Accidentally-Born-C21

Chapter 21

After finally understanding the core issue that had been troubling him for half a year, Ming Dong’s mood instantly brightened. He excitedly jumped down from the parallel bars, grabbed Ming Xi, and wanted to run two laps around the track to stretch out the joy in his heart.

Ming Xi, dragged by Ming Dong for two steps, squatted down and refused to move: “I’ve been on a train for days, and I don’t have the mood to fool around with you. If you want to run, hurry up and do it. After that, let’s go back to the dorm to sleep. We still have to go to Fourth Uncle’s house tomorrow.”

Ming Dong gave a silly laugh: “Ming Xi, do you think I’m stupid? Actually, I could’ve fallen in love with Guihua and gotten married first. That way, it wouldn’t have been an arranged marriage. Why didn’t I think of this earlier? This is just wasting time, isn’t it?”

Ming Xi yawned, rubbing his eyes: “I never thought you were stupid before, but now I realize that sometimes you really aren’t very sharp. When you act stupid, it’s just like Ming Bei. I’m telling you, bro, if you have time, don’t read those messy books. Otherwise, I’ll go back and tell Grandma.”

“Why do you tell Grandma everything?” Ming Dong glared at him: “We’re adults now. Can’t you be less childish? Besides, don’t make Grandma worry about these trivial matters.”

“Fine, I won’t tell Grandma. Just hurry up and let me go back to the dorm to sleep. I’m so sleepy,” Ming Xi yawned again, urging Ming Dong to go back to the dorm. After soaking his feet in a basin of hot water, he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep.

Ming Dong, however, was wide awake. The thought of officially starting a relationship with Guihua made him feel like he needed to prepare properly. He looked at his face in the mirror and saw that his hair was a mess from being ruffled. He quickly went to get some water to wash his hair, even shaved for the first time, then took out a white shirt from his suitcase. He sprinkled some water on it, smoothed out the wrinkles, and hung it by the window to dry.

Zhang Hai, who was sleeping on the bunk above Ming Dong, watched him busy himself all night and couldn’t resist teasing him: “Washing your hair and hanging your shirt to dry, are you going on a blind date tomorrow?”

Before Ming Dong could answer, Meng Wei Shan, who had come back in the afternoon to bring Ming Dong’s luggage, chimed in: “I don’t think it’s a blind date. Looks more like a date to me.” He winked at Ming Dong: “Who’s that girl who came with your brother? She looks at you differently.”

As the saying goes, “a wild punch may kill the master,” Ming Xi’s simple, blunt, and straightforward suggestion had actually made Ming Dong realize something. Upon hearing Meng Wei Shan say that Guihua looked at him differently, his heart started pounding, and a bit of secret joy appeared on his face, although he tried to remain composed: “Oh, really? What kind of look? I didn’t notice.”

“Keep pretending,” Meng Wei Shan rolled his eyes: “That girl is clearly into you.” He nudged Ming Dong with his shoulder and asked with a gossiping look: “What’s your relationship with her? Is she your wife? Have you married her yet?”

Ming Dong couldn’t help but laugh a bit and replied somewhat shyly: “Not yet. We’re planning to get married when the winter break starts.”

Meng Wei Shan grinned and sat beside Ming Dong, throwing his arm around his shoulder: “You’re so lucky, your wife is really beautiful!”

Ming Dong’s face instantly turned as red as a beetroot, and he kicked Meng Wei Shan aside. He turned around and sat at the desk, picking up a book, his face beaming with undisguised happiness.

Meng Wei Shan burst into laughter: “I knew it! You can’t fool my eyes. You’re clearly a young couple in love.”

“In love?” Ming Dong, hearing the word he’d been thinking about most recently, couldn’t help but ask Meng Wei Shan: “So, how do you fall in love?”

“You’re asking the right person,” Meng Wei Shan sat down beside Ming Dong, earnestly sharing his experience: “When I was pursuing my wife…”

“Wait, wait!” Zhang Hai jumped down from the top bunk, incredulously staring at him: “Even you’re married?”

“Isn’t that funny? Why can’t I get married? I married my wife right after high school,” Meng Wei Shan flipped his hair and struck a cool pose: “Look at me. I’m smart, have good character, and good looks. The key is I’ve always been sincere with my wife. That’s how you get a wife.”

Meng Wei Shan, sitting beside Ming Dong, continued with his experience: “Let me tell you, in a relationship, the most important thing is the two people. When you’re dating or walking down the street, don’t bring your little brother. It’ll ruin the vibe between you two.”

Ming Dong glanced at the soundly sleeping Ming Xi and nodded seriously: “You’re right. After we visit Fourth Uncle, I’ll get rid of him.”

Meng Wei Shan nodded, giving Ming Dong a “good student” look: “Second, create some romance.” Seeing the confused expressions on Ming Dong and Zhang Hai, Meng Wei Shan stood up and softly recited: “At sunrise, take her to the mountains to enjoy the dawn together, feeling the hope of the morning light; at sunset, walk by the river, basking in the golden glow; when the full moon rises, take her to the rooftop to recite poetry and gaze at the stars; then…”

“Stop it…” Zhang Hai couldn’t help but interrupt: “This place is far from any mountains or rivers. The way you talk about dating is more exhausting than catching a train. Besides, when the moon is really bright, there are no stars. Don’t you know the phrase ‘moonlit sky with few stars’?”

Ming Dong, however, didn’t agree with Zhang Hai’s view: “I think Wei Shan’s description is great. That scene really is beautiful. As for mountains and rivers, it’s fine if we don’t have them here. Back home, they’re just outside the door. I’ll make up for it after I get home. Wei Shan, keep going.”

The few lines of poetry that Meng Wei Shan had managed to compose were interrupted by Zhang Hai. He quickly moved on and said: “Next, take her shopping, go see a movie, and promote your feelings.”

Ming Dong nodded and closed the book in his hands: “That’s the plan!”

The next morning, as soon as he heard the sound of the female dormitory girls getting dressed, Guihua, who had already woken up and dressed, quickly opened the door to wash up. By the time she finished and returned, the girls in the dormitory had just finished tidying up, each holding a towel and face basin walking out. Taking advantage of the empty room, she quickly grabbed a cloth and mop, cleaning and tidying up the dorm to make it sparkling clean.

When the girls returned and saw that Guihua had already cleaned everything, they felt a little embarrassed: “Guihua, you’re our guest. How can you help us clean?”

“I don’t have anything else to do. Since I’m staying here and it’s causing you trouble, I should do something to help,” Guihua smiled: “Don’t be polite.”

“You’re being too polite. You really don’t have to help us clean. It’s normal for our classmates to have relatives stay over. You don’t need to feel bad about it,” a tall girl smiled, picking up a book from the table and preparing to head out.

Meng Shuran watched Guihua talking and laughing with her classmates and couldn’t help but think of Li Ming Dong again. She still felt somewhat unwilling. She bit her lip and, with a hint of hostility, asked: “Guihua, can you read?”

“Yes, I can!” Guihua responded calmly: “I’ve been to school for a few years, and after I stopped, Ming Dong brother taught me for several more years.”

Meng Shuran was momentarily speechless, her face showing a little discomfort. She looked at Guihua, feeling as though all her hidden thoughts were exposed in front of her. This made her feel awkward and angry, and instantly, her fury erupted: “Forgive me for being blunt, but if you didn’t go to school, you probably wouldn’t have much to talk about with Li Ming Dong, would you?”

Guihua looked at her in surprise, her face showing a hint of confusion. “Why do you always ask about what’s going on between me and Ming Dong?” Guihua smiled serenely at Meng Shuran and, when the eyes of other classmates also turned toward them, she slowly said, “I’m sorry to make you worry. Ming Dong and I grew up together, and we have many things to talk about. Whenever he comes home for a break, we always have endless things to say.”

“Guihua, come down for breakfast!” Li Ming Dong’s voice rang out just in time from downstairs. Guihua quickly walked to the window, stuck her head out, and showed a bright smile. “Ming Dong, wait for me, I’ll be down right away.”

“Take your time coming down. No need to hurry.” Ming Dong waved his hand at Guihua and, after a moment’s thought, added, “This is your first time staying upstairs. Be careful.”

Meng Shuran’s face turned from green to red, and then pale as she watched. Guihua turned back, smiled, and nodded at her. “Ming Dong asked me to come down for breakfast. After we eat, we’re going to his fourth uncle’s house. This afternoon, we need to buy some wedding things. Tonight, I’ll need you to help me back upstairs. I might be staying here for a few more days.”

Meng Shuran stared at Guihua, unsure how to respond, but the girl who had accompanied Guihua upstairs the previous day smiled and answered, “Don’t worry, when you come back tonight, just shout, and I’ll come get you. By the way, do you remember my name? I’m Li Xian.”

“Thanks, Li Xian.” Guihua smiled and thanked her, then said goodbye to the other girls in the dorm before rushing downstairs.

Li Xian listened to the sound of Guihua’s footsteps fading and then gave Meng Shuran a cold glance. “There are only eight girls in our class. Don’t do anything to embarrass us, okay?”

Meng Shuran, feeling both annoyed and angry, blurted, “What do you mean by that?”

“You know exactly what I mean.” Li Xian sneered. “Li Ming Dong has a fiancée, and they’re getting married soon. Don’t do anything useless and make us look bad.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Meng Shuran said defiantly. “I’m not even close to Li Ming Dong. I was just curious and asked Guihua a couple of questions. Why are you so upset?”

“Better if you’re not close, so you don’t cause trouble.” Li Xian said, clutching her books as she walked off. The other girls, eager to head to the library, also left, leaving Meng Shuran with Chen Ge, one of her closer friends.

Chen Ge saw Meng Shuran sitting there, tears falling, and went to get a towel, handing it to her. “Li Xian’s words were harsh, but there’s some truth to them. And you’re just starting university. There’s no rush to find someone.”

Meng Shuran wiped her tears but didn’t respond. Chen Ge filled a basin of water for her and continued comforting her. “There are plenty of boys at our school. You’ve got four years of university to find a good match. Don’t rush.”

Meng Shuran took a sip of water, stood up, and walked to the window. She looked at Li Ming Dong’s figure, not far off, walking side by side with Guihua. The two of them occasionally exchanged glances, looking very well-matched…

“How did you sleep last night?” Ming Dong asked, looking at Guihua.

“Pretty well, your classmates are nice, they took good care of me.” Guihua smiled brightly and spoke with a hint of excitement. “This is my first time staying this high up, I’m so excited.”

Hearing Guihua’s genuine laughter, Ming Dong couldn’t help but laugh too. “I thought you’d be scared. When we first started school, there was a girl who lived on the second floor and got so scared she cried. The teacher had to move her to the first floor.”

“Then she’s definitely not from Beicha. Those tall trees on Red Pine Mountain are much higher than this building, and they climb up like nothing.” Guihua continued to walk while curiously taking in the campus scenery, watching the students pass by with books in hand. Her voice carried a trace of envy. “It must be so nice to be able to go to university.”

Ming Dong glanced at Guihua and remembered the time when she graduated from elementary school and insisted on giving up further education. Back then, he was too young to understand, thinking that she just didn’t want to study. But looking back now, he realized that little Guihua was probably worried about the cost of education and didn’t want to cause trouble for her grandmother and mother. That’s probably why she gave up.

He sighed, feeling a little regretful. If only he had understood back then, he could’ve persuaded her more. His grandmother and mother wouldn’t have cared about that, but they didn’t understand education, so they allowed Guihua to drop out.

Seeing Ming Dong’s suddenly downcast mood, Guihua couldn’t help but ask, “Ming Dong, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing!” Since the past couldn’t be changed, Ming Dong decided not to dwell on it. He smiled at Guihua. “Actually, you can still learn even if you don’t go to school. Do you remember the characters I taught you?”

Guihua nodded. “I kept the letters you sent back home. I can read them all.”

Ming Dong gave her a glance. “I’ll find a few books for you. When you have some free time at home, you can read them. It’ll be like going to school.”

“Are they your old books?” Guihua asked eagerly.

Ming Dong felt a little shy under her intense gaze. He smiled foolishly. “Yes, they’re the Chinese textbooks I used in middle and high school.”

Guihua eagerly nodded, her eyes sparkling like they were full of stars. Ming Dong couldn’t take his eyes off her, but just as he was about to say something, a disruptive voice cut in: “Brother, how old are those books? Can you even find them? Or why don’t you just let Guihua sister use mine?”

Ming Dong shot a glare at Ming Xi, suddenly agreeing with Meng Wei Shan’s words: love should be between two people, not a third person getting in the way!

After breakfast, Ming Dong, Ming Xi, and Guihua, carrying salted meat and wild mushrooms and pine nuts collected from the mountain, went to Li Mulin’s house. Li Mulin was a line worker who frequently worked shifts, but Ming Dong had already figured out his schedule, so they always arrived on his days off.

“Fourth Uncle, are you home?” Ming Dong knocked on the door and called out.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Li Mulin, who had been chopping firewood, quickly put down his axe and hurried outside. “Ming Dong, is that you?”

When the door opened, Ming Xi and Guihua quickly greeted, “Fourth Uncle.”

Seeing them, Li Mulin was so delighted that he ushered them inside while asking, “What brings you here? Is grandmother okay? How’s everyone at home? Is there enough grain this year?”

“They’re all fine. Before I came, Grandma asked me to tell you that you should come home early this winter,” Guihua said, setting down the bundle of mushrooms she was carrying.

“What’s going on? Is there something at home?” Li Mulin asked, and Guihua glanced at Ming Dong, unsure of how to begin. After a night of thinking, Ming Dong, now comfortable with the idea that marriage and love weren’t conflicting, spoke openly. “This winter, Guihua and I are getting married.”

Guihua was pleasantly surprised by this news. She had thought their wedding would still need some discussion, and she had been thinking about how to bring it up to Ming Dong. But to her surprise, he openly admitted it.

“This is a big happy event!” Li Mulin said joyfully. “I was just thinking your grandmother should be arranging the wedding now. Come inside and rest for a bit, since you came all the way here.”

Ming Xi, carrying salted meat and pine nuts, ran ahead. “Fourth Uncle, Grandma sent you some pickled wild boar meat.”

“That’s wonderful! We haven’t had meat in a while. Who hunted this wild boar?” Li Mulin took the items and asked while leading them inside.

When Ming Xi heard the question, his legs started to tremble. “…I don’t want to say.”

Ming Dong followed his fourth uncle and Ming Xi inside, but then realized that Guihua wasn’t following. He turned back to see her standing there with a silly smile, and couldn’t help but laugh. He walked over, patted her on the head, and felt a warm feeling in his chest. “Come inside, silly girl.”

In the fall, everyone in Beicha got busy, with endless tasks to do like harvesting crops and picking wild vegetables. The Li family was no exception. After the crops had ripened, Zhen Zhen secretly harvested them, and they didn’t go back to the fields until Liu Xiulan, Zhen Zhen’s third aunt, came rushing over to ask, “Second sister-in-law, why haven’t you harvested the crops from the mountain yet? I just went to check, and they’re growing really well.”

Wang Sufen immediately jumped off the kang upon hearing this. Li Lao Tai calmly glanced at her, then said, “Well, Ming Xi and Guihua aren’t home, and we’ve been busy with other things, so we haven’t had time to harvest yet.”

Liu Xiulan grew anxious. “What’s more urgent than harvesting crops? This year, everyone’s tight on supplies. What if someone comes to steal corn in the middle of the night?”

Li Lao Tai tapped the edge of the kang with her pipe, her expression calm. “The little plot of land at my house is hard to find during the day, let alone in the pitch black of night, deep in the mountains. If anyone dares to sneak over, I’ll admire them.”

Liu Xiulan sat down on the kang, wiping sweat from her forehead. “That’s true. I got all worried when I saw the crops weren’t being harvested and forgot about that. But you should hurry up and harvest. What if it rains in a few days?”

“En, I know,” Grandma Li nodded. “I’ll have Mingbei find his father soon, and we’ll go harvest this afternoon.”

“Alright, if you’re all set, I won’t stay here. My land still hasn’t been harvested,” Liu Xiulan said, raising her leg to leave. Wang Sufen quickly chased after her, “It’s almost noon, why don’t you call Mugen and the kids over for lunch?”

“No need, I steamed some cakes this morning,” Liu Xiulan waved her hand without turning back. “You all get busy, there’s still plenty of work.”

After sending Liu Xiulan off, Wang Sufen quickly ran back and carefully closed the door. “Mother, didn’t we already harvest the crops? How did they grow again? Is Zhenzhen behind this?”

Grandma Li wasn’t sure either. “That shouldn’t be the case. Didn’t we stop taking her up the mountain? Besides, it’s so far away, how would she know which land belongs to us?”

“But, besides Zhenzhen, I don’t think anyone else would have the ability,” Wang Sufen quickly said.

Grandma Li turned to look at Zhenzhen, who was practicing walking with the help of the kangqin. She waved her hand, “Sweetheart, come here to Grandma.”

As soon as Zhenzhen turned around, her legs gave out, and she sat down on the kang. Grandma Li lifted her into her arms. “Sweetheart, do you know what’s going on with the crops on our mountain?”

Zhenzhen sat on Grandma Li’s lap, grinning at her. “Full, full!”

“Ah, my good granddaughter, are you trying to make Grandma full?” Grandma Li’s heart melted when she saw Zhenzhen’s cute face. “But if that’s the case, isn’t my darling tired?”

Zhenzhen looked at her little short legs, still unable to stand, and thought about her age. She decided to remain silent and act dumb. She happily climbed off Grandma Li’s lap and continued practicing walking, holding onto the kangqin.

They hadn’t eaten much of the crops they harvested earlier, and now another batch could be gathered. The Li family could easily eat enough for the whole winter with three meals a day. Thinking of this, Grandma Li felt energetic and wished she could immediately go up the mountain to harvest.

Seeing Grandma Li restlessly moving around, Wang Sufen quickly advised, “It won’t make a difference if we wait a little longer. I’ll go steam some dry food first. Let Muwu, Mingnan, and Mingbei eat enough before working.”

“Steam some fermented cakes, all made with cornmeal, no sweet potato flour, and also stew some salted meat and cabbage for them to eat their fill.” Grandma Li immediately became generous when thinking about another crop being harvested.

Wang Sufen agreed and found some baking soda to make the dough rise. She separately mixed a piece of dough with white flour for Zhenzhen. When Grandma Li came out, she handed her two eggs from the basket. “Put two eggs in Zhenzhen’s dough. Didn’t she not drink the milk from this morning? Pour half a bottle in. Our Zhenzhen has a small throat, she can’t swallow anything too thick.”

When Mingnan and Mingbei returned from the mountain carrying firewood, they immediately smelled the fragrance of dry food coming from the big pot, and their mouths watered. “Mom, what did you steam today? It smells so good!”

“Fermented cakes!” Wang Sufen answered while cutting the salted meat. “Made entirely from cornmeal.”

Since Mingbei could remember, they had never had dry food made with pure cornmeal. He squatted in front of the big pot, salivating, and cheerfully said, “Mom, when can we eat dry food made with pure white flour? That would surely taste even better than this fermented cake.”

“As long as we can fill our stomachs, that’s good enough. Don’t be so picky.” Wang Sufen rolled her eyes at him and kicked his backside. “Stop blocking the way, hurry and go to the grain store and get your dad. They haven’t supplied grain for months, and they haven’t paid wages either. Why are they just sitting there?”

Reluctantly, Mingbei looked at the big pot one last time and then quickly ran out. By the time the two men returned, panting from the run, lunch was already ready.

Zhenzhen sat at the kang table, happily nibbling on a soft, fragrant rabbit-shaped fermented cake with her four little teeth. Li Mingbei poked her on the forehead. “Silly girl, that’s a fake rabbit. When I go up the mountain, I’ll bring you a real rabbit to eat.”

Wang Sufen gave him a look. “Stop with the nonsense, hurry and eat, then go with your dad to harvest the crops. Work hard, your grandmother said you’ll be eating dry food these next few days, and there’s plenty of meat in the vegetables.”

“Alright!” Li Mingbei took a piece of fermented cake and took a big bite.

Digging up potatoes, harvesting sweet potatoes, and picking corn, the people in Beicha were pleasantly surprised to find that, despite the lack of rain this year, the crops grew exceptionally well, with sweet potatoes, potatoes, and other crops doubling in quantity compared to previous years.

“Does a good harvest mean the weather will improve next year?”

“Definitely. The hard times are over.”

“If our mountainous area can grow such good crops, other places should be doing well too. I’m sure next year, we won’t be short on grain supplies.”