Chapter 36: A Bowl of Meat

"Then you take good care of our guest. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now." The village chief leaned on his cane and shuffled away at a leisurely pace.

Chen Cuihua escorted the chief to the courtyard gate, then hurried back and seized Ye Luo's arm, as if afraid she might escape.

Pulling Ye Luo into the house, she had her sit down.

Not long after, the young girl silently brought in some tea.

Ye Luo glanced at the cup. There were some dark, indistinguishable objects floating in the tea.

Chen Cuihua noticed and immediately flew into a rage. "Useless girl! Can't even make a proper cup of tea! You dare serve this without washing the cup?"

She raised her hand, ready to strike the girl.

Zhang Yanhong's expression was utterly numb. She stood there without even the slightest intention to dodge.

If she didn’t move, perhaps it would only be a few slaps. If she did, who knew what further torments would await her.

"Granny Chen," Ye Luo spoke up timidly at this moment, "I'm not thirsty yet."

Chen Cuihua paused, seeing Ye Luo’s fearful look, and quickly forced a smile. "Oh dear, did I scare you by being too harsh? Don’t be afraid. My daughter is incorrigible—she must be punished. But you’re a good girl, and a guest at that; of course, it’s different for you."

Ye Luo glanced at Zhang Yanhong, her own demeanor timid but still somewhat uneasy. "Granny Chen, when will Zhang Hua be back? I... I just want to see him, then I’ll be ready to go home."

Go home? That wouldn’t do at all.

Chen Cuihua hurried to say, "You’ve just arrived, you should stay at least a few days. You don’t know—the village has many ancient customs. In three days, we’ll have our ghost-banishing and blessing ritual. It’s very interesting. You’ve come all this way, you must take part. When it’s done, I’ll have Zhang Hua escort you home."

"Ghost-banishing and blessing?" Ye Luo feigned interest.

Three days from now. The ghost-banishing ritual.

Ye Luo sensed that these three days might be the crucial period.

"That’s right," Chen Cuihua said quickly. "On that day, the whole village gathers to re-elect the village chief. The newly elected chief will lead us to drive away evil spirits and pray for peace. This ceremony is one of our oldest traditions."

"Re-elect the chief?" Ye Luo asked.

Chen Cuihua smiled. "That’s what we call it, but really, this is Luoxia Village, also known as Zhang Village. Most people here are named Zhang. Our current chief Zhang has held the post for ten years—he’ll probably be re-elected this year too. The whole thing is mostly for show."

Ye Luo’s eyes narrowed.

Just for show?

She didn’t quite believe it.

The rules stated that everyone in the village must obey the chief. She had assumed it was a binding rule. But apparently, the chief could be replaced.

That changed everything—there was room to maneuver.

"That sounds interesting. Then I’ll stay until the ritual," Ye Luo agreed sweetly.

"That’s right," Chen Cuihua’s wrinkles deepened in a smile.

While they were speaking, the two men of the house returned.

Chen Cuihua hurried to greet them. "Hua, your father, you’re back at last. Hua, you’ve got a guest."

Zhang Hua had already heard the news from the villagers on his way back, and he stared eagerly at Ye Luo.

His eyes instantly lit up.

Compared to the numb, despairing girls of Luoxia Village, Ye Luo was a breath of fresh air—fair, lovely, with an innocent, almost otherworldly charm, like a fairy descended to earth.

"Yingying! You said you’d come, I’ve been waiting for you at home all this time. At last, you’re here." Zhang Hua stared at Ye Luo, unable to look away.

Ye Luo narrowed her eyes, her gaze icy.

How many years had it been since anyone looked at her like that?

She disliked the men of this village—intensely so. Even felt a trace of anger.

Perhaps she ought to simply carve out that rotten part of them?

"Not bad," Zhang Jintao appraised Ye Luo with a satisfied smile. This one was top quality, sure to fetch a good price.

"All right, since we have a guest, let Yanhong do the cooking," Zhang Jintao ordered, his eyes narrowing. "Tonight, we want meat. Cuihua, watch her—her skills aren’t up to par yet, don’t let our guest be slighted."

Chen Cuihua hurried to agree.

Ye Luo raised her brows.

Meat?

The rules explicitly stated: there is no meat in Luoxia Village, and if there is, it must not be eaten.

From previous experience, the rules might contain falsehoods.

But Zhang Jintao had made a point of emphasizing the meat.

Ye Luo understood then.

Whatever this meat was, she must not eat it.

"Zhang Hua, shut the door," Zhang Jintao continued.

Zhang Hua glanced at Ye Luo, reluctant, but quickly complied and closed the door.

Ye Luo feigned fear. "But it’s still daylight, why shut the door?"

Zhang Jintao bared a few jagged teeth. "It’s the rule here. No one goes out after dark, so everyone shuts their doors early."

"Oh," Ye Luo replied meekly.

Chen Cuihua and Zhang Yanhong set to work, and soon the meal was ready.

The dishes were simple.

A plate of stir-fried greens.

A plate of shredded potatoes.

Both homegrown vegetables.

And tonight’s centerpiece—a small bowl of meat.

It was impossible to tell what kind of meat it was, drowned in soy sauce and spices, its original appearance utterly obscured.

Any flavor it might have had was smothered by the acrid sting of chili. The mere smell was enough to burn one’s throat.

Zhang Jintao placed the bowl of meat directly in front of Ye Luo.

He bared his teeth in a grin. "We’re poor—don’t get to eat meat often. This was specially prepared for you. Go on, don’t be shy, eat up."

"Yes, go ahead. My mother’s cooking is really good," Zhang Hua urged.

Chen Cuihua added, "Yingying, I worked hard all day. If you don’t even taste it, that’s rather ungracious."

Zhang Yanhong just kept her head down, silent.

With the three of them pressing her, Ye Luo hesitated, her voice soft. "Sorry... I can’t eat spicy food."

"Can’t eat spicy? It only smells spicy, it’s not, really. Just try a bite," Chen Cuihua insisted, picking up a piece of meat and forcing it toward Ye Luo’s lips.

Ye Luo dodged. "I’m sorry, I really can’t."

Zhang Jintao slammed the bowl down on the table. "So, you’re set on disrespecting me! Zhang Hua, what kind of friends are you bringing here!"

Zhang Hua quickly interjected, "Dad, she doesn’t know any better, don’t be angry with her."

"She didn’t before, but now she’s in our village, she’d better learn," Zhang Jintao sneered, his expression openly menacing. "This meat—today, you’ll eat it whether you want to or not."