Chapter 93

When Roubao was little, Mingdong wasn’t often home, and Guihua was constantly busy with housework and had no time to rest. When little Roubao first learned to walk, he would trail after Zhenzhen all day, calling her with his babyish, lisping voice, “Dudu… Dudu… little Dudu…”

In the whole Li family, aside from Grandma Li, Li Muwu, and Wang Sufen, who knew about Zhenzhen’s abilities, the one who understood her skills best was Roubao. Though Zhenzhen was always careful not to reveal her powers when taking Roubao out, her natural abilities alone were already enough to shock people: at just seven or eight years old, she could scale trees over ten meters high to pick pine cones with her bare hands, wield a slingshot with unerring accuracy as she darted through the red pine forest, and dive into a river and stay underwater for what felt like forever. Just when others were starting to panic, she’d burst out of the water with a huge fish in her arms, laughing triumphantly.

With such an awesome aunt, young Roubao naturally thought he’d grow up to be just like her. But once he did grow up, reality hit him hard. At seven, he clung to a tree and clumsily climbed two meters only to slide back down one. He struggled for ages and barely got above Zhenzhen’s head. Zhenzhen, watching from the side, sighed endlessly, wishing she could give him a swift kick upward.

When learning slingshot, Zhenzhen taught him hand-in-hand how to aim and use strength. Only after trying it himself did Roubao realize that a little strip of cowhide was not a guaranteed hit—turns out his aunt’s perfect, breezy accuracy came from endless practice (or so he mistakenly thought).

As for swimming, any kid raised near a river naturally learned how. Toss them in at seven or eight years old, and after a few splutters and gulps of water, they’d float just fine. But once Roubao had learned to dog-paddle in the big river, he realized that his little aunt’s seven- or eight-minute dives were not something an average person could do. So how did this dainty-looking little auntie of his end up so ridiculously capable? Even the men of Beicha couldn’t compare to her.

Thinking about all her skills, he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of man could possibly be worthy of her. Roubao looked at Zhenzhen sitting in her chair, utterly perplexed. “Auntie, no offense, but what kind of man could someone like you—capable from head to toe—possibly like?”

Zhenzhen lifted her chin proudly. “He’s really great. You’ll understand when you meet him.”

Her words piqued Roubao’s curiosity, and he itched to know more. “Tell me—let me judge if he’s worthy of you.”

“My classmate,” Zhenzhen said casually.

Roubao nodded right away. “From Imperial Capital University, probably pretty good at studying.”

“He’s a French major. Last semester, he ranked first in French, and I was second,” Zhenzhen added.

“He actually beat you? He must be smart,” Roubao said with genuine respect. His amazing aunt had always been first in everything—he’d never even heard of her coming in second.

To maintain her lofty image in Roubao’s eyes, Zhenzhen added confidently, “Oh, I forgot to mention—I’m majoring in three fields. I’m first in Journalism, second in French, and top five in another one. Since I do well in all three, I got a full scholarship.”

Roubao dropped to his knees. “Dear Auntie, we haven’t seen each other for a year, and you’re still so… not human!”

“Hehe, how else could I be your aunt?” Zhenzhen grabbed a handful of pine nuts and cracked one open effortlessly with her bare hands. The sound made Roubao flinch. He asked cautiously, “Auntie… what’s my uncle-to-be’s physique like? Can he take a hit?”

Zhenzhen followed his gaze to her pine nut-crushing hand. Tossing the nut into her mouth and grabbing another, she replied, “He’s in great shape. Not fat, but solid. Runs every morning, great at basketball and swimming.”

“You’ve already touched him?” Roubao’s voice trembled and cracked. “Auntie, go easy! You’re not even married yet!”

Zhenzhen casually flung a pine nut straight at his forehead—direct hit. “What are you imagining? Dirty-minded!” She thought back to the steamy kiss in the kitchen and felt a flutter in her heart, but she couldn’t tell her nephew everything. She made up an excuse. “I accidentally tripped and bumped into him.”

“Oh, come on.” Roubao couldn’t help but snark, “You’ve never tripped in your life since you learned to walk at one. Sounds like you threw yourself into his arms on purpose.”

Zhenzhen picked up another pine nut. Roubao quickly covered his forehead and yelped, “Hey! Hey! Hey! Gentlemen use words, not fists! You’re just mad because I hit the mark, aren’t you?”

“I’m a lady, didn’t you know?” She flung the nut again—it hit the wall and bounced to the back of Roubao’s head, harder than the first.

Now covering both front and back, Roubao practically knelt before her. “Who throws pine nuts with a curve? That’s just bullying!”

“That’s what you get for speaking so freely,” Zhenzhen shot him a glare, crunching more pine nuts.

Still rubbing the back of his head, Roubao scooted up to her again. “So what else is great about my uncle-to-be?”

“Everything,” Zhenzhen summed up with a sweet smile. “Just looking at him makes me happy.”

Roubao shivered, goosebumps all over. He stared at her in horror. “Auntie, I can’t believe you’re actually smiling like someone in love! I thought you were destined to be single forever.”

Zhenzhen looked at him in defiance. “Why would a beautiful flower like me end up alone?” She brushed her hair off her shoulder and smiled at the thought of Xi Junjie, her eyes crinkling with joy. “A girl as capable as me naturally deserves the best man.” Her gaze fell on Roubao, and the sweetness vanished, replaced with a sneer. “Someone like you, with a block for a brain, better be careful or you’ll end up wife-less for life.”

Roubao shivered uncontrollably…
—

When Zhenzhen returned to the room, Tangbao had already finished her bath and was scooping water out of the tub with effort. Zhenzhen wrapped her wet hair in a towel and gently patted her soft little cheeks. “It’s windy outside and your hair’s still wet—don’t go out. Get under the covers and warm up, I’ll take care of this.”

Tangbao had lived in Anbei with her parents since birth, only returning to Beicha during summer and winter breaks. Though she was somewhat familiar with her little aunt, they didn’t see each other often, and with their age gap, there wasn’t much closeness. Sharing a room suddenly made the little girl a bit shy.

Zhenzhen was about to carry the water out when Guihua, hearing the commotion, hurried over from the main room. “Zhenzhen, put that down, I’ll clean it up.”

Even after all these years, Guihua was as efficient as ever. She gave Zhenzhen a little push into the room, then carried out two buckets of dirty water with ease. By the time Zhenzhen had dried Tangbao’s hair, Guihua had even washed the tub clean.

“Tangbao, listen to your aunt while you’re sharing a room, alright? If she wants to read at night, don’t make noise or disturb her studying.” Guihua came back after washing up and reminded Tangbao.

“Got it, Mom,” Tangbao answered sweetly, then looked bashfully at Zhenzhen. “If Auntie’s reading, I’ll just do my homework. I won’t bother her.”

Ten-year-old girls were at their most well-behaved age. With a beautiful aunt who got into a good university, Tangbao felt a bit of admiration. Seeing her adorable look, Zhenzhen couldn’t resist giving her plump little face a pinch. “Tangbao’s such a good girl.”

“You were way naughtier,” Guihua chuckled as she combed Tangbao’s hair. “When Tangbao was born, her chubby cheeks looked just like yours. Your big brother said it was fine if she looked like you, but he hoped she wouldn’t be as mischievous.”

Zhenzhen leaned on the chair, watching Guihua braid Tangbao’s hair neatly. “How can you talk about me like that in front of my niece? I was a clever kid.”

Guihua smiled at her. “You were very clever—there’s no one cleverer than you.”

Once Tangbao’s hair was done, Guihua came over and undid Zhenzhen’s ponytail. “You’re grown now, but still doing your hair so plainly. Let me style it nicely.”

When Zhenzhen was young, Guihua often did her hair, always coming up with new styles. Zhenzhen quickly grabbed a stool and sat down. Guihua first brushed her hair thoroughly, then began braiding it.

Zhenzhen’s hair was dark, smooth, and soft. Guihua called Tangbao over. “Feel your aunt’s hair—it’s so nice, and she’s pretty too. That’s because she never picked at her food growing up. You should eat your greens properly, or you’ll never grow as pretty as her.”

Tangbao reached out to touch Zhenzhen’s hair, her face full of envy. Guihua added fuel to the fire, “So silky, right? I wasn’t lying, was I?”

Zhenzhen covered her mouth, laughing. “Sister-in-law, are you praising me or what?”

“Mhm, of course I was praising you.” Guihua tapped her on the forehead, signaling her not to undermine her, and Zhenzhen beamed and nodded. “Tangbao, your mom’s right. But now that you’re at your aunt’s place, you don’t need to worry about being picky with food. Your aunt’s cooking has gotten a lot better lately—everything I make is delicious. Give me one winter, and I’ll fatten you up nice and plump.”

The little girl chuckled. “I’ll listen to Auntie.”

Zhenzhen’s hair was long and silky, and soon her braid was neatly done. She looked at herself in the mirror, then smiled and hugged Guihua’s arm. “Big Sis always braids my hair the best.”

“Still such a sweet talker.” Guihua pinched Zhenzhen’s cheek. “You’ve been sweet-talking me into braiding your hair since you were little.”

Zhenzhen giggled and turned to Tangbao. “Tangbao, go nap on the bed for a while. We’re going to talk in Great-Grandma’s room. I’ll wake you up for dinner later.”

From Beicha to Bingcheng and then to the Imperial Capital, the little girl had been through quite the journey. After a bath, she was already feeling drowsy. As soon as she heard the word “nap,” she started yawning. She snuggled into the warm blankets, and the moment her head hit the pillow, Tangbao was asleep.

Zhenzhen drew the curtains, pulled the screen into place, and she and Guihua quietly closed the door and went to the main room.

Doubao was only two years younger than Roubao and much more lively. Before long, he had taken Shaobing and Shuijiao out to the garden to play. It was midwinter, with flowers withered and leaves fallen, hardly any scenery left to admire. The only fun thing was the garden pond. Although it was connected to flowing water from the outer Beiyang, the cold had frozen even the Beiyang, let alone this small garden pond. As soon as the boys got there, they were sliding and skidding across the ice. Zhenzhen had already used her senses to check the thickness of the ice and saw it could handle their roughhousing, so she left them alone.

Grandma Li saw Guihua return and asked, “Where’s Tangbao?”

Guihua smiled and sat down on a stool. “Asleep. She hasn’t had a proper rest these past few days. After her bath, she knocked right out.”

“Girls are always more well-behaved.” Grandma Li nodded with a pleased smile, then asked, “How are your parents doing? Still in good health?”

Guihua shook her head. “My mom’s doing fine, but my dad’s not too strong anymore. These years of hard labor took a toll. Now that he can finally relax, it’s almost too much for him.”

Grandma Li shook her head. “Living up on the mountain is no good. The wind’s harsh in winter, and it’s damp and cold in summer. Better to have them move down earlier.”

“They’ve already moved down. They’re living with us in Anbei now,” Guihua replied. “It’s just my two brothers—once they left, they completely disappeared.”

Grandma Li was startled. “What happened?”

Guihua sighed. “It all started with the gold bars my mom hid.”

Years ago, when Mingdong and Guihua were getting married, Guihua’s mother was invited to paint the kang bed mural. Back then, Guihua had mentioned that when her parents were first caught and sent to the Beicha logging camp for reform through labor, her mother, Liu Chunhua, had taken a huge risk one pitch-black night to sneak back to a hunting lodge their family used to rest in during hunts. She secretly took some thick bedding and even tied patches of rag cloth on the outside, stuffing in some weeds to make it look worn.

At the time, Liu Chunhua claimed she only took quilts and a painting box. Everyone believed her. No one thought more of it. But the Wu family had been a prominent capitalist household back then, rich beyond compare. Even a small lodge like that might have had emergency reserves—gold bars, silver dollars, paper currency.

Liu Chunhua had only visited the lodge a few times, but she knew where valuables were kept. Behind an oil painting on the wall was a safe. Inside were three small gold bars and some paper money.

The money, printed before the founding of the nation, was worthless by then, so Liu Chunhua left it. She took only the three gold bars. When she returned home, she waited until everyone was asleep, said nothing to anyone, and pried up two bricks in the hearth to hide them.

Guihua’s dad had been a carefree young master, never worried about money. Even if there were money hidden somewhere, he wouldn’t have cared. He never imagined Liu Chunhua had found gold in the lodge.

A few years ago, after the political campaign ended, Grandma Li asked Wang Sufen to bring Guihua’s parents down from the mountain to live. Since Mingdong’s family was already in Anbei and their house was empty, they could move in, and Guihua would have peace of mind.

But Liu Chunhua had been through too much and had endured decades at the labor camp. She’d become extremely cautious. Afraid the political tides would turn again, she refused to leave the mountain. Not until two or three more years passed—after she heard broadcasts at the camp repeating the new policies and saw that even those with bad class backgrounds could go to college—did she finally start to believe those dark days were over.

By then, Grandma Li and the rest had already moved to the capital. Liu Chunhua dug out Mingdong’s address from the letter Wang Sufen had left and wrote to him directly.

After so many years of marriage, it was the first time his mother-in-law asked for help. Mingdong immediately took time off and took the train back to the Beicha camp. Although Liu Chunhua had both a son and a daughter, she felt the only reliable people were the Li family—honest through and through.

“Mingdong, I want to ask you to help me buy a small courtyard in Anbei. Just enough for our family to live in,” she said calmly.

“Where would we get the money for a house?” Guihua’s dad groaned from the bed, turning away with a sigh. “We can barely afford to eat.”

Mingdong understood their financial struggles and worried they’d argue over money, so he quickly offered, “There’s no rush to buy. None of us brothers live in Beicha anymore. Why don’t you come live with us first?”

Liu Chunhua said nothing. She stood up, grabbed a fire poker, pried up the bricks in the hearth, and pulled out the three gold bars, stunning everyone.

She handed one gold bar to Mingdong. “This is all I have. Use this to buy three houses. One for me and her dad, one each for her two brothers. Use whatever’s left to buy some land and divide it between the boys. That way I’ll have done right by them.”

She kept the other two bars in her coat and glanced at her sons. “These two are for me and your dad’s old age. We’ve worked our whole lives. Whether it’s travel or medicine, this is our money. Don’t even think about it. It’s not for you.”

Guihua’s brothers had fallen from wealth in their teens. Over the years, whenever they hit hard times, they’d recall their childhood luxuries and dream of regaining them. So their first thought upon seeing the gold bars was to use them as seed money to go out into the world.

Liu Chunhua just raised an eyebrow. “You two only get this one bar. Whether you buy property or venture out is up to you. Your dad and I have our retirement money and burial expenses. We won’t rely on you. If you have any heart, come back and visit. If not, it’s fine too. When the time comes, let Guihua and Dongzi find us a burial spot.”

Though they knew their parents had suffered all their lives and ought to be cared for in their old age, the brothers didn’t want to stay stuck farming the land. They felt that life had no future. So, after a few days of discussion, they kowtowed to their parents, took their wives and kids, and left.

Since it was just the two elders, Mingdong didn’t have her buy property. After working diligently for years at the university, Mingdong had been allocated a big enough house. He brought the couple to live with them. If they didn’t feel like cooking, the school cafeteria was available; otherwise, they could cook at home. Anbei had plenty of farms and food was easy to get.

Grandma Li was dumbfounded. “So now it’s just your father- and mother-in-law living in Anbei?”

“Mhm,” Mingdong nodded.

“Oh, you two kids!” Grandma Li slapped her thigh in frustration. “Why didn’t you bring them here? How can two elderly folks spend New Year’s alone? You really weren’t thinking!”

Mingdong lowered his head, ashamed. Guihua hurried to explain. “Grandma, we tried to persuade them many times. My mom just wouldn’t come. She said she finally has some peace and wants to go where she pleases. Spending the New Year with just Dad is quieter and freer. They eat whatever they like, sleep in as long as they want, and don’t have to worry about a thing.” Guihua paused and smiled wryly. “You know how stubborn my mom is. Once she’s made up her mind, there’s no changing it. Before we left, Mingdong even used his ticket to buy them a TV. He got it all set up before we left. Now they’re totally entertained—don’t even lift their heads while watching.”

Grandma Li sighed in relief. “As long as they’re living well, that’s fine. Bring them next summer break.”

As dusk was falling, Doubao came running back with Shuijiao and Shaobing. Roubou also turned off the desk lamp and went to the front yard to chat, while Tangbao rubbed her eyes and got up as well. Wang Sufen, Zhenzhen, and Guihua were just about to head to the kitchen to cook when suddenly Xi Junjie arrived with his arms full of things.

Roubou was sitting by the window. Seeing a figure approach, he quickly called out, “Grandma, I think someone’s coming.” He then stood up and opened the door wide. At the doorway stood a handsome young man, about twenty years old. He still carried a touch of youthful shyness, yet already showed a trace of adult steadiness.

Roubou had grown up either in Lincheng Town or on large farms. The people in both places, whether young boys or adult men, all carried a bit of ruggedness and wildness. Xi Junjie’s refined and delicate appearance was something Roubou had never seen before, and he was momentarily stunned.

Zhenzhen came over, pulled Roubou aside, and sweetly squeezed in next to Xi Junjie. “It’s so late—what brings you here?”

“I heard you had visitors, so I brought over some fruit.” Xi Junjie then put down a clay pot he was carrying. “This is ‘Buddha Jumps Over the Wall’ I’ve been stewing all day and night. It’s still hot—perfect for easing fatigue.”

“Buddha Jumps Over the Wall…” Even though the pot was sealed tight, Zhenzhen could still smell the aroma wafting out from the tiny cracks. “It smells amazing.”

Xi Junjie smiled at her. “Try it and see if you like it. If you do, I’ll make it for you again.”

Zhenzhen quickly nodded. Xi Junjie smiled at her, then looked up to see the whole room staring at him with mouths agape. He gave a light cough and shot Zhenzhen a look. “Zhenzhen, aren’t you going to introduce me?”

Zhenzhen took his hand and smiled gracefully. “This is my boyfriend, Xi Junjie.”

Roubou suddenly understood—so this was the legendary little uncle! Thinking back to how his little aunt had praised a whole list of his good qualities that afternoon without ever getting to the point—turns out, it was all because of his looks!