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“It’s okay. I’ve made quite a bit anyway.”

Liu Qishuang had earned a total of four hundred and eighty wen over the past few days. He made especially well on the second day—nearly two hundred wen—though the third day was a bit less; otherwise, he’d have at least five taels in his pocket by now.

On the last day of Liu Qishuang’s “helping out,” he didn’t get home too late; he arrived around the hour of You.

Even before he entered the courtyard, he could hear his mother scolding his grandfather from the roadside. His mother was complaining that the pot used to boil loquat water still smelled, and that his grandfather hadn’t washed the pots and bowls properly.

“Mother, I’m home.” Liu Qishuang called out as soon as he stepped through the courtyard gate. Since he hadn’t been doing chores at home these past few days, his mother surely had plenty of complaints; once she started scolding him, she wouldn’t have time to scold his grandfather.

Liu Qishuang was quick-witted, and sure enough, the very next moment, Liu Congxiang began scolding him.

“Finally decided to crawl back home. Tomorrow, cut down all the thick-skinned vegetables in the yard, bring them back, chop them up, dry them, and store them. Oh, and make sure to dig up all the roots from the soil, too. What time of year is this? Other people’s vegetable gardens have already been planted with spring greens.”

“I got it.” Liu Qishuang felt a surge of joy. He hadn’t expected such a simple task; he’d thought he’d have to go dig up manure for compost tomorrow. These past few days, the work in the fields had increased—the crops needed top-dressing, or there’d be no harvest.

Liu Qishuang was just feeling relieved when, unfortunately, his joy was short-lived. As he thought of one thing, another followed: the moment he thought of the manure at home, his mother’s words came.

“Tomorrow, clean out the chicken coop and carry the manure, along with the pile outside, to the field on the back hill. Oh, and on your way back, cut some straw for bedding. The weather’s getting colder now; if we don’t lay down fresh straw in the pigsty often enough, we’ll get swine fever, and that’ll be the end of us.”

“Alright.” Liu Qishuang rolled his eyes slightly as he carried his mother’s bag, thinking to himself that from now on, he’d only think about happy things and put these troublesome matters out of his mind. Farmers usually ate dinner around 6:30 or 7:00 p.m., so it was still early; Liu Congxiang and her husband hadn’t eaten yet.

When Grandpa Liu returned from the fields, he’d brought back several bundles of white-stem reeds. Liu Congxiang tossed two bundles under the stove, instructing Liu Qishuang to sort through the reed cores while stoking the fire. She busied herself with cooking while discussing the matters she’d been pondering these past few days with Liu Qishuang.

“You’ve been leaving early and coming back late every day lately, and you’ve even been helping them sell things in town. Wan Dongyang shouldn’t have any complaints now. You should keep currying favor with him from now on. Send the Wan family’s little girl some flowers, fruits, or whatever else you can. She’s their only child—even though she’s a girl, they’re very fond of her. Especially her uncle; he’ll buy her things without batting an eye.

Wan Dongyang and Wan Changqing are close. If Wan Dongyang puts in a good word for you, your situation with that Changqing lad will be half-settled.

Oh, and there’s that couple who moved in from the neighboring village—the one with the surname Yun. The fulang is the grandson of the elderly couple from the Wan family, and they spoil him rotten. You should make a point of visiting them often. If you can win over that Yun man, your match with Changqing will be all but settled.”

“I understand, Mother,” Liu Qishuang replied obediently, though he was deeply puzzled inside. He didn’t understand why his mother was so determined for him to marry Wan Changqing when clearly the Wan Dongyang family offered a better prospect.

He knew that neither Wan Dongyang nor Wan Changqing had any interest in him, but Aunt Wan was kind to him, while Wan Changqing’s parents disliked him. Surely, if he could win the favor of his elders—even if he didn’t win the man’s heart—his chances would be better, wouldn’t they? After all, marriage is a matter for parents to decide.

Besides, the Wan Dongyang family was even better off than the Wan Changqing family. His mother was such a money-grubbing woman, yet she wouldn’t let him cling to Wan Dongyang—he just couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Liu Qishuang had grown accustomed to keeping a blank expression in front of his parents; no matter how much doubt swirled in his heart, he never let it show on his face.

Liu Congxiang was kneading dough at that moment. Seeing his expressionless face, she was about to lose her temper, but then, as if a thought occurred to her, she forced herself to suppress her anger. Instead, she adopted a solemn, concerned tone as if she were looking out for his best interests and continued:

“You’re my only ger—if I don’t look out for you, who else would I look out for? You don’t realize it, but even though Changqing’s family isn’t doing so well these days, it’s only because they’re paying off debts. They have plenty of fields and land, and everyone in the family works hard—it’s only a matter of time before they turn their fortunes around. And…I’ll be honest with you: your grandmother is very close to that old woman from the Wan family. Even if she doesn’t like us now, as long as you marry into that family, she’ll treat you well, and our family will finally have some backing.”

“Mother, I understand.” Liu Qishuang vaguely recalled something his mother had once said.

His mother had once said that “old woman” blamed her for Grandma’s death and had taken a dislike to their whole family.

“Look at you, so thick-headed. No matter what I tell you, all you ever say is ‘I know, I know.’ What on earth could that block of wood of a brain of yours possibly understand?” Liu Congxiang looked at her son’s wooden expression, and her anger flared up again.

She had originally wanted to give him a good smack, but remembering her husband’s words, she held back.

Her husband had said that their ger was getting older now and had reached the age for marriage discussions. They couldn’t just beat or scold him at will anymore; they had to coax him. Otherwise, if he harbored a grudge against them, once he was married off, how could they expect him to look after them?

Holding back the urge to strike him, Liu Congxiang continued to instruct him: “When you go to curry favor with Wan Dongyang, you must be careful to keep your distance. Don’t flatter him directly, and don’t get too close to him. If the village starts gossiping, it won’t be good.

You don’t know this, but that family is all smiling tigers—they look kind but are actually the cruelest. They’re the sort who’ll neglect even their own flesh and blood; do you think they’d show any mercy to outsiders?

Haven’t you been a perfect example of that these past few days? It was just a few rice seedlings, yet they were so heartless. You’ve been working at their house from dawn till dusk for so many days—even a young ger like you was treated like a beast of burden. It’s truly despicable.

That’s why the Wan family over there is the better choice. They’re the kind who are tough on the outside but soft on the inside. If you marry into their family, you’ll definitely have a good life. And if, in the future, you’ll be able to support your family.”

Liu Congxiang glanced down at her belly. In the end, she didn’t say that if she had a son in the future, he could help support her younger brother—it wouldn’t do to speak recklessly before the child had even arrived.

Liu Qishuang didn’t take a single word of his mother’s to heart; no matter what anyone said, he just kept nodding and saying he understood.

Liu Congxiang, finding the conversation a waste of breath, stopped talking. But the pent-up frustration in her heart was unbearable, so she grabbed a rolling pin and slammed it hard against the cutting board several times. Startled, Liu Qishuang immediately hunched over, not daring to even glance in her direction.

Xu Shifan had been building a new embankment in the rice paddies today. A section of his family’s embankment had collapsed, and the job was quite a hassle—it required driving in piles, laying stones, and piling up earth. Even for just a short stretch, it took two full days of work. He’d started yesterday and worked all day today, and finally, the job was done.

When Xu Shifan returned home, he was covered in mud. Liu Congxiang, filled with concern, wrung out a cloth for someone to wipe him down. She then hurried into the house to fetch some dry clothes, had him change, and served dinner.

Today, Cao Chunyan, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhou family and a close friend of hers, had given her a few bamboo shoots. She had steamed some pork buns stuffed with diced bamboo shoots, and they were still warm.

“Hurry and eat—they’ll be warm while you’re eating,” Liu Congxiang called from the kitchen, her voice carrying the aroma of the buns all the way out into the courtyard.

Liu Qishuang sniffed the air, thinking to himself, “It’s just pork and bamboo shoot buns. I’ve had those before, and they taste much better than the ones in that pot in the kitchen.”

Grandpa Liu was currently in the courtyard, sorting through white-stem reeds. Now that the weather had warmed up, he was making a pair of straw sandals for his little Shuangshuang to wear while working.

Liu Qishuang sat beside his grandfather, sorting through the white-stem reeds. The two chatted quietly. Learning that his grandfather’s cough had indeed improved, Liu Qishuang felt reassured, though he still thought they should visit the clinic—he needed to take a couple of doses of medicine to fully recover.

With so much on his mind, Liu Qishuang couldn’t fall asleep that night. He silently counted the cash he’d earned over the past few days several times. Only after the number four hundred and eight was firmly etched in his mind did he begin to ponder the important matters for the coming days.

Now that he had cash in hand, the most important thing was, of course, to take his grandfather to the clinic. Once his grandfather had been examined, he would treat him to some big steamed buns.

Another matter was the weather, which was getting worse by the day. He needed to weave a screen for his grandfather. Now that they were raising pigs in the pigsty, the smell at his grandfather’s place would only get stronger; without something to block it, it would be unbearable.

Oh, and when he takes Grandpa to town, he’ll buy something for Wan Xiaohua, too, so Wan Dongyang can tell him if there are any herbs that repel insects. He’ll plant a few by the cattle shed—it might make things a little more comfortable for Grandpa.

Once he’d sorted out the matters on his mind, his thoughts began to drift, and just as a clap of spring thunder rang out in the sky, Liu Qishuang remained fast asleep.

But just as he drifted off, he dreamed of raindrops hitting his face. Feeling uncomfortable, he reached up to brush them away—only to jolt awake. It wasn’t a dream.