“Dongqing, over here too!”
Qiao Suiman waved his hand, and Lu Dongqing immediately picked up the bamboo basket from the ground and quickly walked to Qiao Suiman’s side.
Seeing the bamboo fungus all over the ground, Lu Dongqing couldn’t help but smile. “So many, your eyes are sharp indeed.”
Qiao Suiman’s mouth lifted high. “Of course. Quick, pick these too. We can get several jin.”
With that, he squatted down and carefully placed the newly unfurled bamboo fungus from the ground into the bamboo basket.
The rain fell two days ago, and since he happened to be at home, Qiao Suiman got an idea. After the rain stopped, he grabbed her iron hoe and bamboo basket, took Heijin along, and headed deep into the bamboo grove with Lu Dongqing and Tang Guo’er to search for bamboo fungus.
This area seemed not to have been discovered by others yet. Vast stretches of bamboo fungus were extremely beautiful, and all of them were large. And as they get closer, they can catch the unique scent of bamboo fungus.
“Qiao-gege, how did you and Da-ge find this place before?” Tang Guo’er marvelled as he picked.
The path here was full of twists and turns. Even though he had been running around in the mountains since he was a child, he couldn’t remember the direction clearly.
“I was hiding from someone before and ended up bringing Heijin here in a hurry. Luckily, Heijin is clever and remembers the way,” Qiao Suiman said with a smile.
Heijin seemed to understand, his tail held high and his face full of pride.
Qiao Suiman couldn’t help but laugh. “Truly impressive.”
Heijin’s tail wagged even more cheerfully.
The three of them stayed there for nearly two hours. After picking all the mushrooms and bamboo fungus in the area, a breeze blew by, bringing a hint of coolness.
“Let’s go, it’s time to head back,” Lu Dongqing said.
The western part of the village was a bit far from here. By the time they returned home, it was already noon. When they walked out of the forest, the sun shone down on them, and soon they were sweating again from the stifling heat.
They had just sat down and drunk a bowl of water when Lu Xuesong returned, pulling the donkey. Da Guai was in the backyard, and the one Lu Xuesong was pulling was the new donkey he and Tang Guo’er had bought just last month, which cost eleven taels of silver.
Having a donkey made everything much more convenient. He went to town today to deliver a batch of eggs. The next delivery would be half a month later.
Miao Lianhua came out of Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing’s room, smiling. “Xiao Yuanyuan just fell asleep. The meal is ready. I set it out in the main hall.”
“Alright.”
Qiao Suiman went to the kitchen to bring out the dishes. Tang Guo’er washed his hands and went to scoop rice, saying, “We found so many mushrooms this morning, and a whole basket of bamboo fungus too.”
Lu Xuesong saw the two baskets as soon as he entered the house and said with a smile, “They’ll sell for a good amount of money.”
Lu Dongqing nodded. “We will set off tomorrow. We can sell them at Huichun Hall on the way to cover the travel expenses.”
Once the food was on the table, everyone sat down. Qiao Suiman’s tone was full of excitement. “The road to the prefectural city is so beautiful. This trip will take several days, so we should take a good look.”
It had already been two years since their last trip to the prefectural city. Qiao Suiman remembered it vividly, and the people and scenery they encountered along the way were still clear in his mind.
The autumn harvest has passed, and Little Tangyuan is already over a year old. They planned months ago to return to Yuntai Town to move Lu Lai’an’s grave back. But with so much going on at home and the shop, they had only just found the opportunity.
“Father will probably arrive this afternoon,” Tang Guo’er said cheerfully.
They all had to leave and the house couldn’t be left unattended. With so many poultry and livestock to feed, they wanted to find someone to take care of things for half a month. The work is tedious, so they offered two mace of silver. They initially wanted to find someone from the village, but it was hard to truly know a person’s heart,[mfn]知人知面不知心 zhī rén zhī miàn bù zhī xīn (lit. know the person, know the face, but not know the heart) – one may know a person from the outside but may not understand their true nature (Wikipedia)[/mfn] so it was better to find someone closer to the family.
Qiao Ruifeng and Qin Yu have their own hands full at home and couldn’t manage both places. If Qiao Ruifeng stayed at the west of the village at night, leaving Qin Yu and the child home alone wouldn’t be safe. After much thought, only Tang Xiao is the most suitable.
First, they’re close relatives. Secondly, he often goes hunting for ten days or half a month at a time, so his family was already accustomed to it.
Besides Tang Xiao, they also borrowed a servant from Master Tang who is skilled at raising goats, so they weren’t afraid of problems during this period.
“Luckily, we have father-in-law,[mfn]亲家公 qìng jia gōng – father of one’s son-in-law or daughter-in-law[/mfn] otherwise, we wouldn’t all be able to go,” said Miao Lianhua.
If they truly couldn’t find anyone, the shop would be fine with Chen Xiasheng and Fulang He looking after it. But at home, only Lu Xuesong and Tang Guo’er could stay to take care of things. They haven’t been back to Yuntai Town for many years. After all, they had lived there for decades, and moving a grave is a major event. Naturally, it was best for everyone to be present.
After the meal, Qiao Suiman went back to the room to check on Tangyuan. He was sleeping soundly, his long eyelashes resting on his plump cheeks, his small hand placed outside the little quilt, and little bubbles forming at his mouth.
Qiao Suiman chuckled softly, stepped forward, and tucked his hand under the quilt. At over a year old, Little Tangyuan could already take a few steps. He is sturdy and half a head taller than Little Tuanzi when he was one year and three months old.
Soon, Lu Dongqing also entered and said in a low voice, “The things outside are ready. The bamboo baskets, some tools, and food are tied to the cart. Clothes and everything Tangyuan will need are in the carriage.”
Qiao Suiman responded with a smile and opened both their bundles to check. Then he opened Tangyuan’s separate large bundle to put his bellybands, small clothes, outer garments, even a scarf and fur coat, for fear he would get cold on the road.
Yuntai Town is close to Yuanbei Prefectural City. Starting from Xiahe Village, they would head north through the town, pass Songjiang Prefectural City, and continue north for another day and a half to reach Yuntai Town.
There are many people, and they have a child with them. Fortunately, they have a carriage, and since it wasn’t really cold yet, they didn’t have to worry about the wind on the road. It would be colder in Yuntai Town, so they placed several quilts in the carriage. When they arrive, they could enclose the carriage.
Not long after, Tang Xiao arrived with Xiao Shi. A room was prepared for them long ago. Next to Tang Guo’er and Lu Xuesong’s room was a storage room, but the house have many storage rooms, and that one was never used. They just had to clean it up and move two beds in so that they could live there.
Tang Guo’er was very happy to see Tang Xiao and immediately pulled him to the bamboo grove behind the house. Three dogs were kept in the bamboo grove, all of which were wolfdogs.
Tang Xiao had been there a few times, and the dogs remembered him. But as soon as Xiao Shi approached, the dogs quickly surrounded him and growled.
Seeing this, Tang Guo’er immediately patted their heads. “Stop barking. He’s here to help.”
The dogs were only bought in the sixth month. Though only a few months old, they were already quite large. Da Huang trained them for several months, and with Lu Xuesong often disciplining them, they are now quite proficient at guarding the grove.
After understanding what Tang Guo’er meant, the dogs stopped barking and circled around Tang Xiao and Xiao Shi, as if they were familiarizing themselves with their scent.
After explaining the household affairs, they had a sumptuous meal in the evening. Once full, everyone rested. They needed to conserve their energy for the journey ahead over the next few days.
Since Little Tangyuan learned to take a few steps, he was no longer satisfied with being held or in a cradle. After playing wildly in the yard in the afternoon, he fell sound asleep after dinner.
Qiao Suiman moved Tangyuan closer to the inside of the bed and lay in the middle himself. Once Lu Dongqing blew out the candle, he curled into his embrace.
“If we travel quickly, we can reach Yuntai Town in three days. If slower, it will take four. Once we reach Yuntai Town, we’ll rest at the town for one night before returning to the village.”
He had said this several times over the past few days. Qiao Suiman knew he was overthinking things and that speaking them out loud would ease his mind, so he softly responded, “Mother is still strong, and Tangyuan is full of energy. We should arrive in three days.”
As the day of going to their hometown approached, Lu Dongqing grew nervous. He wrapped an arm around the person in his arms and sighed, “I wonder if I’ll be able to see anyone from the village.”
After the disaster, the villagers fled to different places. He only focused on bringing Miao Lianhua along with Lu Xuesong all the way to Shuiqing Town. He had no idea who else in the village had survived, or where they’d gone.
“We’ll find out once we get there.”
Qiao Suiman comforted softly, turning to hug Lu Dongqing back. “Don’t worry, alright?”
“Mn.”
Lu Dongqing slightly eased his nervousness, rubbed his head against Qiao Suiman’s vigorously a few times, and then closed his eyes.
On the side, Tangyuan, who was covered with a small quilt alone, kicked his legs and pouted as if he was angry.
The next day, Tangyuan was very cooperative and didn’t cry or fuss. He was walking back and forth inside the carriage. When he got tired, he lay down to sleep, and when he woke up, he wanted to eat. He ate three pieces of rice cake alone.
Tangyuan had grown small teeth. He gnaws away bit by bit, needing no coaxing at all, and happily eats all by himself.
The autumn scenery was different from spring and summer. It is more desolate, but the number of people on the road has not decreased. It is still bustling and even more than in the previous two years.
“Mother, look over there!”
Tang Guo’er lifted the curtain on the side of the carriage, pointing at several foreigners dressed in Hu clothing, and exclaimed in surprise.
“They are the Hu people,” Qiao Suiman said with a smile, holding Xiao Tangyuan, who was battling with his fourth piece of rice cake.
“Sit really is. I’ve only heard of them before, but this is the first time I’ve seen them myself.”
Miao Lianhua changed her sitting posture and leaned over to look as well.
The journey was long and dull, but at least there were interesting sights to see along the way. They chatted and laughed as they traveled, stopping only briefly at noon to eat something to tide them over. They kept going until evening, when Lu Dongqing drove the donkey cart straight to the inn where they had stayed two years ago.
As soon as they entered, the innkeeper recognized Qiao Suiman and greeted them with a smile. “It’s you!”
He glanced at Tangyuan, whom Lu Dongqing was holding, his big eyes wide open and looking around curiously. He exclaimed in surprise, “Your child is already this big!”
Qiao Suiman’s eyes curved into a smile, exactly the same as Tangyuan’s eyes. No wonder the innkeeper immediately saw it was his child.
“Over a year old now. It’s been a long time since we came. Shopkeeper, your business is still so good.”
“Oh, just so-so,” the innkeeper waved a hand modestly, then looked at the others. “And these are…?”
Knowing he was just being friendly and meant no harm, Qiao Suiman didn’t hide it. “My mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and his fulang.”
“The whole family is out traveling together. Shopkeeper Qiao’s business must be getting better and better.”
The innkeeper smiled and said a few more words. People from the prefectural city often traveled by water to Shuiqing Town just to buy milk tea. He had heard it several times and had asked people to bring some back when they passed by.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, they rented two rooms. Qiao Suiman, Tang Guo’er, and Miao Lianhua, along with Tangyuan, stayed in a large Heavenly[mfn]天字号 – usually refers to something of the highest rank, most important, or most outstanding. This originated from the fact that the character “天” comes first in the “Thousand Character Classic”, so it is used to metaphorically represent things that rank first or take the first place. In this case, this is the highest tier or type of room in the inn.[/mfn]room, while Lu Dongqing and Lu Xuesong took a smaller Mysterious room.
Since they were only staying one night, they didn’t unload their things, and only took a change of clothes into the room.
After a day on the road, Miao Lianhua was somewhat tired. They simply ordered some food at the inn. Qiao Suiman remembered the roasted duck and pig’s trotters from that shop they had eaten before and sent Lu Dongqing to buy some. Paired with the inn’s plain porridge and side dishes, it was quite good.
Tangyuan was starting to eat real food now. Lu Dongqing held him and fed him some duck meat. He chewed and swallowed, his eyes lighting up as he stared at the meat dishes on the table. His small finger pointed, and he mumbled unclearly, “Fwather, ah, eat, ah ah.”
Then he stuffed his small hand into his mouth, but his eyes still didn’t leave the table.
Qiao Suiman laughed out loud, gently pulling his hand out and scooping a spoonful of porridge. “Tangyuan, come on, let’s have some porridge.”
As long as it is food, regardless of what it is, Tangyuan’s attention was immediately drawn to the porridge. He gulped it down in a few mouthfuls, then looked at Qiao Suiman, clearly wanting him to continue feeding.
“I’ll do it. You eat first,” Lu Dongqing said with a smile.
“Mn.”
The two of them were always laid-back about feeding the child. Whoever was holding him would feed him. After all, Tangyuan isn’t picky about who feeds him. He was easy to coax as long as there is food.
Tang Guo’er pinched Tangyuan’s chubby little hands and legs before happily going back to munching on his pork trotter.
Tangyuan was simply too adorable. Whenever he was nearby, he couldn’t help but touch him, sometimes pinching, sometimes kissing.
Lu Xuesong chuckled softly, picked up a piece of roast duck, and ate it with a smile lighting up his face. “The prefectural city is really different. There is food and entertainment everywhere.”
“Yes.”
Miao Lianhua continued, “I thought the town was prosperous enough, but compared to the prefectural city, it’s still far behind.”
“There are many more wealthy families here than in town, and they’re all willing to spend money. Just look at those fireworks. They’re setting them off like they’re free, going on for so long.”
Tang Guo’er spoke while looking out from the inn entrance. Fireworks had been going off ever since they arrived at the inn, and they were still lighting up the sky as they finished eating.
“I heard people on the road say it seems to be some wealthy merchant’s daughter celebrating her birthday,” Lu Xuesong said.
Hearing this, Qiao Suiman laughed. “Hey, they set off big fireworks, we set off small ones. Not much difference.”
Tang Guo’er laughed. “That’s right.”
Not long ago, for Qiao Suiman’s birthday, they bought a bunch of fireworks and lit them all at home, and had a great time. Even Tangyuan grabbed one and had fun playing with it.
As if understanding, Tangyuan, who was eating, opened and closed his five fingers, then shook them up and down, clearly remembering how to play with fireworks.
Everyone laughed at Tangyuan’s actions. Such a clever little rascal, skilled at both eating and playing.
After the meal, Qiao Suiman went back to the room first to bathe Tangyuan. He washed the swaddling bands and hung them by the window. After wiping himself down, Tang Guo’er and Miao Lianhua took turns washing up.
By the time everyone had washed up, Qiao Suiman was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open. The beds in the Heavenly room were larger, so there was enough space to sleep. Once the candle was extinguished, everyone soon fell sound asleep.
The next day, they were on the road again. But Tangyuan began to fuss, no longer satisfied with the scenery inside the carriage, so he desperately tried to get out. Qiao Suiman had no choice but to put a hat on him, wrap him in a thick coat, and sit outside, shielding him from the wind with his body.
“He insisted on coming out,” Qiao Suiman said exasperatedly, but then felt it was normal. Even he himself found it quite boring after sitting idle for two days, so he smiled again and grabbed Tangyuan’s hand to wave it.
“Come out to watch Father drive the cart. Is Tangyuan happy?”
“Fwather, yi ya.” Tangyuan waved his arms and legs, laughing in Qiao Suiman’s embrace, with all his small teeth showing. Qiao Suiman’s heart melted and he kissed Tangyuan’s face several times.
The road ahead was wide and smooth. Lu Dongqing glanced at them sideways with a smile on his face. The fatigue of the journey instantly disappeared.
After sitting outside for a while, Qiao Suiman saw that Tangyuan was sleepy, so they went back into the carriage. Miao Lianhua took him and gently rocked him while humming a tune. Soon, Tangyuan was fast asleep.
“This little rascal, so good at causing trouble.”
Despite his words, Qiao Suiman’s tone was still affectionate.
It was rare for the whole family to go out like this. Tang Guo’er was very excited. During the meal break, he ran over to the cart driven by Lu Xuesong, sat down next to him, and said with a smile, “This is fun. I can talk about it with Ting-jie’er for a long time once we get back.”
Lu Xuesong took a bite of a bun and handed a bamboo tube to Tang Guo’er’s mouth. “Take a drink.”
Tang Guo’er drank some water to clear his throat, then continued, “When I first told Father and Mother, they were shocked. The prefectural city is so far away! They’ve never been there, yet I didn’t expect to go there first.”
Lu Xuesong chuckled. “We’ll travel faster on the way there. On the way back, we can take our time and enjoy it.”
“Mn!”
Tang Guo’er had heard Qiao Suiman describe the scenery of the prefectural city before and had longed to see it. He just nodded repeatedly.
Not long after finishing their meal, they set off again, traveling until the sun began to dip toward the west. When Miao Lianhua lifted the curtain, she saw the familiar place and her eyes grew slightly red.
Up ahead lay Yunliu Town, her hometown.
Thinking of her eldest brother and sister-in-law, who had only sighed helplessly during those hard times, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling.
Qiao Suiman and Tang Guo’er both knew about those events. Tang Guo’er took a handkerchief and gently wiped away Miao Lianhua’s tears. His nose also felt sore, and he said in a low voice, “Mother, it’s all in the past.”
Some years ago, when disaster struck Yuntai Town, the village where the Lu family lived was hit the hardest. Lu Dongqing and Lu Xuesong took Miao Lianhua first to her maternal home in Yunliu Town.
Both maternal grandparents had passed away one after the other years earlier. The two uncles weren’t very capable, and their families had many children. They only provided them with meals for two days before sighing with worry.
Miao Lianhua knew what they meant. Though it hurt, it was human nature to consider one’s own family first.
After some thought, Lu Dongqing went to the local authorities to register their names, and they eventually made their way to Shuiqing Town. The hardships involved were evident without needing to be said.
Lu Dongqing lifted the carriage curtain and asked, “Mother, do you want to take a look?”
Miao Lianhua sighed, her heart filled with unease. “Let’s take a look.”
“Alright.”
Qiao Suiman and Tang Guo’er exchanged a glance. “Mother, our life is good now. It’s good to let the two uncles know.”
“I know. They have many children and grandchildren to care for and couldn’t attend to me. After being siblings for so many years, I… ah.”
Miao Lianhua sniffled and wiped away her tears. “Enough, enough. Let’s go take a look, offer incense to your maternal grandparents, and let them know we’re doing well.”
Just at this moment, Tangyuan woke up and instinctively felt that Miao Lianhua was in low spirits. He babbled and opened his arms to reach out to Miao Lianhua for a hug.
Miao Lianhua wiped away her tears and smiled, hugging her grandson and teasing him playfully.
Qiao Suiman also smiled. This Little Tangyuan is such a bundle of joy.
The donkey cart entered Yunliu Town. Lu Dongqing followed his memory to a remote village in the west of the town, then got off the donkey cart and walked slowly.
If you enjoy my translations, consider buying me a milk tea 🥛🍵
