The Liu family home was a typical peasant courtyard: a main house with three outbuildings. The central structure served as the main living quarters, while the two wings housed the kitchen, the wood shed, the pigsty, and the outhouse.

Their outhouse was made of a few planks of wood, and right next to it was the pigsty. Surprisingly, there was a small room tucked inside the pigsty and outhouse—and that was currently where Grandpa Liu lived.

“Grandpa, the earthen pot is empty. Drink what’s left of this first; I’ll go boil some more for you.” Liu Qishuang jostled the earthen pot in his hand. As he stepped out the door holding it, his eyes welled up with tears.

His grandfather had originally slept in the woodshed inside the kitchen, but he’d fallen ill a few days ago with a severe cough. His parents’ room was right next to the wood shed, and his father, complaining that Grandpa’s coughing kept him awake, had banished him to a small room inside the outhouse.

That room had once been the family’s cow shed. Years ago, his father had taken the family’s cow back to the Xu household, leaving the shed empty—and yet, many years later, it had unexpectedly become his grandfather’s room.

He had originally wanted to let his grandfather sleep in his own room, but his grandfather refused, and his father wouldn’t have it either. When he tried to move his grandfather’s bedding into his room, his father snatched the quilt from him the moment he brought it in and threw it back into the cow shed. Then, grabbing a stick as thick as his own arm, his father chased after him and his grandfather, beating them both.

He wouldn’t have minded—a stick hitting him only hurt for a few days. He was used to being beaten; he didn’t care when the stick landed on him.

But his grandfather couldn’t take it. He’d heard that old people’s bones get brittle with age and can easily break under too much force.

A broken bone is no mere flesh wound—it’s terrifying and causes serious harm. He dared not take the risk, so he could only watch helplessly as his grandfather went to sleep in that cow shed.

Liu Qishuang held an empty jar and made his way along the wall of the house toward the kitchen. When he reached the kitchen doorway, he saw his mother scrubbing her shoes by the gutter along the courtyard wall. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn’t speak.

He didn’t dare take the risk.

He had originally intended to discuss it with his mother, hoping to get Grandpa to sleep inside the house for the next few days, but upon second thought, he kept it to himself. He feared that even if his mother agreed now, she would tattle to his father once he returned, and then both he and Grandpa would be in for a severe beating.

His mother had never been one to keep her mouth shut; she loved telling his father everything and especially loved taking credit in front of him. He’d suffered the consequences of her tattling many times before, so now he dared not trust her at all.

He suspected that even regarding today’s matter, if he ever did something to displease his mother, she would surely tell his father about it—just to get him beaten, so she could feel satisfied.

The Liu household didn’t have many rooms, but the courtyard was spacious. Groundwater was channeled from the field beside the house to the base of the courtyard wall, and a large stone jar stood at the outlet, making it very convenient for the family to use water.

Liu Qishuang went into the kitchen, set the pot down on the stove, then took a wooden bucket and a gourd dipper to fetch water. The large stone vat in their home was always brimming with water, and the gourd dipper was large; just a few scoops filled nearly half the bucket—more than enough to boil a pot of hot water.

He went back to the kitchen, poured the water from the wooden bucket into the large iron pot in the center of the earthen stove, and, to save time, put the lid on before going to stoke the fire beneath the stove.

Farmers all cultivate their fields, and every part of the crops they grow is valuable and useful. The grain itself goes without saying—it’s the most essential thing—but even the stalks left in the field after the harvest have their uses.

The stalks of rice, corn, and wheat are the most useful, while corn stalks and bean stalks are mostly used as firewood. Corn straw can be spread on beds or used as feed for livestock, especially mules and horses. Households that keep mules and horses sometimes run short of corn straw for their animals and even spend cash to buy it from others. Wheat straw is the most useful of all; it can be woven into various decorative items and common straw mats for sale, bringing in even more copper coins.

After using fire tongs to place a bundle of corn stalks into the stove pit, Liu Qishuang’s gaze fell upon the roof of the kitchen. But he wasn’t just looking at the roof; his eyes also took in the three stoves right before him, the large water jar just a wall away, and even every corner of the house.

Although their house wasn’t spacious, it had been built by his grandfather single-handedly in his youth. Every tile on the floor had been laid by his grandfather, the bed had been made by his grandfather, and every shovel of earth and every tile was the fruit of his grandfather’s labor.

Everything in the house was provided by Grandpa, yet now he couldn’t enjoy a single thing. He was forced to sleep in that cow shed—freezing in the winter, stifling in the summer, and stinking to high heaven.

“I’m going to marry Wan Dongyang—he’s the only one who can put that scoundrel in his place.”

“What are you muttering about?”

To his surprise, his mother suddenly walked in. Liu Qishuang was so startled he nearly lost his mind. If his mother found out about his secret plan, he’d be finished. His father despised Wan Dongyang more than anyone, so he dared not let his mother know that he was secretly hoping to become Wan Dongyang’s fulang.

If his mother found out, his father would find out too, and then he’d be finished.

“Nothing, nothing at all. I was just saying that Wan Dongyang is a bad guy.” Not daring to bet that his mother hadn’t heard a single word, Liu Qishuang plucked up his courage and added the last few words.

Hearing her son say this, Liu Congxiang was instantly relieved; she had just heard something about a “scoundrel.”

It was nearly the third month now. Although this year had a leap month, the spring chill was nearing its end. With the day when they could shed their cotton clothes fast approaching, Liu Congxiang looked at the large pot of water on the stove, pursed her lips, and tried to hold back—but couldn’t quite manage it. 

She turned to her son, who was tending the fire, and said: “Don’t spoil that old man so much. If you pamper him too much, who’s going to take care of him? It’s not like it’s winter anymore—why do we have to boil water just to drink? Our water comes straight from the spring; we can just scoop it up and drink it. Why go to all that trouble and waste firewood boiling it?”

“Drinking raw water isn’t good for you. It doesn’t take much firewood—I’ll just go gather some in the mountains when I have a spare moment.” Liu Qishuang didn’t fear his mother much, but he didn’t dare argue too strongly either, so he could only speak up softly.

Upon hearing Liu Qishuang’s words, Liu Congxiang rolled her eyes at him. She then turned to go inside to find a nice piece of cloth to make her husband a spring coat, but just as she stepped out of the kitchen, someone arrived at the house.

Liu Congxiang looked at the person standing outside the courtyard gate and shuddered in fright. It was none other than Ma Cuilan, Wan Dongyang’s second sister-in-law. She hadn’t expected that Wan Dongyang hadn’t been bluffing—he’d actually sent his sister-in-law, and it was the one person she’d least wanted to see.

Ma Cuilan was a few years younger than Liu Congxiang, but she had a fiery temper. Not only was she sharp-tongued and unforgiving, but she was also quick with her fists and feet—capable of both verbal and physical abuse. Even Wan Dongyang, that good-for-nothing, was constantly on the run from her. The whole village was truly afraid of her.

Liu Congxiang grumbled inwardly that everything had gone wrong today—everything seemed to be piling up on her—but she forced a smile and hurried to open the door. She figured Ma Cuilan had come to settle the score over what had happened earlier. She certainly didn’t want to pay any cash, so she’d have to put on a friendly face instead.

Before the courtyard gate was even open, Liu Congxiang’s smile had already frozen on her face. By the time the gate swung open, all that greeted Ma Cuilan was a forced, insincere grin.

Ma Cuilan didn’t seem to mind. She gave the woman a brief nod and, without further ado, walked straight into the courtyard. She wasted no time and cut straight to the point.

“My third brother came home today and told us about the situation at your house, but we feel there are still some issues.” Ma Cuilan’s opening remarks were blunt, and her subsequent words were even more so.

She spared no sentiment, turning to Liu Congxiang and continuing, “Your family’s own rice seedlings aren’t enough for you to mess around with, yet every year you have the nerve to beg the village for the leftover rice seedlings from other households. Where would you have any to spare for my family?”

“Sister Cuilan, this… ” Liu Congxiang was terrified by Ma Cuilan’s words, instinctively realizing this woman had come to demand cash!

She couldn’t possibly fight this woman off, and she wouldn’t be able to protect the cash. If she really had it snatched away, how could she explain it to her husband when he returned!

Ma Cuilan saw that the woman in front of her was nearly scared out of her wits. She had no idea what wild thoughts the woman had conjured up, but she didn’t intend to keep scaring her. She cut straight to the point: “So, I don’t want the rice seedlings your family can’t possibly replace. Just make up for it with a few days’ labor. We’ve got some things to take care of at home these next few days. Have your son come over to help out for a few days, and we’ll consider this matter settled.”

“Huh? Just have the kid come help out?” Liu Congxiang had regained her composure by now, but her mind was a complete blank. She had no idea what her ger could possibly do to help.

Ma Cuilan didn’t bother with further discussion; having said her piece, she turned to leave. But just as she reached the courtyard gate, she recalled the instructions her third younger brother had given her, so she turned back and warned, “We don’t want you, and we don’t want your old man. We want your son. If your son doesn’t come, we won’t accept this as settled.”

“Don’t worry, sis, the kid’s definitely coming—he’s definitely coming!” The wall around the Liu family’s courtyard was only waist-high, and Liu Congxiang watched the person walk a good distance away before turning around.

As she turned, she saw her younger ger lying on his stomach by the kitchen door, staring straight at her. She immediately waved at him a few times, then let out a string of curses.

“What are you staring at? The mess you’ve made is impossible to clean up, and now you’ll have to go work for the Wan family for a few days for nothing. That Wan family is truly heartless—they haven’t even become landlords yet, and they’re already treating people like laborers and tenant farmers. They really have some nerve.” Her son was about to turn fifteen and was quite a capable worker; she had actually planned to have him help dig up the fields these past few days.

The plots of virgin land on the hill behind their house were full of rocks. If they didn’t dig them up and remove the large stones, the work would be a real ordeal. In April and May, after a day of tying sweet potato vines, all ten fingers would be raw and peeling—it was excruciatingly painful.

Today’s incident didn’t end well after all; their family has come out on the losing end. Liu Congxiang’s face darkened, and she shouted at the kitchen with a harsh voice: “You good-for-nothing! You’d better behave yourself these next few days and stop causing trouble. Even if the Wan family treats you like a beast of burden, don’t complain—just get on with your work. Otherwise, this will drag on forever, and you’ll end up doing all that work for them for nothing.”

“I know,” Liu Qishuang replied without another word to his mother, simply acknowledging her.

Shortly after, hearing more coughing coming from the outhouse, he hurried to fill a clay jar with water. The hot water was ready, and he had to rush over to bring it to his grandfather.

Liu Qishuang carried the hot water out and reached the center of the courtyard. He couldn’t help but glance toward the Wan family’s house, but due to the layout of the property, he couldn’t even see the roof of their house, let alone anyone inside. Still, he lingered, casting several long looks in their direction.