LW chapter 90: Extra 6

 

The wind and sand in Yizhou Prefecture were much less severe than in Xiaxi Prefecture. Chen Qing lifted the headscarf that was covering his face. It had become so dirty that it was unrecognizable. He quietly shrank behind the person next to him.

A year had passed since Chen Qing sold himself, yet the brokers still hadn’t sold him. He was short and thin. At first glance, he didn’t look like someone who could have children or do heavy labor.

This time, coming to this town, Chen Qing had prepared himself for not being sold again. However, the night before, he had overheard the steward say that if he still wasn’t sold, they would send him to the Nanfeng Hall.

The two of them spoke more and more crudely. Although Chen Qing didn’t know what Nanfeng Hall was, he had a vague idea.

They all had tags hung on their bodies with prices written on them. If someone wanted to buy them, they would remove the tag from their back and negotiate the price with the steward. If the price was acceptable, the steward would give the buyer the deed of sale.

Many people came and went, but not one of them looked at Chen Qing. He twisted his clothes nervously, he did not want to be sent to Nanfeng Hall.

Suddenly, an old woman came through the crowd. Her back was slightly hunched, and her clothes were washed until they turned white. Her head was wrapped in a cloth, leaving only her eyes visible. Her eyes were cloudy, she must have been very old.

She looked around and finally her gaze landed on Chen Qing. He also looked at her, his eyes carrying a trace of pleading he didn’t realize he was expressing.

Soon, the old woman grabbed Chen Qing’s hand and walked toward the steward.

The price tag on Chen Qing’s back read four taels. Seeing that the old woman was very old, the steward offered three taels and five qian.

The old woman looked a bit helpless. She shook her head regretfully and said that she didn’t have enough money. Chen Qing became so anxious that he was about to cry. The steward was also eager to get rid of him. “Three taels is fine, too.”

Chen Qing turned to look at the old woman. Her slightly trembling hands took out a handkerchief wrapped around bits of broken silver. After counting and gathering them, she saw that it added up to only two taels and eight qian.

“Alright, alright, take the person away.” The steward took the money, found Chen Qing’s deed in a stack of contracts, and handed it to the old woman. He told Chen Qing to quickly pack his belongings.

Chen Qing hurried to find his small bundle. There wasn’t much inside, just one or two pieces of clothing. Fearing the old woman would change her mind, he grabbed the bundle and ran to her side immediately.

After that, the old woman took him away. Chen Qing did not look back, he felt no attachment.

“I live in Zhoujia Village down there. Other than me, only my grandson lives there. But he went off to be a soldier a few years ago, so now I’m alone.” The Grandmother Zhou spoke as she walked. “These old bones of mine won’t last much longer. I just want to find a husband for A-Yuan. That way, when I’m gone, he’ll have someone to talk to when he returns home.”

Chen Qing felt his chest ache. “You are a good person. You’ll live a long life.”

Grandmother Zhou simply smiled. When she smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes crinkled. She knew her health was failing. These days, she felt blessed just to wake up each day. The child before her looked kind and pleasant. She believed A-Yuan would like him, too.

They returned home together. Grandmother Zhou’s house was considered quite shabby for the village—only two small rooms and a small cooking area with a stove made of yellow clay.

“The conditions at home aren’t good. Please bear with it. At least you’ll have your freedom.” Grandmother Zhou walked shakily into a room and found a piece of meat that had been salted with coarse salt for a long time. “To celebrate your return, we’ll have a nice meal tonight.”

Chen Qing nodded, put his bundle under the eaves, and began to help the old woman with chores.

Grandmother Zhou was tired, so she sat down on a small stool. “Child, what’s your name?”

Chen Qing rolled up his sleeves and answered, “My name is Chen Qing.”

“Xiao Qing.” Grandmother Zhou pulled Chen Qing into the room, remembering something. “You’ll live in the room A-Yuan used to stay in. When he comes back, the two of you can get married.”

Even though Zhou Yuan had been gone for years, his room was still neat and clean. Chen Qing stood stiffly at the doorway. Despite no one having lived in it for a long time, he felt a heavy pressure coming from it.

Grandmother Zhou made dinner. She boiled and sliced the salted meat, then cooked radishes in the broth, which was a very rich meal.

Chen Qing didn’t dare eat much. He was afraid that if he ate too much, the old woman would send him back. So, he focused on eating the radishes. The old woman kept putting meat in his bowl, but he declined, saying it wasn’t necessary.

Grandmother Zhou said that she was old, her teeth were bad, and the meat was too tough for her to chew. Chen Qing finally felt a little less burdened and ate it.

He lay awake on Zhou Yuan’s bed until dawn. The next day, Grandmother Zhou took him to the place in town where they handled household registration and registered Chen Qing’s name. From then on, he was from this place.

Perhaps because his registration was settled, Chen Qing’s heart finally relaxed a little. He began helping Grandmother Zhou with chores, though there wasn’t much to do.

Grandmother Zhou sat in the courtyard, still holding needlework in her hands. “I’m old, and there’s no land at home. The people in the village usually go to the dam over there to dig for medicinal herbs or go out to work. My legs don’t work well anymore, so I can’t go and can only do needlework. Now, I can’t see well enough to do that either.”

“How did you live before?” After talking with her, Chen Qing learned that her grandson had been gone for three years.

“Sigh. As long as you don’t starve to death, it’s fine.” Grandmother Zhou was very openhearted. “A-Yuan is filial. Sometimes he sends money back.”

Chen Qing looked at her and saw a pale smile on her face. “The money used to bring you back home was money A-Yuan sent.”

Chen Qing felt that there was something hidden behind this, but he was afraid that speaking too much would make Grandmother Zhou unhappy. So, he said, “Grandmother, I can do needlework too. I do it quickly and well.”

Grandmother Zhou stood up and touched his hair. “Then this counts as a bit of livelihood for our family.”

Chen Qing immediately took the needlework basket from her and began embroidering handkerchiefs.

And so the days passed, one after another. Grandmother Zhou seemed to stand alone in the village. Normally, no one came to their small courtyard. Chen Qing was happy not to have to go out and see people.

The two of them didn’t eat much, and there was still quite a bit of grain left in the jar at home. There just wasn’t much meat. Chen Qing didn’t mind. As long as he had a stable place to stay, that was enough for him.

Their village wasn’t far from town. Grandmother Zhou had taken him to town once to sell handkerchiefs. His embroidery was very good, so the shopkeeper offered a higher price than before. After exchanging the handkerchiefs for money, Chen Qing gave the money to Grandmother Zhou. She refused to take it, telling him to keep it and buy something tasty.

Life here wasn’t prosperous, but it was stable. Chen Qing worked on his embroidery day and night and exchanged it for money. After going back and forth a few times, he became acquainted with the shopkeeper. Seeing how diligent he was and that he relied on an old woman, the shopkeeper introduced him to washing and starching work in town.

After discussing it with Grandmother Zhou, he accepted the work. From the scorching summer to the bitter winter, Chen Qing’s hands developed chilblains.

But at least there was a little more money at home, and they could celebrate the New Year properly—they could even buy meat for New Year’s Eve dinner.

On New Year’s Eve, Grandmother Zhou took Chen Qing to buy a piece of meat to offer to the Zhou family ancestors.

“A-Yuan’s parents died early. When he was young, he was raised by this old woman.” Grandmother Zhou was panting. “He’s filial. He knew the family was poor, so he went to the battlefield—a place that takes lives.”

Chen Qing held her arm and listened quietly as she talked about Zhou Yuan. He developed a bit of curiosity about Zhou Yuan. What kind of person was he?

Was he as kind as Grandmother, or difficult to get along with? A filial person should be easy to get along with, right?

Before long, they arrived at the grave. Because so much time had passed, the area looked desolate. Chen Qing cleaned the area a bit before bowing with Grandmother Zhou.

“Those of you in heaven, please bless A-Yuan and keep him safe on the battlefield.”

After she said this, tears flowed from her cloudy eyes.

Chen Qing took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears. “Grandmother, as long as he hasn’t come back yet, I will take good care of you and be filial to you.”

The two returned home after offering their respects to the ancestors. Chen Qing prepared the New Year’s Eve dinner. One piece of meat had to be made into several meals. Tonight, they would stir-fry a small portion of the meat and boil the rest with radishes.

Winter nights fell early. They set the table in Grandmother Zhou’s room. The dim oil lamp lit their faces. Grandmother Zhou took a red envelope out of her pocket. “This is A-Year’s money for Xiao Qing.”

Chen Qing refused to accept it, but Grandmother Zhou insisted, so he put it away.

“I won’t live long. Xiao Qing, if you think I’ve treated you well, then after I die, stay here a while longer and wait for A-Yuan. He is a good child. You two will live well together.”

Chen Qing rubbed his eyes. “Grandma, today is a lucky day. Don’t say things like that. You’ll live to be a hundred years old.”

Grandmother Zhou knew he was only trying to comfort her. Suddenly hearing movement outside, she said to Chen Qing, “Hide that bowl of stir-fried meat quickly.”

Chen Qing did as he was told and put the small bowl of stir-fried meat into a cabinet. Only then did Grandmother Zhou stand up and go to the door.

“Mother, why didn’t you light a lamp? I almost tripped in the dark!” The voice of a man with an especially loud voice could be heard outside. Without letting her explain, he scolded her: “If we hadn’t come to invite you, you wouldn’t come to our house for the New Year!”

Grandmother Zhou straightened her back. “I’m doing fine. No need for me to dirty your house.”

Only then did Zhou Mu notice Chen Qing standing beside her. His temper immediately flared. “Before the end of the year, I went out to work. I didn’t know you would do such a muddle-headed thing—spend three taels of silver to buy a husband! How could you even think of that? My wife and I have already discussed it. When A-Yuan returns, we will marry him to my wife’s niece. Why did you spend that money?”

Chen Qing’s shoulders trembled slightly, but he stood firmly beside Grandmother Zhou.

Zhou Mu looked at Chen Qing. “Return the three taels of silver, then get out of here!”

Grandmother Zhou blocked Zhou Mu. “Don’t interfere in my business. A-Yuan’s husband was bought with her own money. Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Zhou Mu seemed to realize something and became angrier. “I was wondering why I didn’t receive any silver this year—so you took it yourself! Instead of saving it properly, you bought this thing!” ”

 

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