Several more days passed in an orderly fashion. The dryland had turned golden, with wheat stalks growing waist-high. Everyone agreed that this year would be a bountiful one.
The Qiao family planned to start harvesting in a few days. With three people working together, they could finish one mu[mfn]亩 : ~667 m²[/mfn] of land in a single day. Wheat should be harvested when it’s ninety percent ripe; waiting until it’s fully mature would only reduce the yield.
They hadn’t been idle these past few days either. They thoroughly cleaned the house inside and out, gathered firewood from the mountains, and filled the woodshed to the brim. The long-neglected rice and wheat jars in the woodshed were also scrubbed clean and left to dry.
During the funeral period, the family’s rice and flour had been completely used up. Later, they bought a bit, just enough to last until the new wheat was harvested. The smaller rice and flour jars in the kitchen finally served their purpose, no longer sitting empty as before.
Since the dryland harvest was approaching, they didn’t buy much wheat and just enough for occasional coarse flour buns. They bought more coarse rice instead, as they would mostly eat wheat after the new harvest once the grain tax was paid. For now, they will eat more rice.
The rice they bought filled nearly half a jar, a total of fifty jin[mfn] 斤 : ~600g[/mfn], costing a hundred wen. It would last them quite a while. The two pots in the kitchen were also returned to their proper places. On the higher stone ledge beside them sat small earthen jars of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, along with a newly made jar of chili paste and a large jar of pickled gourd and pickled beans.
Qiao Ruifeng was sharpening the sickles and cleavers, while Qin Yu moved the bedding from the rooms to the courtyard to air out. Qiao Suiman, having finished tidying up the kitchen, was resting in the main room and playing with Heijin. Recently, with better food and occasional meat bits, Heijin’s fur had grown smoother and glossier, making him look more like a proper grown dog.
Unfortunately, his temperament was still the same as when he was a pup. Qiao Suiman waved a tree branch back and forth, and Heijin enthusiastically spun in circles trying to bite it. When Qiao Suiman got tired and stopped, Heijin wouldn’t give up, tugging at his clothes with bright, shiny eyes. The two tufts of yellow fur above its eyes stood up, clearly overexcited from playing.
“I’m tired,” Qiao Suiman said, patting the dog’s head before pulling his clothes free from its mouth. He pointed downward. “Sit. Rest for a bit.”
Heijin understood the command but was too worked up to obey. Seeing that Qiao Suiman really wouldn’t play anymore, he dashed off to pester Qin Yu in the courtyard, weaving between the two clotheslines and earning playful scolding in return.
Before him was a home that had been renewed, and in his ears were the sounds of his brother and fulang busying about. A gentle breeze passed through. Qiao Suiman felt drowsy and yawned, then slowly made his way back to his room. Passing through the courtyard, he said to Qin Yu, “Qin Yu-ge, I’m going to nap for a bit.”
“Alright. There’s still a thin quilt I haven’t taken out yet. Use that one.”
“Okay.”
Lying in bed, Qiao Suiman thought of nothing. Days like these were simply too comfortable, and before long, he was fast asleep.
—
“Xiao Man, Xiao Man.”
He didn’t know how much time had passed when the sound of Qin Yu knocking woke him. He got up, rubbed his face to wake himself, and opened the door. The sun was already tilting westward.
“Dongqing’s here. The bamboo tubes are all done. He’s waiting for you to take a look.” Qin Yu hurriedly pulled Qiao Suiman toward the main hall.
Sleep marks still lingered on Qiao Suiman’s face. Lu Dongqing had never seen him like this before and couldn’t help but smile inwardly. How cute, he thought.
But when Qiao Suiman looked at him with confusion in his eyes, Lu Dongqing quickly wiped away the smile, returning to his usual aloof expression. Yet Qiao Suiman wasn’t the least bit intimidated.
“They’re done so soon? I thought it would take a few more days,” Qiao Suiman said, now fully awake. His eyes landed on three square bamboo baskets neatly stacked with bamboo tubes, each sorted by design.
He picked up one at random, the zongzi-styled one. His sharp eyes noticed it wasn’t exactly the same as the sample he brought earlier. Seeing his observation, Lu Dongqing explained, “I made some adjustments while carving. They’re not all identical, but the overall style is similar.”
“Mm.” Qiao Suiman nodded, touched by Lu Dongqing’s effort. For him, making them all the same would’ve been easiest, yet Lu Dongqing had added subtle variations to each design. “You’ve put in a lot of thought.”
“It’s no trouble. What matters is that they sell well.” Lu Dongqing’s lips curved slightly as he spoke softly.
Qiao Suiman’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, and his hand holding the bamboo tube trembled slightly. Sensing his own odd reaction, he hastily said, “Have a seat. I’ll go get the remaining payment.”
With that, he hurried back to his room. Sitting heavily on the bed, he pressed a hand to his chest, waiting for his heartbeat to settle before opening his money box. He took out three strings of copper coins, each string a hundred wen. He counted out six coins from one, and retied it. The remaining two hundred ninety-four wen was the seventy percent still owed to Lu Dongqing.
Taking a deep breath, he returned to the main hall and handed over the three strings of coins with both hands. “Here’s the remaining two hundred ninety-four wen. Please count it.”
Lu Dongqing roughly counted them. He believed that Qiao Suiman would not do anything to cheat, but it would be strange if he did not count at all. After a quick tally, he said, “It’s correct. Thank you.”
“No need for thanks. I should be the one thanking you.” Qiao Suiman said sincerely.
For a moment, the two fell into an awkward silence. Qiao Ruifeng smoothly stepped in, chatting with Lu Dongqing about fieldwork for a bit before Lu Dongqing took his leave.
Qiao Ruifeng then shot Qin Yu a meaningful look. Qin Yu understood and said, “Xiao Man, come, let’s talk in your room for a bit.”
Qiao Suiman, puzzled, followed Qin Yu back into the room. As soon as they sat down, Qin Yu asked, “What do you think of Lu Dongqing?”
Qiao Suiman lowered his head in thought. Naturally, he was a good person. He’s willing to help, skilled with his hands, and meticulous in his work. He said as much.
“Just that?” Qin Yu raised an eyebrow, pressing further.
There was more, but Qiao Suiman didn’t know how to put it into words. Especially after these recent encounters, he couldn’t quite explain the strange feelings he had. Something different was stirring inside him.
Qin Yu looked at his conflicted, bewildered expression and sighed softly. Xiao Man had grown up without a mother, and his grandmother had treated him poorly. Though Qiao Ruifeng had always protected him, he was still a man. Many things a young ge’r should know hadn’t been taught to him, leaving him slow to recognize matters of the heart.
Right now, both of them were still in a haze. Oh well. Lu Dongqing clearly had intentions, but since he hadn’t voiced them, they couldn’t very well pry. Maybe he was waiting to save more money before speaking up.
Qin Yu hadn’t even had his own child yet, and here he was already feeling the struggles of arranging a marriage. He worried about marrying him off to someone who’d mistreat him, and when it was someone he approved of, he feared Xiao Man wouldn’t like them. These two obviously had feelings for each other, but one wouldn’t say it, and the other was clueless. It was giving him a headache.
But then he stifled a laugh. At least there was mutual interest. Once that thin barrier was broken, everything would fall into place naturally.
Qin Yu lightly patted Qiao Suiman’s head. “If you can’t figure it out, don’t force it. Put the bamboo tubes away, and we’ll eat soon.” With that, he stood and left the room, heading to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Once again, Qiao Suiman was left sitting alone in a daze. Suddenly, he flopped forward, buried his face in the pillow and shook his head side to side. He couldn’t understand why his mind go blank every time he think about Lu Dongqing. He couldn’t hold back a few low groans.
Why on earth is this happening?
After a while, when Qin Yu noticed he hadn’t come out yet, he snuck over with a wooden spatula and peeked inside. There was Qiao Suiman, just climbing off the bed, hair slightly messy, with an almost pouty expression on his face. Qin Yu’s lips curled. This ge’r… is really is something else.
Qiao Suiman got up and forced himself to put aside those confusing thoughts. He stored the bamboo tubes in the woodshed, covering them with clean cloth to keep the dust off.
By the time he finished, Qin Yu had finished cooking. The dishes were laid out on the table. The three of them chatted idly as they ate, and Qiao Suiman’s energy was returning once again. He decided not to dwell on other matters for now. He needed to get the plum syrup made first. When it came to earning copper coins, his head was always clear.
Dinner was stir-fried chives with eggs, paired with a bowl of coarse rice porridge each. Even Heijin got a bit of egg mixed into his wheat bran. The eggs had been bought from Zhou Shuifen. Eating a little every now and then was already a satisfying treat.
—
The sun rose in the east and set in the west. The clouds rolled in and out. The drylands of Xiahe Village were full of golden wheat. Qiao Suiman wielded a sickle, cutting wheat stalk by stalk. The family only had two sickles, which Qiao Ruifeng and Qin Yu were using. They were faster and had already moved ahead.
Gripping a handful of plump wheat grains, Qiao Suiman ignored the prickling of the wheat awns against his arms and face. He wiped the sweat from his brow and continued working. Nearby, the Yu and Zheng families were harvesting as well. No one had time to chat as everyone was racing against time to harvest the crops.
Noticing the sun nearing noon, Qiao Suiman called out to his brother and Qin Yu, “Ge, I’m heading back to make lunch!”
“Alright, go on!” came the reply, though neither turned around. Harvesting relied on momentum; once started, they had to push through. After harvesting in one go, they still have to thresh and mill the wheat, which is all hard work.
They already hauled two cartloads of wheat home, and the rest would be finished today. After all, it was only one mu. When Qiao Ruifeng had transported the wheat back earlier, neither he nor Qin Yu could leave the field. This was prime time for people to steal wheat or stalks.
Qiao Suiman didn’t return empty-handed. He carried a large bundle of wheat on his back and more in his arms. Every bit helped. When he reached home and opened the gate, he found Heijin standing alertly by the pile, ears perked, and listening for movement. Not just the fields, even the house needed watching.
He set the wheat down and felt much lighter. The clay stove was empty, so he lit a fire to boil water, which he would later bring to the field.
Seeing that he had returned, Heijin’s expression changed immediately, rubbing against Qiao Suiman’s legs like a shameless flatterer begging for food.
Qiao Suiman chuckled. In the kitchen was a jin of meat bought the day before. After washing his hands, he filled the pot with water, set up the steamer, and added coarse rice for dry rice. He sliced half the meat into thin strips. Today’s work demanded good food.
Pressed for time, he stir-fried the meat over high heat, setting aside two slices for Heijin.
Next, he added chopped mustard greens, which cooked quickly. The rice was ready too, so he scooped it into the wok with a spoonful of fresh chili paste and stir-fried everything together. The aroma made his mouth water.
The cooked rice was divided into three bowls and put into a bamboo basket and covered it. After quickly preparing Heijin’s bran mash with the two meat slices mixed in, he patted the dog’s head. “Keep guarding the house.”
Heijin whined in acknowledgment. Basket in hand, Qiao Suiman added dried perilla leaves to the boiling water in the clay stove, then locked the gate and hurried back to the fields.
Thanks for the chapter!