The next day, when the sky was fully bright, the group set off from the town by donkey cart, heading towards the village. The Langhua Village where the Lu family had originally lived, was quite a distance from the town. As they traveled, the desolation became increasingly apparent.
The nearby villages were also sparsely populated. Houses that had been washed away by the flood were reduced to broken walls and ruins. On some flatter areas, people had built new houses, with thin smoke from kitchen fires rising into the air.
Qiao Suiman’s heart trembled at the sight. He had never experienced a famine before and had only heard the elders speak of its horrors. Now that he had seen it with his own eyes, his face turned pale.
Tang Guo’er felt the same. Everything was fine in the town, and there was no sign of disaster, but this… His eyes showed heartache. If they felt like this, how much worse would it be for Mother, Da-ge, and Songzi when they saw it.
Lu Dongqing let out a sigh and drove the cart in silence. They finally reached Langhua Village around noon.
If other places still had some signs of life, Langhua Village was left in complete stillness. Weeds grow thickly, and even birds are nowhere to be seen.
The two donkey carts stayed close together in case someone suddenly appeared and startle them. Lu Dongqing frowned and said to Lu Xuesong, “Tomorrow, just the two of us should come.”
Lu Xuesong nodded. He was thinking the same thing.
The graves in Langhua Village were all located deep in the mountains. It would be inconvenient for Miao Lianhua, Qiao Suiman, and the others to follow up the mountain.
Moreover, they have Tangyuan with them. If they were to disturb something unclean, it would not be good.
When they reached the house they had once lived in, it was now buried under weeds. The few mu of land they had once farmed had become a vast expanse of water. Miao Lianhua sighed and returned to the cart, not looking anymore.
Qiao Suiman held Tangyuan tighter. The cold wind howled, and the miserable scene was too much for him to bear.
He thought it would be like the previous villages, with at least some people returning to settle. But the fields were completely flooded, destroying the means of survival, so naturally, no one came back to put down roots.
“Let’s head back first. Xuesong and I can handle it over the next couple of days,” Lu Dongqing said somberly.
Miao Lianhua nodded. “Alright. Good thing we made it for the auspicious day and didn’t delay matters.”
After spending nearly an hour in the village, the group returned to the inn. They asked the server for several buckets of hot water to soak their feet to get rid of the cold.
After wiping Tangyuan’s hands and feet and changing his swaddling band, Qiao Suiman noticed him sucking on his hand and knew that he’s hungry. He asked the inn for a bowl of rice gruel to feed him first. Then, he helped Lu Dongqing and the others organize the tools needed for the next two days.
Relocating graves was no small matter. With just the two of them, it would require considerable effort. They packed the incense, candles, paper money, and scriptures, then loaded the fire starter, large clay urns, shovels, and long metal rods onto the donkey cart before feeling reassured enough to go eat.
For the next two days, Lu Dongqing and Lu Xuesong left early for the village, working until the sun was nearly set before returning to the inn.
Digging was strenuous work. At noon, they ate only the dry food they brought with them. But at night, they had to eat well, so both meat and rice were essential.
Qiao Suiman had free time, so he took Tangyuan, Miao Lianhua, and Tang Guo’er around town while the sun was high, and they made some unexpected encounters.
They met several fellow villagers from Langhua Village.
Miao Lianhua and the villagers were delighted to see each other and inquired about their recent situations. Those villagers had fled to unaffected villages to seek refuge with relatives, so they knew more about the village’s affairs. Over the past two years, they had also met people who had returned.
Upon learning that several households did not escape the flood and were gone without a trace, and that many other families were no longer complete, Miao Lianhua let out a deep sigh.
“It’s all in the past now. People must look forward,” said one thin but spirited woman.
“Yes, look at your family. Both sons are married, the family is whole and complete. You’re probably the most fortunate in our village now,” another villager said.
Miao Lianhua looked at Tangyuan, smiled faintly, and nodded.
Since they had taken root in Shuiqing Town, it is best to carry those memories with them and live well.
They bid farewell to the villagers, knowing it was unlikely they would meet again.
But that’s how life is. Many people only pass by once, and that becomes the last time you see them in this lifetime.
On the fourth day after arriving at Yuntai Town, the first half of the grave relocation was finally complete. The urn containing the bones was placed on Lu Xuesong’s donkey cart, ready to depart once everything was packed.
Unfortunately, the next day was overcast, disrupting their plan to head toward Yuanbei Prefecture City. Only Lu Dongqing went alone and he returned in high spirits.
“I saw Master. He’s still in good health, chasing his grandson all around the courtyard.”
Lu Dongqing took a sip of hot water and continued with a laugh, “As expected, he never received our previous letters. Yuanbei Prefectural City is just too far, so letters don’t get delivered easily.”
Qiao Suiman’s lips curved into a smile. “Good thing we went to tell him in person, otherwise he’d still be worried.”
Lu Dongqing nodded. “When he first saw me, he didn’t recognize me. After a while, he came at me with a rattan cane, scolding me for taking so long to visit him.”
Lu Xuesong chuckled. “Master’s still as strong as an ox, but he doesn’t hit hard.”
Tang Guo’er narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Sounds like you’ve been beaten plenty of times.”
Lu Xuesong coughed lightly and explained, “Not that many times. At most… at most the number of times I can count on both hands.”
Miao Lianhua scolded him, “And you still dare to say that? You didn’t even study for a year before being sent back, yet you managed to get beaten so many times.”
Qiao Suiman lowered his head but couldn’t help laughing. Tang Guo’er laughed even harder, and even Tangyuan giggled along. For a moment, only Lu Xuesong was red-faced and embarrassed.
With all the necessary tasks completed on this trip, the return journey didn’t need to be rushed. When they reached Songjiang Prefectural City, they stayed there for three days.
The innkeeper was very helpful. Knowing they were there to sightsee, he recommended several more places.
Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing took the others to see Taiwei Lake and prayed for peace talismans at Yuan’an Temple. Tang Guo’er was very happy, even used his own money to request talismans for his parents as well.
There were many places to visit in the prefectural city. They didn’t try to see everything, but wandered around nearby, trying novel-looking foods they encountered and stopping to admire interesting places. After three days, it was time to pack up and return to Xiahe Village.
“Tangyuan is really amazing, traveling so far without crying or fussing.”
Tang Guo’er said in amazement as he fed Tangyuan goat milk in the room.
Qiao Suiman folded Tangyuan’s clothes and placed them into the bundle. He said with a smile. “All he does is eat and sleep, and spends his time playing. Of course he’s full of energy.”
Miao Lianhua said with a smile, “Being able to eat and sleep is good. None of the other kids in the village around Tangyuan’s age is as sturdy as he is.”
Qiao Suiman placed the bundle by the bed, poked Tangyuan’s chubby cheek, and laughed, “Chubby baby.”
Tangyuan swallowed the milk in his mouth, thinking Qiao Suiman was playing with him. He giggled and said, “Goo, goo aaah.”
Tang Guo’er burst out laughing, the hand holding the goat milk trembling slightly. “Yes, Tangyuan is a good baby!”
Little Tangyuan sat on the bed and clapped his hands, repeatedly saying, “Goo, eeya, goo waaah.”
The adults couldn’t stop laughing. Playing with Tangyuan was especially fun. They didn’t rest until the sky was completely dark.
Perhaps because they were eager to return home, the journey back to the village from the prefectural city seemed to pass quickly.
Seeing the familiar village entrance, Qiao Suiman’s heart felt full and swollen. It was fine to travel and have fun, but he always missed home.
Just then, Qiao Ruifeng was driving his mule cart home and saw them. He shouted loudly, “Xiao Man, you’re finally back!”
Lu Dongqing reined in the donkey and slowed down. Qiao Suiman lifted the curtain and his eyes lit up. “Da-ge!”
Qiao Ruifeng caught up, his smile widening. “Is everything settled?”
Lu Dongqing nodded. “We’ll take the urns up the mountain tomorrow to rebury them, and then it’ll be done.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Qiao Ruifeng then said to Lu Xuesong, “I checked on the chickens, ducks, and goats today. Old Tang is skilled, and they’re all doing well. The egg business is also good.”
Lu Xuesong grinned and clasped his hands. “Thank you, Qiao-dage.”
“Da-ge, I brought back things for you, Qin Yu-ge, Tuanzi, and Xiao Gao’er. I’ll bring them over later,” Qiao Suiman said cheerfully.
Qiao Ruifeng waved his hand. “Rest first. Traveling isn’t easy. Tomorrow, A-Yu and I can bring the children over.”
“Alright, we’ll eat together tomorrow.”
Qiao Ruifeng’s mule cart and Lu Xuesong’s donkey cart were bought around the same time. Since they had a bit more money, they purchased a sturdier, larger mule.
In the fourth month this year, Qin Yu had given birth to a little boy, nicknamed Xiao Gao’er, with the formal name Qiao Yun. Now nearly six months old, he’s at that age when he’s especially endearing.
As they entered the village, they met quite a few people and Qiao Suiman greeted them one by one.
They were gone for half a month, and the villagers knew what they had gone to do. Some people secretly shook their heads in disbelief. Was it really worth such a big fuss just to relocate a grave?
As they entered the west of the village, Tang Guo’er started calling out from afar. Tang Xiao heard the noise, opened the courtyard gate, and hurried out to meet them.
“Aiyoyo, you’re finally back!”
“Father,” Lu Xuesong and Tang Guo’er called out with smiles.
“Father-in-law, thank you for your hard work these days.”
Tang Xiao shook his head repeatedly. “Not at all. It’s much easier than hunting. Quick, quick, let’s go in and talk.”
Xiao Shi brought them several bowls of water. After drinking, Tang Guo’er chattered nonstop, talking about everything from leaving Shuiqing Town to Songjiang Prefectural City, to Yunliu Town and Yuntai Town. Tang Xiao and Xiao Shi listened with astonished expressions.
“You could understand what those foreigners were saying?” Tang Xiao asked doubtfully.
Tang Guo’er rolled his eyes at him. “Father, they came here to do business, of course they learned our language.”
“Oh, I see. I thought you were making it up to fool me.”
“Father!”
“Hehe, your father was talking nonsense, just nonsense.”
“Hmph.”
After Tang Guo’er talked to his heart’s content, he and Qiao Suiman went to cook. After long days of travel, steamed rice was the most satisfying.
They steamed two full pots of rice, reheated the dried meat they brought back, and cooked a pot of vegetable soup. Everyone gathered in the main hall to eat.
Since they planned to prepare a proper good meal tomorrow, Tang Xiao and Xiao Shi stayed one more night, planning to return to Hedong Village after eating the next day.
After the meal and washing up, Qiao Suiman lay down on the familiar bed and let out a contented sigh. “Ah…”
“Sleeping at home is more comfortable, right?” Lu Dongqing said with a laugh as he got into the bed.
Qiao Suiman immediately turned and burrowed into his embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around Lu Dongqing’s neck. He couldn’t help but lean in and nibble on Lu Dongqing’s lips several times, only to be pinned down himself. His lips were blocked, only allowing soft sounds to escape.
After sleeping apart for half a month, Qiao Suiman couldn’t bear to push Lu Dongqing away. He glanced stealthily at Tangyuan who was sleeping soundly by himself on the inner side of the bed and whispered, “This little rascal is quite happy on his own.”
Lu Dongqing’s hand slipped inside Qiao Suiman’s robe. They didn’t go all the way, but still felt quite satisfied. He chuckled, “Thanks to him being such a good eater and sleeper, we can do other things.”
A slight smile tugged at Qiao Suiman’s lips. His hands also roamed mischievously over Lu Dongqing’s body, his legs hooking around him, holding him tight. He buried his face in Lu Dongqing’s chest, breathing slightly heavily.
After kissing and holding each other for a while, the two separated slightly, only to entangle again shortly after.
Beside them, little Tangyuan frowned in his sleep, his small hands clenched, as if scolding his A-mu for not patting his belly to soothe him today.
The next day, after the Lu brothers completed the reburial, Qiao Suiman and Tang Guo’er each offered incense at the new graves. The whole family burned paper money for Lu Lai’an. From now on, during Qingming Festival,[mfn]清明节 – also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a traditional Chinese festival where families visit the graves of their ancestors to clean the gravesites, make offerings, and pay their respects.[/mfn] they wouldn’t have to worry about no one making offerings.
After a good rest last night, Qiao Sui’s face was flushed with a rosy glow. He cooked several delicious dishes, including spicy braised spare ribs, chestnut chicken, and pork knuckle with soy sauce. Each dish was aromatic and mouthwatering.
Lu Xuesong and Tang Guo’er went to the river and speared two fish. They salted them and grilled them right in the courtyard. Tangyuan watched with his mouth drooling, while Little Tuanzi silently wiped his mouth for him.
Along with two plates of stir-fried vegetables, the meal was as sumptuous as those during festivals.
Though the food outside are tasty, it still can’t compare to what was cooked over firewood at home. Qiao Suiman ate two full bowls of rice, only stopping when his stomach felt stretched.
After resting at home for two more days without any discomfort and taking advantage of the good weather, Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing, with little Tangyuan, once again set off in the creaking cart back to town.
Author [陳皮皮梅]: Almost finished ~
If you enjoy my translations, consider buying me a milk tea 🥛🍵
