During the spring and fall seasons, farmers were almost always swamped with work. The moment they opened their eyes each morning, they were gathering their tools and heading out to the fields; even as they drifted off to sleep, they were still wondering if it would rain the next day and whether they’d be able to finish the work on that plot. No one put off even the tasks that didn’t have to be done immediately—everyone wanted to finish as soon as possible so they could head to town once winter set in to find work and earn some money to supplement the household income.

The Shen family was especially busy this late autumn. They had just purchased some farmland. Although the previous owner had plowed it before selling it, Song Xunchun still wasn’t entirely reassured and planned to plow it again, apply some fertilizer, and plant wheat and fava beans that very year.

There wasn’t enough time to plant the fallow land this winter, so they set it aside for now. The day after returning from the county town, Shen Zhengchu and Shen Huaizhi rented an ox, grabbed their plow and harrow, and headed out to the fields, while Lin Yue and the other two set off for the fallow land carrying bamboo baskets on their backs, with winnowing baskets and sickles, intending to first cut the weeds in the fallow land and then gather the stones from the ground.

The family wasn’t raising pigs this year, so the grass they cut could only be used to feed the chickens in addition to the cows. Unfortunately, most of the grass in the wasteland was nearly half a person’s height. Lin Yue felt that after just a few swings of his sickle, his bamboo basket was already filled to the brim. A single cow eats at most three or four baskets of grass a day, so after setting aside enough for a few days’ supply, the rest of the grass they cut was dumped into the compost pile in the backyard.

Most of the family’s manure had already been spread on their existing fields, but they hadn’t yet secured any for the fifteen mu of newly purchased land. Since the freshly composted manure wouldn’t be ready for another month, the Shen family decided, after discussing it, to borrow a few dozen baskets from households in the village with a surplus of manure. They planned to return the manure once their own compost was ready for use.

Their timing was perfect: it was the ninth lunar month, and wheat was about to be sown. Some of the more proactive villagers had already planted theirs, so the remaining fertilizer was being saved for spring plowing. The Shen family had a good reputation in the village, and since Shen Huaizhi promised to return it within a month, most villagers trusted them. The loan was arranged quickly, and Lin Yue even took the time to bake some pastries to deliver to each household as a thank-you for their help.

However, Lin Yue and Shen Lingzhi only helped out for three days. Once the fallow land was mostly cleared and the day laborers hired by the village arrived, they stopped going out to work with them. Hiring a day laborer in the village cost sixty wen, not including two meals. Rather than following along to do heavy farm work, Lin Yue and Shen Lingzhi decided it would be better to set up their stall again, which would allow them to earn more money.

Shen Huaizhi also only helped out in the mornings; in the afternoons, he stayed home busy copying books. These past few days had kept him running nonstop—there was always something to do every day. With October fast approaching, he still hadn’t finished copying the books he’d promised the bookstore proprietor, and he really couldn’t delay any longer.

Since he hadn’t been to town in over a month, Lin Yue didn’t dare make too much, for fear that unsold goods would go to waste. He steamed one tray of osmanthus cakes, two trays of pumpkin steamed buns, and a small half-tray of steamed dumplings filled with chives and eggs, setting aside half of them specifically for the Shen family’s breakfast that morning.

Just as Shen Zhengchu finished washing up and entered the kitchen, Lin Yue was setting the steamed dumplings on the table. “Dumplings today? Hey, aren’t there any dumpling broth with these?”

Lin Yue looked up. “Father, I made these steamed dumplings today. Please try them and let me know if you like them.”

Ever since Lin Yue married into the family, the Shen household’s meals had become so much more varied. Take dumplings, for example—they used to eat them less than once a year; during the Lunar New Year, they’d always have glutinous rice balls instead. But since Lin Yue arrived, they’d already had them twice, each time prepared differently. The first time was sour soup dumplings with a cabbage and pork filling, and later he made fresh broth dumplings with a vegetarian “three delicacies” filling—both tasted absolutely wonderful. He figured today’s steamed dumplings would be just as good.

Shen Zhengchu: “I’m used to it—everything you make is delicious. Where are your mother and the others? Why aren’t they here?”

Lin Yue glanced outside and replied, “Mother went to feed the chickens. Shen Lingzhi should be in the backyard too, and Huaizhi is chopping firewood.” 

“Then I’ll go call them in for breakfast.” Shen Zhengchu turned and walked out.

After breakfast, the family packed up their things and headed out.

It was the first time Lin Yue and Shen Lingzhi had arrived in town this early. The town was still fairly quiet at dawn, with few people on the streets—just a few strolling along, swinging their arms as they headed out for breakfast, and others walking with slightly hurried steps, eager to get to the market to buy the freshest vegetables and fruits. However, the street vendors and shop owners had already opened for business, especially the noodle shops and eateries, where you could hear the staff calling out to customers even before stepping inside.

It had been over a month since they’d been to town, and the stall that Lin Yue and his partner used to rent had already been leased to someone else. But since they hadn’t prepared much today, they didn’t bother looking for a stall. Instead, they pushed their cart around, calling out to passersby. Having been away for so long, most of their regular customers had drifted away. Still, thanks to the steamer baskets they’d brought this time, the pastries were piping hot, and quite a few people bought them. As they passed a noodle shop, two customers even came out to buy four pieces to eat with their noodles.

They sold about ten pieces in half a shichen, which put Lin Yue’s mind at ease. He whispered to Shen Lingzhi, “Last night I even dreamed that we’d come to town today and not sell a single pastry—I woke up with a start.”

Lin Yue actually left out one more detail: the dream had been so terrifying that he was quite agitated when he woke up. Since Shen Huaizhi had been sleeping with his arm around him, Lin Yue swung his hand and accidentally slapped Shen Huaizhi’s arm, jolting him awake instantly. Shen Huaizhi thought something serious had happened and nearly rolled out of bed.

Shen Lingzhi also spoke up in a low voice, “Brother, I had a dream too. I haven’t made pastries in a month—I’ve almost forgotten how. I spent all yesterday thinking about how to make steamed buns, and last night I dreamed that the ones I made were so terrible—I couldn’t even bring myself to eat them, let alone sell them.”

With no customers around at the moment, the two of them kept whispering to each other until someone came to ask for prices, at which point they stopped.

During the next few days of clearing the land, Lin Yue and Shen Lingzhi had been going to town to sell food. Business was hit or miss; on the slowest day, they made only forty wen—far less than before. Fortunately, there was only one such slow day; otherwise, Lin Yue wouldn’t have wanted to continue—they’d end up losing money sooner or later.

It wasn’t until five days later that they had finished tilling the fallow land at home—and that was only after renting two oxen, hiring four laborers, and enlisting Shen Zhengchu’s help. The five of them worked from dawn till dusk to get the job done.

Shen Huaizhi stayed for only two days; for the remaining three, he joined Song Xunchun in the fields to plant wheat and fava beans. Even after working so hard for so long, the Shen family had only completed half of their tasks. The fifteen mu of newly purchased farmland still lay entirely fallow, waiting to be fertilized and sown. Half of those mu of fallow land were planned for fava beans and vegetables; if next year’s harvest was good, they would plant other crops.

With the most urgent tasks out of the way, the Shen family breathed a sigh of relief. After dinner, Shen Lingzhi tidied up the kitchen, washed up, and returned to his room. Having risen early for the past few days, he’d already felt drowsy during dinner and couldn’t wait to lie down.

Lin Yue and Shen Huaizhi also took a rare break from their chores, carrying trays and dragging chairs out to the courtyard to spend some time there.

The plates held the mung bean cakes and jujube cakes that hadn’t sold out that day; they’d been specially reheated for dinner. Though the flavor wasn’t quite as good as when they’d first come out of the oven that morning, they were still quite good. A bite of cake followed by a sip of tea—it was truly delightful.

After the sweet treat, Lin Yue found himself craving something sour and spicy. “Let’s have lotus root tomorrow. If the price is right, buy a little extra—we’ll make stir-fried lotus root with pickled vegetables and simmer some lotus root and pork rib soup.”

The lotus pond in Linshui Village also has lotus roots, but not many. In previous years, they would be sold in the village, but this year—whether because the family is too busy or for some other reason—there’s been no sign of them yet.

“If you want some, buy a couple more. It’s the perfect time of year for lotus root, so I don’t think it’ll be too expensive. Even if it is, it doesn’t matter—it’s no big deal to treat yourself once in a while.” Shen Huaizhi said.

“Let’s go to town tomorrow and see. Do you still have to work in the fields tomorrow?” Lin Yue asked.

Shen Huaizhi nodded. “Although the fields are mostly plowed, there are still some spots that need digging, and the ridges and field edges need reinforcing. I don’t think I’ll be able to finish it all in one morning.”

The work had to be done, so Lin Yue could only say, “Then I’ll make extra food tomorrow. You and Dad should eat plenty—make sure you’re full before heading out to the fields.”

“No need to get up too early. It’s been getting light later these days, so it’s fine to start a little later.” Shen Huaizhi noticed the worry in Lin Yue’s eyes; after working so hard these past few days, the skin under his eyes had turned a bit dark.

For the past couple of days, Lin Yue had been getting up earlier than Shen Huaizhi. In addition to making pastries, he also had to prepare breakfast. Even with Shen Lingzhi’s help, he was swamped—especially after they’d noticed on their first two days out that plenty of people were buying pastries for breakfast, which made Lin Yue get up even earlier.

“I know. Don’t worry. I won’t be getting up this early all the time. Besides, even if we don’t go to town, we still have to get up early to work in the fields.”

Unable to persuade Lin Yue, Shen Huaizhi decided he would just get up a little earlier tomorrow to help them out, so they wouldn’t be overwhelmed.

The two hadn’t been sitting there long when Song Xunchun began urging them from inside the house. “The water’s boiling on the stove. After you wash up, get some sleep early. Your father and I are going to bed first.”

Lin Yue called back over his shoulder, “Got it, Mom. We’re coming right now.”

Shen Huaizhi had already stood up. “Let’s wash up inside today. You go back to your room first; I’ll go fetch the water.”

Lin Yue hesitated only for a moment before agreeing. He wasn’t always this diligent, but washing up in their room meant he could go straight to bed—much more convenient than doing it in the kitchen. Shen Huaizhi would even pour the water for him and lay out the washcloth, so he wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.

“Well, I’ll head back then!”

“Go ahead. I’ll be right there.” Shen Huaizhi bent down to pick up a chair and grab a tray, then strode into the kitchen.

As the weather turned cooler, the water grew cold more quickly, so Lin Yue began bathing faster. After he finished, Shen Huaizhi added some hot water to the bucket and took the opportunity to wash himself as well.

The first time Shen Huaizhi did this, Lin Yue had been quite surprised; he’d always felt that his family didn’t need to be so frugal with water. But since Shen Huaizhi had said so, he hadn’t argued. Now, Lin Yue no longer cared; he simply turned his head away so as not to look at him.

As the night deepened and the dew grew heavy, clouds and mist obscured the stars and moon in the sky, and the room was no longer lit. Accompanied by their whispered conversations, the flower petals were gradually crushed, their juices dripping slowly, until the clouds cleared and the rain ceased.

The next day, Lin Yue did indeed oversleep. When he got up, the kitchen was already bustling with activity; Shen Huaizhi was assisting Shen Lingzhi, having mixed a full basin of buckwheat flour.

Lin Yue added two pieces of firewood to the stove, washed his hands, and began preparing breakfast. Shen Huaizhi had already cooked a pot of multigrain porridge, so Lin Yue decided to make two flatbreads to go with it.

After breakfast, while the family was still tidying up, someone arrived at the door.

“Huaizhi, are you home?”

It was a woman’s voice. When Lin Yue opened the door, he realized there wasn’t just one person standing outside, but four—two families in total.

Lin Yue had by now gotten to know most of the people in Linshui Village quite well, so he greeted them warmly: “Fourth Uncle, Fourth Aunt, Cousin, and Brother-in-law, please come in and sit down. Have you had breakfast yet? If not, help yourselves to a bite here.”

“Don’t go to all that trouble. We’ve already eaten before coming over. We didn’t want to bother you while your family was so busy these past few days. We came early today specifically to ask Huaizhi something—and if it’s convenient, we’d also like to ask him for a favor.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue smiled and said, “Auntie, you two go on inside and sit down. I’ll go get Huaizhi right away.”