Chapter 13

After entering the tenth month, the weather grew colder day by day. Tian Yao had earlier forgotten to make winter clothes for Yu Nian. It was Aunt Shun who had the foresight, taking the unfinished garment from before and adding thick cotton padding inside, making a lined jacket. It was just right to wear now.

Gray had grown a size larger, no longer looking like a little suckling pup anymore. Because Tian Yao took good care of him, his fur was glossy and sleek. The teeth he bared already showed the shape of fangs. Only then did Tian Yao realize that Gray was probably a cross between a large dog and a wolf—a wolf-dog.

Perhaps because the weather was turning cold recently, or perhaps because the two of them had grown closer, every morning Tian Yao woke up pressed tightly against Yu Nian. Sometimes, like right now, his leg was even draped over Yu Nian’s.

Taking advantage of Yu Nian not being awake yet, he sheepishly retracted his leg and checked whether he had crushed Yu Nian’s leg with his. Only then, in a good mood, did he get up to make breakfast.

A bed shared by two was indeed much warmer than one shared by none. From the look of it, this year’s winter probably wouldn’t be too hard to endure.

The day before, Tian Yao had received a message brought by someone from the town carpenter, telling him he could come pick up the wheelchair today and reminding him to bring the remaining silver.

He told Yu Nian, planning to go to town to buy some winter vegetables, rice, and flour. Not having his own land was the downside—he had to buy all his food. He had thought about buying from the village households, but the land’s yield had been poor these past two years. After paying taxes, many families barely had enough for themselves. So he could only buy from the grain merchant in town.

In past winters, buying roughly a hundred catties of various grains was enough for him to comfortably get through the whole winter. But now with Yu Nian, he needed to prepare a bit more.

Compared to coarse grains, Yu Nian preferred the finer ones. So Tian Yao planned to buy more fine grain. He could say he’d earned some money this year. After deducting the money for Yu Nian’s wheelchair, he still had several taels of silver left—enough to comfortably make it through this winter.

After buying the grains and easily-stored winter vegetables, Tian Yao hurried over to the carpenter’s place.

“You came pretty quickly.” The carpenter rubbed his hands together. “Take a look. This one turned out more satisfying than any I’ve made before.”

Tian Yao had never seen a wheelchair before. His first glance at one had been in the carpenter’s illustrated manual, and seeing the actual object now filled him with shock. He didn’t have the words to describe the wheelchair before him, but it just felt miraculous. With this, Yu Nian could go wherever he wanted and no longer have to be carried around by him.

“Thank you so much.”

The carpenter just smiled. “Paying enough silver is what matters.”

Tian Yao quickly paid him the remaining silver, gently stroking the wheelchair as if handling a rare treasure.

“Look at you, a ger acting like you’ve never seen the world. Hurry up and take it away. Weren’t you in a rush for a family member to use it?”

Tian Yao chuckled. “It’s for my husband.”

The carpenter looked at his silly smile and couldn’t bear to watch. “Go on, go on, get going.”

This time, Tian Yao hadn’t brought Yu Nian along. The ox cart he’d borrowed from the Village Chief had no canopy in the back, just a flatbed cart. He asked the carpenter for a piece of old cloth and covered the wheelchair with it.

His heart raced the whole way home, wishing he could be there in the next second.

“Yu Nian, I’m back!” His voice arrived before he even reached the gate. The ox cart stopped in front of the door. He first set the wheelchair aside, then moved the grain from the cart into the storage room, along with the cabbages and potatoes. They’d be moved into the cellar when he was free later.

After feeding the ox a few handfuls of grass, he carried the wheelchair to the house.

Seeing him return, Yu Nian put down the booklet in his hands. He had already read through Tian Yao’s Little Dad’s illustrated manuals over and over.

“Look what I brought back for you!” Tian Yao couldn’t hide his excitement. His hand trembled slightly for an instant as he uncovered the cloth.

But Yu Nian wasn’t as excited as he imagined. It was just his eyes that reddened. He knew that to get him this wheelchair, Tian Yao had climbed the mountain to hunt wild boar and catch wild geese. He was frugal in his daily spending too. Without him, this dead weight, Tian Yao’s life shouldn’t have been so harsh and impoverished. He should have lived more freely and carefree.

“Yu Nian?” Tian Yao waved his hand in front of Yu Nian’s eyes, finally bringing his attention back.

“Aren’t you going to try it out?”

Only then did Yu Nian nod.

Tian Yao lifted him from the bed and sat him in the wheelchair. The carpenter’s craftsmanship was truly flawless—every inch of wood was sanded smooth, not a single splinter to prick the hand.

Yu Nian touched the wheels of the wheelchair, gave them a try, and found he could make the chair move. Gray was also seeing this novel contraption for the first time, running and jumping circles around Yu Nian, even trying to climb onto him, wanting this thing to carry him along too.

Yu Nian smiled and rubbed his dog’s head, then let him nestle in his lap. He turned the wheels once more, and this time, with much greater skill, he steered the wheelchair in the direction he wanted to go.

Watching from the side, Tian Yao suddenly felt like crying.

His legs were finally not a cage trapping Yu Nian. He could move freely, go wherever he wanted now.

He’d originally been smiling, but as he smiled, the tears came.

This small courtyard of his—he didn’t know how long it could make Yu Nian stay.

“What are you crying for?” Yu Nian had, at some unknown point, come before Tian Yao, watching him cry, his face streaked with tears.

Tian Yao crouched down and looked at Yu Nian. “It’s wonderful.”

Yu Nian reached out and gently wiped his tears away. His hands also bore some scars and calluses, but under Tian Yao’s recent care, they had improved a great deal. Now, his hands were even a bit softer and finer than Tian Yao’s face.

“Thank you.” This thanks was something he should have said long ago. But at the time, he listened to rumors, wallowed in self-pity, and had no heart to notice these things.

“Why say thanks? We’re one family.” Tian Yao wiped the tears clean from his face. “You have to practice using this more. If I’m not home in the future, you can cook for yourself and find things you enjoy doing.”

Yu Nian nodded. “Alright.”

Tian Yao walked a loop from the house around the whole yard, then returned to the room. “I’ll take down all our door thresholds in a bit, then you can really go wherever you want.”

He carried Yu Nian, wheelchair and all, out into the yard. There were no steps between the yard and the outside. So Yu Nian followed behind him, watching as he moved sack after sack of potatoes and cabbages into the cellar.

Only then did he look around. This was the first time he had stepped out of the room, out of the yard.

When he’d arrived, his overly long hair had obscured his entire vision. Only today did he finally see the full layout of this yard.

It was built against the mountain. Outside the courtyard wall was probably Tian Yao’s vegetable patch. A bamboo grove stretched out behind, merging gradually with the mountain forest.

Tian Yao, at some point, had come to stand beside him. “Those bamboo were planted by Little Dad. He said bamboo is full of treasures from head to toe, so he planted a lot. In spring, we can dig for bamboo shoots.”

Yu Nian nodded. “That’s so. Bamboo leaves clear heat and generate fluids. Bamboo sap relieves restlessness and quenches thirst. Bamboo seeds can be used in medicinal cuisine, and so on.”

Tian Yao looked at him. “How do you know so much?”

Yu Nian’s eyes dimmed slightly. “I learned some things in the past.”

Tian Yao knew he was thinking about the past and didn’t know how to console him. Just as he wanted to say something, his gaze happened to fall on Gray, still lying in Yu Nian’s lap. Reaching out, he grabbed Gray by the tail and lifted him up, swatting his rear. “You’re crushing your dad’s leg!”

“Gray is still small.” Yu Nian gently rubbed Gray’s dog ears. “No need to be so strict with him.”

Tian Yao snorted, then pushed Yu Nian by the wheelchair handles back into the yard. Gray followed behind them, even reaching out a paw to pull the gate shut.

When Tian Yao went to cook, Yu Nian followed him into the kitchen. The kitchen wasn’t large—even one person felt it was crowded, let alone with someone as big as Yu Nian. Helpless, Tian Yao pushed him out into the yard. “You and Gray play outside, or you can go out for a walk if you like—just don’t go too far.”

Hearing his name, Gray barked once, wagging his tail and keeping guard by Yu Nian’s side. Yu Nian murmured an agreement and maneuvered his wheelchair out the door.

Tian Yao’s home wasn’t too close to any of the other village households. The path leading up to the house had been laid by Father back then. Usually, besides those families who had good relations with Tian Yao’s, hardly anyone ever came this way. That was why Tian Yao felt safe letting Yu Nian go out.

After some thought, Tian Yao figured that with the happy occasion today, lunch shouldn’t just be thrown together carelessly. He went back to the room to get his pouch and caught up with Yu Nian.

“I need to go buy meat from the butcher. Want to come with me?” Tian Yao looked at Yu Nian, who had stopped in place, and helped push his wheelchair.

Yu Nian nodded. Eventually, he would have to live his life in this village. He couldn’t lock himself in this tiny yard forever.

Tian Yao hadn’t expected him to agree, and was stunned for a moment, not reacting. Only when Yu Nian looked up at him did Tian Yao finally push the wheelchair towards the village.

It would be mealtime soon. Almost all the adults in the village were home at this hour. Only a pack of children was running wildly through the village. Seeing Yu Nian, they all craned their necks to look, but no one dared to come near Tian Yao. They must have all heard the rumor that he could kill a cow with one punch.

Tian Yao was actually quite happy for the peace and quiet. He was also a little afraid Yu Nian would find it uncomfortable, so he quickened his pace and soon arrived at Butcher Zhang’s home.

Butcher Zhang saw them, and like everyone else, showed surprise. “Oh ho, Yao Ge’er finally decided to bring your husband out?”

Tian Yao said, “You met him on the wedding day. You’re talking like you haven’t seen him before.”

“Haven’t seen him since the wedding day.” Butcher Zhang showed him the remaining pork. “Which cut do you want?”

Remembering that Yu Nian was picky and hardly ate fatty meat, Tian Yao said, “A piece of pork collar.”

Butcher Zhang just couldn’t understand. Why buy this when there was perfectly good fatty meat, full of rich oil? Not buying that but buying this pork collar?

“Just give me this.”

Zhang Ruhu tied the meat with straw twine and handed it to Tian Yao. Only then did he notice the wheelchair Yu Nian was sitting in. “Now that’s a rare contraption.”

Tian Yao puffed out his chest. “Isn’t it?”

“Why spend that kind of money?” Butcher Zhang asked.

“Well, I can’t be carrying him up and down all day, can I?”

Butcher Zhang was entirely unconvinced. “You’re already married. What’s wrong with carrying him more? Too shy even for a carry? Then what do you do at night?”

Tian Yao: …