Chapter 10: Getting Ready to Go Up the Mountain
No matter how Qingyan thought about it, days continued to pass by, and in a blink, he had been in this household for over a week.
During the Laba Festival*, Qiu Henian didn’t take a break and went to work in the shop as usual. Approaching thirty, he needed to finish the ironware ordered by customers by the end of the year.
*T/N: Traditional Chinese festival that falls on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, a day of sacrifice and prayer.
Aunt Li gave Qingyan a big bowl of pickled Laba garlic, and he served her a small pot of Eight Treasure Porridge that he had made himself. The two sat down, cracking melon seeds and chatting.
Pickled Laba garlic (left) & Eight Treasure Porridge
Qingyan asked, “I see you’ve almost got all your New Year’s goods ready. When is uncle coming back?”
At his words, Aunt Li’s initially cheerful expression dimmed instantly, and she lowered her head without saying a word for a long time. Qingyan was taken aback, sensing that he might have said something wrong.
Aunt Li wiped her eyes and looked up at him. Only then did she notice his unease and hurriedly said, “It’s not your fault. Your husband probably didn’t tell you because I usually don’t like people to mention it. He passed away a long time ago.”
Qingyan looked at her in surprise…
On her profile, the words were written: Li Xizhen, wife of Qin Liangchuan, the magistrate of Nanhui County.
Over the past few days, he had occasionally gone out to fetch water or cut tofu and had seen many villagers on the road. He had also encountered widows or widowers. In such cases, the profile of the person would be written as “the surviving spouse of so-and-so”.
Even if they had remarried, it would be clearly stated. There wouldn’t be a situation like Aunt Li’s.
Aunt Li stared blankly at the basket of melon seeds and didn’t notice Qingyan’s expression.
Her voice, filled with sorrow, said, “It’s been five or six years since it happened. At that time, your sister-in-law hadn’t married yet.”
“It happened at the end of the year. He originally said he wouldn’t go out, but I suggested that he sell a few pieces of leather before the New Year. At this time, the officials’ families in the county were most willing to spend money. After selling them, we could have new clothes for our family of three…”
Her voice choked in her throat, almost unable to make a sound, “Later, he didn’t come back. I asked people to search for him and found his clothes and bloodstains on a bald mountain near the county… It’s all my fault…”
She stopped there, her voice already hoarse, each word spoken with great effort.
Qingyan got up and held her arm, shaking it gently like a child. With a sad face, he whispered, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought this up.”
Aunt Li vigorously shook her head, gripping Qingyan’s hand tightly, so tight that it hurt a bit, showing how much pain she was in.
Qingyan spoke softly, “In the future, if you want to talk to someone, call me. If there’s anything you can’t do at home, call me. I’ll help you.”
“You know about me and Henian. Neither of us has much family left. In the future, just treat us as your own nephew and niece, and we’ll treat you as our own aunt.”
Aunt Li nodded repeatedly, tears finally streaming down her face.
Back home, Qingyan opened the drawer under the bed and took out the “Record of Mountains and Rivers”.
He flipped through it carefully for a while and murmured, “Nanhui County is quite far from here, almost a thousand miles away.”
With the current transportation and economic conditions, it was almost impossible to go there for verification. Moreover, Qingyan couldn’t be completely sure if the profile definitely meant that Qin Liangchuan was still alive.
He sat on the bed, lost in thought for a while, until it was almost dinner time. He quickly put away the book and went to stir-fry vegetables on the stove.
He couldn’t think of a way to help Aunt Li’s situation for the time being, so he had to temporarily set it aside.
Qiu Henian returned home today, two quarters later than usual, with many things in his hands.
Qingyan followed behind him, looking at everything one by one, and unexpectedly found a bow, as well as various knives, ropes, and nets, among other odds and ends.
Curious, Qingyan picked up the bow to take a look, but it was heavier than expected. Not mentally prepared, he almost dropped it and was saved from letting it go by a rough, large hand holding his wrist.
Qingyan raised his eyes to look at him. Qiu Henian said, “Be careful,” and took the bow from his hand, retracting the hand that was supporting his wrist immediately.
The warmth at his wrist disappeared suddenly, leaving Qingyan feeling a bit disappointed. Ever since he started suspecting that the other might not be pleased with him, he had been interpreting Qiu Henian’s actions in various ways, searching for evidence that perhaps the other person “disliked” him.
He hadn’t been like this before; it was just that Wang Yan had hurt him badly. On the surface, he seemed fine, but deep down, he was deeply hurt and filled with self-doubt.
“On the way back, I visited Liu Luehu’s house and borrowed these things from him. The work in the shop will be finished in a few days, and I plan to stay in the mountains for a few days to hunt,” Qiu Henian said, glancing at him.
Qingyan’s heart trembled.
Oh no, he’s so annoyed with me that he doesn’t even want me around.
Qiu Henian bent down to tidy up the pile of things on the ground and said, “After we eat, I’ll pack the bedding and clothes. Remember to bring your hot water bottle; it’s colder up in the mountains than down here.”
Qingyan hesitated and asked, “Can I come too?”
Qiu Henian straightened up, turned to the side, and said, “Don’t you want to go?”
Without waiting for Qingyan’s reply, he continued, “You have to go. We’ll be staying in the mountains for at least three days. I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone at home.”
If Qiu Henian had been looking at Qingyan at that moment, he would have noticed that this young man’s expression was excessively varied, changing in an instant.
Finally, a big smile took over his face, exceptionally bright and attractive.
Qingyan suddenly jumped into Qiu Henian’s arms like a rabbit, rubbing his head vigorously against his neck.
After rubbing it, he agilely jumped out again, darting into the inner room with a swoosh, his voice lingering outside, “I’ll start packing right away!”
Standing still for a while, Qiu Henian reached up to touch his own neck, feeling as if he had been affectionately approached by a furry little animal.
…
Several days after Laba Festival, on the last morning the shop was open, the young man from the Zhang family next door, Chen Yu, came again.
Qingyan knew why he had come, but he just smiled and leaned against the door frame, not saying anything else.
He was wearing his favorite sky-blue padded jacket, and on his feet were the new cotton boots that Qiu Henian had brought back for him yesterday. His hair, after days of practice, was neatly tied up, quite different from the last time this person had come, dressed up as if for a grand occasion.
Northern winter days were often sunny. The sunlight shone on his face, which was delicate and flawless, almost translucently white, incredibly beautiful.
Chen Yu was still in his old gray robe and a somewhat worn-out lake-green vest, looking much less impressive. His gaze swept over Qingyan, lingering for quite a while on that sky-blue jacket.
The smile on his face clearly couldn’t conceal his envy, but he still forced a chuckle, covering his mouth and saying, “You’re wearing everything you own.”
Qingyan understood his sarcasm, but he didn’t intend to argue over such trivial matters with this person.
Li Shen had mentioned to him that Chen Yu’s husband was a private school teacher in the village, named Zhang Wensheng, who had come from elsewhere.
He was a good person; whenever someone in the village faced difficulties and couldn’t pay tuition for a month or two, he never rushed them or drove them away. Chen Yu often quarreled with him because of this.
Chen Yu was a local from their village and had originally been one of the most outstanding young men in the nearby villages. Now that Qingyan had arrived, he seemed overshadowed, lacking in generosity and speaking with a sharp tongue, always with a hint of bitterness.
Seeing that Qingyan didn’t engage with his remarks but just smiled quietly, Chen Yu felt somewhat bored for a moment, feeling embarrassed.
He cleared his throat and said, “I heard your shop is closing today. I’m here to pick up my hoe.”
Upon hearing this, Qingyan showed a surprised expression and asked, “What hoe?”
Chen Yu stomped his foot. “You haven’t forgotten, have you? Last time you promised to make one and deliver it to my house.”
Qingyan smiled apologetically and said, “I remember that, but the custom in this trade is to pay a deposit first. I’ve gone through the shop’s accounts these days and haven’t seen your deposit. I thought maybe you didn’t want it anymore!”
Chen Yu’s face first showed surprise, then quickly turned ugly.
He waved his hand and said, “We’re neighbors, is it necessary to be so calculating?”
Qingyan pinched the lapel of his padded jacket and said, “I have to be, after all, I’m wearing everything I own. I need to earn some copper coins to eat.”
Chen Yu choked on his own words. Normally, he would take advantage of others’ generosity, and people would let it slide because they were fellow villagers. But he had never encountered someone so sharp-tongued and sharp-witted.
He didn’t know how to respond and gritted his teeth, saying, “I won’t talk to you about this anymore. I’ll wait until your master comes back!”
Qingyan remained unruffled, still smiling.
“Whether he comes back or not, we still need copper coins to buy food. We can’t rely on other people’s leftovers every day!”
Chen Yu’s face turned pale with anger, stomped his foot again, and turned to walk out of the courtyard gate. When he reached the edge of the accumulated snow outside the gate, he almost slipped.
Qingyan watched from afar, not gloating but fetching the large broom leaning against the fence to sweep away the snow at the gate.
He heard Chen Yu’s footsteps entering his courtyard next door and the door slamming shut.
Seeing that the relationship with his neighbor couldn’t be reconciled, Qingyan didn’t feel particularly bothered.
He had heard from Aunt Li that the food Chen Yu delivered was barely edible. Qiu Henian didn’t mind and fed it to the hunter’s large dog. He didn’t ask for money but got a shovel and even a big spoon for stir-frying. Even if it wasn’t for the labor, the materials alone weren’t cheap.
Once or twice is fine, but repeatedly taking advantage is a problem. Qingyan felt that his approach would cure the illness, and at least in the future, the other party wouldn’t act up in front of him.
After returning home, Qingyan warmed his hands against the stove wall. He had rushed out earlier and hadn’t had time to wear gloves, so his fingers were frozen and bright red.
His hands were smaller than those of most men, almost like a girl’s. His palms were small, but his fingers were long and the pads were plump and soft. Originally fair and delicate, they had become rough from the daily chores here.
Qingyan was a bit concerned about this, but he couldn’t hand over all the household chores to Qiu Henian. Even if the other party was willing, he didn’t want to live off someone else’s generosity for nothing.
Once his hands warmed up, he changed out of his clothes, washed his hands, and went to the kitchen to get busy.
They were heading to the mountains early tomorrow morning, planning to stay for at least three days. According to Qiu Henian, there was a house to stay in on the mountain, built by Hunter Liu from the village.
It was quite simple, but it had everything they needed for sleeping and cooking.
They had almost finished packing everything else these days, except for the food. There were no vegetables on the mountain, so they had to bring some from home, along with a bit of meat just in case they couldn’t catch anything for a while and needed something substantial to eat.
Qingyan had specially made dough this morning, mixing white flour with cornmeal. It was now properly fermented. As he kneaded the dough, the water on the stove was boiling vigorously, emitting hot steam.
He had laid out the steaming cloth on the sickle, arranged the large fat steamed buns one by one, covered them with the lid, and they would be ready in less than a quarter of an hour.
During this time, Qingyan cut the cured pork fat into small cubes, lifted the lid of another large pot on the stove, dried the water inside with a cloth, poked the compressed coal blocks, and heated the bottom of the pot. He then added the diced pork fat, simmering it slowly over low heat. Before long, the pot sizzled and sizzled, the bright and oily aroma spreading out instantly.
When Qingyan took the steaming hot steamed buns off the stove, the lard on the other side had also simmered almost to perfection. The small pot of lard had floating residue in it.
Qingyan swallowed saliva, turned up the heat, scooped out the residue separately, and put it into a large coarse porcelain bowl. He picked up a piece with chopsticks, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed for a moment, and instantly squinted his eyes with delight. It was oily, crispy, and bursting with fragrance.
The remaining clear and bright lard was poured into a jar to cool. Once cooled, it would solidify into a white paste that was delicious for frying and mixing with noodles.
Just as he finished his tasks, the door behind him creaked open. Qingyan heard the movement and turned around, immediately breaking into a smile of joy.
“Why are you back so early today!”
The gray robe he wore was Qiu Henian’s old clothes, patched and sewn so much that they were no longer suitable for wearing out, so he used them for household chores.
The robe was obviously too big for him, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the collar loose, revealing a handsome neck and part of his collarbone. His face, neck, and even his arms were fair and clear, almost dazzling.
Qingyan’s face was slightly flushed from the steam of the steamed buns he had just steamed. His lips were shiny from the oil residue he had eaten, as if coated with lip gloss, making his lips appear even softer and fuller.
He smiled with bright eyes, filled with joy and reliance, brighter than the sun that had yet to set outside.
The man who had just stepped into the door suddenly halted his steps. Half of his face was covered in grim scars hidden in the shadows, while the other relatively intact side was exposed under the dim light filtering through the sunset. His lips, which didn’t look very approachable, were tightly pressed.
Qiu Henian stood at the doorway, looking at the young man who had recently entered his home. In his usually calm eyes, there was a gradually deepening abyss.
From deep within his throat, he uttered a low “Hmm,” his Adam’s apple bobbing, and then his lips parted slightly.
“I’ve finished all the chores, so I came back.”
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
He slightly tilted his head, his gaze soft, lips parted as if to speak, but a single look seemed to convey it all.
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