In the afternoon, the mule cart returned to the old house laden with goods. As it slowly passed through the village, Wei Lanxiang, her face radiant with joy, stepped down directly from the cart with three packets of kitchen candy (灶糖) in hand. She told Shen Yan and Shen Yaoqing, still seated on the cart, to go home first while she stayed out to chat.
[Kitchen candy (灶糖, Zaotang): a kind of candy made of maltose that people in China use as a sacrifice to the kitchen god around the twenty third day of the twelfth lunar month just before Chinese New Year.]
“Lanxiang, your family bought so much!” Granny A-Jin came out from her yard, clicking her tongue at the goods on the cart.
These days, every family in the village was busy with New Year preparations. The usual idlers at the village entrance were nowhere to be seen. Aside from a few loafers wandering about, most were occupied at home, whether washing clothes, sweeping, or preparing meat and dishes. There was always something to do. Still, a mule cart was a rare sight in their village, and many had noticed it passing by their doors.
Wei Lanxiang handed a packet of kitchen candy to Granny A-Jin and replied with a smile, “Ah, it’s just that Guzi’s expecting now, and his appetite’s been poor. The slightest whiff of fishy smells makes him queasy. We even bought two kinds of plums, salt-pickled and sugar-pickled to see which he prefers, so we’ll know what to buy later.”
Granny A-Jin stuck out her tongue in amazement. Good heavens, two kinds of plums! Back in her youth, she’d only had sour wild apricots to nibble on. Nothing so luxurious as this.
“Granny A-Jin, you go on with your work. I’ll take this kitchen candy to Third branch's house.” Having flaunted the news of Lu Gu’s pregnancy to her satisfaction, Wei Lanxiang left, her face still bright with happiness.
These days, three sentences out of her mouth couldn’t pass without mentioning her second grandchild. Some in the village found it grating, but she paid them no mind. If she didn’t seize this chance to show off a little, how else could she make up for those years when people had gossiped behind Ji Qiuyue’s back, saying their family couldn’t produce grandsons? If those very people were displeased, all the better.
The days passed swiftly in a flurry of preparations - buying this, preparing that, slaughtering chickens and ducks, making meatballs, frying dumplings, steaming buns, and baking cakes. Before they knew it, another New Year arrived amid the family’s joy and laughter.
On New Year’s Eve, firecrackers lit up the night with a flash of brightness. Dogs barked, children laughed, and the corners of Lu Gu’s eyes crinkled with a soft, happy smile. Next year, there’d be one more little one celebrating with them.
After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, with no more relatives to visit, the household settled into a quieter rhythm. Spring hadn’t yet arrived, so it wasn’t yet time for Shen Xuanqing to return to the mountains to hunt. Times had changed, with Lu Gu pregnant, it wasn’t safe for him to trek mountain paths, and Shen Xuanqing himself had no desire to stay up there for long. He’d already planned that come spring, he’d only hunt animals with high price such as deer or goats, staying no more than four or five days before returning.
With the farming season not yet begun and barely a blade of wild grass sprouting, there wasn’t much work in the fields. But their family had so much livestock to tend to that they were busier than most.
After feeding the animals, seeing how fine the sunlight was, Shen Yaoqing took Shen Yan up the slopes to dig for grass roots. In winter, only dried grass was available, so occasionally digging up fresh roots for the rabbits was a treat - those buried deep in the soil still held some moisture, making them better than parched hay. Earlier, when there’d truly been nothing fresh, they’d even dug up winter bamboo shoots for the older rabbits, mixing them with dried grass. If they wanted to sell them for a good price, they had to be well cared for.
Lu Gu sat in a sheltered corner of the yard, basking in the warm sunlight as he watched Shen Xuanqing wash clothes. The tall, sturdy man sat on a small stool, his posture slightly awkward as he scrubbed at a sleeve.
The back gate was closed, so the dogs didn’t need to patrol the rear courtyard. Instead, they lounged in the front yard, soaking up the sun and dozing. The two pups tussled for a while before curling up together to sleep, their soft, floppy ears adorably fuzzy. Guaizi lay sprawled beside Lu Gu’s feet, even snoring lightly in his sleep, his sturdy frame didn’t flatten even when lying on his side.
Most dogs had a human-like understanding. It was unclear how they’d grasped it, but though they used to jump on Lu Gu at times - their paws inevitably bumping his belly, but ever since his pregnancy, not a single dog in the family, including Guaizi, had leaped on him again. Lu Gu had only noticed this in recent days, he hadn’t realized it before.
Unaccustomed to laundry work, Shen Xuanqing took a long time to get the hang of the posture and technique, even with Lu Gu’s guidance.
Seeing him scrub the same spot over and over, Lu Gu chuckled. “Once it’s clean, that’s enough, no need to scrub so long. As long as there’s no dirt left, it’s fine.”
“Alright then.” Shen Xuanqing rinsed the soapberry foam from the sleeve in the water, glanced at it to confirm it was clean, then moved on to another section.
The river water was too cold now - no one, not even a strong man could bear washing clothes there. He’d boiled water in a large earthen jar, and by the time he finished washing the basin of clothes, he was sweating.
“Take a break. It’s still early, no rush.” Knowing this was his first time doing laundry and his hands weren’t yet nimble, Lu Gu urged him to rest.
Shen Xuanqing wiped the water splashes from his face. The two of them had been living here all along, and previously, either Lu Gu did the washing here or Wei Lanxiang took the clothes back to wash with the rest of the family’s. Today, with Lu Gu pregnant, he’d initially planned to wash them himself as usual, but Shen Xuanqing had insisted on taking over, so he’d relented.
After a short break, Shen Xuanqing dumped the dirty water outside the gate. Returning, he ladled more water from the large earthen jar. Finding it less convenient than a proper pot, he remarked, “This jar isn’t ideal. Since we’re not busy lately, I’ll work with Elder Brother to build a stove. Next time we go to town, we’ll buy a large pot. Even if we don’t cook here, we can boil water. In summer, it’ll be easier for bathing, no need to wait for the jar to boil over and over.”
That did make sense. A clay stove couldn’t heat water as quickly as a large pot, and an iron pot could boil a substantial amount at once. Lu Gu nodded in agreement. “True enough.”
After a moment’s thought, he added, “Why not make a chopping board too? During busy farming seasons, if everyone’s working here, drying and turning crops, we won’t have to run home to eat, we can just cook here.
Shen Xuanqing sat back on the stool, thinking to himself how their Guzi had learned to consider things carefully, planning so thoroughly. Smiling, he said, “We’ll do as you say. I don’t know why we never thought of it before, we’ve been walking extra steps all this time. From now on, we’ll eat and rest here, no more unnecessary trips.”
Though he didn’t outright praise him, Lu Gu was pleased by the agreement and smiled as he rubbed the head of Guaizi, who’d just woken up with a yawn.
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