Chapter 17

Early the next morning, the family at Old Li’s house woke up early. Guihua cut a piece of fatty pork, fried a big bowl of meat sauce for Ming Dong, and packed it into a canning jar. She also wrapped the steamed flatbreads from yesterday afternoon in a clean cloth.

After breakfast, Grandma Li took a puff from her pipe and reminded Ming Dong, saying, “Remember to write home often when you get to Ice City. If anything happens, go look for your Fourth Uncle. If he won’t help you, come back and tell me. I’ll use my pipe to knock some sense into him.”

Ming Dong couldn’t help but smile. Standing in front of Grandma Li, his slightly thin body stood straight. “Grandma, I’m an adult now. At school, I have teachers and classmates. What could go wrong? Besides, if something does happen, I’ll write and ask you for advice.”

“Alright!” Grandma Li chuckled while puffing her pipe. “My oldest grandson is an adult now. You should learn to make decisions for yourself.” Glancing at Guihua, who stood beside them with slightly reddened eyes, Grandma Li got off the bed, put on her shoes, and walked out. “Alright, I’m going to check on Zhenzhen. You two chat, just don’t delay the train.”

Ming Dong looked at Grandma Li’s figure disappearing at the door, then turned back to Guihua standing in front of him. A complex emotion flashed across his face. “After you go home today, stay for a few more days. It’s rare to go back twice a year.”

Guihua’s face turned slightly shy. She touched the braid hanging in front of her chest, lowered her head, and spoke softly. “I’ll just go back for a visit. I can’t stay too long. There’s always something I need to do at home.”

“Actually, if you want to go home, you can tell me,” Ming Dong said, looking at her with a hint of urgency in his voice. “It’s not like ten years ago anymore. You can go home whenever you want.”

Guihua seemed not to understand Ming Dong’s meaning. She still maintained her shy demeanor, her face turning a bit pink. “But this is my home. I’ve been married here since I was little, haven’t I?” She looked up at Ming Dong, her eyes full of admiration. “Ming Dong, don’t worry about me, go study. I’ll take care of the house. I’ll wait for you to come back.”

In this conservative era, Guihua’s words were quite direct and passionate. Ming Dong instinctively took two steps back, a trace of unease on his face. He looked at Guihua but didn’t know how to respond. In the silence, he felt his throat dry and a bit uncomfortable, and couldn’t help but swallow.

The two exchanged a glance, and Guihua looked at Ming Dong with her big eyes, gazing at him without hesitation. Under her intense gaze, Ming Dong’s eyes involuntarily flickered, and he quickly turned his head away in embarrassment. “I have to go.”

Guihua’s face showed a hint of disappointment, but as soon as Ming Dong turned around, she put on a familiar gentle smile. “I’ll help you with your things.”

Ming Dong slung the already rolled-up bedding on his back and patted the money sewn into his clothes, then confidently picked up the large bag containing his clothes and books. Guihua, carrying the basket filled with dry food, meat sauce, and pickles, followed behind him, looking like a virtuous little wife.

They reached the door, and Ming Dong went into the east room to say goodbye to Grandma Li, Li Muwu, and Wang Sufen. Since high school, Ming Dong had been studying in Yidong, so he had often been away from home, and the Li family had gotten used to it. There was no great sadness. Li Muwu, looking at his son, who was about the same height as him, simply smiled and said, “Listen to your teachers over there, study hard, and don’t fight with your classmates.” Wang Sufen, holding Zhenzhen, reminded him, “Don’t stay up late at night. Wear warm clothes in winter, and if you’re missing anything, write to us, and we’ll have your father send it to you.”

Grandma Li looked at Guihua, who was following Ming Dong, and thought about arranging the marriage of the two children by the end of the year. But she didn’t want to mention it in front of them, so she decided to discuss it later with Wang Sufen.

Ming Xi came in from outside and took the large bag from Ming Dong’s hands. He turned to Grandma Li and greeted, “Grandma, should I go and send my brother off?”

“Go ahead!” Grandma Li waved her hand. “Guihua, just send him to the door. You’ll still need to go back to your parents’ house later.”

Guihua agreed, but she still stayed at the door for a long time. Only when Ming Dong urged her again did she hand him the basket, watching their figures disappear from her sight before she slowly turned back, glancing over her shoulder as she went inside.

At home, Li Muwu had placed the meat to be sent to his father-in-law’s house on the cart, along with two small stools for Grandma Li and Wang Sufen.

Grandma Li went into the kitchen, placed the pig lard that Guihua had prepared in the cupboard, and then took two bowls of oil from it, locking the rest away. Ming Nan and Ming Bei, standing at the kitchen door, watched as Grandma Li locked up the items one by one and couldn’t help but complain, “What are we going to eat for lunch if everything is locked away?”

“Didn’t I leave you two bowls of lard? There’s still the leftover cabbage and pork vermicelli from last night, and a few big bones. Isn’t that enough for you two?” Grandma Li was quick with both her mouth and hands, and in no time, the kitchen was clean and tidy. “Life is about saving things for the future, how can you eat everything at once? That’s wasteful. I’m telling you, life at home isn’t bad. Do you see anyone else with as much meat and fish as we have?”

Ming Bei pouted and tried to argue for more, “But the lard still hasn’t had sugar sprinkled on it!”

Grandma Li gave him a glance, seeing his pitiful expression, and reluctantly opened the cupboard, took out the bag of sugar, and carefully sprinkled a little into the bowl before locking it up again. Sugar was also a scarce commodity, so Ming Nan and Ming Bei didn’t ask for much, just enough to taste it.

Grandma Li locked the door and straightened her clothes. She reminded them once more, “We’ve got the meat in the iron bucket in the big water tank. There’s also corn drying outside. make sure to lock the door, don’t let anyone take it.”

Ming Bei, with his mouth full of lard, waved his hand without looking up. “Grandma, don’t worry. Even if I get hurt, I won’t lose it!”

Grandma Li was instantly amused. “Alright, you have ambition.”

Outside, Li Muwu had already prepared the cart. Wang Sufen, holding Zhenzhen in her arms, came out of the east room, carrying a water jug, blanket, and a small bag of wild fruits. Grandma Li quickly went to take the items. “I’ll carry these, you take care not to drop Zhenzhen.”

Grandma Li, chattering away, walked to the door, making sure to shout inside, “Come out and close the door!”

Ming Nan quickly ran out and closed the door with the latch. Grandma Li wanted to say a few more words, but Ming Nan quickly locked the door and returned to the cart, making sure everything was secure.

“That brat is finally being efficient,” Grandma Li muttered as she walked up to the cart, holding Li Muwu’s hand.

Zhenzhen, who was going out for the first time, sat in Wang Sufen’s arms, her curious eyes scanning the surroundings. Having grown up in the city in her past life, she was used to towering steel and concrete buildings. Even when visiting rural farmhouses or traveling to beautiful villages, they were all neatly arranged houses and wide, paved streets. This, however, was her first time seeing a truly authentic rural scene.

The cart moved along the narrow road. On one side were the continuous red pine mountains, and on the other were the low earthen houses with open courtyard gates. Some people were carrying water back to their home, while others hurried out with baskets, heading toward the mountains.

As they traveled farther, the houses gradually disappeared, and the cart turned onto a narrow forest path. The only scenery now was the tall trees on either side. But even with just the trees, Zhenzhen was fascinated. In her past life, she hadn’t paid much attention to trees, but now she could tell what kind of species they were just by a glance—red pines, spruces, birches, linden trees, poplars, and willows all mixed together to form a vast forest sea.

Zhenzhen loved the feeling of being in the forest, feeling like every breath she took was filled with the vigorous life force of the plants. She kept turning her head to look at the trees behind them while sitting in Wang Sufen’s lap.

Knowing about Zhenzhen’s special abilities, Grandma Li and Wang Sufen were worried she might cause some trouble. Wang Sufen held Zhenzhen’s small hand and comforted her, saying, “Good girl, there might be people passing by here, so we mustn’t let any branches fly over. Do you hear me?”

Grandma Li took out the wild fruits she had washed and handed them to Zhenzhen. “Good girl, Grandma brought you some fruit. Let’s eat this, and we can pick the others when autumn comes, okay?”

Zhenzhen took a blueberry and put it in her mouth, smiling sweetly at Grandma Li. Seeing her little granddaughter smile so sweetly, Grandma Li couldn’t help but smile too. “My good girl is so obedient, growing more beautiful every day. Look at those eyes, she’s definitely blessed.”

“Definitely blessed,” Wang Sufen agreed enthusiastically. She lowered her voice and whispered in Grandma Li’s ear, “With Zhenzhen’s abilities, she’ll never go hungry.”

Grandma Li nodded but was still somewhat worried. She reminded Wang Sufen, “This must not be leaked. When Zhenzhen gets a bit older and can understand things, we need to keep reminding her. If her ability were known, it would be like having a treasure trove—who wouldn’t be envious?”

“Don’t worry, Mom, Zhenzhen is my daughter. Of course, I love her,” Wang Sufen assured her. Then, she became a little worried. “Right now, it’s fine, since the wild fruits aren’t ripe, and they’re everywhere, so no one will think anything of it. But if Zhenzhen gets a craving in winter and brings back a whole basket, what will we do?”

Grandma Li furrowed her brow. “When autumn comes, we can dry some blueberries, mountain berries, and things like that. If that doesn’t work, we can always use frozen pears or persimmons. I see she likes pine nuts and hazelnuts, so we can mix things up and coax her then.”

Zhenzhen, sitting on Wang Sufen’s lap, felt touched. She didn’t expect the older generation at home to be so worried. It seemed that in the future, eating fruits would have to be more discreet.

Thinking about the wild fruit seeds she had thrown from the window to the back eaves, Zhenzhen secretly smiled. When the time came, the fruits would grow one after another, and no one would notice.

As they chatted, the cart turned off the mountain path after about an hour. In the distance, they saw rows of low, mud-brick houses, with firewood scattered along the roadside.

Zhenzhen popped the last lantern fruit Grandma Li had brought her into her mouth. Then, she stretched out both hands toward Grandma Li and mumbled, “Wash.”

“This child loves cleanliness,” Grandma Li said with a smile as she pulled out the small handkerchief she always carried for Zhenzhen. She poured some water from the flask and helped her wash her hands and face clean.

“Is Fenzi¹ back?” an old man driving a donkey cart came toward them. Li Muwu quickly moved the big cart aside to let the donkey pass.

“Uncle Zhu, are you hauling wood?” Wang Sufen greeted him cheerfully.

“Yes, there’s a lot of wood today. I won’t chat with you. Hurry home, your old woman has been mentioning you to your mother,” the old man said as he drove the donkey cart down the hill.

Since she got pregnant, Wang Sufen hadn’t had the chance to visit her parents’ home. She had been too busy, but once she arrived and saw the familiar sights and the warm neighbors, she couldn’t hold back her excitement. Her lips trembled with joy, and regardless of whether Zhenzhen could understand, she enthusiastically introduced her: “Zhenzhen, see? This is the Qing Song Forest Village, where Grandma lives.”

Zhenzhen nodded happily, and Wang Sufen couldn’t help but kiss her. “My treasure is so smart, she understands everything.”

As they spoke, the cart reached the village, where people were coming and going. Everyone who heard the noise came out to take a look, and when they saw Wang Sufen, they greeted her warmly: “Fenzi is back at her parents’ home! Is this your little girl? She’s so cute!”

“The weather’s nice now, and the house isn’t busy, so it’s a good time to bring her to see my parents,” Wang Sufen replied with a smile.

“Fenzi, come over and sit for a while, we haven’t chatted in ages. Hey, is this your mother-in-law? Hello, Auntie!” Another woman, about Wang Sufen’s age, came out from the main door.

Grandma Li squinted and smiled, explaining, “I haven’t seen my in-laws for more than half a year, just dropping by to visit.”

Some mischievous boys who were playing outside ran to the Wang family’s house, and one of them shouted at the top of his lungs, “Aunt Wang, Aunt Sufen is back!”

Wang Laotai², who was sitting with her daughter-in-law in the yard picking wild vegetables, immediately stood up when she heard this, wiped her hands on her apron, and rushed out.

By now, the cart had reached the doorstep. Li Muwu got off the cart and called out to Wang Laotai, who was running toward him, “Mother!”

“Ah! Muwu’s here!” Wang Laotai smiled and greeted him. When she saw the cart, her face lit up with joy. “Oh, my dear in-laws are here too, come down, I’ll help you!” Then she turned around and shouted, “Big daughter-in-law, hurry up, your sister-in-law is here!”

Wang’s eldest daughter-in-law, He Dongmei, put the wild vegetables aside, grabbed a broom, and swept the rotten roots and leaves into the corner before quickly coming out.

After Li Muwu and Wang Sufen got off the cart, Li Muwu tied the big cart to a nearby open space. People in the Qing Song Forest Village mainly lived off hauling wood, so each family had a large area between their houses with strong wooden posts used for tying up horses and donkeys. After tying the donkey, Li Muwu took out the basket filled with wild boar meat.

He Dongmei and Wang Sufen chatted as they walked inside. She looked at the little girl in Wang Sufen’s arms and couldn’t help but laugh, asking, “Is this the girl you had last winter? Have you named her yet?”

“We named her, her full name is Li Mingzhen, and her nickname is Zhenzhen,” Wang Sufen said with a smile.

“Zhenzhen…” He Dongmei clicked her tongue. “Sounds rather fancy.”

“It’s a name given by her older brother. He said it’s a name full of vitality, like grass and trees growing strong. When my mother-in-law heard it, she thought it would be a good name for a healthy child, so she went with it,” Wang Sufen said as she gently rocked Zhenzhen in her arms and pointed to He Dongmei. “Treasure, this is your aunt.”

Zhenzhen showed two little teeth and smiled sweetly. He Dongmei couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “She’s not shy at all. Well, Sufen, you should hurry inside with the baby, I’ll get you some water.” She quickly went to the kitchen, made three bowls of sweet water, and brought them inside, handing one to Grandma Li and the other to Wang Sufen.

Grandma Li still had dirt on her hands, so she went out to wash them, Grandma Wang looked up and saw Li Muwu carrying a heavy basket inside. “What’s that you’re bringing?” she asked casually.

Li Muwu smiled foolishly. “I went hunting for a wild boar yesterday. I thought I’d bring you some fresh meat.”

“Wild boar meat?” Grandma Wang exclaimed in both surprise and delight. She quickly walked over and lifted the tree leaves covering the meat, revealing a large chunk of back meat, weighing at least thirty to forty pounds. Her smile widened as she couldn’t stop grinning, “How did you bring so much meat? You should keep it and eat it yourselves.”

“We still have more at home; this is for you.” Li Muwu rubbed his hands together and carried the basket to the kitchen. Noticing that the water jar only had half a tank of water left, he grabbed a carrying pole and headed outside to fetch water.

Grandma Wang saw this and quickly grabbed him, “Hurry inside and drink some water. When your brother comes back, let him fetch the water.”

“It’s fine; I can’t sit still anyway. Mom, you go inside and talk.” Unable to argue, Grandma Wang could only watch Li Muwu leave with the water buckets, and once she was inside, she couldn’t help but praise, “You see, how good this child is! He can never sit still. He hasn’t even had a sip of water and insists on fetching more.”

“He should fetch water for you, it’s only right. Come on, relative, let’s sit down and chat,” Li Muwu’s mother, Grandma Li, moved over a bit to make space for Grandma Wang.

Grandma Wang sat down, her joy unmistakable, “why did you bring such a big piece of pig meat? Your family is big enough; you should just keep it for yourselves.”

Grandma Li laughed as she patted Grandma Wang’s hand, “We’re just having a little taste. The weather is so hot, the meat won’t last, and pickling it won’t taste as good as fresh. Our side has been without pork from the supply store for a long time, so when we finally got a wild boar, I thought the you should all try it.”

Grandma Wang was overjoyed, thanking her repeatedly. Turning around, she saw He Dongmei sitting nearby, looking stunned, so she quickly glared at her, “Hurry up and get the pork ready. Stew a pot for lunch. And, get some rice out too, steam a bowl of rice for the guests.”

Grandma Wang waved her hand, “Just give us some flatbread; no need to serve such precious rice.” Then, recalling that Zhenzhen couldn’t eat flatbread, she quickly added, “If you have rice, make some porridge for Zhenzhen. She can’t eat other things.” He Dongmei agreed and hurried to the kitchen.

When Wang Sufen’s family arrived at the door earlier, He Dongmei had appeared happy but couldn’t help feeling a little troubled inside. If it had just been her little sister returning alone, everything would have been fine, but she had brought her husband and mother-in-law. In Beicha, a son-in-law visiting was considered a distinguished guest, and a elder even more so—they were treated as honored guests. He Dongmei worried because there wasn’t much cornmeal at home and had briefly considered killing a chicken to entertain them. But the chicken had only recently started laying eggs, so she felt a bit reluctant. Just then, she heard her mother-in-law mention that her brother-in-law had brought wild boar meat, which instantly cheered her up.

In the kitchen, He Dongmei took the pork out of the basket, cut off more than a pound of meat, washed it clean, and then cut it into pieces the size of mahjong tiles. She then generously added some sugar to the pot to brown the meat, preparing to make braised pork with potatoes.

While the meat was stewing, He Dongmei went to the garden to pick some green beans and a few eggplants. There were also wild vegetables she had just picked from the mountain yesterday, which would be great to eat with sauce in the summer.

Despite all this, He Dongmei still felt it wasn’t enough. She thought for a moment, then cut some meat and went to the neighbor’s house. Soon she returned with a few cucumbers and tomatoes. The cucumbers were sliced and mixed with the wild vegetables, and the tomatoes would be fried with eggs to serve with porridge for her sister-in-law’s daughter.

While He Dongmei worked tirelessly in the kitchen, Grandma Wang, sitting inside, couldn’t help but ask about her grandson as she looked at Zhenzhen, sitting on the kang and fiddling with a handkerchief. “Why hasn’t Dongzi and brothers come over?”

Wang Sufen laughed, “Dongzi’s train is going to Ice City for university today. Mingxi went with him. Mingnan and Mingbei are too naughty, eating a lot, so I asked them to stay home and look after the house.”

When Grandma Wang heard this, she couldn’t help but scold her, “They hardly come over twice a year! Don’t I miss them? Even if it’s just one meal, what’s the harm? They can’t possibly eat all my food in a year. You can’t do this next time.”

“I’ll bring them over during the New Year,” Wang Sufen quickly promised.

Grandma Li noticed that Zhenzhen had been playing with the handkerchief for a while and was starting to nod off. She quickly scooped her up, gently rubbing her little face, coaxing her, “Is the little one sleepy? It’s time to nap at Grandma’s house. How about you sleep in Grandma’s arms?” Zhenzhen shook her head, trying to wriggle free to lie down on the kang.

Zhenzhen had learned to flip over on her own and disliked being held to sleep, finding it uncomfortable and tiring. Li Grandma knew this well, so she hurriedly asked Wang Sufen to spread out the little blanket she had brought. She carefully laid Zhenzhen on it, gently patting her to sleep.

Although Grandma Wang had seen how overjoyed Grandma Li had been when Zhenzhen was born, she still didn’t expect this strict woman to be so patient when it came to coaxing her granddaughter to sleep.

Grandma Li hummed a tuneless lullaby while gently patting Zhenzhen, and in just two to three minutes, Zhenzhen fell asleep.

“Ai, this child is so easy to take care of!” Grandma Wang said enviously, “My own kid was such a handful. Even at three years old, he still doesn’t settle down.”

Grandma Li quickly waved her hand when she heard the loud voice, “Don’t make so much noise. My granddaughter sleeps lightly. How about we go to the yard to talk?”

Grandma Wang couldn’t help but click her tongue, “You spoil your little girl too much.”

“Of course!” Grandma Li said proudly, waving her hand in front of Grandma Wang’s eyes. “She’s the only girl born in five generations. If it weren’t for Dongzi naming her Zhenzhen, I would have called her Golden Nugget.”

Just as Zhenzhen, who had just started to stir, heard Grandma Li’s words, she slipped and fell to the ground.

————

—”Fenzi” (芬子) is a casual, affectionate nickname for Wang Shufen, using part of her name with the suffix “-zi” for familiarity.

—”Laotai” (老太) is a Chinese term that means “old lady” or “elderly woman.” It is often used to respectfully or affectionately refer to an older woman, especially in rural or familial contexts. For example, it might refer to a grandmother or an older matriarch within a family.
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