LW chapter 67

 

New Year’s Eve passed in a relaxed manner. After the first month of the lunar year, Li the blacksmith handed his shop over to Li Xin. Now that Li Xin had become a master, he decided to take Zhang Yin and Niu Niu to visit Zhang Yin’s parents’ house.

He had rarely accompanied Zhang Yin home in recent years because he had to work as a blacksmith. This time, he planned to stay at his father-in-law’s house for a while.

Zhang Yin had once been on the brink of death, and now she missed her family more than ever and wanted to be a good daughter again.

Li Xin told them to go. After the New Year, Qi Shuning returned to the academy to study, leaving Li Xin alone at home.

On the second day of the second month, Zhou Yuan went out too. He didn’t bring Chen Qing this time because they had to start spring plowing, and Chen Qing had to stay home and help Aunt Sun.

Li Xin’s shop wasn’t busy, so he only needed to go there once in the morning. If there were customers, he would write down what they wanted and work on it the next morning.

Knowing that Li Xin didn’t like being idle, Chen Qing invited him to their home to keep him company. If Li Xin didn’t sleep at their house, he would sleep in the room that Chen Qing usually used at Aunt Sun’s house.

The three of them lived in harmony.

When they weren’t working on the farm, Chen Qing would go to the shop with Li Xin. Li Xin would forge iron while Chen Qing embroidered. Sometimes, when Li Xin was too busy, Chen Qing would help him remember what the customers wanted.

Unlike before, he no longer stuttered when speaking to people and carefully asked the customers what they wanted.

Although Chen Qing couldn’t read or write, he listened to customers’ descriptions and drew what they wanted. This was integral to his embroidery. If he couldn’t draw it, he wouldn’t be able to embroider the handkerchief.

Li Xin insisted on giving Chen Qing a share, but Chen Qing, who was always irritable, scolded him.

Spring was when the flowers bloomed. Chen Qing and Li Xin went to the back mountain to pick locust flowers. Their life seemed carefree. Their biggest concerns were this year’s harvest and what they would eat for dinner.

After picking the flowers, they didn’t feel like fetching water, so they went to the well to wash them. Zhou Yuan had made them lazy lately. Usually, they could carry water home without getting out of breath, but now, they felt tired after carrying two buckets.

They washed the locust flowers repeatedly. Li Xin said he wanted to fry locust flower cakes, and Chen Qing agreed.

After all, lately, they had either eaten or played, and some of them knew nothing about the world.

One day, after returning from the shop, Li Xin and Chen Qing discussed what to eat for lunch. Chen Qing scratched his head. “You just ate so many snacks. Why do you want to eat again?”

“I’m a blacksmith. I’m very tired. What’s wrong with eating more?” Li Xin held Chen Qing’s arm and, seeing the sun slowly rise, exclaimed, “I have to pick up Qi Shuning today. I forgot!”

Qi Shuning went to school and had a three-day holiday each month. Coincidentally, he was supposed to return today.

Chen Qing looked at him in disbelief. “You forgot about this, too?”

Li Xin scratched his head. “I forgot. Oh well, he’ll come back on his own. After all, it was too late to pick him up now.

“Then, will you go home today?” Chen Qing was a little worried about him. Li Xin had been staying at his house for more than half a month. He hadn’t even cleaned his own house. When Qi Shuning returned, there wouldn’t be any food at home.

“Ask Qi Shuning to come over for dinner later, and you can go home and clean up tonight.” Chen Qing arranged it for him.

Li Xin nodded. “Let’s go back quickly. I’m very hungry.”

Aunt Sun had prepared food for them to take home, but before Chen Qing and Li Xin could arrive, Qi Shuning came first.

“Aunt, is Xinxin home?” Qi Shuning was disappointed that Li Xin didn’t meet him at the academy gate. However, he thought Li Xin might have been busy at the shop, so he rode the ox cart by himself. The house seemed to have been uninhabited for a long time. Qi Shuning panicked a little. After looking around, he finally arrived at Aunt Sun’s door.

“They went to the shop and should be back by now. Li Xin has been staying here recently. Come in and eat before you go back to clean.”

Li Xin and Chen Qing returned just after they finished talking. Not caring about anything else, Qi Shuning hugged Li Xin gently, making Li Xin feel a little embarrassed.

Chen Qing hurried in with Aunt Sun. It took them a while to get inside. Aunt Sun cooked two more dishes, and Li Xin happily enjoyed his meal.

Qi Shuning looked at Li Xin for a longer time and felt that his appetite was much better now than before. Previously, he thought that Li Xin was tired from working as a blacksmith and ate very little. This time, however, his appetite was much better.

After eating, Li Xin packed his things and went home with Qi Shuning. Chen Qing still felt a little uncomfortable.

“Seeing someone else’s husband come back, but not your own, makes you jealous, doesn’t it?” Aunt Sun laughed and asked, “Where did Zhou Yuan go this time?”

Chen Qing shook his head. “He told me before he left, but I forgot.”

“You’re as forgetful as Li Xin.” Aunt Sun washed the dishes with him.

“I guess he has to wait another month or two before he comes back.” Chen Qing said bitterly, “I’ve never felt time pass so slowly before.”

“I’m worried, so the days feel long.”

Qi Shuning stayed at the house for three days. On the fourth day, Li Xin sent him back to school. After he returned to school, Li Xin packed his things and went back to live with them.

Two and a half months passed in the blink of an eye. Luohe Village had begun harvesting wheat. During this period, Chen Qing didn’t go to the shop with Li Xin. He followed Aunt Sun to help with the harvest.

Previous experience with farming made Chen Qing a little uncomfortable on the first day, but after getting through it, he felt he had experienced that feeling before.

Since the weather wasn’t too hot, they went out very early. From dawn until sunrise, they almost finished cutting a plot of land.

The whole village was busy harvesting wheat, and the villagers didn’t have time to greet each other. During such a busy time, the village chief asked everyone to go to the ancestral hall, saying he had something to announce.

When Chen Qing and his friends arrived at the ancestral hall, it was already full of people. Knowing that everyone was busy, the village chief went straight to the point.

“A while ago, I went to the prefecture and discussed matters with the government. After this year’s wheat harvest, our village will start planting rice too.”

This statement caused a lot of controversy. Even Chen Qing and Aunt Sun discussed the issue: “How can we plant rice here?”

Chen Qing remembered seeing vast stretches of rice paddies when he wandered. The fields were full of water, as if it were the most important condition for rice to grow.

“Our Luohe Village is surrounded by mountains and rivers. Clearly, the Luohe River is used for more than just washing clothes.” Village Chief Jiang said, “I went to the provincial capital and invited two experts back. One specializes in improving farmland, and the other specializes in planting rice.”

“Those of you with fields near the Luohe River should pay attention these next couple of days. We will divert water from the river to fertilize the fields, and then we will start planting rice.”

“We don’t know how to do that! Who will be responsible if the land is ruined?”

“What if nothing can be planted?”

“If nothing can be planted, how can we pay taxes?”

Chen Qing and Aunt Sun remained silent, but they were also concerned. After all, Zhou Yuan’s fertile fields were located near the Luohe River. If they wanted to grow rice, Zhou Yuan’s fields would be the first place to try.

Zhang Xu and his wife came to Chen Qing’s side as well. They had settled there less than a year ago and now had to suddenly change. They didn’t know what the future would bring.

“Everyone, please be patient.” Village Chief Jiang said. “As an experiment, our village will definitely be compensated.”

Village Chief Jiang cleared his throat twice. He hadn’t slept for several days because of this matter. “In return, every family with a household registration in our village will be exempt from taxes for two years.”

Two years of taxes—that’s a long time. If they succeed in planting rice, they can store processed rice for two years!

As soon as the village chief said this, everyone wanted to try it.

Chen Qing had never liked change. He thought things were fine the way they were, but now he suddenly had to start planting rice, and he didn’t know what the future would be like. It would be great if Zhou Yuan were here now to hear his opinion.

However, he didn’t know where Zhou Yuan was or when he would return.

On the way home, everyone talked about this issue. Li Xin said, “Maybe it’s because of the previous war. The wheat and grass in the treasury might still be insufficient. Our village is near the Luo River, so rice might grow well there.”

“There is only one veteran leader. When is our turn to learn?” Aunt Sun sighed. They had been farming their whole lives. Now, suddenly, they had to plant something new. They weren’t sure if they could grow it well.

“Don’t worry, Aunt. I’ll ask Qi Shuning to teach me.” Li Xin patted Aunt Sun’s hand. “Even if he doesn’t understand, he can write it down and repeat it to us.”

“Isn’t he at school?” asked Chen Qing.

“No. The school said they couldn’t teach him anymore and let him prepare for exams at home.” Li Xin said, “He might come back tomorrow.”

Chen Qing turned to look at Li Xin. He hadn’t realized they were together on a workday. He had been farming lately and hadn’t seen Li Xin for several days. He realized: “You’re so fat!”

When he said this, Aunt Sun also opened her eyes wide. “Yes, Li Xin, what’s wrong with you?”

Li Xin shook his head. “Nothing. I didn’t feel it. Maybe I ate too much earlier?”

Chen Qing raised his hand and pinched Li Xin’s face and touched his belly. “No, Li Xin, your belly is much bigger.”

Li Xin lowered his head to look, too. Chen Qing didn’t say that he hadn’t noticed, but when he mentioned it, Li Xin realized that his belly no longer had the four-part line and was slightly bulging.

Aunt Sun exclaimed, “Li Xin, you’re pregnant!”

Now, it was Chen Qing and Li Xin’s turn to be stunned. Pregnant?

“I think so. You’ve been eating a lot, being lazy all day, and being forgetful. If this isn’t pregnancy, then what is?”

“Huh?”

Aunt Sun blamed herself too much. She hadn’t fulfilled her responsibilities as an elder. Chen Qing and Li Xin were young and inexperienced, so of course they hadn’t considered pregnancy.

“Impossible?” Li Xin wanted to put his hand on his belly, but he was a little scared. “Could it be that I just gained weight?”

Chen Qing nodded in astonishment. “But Li Xin still works as a blacksmith every day. I heard it’s difficult for gers to get pregnant. Would working as a blacksmith every day endanger the baby? Or is it not a pregnancy?”

Aunt Sun had planned to harvest wheat in the field, but when she saw Li Xin, and realized there was no village doctor, she made a decision. “Let’s go to the city and see a doctor.”

Chen Qing quickly nodded and said, “I’ll go tighten the ox cart.”

After that, he ran home quickly. Li Xin was also a little nervous. He didn’t know how to walk properly and was walking with his legs turned in.

Aunt Sun went home to change clothes. After seeing Chen Qing pull the cart, she asked him to bring a pillow from the house for Li Xin to sit on. Chen Qing drove the cart while Aunt Sun helped Li Xin sit down.

Chen Qing never expected the journey to the city by ox cart to be so long. It was almost dark by the time he arrived. He went straight to the clinic, where he coincidentally met the doctor, who was packing his medicine box and leaving. Not caring about much, Chen Qing rushed to stop the doctor.

Startled, the doctor turned around to face the man. He thought it was an emergency but didn’t expect the man to just want him to take his pulse.

Glancing at Li Xin, the doctor said, “What else do you need to see? This is just pregnancy. Look at this belly. It’s already four months?”

Li Xin shook his head. He and Qi Shuning had only been married for a few months.

The doctor began feeling his pulse and pinched his beard again. “Your pulse feels like a ball rolling on a jade plate. It’s a really smooth pulse. Your belly looks like it’s already four months along. You say the timing doesn’t match. There’s only one possibility.”

Three pairs of eyes stared at the doctor.

He shook his head and said, “It’s twins.”

Li Xin: !

Chen Qing: !

Aunt Sun:!

Chen Qing said, “Truly amazing.”

Li Xin slapped his forehead and said, “Of course I’m amazing!”

 

---

You can read the full completed story here with instant full access. ✨