Lu Dongqing and Old Man Liu drove the donkey cart towards the county yamen. It was mid-afternoon, if they delayed any longer, there would be no one on duty at the yamen.
Qiao Suiman and the others walked around near the outskirts of the town. Little Tangyuan rarely go outside and usually spends more time strolling around the streets. Now, he was curious about everything and looked around with his big eyes wide open.
“The grain from five mu of land is enough to last us two years.” Miao Lianhua said happily.
“Yes, we won’t have to buy any more rice or flour from the grain shop next year,” Qiao Suiman said with a smile.
He also had another idea. Up until now, their household had always bought rice and flour for daily use. He couldn’t bear to use such expensive ingredients for making fermented drinks[mfn]漿水 jiāngshuǐ – a traditional fermented grain-based drink, often sour and refreshing[/mfn]. Though a few customers had asked about it, due to the high cost of ingredients, he had only ever made it for the family to try and never for sale.
Once the harvest from these few mu of land they bought comes in, it wouldn’t be a problem anymore. They could make fermented drinks or even brew some rice wine.
Qiao Chengfu has been dead for over two years. Thinking about past events felt like they happened in a previous lifetime. He and Qiao Ruifeng were no longer as averse to alcohol as before. During festivals, there was always alcohol on the table, and in winter, they often have a drink with Lu Dongqing to warm themselves up.
Neither of them overindulged. A cup or two was enough to make them feel warm. Moreover, the rice wine is sweet with a hint of spiciness, which is very different from fragrant drinks and milk tea. It was a different experience.
The land on the outskirts of the town stretched as far as the eye could see. There were still many people in the fields catching loaches and eels. They found it amusing to watch, and Little Tangyuan also waved his hands excitedly.
As they walked, they even ran into an acquaintance.
“Aunt Xu,” Qiao Suiman greeted with a smile.
“Hey, I saw you all from far away.”
Aunt Xu had clearly just come up from the fields. The bottoms of her trousers were still dripping with water. She saw Tangyuan and said with a smile, “This little one is so well-behaved and well-raised. You can tell at a glance that he is blessed!”
Qiao Suiman chuckled and said, “Aunt, your family has so much land. You must be busy with the autumn harvest, right?”
“Yes, even with hired workers, I still can’t rest easy.”
Aunt Xu clapped her hands. Though busy and tired, her happiness was evident. “The weather has been good these past few years, and the grain yield was even higher. We’ll have another good New Year to celebrate.”
Someone called out to Aunt Xu from afar. She turned around to respond and said to Qiao Suiman, “I need to get back to work. You all enjoy your stroll.”
After holding Tangyuan for a long time, Qiao Suiman’s arms were getting sore, so he let Miao Lianhua hold him for a while. Tangyuan was familiar with the scents of all the family members and didn’t resist, obediently letting them carry him around to look at things, occasionally babbling and cooing.
Not long after, Qiao Suiman heard the sound of a donkey cart approaching. He looked in the direction where Lu Dongqing had left and saw that they had indeed returned.
The donkey cart quickly arrived in front of them. Lu Dongqing tightened the reins and Da Guai stopped. Old Man Liu jumped down and said with a smile, “The land deed is done. The boundaries have been discussed with you. I’ll be off now, there are still matters to attend to at home.”
Lu Dongqing nodded. “Thank you for making the trip, Uncle Liu.”
Old Liu waved it off, his chest visibly puffed up with pride. “Not at all, not at all.”
The full fifty taels of silver were paid in one go without any haggling. He was very pleased with this business deal and headed home with his hands behind his back.
After he left, Lu Dongqing took out the land deed, unfolded it, and showed it to Qiao Suiman and the others. He said with a smile, “This land is ours now.”
Qiao Suiman was beaming with joy as he read through every word. Apart from the particularly difficult characters, he could recognize most of them. When he saw both their names, he laughed out loud happily and said, “Yes!”
“Let’s go home. Qin Yu-ge said he prepared a meal for us today,” Tang Guo’er said, remembering what Qin Yu had told them.
“Alright, get on the cart, let’s go home!” Qiao Suiman took Little Tangyuan back into his arms and waved cheerfully.
The donkey cart rocked and swayed. Tangyuan, having played all afternoon, was now struggling to keep his eyes open. Qiao Suiman hummed a little tune to soothe him, and he fell asleep shortly after.
Tang Guo’er took the sleeping Tangyuan and said gently, “Little Tangyuan is so good-looking. He looks like both Qiao-gege and also like Dage.”
“His eyebrows and eyes are carved from the same mold as Xiao Man’s, his nose and mouth are like Lao Da‘s” Miao Lianhua said, staring at her chubby grandson with a smile.
“Tangyuan’s smile makes his eyes curve just like Qiao-gege‘s,” Tang Guo’er added.
Little Tangyuan was returned to Qiao Suiman’s arms and let out a soft whimper. Qiao Suiman quickly patted his back to soothe him and smiled, “Zhang-dajie and Fulang He said the same thing. One look and you can tell which family’s child he is.”
Tang Guo’er touched his own belly and wondered who his and Lu Xuesong’s child would resemble more.
When they returned to Xiahe Village, they went straight to the Qiao family home. They could see smoke rising from the distance. When they passed by the Chen family home, they called out to Zhou Shuifen and Chen Ping. They didn’t see Chen Xiasheng, so they guessed he had gone off to play with his village friends.
The courtyard gate was not closed. Qiao Ruifeng was weeding in the yard, while Little Tuanzi was standing in a small wooden cart and learning to walk. Qin Yu just came out with a pot of meat.
“Da-ge, Qin Yu-ge,” Qiao Suiman called out happily.
“Perfect timing. Just one more stir-fry vegetables and some steamed eggs, and we can eat,” Qin Yu said with a smile.
Qiao Suiman was carrying the child and couldn’t help out, so Miao Lianhua stepped forward into the kitchen. “Alright, I’ll handle it.”
“Qin Yu-ge.”
Tang Guo’er greeted with a smile. Their families got along well and often went to town together to sell eggs. He and Qin Yu had become familiar with each other. He took the clay pot from Qin Yu and said, “I’ll take it in.”
“Alright.”
Qin Yu didn’t stand on ceremony. He squatted down to play with Tuanzi for a moment, then returned to the kitchen to help Miao Lianhua.
Lu Dongqing and Lu Xuesong chatted with Qiao Ruifeng about the land. Upon learning that they already bought land on the outskirts of town, Qiao Ruifeng was delighted and urged them to eat their fill before heading home.
Everyone worked together, and soon the meal was ready. Tangyuan was still asleep, so Qiao Suiman laid him in the cradle usually used for Tuanzi, letting him sleep in the side room.
They made three dishes in total. The variety wasn’t large, but the portions were generous. For family meals, simplicity was best.
Qiao Suiman showed the land deed to Qin Yu, stumbling over some characters as he read. Qin Yu listened with a warm smile and then shared some good news of his own: “I’m pregnant again. Three months along.”
“Really?” Qiao Suiman’s eyes widened, exactly like Tangyuan’s when he looked around curiously. Qin Yu chuckled softly, “I had my pulse checked by Grandpa Liu a few days ago, and there’s no mistake.”
“That’s wonderful. Now Tangyuan is going to be a gege too.”
The successive good news made the dinner table very lively. Tang Guo’er and Lu Xuesong shared amusing stories about raising chickens, ducks, and goats in the bamboo grove. The laughter at the table never ceased.
The two female goats had become more docile after being tied for some time. They planned to borrow a male goat soon for breeding. Once the female goats were pregnant, they would give birth to kids in a few months.
Life was getting better and better, their pockets fuller, and even their family growing. On the way home, Qiao Suiman couldn’t stop smiling.
Tangyuan woke up and clamored for food. Lu Dongqing coaxed him inside the room. Qiao Suiman cooked goat milk, put the bowl in well water to cool it for a while, and went into the house before Tangyuan start crying.
Tangyuan was about to start to wail, but upon seeing his A-mu enter, he began smacking his lips instead. Lu Dongqing chuckled softly, “Much thunder but little rain.”[mfn]雷声大雨点小 léi shēng dà yǔ diǎn xiǎo – a metaphor for making a lot of noise when doing something, but doing little in practice, or using grandiose words but lacking practical ability; often used to satirize those who “all talk and no action”[/mfn]
“He’s clever,” Qiao Suiman also laughed, sitting next to Lu Dongqing to feed their son. “Time for milk.”
Tangyuan doesn’t understand much else, but he is very sharp when it comes to eating and drinking. Sometimes, when Qiao Suiman was holding him while eating, he accidentally let him grab a handful of vegetables in his hands. For a child just a few months old with no teeth yet, he would boldly stuff it into his mouth.
As he fed him, Qiao Suiman said, “Yan-jie is almost done with her two-month postpartum confinement. We should bring some pastries and brown sugar when we visit.”
“Mn,” Lu Dongqing teased their son. “When we got married, only Yangyang was around. Now we’ve got three or four little ones all of a sudden. Time flies.”
“Yes. Today at the outskirts, it reminded me of that time we went to the prefectural city. We saw so many novel things on the road. Without realizing it, it’s already been over a year.”
“Once Tangyuan is a bit older, we can leave him at home with Mother for a few days, and we’ll go to the prefectural city again,” Lu Dongqing said with a smile.
“You say such things right in front of our son,” Qiao Suiman said in a scolding tone, “Just bullying him because he can’t understand.”
Lu Dongqing didn’t feel guilty. He laughed and said, “He wouldn’t remember if we go now. When he’s older, five or six years old and can remember things, we’ll take him along.”
As they spoke, Lu Dongqing remembered something: “We should find time for our whole family to go back to Yuntai Town[mfn]This is the town where the Lu family is originally from. They fled after the town and nearby villages were submerged in a big flood.[/mfn]. We haven’t returned in years. I wonder how the village is now.”
“We’ve already settled down here, but Father’s grave is still over there. Mother wants us to choose an auspicious day to move the grave back. Songzi and I also think this is the right thing to do. We can’t leave Father alone over there.”
“When will you calculate the date?” Qiao Suiman asked.
“Let’s wait until after the New Year. Tangyuan is still small. By next spring, he’ll be almost one and can handle longer journeys.”
After Tangyuan finished his milk, Lu Dongqing wiped him down and changed his inner garments, then continued, “We also need to visit Master. Before the disaster, he moved to his son’s home in Yuanbei Prefectural City. I sent a letter a long time ago saying we had settled here, but I don’t know if he received it.”
Qiao Suiman nodded. The old bamboo craftsman taught Lu Dongqing everything he knew. They had to let him know they were doing well now, so he wouldn’t worry in his old age.
Qiao Suiman pinched his son’s chubby little hand and said, “Tangyuan is going to go to many places with Father and A-mu. Are you happy?”
Tangyuan blew two bubbles and grinned widely. Qiao Suiman covered him with a small quilt and said, “He’ll fall asleep soon. I’ll go wash up first. You watch him.”
Lu Dongqing nodded and said, “I’ll bring the water in.”
He then turned and went to the kitchen.
Qiao Suiman coaxed their son for a while before Lu Dongqing brought in everything needed for washing up.
It has been a long time since the two of them washed up in the same room. Qiao Suiman felt a rare sense of shyness and hesitated for a moment before starting to remove his outer garments.
Tangyuan was in Lu Dongqing’s arms, facing away from him. When he heard the noise, he tried to turn around to look, but Lu Dongqing shook a rattle drum behind him, immediately getting Tangyuan’s attention.
After placing Tangyuan back in the bed, Lu Dongqing’s gaze turned toward Qiao Suiman. His Adam’s apple bobbed.
Qiao Suiman froze for a moment. Lu Dongqing’s gaze felt so intense it was as though it could strip him bare.
He took off his inner garments, leaving only his undergarments. His face gradually turned red. It took him a while to finish washing his upper body.
Once he put on a clean garments, he quickly turned his back, pulled off his trousers, wiped down his lower body, and changed into a fresh pair of undergarments. Only then did he turn back. “I’ll put my clothes outside. You wash up quickly.”
“Alright,” Lu Dongqing said hoarsely.
Qiao Suiman purposely lingered, brushing his teeth slower than usual. Only after Lu Dongqing had finished washing did he return to the room.
Tangyuan was fast asleep. Qiao Suiman moved Tangyuan into the cradle and lay down on the bed himself. Lu Dongqing eagerly burrowed under the covers and nibbled on Qiao Suiman’s mouth several times, his hands roaming everywhere.
They hadn’t been truly intimate since later in the pregnancy. It had been over half a year now. Lu Dongqing’s eyes were red, like a starving wolf and setting fires all over Qiao Suiman’s body.
Having not experienced anything for a long time, Qiao Suiman’s whole body was trembling. A strange yet familiar pleasure surrounded him. He bit his lips and moaned a few times.
With their son nearby, neither of them dared to make much noise, but this was enough.
After they had finished, Qiao Suiman was still catching his breath when Lu Dongqing pulled him into an embrace, looking thoroughly satisfied.
Autumn passed quickly, and winter arrived. Cold followed heat, and time drifted by in this manner.
Their life continued on.
Translator [LUNE]: The next chapters are going to be about Qiao Ruifeng and Qin Yu. ♡＾▽＾♡
If you enjoy my translations, consider buying me a milk tea 🥛🍵
