LW chapter 17

 

The corn husks in the field were quickly peeled and dried on the other side of the yard. The courtyard was small to begin with, leaving only a narrow path wide enough for one person.

Since they had gotten up so early, Li Xin took Niu Niu home for a nap. Zhou Yuan didn’t stay long, either. Aunt Sun washed the dishes and told Chen Qing to rest.

The medicine Li Xin had applied that morning worked well. The pain in his shoulder had mostly faded, and as soon as he lay down, Chen Qing fell fast asleep.

He didn’t usually dream, but this time he did.

In his dream, Xiaodie appeared—gentle and silent—before leaping into the river. Then came scenes of being trafficked and of strangers constantly watching him. Finally, he ended up with someone whose face he could never quite see, no matter how hard he tried.

“Chen Qing?”

The person in the dream moved with difficulty. Chen Qing nodded eagerly.

“I’m Meng Tao.”

Chen Qing’s eyes widened as he tried desperately to get a clearer look. No matter how hard he stared, though, the face remained blurred.

“I…”

“Take good care of my mother.”

Chen Qing kept nodding. “You…”

“You don’t need to stay pure for me. We didn’t really know each other.”

Chen Qing froze.

“I won’t speak with you again. Look after my mother, and do whatever you want.”

“No—Meng… Meng Tao!”

Chen Qing shot up in bed, drenched in sweat and with a pounding heart. Outside the door, Aunt Sun was chatting with Zhou Yuan. His shout rang out loud and clear.

Zhou Yuan’s smile disappeared, and he nodded at Aunt Sun. “Auntie, I’ll take my leave for now.”

“Alright.” Aunt Sun waved him off, then turned back into the room.

“Ah Qing, did you dream of Taozi?” she asked as she walked over to his bedside and noticed his soaked forehead.

Chen Qing nodded. “I didn’t see his face clearly, but he said…he asked me to take care of you.”

Aunt Sun wiped her tears. “I knew he was a good child.”

Perhaps he appeared in Chen Qing’s dream because he was concerned that he was still grieving.

However, their days didn’t allow much time for grief because there was still work to be done.

The fields in the flatlands were easier to work than the ones in the mountains, so they didn’t have to wake up as early.

When they went out, people were already working nearby. With everyone chatting and laughing in the morning light, the work didn’t seem so tiring. Before long, the harvest was finished.

The field next to Chen Qing’s home belonged to a family who had gone to the border with Meng Tao.

“I heard your Meng Qi is getting married?” someone asked while chopping down corn stalks.

“Yes, once the wheat is harvested and the taxes are paid, he’ll marry his new wife,” said Meng Qi’s mother, clearly excited. Although Meng Qi didn’t receive military honors like Zhou Yuan, at least he came back alive. Getting married and having children was her only wish.

Aunt Sun smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in her expression. “That’s great, really great.”

Meng Qi, who was also helping out, hadn’t seen Aunt Sun much since he came back. His mother had told him to stay away for fear that it would remind her of the pain of losing her son. Even when they wanted to burn incense for Meng Tao, his mother stopped them.

But after experiencing life and death, the boys who left Luohe Village had matured. Maybe they were immature before, but now they could stand on their own.

Meng Qi greeted Aunt Sun. Despite his mother’s disapproving look, he told her a bit about the border.

Aunt Sun listened quietly, occasionally wiping her eyes with her sleeve. “Thank you, Meng Qi.”

He was more muscular and tanned now. He seemed a little regretful. “We got split up after entering the military camp. Everyone ended up in different units, so we didn’t see each other much. I don’t know much about Brother Tao, but I heard he earned a ten-tael pension. He must have been very brave on the battlefield.”

No one knew what kind of reward Zhou Yuan had received from the court for his military merits, but it must have been substantial.

Zhou Yuan had told her these things before, and even if she heard them a thousand times, she would never tire of them.

While they talked, both plots of land were harvested. Meng Qi’s mother looked at Aunt Sun. “How are you going to carry all this back? Your place isn’t close. How about I get Qizi to help?”

Aunt Sun shook her head. “We borrowed Zhou Yuan’s ox cart.”

Meng Qi’s mother suddenly understood. “Ah, that makes sense. You’re close with him, and he has an ox.”

With Zhou Yuan’s help, Chen Qing’s family finished harvesting much faster than before, and now all the corn is piled in Zhou Yuan’s yard.

Besides Chen Qing’s family, other households wanted to borrow Zhou Yuan’s ox, too. After all, why work so hard if a beast could help? However, Zhou Yuan didn’t lend it to just anyone—only to families without men or households with elderly, sick, or disabled members. He didn’t ask for anything in return, just that they feed the ox well.

The autumn harvest season in the village was going smoothly, and the village head’s family was no exception. Though they were wealthier than most, they weren’t like the Li family of blacksmiths, who rented out all their land. Instead, they farmed more than anyone.

The blacksmith’s family had become quite prosperous. The war hadn’t hurt them; in fact, it had made blacksmithing even more profitable because the government placed orders for weapons and tools for the army.

Blacksmith Li had even been called to work in the prefectural city. After several years of service and a victorious war that brought hefty reparations from the enemy, the court rewarded many craftsmen with generous sums.

Fortunately, the village head had many strong young sons. The head had three sons who were all hard workers. The eldest and youngest had married gers, and the middle son had married a woman. Today, the third son’s husband said he wasn’t feeling well, so he stayed home to cook with Aunt Wang.

“That’s strange. How come no one has come to borrow the ox cart this year?” Aunt Wang asked her husband, Zhang Ran, as they peeled corn together.

In previous years, families without men would come borrow the cart around this time. But this year, not one had shown up.

“I heard they all went to borrow from Zhou Yuan,” Zhang Ran replied.

Aunt Wang clenched her teeth. Ever since Zhou Yuan showed up, nothing had gone smoothly for them.

Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi broke into his house and had to pay for the damages. Now, her married sister-in-law came around daily to stir up trouble, crying and throwing tantrums even in her old age. She was so shameless that she wanted to share in the children’s meals, saying that her brother hadn’t settled her issues.

Ultimately, it was all Zhou Yuan’s fault.

Now, he was lending his ox out left and right. Her family used to earn favors when they lent the cart. But now? No one even bothered to ask. They didn’t receive anything.

“What can I do about it?” Zhang Ran said. “Father has to show him respect for his military merits. I even heard that Blacksmith Li wants to arrange a marriage between his son and him.” His voice dripped with jealousy.

Aunt Wang sneered. “Isn’t their family always looking down on everyone else?” The more she thought about it, the angrier she grew. She had originally wanted her youngest son to marry Li Xin, but the family kept making excuses, saying that Li Tiejiang was in the capital and that Li Xin was still young. Clearly, they just didn’t want to agree to it.

And now time was running out.

“If that marriage actually happens, wouldn’t Blacksmith Li and Zhou Yuan get to strut around the village like kings?” Zhang Ran said bitterly. He knew that he had been the village head’s family’s second choice, and he only realized how miserable he was after marrying.

“Hmph.” Aunt Wang said nothing more, but her hands worked even faster.

“Zhou Yuan’s condition is far better than those embroidered pillows that look good but are useless,” Zhang Ran grumbled. “I mean, he probably doesn’t even need a lamp to make someone blush at night.”

Aunt Wang glared at him. “Shut up!”

The autumn moon passed quickly. Once harvested, the corn was dried and then threshed. After threshing, it was dried again. Once fully dry, the corn was weighed for tax collection by the court.

During the war years, land taxes were as high as 15%. Life had been tough. However, with the war over and no new policies issued yet, taxes were expected to be reduced this year.

Farming was how the villagers survived. Thankfully, the weather had been favorable in recent years, so even after paying taxes, families had some money left over. Otherwise, who knows how they would have gotten by?

Once the corn was dried, Chen Qing began shelling it at home. He sorted the largest, fullest kernels for seeds, set aside pest-free kernels for his family to eat, and mixed the rest to pay the tax.

Currently, every family was peeling corn at home. Li Xin brought Niu Niu over and chatted with Chen Qing while they worked.

“A relative came to our house,” Li Xin said.

“That’s normal. Relatives visit,” Chen Qing replied casually. But they both knew that they didn’t really have any. The last ones who came only cared about money.

“My dad said he’s a distant relative from way down the family line.” Li Xin recalled what had happened when they met. Their family had been eating dinner. His parents were discussing his marriage when there was a knock on the outer courtyard gate.

He went to open it and found a thin man standing there. The man wore a long green robe and carried a bookcase on his back. He looked like a scholar.

The man was pale and skinny, as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

Li Xin didn’t recognize him, so he called Li Tiejiang over.

Li Tiejiang didn’t recognize him either. After asking him many questions, they finally learned that he was the grandson of one of Li Tiejiang’s late mother’s cousins. He lived far away, and no one knew how he had even found them.

Since he had come all the way, however, it would be rude to turn him away. Li Xin’s mother added a bowl and chopsticks. The man was clearly starving and didn’t care about the etiquette expected of a scholar. He ate voraciously and even cried while eating, which scared Niu Niu, who started crying too.

Qi Shuning’s story was simple. He had a weak body, a mother who died young, and a cruel stepmother. His father had become distant after remarrying. He later lived with his widowed grandmother. When she died, he returned home, only to find that there was no place for him anymore. His stepmother stopped him from studying and forced him to work. However, he wasn’t strong enough for labor. Remembering something his grandmother had once said about distant relatives, he took her keepsake and tracked down Blacksmith Li’s household.

Blacksmith Li sighed as he looked at the token. It really had belonged to his mother. “What are you hoping we can do for you?”

“I want to study,” Qi Shuning said quietly.

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