LW chapter 91: Extra 7

 

Grandmother Zhou did not respond to his words, only saying: “It’s the New Year, yet instead of being with your whole family, you came here to say all this useless stuff.”

“You have the nerve to talk about the New Year? If you hadn’t taken the money, my children would have winter clothes, and we would be able to afford meat on New Year’s Eve!” He said this as he headed into the house. Seeing the salted meat and radishes on the table, he clicked his tongue and took the meat out of his bowl.

“I’ll take this meat. You’re old, you can’t chew it.” Glancing around the house, he left when he didn’t find anything valuable. On his way out, he said something unlucky.

As he reached the doorway, he added, “Remember to prepare New Year’s money for your great-grandchildren. Also, don’t collect money again next time. Your legs aren’t working well. If you fall on the way, no one will take care of you.”

Chen Qing watched his departing back and gently supported Grandmother Zhou. He finally understood why she had asked him to hide the fresh meat. Grandmother Zhou patted his hand. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

Chen Qing had a New Year’s Eve dinner that seemed very abundant to him. But Grandmother Zhou kept giving him meat while she herself only ate radishes and drank radish soup.

After dinner, Chen Qing boiled some water because he needed to thoroughly wash his feet with hot water on New Year’s Eve.

After he finished, Grandmother Zhou leaned against the bed. Even though the window had been repaired many times, some wind still came through. Chen Qing pulled her blanket tighter. “I’ll fix it again tomorrow.”

Grandmother Zhou took out a pouch from under her pillow and handed it to Chen Qing. “I embroidered this a few days ago. There are two in total: one for you and one for A-Yuan.”

Chen Qing received it. “Thank you, Grandmother.”

Grandmother Zhou smiled and said, “Go to sleep earlier. There’s no need to stay up late—we don’t have that custom.”

Chen Qing nodded and returned to his room, where he sat in the dark. Although it hadn’t snowed, it was freezing outside. There wasn’t any money to buy new clothes, so Chen Qing altered a cotton-padded jacket from Zhou Yuan’s clothes himself. Even though the clothes were from years ago, they happened to fit Chen Qing just right because he was small.

This New Year was not bad for Chen Qing. At least he had a place sheltering him from the wind and rain. His chilblains were itchy, but he never stopped doing needlework. A single handkerchief could be sold for three copper coins. This was one of the few sources of income for the two of them and barely allowed them to get by.

Days were still very tight. They could only afford meat during the New Year.

Chen Qing curled up on the bed. His hands were somewhat stiff. At that moment, Grandmother Zhou came in, leaning on her cane. “Little Qing, it’s the New Year. You can rest.”

“There’s nothing to do anyway.” Chen Qing rubbed his hands. “Are you going out?”

“I’m going out for a bit. Stay home properly.” Grandmother Zhou stood up. Chen Qing walked her to the door. As he watched her trembling figure, he thought of the few remaining copper coins at home and realized he still needed to find work.

But in this world, even if other places were hiring, they would prioritize men. Ge’er like them and women could only find jobs washing and starching. The pay wasn’t much, and their hands were always peeling and getting chilblains.

He had lived there for almost half a year and hadn’t made a single friend. He had barely even seen the villagers. If he didn’t go out and socialize, he wouldn’t be able to find ways to earn money.

However, dealing with strangers was harder for Chen Qing than climbing to the sky.

Chen Qing sighed.

When Grandmother Zhou returned, Chen Qing wanted to ask her if there was any work he could do. Grandmother Zhou patiently explained things to him.

Yizhou Prefecture produced medicinal herbs in great abundance, but not every family could afford to plant medicinal fields. Outside their village, near the dam, there was a huge expanse of medicinal fields. They belonged to the Chen family, who were landowners in town.

“Earlier, when I mentioned people digging for medicinal herbs near the dam, it’s because, when planting in the fields, seeds sometimes fall or get blown outside. Whatever grows outside can be picked up and exchanged for money.”

“Does no one steal from the fields?”

“Silly child.” Grandmother Zhou laughed at him. “There are more than ten guards watching over the medicinal fields.”

Chen Qing lifted his head. “Do they hire workers for the fields? I think that when spring begins, I’ll still need to find a job.”

Grandmother Zhou looked at him. He was still as small and thin as when he first arrived. “No need. In the third month, A-Yuan will send money back.”

“But…” Chen Qing had overheard some things that man said that night. It seemed like the money that Zhou Yuan sent back was taken by that man. The one time that Grandmother received the money, she used it to buy him back.

“If we collect it before they do, then it’s fine. Last time, that’s how I collected it.” Grandmother Zhou joked bitterly. “That was A-Yuan’s second uncle.”

Chen Qing acknowledged this with a nod and said nothing.

Grandmother Zhou pulled him up. “In the spring, the medicinal fields urgently need people to dig herbs. If you want to work, I’ll take you to try it out.”

Time did not pass quickly. Chen Qing counted on his fingers until he heard the village gong announcing that the medicinal herbs in the Chen family fields were ready to be harvested and that workers were needed to dig them up. He quickly told Grandmother Zhou. Leaning on her wooden cane, she escorted him to the fields.

After sending him on his way, Grandmother Zhou returned home. She had caught a cold from the lingering spring chill and was coughing.

Chen Qing thought the fields were only a few mu, but when he arrived, he realized they stretched on until he could barely see the end. The mature herbs at this time were called mai-dong[mfn]Mai-dong [麦冬] refers to the herb also known as Ophiopogon japonicus. It’s a common medicinal plant used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Functions: nourishes yin, moistens lungs, benefits stomach, soothes dryness.[/mfn]. Chen Qing looked out and saw an expanse of green that brought a bit of life to this desolate spring day.

The selection process for workers in the medicinal fields was very strict. Most were people who had worked there before. They only picked newcomers when there weren’t enough people. Chen Qing stood among the crowd, waiting as names were called one by one. Even after some people dispersed, many others who had never worked there before were still lining up.

The steward stood to the side, writing down names, and had everyone introduce themselves. When it was Chen Qing’s turn, the steward gave him an extra glance, and Chen Qing curled his toes into the ground.

Chen Qing pinched his index finger so hard with his thumb that it left a deep mark. His voice sounded like someone was squeezing his throat: “C-Chen Qing from Grandmother Zhou’s household in the village. I’m Zhou Yuan’s husband. My husband went to join the army, so I… I came to look for work.”

He felt embarrassed saying the words “my husband,” and his whole face turned red.

“You, go wait over there.” The steward made a mark on the record, pointed to the side, and let him wait.

After everyone had registered, the steward announced those who had been hired.

Luckily, Chen Qing was among them.

The job would last about a month. It paid ten wen per day and included one meal. Work began at the start of the Mao hour[mfn]Mao hour (卯时) 5:00 AM – 7:00 AM[/mfn] and ended at the start of the first quarter of the You hour[mfn]You hour (酉时) 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM[/mfn]. Lunchtime was less than a quarter of an hour. The hours were long, and the work was tiring. However, earning three hundred wen in a month was the most Chen Qing had ever made.

He would start work the next day. He ran home excitedly and told his grandmother the good news. She smiled. “It’s because Little Qing looks like a hardworking, steady child.”

Since he could finally earn money, Chen Qing’s steps on the way home were much lighter. He was already thinking about how to spend the three hundred wen: first, he would take Grandmother to get medicine, then, he would buy a good meal, and finally, he would save the rest so they wouldn’t be empty-handed if something happened.

Grandmother was also very happy. That night, she even used pork lard to cook. Chen Qing remembered that there was only a thin layer of pork lard left in the jar. He had said he wanted to buy more, but they simply didn’t have the money, so it remained just talk.

Before dawn the next morning, Chen Qing arrived at the medicine fields. He skipped breakfast at home since lunch was provided and he didn’t want to waste grain.

In the fields, the men in front dug with hoes while Chen Qing and the others crouched behind them to pick the medicinal herbs. Everyone else worked while chatting and laughing. Only Chen Qing stayed silent.

He watched the man swinging the hoe and remembered the words about wages. Hoe-swingers earned fifteen wen a day. His movements weren’t fast, and sometimes he joked around with the others. Only when the overseer came did he speed up a little.

Chen Qing thought he could probably do the job, too, but he didn’t dare ask the steward. He could only accept things as they were.

As the sun rose, Chen Qing felt hungry. He had been bending over all morning. He was tired and thirsty. It was his first time working outside, and he hadn’t known to bring a water pouch. Now, his mouth felt like it was burning.

Finally, lunchtime arrived. Thanks to Grnadmother reminder, he had brought a bowl. Everyone lined up for food. Chen Qing tiptoed, but he still couldn’t see what was being served. When he got closer, he saw that it was mixed-grain rice and braised radish with meat, though only a thin layer of oil floated on top, and no meat was visible. There were also a few pieces of salty pickled vegetables.

When it was his turn, the ladle happened to have a piece of meat in it. However, the person serving trembled and the meat fell back in.

Chen Qing: …

He held his bowl and sat on the ridge, barely having the strength to eat. If he didn’t eat, though, he wouldn’t make it through the afternoon. Luckily, although the food was coarse, it tasted decent. Beneath the radish slices, he found a piece of meat. His earlier unhappiness instantly vanished. The braised radish sauce mixed with rice was easy to swallow, and the salty pickles were tasty.

Soon, someone began urging everyone back to work. Chen Qing quickly finished eating, set his bowl aside, and got back to work.

By the first quarter of the You hour, he felt like his whole body had split apart. He was so sore that he could barely walk. Exhausted and thirsty, he thought of the water waiting for him at home. But he still had to collect his wages.

Pay was given daily here. That was why everyone wanted to work there.

After waiting in line for a while, it was finally his turn. As he held the ten wen that belonged to him, all his fatigue disappeared.

The sky had already darkened. Chen Qing held his “huge fortune” of ten wen and ran home as fast as he could. When he arrived, his grandmother was waiting for him at the door.

Without saying a word, he rushed straight to the water tank. He didn’t use the ladle, he leaned over and drank directly from the tank.

He drank until his belly bulged, then collapsed beside the tank.

Grandma patted his head. “Ay! I knew I forgot something. I didn’t prepare a water pouch for you.”

Chen Qing giggled. “Do we have a water pouch at home?”

“Yes, it used to be A-Yuan’s. I’ll look for it.” Leaning on her cane, Grandmother went inside, lit the oil lamp, and searched through Zhou Yuan’s things.

Fortunately, Grandmother had kept everything well organized, so she quickly found Zhou Yuan’s old water pouch. Chen Qing wanted to wash it, but Grandmother wouldn’t let him. She told him to rest instead.

After she washed the pouch and brought it back, Chen Qing drank some more water. Then, with sparkling eyes, he handed his earnings to Grandmother. “Grandmother, here.”

But Grandmother refused. “This is your hard-earned money. You keep it.”

Chen Qing knew the family was out of money. Otherwise, his grandmother wouldn’t have been coughing for days without buying medicine. He took five coins from his grandmother. “Grandmother, buy some licorice root[mfn]licorice root 甘草 (gān cǎo) a traditional medicinal ingredient, especially in Chinese medicine with sweet flavoring. Uses to soothes the throat, harmonizes other herbs in formulas, reduces inflammation and, used in teas and medicinal soups[/mfn] to make tea tomorrow. You cough at night.”

Licorice wasn’t expensive—only a few wen.

Grandmother patted his hair. “Good child. Then Grandmother will take it.”

Maybe the licorice helped because her cough was much better over the next two days.

Chen Qing had also gotten used to working in the herb fields. Every day, he brought home ten wen. He was quite happy. His little money jar now jingled when shaken.

He believed that life would definitely get better and better. Sometimes, before going to bed, he would think about Zhou Yuan, who was fighting on the battlefield. He had heard the steward say that some of the herbs they had harvested would be sent to the front lines. He wondered if Zhou Yuan might one day receive something he had picked.

Then he quickly shook his head—the only reason someone would need herbs was if they were injured. It was better that Zhou Yuan never needed them!

Thinking and thinking, he fell asleep. No one ever appeared in his dreams. He always slept soundly until morning.

Author’s note:

A-Qing: When my husband comes back, I’ll crush you all—crush you into bean paste!”

 

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