Chapter 44

The next morning Li Qinghe went into town with them again. When they reached the Li family gate she saw Li Fu standing on the road with his hands behind his back; she couldn’t tell how long he’d been there, he seemed to be waiting for someone.
He took two steps forward when he saw her. “Qinghe.”
Li Qinghe was surprised and signaled to Meihua and the others to go on first before she joined him. “Father, what’s the matter?”
“Why didn’t you go back to pay your home visit?” Li Fu’s face was stern.
Li Qinghe blinked. In their village, girls married to nearby husbands didn’t always make the formal homecoming visit, and anyway someone was supposed to come fetch them. That morning she must have left too early, and she didn’t hear Mrs. Zhou or the others say anyone had come to fetch her.
“It’s so busy these days, I’ve been tied up over there. The home visit is so close, can’t it wait?” Seeing his serious expression she thought a moment and said, “The Dragon Boat Festival is coming up; I’ll definitely go then.” In truth there were still more than two weeks until the festival.
Li Fu’s expression softened a little and he asked again, “I heard you’ve set up your own household. Do you have vegetables to eat? There are some left in the back yard; if not, come home and harvest them.”
He meant it kindly. Li Qinghe nodded. “Thank you, Father.”
Li Fu’s face grew complicated. “I’m your father, there’s no need to thank me. If you’re building a kitchen or a house, tell me and I’ll come help.”
What was going on?
Li Qinghe was quite taken aback. Her father had always been distant; when she worked in town they sometimes went days without seeing each other, and he had never acted as unsettled as this.
He glanced at the game she was carrying and, clearly pleased, said, “Hurry off, these things lose value if you keep them too long. If you have time, come back and check on them.”
Even after he walked off a good distance she could still see him standing where he had been. She wasn’t the sort to be upset if people treated her coldly, if everyone kept their distance, so be it. But when someone treated her kindly, she couldn’t help softening.
She caught sight of Mrs Mei and the others waiting at the village entrance and shook off her thoughts, hurrying over to them.
The two of them had gotten through last night and seemed a little closer for it, though only slightly.
“That was your father just now, right? What did he want?” Meihua asked curiously.
Li Qinghe shook her head. “He didn’t say much, just asked when I’d go back. I suppose he needs something.”
Meihua nodded and then asked, “Are your sister and her husband coming back? I think the results are due any day now.”
“I don’t know.” Li Qinghe didn’t care much.
Meihua looked at her oddly and couldn’t help saying, “I find you really careless. If your brother-in-law passes the exam, you’ll be the sister of a scholar. Back then did they ever ask you to lend them money?”
“Where would I have silver to lend?” Li Qinghe waved her hand. “Come on, let’s go, the town will be late soon.”
“Ah, I’m telling you this for your own good. If your sister ever gets into trouble and you can help, you should. Otherwise, if she becomes the wife of a scholar, you might want to help and it won’t be your turn.” Meihua leaned in conspiratorially. “It’s easy to add splendor to someone already prosperous; it’s in hardship that favors are truly remembered.”
Everyone knows that logic, Li Qinghe felt conflicted. There was nothing wrong with being shrewd; most people were. But she didn’t want to play that game, and anyway she never expected anything from Hu Yanxi.
She ignored her. As they walked, Meihua gradually fell quiet. The town wasn’t far; the more she came, the less distant it felt.
Once in town Li Qinghe split from them as usual. She first went to the tavern and sold the game she’d brought, then bought a few steamed buns. The landlady had seen her and even gave her one, those flatbreads weren’t as in demand as they once were, but they sold nearly as well as the buns, and she’d earned a fair bit lately.
She’d bought the buns, but the household grain, divided when they separated households, was nearly gone. Since she was already here and Zhou Chengkang was busy, she went to the grain shop herself and bought some coarse flour, then, on a thought, some fine flour as well.
It was heavy. On the way back her arms ached; she had already calculated how much she could carry when she bought them.
After walking most of the way she set the sack down to rest, she could still carry it, but her hands were sore. Just then an ox-cart stopped beside her, and sitting up front was, to her surprise, Xu Changjie.
He smiled broadly. "Qinghe, hop on, I'll give you a ride."
There was more than just him in the cart; sitting behind him was Yang Lanrou, looking shy and watching her with guarded eyes.
Li Qinghe felt a little bewildered. She hadn't heard anything about Xu Changjie's situation for days, were they really being so unconcerned about it now?
She and Zhou Chengkang had been just as open back then; though they never said it outright, everyone knew they intended to marry. Those two… at least there wasn't anyone tangled up between them, which was for the best.
"No need, we're almost there." Li Qinghe refused at once. If it had been someone else she surely would have accepted, and when Yang Lanrou heard her decline the woman's expression immediately relaxed.
Watching the ox-cart head into the village, Li Qinghe counted on her fingers. It seemed likely the trouble had started at the Yangs recently, and then the yard next to the Xus happened to be for sale, so they moved in next door, those two lovers had become neighbors.
By the time she reached the Li family gate with the grain, Li Fu came out of the backyard with a hoe. Seeing the heavy bag in her hands, he frowned. "Why are you doing this kind of work?"
"I brought it back on the way," Li Qinghe replied offhand.
Li Fu had already opened the courtyard gate and stepped out, taking the bag without another word. "I'll walk you home, and while I'm at it I'll see what the Zhou place looks like."
Normally, someone should visit before a marriage, only it should be Li Qinghe's mother, not Li Fu. But her mother was stuck in town and couldn't return. In theory it ought to be Madam Qian; for example, when Zhao Wanwan from the Hu family hadn't yet married, Madam Qian had gone there three times.
But the Zhou household, Li Fu hadn't been there even once.
The two of them were quiet as they walked, and when they reached the Zhou gate Li Fu asked in a low voice, "How is the Zhou family? Is anyone giving you a hard time?"
"They're fine," Li Qinghe answered with a smile. "No one bullies me. If they did, Chengkang would help me."
Li Qinghe opened the courtyard gate and led him inside, straight to the outer room of her house. Li Fu looked it over. "A new home, pretty good, just a bit small. I heard you had a quarrel over the kitchen. Do you want me to build one?"
"Not for now." Li Qinghe really did not want a kitchen built here; she'd rather save the money and put one by the pond.
Worried she'd sounded too curt, she explained, "I'm saving silver. I want to move by the pond and take care of the fish and the chicks there."
Li Fu nodded in agreement and looked around. Though the room had seemed small at first, compared to building a new house over by the pond this place seemed quite decent. "Alright then. If you need anything, come home to me. I'm off, there's vegetables to plant in the backyard."
"Father, why don't you stay for a meal first?" Li Qinghe hurried to stop him.
"Another day." Li Fu waved her off and left quickly.
Over the next few days, Zhou Chengkang came home every day with firewood and rabbits. Li Qinghe continued her routine of going into town, returning to feed the fish and cook. Afternoons she either worked in the backyard or by the pond, busy but fulfilling. One afternoon Meihua returned from town just as Li Qinghe was making dinner and popped into the kitchen. "Qinghe, cooking?"
Ever since Meihua's new kitchen had been finished she hardly ever came over. Li Qinghe looked up, surprised. "Is something the matter?"
Meihua leaned in, all mysterious. "There's news about those scholars who went to the county seat to sit the exams."
"Oh?" Li Qinghe asked, curious. "What is it?"
Seeing her interest, Meihua smiled. "I thought you didn't care. Tell me, did anyone pass this time? How many?"
Li Qinghe waved her hand. "I couldn't guess."
Meihua tried to make a game of it, but when Li Qinghe didn't play along she held up three fingers. "Three passed the preliminary, three tongsheng. As for the xiucai title, not a single one."
"I thought someone would pass, people in town were saying that so-and-so from the Hu family was a sure thing," said Zhang Haiyao, arms folded as she leaned in the doorway with a smile. "Sister-in-law, the Hus are your sister's in-laws, right? Your sister's husband failed, are you happy or upset?"
Li Qinghe glanced at her. "What do you mean by that?"
Zhang Haiyao shrugged. "Everyone knows what's what. You and your sister, it's a matter of face. You'll look displeased publicly, but behind closed doors… hehe…"
"You're blocking my light; I can't see." Li Qinghe didn't look up, continuing to knead the dough.
Zhang Haiyao peered at the fine flour in the basin and couldn't help but say, "Sister-in-law, you make such fine dough every day, Fourth Brother must be earning quite a bit, huh?"
How annoying!
Li Qinghe looked up. "Mind your own business." Then, thinking of something, she asked, "Third sister-in-law, why haven't you gone back to your mother's house much? The Zhangs are prosperous, if I were you I'd be eating white rice all the time, not just fine dough."
Hearing Li Qinghe praise the Zhangs, Zhang Haiyao felt pleased. "That I will. I'll go back in a couple of days."
Li Qinghe pretended to be earnest and agreed, "Go back and eat white rice, you really should."
The way she said it sounded off, the tone strange enough to imply that going home was just mooching a free meal. Zhang Haiyao opened her mouth to argue, but saw Li Qinghe had already taken out a piece of meat to chop and couldn't help asking, "Sister-in-law, are these for steamed buns?"
"Mm-hm." Li Qinghe responded without much thought.
Zhang Haiyao tried her luck. "Could you sell me two?"
Sell them, two buns, would she really charge her for those? If she didn't charge, should Meihua be given some?
It wasn't that she begrudged the buns; it was rare to have time to make them. Li Qinghe was busy and had only squeezed out a moment for herself, not to hand them out. She shook her head. "I have to give some to my mother. There won't be extras."
She made a quiet resolution: get the homestead by the pond parceled out soon, start building right away, and move as fast as possible.
The next morning, after Li Qinghe took the rabbit into town and returned, she stopped by the town chief's house and told him she wanted to build a house.
Building in the village didn't really cost silver; as long as it was your own plot and there were no disputes, laying the foundation was easy, you just asked and it was done.
On her way home past the Li household, she was surprised to see Zhao Wanwan, whom she hadn't seen in ages. She wore a gauzy dress, her hair pinned up with a hairpin tucked in, standing demurely in the yard talking with Madam Qian by the well. When she saw Li Qinghe pass, she greeted her warmly, "Sister, come home for lunch."
She can be generous sometimes? Wasn't she there for the examinations, has she struck it rich?