LW chapter 6

 

The panic he felt when he first heard that Meng Tao had died in the war returned. After night fell, Chen Qing paced around the room, not bothering to change his clothes. Although only a few of Meng Tao’s belongings were missing, the whole room felt completely empty to Chen Qing.

He didn’t light the oil lamp. Instead, he tiptoed to Aunt Sun’s bedroom door. Just as he pressed his ear against it, the door swung open from the inside.

Aunt Sun was startled and almost hit him. “What are you doing, Ah Qing?”

Chen Qing hesitated, and Aunt Sun quickly caught on. “Are you worried I might do something foolish?”

Chen Qing nodded. Not long ago, his father had cooked him a nice meal and then jumped into the river.

Chen Qing was afraid that, after Meng Tao’s funeral, Aunt Sun might feel there was no hope left and decide to do something rash herself.

Aunt Sun gently touched Chen Qing’s hair. “Don’t be scared.”

Chen Qing nodded heavily. With her promise, he finally slept soundly that night.

After that, he gradually settled down. He had been working extra hard lately. Although Zhou Yuan hadn’t started repairing the house yet, all the young, able-bodied men in the village were hurrying to finish their farming work.

These days, Zhou Yuan kept bringing loads of building materials back from town. Most of the village gossip was about him.

Chen Qing eventually noticed that Zhou Yuan was always hauling blue bricks. Turns out, he was planning to build a brick house. Looking at his own home with its thatched roof, clay walls, and yellowed mud, Chen Qing sighed. He had no idea when he’d ever be able to build something like that.

Since so many supplies were piling up, Zhou Yuan stopped going back to town for a while. He built a small shed and slept there at night.

A round of firecrackers marked the official beginning of repairs to Zhou Yuan’s house. He hired more than a dozen strong young men from the village, most of whom were referred by the village chief and some of whom had served with him on the battlefield. Having experienced the front lines, they all worked quickly and steadily.

While the house was being built, Chen Qing and his family prepared lunch. Zhou Yuan bought his own tableware and brought it to Chen Qing’s house every day. Both Chen Qing and Aunt Sun were good cooks—they could wash and set out all the dishes in one morning.

Even a simple bowl of soup tasted delicious.

They cooked in their own kitchen every day and brought the food over once it was ready. At first, Aunt Sun did the cooking, but one day, she nearly twisted her ankle. After that, Chen Qing took over. His mother’s health mattered more than his reluctance to step outside.

Delivering food became the part he dreaded most. All the people working there were men from the village. His ears would turn red just talking to the older ladies and ger—never mind standing in front of a crowd of men.

The village men especially didn’t watch their mouths. They blurted out all kinds of crude jokes. Since Chen Qing was a widower, a lot of their teasing turned vulgar.

Seeing Chen Qing nearly bolt, Zhou Yuan’s gaze settled on the two men teasing him.

The next day, Zhou Yuan asked Aunt Sun to set the cooked food by the door. Someone would come pick it up. Chen Qing finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Since he was helping Zhou Yuan with meals, they were using water faster than ever—what would normally last five days was now gone in a single day. So, after work, Chen Qing would grab the buckets and fetch more water.

He didn’t enjoy chatting with the villagers, so he decided to travel after dark. He knew the road by heart and wasn’t afraid of stumbling in the dark. Aunt Sun’s old illness had flared up again the past couple of days, weakening her back, so Chen Qing made two extra trips.

On the way to the well, he passed Zhou Yuan’s newly built house.

Carrying his bucket, Chen Qing moved lightly, like a thief. He slowed his breathing so that no one would hear him.

Once he crossed that stretch of road, he finally relaxed. What he didn’t know was that Zhou Yuan, a soldier stationed at a frontline camp, was aware of every movement around him. Through the shed’s opening, Zhou Yuan could see Chen Qing—this small man hurrying along with a bucket of water.

Since the house was close to the well, one bucket of water was never enough. Chen Qing poured the water into the tank. Aunt Sun noticed how out of breath he was and asked, “Ah Qing, can’t you fetch more tomorrow?”

Chen Qing shook his head. “Two more trips should be enough.” There were more people around during the day. It was better to take advantage of the dark, when nobody could see him, and get it over with.

Aunt Sun sighed. “Why do you act like you’re stealing when you fetch water?”

While they were talking, someone knocked on the door. Chen Qing was still pouring water. Aunt Sun went to open it.

From the corner of his eye, Chen Qing saw a tall figure standing in the doorway. His hands moved faster. He quickly emptied the bucket into the tank and ducked back inside the house.

“No need to bother. Ah Qing can handle it,” said Aunt Sun. She knew why Zhou Yuan had come, and she was grateful, but he was already paying them well. How could they let him fetch water on top of that?

“It wasn’t discussed back then.” Zhou Yuan sounded earnest. “It’s too much for him to go out and fetch water at night. Let me do it. After all, you’ve been taking good care of me. I’m strong, so carrying water won’t be a problem.”

Ever since Zhou Yuan built the shed, Aunt Sun had sometimes brought him dinner. Zhou Yuan shared a large pot with everyone during the day, but she had seen him eat only steamed buns at night on more than one occasion.

With his tall, sturdy frame, how could he survive on just a few buns? So she asked Chen Qing to cook extra for him in the evenings. However, Zhou Yuan sometimes couldn’t finish all the dishes she sent over, so she only brought some of them.

After a few refusals, Aunt Sun knew he meant it and didn’t want to seem impolite, so she handed him the bucket and shoulder pole. “Sorry to trouble you.”

Still hiding inside, Chen Qing couldn’t hear their conversation. He picked up a small box and started looking for medicine to ease Aunt Sun’s back pain. He planned to sew her an herbal pouch tomorrow if he had time.

Aunt Sun soon came back. Chen Qing stood up to fetch more water, but she stopped him. “Zhou Yuan went to get it.”

Chen Qing blinked in surprise. “Why did he go?”

Aunt Sun recalled what Zhou Yuan had said. “It’s too dark out, and you’re alone. He was worried that something might happen to you.”

Chen Qing muttered, “What could possibly happen?”

Even so, his heartbeat sped up again.

Knowing Chen Qing’s temperament, Aunt Sun added, “Zhou Yuan will bring the water back soon. After he leaves, you can come out and pour it into the tank. That should be enough to last until tomorrow.”

Chen Qing nodded. Since the room was dark, Aunt Sun didn’t notice his expression. She took the medicine pouch from him and went back to her room.

Chen Qing sat on the bed. Outside, everything was silent except for the insects in the vegetable garden.

After a while, he heard a few knocks on the door. After waiting a long moment, he stepped out. Seeing the bucket and shoulder pole by the doorway, he took a deep breath, lifted the water steadily, and filled the tank.

From then on, Zhou Yuan fetched water every night. One trip was never enough. He would leave the water at the door, knock, and leave. Chen Qing would pour the water into the tank, put the bucket back out, and Zhou Yuan would go get more.

Work on the house was progressing, and Zhou Yuan helped out, although he was often away for long periods of time. Whenever he was gone, a few villagers started slacking off.

Zhou Yuan paid them well, so they were happy to drag out the job and take it easy. Why not?

They thought they were being discreet, but Zhou Yuan saw everything.

Originally, he paid them every ten days. But when he paid them that day, he pointed at two men and said, “You don’t need to come back tomorrow.”

Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi were still grinning over their wages when they heard that. Their faces instantly darkened. “Why aren’t you letting us come back?”

Everyone nearby turned to look. In the village, those two were notorious troublemakers. They relied on their ties to the village chief’s family and always stirred up trouble. Plenty of people disliked them.

Zhou Yuan didn’t bother explaining. “You know why.”

Humiliated, Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi jabbed their fingers at him. “You’ll be begging us to work tomorrow!”

Zhou Yuan didn’t take them seriously at all. He just picked up a broom and drove them out.

Chen Qing heard the commotion in his own yard. Aunt Sun saw him glancing over and chuckled. “If you want to see the excitement, go have a look. There are plenty of young men and women over there.”

Chen Qing quickly shook his head. “I’m not going…”

Aunt Sun placed her sewing basket in his hands. “Then I’ll go watch for you.”

Chen Qing watched eagerly as she left, waiting to hear what she would bring back.

“That was Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi. Xiao Zhou doesn’t want them working there anymore.” Aunt Sun sat by the stove and told Chen Qing what had happened.

“Huh? Why?” Chen Qing scooped some lard into the pot. As it melted, he tossed in some sliced squash and added water. He was planning to make noodle soup that night. The noodles in the bowl weren’t made of wheat; they were a mixture of grains.

After adding water, he started kneading dough. He heard Aunt Sun say, “Xiao Zhou said those two were always slacking off. Why keep them?”

Chen Qing’s hands kept moving. He knew those men. He usually avoided them. When he delivered meals to them before, they made a few disgusting jokes.

“I just don’t know how the village chief will take it,” Aunt Sun said. “Those two are related to him. Xiao Zhou is new here, so it’s hard to say.”

“The village chief can’t force people to do things they don’t want to,” said Chen Qing while kneading. He thought of Zhou Yuan’s expression and felt certain that he wouldn’t be intimidated.

It was just idle talk between them. Chen Qing held the dough in one hand and a knife in the other. He quickly cut the dough into pieces and dropped them into the pot.

After the water came to a boil, he added a bowl of cold water. Once it came to a boil again, he added seasonings, salt, and pepper. Finally, he tossed in a handful of greens, a splash of sesame oil, and some chopped scallions.

“Give Zhou Yuan a bowl,” Aunt Sun said.

Chen Qing nodded. He picked the biggest bowl in the house, filled it, and handed it over. Aunt Sun always delivered the food herself. Chen Qing had never gone over there.

As she carried the bowl out, she glanced down the road and saw the village chief and his people walking toward her from the far end of the road.

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