LW chapter 3

 

After finishing the planting and coming down from the mountain, Chen Qing was too exhausted to speak. He leaned against the doorway, gasping for breath. Over the past five years, Aunt Sun had helped him regain his health, so farm work itself wasn’t an issue for him. However, he hadn’t rested much the night before, and carrying water up and down the mountain left him worn out.

“Tomorrow, we’ll take a day off and head over to the neighboring village.” Aunt Sun was resting as well, rubbing her sore legs.

Chen Qing nodded. “Alright.”

He hurried to cook a meal. After eating with Aunt Sun, they went back to their rooms to rest.

When Chen Qing woke up again, Aunt Sun was already busy sweeping the courtyard and feeding the chickens and ducks. Seeing that Chen Qing was awake, she waved him over. “Ah Qing, let’s go see the carpenter.”

Of course, going to the carpenter was to buy a coffin. Back then, Chen Qing had sold himself just to afford a coffin for his father.

On the way, Aunt Sun explained her plans. “Let’s buy Taozi a nice coffin. There’s a family in the next village that’s good at arranging funeral banquets. We’ll hire them to help.” She was very familiar with all the procedures. Years ago, she had buried her husband the same way.

Chen Qing listened quietly, and soon they arrived at the carpenter’s house.

Aunt Sun explained why they had come, but the carpenter said, “You came at the wrong time. I had two sets ready, but two families suddenly bought them. I’m all out now. It’ll take at least a month to make more.”

Hearing this, Aunt Sun was stunned. “A month?”

The carpenter nodded. “If you’re in a hurry, you could try the town, but it’ll cost more.” He asked them to leave their address in case something became available.

After arranging everything, Chen Qing helped Aunt Sun walk home. Her eyes were red. “I just wanted to do one dignified thing for him. Why does it have to be so hard?”

Chen Qing didn’t know how to comfort her. He looked up at the sun, which was high in the sky, and felt that it only made everything feel more oppressive.

Back home, neither of them could bring themselves to work. They just sat in the courtyard and stared blankly at the sky.

“Ah Qing.”

Chen Qing turned to look at Aunt Sun.

“Let’s just live out our days as best we can,” she said softly, her head lowered.

Since they hadn’t worked all afternoon, they didn’t bother cooking that evening either. Aunt Sun didn’t hurry back to her room. Instead, she lit an oil lamp and went to Chen Qing’s room to sort through Meng Tao’s clothes with him.

Picking up a garment, Aunt Sun told Chen Qing the story behind it. “I made this for him on his birthday. Back then, my eyesight was still good, and I could sew quickly and neatly.”

Chen Qing smiled a little. “Your stitches are beautiful, much better than mine.”

“This one,” she continued, picking up another garment, “was made from his father’s old clothes. Our family was too poor, so I could only alter hand-me-downs.”

As they spoke, they sorted through many of Meng Tao’s garments. Some were still quite new. Aunt Sun didn’t plan to bury them all; she would alter a few for Chen Qing to wear.

They were a poor household. No one thought it was shameful to reuse what was left.

After deciding which clothes to bury, Aunt Sun returned to her room. The night in the mountain village was anything but quiet. The endless chirping of insects filled the darkness.

Before going to bed, she laid out the next day’s plans. Chen Qing would go to town to look for ready-made coffin boards while Aunt Sun would visit the neighboring village to ask the bereaved family when they would be available.

The road from Luohe Village to town was long. So Chen Qing set off early in the morning. Aunt Sun packed him some dry biscuits for the journey.

Before leaving, he boiled hot water for Aunt Sun.

Though he was young and could endure hardship, Aunt Sun was old. He wanted her to avoid cold water whenever possible.

Though small and slender, Chen Qing walked quickly. By sunrise, he had already reached town. The shops weren’t open yet, so he carried several embroidered handkerchiefs that he planned to sell for pocket money.

Li Xin from Luohe Village had arranged that job for him. Li Xin was cheerful and never shy about such things. He found Chen Qing this job and helped negotiate the prices with his quick wit.

Chen Qing waited outside the fabric shop. When he saw the clerk unlock the door, he didn’t rush inside. Shopkeepers always hoped that their first customer would bring in money instead of spending it. So Chen Qing waited until a customer left smiling before entering.

“Shopkeeper, I’ve brought a few more handkerchiefs,” he said, taking them out of his cloth bag.

The shopkeeper’s smile faded slightly. Chen Qing’s embroidery was exquisite. Each bird and blade of grass looked alive. However, the patterns were always the same, and the shopkeeper sighed. “Your stitching is excellent, but the designs never change. They’re hard to sell.”

Chen Qing blushed faintly and shyly asked, “What styles are popular right now?”

“Oh, young men and women—what styles do they love? Romance! Feelings! You’re a married man—surely you understand such things?” The shopkeeper gave him an amused look.

Chen Qing couldn’t find the words to answer. He just mumbled that he would go back and try new ideas.

Still, the shopkeeper bought them at the same price as before, and Chen Qing finally relaxed. If the price had been lowered, he wouldn’t have known how to argue.

At that moment, he missed Li Xin’s help, but Li Xin had traveled far with his mother to stay with their grandfather.

With a hundred coins, Chen Qing left the shop. By now, the coffin shops were open. Unfortunately, it was the same story as in the village—no stock. The shopkeeper explained that a family in the next town had suffered a huge disaster and bought all the coffins. The only ones left were expensive, golden nanmu coffins priced at thirty taels—far beyond Chen Qing’s reach.

He had no choice but to head home and tell Aunt Sun the bad news.

On the way back, he ran into many villagers. He lowered his head, hoping no one would notice him. He really wasn’t good at dealing with people. But someone with sharp eyes called out, “Chen Qing! You’re out so early?”

Chen Qing nodded helplessly. “I had some errands to run. I’m heading back.” Before they could respond, he turned around and started walking faster, as if something were chasing him.

Finally, he left them behind. He felt a bit calmer and slowed down. But not long after, he heard an oxcart approaching from behind. The road was narrow, so he moved to the side to let it pass.

Unexpectedly, the cart slowed to a crawl. Chen Qing tried to move closer to the slope.

“Heading home?” the driver asked.

Chen Qing looked up, but he instantly lowered his gaze when he met Zhou Yuan’s eyes. He nodded slightly.

“Come on, I’ll give you a ride,” Zhou Yuan said.

Chen Qing quickly shook his head. “No, thank you.”

“It’s on the way,” Zhou Yuan said, frowning as he watched Chen Qing act like a frightened animal.

Chen Qing kept shaking his head. “No, it’s not proper.”

After all, he was a married man. Even though his husband had passed away, he couldn’t just ride with another man. He lowered his head and waved to Zhou Yuan as if to shoo him along.

Seeing how determined he was, Zhou Yuan finally drove the cart ahead.

Chen Qing let out a long sigh of relief. He slowed his steps, thinking he would let the cart get farther ahead.

But before long, he saw the cart parked on the side of the road.

…

The only difference this time was that Aunt Hua was sitting in it.

She was a matchmaker who had arranged countless marriages in the town and the surrounding villages. She tugged at Zhou Yuan, smiling so widely that her face seemed on the verge of cracking. Zhou Yuan only replied in curt phrases and remained expressionless.

Chen Qing swallowed and tried to hurry past, but Aunt Hua called out, “Chen Qing! Heading back so soon?”

He nodded and tried to slip by, but Aunt Hua wouldn’t let him. “Xiao Zhou’s cart is going back too. Xiao Zhou, would you mind giving Chen Qing a ride?”

Zhou Yuan nodded. “I don’t.”

Chen Qing still refused. “No, really, it’s not necessary.”

Zhou Yuan’s tone turned serious. “Then give me one coin.”

Chen Qing sighed with relief and took a coin from his embroidered purse. The fare for the ox cart from town to the village was two coins, and since he had already walked halfway, paying one coin was reasonable.

He held out the coin, but when Zhou Yuan reached for it, Chen Qing pulled his hand back slightly. In the end, their hands were so far apart that the coin fell from Chen Qing’s palm into Zhou Yuan’s. In that brief moment in the air, the warmth that Chen Qing’s hand had left on the coin disappeared.

Aunt Hua clicked her tongue and looked at Chen Qing with faint disapproval. “What’s the matter with you? Must you make everything so awkward?”

Zhou Yuan shook his head. “It’s fine. I don’t know many people here yet. I’ll have to trouble you to look after me in the future.”

Aunt Hua smiled again, though she clearly had a cooler attitude toward Chen Qing. Chen Qing didn’t care. He sat in the ox cart, trying to shrink his presence. The moment they entered the village, he jumped down.

“I’ll be going now. Mother’s waiting for me—thank you.”

Zhou Yuan watched Chen Qing flee in panic, his hand tightening around the whip.

Seeing his displeasure, Aunt Hua quickly tried to smooth things over. “Chen Qing’s always been like that. He upsets people sometimes. Don’t let it bother you, Xiao Zhou.”

Zhou Yuan nodded calmly. “It’s fine, Aunt.”

He drove Aunt Hua home, then went to the village head’s house. The village had prepared several plots of land for him to choose from, and he finally selected one.

When the village head saw which plot Zhou Yuan had chosen, he frowned. “You really want this spot?”

“Is there a problem?”

The village head hesitated. “The location is good, but the neighbors aren’t.”

Zhou Yuan looked at him, signaling for him to explain.

“It’s the home of Sun Cui and her widowed son-in-law,” the village head said, worried that Zhou Yuan wouldn’t understand. “She was the woman wailing loudly at the village entrance the other day.”

“So what?”

Seeing that he wouldn’t let it go, the village head spoke more bluntly. “Sun Cui killed her in-laws after getting married. She lost her husband in middle age and her son died young. Now, she has a widowed son-in-law at home. You know, people say bad luck follows them. I’m worried it’ll rub off on you.”

“I’m not afraid of that,” Zhou Yuan replied. “It’s peaceful there, and I just want a quiet place.”

His expression grew colder. “The day after tomorrow is an auspicious day. I’ll start construction then.”

The village head nodded quickly. “Of course, of course. You said you’d provide the food. Will you cook it yourself?”

Zhou Yuan shook his head. “No, I’ll hire someone.”

The village head slapped his knee. “No need to look far! My wife is an excellent cook. If you really can’t manage, my family can help.”

Zhou Yuan glanced at the blackened dishes on the table and said evenly, “I don’t think it’s right to impose on others. Let’s draw lots instead. That’s the fairest.”

The village head escorted him to the door. Before leaving, Zhou Yuan spoke again. “What you said earlier about the Sun family was biased. Aunt Sun’s son died fighting for his country. You called it a curse, but I don’t agree. The battlefield is dangerous, and every soldier deserves respect.”

His voice was perfectly calm, yet the village head felt a chill down his spine for some reason. He nodded hurriedly. “Yes, yes, of course.”

Zhou Yuan left, and not far from the village head’s house, Chen Qing had overheard the entire conversation. A strange, unnameable feeling welled up inside him, leaving him bewildered.

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