The division of the family estate hit Zheng Xiaofeng hard; she couldn’t muster the energy for several days in a row.

Though she resented her mother’s favoritism, family ties aren’t something that can be severed overnight. The thought that her once-united family would no longer have any contact filled her with an indescribable sorrow.

Luo Xiu noticed this and grew concerned as well. Since he had nearly fully recovered, he planned to let Xiaofeng return home first. He wasn’t one to be pampered and had long wanted to get back to working in the fields, but Xiaofeng had been stopping him from doing so.

Farmers don’t observe a full month of postpartum confinement; those with better circumstances rest for ten days to half a month at most, while those less fortunate return to the fields the very next day after giving birth.

Luo Xiu was already deeply grateful to have been able to rest this long, and he felt guilty about imposing on others for so long, so he took the opportunity to mention it to Zheng Beiqiu.

“We’re raising the ridge beam tomorrow. We’ll have her head back home right after we’re done with that.”

Luo Xiu nodded, then hesitated for a long moment before speaking up: “I don’t really have anything worthwhile to thank her with. That fabric you bought for me last time… would it be okay if I gave Xiaofeng a bolt to take home?”

Zheng Beiqiu laughed. “You can do whatever you want with the fabric I bought for you. Besides, even if you didn’t give it to her, I’d have taken care of it anyway—I can’t very well shortchange my own sister, can I?”

“Mm-hmm!” Luo Xiu nodded repeatedly.

Zheng Beiqiu’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he took her hand and said, “Once she’s gone, we’ll finally be able to spend some time together.” 

“You’re so naughty,” Luo Xiu muttered under his breath, his ears turning bright red as he turned and went back into the house.

May 28: An auspicious day for proposing marriage, betrothal, weddings, ancestral rites, praying for blessings, raising the ridgebeam, and installing the hearth.

Today was the big day for the ridgebeam ceremony. Before dawn, Zheng Beiqiu was already up and busy. A few days earlier, he’d gone to town to order a whole pig, which was about to be delivered.

In addition to the pig, he’d also bought half a sheep, a few fish, and several dozen eggs. These items would first be used for the ritual offering of the “three sacrificial animals,” and then prepared as dishes for everyone to share.

Zheng Beiqiu planned to set up five tables, each with eight dishes, so everyone could eat their fill.

Zheng An and Liu Hua came over with the children to help, bringing plenty of bowls and chopsticks—in the village, when hosting a banquet, it’s customary to borrow pots from one household and bowls from another to make do.

Seeing the huge pile of items in the courtyard, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “Daqiu, you’re really going overboard. Buying eight or ten jin of meat would’ve been enough—how many meat dishes are you going to make from this whole pig?”

“I’m only building this house once. I want it to be a lively celebration where everyone eats and drinks their fill. If I skimped on it, I wouldn’t feel right about it.”

Zheng An still thought his tang-di was being too extravagant, so he stepped forward and whispered, “You’ll only need half this pig later; you can take the rest to the village to sell as meat. Otherwise, you won’t even recoup the money you spent on the gifts.”

“Alright, we’ll see how it goes. I’ll sell whatever’s left.”

Before long, the laborers began arriving one after another. The Qiu family’s old carpenter helped preside over the beam-raising ceremony. Since the auspicious time had been set for later in the day, there was plenty of time, so everyone pitched in to boil water and slaughter the pig first.

Xiaofeng came over to take a look, then hurried back home and called out, “Sister-in-law, hurry! They’re slaughtering the pig—let’s go check it out!” 

“I’m not going. It’s kind of scary…”

“Oh, it’s such a warm day—take Xiaoyu outside to soak up some sun; it’ll help him grow faster.”

Luo Xiu was persuaded by her words. He hadn’t even seen what the new house looked like once it was finished, so he wrapped the child in a small quilt and went over with Xiaofeng. By the time the two of them arrived, the pig had already been bled out. Zheng Beiqiu was really strong! He could hold down a 200-jin pig all by himself.

A few men standing nearby gave him a thumbs-up in admiration. Zheng Beiqiu said nothing, just chuckled to himself, thinking, “What’s the big deal? On the battlefield, I could chop off a horse’s legs with a broadsword—that’s way harder than dealing with a pig.”

After slaughtering the pig, they began scalding off the bristles. Xiaofeng handed Niuniu to Luo Xiu, rolled up her sleeves, and went over to help.

Luo Xiu, meanwhile, curiously surveyed the tall brick-and-tile house. He’d only ever seen houses like this in town—specifically at the home of Landlord Zhang, the wealthy landowner whose daughter his sister had married—but back then, he’d only caught a glimpse from the doorway and had no idea what the interior looked like.

“Luo Xiu, over here!” Zheng Beiqiu spotted him from a distance and waved cheerfully.

Ever since Zheng Laotai caused that scene last time, everyone had found out about their relationship, so Zheng Beiqiu decided to stop hiding it and told everyone he met that the two of them were about to get married.

Niuniu spotted him too and, shouting “Dajiu,” ran toward him. Zheng Beiqiu lifted the child high above his head and hoisted her onto his shoulder.

“Come on, let’s go inside and see what the new house is like.”

Luo Xiu followed him into the new house. The walls hadn’t been plastered yet, and blue bricks were visible everywhere; the window and door frames weren’t installed either. Still, it looked really spacious inside—more than twice as big as the Liu family’s house.

“The east room is where we’ll live. We’ll set up a big kang there, build two beechwood wardrobes for clothes, place a five-drawer chest on the floor, and I’ll have a dressing table made for you over here.”

Luo Xiu said shyly, “I don’t want a dressing table—just make an extra cabinet for storing things.” 

“Sure, whatever you say.”

Zheng Beiqiu then took him by the hand and led him to another room. “This room is for Xiaoyu. Once the child grows up, he can’t live with us anymore, so we’ll set up a separate room for him.”

Luo Xiu said happily, “When we have a second child, he’ll have someone to keep him company.” 

“Then we’ll have to step up our efforts.”

Luo Xiu realized what he’d said and, blushing, gave him a light kick.

Further inside, there were two more rooms. If they had more children in the future and there wasn’t enough space, they could have them live separately. The very last room would serve as a storage room where they could store rice, flour, and cooking oil.

After touring the rooms, Zheng Beiqiu took Luo Xiu’s hand and said, “Once I’ve tidied up the house, we’ll get married.”

“Mm-hmm,” Luo Xiu nodded, his eyes brimming with joy.

Someone called out from outside, “Daqiu, we have guests!”

“Okay, I’ll be right there! I’ll have Xiaofeng bring you some food back later at dinnertime—otherwise, with the baby, you might not be able to get a bite.”

Luo Xiu chuckled, “All right, go get back to work. Don’t keep them waiting.”

Zheng Beiqiu came out of the room and saw that Zhang Linzi and Er Zhuzi had arrived, both carrying wedding gifts: a large piece of cured pork and a jar of wine.

“I invited you over for a drink, so why did you bring your own stuff? That’s being too formal with your brothers.”

Er Zhuzi chuckled, “I was just saying on the way here that Brother Daqiu would definitely have plenty of wine for us, but Linzi insisted on bringing some.” Zhang Linzi nudged him with his elbow. “Raising the ridge beam is a joyous occasion—the more wine, the merrier.”

Zheng Beiqiu took the items and said, “Come on in and take a look at how my house is coming along!”

As more and more people arrived, Luo Xiu, worried the crowd might crowd the children, took Xiaoyu and Niuniu back home.

Around the hour of Si, everyone gathered for the ridgebeam-raising ceremony. Zheng Beiqiu arranged the prepared sacrificial offerings of three kinds of livestock, lit a stick of incense, and kowtowed three times toward the east, asking the household deity to enter the home.

The old carpenter chanted auspicious words in a drawn-out tone as he tied them to the main beam with red silk cloth.

After the ritual, under his guidance, they looped a hemp rope as thick as a thumb around the beam. More than ten men—half standing on the roof to pull, half standing below to lift—joined in.

Zhang Linzi and Er Zhuzi also took off their outer jackets, rolled up their sleeves, and stepped forward to help. Amid a chorus of “He-yo!” chants, the main beam, adorned with red silk, was finally hoisted into place.

“Light the firecrackers!”

The crackling sound of firecrackers filled the air, and Zheng Beiqiu scattered the candies and sunflower seeds he’d bought earlier from the roof. Adults and children scrambled to pick them up.

Luo Xiu had just finished feeding Xiaoyu when the child, hearing the sound of firecrackers, turned his head in curiosity.

“That’s our family’s beam-raising ceremony. In a few days, we’ll be able to move into the new house with Daddy.”

Niuniu said, “Dajiuma, I want to live there too.”

“Sure. When the time comes, invite your mom and dad to come stay with us, too.”

The little girl nodded with a smile.

Once the beam was in place, it was time to serve the meal. Everyone pitched in to set up the tables; since there were no chairs, they made do by standing. As dish after dish of meat was brought to the table, everyone’s mouths watered with anticipation.

Life was hard for farmers; they rarely had the chance to eat meat all year round. They never expected Zheng Beiqiu to be so generous—he’d actually prepared six meat dishes and two vegetarian dishes. The portions of the meat dishes were generous too: the thick slices of pork were as thick as a tael, with a perfect balance of fat and lean meat—one bite and your mouth was full of rich, savory juices.

As they ate, everyone gave Zheng Beiqiu a thumbs-up, praising him for going all out! A feast like this would be hard to find even in town. Xiaofeng had nearly finished her chores, so she quickly scooped a portion of each dish from the pot and carried them back to her sister-in-law. 

“Have you eaten yet? Let’s eat together at home.”

“I’m going to the banquet. I’ll eat my fill there so the outsiders don’t eat it all up.”

Luo Xiu laughed out loud, “Alright, then make sure to eat plenty.”

Niuniu wanted to go to the banquet with her mother, so Xiaofeng hoisted her daughter onto her back and dashed out the door.

The meal lasted from noon until evening, and the men had all gotten quite drunk.

After the feast, a few women stayed behind to clean up. Since there was hardly any meat left, Zheng Beiqiu distributed the pork trimmings among his sisters-in-law and aunts as a token of gratitude.

Everyone was thrilled. Even though the meat had a strong smell, it was still meat—once they got home, washed it clean, and stir-fried it in oil, it would smell delicious!

By the time they finished cleaning up, it was already late. Zheng Beiqiu went from house to house to return everyone’s cooking utensils and tableware. By the time he got back to the old house, Luo Xiu and Xiaofeng were already fast asleep, holding their children in their arms.

Zheng Beiqiu didn’t want to disturb them, so he stood at the doorway for a moment before slipping away on tiptoe.

The next day, as soon as Zheng Xiaofeng got up, her older brother called her over.

“The house over here is almost finished. You and Niuniu should head back first.” 

“Okay, I’ll pack up my things and leave in a bit.”

Zheng Beiqiu reached into his robe and pulled out a ten-tael silver ingot, slipping it into her hand.

“What’s this for? No, no, I can’t take it.”

“Take it. What kind of silly girl turns down money?”

Zheng Xiaofeng’s eyes welled up with tears. “You’ve spent so much money building this house, and you still owe others silver. How could I possibly accept money from you?”

“I don’t actually owe anyone any silver—that was just a ploy to keep them from coming over and causing a scene. I have enough silver on hand; if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be giving it to you.”

Xiaofeng tried to refuse again, but seeing that Zheng Beiqiu was getting angry, she reluctantly accepted it. “I didn’t come here for the silver…”

“I know; that’s why I want to show my appreciation. No matter what happens, come find me—even if the sky falls, I’ll be there to hold it up for you.”

“Ah!” Xiaofeng wiped away her tears and nodded. Thankfully, she still had her big brother to rely on.

“I’ll go borrow a mule cart to take you both home later. Let’s go eat first.”

Xiaofeng put the silver away and went home to cook. Luo Xiu had already gotten up; he’d boiled some water and wiped both children’s hands and faces. When he saw Xiaofeng return, he hurriedly ushered her into the house.

“What’s the matter, Sister-in-law?”

Luo Xiu picked up a piece of fine cloth from the kang and said, “When you go back later, take this cloth with you and make a dress for Niuniu.” 

“No, no, no—I can’t accept this. My older brother already gave me silver.”

Luo Xiu said, “What he gave you is his own; this is a gift from me. We haven’t known each other long, but you’ve taken such good care of me—I’m truly grateful. I don’t have many relatives, so from now on, I’ll treat you like my own younger sister.”

Zheng Xiaofeng nodded happily. “Okay!”