Miao Lianhua met with her two elder brothers. Qiao Suiman and Tang Guo’er followed suit in greeting them. For a moment, they simply looked at each other in silence. At last, it was Lu Dongqing who broke the silence, speaking about their life in Shuiqing Town these past years, and only then did the conversation gradually open up.
It had been many years since they last saw one another, and with knots in their hearts, the two maternal uncles still carried guilt. Upon hearing that their sister’s family was now living well, their eyes reddened, and they kept repeating words of relief.
After catching up, Miao Lianhua saw that their family situation was not good, and they could barely make ends meet.
Several nephews and the older great-nephews are working in the town, leaving her brothers and sisters-in-law at home to farm and look after the younger children. Therefore, they did not stay for a meal but left them some rice and flour as a token of gratitude for the meals they had provided her family those two days years ago.
Miao Lianhua’s mood improved. Her two elder brothers were over ten years older than her. From what she could remember, they were seldom at home, but no matter what, they are still siblings born of the same father and mother, and their bond remains.
Now that she had reassured them of their well-being, from now on, they’ll just have to maintain their relationship as relatives. Shuiqing Town and Yunliu Town were so far apart that it would likely be several years before they could meet again.
After leaving the village in the outskirts and arriving at the bustling area of the town, Qiao Suiman held Tangyuan and walked slowly. This place was quite different from Shuiqing Town. The people coming and going were more unrestrained, and on the roads, one could easily see people drinking wine and eating meat from large bowls.
“No wonder Songzi and Da-ge can drink so well,” Tang Guo’er exclaimed with wide eyes.
“Further north is Yuanbei Prefectural City. The people there drink even more fiercely, directly lifting the wine jars to their mouths.”
Miao Lianhua said with a smile, “Paired with naan bread and large bone-in meat, you can see people everywhere playing drinking games.”
The roads were crowded,and pulling the donkey cart was inconvenient. Lu Dongqing found an inn and inquired about prices. Unlike in the prefectural city, it only costs eighty-five wen per night here. He booked two rooms and entrusted the donkey cart to the attendant’s care, but kept the silver and other valuables with himself and Lu Xuesong.
The area near Yuanbei Prefectural City has vast, endless grasslands, and the same was true for several nearby towns. Therefore, there were many mutton shops along the road.
They entered a mutton noodle shop. The night wind was strong and chilly, so having mutton soup to warm themselves was perfect.
Each person ordered a bowl of mutton soup, along with four pieces of naan bread, and a bowl of shredded meat porridge specially prepared for little Tangyuan. They sat down and immediately began eating heartily.
Mutton has a strong smell, but somehow, this shop has managed to make it so that there is not even a trace of that smell.
The bowls were filled to the brim with mutton and offal, which are incredibly fresh and pure. Blended with the spiciness of pepper, a few mouthfuls sent warmth flooding through the whole body.
Tangyuan’s porridge was made with shredded pork. They specifically asked that the pork be finely chopped. It was delicious even without any other seasonings.
Lu Dongqing ate quickly. He finished one naan bread and his mutton soup swiftly, then took little Tangyuan from Qiao Suiman’s arms and continued feeding him the porridge.
“The flavor is truly excellent, no wonder there are so many people. It was worth the wait,” Qiao Suiman said, scooping up a spoonful of mutton soup mixed with minced mutton. As it entered his mouth, his taste buds were fully awakened, the freshness rushing straight to the top of his head.
“Indeed,” Miao Lianhua tore half a naan bread for him, “Tear this into pieces and soak it in the soup. It tastes even better.”
Tang Guo’er looked around. Sure enough, everyone was throwing pieces of bread into the soup to stir and eat. Few people ate like him, with bread in one hand and soup in the other.
Lu Xuesong chuckled. He was extremely hungry and stuffed the food into his mouth without caring how much he ate. Now that he was full, he slowly tore pieces and put them into Tang Guo’er’s bowl.
Tangyuan seemed to find it amusing. Even while eating the shredded pork porridge, he wasn’t satisfied, and constantly leaning towards the table. Qiao Suiman saw this and quickly moved the soup bowl forward to prevent him from grabbing it with his paw.
“Glutton.”
Qiao Suiman gently patted Tangyuan’s small hand. The baby’s hands are lightning-fast. One moment of inattention and he’d grab food and shove it into his mouth. Tangyuan had gotten away with it so many times that now, every meal, Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing kept a close eye on him.
“Mu, A-mu.”
Tangyuan waved his chubby hand, thinking Qiao Suiman was playing with him. His grape-like eyes rolled around, smiling to reveal all his little teeth.
Seeing his chubby son’s silly appearance, Qiao Suiman couldn’t help but laugh. He exchanged a glance with Lu Dongqing and said, “Feed him a few more mouthfuls. He’s probably almost full anyway.”
He only ate two pieces of rice cake that afternoon. No matter how greedy the little one was, his stomach could only hold so much. Since he was in the mood to play, it was clear he wasn’t hungry anymore.
“Alright, you keep eating,” Lu Dongqing said with a smile.
After feeding Tangyuan a few more mouthfuls of porridge, Lu Dongqing stopped and finished the rest himself.
Tangyuan didn’t cry or fuss. Usually, if someone took his food when he was hungry, he could cry loud enough to shake the heavens.
After the meal, Miao Lianhua and Tang Guo’er gave Tangyuan a bath, while Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing went to an incense shop further ahead to buy some fine incense, candles, and paper money.
“My maternal grandfather’s grave is on the mountain outside town. It has been five or six years since I last paid my respects. I’ve been truly unfilial,” Lu Dongqing said quietly, gazing off into the distance.
Qiao Suiman held Lu Dongqing’s hand and comforted him, “The previous years were difficult. These past two or three years, we’ve been away from home. Grandfather understands the hardships, so don’t blame yourself.”
“Tomorrow, we’ll take Tangyuan along. Grandfather will surely be happy.”
“Mn.”
Thinking of his son, a smile appeared on Lu Dongqing’s face. As they reached a street corner, he suddenly pulled Qiao Suiman into the alley.
“What’s wrong?” Qiao Suiman was confused. The dark, narrow alley made it hard to see anything clearly.
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Dongqing embraced him fully.
“I just want to hold you.”
These past few days, they traveled during the day and didn’t sleep together at night. Lu Dongqing held him tightly, burying his face in Qiao Suiman’s neck and taking several deep breaths. Then, he moved close to Qiao Suiman’s ear and said in a deep voice.
Qiao Suiman shuddered, the fine hairs on his face standing on end. Trembling, he said, “We’re outside, this is… what kind of behavior is this.”
Although he said that, he didn’t push Lu Dongqing away, allowing him to hold him for a while.
“We should go back,” Qiao Suiman whispered as a reminder.
Having gotten his fill, Lu Dongqing was in quite a good mood. He took Qiao Suiman’s hand and only then headed back to the inn.
They parted at their room doors. Qiao Suiman glanced at him, then lowered his head with a small smile before pushing the door open and going in.
“Did you get everything? You were gone so long,” Miao Lianhua said.
Qiao Suiman cleared his throat lightly and said casually, “We had to walk further to find a shop. We have everything now. It’s in Dongqing’s room.”
“That’s good,” Miao Lianhua nodded, then turned to play with her grandson.
Qiao Suiman breathed a sigh of relief. Tang Guo’er came out from behind the screen after washing up and said with a smile, “The rooms here are much larger than in the prefectural city.”
“Indeed, but in the prefectural city, every inch of land is worth gold. It can’t be compared with a town like this.” Qiao Suiman smiled as he took his own clothes.
Tang Guo’er nodded, then smiled again and said, “This place is fun too. It’s different from Shuiqing Town, with lots of novel things.”
Tang Guo’er is young and at an age when he loves to have fun. Being busy at home the previous year, he finally had a chance to go out, and to such a distant place. Even the journey felt interesting.
“Then let’s enjoy ourselves well. We still need to visit Yuanbei Prefectural City too,” Qiao Suiman said with a smile, heading behind the screen to wash up.
The next day, after offering incense to the two maternal grandparents, they traveled for most of the day and finally arrived at Yuntai Town by the end of the noon.
Looking at the familiar scenery, not only Miao Lianhua’s, but also Lu Dongqing and Lu Xuesong’s eyes reddened slightly.
Yuntai Town was colder. They all put on thick outer garments. Tangyuan was bundled up tightly, with only a pair of large eyes visible.
Lu Xuesong wiped his eyes with his sleeve and pointed to a cookhouse, “Let’s eat there. Every year after the autumn harvest, we used to go there to eat.”
Lu Dongqing held Tangyuan in his arms, looked at the familiar streets of the town, and nodded, “Let’s go.”
Neither Qiao Suiman nor Tang Guo’er objected. In fact, they were curious and kept looking around.
After entering the cookhouse, the cold wind was immediately shut out. Qiao Suiman waited until his hands were warm before reaching into Tangyuan’s hat to touch his face. Finding it warm, he took off the little hat and pulled the scarf down a bit.
“What would you like to eat, customers?” the server asked.
“Pickled cabbage with pork ribs, stir-fried kidneys, Eight Treasures Duck, and braised pork. A bowl of steamed rice, plus a bowl of shredded chicken soup and two soft steamed buns.” Lu Dongqing quickly ordered the dishes.
“The shop is still the same. I can’t see any changes,” Miao Lianhua said softly.
“Several years have passed. No matter how big the events, everything returns to normal.”
Lu Xuesong sighed. Even though he was usually cheerful, returning to his homeland inevitably stirred emotions.
“Turn right and walk another li[mfn]裡 : ~500 m[/mfn], and you’ll find the market where my master and I used to set up a stall selling bamboo wares and carvings. Now it’s probably too late to go there.”
Lu Dongqing pinched Tangyuan’s small hand and said with a smile.
“Is the embroidery workshop where Mother sold her handkerchiefs also around here?” Tang Guo’er asked.
“Yes.”
Miao Lianhua’s eyes lit up. “After we finish eating, let’s go take a look. I wonder how the old shopkeeper is doing.”
“Alright.”
After four days of travel, they would need to stay several days in this place to handle affairs. They could finally rest properly, unlike before when they hurriedly ate dinner and retired to their rooms.
After a leisurely meal, they booked an inn for four nights. Qiao Suiman and Tang Guo’er followed Miao Lianhua to the Ruyi Embroidery Workshop where she previously delivered handkerchiefs.
The workshop was still open. The shopkeeper was calculating accounts at the counter. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a group entering. She turned to look and her eyes shifted from confusion to astonishment.
“Embroidery Lady Miao?”
The shopkeeper’s tone held delight and a trace of astonishment, “Good heavens, it really is you!”
The old shopkeeper is a gray-haired old woman, but she is still in good spirits. As she approached, Miao Lianhua quickly supported her and said with red eyes, “Aunt Qiu, it’s me.”
She then gestured for Lu Dongqing and the others to come forward and continued, “Look, my eldest and second son, the ones who used to deliver handkerchiefs and sachets.”
“And also, my two sons’ fulang. The elder already has a child.”
Qiao Suiman carried Tangyuan forward. Along with Lu Dongqing, they greeted politely. He shook Tangyuan’s little hand with a smile. “Tangyuan, this is shen popo.[mfn]嬸婆婆 shěn pópo – great-aunt; grandaunt[/mfn] Quick, call her shen popo.”
Tangyuan stared at Shopkeeper Qiu with bright eyes, “Chen, chen po bo.”
Though his pronunciation was unclear, he called out as asked. Shopkeeper Qiu looked at the child, then at Miao Lianhua and the others. She’s so happy she didn’t know what to say and clapped his hands repeatedly.
She had an attendant bring over several chairs. Miao Lianhua told Shopkeeper Qiu about the events of the past few years.
Shopkeeper Qiu first looked worried, then, upon learning their business was now doing well, her face broke into a smile. She said repeatedly, “Thank goodness, thank goodness. Lai’an must be watching over you from heaven. Before, when I heard the village had suffered a disaster and we never saw any sign of you, your Nan-jie and I thought, we thought… Ai, good, good, everything is fine now.”
Nan-jie is Shopkeeper Qiu’s daughter. She was well acquainted with Miao Lianhua and often worked on new patterns together. Remembering her, Miao Lianhua also smiled and said, “We’ll be going back to the village to handle some matters in the next few days. Aunt Qiu, please let her know, so she knows I’m doing well.”
“Of course.”
Meeting an old friend lifted Miao Lianhua’s spirits greatly. Even after returning to the inn to coax Tangyuan to sleep, the smile never left her lips.
“Once your father’s grave is moved back, we won’t have to hurry when we return in the future,” Miao Lianhua said.
Qiao Suiman smiled and replied, “Mn. In the future, when we have time, we can still come back.”
Tang Guo’er nodded vigorously beside them.
Falling leaves return to their roots.[mfn]落葉歸根 luòyèguīgēn (lit. fallen leaves will return to the roots) – a person who has been away from his or her hometown for a long time would eventually return (Wikipedia)[/mfn] Miao Lianhua didn’t say it explicitly, but one can tell from thinking about it that she definitely can’t bear to leave this place. If it were them leaving Shuiqing Town, they would also miss it terribly.
Under the deep moonlight, their hearts were no longer anxious after arriving in Yuntai Town. They all slept soundly that night.
If you enjoy my translations, consider buying me a milk tea 🥛🍵
