BDSMST -Chapter 7 He Who Does Not Work, Neither Shall He Eat

The feeling of being full restored a bit of strength to Gu Xuan. Leaning against the wall, he stared out the window, calculating his next move.

The hunger strike clearly wouldn’t work. That wicked woman’s heart was as hard as stone—she wouldn’t pity him at all. He couldn’t win in a direct confrontation either. Was he really supposed to stay in this wretched place forever, eating coarse food and sleeping on straw?

No! He had to find a way back!

As long as he returned to the capital, to his grandfather and grandmother, he could make that wicked woman pay the price!

Just as he was secretly plotting an escape, Jiang Suisui’s voice cut through his thoughts.

“Finished eating?”

Gu Xuan looked up at her warily.

Ignoring his gaze, Jiang Suisui picked up two small objects from the corner of the wall—newly made, by the look of them—and tossed one in front of him.

With a clang, it hit the ground. It was a small hoe. The wooden handle was smooth, clearly freshly polished, and the little iron blade gleamed. Its size was perfectly suited for a child his age.

Gu Xuan froze. “You… why are you giving me this?”

“Didn’t you ask what kind of work you’d have to do if you wanted to eat?” Jiang Suisui picked up the other small hoe, weighed it in her hand, then pointed toward a patch of land not far away—the small area Li Si and the others had just cleared. “Now I’ll tell you.”

She gestured toward the weed-choked, hardened vegetable plot. Her tone was calm but left no room for refusal.

“See that land? From that crooked tree over there to that large rock. Before sunset today, pull out all the weeds and turn over the soil. Finish it, and there’ll be dinner. If you don’t—” She paused, her gaze settling on his face, and said each word clearly, “there will be no supper.”

“What?!” Gu Xuan leapt up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “You… you want me to do that kind of work? I’m the heir of the Marquisate! And you expect me to dig in the dirt like a servant?!”

His voice sharpened with fury, his small chest heaving violently. This was utter humiliation! His noble body was meant for studying and martial training, for inheriting the marquis title—not for such menial labor!

“I told you yesterday,” Jiang Suisui said without the slightest change in expression, “there is no heir here. Only those who want to eat, and those who don’t. You choose.”

“I. Won’t. Do it!” Gu Xuan ground the words out through clenched teeth, his little face flushed red.

“Fine.” Jiang Suisui nodded, so readily it caught him off guard. “Chunxing, prepare dinner for two people tonight.”

“Yes, Madam,” Chunxing replied softly, casting a sympathetic glance at the trembling Gu Xuan.

Without sparing him another look, Jiang Suisui hoisted her small hoe and walked toward the vegetable field.

Under the sunlight, she chose a spot not far from the area she had assigned him and began working. Her movements were somewhat unpracticed, yet methodical. Bend, swing, turn the soil—clean and efficient, with no wasted motion. Sweat soon dampened the loose strands of hair on her forehead, but she paid it no mind, fully focused on her task.

Gu Xuan stood there, staring at her figure laboring in the field. Anger and frustration churned within him, along with a strange, indescribable restlessness.

He didn’t believe it. He refused to believe she would truly harden her heart and starve him again. He had just fainted from hunger—she couldn’t possibly be that ruthless!

Crossing his arms, he sat down on the stone steps at the doorway, determined to outlast her.

Time trickled by.

The sun climbed higher and higher in the sky, its rays growing increasingly scorching.

Jiang Suisui worked steadily in the field, returning only a few times to drink water. Li Si and the two hired laborers toiled in another patch of wasteland nearby, their hoes striking the hardened earth again and again in a dull, rhythmic thud. Chunxing finished washing clothes and began cleaning a few of the less-dilapidated rooms.

In the entire ruined estate, it seemed he was the only one doing nothing.

Gu Xuan’s initial confidence slowly gave way to unease. The little bit of wild vegetable porridge in his stomach had long since been digested, and hunger crept back once more. He sneaked a glance at the plot Jiang Suisui had assigned him. It wasn’t large—but for a five-year-old child, it was an enormous task. The weeds were taller than he was, and the soil looked as hard as stone.

Make him do that? It was utterly absurd!

“Y-Young Lord…” Chunxing approached carefully with a bowl of water. “You… you should at least try. Madam… she always means what she says. If you don’t work, you really won’t have dinner tonight.”

“None of your business! Go away!” Gu Xuan snapped irritably, brushing her hand aside.

Chunxing sighed and retreated with the bowl.

At noon, Jiang Suisui returned from the field. Once again, she cooked porridge using the leftover wild greens and broken rice from the night before. She, Chunxing, and Li Si—who had worked all morning—each took a bowl and drank it with clear enjoyment in the courtyard.

No one called Gu Xuan.

His stomach growled louder than ever. Breathing in that familiar fragrance of wild vegetable porridge—the scent he both loved and hated—he nearly drooled. He bit his lip hard and turned his head away, refusing to look at them.

He couldn’t give in. Absolutely not!

By afternoon, the sun burned even more fiercely.

After drinking some water, Jiang Suisui put on a simple straw hat Chunxing had woven for her and carried her hoe back into the field.

Gu Xuan sat alone on the stone steps, dizzy from the heat. His gaze fell on the small hoe he had tossed aside earlier. For the first time, he wavered.

It was just weeding and turning the soil… it shouldn’t be that hard, right? If… if he did just a little, maybe that wicked woman would let him eat?

Once the thought appeared, he couldn’t suppress it.

Slowly, he stood up and walked to the small hoe, nudging it with his foot. After hesitating for a long while, he finally crouched down and reached out his soft, pale hands to grasp the smooth wooden handle.

It was heavier than he expected.

Imitating Jiang Suisui, he hoisted the hoe—almost as tall as himself—and trudged step by step toward his assigned “task area.”

Standing before weeds taller than he was, he felt lost. Taking a deep breath, he recalled how Jiang Suisui swung her hoe. Gathering all his strength, he lifted his arms high and brought the hoe down hard toward the base of a clump of weeds.

Bang!

The hoe struck the hardened ground, leaving only a faint white mark. The impact numbed his palms and sent a sharp ache through his forearms. The weeds, however, did not budge at all.

Gu Xuan froze.

He stared at his reddened palms, then at the stubborn patch of weeds that seemed to mock him. A wave of grievance and frustration surged up inside him.

This wasn’t work meant for humans!

Furious, he threw the hoe aside and plopped down on the ground, bursting into loud sobs. “Waaah—! I don’t want to work! I don’t want to stay here! I want to go home! I want Grandmother! Waaah—!”

His cries echoed miserably across the empty fields.

Not far away, Jiang Suisui heard him. She straightened her back, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and glanced over.

She saw the small figure sitting at the edge of the field, crying his heart out.

She did not go over to comfort him. Nor did she scold him. She simply watched for a moment—then bent down again and continued swinging her hoe.

He who does not work shall not eat.

This was the second rule she intended to teach him. Tears could not teach this lesson. Only blistered hands and aching muscles could make him truly understand.

And she had plenty of patience.