Chapter 42

Mrs. Zhao clutched the deed and kept nagging, seemingly without end. Zhang Haiyao rose. "It's getting late, I'll go boil water and wash clothes first."
As she spoke she stood and walked out. Mrs. Zhao's expression soured for a moment; she glanced at Third Brother Zhou but said nothing, instead turning to Li Qinghe. "Qinghe, you've only just come into the house and you've stirred up so much trouble. It's my fault, don't take it to heart. From now on, live quietly with Fourth."
Splitting the family right after getting married was excessive; anyone who didn't know might think Li Qinghe had caused all this trouble.
But with Mrs. Zhao saying so, Li Qinghe couldn't make a scene. Ultimately it mattered most to have a good life for herself. Besides, splitting the household had its advantages, she'd been planning to build a new house anyway. With so many people in one courtyard, disputes were inevitable. More practically, being expected to cook for an entire family would be hard, she didn't even have time to finish her own chores.
"It's fine," Li Qinghe smiled a little. "As long as Mother is happy."
Mrs. Zhao nagged on for a while longer. By the time everyone dispersed it was already afternoon. Li Qinghe and Zhou Chengkang had done nothing all morning besides deal with the split; now it was time to go tend the fish in the fields.
After they finished feeding and returned, dusk was closing in. Zhou Chengkang looked toward the little Zhou courtyard not far off and said softly, "It would be best if someone lived here to watch the fish and chickens."
"Then you live here," Li Qinghe said with a bright smile. "The shack is already built, surely you can't expect me to stay there by myself?"
Zhou Chengkang, feigning anger, objected, "We only just married yesterday, are you really willing to leave me alone in an empty room? You sleep by yourself, don't you think it's warmer to have someone else there in this weather?"
Li Qinghe couldn't help laughing and lowered her voice. "I'm not afraid, I've managed for the past ten‑odd years, why fear sleeping alone now? Besides, it's already April; it'll only get warmer. By summer we'll be complaining about the heat."
"I'm the one who's afraid." He took her hand and coaxed, "I'm scared, please, okay?"
They walked at an unhurried pace. Zhou Chengkang fell silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "If you ask me, why don't we build the house over here?" He went on to explain, "Look, right now each of us has one room and there's not a scrap to spare. What will we do when we have children, where will they live?"
Building a house is something we must deal with, Li Qinghe chuckled, "Children?"
Zhou Chengkang laid his hand on her lower belly and chuckled, "Maybe there's already one on the way."
Li Qinghe's face flushed; she asked, "Do you like children?"
He answered solemnly, "I like the children you will bear."
They said nothing more, but their hands tightened; walking side by side they clung together in a tangled embrace, peaceful and content.
When they returned home, the eldest couple and Granny Liu were already asleep; Li Qingmiao and the others had gone back earlier, and only Third Brother's room still had candlelight. They went into the kitchen to boil water and wash when Mrs. Zhou poked her head out the window. "You're boiling water, remember to go chop wood tomorrow. If you want to boil water and cook, it's one load of wood a day."
One load of wood for two people would normally be more than enough.
"Anything left over can be offered to me as filial piety," Mrs. Zhou added.
They exchanged a look; Zhou Chengkang gave a brief affirmative.
More than speaking to just them, her words were directed at everyone in the yard. Since the eldest couple married they left before dawn every day and came back midday to sleep. The third couple were worse, Zhang Haiyao never left the house, so only the third brother worked; who had time to chop wood? The Zhou family had just held a wedding, and their firewood was nearly gone.
After Mrs. Zhou said that, whether anyone had the time or not, anyone who wanted to use the kitchen had to contribute wood.
Shouldering a pail, Zhou Chengkang said softly, "Tomorrow we'll go up the mountain. It's good hunting season; we can earn some silver to build the house, and bring back firewood while we're at it."
The next morning they rose before dawn. In the kitchen the eldest couple and Granny Liu were still making tofu. Li Qinghe wanted to go in and prepare something but there were no pots, so she had no choice but to pack up some wedding pastries.
They first went to the pond to feed the fish, then set off for the mountain.
Zhou Chengkang had been right; it really was prime hunting season. Before they'd gone far into the woods they had already caught three pheasants and two rabbits. Seeing him draw his bow, Li Qinghe couldn't help asking, "What's the story with that carriage at home? Why do they all say they don't want it?"
Zhou Chengkang was silent. He loosed an arrow that struck a pheasant in the belly and ran to retrieve it. As they walked deeper into the woods he spoke in a low voice, "When I was four, eldest brother and Third Brother took me into the mountain to chop wood and gather mushrooms. Mother was about to give birth to the fifth sister, Father had just fallen ill, eldest was only nine and the third was six. We hadn't brought much water. Eldest said he'd go find water and told the third to stay and watch me."
He paused, his voice dropping. "Not long after, Third Brother said he needed to relieve himself and then he left. I stayed in the woods, afraid to move, and waited in place a long time, but they never came back."
"They abandoned you?" Li Qinghe frowned. A four-year-old alone in a forest like that, there are wolves deep in those woods; if a wolf had taken him, how could he have survived?
"I don't know," Zhou Chengkang shook his head. "Eldest Brother said he got lost; Third Brother said he was lost and couldn't find me, but they did find the path home. They went back first, saying they would ask the adults to come look."
"And then?"
"Then I met Uncle Hu. He took me in and after a couple of days sent me home. Mother cried bitterly. When she heard I'd been lost, the fifth sister came early." Zhou Chengkang's tone was matter-of-fact; his eyes looked into the woods as if searching for prey.
Li Qinghe reached out and took his hand. "Were you scared, being all alone?"
Zhou Chengkang looked distant. "I was scared then, trees felt huge, the forest deep, things seemed to move everywhere... But after I met Uncle Hu I wasn't afraid. Even after I went home I often went into the mountain to find him; he taught me many things." He smiled as he spoke. "It's him who taught me to hunt. That carriage, he gave me the money to buy it before he died."
"He had no children, he was all alone, and I watched him die. I buried him myself," Chengkang's voice fell. Then he smiled and said, "So people must go through hardship to gain something."
To this day whether the eldest and the third truly meant to abandon their little brother in the woods remained a muddled question. That's why neither of them wanted the carriage.
"When you have the time, take me to pay my respects. I want to thank him," she said.
Zhou Chengkang's gaze was gentle. "All right. I want him to meet you too."
When they returned that afternoon they had a good haul. Li Qinghe carried several chickens and rabbits; Zhou Chengkang shouldered a bundle of firewood. Passing the pond they stopped to feed the fish and the hens, then walked home under the moonlight.
By the time they reached home the eldest couple and Granny Liu were already asleep; a pot of water was heating in the kitchen. Hearing the noise, the fifth sister opened the door and smiled, "Fourth brother, I boiled the water on the side, use it."
She added, "Go to bed early."
They took turns washing while the others finished cooking. Half an hour later they had carried the food back to their own room.
"Tired?" Zhou Chengkang handed her a steamed bun. "I'll go by myself tomorrow. You stay home to feed the fish and help make the meals. You can also go to town and sell the rabbits and pheasants; the tavern will want them, won't it?"
The tavern did take wild game, and two of today's rabbits had been killed outright and couldn't be kept long, especially with the heat rising. She nodded, "Then go yourself. Come back early."
The next morning they rose at the same hour as the day before. Zhou Chengkang took the provisions they'd prepared the night before up the mountain; Li Qinghe took the game and went to town with the Zhou family's eldest brothers.
Eldest Sister-in-law (Meihua) saw the four or five wild fowl in her hands and, a little envious, said, "Fourth sister‑in‑law, Fourth Brother's skill is amazing. You won't need to buy meat or worry about having any meat to eat."
Li Qinghe glanced at the silent Eldest Brother Zhou and laughed, "He's lucky, he met a good teacher who taught him."
Eldest Brother acted as if he hadn't heard. Meihua, not knowing the family's arrangements, nodded in agreement, "Fourth sister‑in‑law, how much do you intend to sell them for? If it's cheap, I'll buy one to stew for my mother‑in‑law."
Li Qinghe raised an eyebrow, "Pork sells for fifteen wen; these I'll put at twenty‑five wen. Each of these weighs at least three jin. Given our relationship, seventy wen will do."
At that, Meihua's expression froze. With that money she could buy a sizeable piece of meat, saved up it would last half a month. Over by the yard Granny Liu was already saying, "What's so great about wild fowl? They always say tofu is like meat, eat that and it'll nourish you just the same."
That was a flat no.
Li Qinghe hadn't offered to give anything away. Since the household split, she hadn't seen the eldest couple hand out tofu to every family, it's not worth many wen anyway.
After they separated in town she went straight to the tavern. The price they offered was fair: rabbit and wild fowl at thirty wen a jin, adding up to nearly thirty jin. The cook simply counted it as thirty jin and handed over nine hundred wen.
With the money in hand, Li Qinghe bought a piece of meat. She didn't go looking for the Eldest Brother and his wife; they were still selling tofu and wouldn't be home until the afternoon.
She arrived home just as breakfast was being made. Zhang Haiyao poked her head out of the kitchen, "Sister‑in‑law, I heard you caught quite a few rabbits and wild birds yesterday, Third Aunt next door saw them. Why didn't I get to see any?"
"I sold them," Li Qinghe said calmly.
"Why not leave a bit to show filial respect to Mother?" Zhang Haiyao said this a little louder, deliberately for Mrs. Zhou in the backyard to hear.
Li Qinghe didn't care and lifted the meat in her hand, "Mother's portion is taken care of. Didn't I buy some meat? It's just as much of a meat dish."
At that, Zhang Haiyao fell silent for a moment, then couldn't help whispering, "Fake generosity!"
Why was she being "fake generous"? The meat wasn't fake.
Li Qinghe heard it and let it be, she wasn't interested in arguing. She went into the kitchen to cook. Before long Mrs. Zhou came in and Li Qinghe handed her a small piece of meat.
Mrs. Zhou waved her hand, "You eat first. I have something to say."
Zhang Haiyao was setting out bowls and chopsticks. Hearing Mrs. Zhou's words, she frowned and muttered, "More trouble!"
"She's my mother," Third Brother Zhou emphasized.
Once everyone had gathered, Mrs. Zhou led them to the backyard and found the vegetable plot had already been divided into four sections. "Each of you gets one. From now on you can't help yourselves to the vegetables, what you plant is what you eat. If you're too lazy to farm your plot, then don't eat!" She said that last line while staring at Zhang Haiyao.