Wei Hu pulled the thin blanket a little closer to him, but Song Ning was feeling hot at that moment; he stretched out his foot and kicked it aside. “It’s hot. Don’t cover me.”

Wei Hu pulled it back up over him. “Cover your belly button.”

Song Ning was wide awake now. Moonlight streamed through the half-open window and fell onto the floor, looking like a layer of white frost. A cricket in the corner of the wall was chirping away. Song Ning was in the best of moods right then and even felt like going out for a stroll.

“Brother Wei Hu, do you think I’ll make a good teacher?”

“You will.”

“Brother Wei Hu, you shouldn’t go hunting in the mountains anymore. Our mom’s shop is about to open, and she’ll have to get up early to make bread, buns, and flatbreads—she’ll definitely be too busy to handle it all. Why don’t you help our mom with the work instead?”

Wei Hu nodded in agreement, already thinking about his plans for the future.

Seeing that Wei Hu had agreed, Song Ning happily did two somersaults. “Then we can all go to town together as a family.”

Wei Hu reached out and touched Song Ning’s forehead—it was covered in sweat. He took his fan and fanned him a few times. “Go to sleep. It’s getting late.”

“I can’t sleep.”

Wei Hu lowered the bed curtain. “If you can’t sleep, do something else.”

Song Ning grumbled discontentedly, “No, it’s too hot.”

“Why are you being so fussy? I’ll wipe you down in a bit.”

In the heat of summer, Song Ning didn’t like getting too close to Wei Hu—it was sweltering. After fooling around for a while and working up a sweat, Song Ning stopped complaining about not being sleepy and drifted off into a drowsy slumber.

In less than two days, the wheat fields turned golden. Some families, fearing rain, had gone out to harvest their wheat two days early.

Now there were people standing at the edges of every field. Song Ning had never harvested wheat before, and seeing it for the first time filled her with excitement.

Chen Cuihua was busy with her small business in town, so she started two or three days later than the others—but it wasn’t too late; with her small plot of land, she could finish harvesting in a single day.

Chen Cuihua had already rented a new shop. While doing business these past few days, she’d told her regular customers in advance that she’d be moving locations soon, and that she’d offer some free snacks on the first day the new shop opened.

Regular customers who came to buy pastries heard that Chen Cuihua had rented a shop and offered their congratulations one after another. Chen Cuihua smiled and replied, “Be sure to come support me on opening day.”

Chen Cuihua knew that moving would inevitably mean losing some of her regulars. Her current spot was right at the entrance to the market, so many workers passing by would stop to buy her pancakes and buns.

Once she moved, they wouldn’t go out of their way just to buy her pastries, but Chen Cuihua wasn’t worried. “Auntie Chen’s” snack stand had already made a name for itself on this street, so she wasn’t afraid of losing customers.

After wrapping up her last day of business, Chen Cuihua happily headed home to help with the wheat harvest.

Early in the morning, the four of them ate breakfast and set off for the fields in an oxcart. They weren’t even that late—some families had already gone out to harvest wheat before dawn, afraid that it might suddenly rain.

Three mu of land wasn’t much. Song Ning had never harvested wheat before; holding a sickle and wearing a straw hat, he was eager to give it a try. Seeing how enthusiastic he was, Wei Hu taught him how to swing the sickle: “Grab a handful of wheat, apply a little pressure backward with the sickle, and it’ll come right off with one swipe.”

It looked pretty simple to Song Ning, and he nodded, “I’ve got it, I’ve got it.”

Wei Hu let him give it a try on his own; his family didn’t have much land and didn’t really need Song Ning’s help. He bent down and began cutting swiftly, piling the harvested wheat neatly on the ground.

Lan-ger had never cut wheat before either; his family didn’t own any land, and until then, he and his grandfather had made a living by playing the erhu for others.

Song Ning had thought it looked easy when Wei Hu and his mother were at it, but when he tried it himself, he realized he couldn’t cut through the stalks at all. Clutching a handful in his hand, he watched Wei Hu slice through them with a single swing of his sickle, while it took him two or three tries to get the same result. Under the blazing sun, he was sweating buckets.

Song Ning didn’t let that discourage him; he bent over, grunting and groaning, and began cutting his way along the row.

Don’t let Lan-ger’s small stature fool you—he didn’t mess around when it came to work. He helped out in the field by gathering the cut wheat into piles. He saw everyone else tying the wheat into bundles, but since he was too small to do it himself, he just piled it all together for Uncle Huzi to tie later.

Although Song Ning was cutting a bit slowly, he kept at it, making his way back and forth across the field. The wheat awns pricked his neck, making it itch, and mixed with the sweat running down his face, he felt uncomfortable all over.

Looking up, he saw everyone in the field busy harvesting wheat—boys of all ages were hard at work. Song Ning didn’t want them to make fun of him. It was just harvesting wheat, after all—he could do it too.

In this sweltering heat, he was already sweating after just a short while of reaping.

Chen Cuihua figured their plot wasn’t very big; even if she didn’t pitch in, Wei Hu could finish it all by himself in a day. Worried that Song Ning might get too tired, she called out to him, “Ning-ger, you and Lan go take a break over there. We don’t have much work left to do.”

“Mom, I can harvest—I’ve learned how.”

He couldn’t very well let Brother Wei Hu and his mother do all the farm work—he was part of the family, after all, and he could help too. Song Ning made his way through a row of wheat to Lan-ger’s side; the little guy was also drenched in sweat from the heat, his face flushed red.

Song Ning wiped his forehead with the handkerchief around her neck. “Go rest for a bit in the woods over there.”

Lan-ger shook his head. “Auntie Ning, I’m not tired.”

“Then go give our ox some water.”

“Okay.”

Lan-ger ran off to the edge of the field to give the ox some water. Their ox was tied up there, grazing on its own. Lan-ger took a basin, scooped some water from the stream, and gave it to the ox. Without taking a break, he ran right back.

Song Ning had originally wanted him to cool off at the field’s edge for a bit, but the ger came back to help gather the wheat.

After harvesting for a while, the group sat down at the edge of the field to drink some water. They were all drenched in sweat from the heat; Wei Hu’s short brown jacket was especially soaked through. Song Ning fanned him with his straw hat and said, “Brother Wei Hu, drink plenty of water.”

Wei Hu grunted in response, picked up the earthenware jug, and drank two bowls of water.

They were nearly finished harvesting the three mu of land by midday. Chen Cuihua took Lan-ger home to cook, leaving the two of them behind to keep an eye on the wheat in the field.

Wei Hu didn’t want to take a break; he wanted to finish the last bit before lunch. Song Ning followed suit. Although he worked a bit slower, an extra pair of hands always sped things up. Wei Hu told him to sit at the edge of the field, but Song Ning refused. “Brother Wei Hu, I’m not hot, and I’m not tired.”

Wei Hu had no choice but to pick up the pace. By then, someone had already arrived at the field carrying a basket of food. Standing on a hill, he called out loudly, and the workers in the field put down their sickles and came over to eat.

Wei Hu worked with nimble hands; in just a few more passes, the field was completely harvested.

Only then did Song Ning follow Wei Hu back to the edge of the field to rest. The breeze under the shade of the trees felt quite refreshing. Feeling sorry for Wei Hu, Song Ning dampened a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his neck. “Brother Wei Hu, you’ve worked so hard.”

Wei Hu chuckled. “It’s only three mu—how could that be hard work? Even if we had to harvest thirty mu, I wouldn’t think it was too much.”

“Anyway, you’ve worked hard.”

Song Ning snuggled up close to Wei Hu and cooed at him in a clingy way, which made Wei Hu feel like he could mow not just three mu, but even more land if he had to.

Wei Hu felt sorry for Song Ning, a ger from a wealthy family who was working alongside him. It was so hot out that his face was flushed red. Wei Hu took the straw hat off Song Ning’s head. “Song Ning, I’ll make sure you have a good life.”

Song Ning smiled, revealing a row of teeth as white as seashells. “I’m already living a good life right now.”

Song Ning didn’t think life in the countryside was hard. Wei Hu wouldn’t let him do any heavy labor, his mother treated him well, and she often gave him a good chunk of the wen she earned.

He’d heard from Qiu-ger that there wasn’t a single married couple in the village whose Fulang didn’t help out in the kitchen.

In the whole village, Wei Hu was the only man who doted on his Fulang like that, which made quite a few other married couples envious.

Chen Cuihua returned home shortly after; she’d taken Lan-ger home to eat first, then came over with a basket to bring the two of them lunch. The midday meal was cold noodles tossed with meat sauce, topped with crisp shredded cucumber—and with a spoonful of chili oil, it was incredibly fragrant.

Song Ning ate a full bowl, belching contentedly afterward. He then took a small melon from the basket, cut it open, and munched on half of it. Although it was extremely hot that day, it was still cool under the shade of the trees, and the sweat on his body had dried up—though he still felt a bit sticky.

After eating, the four of them sat at the edge of the field to rest. The sun was scorching at the moment, so they planned to wait until it wasn’t quite so intense before bundling the wheat and hauling it home to dry.

Since his family owned an oxcart, the work was much easier. Even little Lan-ger helped drive the ox, while Wei Hu and the other two loaded the wheat onto the cart. It only took a few trips to clear the three mu of wheat.

Lan-ger held a small basket and picked up stray ears of wheat in the field; some had fallen to the ground, and not wanting to waste any, he gathered them up. Song Ning and Chen Cuihua also joined in, and in no time, they had finished gathering the entire three mu.

The wheat was first taken home to air-dry for two days; once it was mostly dry, it would be taken to the threshing floor to be threshed. Right now, the courtyard was filled with bundles of wheat standing upright. Lan-ger kept running his hands over them—this was his family’s wheat. His grandfather had often said that if only they had their own land, they wouldn’t have to go hungry.

Everyone had been working in the fields all day; they were covered in either dirt or sweat. Song Ning boiled some water and called Lan Ge over to take a bath first. Even though Lan Ge was small, he was still a bit shy about bathing—he wouldn’t let Song Ning wash him, so he went into the house to wash up on his own.

This made Song Ning laugh. “What’s there to be shy about?”

Today marked the end of the wheat harvest—a joyous occasion. Chen Cuihua had prepared a much more lavish dinner than usual, serving up four dishes: stir-fried pork, pork slices steamed with soybean paste, a cold salad of cucumber and wood ear mushrooms, and braised green peppers and eggplant.

“Let’s eat. It’s been another bountiful year—I hope our granaries will be full by the time of the fall harvest,” Chen Cuihua said, offering a few words of good fortune, and everyone’s faces lit up with smiles.

The four of them ate their meal in a lively atmosphere. By this time, people from every household had just finished work and returned home to eat. With the new grain harvest in, everyone could afford to treat themselves to a piece of meat, and the aroma of cooking meat wafted from many homes.

After the wheat had been left to dry at home for two days, it was hauled to the open field at the village entrance to be threshed. Every household brought their wheat here to be threshed. This year, since the family had an ox, they no longer needed people to pull the stone roller by hand. The wheat was spread out on the clearing, and a big yellow ox pulled the stone roller back and forth over it, while a man stood nearby using a pitchfork to shake the chaff, causing the wheat grains to fall onto the ground.

Right now, there were a few other families threshing wheat on the clearing as well; their men were all pulling the stone rollers themselves, and they looked on with envy as they watched the Wei Hu family put their ox to work.

Having an ox at home made the work much easier; it took them nearly a full day to thresh the wheat from three mu of land.

The wheat on the threshing floor was swept up and packed into burlap sacks—there were a full seven or eight of them. After paying the taxes, what remained wasn’t enough to feed a family of four, but fortunately, Song Ning and the others were able to earn some wen, so they weren’t worried about running out of food at home.

The group worked hard at home for a while. After the wheat harvest, they planted a second crop of corn and cotton, and set aside a small plot for radishes and Chinese cabbage.

When deep winter came, and there wasn’t much to eat, the radishes and Chinese cabbage stored in the cellar would last them the whole winter.

Everyone had been in high spirits these past few days, with the grain piled up inside the house. Lan-ger was the happiest of all—with all this grain, he wouldn’t have to go hungry anymore.

After harvesting the crops, Chen Cuihua set off for town in her oxcart. Her shop was now ready for use. She got the key from the landlord, unlocked the door, and was pleasantly surprised to find some tables, chairs, and benches already inside. Chen Cuihua was quite happy—it saved her the trouble of making them herself. It was practically a free find.

The group worked together to tidy up the shop, cleaning it inside and out until it was spotless.

Wei Hu rented another courtyard nearby for two liang of silver a month. It consisted of a main house, a room to the east and one to the west, plus a livestock shed. Song Ning seemed quite satisfied with it; once they moved in, Lan-ger would have his own room.

Although they’d been busy these past few days, everyone had a smile on their face.

The opening date for Song Ning’s school was also set. Since they had taken in seven little ones, they were short of a set of desks and chairs, so they had Carpenter Ma make another set.

When it came time to move, the oxcart was packed to the brim with pots, pans, bowls, ladles, mattresses, trunks, and baskets. They even brought along the flock of chickens and ducks from the backyard; crammed into their cages, they chirped and clucked, creating quite a lively scene.

As for the little cat, which was too difficult to carry, they put it in a bamboo cage to take along; since Heidou and Huadou could run along behind, that saved quite a bit of trouble.

Knowing that Song Ning was moving to town today, Qiu-ger came over to see him off. He was quite reluctant to part with Song Ning; when Song Ning was home, he would often drop by to chat, but now that Song Ning was gone, he wouldn’t even have anyone to talk to.

Qiu-ger looked a little downcast, and Song Ning was also reluctant to part with him. He took his hand to comfort him, “It’s not like I’m never coming back. I’ll definitely be back when my leave is over. If you have some free time, ask Brother Dazhuang to take you to town to have some fun—it’s not that far away.”

Qiu-ger cheered up a little. “Then come back often. Ning-ger, you’re really something—you’ve even started your own school.”

“Take good care of yourself. When the baby is born, have Brother Dazhuang send me a message—I’ll come back to see you.”

“Sure, I’ll definitely do that.”

As Qiu-ger and Song Ning were talking, Granny Sun came over. She was worried about Qiu-ger being out alone, and since Chen Cuihua was moving here, she wanted to lend a hand and help out.

Chen Cuihua teased, “Once I head into town, you won’t have anyone to gossip with you anymore.”

Granny Sun blushed slightly. “Who’s been gossiping with your family?”

Chen Cuihua had gotten up early that morning; she’d packed everything the day before, so all she had to do was load it onto the oxcart. She needed to get there early to tidy up over there as well.

There was simply too much stuff on the oxcart—they’d only left a small space up front for Lan-ger to sit, so the three of them would have to walk to town.

Song Ning lifted Lan Ge and set him in the cart. “All right, Brother Wei Hu, let’s go.”

Lan-ger felt awkward sitting alone on the ox cart and shifted to get off, but Song Ning scowled at him to scare him, “Sit still, or you’ll fall off and hurt yourself.”

Only then did Lan-ger stop fidgeting, curling up into a little ball in front of the cart’s frame.

As they passed the village entrance, quite a few people craned their necks to watch. “Cuihua, they’re moving to town.”

“Yeah.”

“Will you ever come back?”

“Of course we’ll come back—my home is right here,” Chen Cuihua said irritably. What kind of question was that?

The oxcart, loaded to the brim, swayed its way down the road. Tiedan’s mother clicked her tongue. “So Lan-ger is off to live the good life with Wei Hu and his wife, too.”

“What’s there to envy? Why don’t you let your Tiedan go with them too?”

Tiedan’s mother was so flustered by the remark that she flung her sleeves and stormed off. Her Tiedan had both a father and a mother—why on earth would she envy a child no one wanted?

People used to say that Chen Cuihua’s family not only had a bad reputation but also struggled financially. Who would’ve thought that in such a short time, they’d moved to town with their whole family to start a business?

The group arrived in town early. Taking advantage of the cooler morning hours, they tidied up the place. The chicken coops and duck pens were already built, so all they had to do was let the chickens and ducks inside.

Chen Cuihua took great care of these chickens and ducks, raising each one until they were plump and round. They weren’t fully grown yet this year, but by next spring, they’d be laying eggs.

The old woman across the street was carrying a basin of water to pour onto the street. When she heard a commotion coming from the empty courtyard, she craned her neck to look over. Hearing the sounds of chickens and ducks inside, she wiped her hands on her clothes and came over.

A few people were busy carrying things into the house when Song Ning turned around and was startled to see the old woman crouching by the doorway. Thinking they were neighbors after all—and would be seeing each other all the time—he smiled at her.

The old woman strode into the courtyard as if she were an old friend. “Just moved in, huh? Where are you from?”

“We’re from Daliushu Village.”

The old woman walked around the room with her hands behind her back. Chen Cuihua was making the bed; when she looked up and saw the old woman, she was also startled. “Oh my, whose house is this? How did you just walk in without a word?”

The old woman smiled, revealing her teeth. “I live diagonally across from you. My surname is Wang—everyone calls me Old Lady Wang.”

Chen Cuihua patted her chest. “So you’re a neighbor! You snuck in so quietly, I thought a burglar had broken in.”

Granny Wang’s smile froze on her face. She stepped back out with her hands behind her back, but instead of leaving, she began wandering around the main room, inspecting every nook and cranny. Chen Cuihua watched her with some displeasure. What was going on? Was she here to snoop around and find out what her family was worth?

“Ning-ger, have you two finished tidying up your room? Once you’re done, close the door so flies don’t get in.”

Song Ning suppressed a smile and gave a brief reply before closing the main hall door.

Old Woman Wang narrowed her eyes and took another look at Wei Hu, then said to Song Ning, “So this is your husband.”

“Mm-hmm, my husband.”

“And this is your little ger? You two look so young, yet your child is already this big.”

“Yes, my son.”

Old Woman Wang walked around the house, inside and out, even counting exactly how many chickens and ducks were in their pens, which annoyed Chen Cuihua. Only after Chen Cuihua said a few words did the old woman finally take her time and leave.

Chen Cuihua followed her outside to take a look. The old woman had claimed to live diagonally across from her, but Chen Cuihua watched as she entered a house—it wasn’t diagonally across at all; it was actually several houses down the street.

Once back home, Old Woman Wang muttered under her breath, “Country bumpkins—won’t even let you take a look. What good could they possibly have?”

Chen Cuihua stepped into the courtyard. “Thank goodness that old woman doesn’t live too close to us. The way she was eyeing us up and down—if you didn’t know better, you’d think she’d come over for something else.”

Song Ning had also tidied up his room. He shared a room with Wei Hu, and the partitioned-off area still served as his study. The house in town was built of blue bricks and tiles, much more spacious and bright than the thatched huts in the countryside.

Wei Hu was tidying up the courtyard. The family’s large iron pot sat on the stove, with a fresh ring of yellow clay smeared around the rim, and the ox had been led into the livestock shed. Although the courtyard wasn’t as large as those in the countryside, it was clean.

There was even a jujube tree in the courtyard, heavy with fruit; in just over a month, they’d turn red.

Everyone was happy about moving into the new home today. Since Song Ning didn’t have many friends in town, he invited Bai Xiaoyun and his father over for dinner.

It was almost noon, so Chen Cuihua waved her hand and suggested they go eat on the street. Their courtyard was surrounded by other households, and it was only half an incense stick’s time to walk to the street where Chen Cuihua ran her business.

The family of four headed out. Chen Cuihua carried a basket on her wrist; she planned to buy some groceries on her way back, since they were expecting guests for dinner that evening.

Song Ning stood next to Wei Hu, still holding Lan-ger’s hand. A smile spread across his face. “What would you like to eat, Lan-ger?”

Lan-ger shook his head. “Anything’s fine.”

Although the wheat harvest was over, it was still hot outside. Song Ning spotted a vendor selling cold pea jelly on the street and stopped. “Brother Wei Hu, can we have some cold pea jelly?”

“Sure.”

Chen Cuihua saw they were having pea jelly. “Then I’ll go up ahead and buy four scallion pancakes. Ning-ger, you three sit here for now.”

The woman selling the jelly was a young lady who had set up a small stall by the roadside; it looked quite clean. Seeing customers arrive, she warmly invited them to sit down. “Sir, how many portions would you like?”

“Four.”

The woman selling the jelly deftly lifted the white cloth covering the earthenware bowl, cut a piece with a knife, held it in her hand to slice it into small strips, and placed them in a bowl. She then poured sauce and chili oil over the top to season it—it looked quite tempting.

Song Ning pushed the first bowl that arrived toward Lan-ger. “Eat up—it looks really good to me.”

The woman selling pea jelly smiled and said, “It won’t take long.”

Chen Cuihua had also returned from selling scallion pancakes; with one for each of them, paired with the cool and refreshing chili oil jelly, it went down a treat.

“I just saw a stall selling shrimp over there. I’ll buy some in a bit and make stir-fried shrimp for dinner.”

Chen Cuihua was very good at managing the household—knowing when to save and when to spend. It was already midday, and the shrimp didn’t even look like they were jumping anymore; she’d probably be able to get them a little cheaper if she waited a bit.

Song Ning nodded. “Mom, I’ll go pick out two pieces of fabric later. You can make Lan’er a new outfit to wear when school starts.”

“Sure. Get some fabric for yourself and Huzi too—I’ll make them both at the same time.”

Song Ning agreed. He might as well get a set for everyone in the family. Running the school hadn’t cost him much silver—Bai Xiaoyun didn’t charge him rent, and he’d only spent two or three taels on desks and chairs, plus renting a courtyard. He still had a few taels left.

“Huzi, when you have a chance, go outside town and gather some grass. There isn’t even a place to graze cattle in this town.”

The woman selling cold jelly chimed in when she heard Chen Cuihua say this, “No need to go outside town—that’s a bit too far. I don’t know where you live, Auntie, but there’s a grove not far from here with plenty of grass.”

Chen Cuihua said she lived in Gourd Alley. Upon hearing this, the woman selling cold noodles gasped, “So we’re neighbors! My family lives in Gourd Alley, too.”

The two chatted for a while. Song Ning sat at the small table quietly eating his meal; when he couldn’t finish the flatbread in his hand, he tore off a piece and gave it to Wei Hu. Seeing Song Ning do this, Lan-ger, who was sitting nearby, also handed over his flatbread. Song Ning chuckled and tore off a piece of Lan-ger’s flatbread to give to Wei Hu as well.

By now, Chen Cuihua had become acquainted with the woman, and they discovered that their homes were separated by just one empty courtyard.

After eating, it was time to buy some vegetables. Chen Cuihua reached into her waistband for some wen to pay, but the woman politely declined, saying, “We’re all neighbors on the same street—I won’t take your money, really.”

“How could you not take it? We’re both in business.”