Liu Qishuang was just worrying about the Wan family and wondering what his mother wanted him to do when she came out with a sickle and a back basket, tossing them into the courtyard.

“Go pick up stones in the field behind the house. It’s still early; don’t just sit around at home.” Liu Congxiang was furious at the moment; the family had come out on the losing end again today. Feeling frustrated, she certainly didn’t want to see her ger slacking off at home.

Liu Qishuang hadn’t intended to hide at home anyway, so he simply picked up the back basket and sickle and headed out. But instead of going straight to the field behind the house, he first went to the Jiang family’s place in the village.

Old Master Jiang was a village doctor. It was unclear if he had any real medical expertise, but he was certainly capable of treating the village’s minor ailments like headaches and fevers.

Liu Qishuang suspected his grandfather’s cough stemmed from a cold he’d caught before the New Year that hadn’t fully cleared up. Old Master Jiang was quite skilled at treating colds, so he went to discuss it with him, asking Old Master Jiang to prescribe two doses of medicine for his grandfather first, with payment settled as usual by exchanging herbs.

The Jiang family sold medicine to the villagers anyway, and they always had to go into the mountains to forage for herbs. Since he didn’t have any coins to spare, settling the bill with herbs was just as good.

The Jiang household is located in the center of the village, where most families cluster. If Liu Qishuang takes a shortcut to the Jiang house, he’ll have to cross several rice paddies in front of his own home first, and once he enters the village, he’ll also have to pass by the Wang family’s house.

He’d had a heated argument with the Wang brothers that very morning, and he didn’t know if the Wang family might throw stones at him from inside their house as he passed by.

Though he was terrified, Liu Qishuang didn’t want to waste time. If he didn’t pass by the Wang family’s house, he’d have to go either past the Wan family further up or the village entrance further down—both of which would require a detour, adding an extra half an incense stick’s worth of time to his journey. He still had to go to the field behind his house to gather stones, so he couldn’t afford to waste any time.

As March approached, the village had undergone a dramatic transformation. Not only had the paddy fields sprouted fresh green shoots, but the wheat ears in the fields had also developed sharp awns and grown plump. Wildflowers of all kinds were blooming one after another along the roadside embankments and in the crevices of the rocks. In short, the village had become a vibrant tapestry of colors, a far cry from the withered, lifeless scene of two months prior.

“Oh, how beautiful!” As Liu Qishuang passed the boundary between the Wang family’s land and the Zhang family’s next door, he spotted a lovely little pink flower growing in a crack by the roadside. He didn’t know what it was called; the plant was tiny, no bigger than the palm of his hand, yet it had produced several small pinkish-purple blossoms larger than its leaves. Their bright color was quite charming.

As Liu Qishuang crouched down to pick the flower, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back. He knew his earlier suspicion had come true—the Wang brothers had picked up a pebble and thrown it at him.

He paid them no mind, quickening his movements to yank up the entire plant before running off at a brisk pace. Only after he had run several zhang away did he hear a muffled curse from behind—likely saying that wearing a flower made him look like an ugly oaf blowing a trumpet, a fact everyone already knew.

Liu Qishuang couldn’t care less about the brothers’ sarcasm. He hadn’t picked the flower to wear on his head anyway. He didn’t like wearing flowers—what was the point of wearing them when they wouldn’t add a single ounce of weight? He preferred herbs and fruits, which could be sold for cash and fill his stomach.

But little girls liked them. Old Man Jiang had a precious granddaughter, and since the little girl liked them, he used them to win her over.

The entire village of Wanjia Dam was very flat, with no major undulations. The terrain only began to change once you reached the hills behind the village. There, the landscape shifted abruptly: a massive mountain rose from the ground, its peaks stretching one after another, seemingly without end.

The mountains are rich in natural resources. Families without farmland can still make a living if they’re hardworking enough, relying on the mountains to sustain themselves.

When Liu Qishuang arrived at the Jiang family’s doorstep, he ran into a few villagers who had been watching the commotion at the village entrance earlier. He walked straight into the Jiang household, and those villagers called out a few remarks to him, but he paid them no mind, focused solely on finding Old Master Jiang to get his medicine.

“Still not fully recovered?” Old Master Jiang was about the same age as Grandpa Liu, but since their homes were far apart, they hadn’t had much of a relationship since their youth—just a passing acquaintance as fellow villagers. He had already sent out two packets of medicine earlier, and now that Liu Qishuang was coming to ask for more, he was genuinely at a loss.

He was a village doctor, not a philanthropist; he didn’t want his skills to be widely known. He had already told this ger about two types of herbs. If he revealed any more, and villagers started gathering herbs to treat themselves, where would his livelihood be?

Although the Jiang family owned fields and land, they had a large household—more than ten people in all. The income from the fields was barely enough to feed the whole family—no cash was left over, and their household was by no means well-off.

At that moment, only Old Master Jiang and Liu Qishuang were inside the Jiang family’s pharmacy, but the two daughters-in-law were stationed outside, naturally determined to prevent the old man from making another foolish mistake.

“Father, didn’t you keep asking for loquat flowers the other day? There aren’t many loquat trees in the village to begin with, and the blooming season is almost over now. But wouldn’t wild loquats from the mountains work just as well?” Knowing her father-in-law had a soft spot for such things, the Jiang family’s eldest daughter-in-law, Niu Meiyu, called out from inside the house for someone to go find some loquat flowers.

“We looked for loquat flowers last year. It’s no trouble.”

Liu Qishuang knew that loquat syrup could relieve a cough, but he wasn’t sure what use the loquat flowers had. Still, since the Jiang family had set the condition, he now had a goal. After thanking them, he hurried off.

When Liu Qishuang left the Jiang household, the Jiang family’s little girl, Jiang Baoer, was playing in the mud by the courtyard gate. The two wildflowers he’d given her earlier were still tucked into her hair. Her rosy yet dusty little face looked quite adorable against the two wildflowers. Liu Qishuang couldn’t resist bending down to pinch the little girl’s chubby cheeks.

The little girl didn’t get upset; instead, she smiled with her eyes crinkling, which made Liu Qishuang smile too, finding the girl even more adorable.

There weren’t many loquat trees in Wanjia Dam to begin with. One stood beside the rice paddies on the northern edge of the village—that one belonged to the Wan family—and another stood at the entrance to the village, right outside Wan Dongyang’s house; that one also belonged to the Wan family.

Loquat trees have a long blooming season, lasting from the twelfth lunar month of the previous year through the second lunar month of the following year. This year happens to be a leap month, so even though March is just around the corner, the weather feels much like early February. Naturally, a few loquat flowers still cling to the trees in the Wan household.

On the way back, Liu Qishuang’s eyes were practically glued to the loquat tree in front of the Wan family’s house, as if his spirit had already drifted up to the tree to start picking the flowers. Yet, no matter how beautiful the scene in his mind, he walked obediently toward the plot of land behind his own house.

He rarely visited the Wan family’s home, and he had never once asked anyone for anything. The few things he’d ever received from the Wans were things he’d encountered on the street, or that Aunt Wan had insisted on shoving into his hands.

During the Lunar New Year this year, Aunt Wan had already given him candy twice—fragrant, sweet, and soft candies. He had no idea how many copper coins they cost, but he vowed that once he had cash in the future, he would buy some for Aunt Wan to eat.

When Liu Qishuang passed by the Wang family’s doorstep again, he broke into a run, and in the blink of an eye, he was far out of the Wang family’s territory. This time, he wasn’t pelted with stones, but he did draw a barrage of merciless mockery from the Wang brothers.

“Ha, you coward. I thought you were some big shot.” The two Wang brothers—the older one was Wang Chunyu, the younger Wang Qiushuang—and it was the older brother, Wang Chunyu, who spoke up.

Wang Chunyu was leaning against the wall of his family’s courtyard, munching on a dim sum. He had just changed out of his clothes and had been angry at first, but now, watching the boy’s frantic retreat, he finally felt pleased.

Wang Qiushuang was sorting through cotton thread and scraps of fabric under the eaves. Spring had arrived, and wildflowers were blooming everywhere. His mother had instructed him to make a few more sachets to take to town and sell, to bring in some extra income for the family.

Seeing his older brother smile, Wang Qiushuang knew his mood had improved, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, which Wan Laosan have you set your sights on? If you’re going to choose the Wan Laosan who lives behind our house, why did you have to put on this whole show today? If you’re going to choose the Wan Laosan from the family that raises pigeons, then you’d better stop eating dim sum from the guy behind our house from now on. I’ve heard from the villagers that the Wan family is a tough bunch to deal with. Don’t go down that old path again and force us to move house once more.”

“Pfft, what’s there to be afraid of? I’m not scared at all.” Wang Chunyu had heard early on that the guy in the village named Wan Dongyang had a terrible temper and was not to be messed with. But today, his rice seedlings had been ruined, and he’d been shoved into the paddy field—and he hadn’t even let out a peep.

He was probably just putting on a show today. When it came down to it, he wouldn’t dare let anyone go pull up the rice seedlings in his own paddy—it was all just talk. Still…

“That Xu-ger, though—he’s surprisingly bold. He stole the show today.” Thinking back on what had happened earlier, Wang Chunyu sighed. “Seriously, he’s such a pain.”

Wang Qiushuang was sharp; he could see right through today’s events. Puzzled, he asked, “Brother, why are you picking on that ger? He’s not even good-looking, and his family is poor—he’s no match for us.”

“You fool.” Rolling his eyes at his younger brother, Wang Chunyu climbed down from the wall and stood under the eaves. “What kind of look is that? You can’t judge a person by their looks alone. That ger today has a face straight out of Mother’s opera lyrics—truly a beauty beyond description, impossible to paint or sew. He was born charming; it’s just that he’s young and hasn’t fully matured yet.” Wang Chunyu’s expression grew more and more listless as he spoke, but when he thought of the several boys in the village who chased after him, he smiled again.

“There’ll be plenty of chances to deal with that ger later.”

While the Wang brothers were plotting how to deal with Liu Qishuang, the Wan family was also in an uproar over him.

“I don’t think Wang’er was lying. He’s handsome—I believe him.” After Wan family’s second sister-in-law, Ma Cuilan, returned home, she grabbed a pair of shoes and headed straight to her eldest sister-in-law’s house. As soon as she arrived, she told her family about today’s events.

Wan Dongyang’s parents had three sons and one daughter. The eldest daughter had married into a family in the provincial capital; because the journey was so long, she hadn’t been able to return home for several years. The three sons, however, were all still nearby. The second son’s family had moved out to live on their own a few years ago, but they were still right under their noses, living in the same large courtyard.

Although Wan Dongyang was no longer a young man, he had not yet married. He still lived with his parents and his older brother and sister-in-law, sharing the same roof with the rest of the family.

At that moment, his sister-in-law, Lin Qiuyue, was chopping garlic leaves under the eaves, preparing to stack the garlic heads and hang them from the roof. The family relied on these garlic heads for their supply of garlic for the entire year.

Lin Qiuyue had a calm disposition; upon hearing Ma Cuilan’s words, she merely nodded slightly without saying much. However, Mother Wan, who was mending Wan Dongyang’s clothes nearby, shook her head, feeling that her second daughter-in-law was wrong.

“If we’re talking about who can see the truth, then I trust the Liu family’s ger.”

“Mother, what kind of judgment do you have?” Wan Dongyang had something on his mind. He had been quietly sharpening a knife by the stove, but upon hearing his mother’s words, he couldn’t help but speak up.

Wan Dongyang wasn’t the only one who disagreed with Mother Wan; his two sisters-in-law also took issue with her. Seeing this, Mother Wan stopped what she was doing and, in a scolding tone, addressed each of them in turn. Then, glancing in the direction of the Liu family, she said earnestly: “You young people just don’t know how to judge a face. That boy from the Liu family is handsome, and he clearly has a face that brings good fortune. His eyes aren’t going to stay uneven for the rest of his life—he takes after his mother.

His mother had one eye that was smaller and one that was larger when she was little, but by the time she was fifteen or sixteen, it had evened out. Both eyes were the same size then. I imagine Liu’s son will be the same; at most, he’ll look handsome by next year or the year after.”

“But I think he looks more like his father.” Wan Dongyang’s expression was equally serious, for two faces were now playing out in his mind, and he was comparing them. 

“His temperament is just like his father’s, too.” Lin Qiuyue suddenly chimed in.

As soon as she said that, Ma Cuilan finished her unspoken thought. “His father is ruthless, and he’s no slouch either. He usually looks like a little wimp, but who would’ve thought he was so fierce—he even dared to lay a hand on the third son.”

“Like father, like son. If that’s the case, I’m certain of it—Wang’er was definitely not pushed by Liu-ger. The child was wrongly accused, which is why he flew into such a rage.” Mrs. Wan had believed Liu-ger’s story from the start, and now she was even more convinced.

Seeing that the matter was going nowhere, Ma Cuilan seemed to think of something and said with a smile, “I don’t know how things will turn out, but I think Wang’er is better-looking. Who knows, maybe we’ll end up becoming one family.”

“Family, my ass! I’m going to ruin it for him right now!” Wan Dongyang suddenly stood up and rushed out the door without even putting down the knife he was holding. His mother and his two sisters-in-law stared at his fuming back, exchanging bewildered glances, wondering what had suddenly set him off again.