Chapter 5: Mutual Gifting
Back at home, Song Changxu wrung out a cloth, washed his face, and returned to his room to continue his studies. After reading for a while, he rolled up his sleeves and began copying the book.
He could earn six hundred copper coins for one book, and it was also good practice for his handwriting. In his spare time, he could write letters for others. Living at home didn’t cost much.
When he went to Scholar Li’s house in Linshui Village to study, he would bring a lunchbox in the morning, heat it up over a fire at noon, and return home for dinner in the evening.
Today, Xu Cheng was instructed by his Adie to go to the back mountain to pick wild fruits, star anise, and soapberries. At six years old, he was capable of doing some simple chores.
Xia Ya, who was the same age, often played with him. She was licking a piece of rock candy, and Xu Cheng watched with envy.
“My mom bought this for me. I can only have this one piece. My big sister got married and came back, and every time she comes home, she brings good things. That’s when I get to enjoy treats.”
Xu Cheng picked a wild fruit, wiped it with his sleeve, and popped it into his mouth to satisfy his craving. He mumbled, “That’s nice. I don’t have a sister.”
Xia Ya said, “You don’t have a sister, but you’re about to have an uncle-in-law. There’s going to be a big celebration. When that happens, grab a big handful of wedding candy and wedding cakes and stuff them in your pockets. It’ll be enough to eat for a long time.”
Xu Cheng picked some soapberries and filled his basket with wild fruits. The clothes he was wearing now were ones Song Changxu had worn as a child, which saved the family the expense of buying new ones.
The material of Song Changxu’s childhood clothes was good, and they still looked new after all these years. After coming to the Song family, Xu Cheng had put on some weight. Now, when he smiled, he had a pair of small dimples.
After finishing the tasks his Adie had given him, he picked some wildflowers and played with them in his hands. Since coming to the Song family, his personality had become much more cheerful, and he had gained a touch of innocent romanticism.
He was happy every day.
Xia Ya had her hair in two small pigtails. She had also come up the mountain to pick wild fruits. The two of them walked and talked.
“Everyone in your Song family is so good-looking. When Brother Xu marries in, he’ll be another good-looking one.”
At six years old, children were already conscious of their appearance.
At the Xu family, Xu Cheng hadn’t paid much attention to his looks. Hearing what Xia Ya said, he showed a little happiness.
After copying the book for a while, Song Changxu chopped the family’s firewood. When Xu Cheng returned from outside and saw his uncle chopping wood, he was startled.
His uncle never did these small chores, and the family never let him.
Xu Cheng cautiously looked at Song Changxu and said, “Uncle, the chore of chopping wood can wait for Grandpa, Grandma, and Adie to do when they get back.”
“Reading was getting on my nerves. Chopping wood for a bit puts me in a better mood.”
Xu Cheng nodded meekly. He glanced at Song Changxu again, then went into the house, brought out a tea bowl, and poured him a cup.
“Uncle, rest and have some tea if you’re tired.”
Song Changxu acknowledged him and sat down to drink the tea. Xu Cheng hadn’t been idle on the mountain either. Besides the soapberries and wild fruits, his basket was also half-full of grass for the chickens. At home, he would often feed the chickens and ducks, and their current robust state was partly his contribution.
There wasn’t much entertainment in the countryside. Song Changxu couldn’t stay at home reading all the time, or he would surely get sick from boredom. Now, after coming out to chop wood, he had worked up a sweat.
“Cheng Ge’er, stay at home and don’t run around.”
Xu Cheng agreed. The sun was strong now, and he was too lazy to go outside. It was nice to rest in the cool house and eat some wild fruits.
The roasted barley tea his Adie made wasn’t very popular in hot weather. His Adie didn’t know how to make herbal tea. He had heard that the Xu family’s eldest ge’er was skilled at making it, so his uncle-in-law should know how to make it too.
.
Rummaging through chests and cabinets in his room, Song Changxu found another hundred copper coins in a dusty corner. He carefully put the coins in his purse and went back to reviewing his books.
The harvests had been poor in recent years. With little rain and hot weather in the summer, the crops were prone to drought. The Song family’s high-grade paddy fields still yielded a decent harvest; otherwise, he would have had to put away his books and go to work instead of studying.
He lowered his head to read. Before long, he felt a breeze blowing in from the window, growing stronger with each gust. The sky darkened.
“It’s going to rain! Bring in the clothes!”
A few children shouted loudly, some running to the fields to call their parents back to bring in the drying beans and peppers.
Clothes were hanging in the courtyard, washed by Song Mingyan at noon. Xu Cheng ran out of the house, stood on his tiptoes to reach the clothes, grabbed the hems, and pulled them down, carrying them inside.
Song Changxu came out to help with the “rain rescue.” Fortunately, they weren’t drying soybeans or anything like that, just a few pieces of clothing, which was manageable.
Just as they brought the clothes and poles inside, large raindrops began to fall, quickly soaking the ground. When it rained, the people in the fields had to go back too.
The men sighed. A rainstorm would cause a lot of delays. Song Mingyan and the others, who had been wearing straw hats for shade, now used them to shield against the rain. After tamping down the earth in the fields, the family picked up their bamboo baskets and headed back. The baskets still had half a basket of seedlings left.
“We can only go back and do some needlework.”
“I’ll go to the kitchen and chop some firewood.”
Even on rainy days, the diligent people in the family didn’t slack off.
Xu Zhizhou felt a coolness on his face. The air smelled of damp earth. His eyes curved into crescents, and he was very happy.
It was his turn to work in the fields today, and it rained. It was clear that even the heavens couldn’t bear to see him work. Now he could go home and rest again.
When he got home, his clothes were half-wet. He went back to his room to dry off and change. He caught Xu Zhici and pulled him in, winking and saying, “Elder Brother, I have something good for you to try.”
Xu Zhici sat on the edge of the bed. “What delicious thing could you have? I don’t remember you going to town these past few days.”
Xu Zhizhou took out the fragrant and soft mung bean cakes and said generously, “Elder Brother, try them quickly. They’re the mung bean cakes from East Street.”
“Where did you get them?” Xu Zhici asked, taking a piece.
“They were bought by the person who was supposed to buy them. Don’t ask, just eat.” Xu Zhizhou felt that this was something Song Changxu ought to do.
Xu Zhici had his suspicions. He smiled without saying anything, only reminding him, “Don’t accept things from strangers.”
Xu Zhizhou mumbled a vague agreement.
The spring rain was accompanied by thunder and lightning. The villagers of Qishan Village lit their candles as they ate dinner, and the houses glowed with a soft light.
After the Song family finished dinner, Song Ye smoked a pipe, puffing out clouds of smoke. Liang Su looked at the pitch-black sky outside, occasionally illuminated by a flash of lightning.
“It looks like this rain won’t stop for a while. The day after tomorrow, Changxu has to go to Linshui Village. I hope this rain passes soon.”
“He’s been walking the road to Linshui Village for years. Changxu is used to it,” Song Ye said. He was still thinking about buying an ox. He would have to wait until after Changxu’s wedding. With an ox, plowing the fields would be much easier.
A calf cost eight taels of silver, while a full-grown, strong ox cost ten. To save two taels, Song Ye planned to buy a calf. It would grow tall and strong with enough grass.
The family had fifteen chickens and five ducks. When the weather warmed up, they would let the hens hatch eggs and raise a few more. They were excellent for both laying eggs and for making soup later on.
“Wash up and go to bed,” Liang Su said.
After washing up, Song Changxu lay in bed listening to the sound of the rain, and drowsiness soon came. He buried his face in his pillow, and before long, the sound of steady breathing came from the bed.
Song Mingyan took Xu Cheng back to their room. Xu Cheng had a small bed placed next to the large one. When they returned to the Song family, Xu Cheng was only four. In the blink of an eye, they had been at his parents’ home for two years.
Right after the divorce, Xu Peng had come to beg for forgiveness, wanting to take his husband and son back. But less than six months later, under the arrangement of the Xu family elders, he married a new husband and cast Song Mingyan and Xu Cheng from his mind.
The following year, he had a big, healthy son. During the first-birthday banquet, the Xu family was very smug, all but saying outright that there was something wrong with him, that he had only given birth to a ge’er. After the noisy divorce, the Xu family’s life had gotten better and better.
It was as if with the Xu family’s new husband, Song Mingyan, the old one, had never existed.
In the end, that marriage was like a grain of rice stuck to one’s clothes, a constant, uncomfortable reminder. The Song and Xu families had become enemies.
“Adie, I want to sleep with you,” Xu Cheng said, afraid of the thunder. He climbed onto Song Mingyan’s bed and snuggled up to him.
“I’ll go blow out the candle,” Song Mingyan said, tucking Xu Cheng in.
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The rain fell for two days. Song Mingyan got up early to go to the field to pick chives, planning to make flower rolls.
He also pulled up a handful of scallions and dug up some ginger. After scraping off the dirt, they were clean and fresh.
The dew was heavy outside. The villagers got up early, and every household began to make breakfast. Those who raised pigs also had to cook pig feed.
Xu Zhizhou came to the field to pull up scallions. Xu Zhici was in charge of cooking; they were having scallion noodles for breakfast this morning. He called out when he saw Song Mingyan.
“Brother Song, are you also here to pick vegetables?”
Seeing it was Xu Zhizhou, Song Mingyan smiled and nodded. “I’m planning to make some flower rolls.”
Xu Zhizhou said, “Brother Song is so capable.” He didn’t know how to make flower rolls.
He grabbed a handful of Sichuan peppercorns from his family’s field. “Brother, take these peppercorns to add some flavor.”
Sichuan peppercorns were a good thing and also expensive. The Xu family’s peppercorn tree had been bought when times were good. Sometimes they would give the peppercorns away as gifts to build relationships.
The address changed from “Brother Song” (with the family name) to “Brother Song” (more familiar), and then directly to “Brother,” dropping the surname to sound more intimate.
Song Mingyan accepted this well, a little surprised. “How can I accept this?”
“Just take them, Brother. We have plenty in our field,” Xu Zhizhou said. The hair tied back with a ribbon behind his head swayed in the wind, creating a lighthearted arc.
Sichuan peppercorns were excellent for making flower rolls. Song Mingyan didn’t refuse again, and his impression of Xu Zhizhou improved considerably.
He went home and kneaded the dough until it was smooth, then let it rise. He would be able to make the rolls at noon.
The Song family had noodle-flake soup for breakfast.
Song Changxu drank a bowl of the soup, which warmed his stomach. The soup had pickles in it, giving it a sour taste, which was just how Song Changxu liked it.
At noon, Song Mingyan returned and made the flower rolls. He thought he should send some over to the Xu family. It wouldn’t be appropriate to ask Changxu to go. He took a large bowl, filled it with the freshly steamed flower rolls, and handed it to Xu Cheng.
“Cheng Ge’er, take these flower rolls to the Xu family.”
“I know, Adie.”
As Xu Cheng carried the large bowl, he met some friends on the road. They sniffed at the fragrant smell of the flower rolls.
“Cheng Ge’er, what are you carrying? Where are you taking it?”
“I’m taking it to the Xu family.”
Xu Cheng didn’t say much more. When he reached the Xu residence, there were people at home, and the courtyard gate was open. He walked into the main hall. Xu Sunzheng was gulping down tea from a bowl and was a bit stunned to see a child come in.
A short while later, Xu Cheng returned carefully, carrying the large bowl, afraid of spilling the meat soup inside.
Song Changxu went to take the large bowl from his hands.
“The meat-slice soup from the Xu family’s elder brother. It’s so hot,” Xu Cheng said, sticking out his tongue. He took a deep breath, intoxicated by the aroma of the soup.
“What were you doing at the Xu family?” Song Changxu’s eyelid twitched at the mention of the name.
Xu Cheng took a piece of candy from his pocket. “Adie asked me to deliver flower rolls to Uncle Xu. The Xu family’s elder brother gave me a bowl of meat-slice soup, and the second brother stuffed a few pieces of candy into my hand. It’s so sweet.”
Author’s Note:
Little Song: He’s got a sharp tongue [Angry]
Little Xu: Beautiful, kind-hearted, and sweet-tongued [Shrugs]