Starved to Death
Old Su Family.
In the courtyard lay three corpses: two large and one small.
When Su Li, Wang Shi, and Fourth Uncle and his wife entered, they saw Old Su and Su Daqi sitting under the corridor, their eyes vacant. Su Meixiang hid in the corner, still nursing the injuries from the last time Su Li beat her. Seeing Su Li enter, she timidly shrank into the corner.
Su Li looked at the corpse of Old Madam Su.
The old lady had become so thin she looked like a skeleton. Ever since she became paralyzed, her family had been too lazy to care for her. Plus, Old Madam Su was sharp-tongued, so Zhao Shi only fed her one meal a day. Slowly, she starved to this state.
Old Madam Su died last night, but no one knew the exact time. It was only at noon today when Su Daqi went to bring her food that he found her body cold, lying stiffly on the bed amidst unclean filth. A thin, tattered quilt barely covered her, her eyes wide open, cheeks sunken and bluish.
Wang Shi looked at Old Madam Su, somewhat dazed. This cruel mother-in-law who had tormented her for most of her life was now dead, and in such a humiliating way. According to Wang Shi's judgment, Old Madam Su was most likely starved to death.
Surrounded by children and grandchildren, yet left uncared for and starved to death — Wang Shi sighed deeply.
Next to her, Su Shimao's corpse had long since stiffened, with a small swaddled bundle on him — the corpse of his deceased son.
The Old Su family's courtyard was dilapidated; they couldn't even afford a proper mourning hall, only tying white cloth at the gate to signify a death in the family.
But even with the white cloth tied, no one from the village came to mourn the deaths at the Old Su family.
The family had such a terrible reputation that everyone avoided them. When the news of Su Shimao's death spread, villagers applauded, saying he deserved it — only pitying the child for being born into such a father.
But now that the child was dead, he wouldn't have to grow up in such a twisted family. Hopefully, in the next life, he will be born into a good family.
The four of them—Su Li and the others—came without wearing mourning clothes. After all, they no longer recognized any connection with the Old Su family, only dressing in relatively plain clothes.
Old Su's eyes were sunken, as if he had aged thirty years overnight. He looked at Su Li, then at Yuan Jie, before finally fixing his gaze on Yuan Jie and saying, "Fourth son, can you spare some silver to buy two coffins, to bury your mother and nephew..."
Yuan Jie looked at Old Su with a complicated expression.
Su Daqi weakly raised his hand beside him, shaking his head at Old Su: "Father, why beg him? He doesn't even acknowledge his own parents, how would he pay for his mother's coffin? Don't beg him!"
Yuan Jie had originally wanted to agree, but Su Daqi's words cut him off, choking his throat painfully.
Although Old Madam Su was far from perfect, she was already dead. The cost of the coffins was nothing to Yuan Jie; he didn't mind paying it.
Old Su's eyes had lost all expression; he hung his head like a dying man.
At that moment, someone rushed out of the kitchen, mouth stuffed with a handful of wild dried vegetables, hair messy. They ran over to Su Shimao's corpse, picked up the child, and said, "Good grandson, are you hungry? Grandma will feed you!"
Zhao Shi then tried to lift her clothes to mimic breastfeeding, but Su Daqi quickly rushed over, snatched the swaddled bundle, threw it to the ground, and slapped Zhao Shi hard across the face: "Crazy woman!"
Zhao Shi, seeing the child taken away, suddenly burst into tears, struggling to grab the child back, shouting, "My grandson, none of you can take him away from me!"
Then she laughed hysterically, waving her arms wildly at Su Li and the others, saying, "Look, I gave birth to a son, named Shimao, so handsome and smart! When he grows up, he’ll definitely be a top scholar! I am the mother of a top scholar!"