Mrs. He led the child, Mao Mao, toward the kitchen. While there was chicken available, Mrs. He intended to save it for Da Jiang. Furthermore, she already held a mild disdain for Mao Mao, viewing her as just another girl and the daughter of Song Yue Mei, which made her unwilling to offer the child anything; her words to Yu Er had merely been meant to soothe her.

Once in the kitchen, Mrs. He simply told Mao Mao to stand aside while she busied herself with other tasks. Mao Mao, barely four years old, had understood snippets of what her grandmother and aunt had been saying. She had followed her grandmother into the kitchen hoping for chicken. Now, being left alone, she was confused. Naturally, a child wouldn't stay rooted in one spot. Mao Mao looked around the kitchen and spotted a bowl of chicken on the shelf where bowls were kept, emitting an alluring aroma. She wanted to take some, but she was small and short, and the shelf was nearly as tall as she was. Naively, as she reached for the bowl, she knocked over the entire bowl of chicken soup, spilling it all over herself. The soup had just been ladled from the pot and was scalding hot. It drenched her, pouring down from her neck, and Mao Mao immediately erupted into loud, painful cries.

Mrs. He, hearing the wails from the other room, merely muttered, "This child is such trouble, why is she crying like that for no reason? Truly useless." She said this without moving toward the kitchen, continuing with the task at hand.

Yu Er heard Mao Mao’s screams and quickly rose, hurrying into the kitchen. Seeing Mao Mao scalded, she immediately cried out, "Mother, Sister-in-law, hurry here! Mao Mao is burned!"

Dong Yu, who was eating chicken nearby, heard Yu Er’s call but remained seated, not bothering to get up. She thought to herself, If she’s burned, she’s burned. Why call me? It has nothing to do with me. Song Yue Mei’s daughter, she deserves to burn to death.

Mrs. He, hearing Yu Er’s shouts, finally rushed into the kitchen. Upon entering and seeing the chicken soup spilled from the shelf, she erupted in anger: "You greedy thing! When have you ever lacked food? You’ve spilled a whole good bowl of chicken soup! Do you know I was saving this specifically for your grandfather? Just like her mother, lazy and only thinking of food."

Yu Er, while quickly trying to peel Mao Mao's clothes off, admonished Mrs. He: "Mother, never mind that now. The soup was boiling hot, Mao Mao got badly burned. We don't know how severe it is. Come quickly and lend a hand, help me get her clothes off so I can see. Look, her neck is already bright red; it will blister soon. This looks serious."

Heeding Yu Er’s words, Mrs. He told Yu Er to step back and took Mao Mao herself out into the courtyard. Mao Mao was screaming in pain from the boiling water, while Yu Er tried to soothe her. Mrs. He removed the clothing, and upon inspection, saw that the burn was indeed severe—the entire neck was flushed crimson, and blisters seemed imminent. The child was truly suffering.

Both Mrs. He and Yu Er gasped sharply. Yu Er said, "Mother, what were you thinking? Mao Mao asked for chicken while she was with me, you should have just given her a little; how much could a child eat? You insisted on taking her into the kitchen, where you could have simply given her some food. Why put the chicken on such a high shelf? Now look what has happened! How are we going to explain this to Big Brother and Sister-in-law?"

Mrs. He felt a pang of regret but, being one never to admit fault, she only regretted not having hidden the chicken better, out of Mao Mao's reach. Being lectured by Yu Er, she became defensive: "Explain what? Children getting burned is common, isn't it? Every child goes through this. Does her mother, Song Yue Mei, guarantee she’ll never have an accident while raising her? Weren't you all constantly bumping and scraping yourselves when you were little?"

Yu Er looked at Mrs. He, knowing her mother’s temper, and sighed, "Forget it, I won't argue with you. The child is like this now. Perhaps we should send for a physician."

"Physician for what? It's just a burn; she’ll be fine in a few days," Mrs. He declared, turning back toward the kitchen to tidy up.

Yu Er said nothing more to her mother. With Mao Mao still crying incessantly, Yu Er held the child close, comforting her. Meanwhile, Dong Yu watched Mao Mao's crying with cold detachment, completely uninvolved, continuing to eat the chicken from her bowl, occasionally sporting a smirk of malicious delight. Yu Er noticed this, and although she couldn't speak up, she felt distinct disapproval toward her younger sister-in-law. Even if there were conflicts between the adults, the child was innocent; Dong Yu's behavior was simply too much.

As Yu Er was rocking Mao Mao, Song Yue Mei returned. From far off, she heard Mao Mao crying. Upon entering and seeing Yu Er holding the child, Song Yue Mei rushed over, asking anxiously, "Yu Er, what happened? What's wrong with Mao Mao?"

Yu Er hesitated, unsure how to reply to Song Yue Mei. She gently passed Mao Mao over while saying, "Sister-in-law, Mao Mao accidentally burned herself in the kitchen just now. Look, it’s quite bad. Mother and the others are busy. You soothe her first; I’ll rush to the village entrance to call a doctor."

Song Yue Mei nodded, and Yu Er hurried out. Song Yue Mei sat down in the courtyard, holding Mao Mao and trying to calm her. She then took a close look at the injury. Her eyes immediately reddened. The skin across Mao Mao's chest was already inflamed, with clusters of unbroken, densely packed blisters clinging to the skin, extending from her neck all the way down to her navel. Mao Mao’s cries were growing hoarse. Song Yue Mei felt as if her heart were being carved by knives, the pain unbearable. As she comforted Mao Mao, she glanced around the courtyard: she saw Dong Yu sipping soup from her bowl, and another bowl of chicken sitting on a stool nearby, presumably Yu Er's. Song Yue Mei instantly began to piece things together.

However, because Mao Mao was crying so violently, Song Yue Mei did not confront anyone immediately. She simply held and comforted her. Soon after, Mrs. He emerged from the kitchen, looked around, and seeing Yu Er gone, asked where she had gone. Song Yue Mei, bristling with suppressed anger, ignored Mrs. He. Dong Yu mentioned that Yu Er had gone to fetch a physician. At this, Mrs. He instantly snapped at Song Yue Mei: "What were you thinking, sending Yu Er to call a doctor? It’s not close to the village entrance, and the road is rough. She’s pregnant—what if she trips and falls? It’s just a minor burn; why summon a doctor? Do you think you gave birth to some pampered young lady?"

Mrs. He finished speaking, and Song Yue Mei fixed her with a fierce glare, eyes sharp enough to flay Mrs. He alive. But she only held the stare for a moment before turning away to continue soothing Mao Mao without a retort. At this point, Song Yue Mei's anger had reached its zenith. Today, she absolutely would not tolerate this any longer. No matter what Qing Shan might say later, this incident would not pass quietly. She would wait until the physician arrived, then they would see about Mao Mao.