Shen Guangchu’s family owned a bit more farmland. With only six people in the household—two of whom were small children—they were still busy with the autumn harvest. The village festival had delayed them by a day or so, but the grain had already been sun-dried and was just waiting to be winnowed to separate the chaff. So early in the morning, the whole family set to work.

When Lin Yue and Shen Huaizhi arrived at Shen Guangchu’s house, it was just after lunch. Shen Yanzhi came out to open the door for them, covered head to toe in dust—his face was especially dark, making his teeth look all the whiter by comparison.

“Oh, it’s Shen Huaizhi! Your husband is here too. Come on in and have a seat. We’re threshing today, so the house is a bit of a mess—please don’t mind it.” Shen Huaizhi shook his head. “Every household is like this. You’re worrying too much, cousin.”

As they neared the kitchen door, Shen Yanzhi finally remembered to ask, “Is there a reason you came by so suddenly today?”

Shen Huaizhi nodded. “There are a few things I’d like to discuss with Uncle Guang.”

Shen Yanzhi wore an “I-knew-it” expression and teased, “I knew it. You’d never drop by just to hang out—you only come over when you have something to discuss.”

Shen Huaizhi replied, “Next time I have a chance, I’ll definitely stop by. When I do, please don’t turn me away, cousin.”

“What are you talking about? We’d be thrilled to have you over. That way, your nieces and nephews can share in your good fortune too.”

As soon as the three of them stepped inside, Shen Guangchu greeted them with a smile: “Huaizhi, Yue, come on in and sit down. Have you eaten yet? If not, let your aunt make you something.”

Shen Huaizhi quickly shook his head. “We ate at home before coming over, Uncle Guang. No need to go to all that trouble.”

After a few exchanges of pleasantries, Shen Huaizhi finally broached the main topic. “Uncle Guang, our family has discussed it. Regarding the farmland, we plan to…”

At first, Shen Guangchu thought they had come to inquire about buying land. He was just about to mention that he’d spoken with several villagers over the past few days and had already settled on six mu of paddy fields—all prime, fertile land, ideal for growing rice.

But before he could finish, he heard Shen Huaizhi say they intended to relinquish their tax-exempt land allotment. Shen Guangchu was utterly astonished. In all his years as village chief, while he might not have been exceptionally diligent, he had at least acted in good conscience, looking out for even the poorest households in the village. But his resources were limited, and he couldn’t do much. He never expected Shen Huaizhi, so young, to possess such a generous spirit.

And then there was Lin Yue—a ger barely in his teens. Faced with the autumn taxes on these ten or so mu of farmland—amounting to several shi of grain—he actually agreed to give them up. It was truly admirable. Setting others aside, if it were his own family’s land, he himself would certainly be unable to be so generous.

Recalling what Shen Huaizhi had said—that his family would also receive a share of the distributed land—Shen Guangchu simply couldn’t bring himself to refuse. After much hesitation, he finally spoke up:

“Huaizhi, Yue, this is no small matter. Even if your family has discussed it, what if you change your minds in a couple of days? Once this is out in the open, most will be grateful, but inevitably, some in the village who didn’t receive a share will take issue with it. If you happen to change your mind later, the village gossip will be unavoidable. By then, it’ll be like being roasted over a fire—you’ll be caught between a rock and a hard place.”

“After all, there are still three days until tax collection. Think it over carefully. If you’re truly set on this, then in three days we’ll determine each household’s share. At that time, have them come to the ancestral hall. Under the witness of the village elders, draft a deed according to your wishes, have them affix their thumbprints, and arrange for a portion of the grain collected each year to be sent to your home, along with the ancestral fields. This matter must also be made known to the entire village—after all, those who benefit must be fully aware of the situation. It’s fine to gossip a bit, but if anyone tries to act like an ungrateful wretch, that won’t do.”

Shen Huaizhi and Lin Yue exchanged glances. Seeing Lin Yue nod vigorously, Shen Huaizhi nodded as well and said, “Then we’ll go along with Uncle Guang’s suggestion. We’ll go back and discuss it further. If we’ve reached a decision in two days, we’ll draw up a deed specifying the agreed-upon shares and send it over that very night.”

“All right, all right. I’ll be home these next few days, so feel free to stop by anytime.”

With the business matters settled, both families still had work to attend to, so Shen Huaizhi and Lin Yue took their leave.

Before they left, Shen Guangchu brought up the matter of the farmland again and assured them, “Don’t worry. If anyone else in the village wants to sell their land, I’ll definitely put you in touch with them. And even if there really isn’t anyone, when we go to the county seat to pay taxes, I’ll help you buy some more good fallow land. Take that patch east of our village, for example—the weeds grow incredibly thick there every year, so it’s sure to be just as good for growing rice and wheat. By then, we’ll hire a few people—it won’t take more than a few days to clear the land. With a bit more fertilizer, we’ll definitely be able to plant crops there by next spring.”

That evening, Shen Huaizhi and Lin Yue finalized the land allocations for each household. Their family currently owned sixteen mu of farmland and aimed to purchase another eighteen mu. Of the remaining sixteen mu, Lin Yue’s parents’ family and Uncle Shen would each receive three mu; two mu would be set aside as ancestral land; Uncle Guang and Aunt Fanglin’s families would each receive one mu; and the final six mu would be distributed among six impoverished households in the village.

Shen Zhengchu and Song Xunchun had no objections either. They simply said, “In our village, it’s not easy to buy eighteen mu of land. I suspect half of it will be wasteland, and clearing it will probably keep us busy for nearly half a month. But don’t worry about that—your mother and I will handle it. You two just focus on your own affairs.”

Lin Yue couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d forgotten something. After a long while, he suddenly looked up and asked, “Dad, when are you going to Uncle Xiao’s house?”

Shen Zhengchu was silent for a long time before saying, enunciating each word clearly, “We’ll go the day after tomorrow. In the morning, take the deed you’ve written to Uncle Guang’s house, and after lunch, we’ll head over. I imagine their village is due to collect taxes in the next few days as well; if we go too late, we’ll hold things up.”

With this matter settled, the Shen family felt much more at ease. Coupled with the fact that the autumn harvest had ended, the entire household took on a more relaxed atmosphere. Early the next morning, Shen Zhengchu grabbed his fishing basket and headed down to the river to catch fish.

Having gone to bed early the night before, Lin Yue woke up quite early, whereas Shen Huaizhi, who had been copying texts late into the night, was still fast asleep.

Lin Yue wasn’t sure how it had happened. He clearly remembered lying flat on his back the night before, yet this morning he woke up in Shen Huaizhi’s embrace. Shen Huaizhi’s arm was draped across his back, and his leg had stretched out to the other side. Not wanting to wake Shen Huaizhi, Lin Yue took a long time to carefully wriggle free before tiptoeing out of bed.

Now that he finally had some free time, Lin Yue rolled up his sleeves and headed to the kitchen to prepare a proper breakfast.

He had soaked a few bowls of rice before going to bed last night, and by now it had softened considerably. Lin Yue brought the stone mill from the courtyard inside and began grinding the rice into a paste. He had turned all the osmanthus flowers he’d picked earlier into candied osmanthus, so he took some out to make osmanthus cakes.

The ground rice paste filled an entire bucket. After steaming two batches of osmanthus cakes, there was still plenty left over, so he steamed some rice rolls—a dish similar to liangpi, except that fillings are added during steaming. Lin Yue used beaten eggs and sprinkled some chopped scallions on top, resulting in a dish that was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

In addition to these two dishes, there were the essential staples. Today’s congee wasn’t just plain white rice porridge; he added a small head of Chinese cabbage, a bit of lard, and some salt. The cabbage was finely chopped and added to the pot with the rice. When cooked, it melted in the mouth and had no unpleasant vegetable odor.

By the time Lin Yue finished making breakfast, nearly half a shichen had passed—and that was only because Shen Lingzhi had helped out; otherwise, it would have taken another quarter of an hour.

There were only four people at the table today; Shen Zhengchu had left before dawn and hadn’t returned yet.

After breakfast, Shen Huaizhi went up the mountain to chop firewood, while Lin Yue and Shen Lingzhi gathered the dirty laundry from around the house and took the duvet covers off the beds. They’d been working from dawn till dusk for the past few days, simply rinsing off quickly before going to bed each night, so the bedding had gotten dirty. Once they’d gathered everything, the two of them carried small wooden basins to the riverbank.

Song Xunchun fed the chickens in the backyard and swept the courtyard. This time, she took a bamboo basket and headed up the mountain; while Shen Huaizhi went to chop firewood, she went to gather pine needles and small twigs—the kind used to start a fire.

By the time Lin Yue and the others returned home carrying the clothes, Shen Zhengchu was just strolling back, carrying a fish basket and a wooden bucket.

“Dad, did you catch any fish?” Shen Lingzhi called out.

Shen Zhengchu nodded. “I caught quite a few local crucian carp today, along with some grass carp. Too bad they’re not very big—the biggest one isn’t even as long as my palm.” Lin Yue’s eyes lit up, and he suggested, “Then let’s make crispy-boned fish for dinner today. The small crucian carp are perfect—they’ll soak up the flavor better.”

This was yet another dish he’d never heard of. Shen Lingzhi spun around abruptly. “Brother, is it good?”

“It’s delicious. First, marinate the small crucian carp for a while, then pan-fry them until both sides are golden brown. Remove them from the pan, then add Sichuan peppercorns, cumin, dried tangerine peel, fermented black beans, Sichuan peppercorns, and scallions. Simmer over low heat for two hours. The rich spices will slowly seep into the fish meat and every single bone, blending the fish’s natural flavor with the spices. When you take a bite, the bones will be tender, and the flesh will fall off the bone, with the juices bursting in your mouth—it’s even better than the usual way.”

Hearing this, not only Shen Lingzhi but even Shen Zhengchu found themselves craving it. “Then let’s have that for dinner tonight.” Shen Lingzhi let out a long sigh. “I really wish we could’ve had this this morning!”

Before long, Shen Huaizhi returned as well, carrying a bamboo basket stuffed to the brim on his back, with two bundles of wood tied down with vines on top. The logs were as thick as a wrist, and one bundle was even made of yellow oak—a wood that burns exceptionally long and is ideal for stewing. Unfortunately, they couldn’t use it yet; it had to be dried in the sun first.

As soon as he stepped through the door, Lin Yue rushed to meet him. “Why are you carrying so much? Be careful, or you’ll end up with a sore back. Next time, cut a little less.” He immediately reached out to help unload the firewood.

Shen Huaizhi wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled, “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing—I can still handle this much.”

Lin Yue frowned. “Our household isn’t exactly short on firewood—it’s not like we’ll run out today. I’ll go with you tomorrow.”

“I’ll definitely carry less tomorrow—I’ll just add one bundle on top,” Shen Huaizhi promised immediately, his tone so sincere that Lin Yue almost believed him. “Really, if there isn’t any weight on top, it’ll be top-heavy, and I’ll be likely to fall. You’ve finally gotten a day off—don’t go.”

Lin Yue: “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. There’s water in the kitchen—remember to drink some. I’ll clean up.”

Shen Huaizhi suddenly smiled before saying, “Let’s clean up together. The firewood stack in the backyard is getting a bit too high. Once we finish stacking it today, we’ll rebuild it tomorrow, so you can clean up then.”

“All right, then.”

That afternoon, the whole family stayed home. Shen Lingzhi was busy stoking the fire and cooking fish in the kitchen, while behind her, Shen Zhengchu and his son were mending farm tools. Lin Yue and Song Xunchun were mending clothes under the eaves. Although they were all busy with their own tasks, it was a rare moment of leisure.

Before they knew it, the day they’d agreed upon with Shen Guangchu had arrived. As the first light of dawn broke, Shen Huaizhi set off for Shen Guangchu’s house with the written contract tucked away. Lin Yue and Shen Lingzhi were bustling about in the kitchen, working nonstop. Since they were going to see their uncle, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time, they simply had to bake some of their specialty pastries to bring along.