties of white flour… and after all that, we have fifteen taels of silver left, plus eight hundred and thirty-two cash coins."

All financial matters fell under Su Grandma’s control. Her husband never meddled. So Su Dahu reported directly to her.

"How did you get so much?" Su Grandma asked, surprised.

After all, only half the boar had been taken to market. The rest was saved for tomorrow’s feast.

Su Dahu explained: "Mother, these past few years, nobody dared go hunting in the mountains. Wild game prices have doubled—or more."

Su Grandma nodded slowly. It made sense.

Then she handed Xiao Tangbao to Old Su and began dividing the eight hundred cash coins into two piles—one for each daughter-in-law.

"These are for you," she said gently. "Use them to buy whatever you need. Or save them as your own private stash."

Zhao Chunhua’s eyes lit up.

"Thank you, Mother!"