Thanks to RayRay and Sam for the Kofis. Enjoy the bonus chapters.

When Lin Yu saw that Wei Qingshan truly liked ger, he thought about how ger were not like girls or boys. If they encountered a biased family, they would not be treated well.

Just like Sang Niang next door, who had been tormented by Qian Laotai for several years because she gave birth to a ger. But now her family’s life had also improved.

The two of them chatted for a while and then went to rest. That night, Lin Yu had a dream. He dreamed of two chubby little children fighting in a field of snow-white flowers. Lin Yu quickly pulled the two little ones apart, one in each hand. “Don’t fight.”

One little one had a small topknot tied on his head, and the other had a red string on his head. The little chubby one with the topknot said fiercely, “I was the one who grabbed it first, you don’t grab with me.”

The other one with the red string pouted unhappily. “No, it was clearly me who grabbed it first.”

Lin Yu could not understand what the two little ones were talking about. “What are you grabbing?”

The one with the red string hugged Lin Yu’s leg. “You tell me, do you want me or him?”

Lin Yu really liked the two chubby little ones. “Can’t I have both?”

“No, why are you so greedy? You can only have one.”

The other little one with the topknot also hugged Lin Yu’s leg, sitting his little bottom on Lin Yu’s foot. “I came first, you should want me.”

“You want me!”

“You want me!”

As they spoke, the two little ones started fighting again, rolling into a ball on the grass with their little fleshy arms. Lin Yu looked at one and then the other, troubled. “Don’t fight. If you get dirty, it won’t look good.”

The little one with the topknot looked up at Lin Yu. “Say you want me!”

The little one with the red headstring could not beat the one with the topknot. He pouted, his big eyes filling with tears. “You should want me, I like you.”

Lin Yu looked at this one, then at that one. “Really, can’t I have both?”

“No, you can only have one, hmph!” The little one with the topknot looked at Lin Yu and was about to cry, too.

Lin Yu panicked a little. Both chubby little children were looking at him with eager eyes. He could not decide for a moment, only feeling that he liked both very much.

The little one with the topknot grew angry, pouted, and looked so wronged that he was about to cry. “Forget it, if you won’t choose, I’m leaving.”

Lin Yu grabbed him. “Don’t go.”

The little one with the red headstring let his tears fall with a splat. “You want him and not me, I’m leaving.”

Lin Yu quickly reached out to grab the one with the red headstring. “No, no.”

Both little ones looked at Lin Yu with tear-filled eyes. “Which one do you want?”

“Can I first take one home and then take the other later?”

The two little ones’ eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Mm!” Lin Yu nodded repeatedly.

Before Lin Yu could decide which one to take home first, the one with the topknot gave the red headstring a push. “He’s thinner than me, you take him first. But don’t forget to take me, I’ll wait for you, hurry up, I’m going to play.”

After saying that, the little one with the topknot ran off and disappeared. The one with the red headstring hugged Lin Yu’s neck. “Let’s go home.”

Lin Yu slept until the sun was high. He opened his slightly sticky eyelids and rubbed his head. The dream was a bit hazy yet so real. He seemed to have dreamed of two chubby little children.

Lin Yu let out a laugh. It must have been because yesterday he and Wei Qingshan had talked about whether they liked ger or boys more.

When Lin Yu woke up, there was no one beside him. Wei Qingshan had already gotten up. He also got dressed and got out of bed.

Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu were watering the vegetable garden. Not seeing Wei Qingshan’s figure, when Zhao Yueniang saw that Lin Yu was up, she went to get the food. “Brother, you’re awake.”

“Where’s your brother-in-law?”

“He went to cut grass for the mule.”

While Lin Yu was eating, Wei Qingshan came back carrying a bamboo basket on his back. He dumped the grass in the yard to dry. “You’re up.”

After eating, the weather was still not hot, so the four of them went to the fields to check on the crops. It was almost time to harvest. Right now, quite a few people are walking around in the fields looking at the crops, just waiting for them to ripen so they can finally have full meals.

Lin Yu saw that there were already some people cutting wheat in the fields. The wheat was not ripe yet, it was still green when cut, but since there was no food left at home, some people would cut some to take back, grind it into mash, and eat it. It was still better than going hungry.

Looking at Lin Yu’s family’s fields, Shi Xiaoliu gasped. “How much grain are you going to harvest?”

Shi Xiaoliu was very envious. He thought that with so much grain, they definitely would not go hungry.

The four of them walked in circles around the edge of the fields and then went back home. Wei Qingshan said to harvest the dry fields first, then harvest the paddy fields after they dried a bit more.

“Hire some people to come work. Our land isn’t little.” Lin Yu said. There were five mu of land in total, and right now the only able-bodied laborer at home was Wei Qingshan. Harvesting all five mu of crops would not be easy.

“Alright, there are plenty of families in the village with little land. I’ll find two or three people, and that should be enough.”

In the afternoon, He Dongdong brought Yun-ger and Lei-zi over. “I heard you came back. How come you didn’t come find me to play?”

When he heard Lin Yu had returned, He Dongdong was very happy, so he brought the two little ones over. Yun-ger ran over with quick little steps, but Wei Qingshan grabbed Yun-ger’s clothes and lifted him onto his shoulders. “You can’t go pouncing on your A-Ma anymore.”

He Dongdong was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then a look of joy appeared on his face. “You’re pregnant?”

Lin Yu smiled and nodded. “Almost three months now, you still can’t tell when just looking.”

He Dongdong was already a little father, and when he heard Lin Yu was pregnant, he was so happy he spun around twice on the spot like a child. “That’s great, that’s great! No wonder you didn’t come find me when you came back.”

Seeing his little father so happy, Yun-ger, who was sitting on Wei Qingshan’s shoulders, also started to wiggle around. “Hee-hee-hee~”

After He Dongdong finished being happy, he straightened his face. “You two listen, you can’t go pouncing on your A-Ma anymore. You have to walk over slowly, and you can’t let your A-Ma carry you either. You’re both big now, heavy like little piglets.”

Lei-zi nodded obediently. “Got it, little father.”

When Yun-ger heard this, he pouted. “Like, A-Ma, carry.”

“No.” He Dongdong looked at the mischievous Yun-ger.

He really did not know how he was born like this. Clearly, Yun-ger was a little ger, but he was even more mischievous than Lei-zi, that brat. Every day, he was either crawling into the pigpen or the chicken coop, and if you didn’t watch him for a while, he would run and plop his butt right into the water, making He Dongdong so mad his head hurt.

Wei Qingshan played with Yun-ger for a while before putting him down. The little one had had quite a lot of fun sitting on his shoulders.

Lin Yu went into the house and got some malt sugar. The two little ones sucked on it happily, while he and He Dongdong sat under the shady tree and talked.

He Dongdong asked, “When are you planning to start harvesting?”

“Qingshan said in two days he would harvest it.”

“When the time comes, let Shi Tou and my big brother and second brother go help out, don’t be embarrassed, my family has many people who can come.”

Lin Yu repeatedly refused. At harvest time, every household was too busy to manage, and the He family’s and the Shi family’s land was not small either. How could he let them come help? Besides, the thing most feared during harvest time was rain. All land should be harvested before rain comes, every family would be busy.

“Qingshan said it’s fine to just find someone to help harvest. Your family won’t have time during the busy farming season either. There are plenty of families in the village with little land, we’ll just hire people.”

Only then did He Dongdong give up. “Alright then.”

He lowered his head and saw the silver bracelet on Lin Yu’s hand. It was new, very delicate. “Ah, Yu-ger, your silver bracelet is so pretty.”

Lin Yu’s silver bracelet was round, with delicate wave patterns and swimming fish designs. The new bracelet looked very beautiful in the sunlight. He Dongdong held Lin Yu’s hand and looked at it for a long time. “Really pretty.”

He Dongdong thought to himself that such a fine bracelet must have cost quite a few silver coins.

Lin Yu smiled. He also really liked the silver bracelet Wei Qingshan had given him. With the silver bracelet on his wrist, he was no longer afraid of losing it.

He Dongdong’s eyes were full of envy. “When the harvest at home gets better, I’ll save for a year or two and get myself a silver bracelet too.”

He Dongdong and Lin Yu talked about things to pay attention to during pregnancy. Lin Yu listened seriously and nodded again and again. At that time, He Dongdong had Shi Tou’s mother take care of her. Lin Yu’s family had no one experienced, so it was good to listen.

While the two were talking, Wei Qingshan was also listening by the side. From time to time, he would bring the two of them some tea, then sit on the side sharpening the sickle, waiting for the next two days to first harvest the wheat in the dry fields.

Yun-ger liked to stick close to Lin Yu, obediently lying on Lin Yu’s lap. Lin Yu couldn’t help tugging on Yun-ger’s hair and playing with it. The child’s hair was soft, like a chick’s down feathers.

He Dongdong stayed and played with the two little ones for a while before leaving. The two little ones raced each other running forward, and He Dongdong shouted from behind, “You two slow down, if you keep running, I’ll spank you!”

The more Yun-ger was called, the faster he ran. He ran straight into someone’s leg in front of him, and Lian-ger quickly supported him. Only then did the little one not fall on his butt. Lian-ger’s face had a smile. “Why are you running so fast?”

Yun-ger grinned, revealing a row of small millet teeth. Lian-ger wiped the sweat on his forehead. “Slow down.”

He Dongdong came up behind, bringing Lei-zi along. “Lian-ger, where are you going?”

“I’m going to take a look at my maternal home.” Lian-ger didn’t like to talk much, he said two more sentences to He Dongdong, then left.

He Dongdong grabbed one child with each hand. “Walk slower, both of you.”

Lian-ger walked toward home with a basket on his back, his face carrying a smile. Yesterday, Shunzi had come back from town, bringing back half a bag of rice, two strips of meat, and two packets of candied fruits.

Yesterday, Lian-ger had stir-fried meat and steamed rice. The wheat in the field was also about to be harvested, and Shunzi now had work. Their family’s life would be a lot more relaxed.

That night, Shunzi had given him a small silver tael. In all the years since Lian-ger had married into the family, he had never seen a silver tael at home. Holding the silver tael in his hands, he had cried.

Shunzi had always been grateful that Lian-ger’s family did not look down on him for being poor and had still married him to Lian-ger. So he deliberately bought two portions of things — keeping one for their own household, and giving one to Lian-ger to take to his maternal home.

Now that the weather was hot, the meat couldn’t be stored for long, and it was just the time to return to the maternal home when the harvest season came. Lian-ger packed half a dou of rice, put the meat and a packet of candied fruits into the basket, and early this morning set out to return to his maternal home.

Lian-ger’s maternal home was remote, deep in a mountain ravine. He walked for an hour before arriving. His maternal home was poor, too. His older brother had just barely managed to marry a wife, and he still had two younger siblings. The whole family, seven or eight adults and children, squeezed into two broken-down houses. In winter, when there weren’t enough quilts, they all slept together on a kang bed for warmth.

He remembered when he was young, during winter, three people squeezed under one broken cotton quilt. If someone went to the outhouse at night, when they came back, they would find that even the spot to sleep was gone.

Lian-ger carried the basket to the door of the house and saw his mother squatting in the courtyard, rubbing green wheat. His younger siblings were also rubbing and eating at the same time. There was no food at home, and they couldn’t starve to death, so they had to first cut green wheat to eat.

Lian-ger called out, “Mother, I’m back.”

“Lian-ger is back, hurry and come in.” Lian-ger’s mother stood up. This elderly woman, who had toiled her whole life, already had white hair, wore shabby clothes, and her steps were somewhat unsteady.

Lian-ger’s sister-in-law also came out of the house. His sister-in-law was also a ger, and after the New Year had given birth to a child. The child wasn’t very big yet and cried from hunger while being held. “Lian-ger is here.”

“Sister-in-law, I brought some rice, cook it, and give it to the child.”

“Ah.” Lian-ger’s sister-in-law had not expected that he would bring rice this time.

Lian-ger’s mother lifted the cover of the basket and froze in the courtyard. She picked up the meat in the basket in disbelief, holding the piece of meat and asking Lian-ger’s father, “Old man, is this meat?”

Lian-ger’s father didn’t even lift his head. “Old woman, you’re dreaming, where would meat come from?”

The family hadn’t tasted meat for so many years that he had almost forgotten what meat tasted like. Before, when the family had been poor, it was good enough to just have food to eat. From last year until now, they had suffered disaster, and even eating wild vegetables hadn’t been enough to fill their stomachs.

Lian-ger’s mother’s eyesight was somewhat failing. She held the meat, afraid to believe it. She carried the meat into the courtyard. “Hey, is this meat?”

Lian-ger’s sister-in-law cried out, “Mother, it really is meat!”

Lian-ger’s mother’s hand shook, and she dropped the meat on the ground. “My heavens, it really is meat.”

Seeing the meat fall to the ground, Lian-ger’s sister-in-law panicked. “Mother, why did you throw it on the ground?”

She quickly handed the child to Lian-ger. “Mother, I’ll cook at noon, don’t waste the meat.” Lian-ger’s sister-in-law hurriedly picked up the meat. Luckily, it was meat — if it had been the candy that fell, they would have had to pick it up piece by piece.

Lian-ger held the child and coaxed him. “Sister-in-law, there’s also a packet of candy in the basket, take it out and give it to them to eat.”

“There’s candy too!”

The whole family ran to look at the basket, and sure enough, there was a square packet inside. His eldest brother carefully untied it and laid it out on the table. Never mind that they didn’t know what meat tasted like, even the taste of candy had long been forgotten.

The third child wanted to reach out and take one, but was slapped on the hand by the eldest. “I’ll divide it for you.”

The eldest took out a knife and cut a small sugar dumpling into three pieces, each person getting only a piece the size of a fingernail. Lian-ger came over holding the child. “Big brother, let’s give everyone one each, there’s so much.”

There were more than ten pieces of various candies in this packet, but each person had only been given such a tiny piece.

“It’s fine, let’s save it and eat it sparingly.”

Each member of the family only ate a fingernail-sized piece. The third and fourth children held theirs in their hands, reluctant to eat, licking them bit by bit, smacking their lips as they ate. “It’s really so sweet.”

Lian-ger’s mother also said, “I thought I wouldn’t get to eat meat and candy again before I died.”

“Mother, what nonsense are you saying?”

The remaining candies were carefully packed up and locked away by Lian-ger’s mother. Such precious things were only to be taken out and eaten during the New Year and holidays, how could they be eaten every day?

Lian-ger felt a stab of pain watching them. Though he had married Shunzi and was still poor, it was still much better than life at his maternal home.