Chapter 84
Just after finishing the meal, Uncle Liu's (ger) daughter-in-law arrived carrying chilies. Chilies weren't expensive, just three copper coins per catty. Zhao Ger went back to his room and counted out sixty copper coins.
Uncle Liu's daughter-in-law was very happy to receive the copper coins. She took out her purse and was about to put them in when Zhao Ger said, "Sister Liu, aren't you going to count them?"
Uncle Liu's daughter-in-law was the daughter of Uncle Liu's cousin. Their relationship was that of uncle and niece. By modern standards, close relatives couldn't be together, but people here believed in strengthening family ties through marriage.
Every household grew chilies. A single plant yielded a large number of chilies, and they were very spicy. Villagers usually used them as a seasoning, a meal would use at most a few. The vegetables grown in one's own private plot were considered to have little monetary value and were difficult to sell. Consequently, a large portion of the harvest often ended up rotting right in the field. However, leaving the land completely empty and unused was seen as an even greater waste and a source of guilt.
Although they were all villagers, the wealth gap among them was significant.
For example, generations of the He Daleng family were rooted in Xiaohe Village. They had cleared half the mountain by reclaiming wasteland, so their family had plenty of land, including one or two vegetable plots in the village. When Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu first brought their son to Xiaohe Village as refugees, they were lucky. A family in the village had a son who gambled and lost a great deal of silver. With no other choice, they sold their field. Uncle Liu used all his savings and borrowed money from the village chief's family to barely scrape together enough to buy a vegetable plot in the village.
Some people didn't have vegetable plots in the village. They could only grow vegetables in fields far from their homes. Setting aside the difficulty of picking vegetables daily, being far away on the mountainside made fetching water to irrigate the vegetables a major hardship. After all the backbreaking labor, once finally grown, being far from the village with sparse human activity made wild animals bold. Birds would peck at them, insects would devour them, and rats would gnaw on them, often destroying the entire harvest until nothing remained. Consequently, these farmers faced a lose-lose situation: their efforts were either completely wasted (like a field drowned by flood) or utterly fruitless (like a field dead from drought). For farmers like them, it was far more practical and reliable to simply forage for wild vegetables
Uncle Liu's family had two vegetable plots, planted full to bursting every year.
Oil and salt were expensive. Oil was used drop by drop, and salt was counted grain by grain. With too little oil and salt, the dishes didn't taste good. Besides, there were only eight or nine people in the family, not sows—they couldn't eat that many vegetables. She felt these copper coins were like picking up free money. Even if a few coins were short, what did it matter?
She smiled, saying pleasantries: "It's fine, Zhao Ger, you're honest. Sister trusts you."
Uncle Liu's daughter-in-law sat down cheerfully in the main hall.
Although she was usually a bit stingy, her nature wasn't bad, and she knew what was good.
The village chief's ancestral home used to be dilapidated, with a yard full of weeds. Most of the mud-reinforced thatch on the roof for shelter from wind and rain had been blown away by the wind. Crooked walls, broken tiles, the whole house desolate and messy.
But now the house was clean and tidy, with tables and stools, everything orderly.
On the right side of the yard, near the house, were several wooden stakes, probably carried back from the mountains by Zhao Ger for sitting.
On the left side was a patch planted with radish seedlings, cabbage, cilantro, and green onions, lush and green, a pleasing sight.
Kites hung on the wall inside the house, and small snacks were piled on the table, all bought by Fang Zichen.
Zhao Ger liked sweet things, but he usually couldn't bear to eat them, only having a little bit each day.
When he ate, Guaizai would eat too. If he didn't eat, Guaizai might crave it but wouldn't throw a tantrum. If the craving got really bad, he would rest his chin on his hands and lie on the table watching, as if just looking could satisfy the craving, then run off.
Zhao Ger opened the oiled paper and offered some to Uncle Liu's daughter-in-law.
Uncle Liu's daughter-in-law took a piece of pastry, triangular, yellow-orange with sesame seeds on top. After one bite, she knew this pastry was sweet, delicious, and probably not cheap.
Guaizai got a piece and was extremely happy, his eyes smiling into slits.
"Thank you, Daddy."
He climbed onto the stool opposite Uncle Liu's daughter-in-law and sat down, his short legs dangling in the air.
The pastry was a bit crumbly and prone to shedding crumbs. He ate carefully, one hand under his mouth, carefully licking clean any crumbs that fell.
Habitual frugality meant that even now, when they didn't lack for pastries, he still couldn't bear to waste even a little bit.
The pastry wasn't big, finished in a few bites. Uncle Liu's daughter-in-law felt embarrassed to eat more and left after chatting for a while.
After seeing her out, Zhao Ger started washing chilies and chopping garlic again.
Seeing him busy, Guaizai took a bamboo tube and a sickle to dig for earthworms and cut grass.
He didn't go far, just on the ridges of the hill fields, where Zhao Ger could see him as soon as he stepped out of the yard.
Only the village chief's family in the village had a cow. Besides the fields, there was plenty of grass suitable for goat to eat on the roadside and field ridges.
When Wu Ger returned carrying a bundle of firewood, he saw Guaizai cutting grass, his little butt stuck up in the air.
Despite his small stature, his technique was impressive. He held the grass steady with his left hand and gripped the sickle firmly with his right. His movements while cutting the grass were proper, precise, and demonstrated genuinely skilled form.
An adult with greater strength could slice through a clump of grass with a single, powerful pull. However, his own strength was limited, so the same task required him to saw back and forth repeatedly. Despite the sickle's sharpness, his small frame made the work inefficient and laborious, he was like someone sawing a piece of wood. He had barely managed to cut a small amount before he was exhausted and dripping with sweat.
Wu Ger watched for a while, then walked over and greeted with a smile: "Guaizai."
Guaizai looked up, blinking: "Uncle Wu."
"What are you doing?" Wu Ger asked. He felt a special fondness for children, especially since Fang Zichen and Zhao Ger had once saved his life. This feeling had only grown stronger after he himself had become a father. When he saw a little shorty like Guaizai with his big eyes, he found him utterly irresistible.
"Cutting grass to feed the goat meh-meh," Guaizai said, blinking and looking behind him, asking: "Where's little brother?"
Wu Ger laughed, ruffling his head: "Little brother is still small, he's at home!"
Guaizai seemed somewhat embarrassed, saying shyly: "Can Guaizai go to your house to see little brother when he has time?" Before Wu Ger could reply, he added anxiously: "I will wash my hands."
He said it a bit nervously. In the village, besides Aunt Liu's family and He Daleng's family, he hadn't visited any other homes.
No comments:
Post a Comment