Accidentally-Born-C24

Chapter 24

Zhenzhen hadn’t seen Guihua for over half a month. After finishing her meal, she waited for Wang Sufen to clean her hands and face, then climbed next to Guihua, struggling to stand up with her arm supported, her little hands reaching up to hug Guihua’s neck.

Guihua smiled, turned around, and held Zhenzhen in her arms, kissing her chubby face twice. “Did you miss your sister-in-law?” Zhenzhen giggled and stretched out her little chubby hand, holding a yellow-orange fruit and trying to stuff it into Guihua’s mouth.

Guihua lowered her head, took a bite, and then picked up Zhenzhen to look at the things she had brought back. On the bed in the north corner, there was a full spread of items: a large red thermos, an enamel basin, a spit cup¹, bed sheets, quilt covers, pillowcases, and a plastic mirror with a red peony design on the back. Zhenzhen stared in astonishment at the pile of things, unable to imagine how many bags of fabric Mingxi and Guihua must have carried back to bring all this.

Guihua opened a paper package and took out several pieces of fabric. Grandma Li, having finished her meal, quickly washed her hands and came over to take a look. She carefully took out the top piece of small floral fabric and measured it against Zhenzhen, her eyes crinkling into a smile. “Look at the bright flowers on this, it really brings out Zhenzhen’s little face.”

Zhenzhen also lowered her head to look. The fabric was adorned with small red, green, and blue flowers. Though it seemed a bit rustic, it was considered an excellent style in this area, and certainly not something that could be found even in Yidong City.

Grandma Li picked up a piece of bright red lantern velvet fabric and measured it against Zhenzhen, then began to think aloud, “Let’s stick to the plan. We’ll use this lantern velvet fabric for a cotton jacket. I still have some red cotton cloth your eldest Uncle sent a few years ago; it’s very soft. We can use that to line the jacket for Zhenzhen.” She then picked up the pink floral fabric. “This lantern velvet is thick enough, it can be worn directly, no need to use this fine fabric for an outer jacket. When spring comes and it gets warmer, we can use this fabric to make Zhenzhen a coat. It will look nice for both indoors and outdoors.”

Zhenzhen nodded repeatedly. The family only had Li Muwu as the sole worker, and fabric tickets and industrial tickets were distributed with wages. In a year, there would be enough for just one outfit, and occasionally, they might manage to buy two pieces of fabric to patch up clothes. The clothes Zhenzhen wore when she was little were all reworked old clothes from her brother, though they were washed clean and soft, they were either black or gray, which made her feel that her cuteness as a chubby little girl was hindered.

After everyone finished eating, Guihua quickly got off the bed to help with the cleanup, but Wang Sufen stopped her, pushing her to the side. “You’ve just come back, go rest. Tomorrow you can stay in the house and make the new cotton jackets for you and Mingdong. Don’t worry about the chores here.”

Guihua saw the full yard of work and knew there was plenty to do. She tidied her hair and still helped Wang Sufen clean the table. “I’ve been sitting all the way back, I’m not tired. You all are the ones working hard in the fields.”

Wang Sufen couldn’t help but smile at the thought of their harvest, “If we had such a good harvest every year, I’d be happy to work hard.”

Zhenzhen puffed out her little chest proudly, “If it weren’t for worrying about you getting tired, I’d let you collect crops every day.”

With two people back in the house, the pace of work sped up. Li Muwu, with his three sons, worked all day in the back yard collecting grains. The three sons took turns pushing the stone grinder to thresh the grain. By evening, their clothes were soaked with sweat.

Grandma Li and Wang Sufen worked in the front yard, sorting out the vegetables they had grown, storing what needed to be stored, pickling what needed to be pickled, and drying what needed to be dried. They relied on these for winter meals. After finishing all of this, they also pickled the sauerkraut and salted some turnip chunks. When spring came, these could be stir-fried with lard as a delicious dish.

Guihua sat on the bed, skillfully cutting and sewing, layer by layer filling the cotton stuffing. Zhenzhen sat on the bed opposite, obediently eating fruits. Once she was full, she laid on the windowsill, watching Li Muwu and his three brothers working.

As the housework was finished and the weather gradually turned colder, Li Muwu took out the newspapers he had collected over the year and started pasting them over the windows. The thick layers of paper would keep out the cold northern winds and snow. Even a heavy snowstorm wouldn’t be able to penetrate. However, although the paper blocked the wind, it also darkened the room, making it so dim that even with the electric light on, the room still looked gloomy and hard to see clearly.

Just after November passed, Li Mingdong returned from Ice City. In the kitchen, Grandma Li heard the door open and, looking up, saw her eldest grandson return, making her extremely happy. She hurriedly brushed off the dirt from his clothes with a broom, while asking, “Why are you back so early? Is school on break?” Then she shouted, “Guihua, hurry up, Dongzi is back!”

Guihua also heard the noise, put down the half-finished shoes she was making, and went out to greet him. They had only been apart for a month and a half, but both Mingdong and Guihua had missed each other terribly. Mingdong talked to Grandma Li, but his eyes kept drifting towards Guihua. Since Guihua returned from Ice City, neither Grandma Li nor Wang Sufen had allowed her to do any outside work, and she had stayed indoors for two months, looking much fairer. Additionally, she hadn’t done any rough work, just sewing, so her hands, after being soaked in hot water and rubbed with the galala oil Mingdong gave her, were now soft and delicate.

Mingdong’s gaze moved from Guihua’s face to her hands, which were playing with her hair. His heart, which had been empty for the past two months, was now filled to the brim. Guihua noticed Mingdong staring at her without blinking, and her face turned a little red. She smiled gently, her voice sweet as honey, “Mingdong Ge, you’re back?”

“Ah! Well, are you doing okay at home?” Mingdong asked, grinning awkwardly.

“I’m doing well,” Guihua replied, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him, almost capturing his soul.

Zhenzhen lay in Wang Sufen’s arms, watching her older brother and Guihua exchange affectionate glances. Their faces were red, and neither of them made a move. Zhenzhen was getting anxious. Would they fall in love? Could they hold hands? Couldn’t they at least consider the feelings of the audience?

Unfortunately, not everyone in the Li family had such detailed thoughts as Zhenzhen. After the two had exchanged just a few words, Mingnan and Mingbei came inside. Upon seeing Mingdong, they rushed to him, “Brother, why are you back so early? Second brother hasn’t even gotten a break yet.”

Mingdong shook the two little ones off and finally noticed that Li Muwu and Wang Sufen had been standing behind for quite a while. He quickly stood up and called out, “Dad, Mom.”

Wang Sufen smiled and said, “Stop blocking the door, go inside and talk on the bed.”

Mingnan and Mingbei scrambled to bring Mingdong’s luggage into the room. The family, wearing slippers, climbed onto the bed. Zhenzhen climbed out of Wang Sufen’s arms and sat between Wang Sufen and Mingdong.

Ming Dong glanced at the little one sitting beside him and smiled as he patted her head. “It’s only been a few months, and Zhen Zhen has grown quite a bit.”

Zhen Zhen grinned, showing eight small teeth. “Brother!”

“Such a good girl!” Ming Dong pulled a school bag from the edge of the kang, took out a piece of candy, and handed it to Zhen Zhen. “Hide it well, don’t let your third and fourth brothers see.”

Zhen Zhen took the candy and put it in the small pocket of her clothes, then leaned back against Guihua’s arms, listening to the adults talking. Grandma Li, noticing that the candy wrapper looked delicate and unlike cheap stuff, immediately asked, “Where did this candy come from?”

Ming Dong answered, “Fourth Uncle gave me candy tickets. I bought ten or so pieces of milk candy for Zhen Zhen to keep, and the rest are ordinary fruit candies, which I’ll use to treat the guests at the wedding.”

Grandma Li nodded and, a bit regretfully, said, “I forgot to tell Fourth Uncle to bring back some good pastries. Zhen Zhen doesn’t seem to like coarse food, only these delicate things.”

Wang Sufen, looking at the fair and tender Zhen Zhen, couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s all mother’s indulgence. When Dong Zi and the others were young, as long as they could eat their fill, that was good enough. They never cared about coarse or fine grains. A big pancake, and they’d all be happy enough to stay up all night.”

Grandma Li clicked her tongue. “The little girl has a delicate throat, so it’s different.”

Zhen Zhen, smiling and feeling the milk candy in her pocket, happily listened to the adults’ conversation. But soon, she noticed her spot was getting smaller and smaller. She looked up at Ming Dong, only to see him shifting closer and closer to Guihua. Feeling crowded, Zhen Zhen climbed into Grandma Li’s arms. As soon as she settled down, Ming Dong had already pressed himself against Guihua.

Seeing that her grandson was acting differently, Grandma Li felt pleased, thinking that he had become more open-minded. She felt it was worth sending Guihua to Ice City after all. For a wedding, both people needed to be happy.

“Alright, Ming Dong just came back and must be tired. Dong Zi’s mother, go cook. Ming Nan, Ming Bei, help your mother get some firewood. Guihua, Dong Zi, go to the inner room and discuss the wedding. Maybe take some photos on the street when you have time.” Grandma Li picked up her smoking pipe, but upon seeing her granddaughter in her arms, she put it down. She stood up with Zhen Zhen in her arms. “Come, Grandma will take you to the east room for some pine nuts.”

After Grandma Li left, the others followed. Ming Dong stretched his neck and looked around, and when he saw the door was closed, he boldly reached out to hold Guihua’s hand. “I wanted to write to you earlier, but I was afraid Ming Bei would open it.”

Guihua’s little hand froze in Ming Dong’s, and her gaze shifted from their joined hands to Ming Dong’s face. She gave him a bright smile. “Next time, you should just write it to Guihua, only for me.”

“Alright!” Ming Dong nodded seriously. Suddenly remembering something, he quickly let go of Guihua’s hand, grabbed his bag, and rummaged through it. He pulled out a small flower handkerchief and handed it to Guihua.

Guihua unfolded the handkerchief and saw a small yellow round tin inside, which looked very delicate. She looked up at Ming Dong in surprise. “Snow flower cream?”

“Yes!” Ming Dong grinned, watching Guihua’s affectionate reaction. “I wanted to buy it for you last time, but I didn’t have enough money. I saved up my allowance for two months and finally bought it for you before coming back.”

Guihua was touched, but also a little worried. She noticed how haggard Ming Dong looked and, daringly, reached out to touch his face. “You’ve lost a lot of weight. Did you not eat enough to buy this?”

“I’m full, really,” Ming Dong replied. “We were harvesting carrots on the farm not long ago. We’d pick one, wash it in the water, and eat it right there. On a single day, I’d eat seven or eight carrots. How could I be hungry?” Ming Dong winked at Guihua. She chuckled and was about to pull her hand away, but Ming Dong quickly grasped it again.

Guihua, though a lively and straightforward girl, couldn’t help but blush as Ming Dong held her hand. Her face turned red all the way to her ears, further highlighting her charming appearance. Ming Dong gazed at her, feeling an itch in his heart, wishing they could get married sooner and kiss her openly.

In the east room, Zhen Zhen, munching on the pine nuts that Grandma Li had peeled for her, lamented that she hadn’t seen her older brother and Guihua being affectionate. She had only seen their shy glances earlier, but it seemed like it would be fun to see them alone together.

Ming Dong’s return made preparations for the wedding the most important matter in the Li family. When the weather turned colder, large trucks loaded with grain and food entered Beicha District. Soon, people rushed to the streets with their food stamps and meat coupons.

The Li family had harvested two large crops, both abundant, and their food reserves would last for a whole year. But families like the Li’s weren’t in the majority. Even though it was a year of good harvest, many of the land plots were self-cultivated, with some plots being large, while others were small. Some people only planted in their yards. In some households, three generations lived together, with ten or more people, including several children. Even with the extra grain, it still wasn’t enough to feed them all. Grandma Li thought that they wouldn’t need to buy any more grain and decided to save some coupons to buy biscuits, pastries, and other treats for Zhen Zhen. The rest, she would trade for fabric, sugar, and industrial coupons, which would help get more things for the family.

In these times, most households lacked food stamps. Grandma Li only visited the homes of close relatives, sitting on their kang and chatting. Before long, she had exchanged a pile of coupons, bought a bunch of things, and even brought back a few homegrown sunflowers.

Guihua had tidied up the new house, laying down new bedding, re-fluffing the old cotton quilts, and covering them with fresh sheets and covers, arranging everything neatly on the kang.

With everything ready and the wedding day approaching, it was time to take the wedding photos. Ming Dong and Guihua woke up early, heated water, and washed their hair. Guihua sat by the stove to dry her hair, then skillfully braided it into a twisted braid.

Beicha District is large in area but sparsely populated, with only one bustling street. On this street, you can find a grain shop, a grocery store, a barber shop, a cooperative, and a photo studio all clustered together. In winter, many people get married, and the photo studio is busy only during this time of year. When Ming Dong and Guihua arrived, there were already three young couples ahead of them, waiting in line.

In this era, photo opportunities were rare. The couple sitting on the bench ahead was clearly taking their first photo. The woman pursed her lips, staring wide-eyed at the photographer, while the man stiffly sat according to the photographer’s instructions, trying to maintain a neat posture. But when asked to smile, his face turned even worse than a cry. The photographer repeated the instructions many times, and after much effort, they finally got the expression right. Sweating with exhaustion, the photographer managed to take the shot.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, it was finally Ming Dong and Guihua’s turn. Ming Dong had taken photos during high school and also took one when he arrived in Harbin(Ice city). Guihua, from a less prosperous family, used to have the chance to take a couple of photos each year. When the two of them sat down, their posture was natural, with their shoulders gently touching, and they both showed the sweetest smiles.

The photographer breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pressed the shutter at the moment their smiles were at their sweetest.

Time passed quickly, and before long, it was the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, which also happened to be Zhen Zhen’s birthday. Zhen Zhen still clearly remembered her birth. Grandma Li had said her birthday was fortunate because being born on the eighth of the twelfth month meant it was the time of year when food supplies were abundant, signaling a good life without hunger.

Zhen Zhen wasn’t worried about going hungry, but she didn’t expect that on her first birthday, her special ability would upgrade. Originally, Zhen Zhen could only see the outside world when her consciousness left her body, but today, when she woke up, she was startled by the scene in her mind.

The entire Beicha District appeared in her mind like a 3D model. She could clearly sense every mountain, every river, and even every tree and blade of grass. She could feel the presence of wild rabbits hiding in holes, flying dragons perched on branches, fish frozen still in the water, and bears and Siberian tigers deep in the mountains.

Just as she was about to take a look at the Siberian tiger, its location in her mind instantly zoomed in, and Zhen Zhen felt as if she was standing right next to it. She saw the tiger closely watching a Sheep, crouching cautiously, ready to pounce.

Seeing the Sheep ahead, seemingly unaware of the danger, Zhen Zhen felt a sudden craving. Since coming to the Li family, Li Mu Wu and her brothers had often brought wild animals home, but they had never caught a Sheep. When she was younger, she couldn’t eat meat, but now that her teeth were growing rapidly and she had just turned one, she needed some meat to satisfy her craving.

Feeling an itch in her heart, Zhen Zhen thought about how to bring the Sheep home. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, it seemed like the Sheep was under her control. The goat immediately started running down the mountain, skillfully avoiding areas where people were walking. It continued running at high speed until it reached the Li family’s doorstep and, with a powerful crash, slammed into their big gate. Fortunately, the gate was made of red pine wood; if it had been made of thinner material, it would have definitely left a huge hole.

At that moment, Grandma Li was in the kitchen with Wang Sufen, discussing Zhen Zhen’s birthday. In Beicha, only during good harvest years would the elderly get a birthday celebration, and young people and children didn’t usually have such traditions. But Grandma Li thought that Zhen Zhen was not only the family’s treasure but also the reason the family had survived the hardest times of the year without going hungry. Without her, who knows how they would have managed.

“Later, you can make a bowl of noodles for Zhen Zhen,” Grandma Li said as she puffed on her pipe. “Make the dough a little softer, and add an egg in it. It’s an old saying that for a child’s birthday, the noodles should be wrapped around their legs to ensure they don’t pass away prematurely.”

Since Grandma Li wanted to celebrate her child’s birthday, Wang Sufen was happy to agree. As they were talking, they suddenly heard a loud “bang” from outside, as if something had hit the door. Grandma Li immediately stopped smoking, put the pipe down, and grabbed her big padded jacket to go outside.

Every morning, Li Mu Wu went out to fetch water, leaving the door unlocked. When Grandma Li stepped outside, she saw that the big gate had been knocked open, and lying inside was a Sheep with blood flowing from its head. It appeared to have no breath left.

Grandma Li was overjoyed. No need to hunt, and the prey had come to her door. What a great surprise! As she crouched there admiring the goat, several neighbors, attracted by the noise, came out to see what had happened. When they saw the goat lying at the door, they were all envious.

“Li Da Niang², who killed this big fat goat? Did Mu Wu go up the mountain early this morning?”

“Isn’t this a strange thing?” Grandma Li replied proudly as she dragged the goat inside. “This Sheep, for some reason, ran down the mountain and slammed into my door. It’s dead now. Oh, it’s not light either! When Dong Zi gets married, we won’t be short on meat. Everyone come and drink to the wedding then.”

“Wow, Li Da Niang, your family is really lucky. It seems like you’ve had meat all year round!” A neighbor standing nearby said enviously. “Maybe it’s because your house is in a good spot, or else why would the goat run into your house?”

Grandma Li laughed. “That’s right, my house is close to the main road. If it were any other house, it would have to take a turn.”

Everyone laughed, and some of them, seeing the weather early, were already planning to head home and grab their rifles to go up the mountain again to see if they could find another silly goat or a dumb Sheep.

Grandma Li dragged the Sheep into the yard and shouted, “Ming Bei, go check if your father has come back with the water. Tell him to hurry and slaughter the goat.”

Ming Bei put on his dog-skin hat, his big padded jacket, and rushed out. As he ran, he turned around and asked, “Are we having meat for lunch?”

“Yes!” Grandma Li grinned. “Your sister’s birthday, so we’re having lamb dumplings for lunch.”

Li Mu Wu had just walked halfway with the water bucket when he saw his son running toward him, out of breath, telling him to go back and slaughter the goat. Li Mu Wu immediately quickened his pace, tossing the water bucket aside and heading straight to the goat in the middle of the yard.

“This is a good thing,” Li Mu Wu chuckled. “Sheep meat is fragrant and tender. I’ll take care of it, and we’ll have it for lunch.”

Zhen Zhen sat on the kang, content. “How can you not have meat for your birthday?” A big pot of red-braised lamb was a must!

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—A “spit cup” is a container used to spit into, commonly associated with people who chew tobacco or have certain habits that involve spitting. It is often a small cup or container that is kept for personal use in order to avoid spitting in public or on the ground.

—”Da Niang” (大娘) means “aunt” or “elderly woman,” used respectfully for middle-aged or older women.