LW chapter 9

 

Zhou Yuan’s trip to the government office with Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi didn’t go smoothly. On the way, he encountered the village chief.

The village chief was furious that Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi were petty and incompetent yet had the nerve to bully weaker people. However, he was angrier that Zhou Yuan ignored his authority and blew the matter out of proportion.

Chen Si’s wife was the village chief’s younger sister. Early that morning, she had already cried her eyes out, wailing that Chen Si hadn’t come home. She claimed that he had only gone out to borrow money, but he ended up sneaking into Zhou Yuan’s house and stealing things.

The village chief had planned to use his status to resolve this minor incident, but he hadn’t expected Zhou Yuan to be so difficult.

Zhou Yuan had guessed that his trip to town wouldn’t go smoothly, so he wasn’t surprised to see the village chief waiting on the road.

“Zhou Yuan, what happened here?”

Zhou Yuan asked calmly. “I didn’t sleep well last night. I heard a commotion, got up, and saw that someone had broken into my house.”

“This must be a misunderstanding.” The village chief forced a smile as he tried to appease Zhou Yuan. “We’re all from the same village. There’s no need to bother the government over this. We can settle it privately.”

Zhou Yuan shook his head. “Village Chief, whether this is a small matter or a big one, ever since I started fixing up my house, I’ve felt that the villagers have never really considered me one of their own.”

His words practically accused the village chief of looking down on him as an outsider.

“If the village has other ideas, I might as well go to the government office to discuss moving to another village.”

The village chief was annoyed, too. He’d never thought his relatives could be so worthless. “Zhou Yuan, we can talk this through. I promise you, nothing like this will ever happen again.”

In the end, the problem wasn’t taken to the government office. Zhou Yuan knew when to back off—if he pushed it to an official case, Chen Qing and Auntie Sun would likely be dragged into it, too. Then, they’d all be in trouble.

Zhou Yuan simply followed the village chief’s suggestion and demanded compensation in silver from the two families.

“Village Chief, I truly want to settle down here long term,” he said.

“Of course, of course.”

And so the matter was closed. According to the village chief’s arrangement, Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi handed over one or two taels of silver to compensate Zhou Yuan—ironically, the same money they had earned working for him in the first place.

Zhou Yuan couldn’t stop thinking about Chen Qing’s expression the previous night, how light he felt in his arms, and how he trembled from fear and the cold. He looked so frail that he seemed seriously ill. To prepare, Zhou Yuan went to the doctor and bought medicine to calm the nerves.

When he returned, he didn’t go into the yard; he stood by the gate and talked to Auntie Sun.

“I didn’t take them to the government office,” he said.

Auntie Sun froze for a moment, then quickly understood. “Was it because of the village chief?”

Zhou Yuan nodded. “Even though I warned them not to spread rumors, if this ever went to court, they could easily claim that they broke into your house that night, too. Once that kind of gossip gets out, it’d ruin your reputation no matter what.”

Auntie Sun nodded repeatedly. “I understand. You’ve really gone to a lot of trouble. This is the best way to handle it.”

After all, Zhou Yuan was new here and couldn’t afford to make too many enemies.

Seeing her reaction, Zhou Yuan finally felt relieved. He’d been afraid that Auntie Sun would take it badly.

She quickly tried to return the silver he’d given her earlier. “I really can’t accept this.”

Zhou Yuan said, “This happened because of me. He’s still sick and will need money for medicine. Don’t be polite with me.”

Auntie Sun sighed and tucked the silver away.

From then on, whenever Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi passed by this part of the village, they didn’t dare provoke the “living demon” again.

Chen Qing was sick for three days straight. His whole body burned with fever, and Auntie Sun was so anxious that she developed cold sores on her mouth, which hurt terribly.

Thankfully, by the third day, Chen Qing’s fever finally subsided and he had some energy back. Otherwise, Auntie Sun would have had to fetch the doctor herself.

Chen Qing had been mourning Meng Tao’s death and hadn’t eaten meat in months. After falling ill, he’d gotten so thin that a gust of wind might have blown him away.

Auntie Sun said the three months of mourning were over. If he didn’t start eating meat again, he’d waste away. Since her back was still bad, she asked Zhou Yuan to bring back pork or soup bones whenever he went to town or the next village—anything to rebuild Chen Qing’s strength.

Time passed quickly. It was July, and the summer heat was at its peak. Chen Qing had grown so thin from illness and the summer humidity that he was hardly recognizable. Auntie Sun was worried sick, but she didn’t know what else to do.

Thankfully, there wasn’t much work in the fields during this season; otherwise, she really didn’t know if Chen Qing could keep up.

The house that Zhou Yuan was fixing up across the way was finally finished. He had been going to town every day lately to buy necessities. Even if Auntie Sun hadn’t asked him, he still would have helped carry things back.

Since Chen Qing was ill and Auntie Sun had a sore back, Zhou Yuan also fetched water for them every evening. Although Chen Qing tried to refuse, Auntie Sun saw how fragile he looked, so she insisted on accepting Zhou Yuan’s help.

One day, a pot of bone broth was bubbling on the stove. Since it was too hot to sit in the kitchen, Auntie Sun and Chen Qing rested nearby. Chen Qing was in a good mood that day, so they talked for a while.

His illness this time was clearly rooted in old trauma.

He looked into Auntie Sun’s worried eyes. His lips moved, and his voice was hoarse. “My father was killed in the middle of the night.”

His voice caught in his throat. “Back then, I was so scared. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t stand up to protect him.”

“But you protected me,” Auntie Sun said softly, reaching out to touch his hair. “Aqing, you’ve been very brave.”

Chen Qing covered his eyes. “I take after my little father’s temperament. He was only brave twice in his life. The first time, he insisted on going to the government office to file a complaint, but Grandmother’s family caught him and beat him bloody. The second time, he decided he’d rather die.”

He looked up at her, tears shining in his eyes. “If he had the courage to die, why didn’t he have the courage to keep living?”

This was the first time Auntie Sun had heard Chen Qing talk about the past in such detail.

She patted his shoulder, sorrow evident on her face. “Don’t think about it anymore. Aqing, you have to look forward.”

Chen Qing nodded. “Yes, I understand, Mother.”

Just then, they heard a sound at the door. Chen Qing lowered his head and wiped his tears. The firewood crackled. Feeling hot, he went to sit in the main room. A warm breeze drifted through, cooling him down.

It wasn’t the planting season. The field that Zhou Yuan had been assigned was still empty. After doing some weeding, he decided to go into the mountains to see what he could forage. He also needed to think about how he would make a living in the future.

This season’s rice could only be purchased, and he was almost out of the money he had brought with him when he settled here. He had to figure something out soon.

The first thing that came to Zhou Yuan’s mind was climbing the mountain. He was strong and fearless, so once he decided, he set out with his big knife.

However, he had never been a hunter before and didn’t know the habits of the mountain beasts. On this first trip, he caught nothing.

On the way back down, though, he spotted a fruit tree with clusters of small fruits. Zhou Yuan shook the tree, and a few fruits fell. He picked one up and tasted it. It was sour at first, but sweetened after a moment.

Zhou Yuan shook the tree harder, gathered a bunch of fruits, and stuffed them in his pockets. It was a modest harvest for his first trip into the hills.

Back home, he sorted through them, tossing the bruised and worm-eaten ones aside. He placed the fresh, pretty fruits in a basket and took them to Auntie Sun’s door.

“Oh, these fruits…” Auntie Sun’s face lit up when she saw them. The villagers didn’t get to eat many sweets. They only bought candy for special holidays, so they always treasured natural sweetness.

Wild fruits from the mountains and sweet roots from the hills in winter brought them joy in their otherwise simple days.

“If Chen Qing weren’t sick this year, he’d probably be up the mountain picking them himself,” Auntie Sun said with a smile as she accepted the fruits. She didn’t bother being polite; anyone could gather wild fruit — it was just a matter of who got there first.

“They’re just ripe. I tried one—it’s not too sweet.”

Auntie Sun beamed. “Ah Qing likes them. He’s suffered so much this summer, and this sweet and sour taste will stimulate his appetite.”

Zhou Yuan lowered his head. “All right, Auntie. I’ll head back now.”

Auntie Sun watched him leave, then placed the fruit in front of Chen Qing. “You didn’t have to pick them yourself this year.”

Chen Qing’s eyes curved into a smile. He only looked like an ordinary young man when there was something tasty.

He couldn’t wait to try one. Its tangy flavor[mfn]A tangy flavor is one that’s sharp, slightly sour, and zesty. It often gives a fresh, lively kick to your mouth, sometimes with a hint of sweetness.[/mfn] sparked his appetite. Lately, he hadn’t wanted to eat anything, only forcing himself to swallow enough to stay alive. Now, though, after eating a few pieces of fruit, he was actually a little hungry.

With his appetite back, Chen Qing recovered much faster. After five days, he felt almost like himself again, his strength returning.

“Mother, I’ll go wash the laundry,” he said, gathering the clothes he’d worn these past days. In the summer, everyone liked to wash clothes and splash around in the water downstream.

Auntie Sun could guess what he was thinking just by looking at him. “You’ve only just gotten better—don’t play in the water. Come right back when you’re done.”

Chen Qing nodded and ran out with the basin in his arms.

At this time of day, the sun was high overhead. Most people were napping at home, so he picked this moment to do the laundry.

He squatted down by a large stone he often used. Remembering Auntie Sun’s warning, he kept his shoes on as he soaked the clothes in the river.

“Chen Qing!”

He looked up and saw Li Xin walking toward him with her own basin. A spark of delight lit her face. “Li Xin? You’re back?”

Li Xin was one of Chen Qing’s few friends in the village. When he first arrived, he never went out, like a shy young wife. Auntie Sun had gone to ask Li Xin to bring Chen Qing along to socialize.

Li Xin had been the warmest to Chen Qing, taking him everywhere and helping him get to know everyone. But over the past few years, most of their friends had gotten married, and they hadn’t seen each other much.

“I told you I’d visit today,” Li Xin said, walking up to him and looking him over carefully. “You’ve lost so much weight.”

Chen Qing finally relaxed a little. “I was sick a few days ago—just now getting better.”

Li Xin squatted down to wash clothes beside him, smiling as he worked. From the looks of things, he’d been living well while staying with her grandparents.

Chen Qing knew her parents got along, so she came home with her mother, and her father agreed.

“I heard what happened to your family. Are you all right?”

Chen Qing nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Then, have you thought about your future? I heard from my father that you’re still mourning Meng Tao. Don’t you plan to remarry someday?”

Chen Qing shook his head. “No, I’ll stay with my mother.”

Li Xin didn’t try to persuade him. She’d known him for four or five years and knew how stubborn he was.

“Ugh, my father says he’s going to arrange a marriage for me,” Li Xin said, sounding frustrated. She didn’t understand why growing up meant getting married.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Chen Qing didn’t see why she was unhappy. He’d sometimes overheard the villagers whispering that Li Xin was already eighteen and still unmarried.

“Do you know who my father likes?” Li Xin leaned closer conspiratorially.

Her father was the only blacksmith in town. With that skill, their family lived comfortably. Of course, he wouldn’t marry his daughter to just anyone.

“They say he’s set his sights on the man who returned from the battlefield and settled in our village. My father said a real man should have that kind of bearing.”

Chen Qing’s hand went slack, and the garment he was holding slipped into the water and splashed them both.

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