Chapter 284: Madame He

I was back in my hometown during the summer break after my eighth-grade year. That summer was absurdly hot, so much so that as soon as vacation started, I hid in Fourth Brother’s shop to leech off the air conditioning and fan. After lying there for three hours, the constant blast of the fan left my head spinning. I eventually had to wait for Fourth Brother to come back, haul me out of the room, and toss me under the large shade canopy in the courtyard to sit.

The moment of being dragged out of the air-conditioned room was pure agony, and being blown by the hot wind while lying on a bamboo lounge chair under the canopy was even worse. So, when I heard that Grandma Tian had opened a new farmstay resort nearby, I started wailing and pleading with my grandfather, pestering him to take me there to escape the heat.

Grandfather spoiled me terribly. Fourth Brother just stood to the side with his hands on his hips, watching my performance with a cold gaze. However, he didn’t expose me in the end. I knew he had been doing a lot of business with the Tian Family lately, and since this was the grand opening, there would surely be many people there. He wanted to go too, so he had no reason to call my bluff.

The resort was out in the countryside, about a thirty-minute drive from our county seat. By the time we arrived, the opening firecrackers had already finished firing. However, many direct members of the Tian Family were still waiting at the entrance. As soon as Grandfather stepped out of the car, they gathered around in small groups to greet him.

They had always been sticklers for etiquette; the juniors bowed slightly when approaching. I was young then and didn’t understand, but now that I’m in the trade, I know this was a sign of respect for an elder with significant prestige in the industry.

Once inside, I realized their version of a “farmstay” wasn’t very rustic at all. Several small, single-story houses were kept impeccably clean and tidy. There were no wide roads inside, so cars couldn’t enter; instead, there were forest paths winding through the trees. This was completely different from the farmstays in my memory, which usually involved chickens, ducks, geese, and that indescribable smell that accompanied them.

Grandfather entered the largest white bungalow through the main entrance, while Fourth Brother and I were led to the back by some of their family members. Behind the woods stood another small two-story building. The kitchen was currently busy, and cooking smoke drifted from the chimney, smelling so delicious I was practically salivating.

Upon seeing us, a woman talking on the phone by the door immediately hung up and came forward to welcome us. This was the first time I had ever been so deeply impressed by a woman of her age. She was stunningly beautiful and didn’t look like she was from the Central Plains. She wore a traditional-style qipao, two icy green jade earrings dangling from her lobes, and flat, handmade cloth shoes. The colors weren’t bright, but they suited her temperament perfectly. Her figure was graceful, and she carried a faint smile.

I didn’t know which family she belonged to or what her seniority was, so for a moment, I didn’t know how to address her. I just followed Fourth Brother’s lead and stepped forward to call her “Auntie.”

When I went up to greet her, she reached out, took my hand with a laugh, and patted my head. Turning to Fourth Brother, she said, “Oh my, look how big he’s grown! Last time I saw him, he was just a naughty little brat scurrying all over the house!”

She seemed to be around the same age as my mother, but her voice was very distinctive, delicate yet lively. Hearing it made me even more certain she wasn’t from the Central Plains; she seemed more like she was from an ethnic minority. I felt a surge of intense curiosity about her. There was a faint scent of Tibetan incense clinging to her.

Fourth Brother seemed to know her. He smiled and asked, “Madame He, why are you all alone?”

I was surprised by the unique title and turned to look at Madame He. She was bathed in sunlight, her icy green earrings swaying slightly. She rested one arm gently across my shoulders. I had imagined my mother holding me like that countless times in my dreams.

“The father and son are both out front. There’s a card game back here, though. We can play mahjong after we eat and digest,” Madame He said. Just then, a server carrying dishes approached, and she immediately nudged me to the side.

Then she said to me, “There’s a creek behind the woods. It’s pretty clean. We can go play there after lunch.”

My head snapped up, my interest instantly piqued. I glanced at Madame He and then turned to look at Fourth Brother, my eyes searching for his permission, or more accurately, begging for it. Fourth Brother looked stern, showing no sign of relenting.

Seeing him like this, Madame He reached out and gave him a push. “Oh, why do you all always look so fierce? Just like that guy Bai. After lunch, you guys go up front to talk business, and I’ll take him for a stroll behind the woods. It’s settled.”

“Madame, this is putting you to too much trouble,” Fourth Brother said apologetically.

“It’s nothing. I grew up running and jumping around in the mountains. Before I married into this place, that’s how I lived my whole life,” Madame He said, stroking my back.

Madame He was very decisive, and Fourth Brother surprisingly agreed. I had always possessed an adventurous spirit, especially regarding secluded woods and wild spots. Normal people might think there were man-eating beasts inside, but I felt they were filled with hidden treasures.

After lunch, Madame He changed her clothes, and I followed her toward the woods behind the bungalow. Behind the trees was a large earthen slope where the Tian Family raised many chickens. They let the chickens out to roam at set times, as it was said chickens raised this way had more tender meat. The far end was blocked by a fence, likely to keep the chickens from jumping over and injuring themselves.

Madame He moved a section of the fence aside. The slope wasn’t high, so I followed her down the dirt path to the bottom. Less than ten meters ahead was a flowing creek. From this point on, the trees generally grew shorter, and someone had planted vast fields of rapeseed flowers nearby.

Madame He rolled up her pant legs, and I followed suit. We stepped barefoot into the icy creek water. I crouched in the stream, watching the tiny fish hiding in the crevices of the rocks. These fish had incredibly fast reflexes, vanishing almost in the blink of an eye. I grew frustrated after trying for ages without catching a single one.

“Come here! Quick!” Madame He crouched by the creek and waved me over.

I dropped my empty net and scrambled over in two steps. I saw her holding a crab between her fingers. I had no idea where she’d caught it. The crab was small and didn’t struggle much in her hand.

Madame He showed me the crab’s belly. “This one is female.”

I went to school in the city, and my daily life was quite dull, so I rarely came into contact with live animals like this. Staring at the crab’s bulging belly, I was stunned. “Why isn’t she struggling?” I asked.

The words had barely left my mouth when the crab began to twitch in Madame He’s hand, while the baby crabs in its belly began frantically dropping into the water. I had heard of crabs releasing their young before, but this speed was clearly far too fast. The crab must have sensed danger and was trying to expel its young as quickly as possible.

Startled, I took a step back and said hurriedly, “That crab is pregnant. Maybe you should just let her go.”

Madame He was thinking the same thing. As soon as I spoke, she placed the crab back into the water. We played by the stream for a while longer before heading into the rapeseed fields to catch butterflies. Those large black-and-white butterflies didn’t fly very high and were slow to react; we caught them only to release them again.

A few large trees here blocked out the scorching sun, and with the nearby stream, the air was quite cool. Madame He was the first woman I’d met who, despite being married, still possessed such a sense of childlike wonder. I felt a strong affinity for someone who could run and play with me like this. For a long time, neither of us mentioned heading back.

As we played, I grew more comfortable with her. Sitting by the stream, I asked instinctively, “Madame, are you from an ethnic minority?”

Madame He put on her shoes and rolled down her trouser legs, nodding. “Yes, I’m Miao. Your grandfather might not have told you, but when your mother gave birth to you, I was the one who delivered you. The snow was quite heavy that day. I wasn’t even supposed to be on shift, but when I heard your mother was in labor, I rushed back so fast I lost a shoe along the way.”

My eyes widened. “Huh? No one ever told me that. Was my mother’s labor smooth? Did it hurt a lot?”

Madame He chuckled. “It was a natural birth. It hurt, of course; there isn’t a woman in the world who doesn’t feel pain during childbirth. But you were quite well-behaved and came out quickly, so you didn’t make your mother suffer too much. By the way, I hear your mother doesn’t come back often these days?”

I thought of certain things. Every time there was a gathering or a dinner, I was always with my grandfather and Fourth Brother, and people would always come up to ask me similar questions. I’d answered them so many times that I eventually stopped wanting to talk about it.

A wave of resentment rose up in me, and I shook my head. “She’s never come back.”

Madame He seemed to sense my change in mood. She reached out and patted my head. “I’ve heard a bit about your family situation. It’s true that Gan Rong is in the wrong for not coming home. When I see her again, I’ll definitely give her a piece of my mind for you. But listen to me: she has her reasons for everything she does. There must be a reason why she hasn’t come back to be with you.”

I thought to myself, what reason could there possibly be? But this Madame He seemed to have a very deep relationship with my mother if she could use a word like “criticize.” She was also a Miao doctor^[1]; I wondered what kind of family background she came from.

Though I was curious, my upbringing prevented me from prying into the details of someone else’s family. As the sun began to set, we headed back for dinner. During the meal, Madame He was called to the front by her husband. He had a very refined air about him, wearing glasses and looking quite scholarly, like a son of a prominent family who had received a high-level education.

Finally, I waved goodbye to Madame He. She gave me a smile that remains branded in my heart to this day. After returning home, I even found myself thinking that if I had a choice, I might have preferred to be Madame He’s son.

Later, while I was contemplating life in Hunan, I happened to mention this incident to Bai Shenxian. I noticed then that his expression seemed a bit off.

Before I could even finish describing the exquisite beauty of my childhood’s first goddess, he interrupted me. “Um, is there a possibility that this Madame He you’re talking about… is my mom?”

I froze, then started kicking him frantically, telling him not to desecrate my first love.

“Holy crap! I’m not joking, she really is my mom!” He sat up, grass clinging to his clothes.

Looking at his expression, I could tell he truly wasn’t joking.

Then my world suddenly collapsed. I clutched my head, unable to accept this reality.

“What’s the matter? I’m this handsome because I take after my mom,” he said, touching his face.

I glanced up at him once and went right back to wailing in the valley.

(Using many metaphors, the earrings are foreshadowing.)