SLH | Chapter 6

A Bowl of Wild Vegetable Porridge

The heavy snow stopped and then started again, looking like it would fall all night long before it was done.

Many folks in Yunxi Village still lived in mud houses with thatched roofs, worried they wouldn’t hold up and might collapse under the weight of the snow in the middle of the night. So, they got up to shovel the snow off their roofs.

Two young men from the Liu family also braved the cold wind, clearing the thick layer of snow that had fallen.

“Alright, let’s get back inside and sleep,” Liu Meng said as he climbed down the ladder. Noticing his younger brother heading to the kitchen instead of into the house, he rubbed his arms and asked, “Why aren’t you going inside? What are you doing in the kitchen?”

The stove was giving off faint sparks of fire, and Liu Hu approached it, warming his hands as he replied to his brother, “I’m chilled to the bone. Need to warm up a bit before going in.”

Liu Meng chuckled, teasing, “Getting married changes a man, huh? Now you know how to take care of yourself.”

“You warm up then. I’m heading back to sleep. Have to get up early tomorrow to work at Landlord Zhang’s place.”

Liu Hu nodded, and once the fire in the stove went out, he felt warm enough.

In the west room, Song Tingzhu hadn’t yet fallen asleep. He lay on his side facing the wall, and when he heard the door open, his fingers instinctively tightened around the quilt.

This was his first time sharing a bed with a man. Ever since his mother passed away, even Granny Liu hadn’t been this close to him.

The man behind him climbed into bed quietly, careful not to wake him, only pulling up a corner of the quilt.

Song Tingzhu sighed and turned to cover the man with the quilt. “In this cold weather, are you planning to catch a cold by only covering yourself with a corner of the quilt?”

Liu Hu whispered, “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“If I wake up, I’ll just go back to sleep.”

The bed, which had only been slightly warm, instantly became cozy when the man got in, like a big heater next to him, making him drowsy.

“Wife?”

After a short while, Liu Hu called softly.

Seeing no reaction from the person next to him, he propped himself up and blew out the candle.

—

The next day was bright and sunny. The Liu family got up early to clean the courtyard thoroughly. After breakfast, Liu Meng left for work at Landlord Zhang’s, while Liu Dasheng and Liu Hu went to town to look for some work.

Ruan Xiulian and her eldest daughter-in-law fed the chickens and ducks, then sat in the courtyard where the sun could reach them, doing embroidery. Liu Xiaomei played with her three-year-old nephew, weaving grasshoppers from straw.

After finishing an embroidered handkerchief, Tang Chunxing rubbed her sore shoulders and glanced at the west room.

“Mom, why is Brother Zhu still not up? I hope nothing’s wrong.”

Ruan Xiulian quickly spat in response, scolding, “The new year isn’t over yet, don’t say such unlucky things!”

But if the eldest daughter-in-law hadn’t mentioned it, she might have forgotten that there was now an extra person in the house.

“Lingzhi, go see if your sister-in-law’s husband is awake.”

“Okay!”

Liu Xiaomei handed the woven grasshopper to Xia Ge’er and lifted her skirt as she headed to the west room.

“Sister-in-law’s husband?” She knocked cautiously on the door, and when there was no response, she pressed her ear against it.

“Still not awake?” Liu Xiaomei muttered quietly. She was about to turn and leave when she heard a pleasant yet slightly weak voice from inside, “Come in.”

Inside, Song Tingzhu was leaning against the headboard, wrapped in a quilt. His face was still pale, his lips devoid of color, looking like an ethereal figure on the verge of ascending to the heavens, devoid of vitality.

When Liu Xiaomei entered, this was the scene she saw. The little girl, at eleven or twelve, was at an age where she appreciated beauty. Yesterday, when Song Tingzhu’s veil was blown off by the wind, she was captivated by his appearance and had been thinking about it since. Seeing him now, she was both nervous and excited, filled with more panic and worry.

Her sister-in-law’s husband seemed very ill, with wrists as thin as her own.

Seeing the little girl staring at him without speaking, Song Tingzhu’s lips curled into a faint smile.

“You must be Liu Xiaomei.”

“Yes.” Liu Xiaomei nodded, a shy blush appearing on her dark, skinny face. “Mom asked me to see if sister-in-law’s husband was awake.”

Song Tingzhu covered his mouth and coughed lightly. Before he could speak, Liu Xiaomei exclaimed, “Oh no!”

“Second Brother cooked some medicine for sister-in-law’s husband before he left. It’s been kept warm on the stove. I’ll go fetch it and bring you some food!”

With that, she lifted her skirt and hurried out.

The little girl moved quickly, returning in no time with the medicine. She also brought in a bowl of thin porridge with floating vegetable leaves.

Song Tingzhu had slept well last night, and this morning he felt a bit stronger, even his appetite had improved. As he ate breakfast, he noticed a two or three-year-old child peeking from behind Liu Xiaomei. Upon closer inspection, it was a little boy.

This must be Xia Ge’er, Liu Hu’s brother’s child. Yesterday, in a daze, he vaguely heard the elder sister-in-law say she was taking Xia Ge’er back to her parents’ home. It seemed they hadn’t left.

“Xia Ge’er, why are you hiding behind me?” Liu Xiaomei pushed him forward and introduced him to Song Tingzhu, “Sister-in-law’s husband, this is Xia Ge’er. He’s shy and afraid of strangers, but it’s definitely not because he doesn’t like you.”

The little boy was small and thin, even with the padded clothes, you could tell he was underweight. His cheeks were a bit plump, making him look adorably soft.

Seeing Xia Ge’er staring at the bowl, Song Tingzhu asked, “Are you hungry?”

Xia Ge’er shook his head, “Not hungry…”

His voice was small, and his gaze at Song Tingzhu was filled with curiosity and exploration. But just after saying he wasn’t hungry, his stomach growled loudly.

Xia Ge’er covered his stomach, blushing with embarrassment.

Song Tingzhu chuckled and patted the edge of the bed, “Come here.”

Xia Ge’er looked confused, taking small steps forward. A spoonful of fragrant porridge was offered to him.

He hesitated for a moment, then swallowed, his young voice saying, “Xia Ge’er isn’t hungry, Uncle should eat.”

Liu Xiaomei also urged, “This porridge was specially made for sister-in-law’s husband by Mom, and Xia Ge’er already ate breakfast.”

But there wasn’t any porridge…

Xia Ge’er, being young, couldn’t hide his thoughts. His bright eyes were fixed on the bowl, swallowing repeatedly.

Song Tingzhu originally thought the Liu family all ate the same meal, not expecting to be given special treatment. He frowned slightly and gently asked Xia Ge’er what he had eaten for breakfast.

Xia Ge’er counted on his fingers, “Wild vegetable buns, wild vegetable soup, and meat. Xia Ge’er had two slices!”

The little boy’s eyes sparkled, but Song Tingzhu felt a pang of discomfort. He handed the bowl to Xia Ge’er, rubbing the boy’s head, “Uncle can’t finish it. It’s not good to waste food, so please help Uncle eat it.”

“Okay~”

Xia Ge’er held the bowl of porridge with care, his little feet dangling off the bed, gently swinging, his top knot swaying with him.

Song Tingzhu reached out to touch it, then turned to Liu Xiaomei and asked, “Didn’t the family just have a banquet? Why is there no food?”

Liu Xiaomei replied, “Everyone left early yesterday, and the food wasn’t even served. Mom was worried about gossip, so she had me and big sister-in-law distribute the food this morning, only keeping some that would last.”

The little girl, watching his expression, whispered, “The family doesn’t have much money. Mom said we need to save to buy fields and seeds. We have to be frugal with the food. Once Second Brother finds steady work in the spring, things will get better.”

Song Tingzhu nodded, thinking that without this marriage, the Liu family’s life wouldn’t be so hard.

Though he had been kept in the separate courtyard, he knew how tough life was for farming families. Ten taels of silver wasn’t much for the Song family, but it would take the Liu family years of hard work to earn. Now that the money was given away, they got a sickly person in return. He wouldn’t blame them if they were resentful.

Xia Ge’er had already eaten half the bowl of porridge and was now carefully licking the bottom. Watching him, Song Tingzhu felt a wave of tenderness and couldn’t help but pat the little boy’s yellowed hair.

“Is the porridge good?”

“Good.” Xia Ge’er’s eyes turned into little crescents, “Thank you, Uncle~”

“You’re welcome.”

After lying in bed for most of the morning, Song Tingzhu felt bored. He looked at the window, curious about the outside world. Yesterday’s commotion had left his head buzzing, making it hard to notice anything else. He only remembered the sunset was beautiful, more so than any he’d seen in Xunyang.

“Xiaomei, could you open the window for me?”

Liu Xiaomei frowned, “No, Second Brother said sister-in-law’s husband is still weak and shouldn’t be exposed to the wind.”

Song Tingzhu said, “Just for a moment.”

His sister-in-law was so beautiful that being looked at by those pretty eyes made Liu Xiaomei’s ears turn red. She puffed her cheeks and held up a finger, “Only for a little while. If the wind comes in, I’ll close it immediately!”

Song Tingzhu smiled at the little girl, “Alright.”

Ruan Xiulian and her daughter-in-law were sitting under the courtyard wall doing embroidery. Seeing the window of the west room open, they frowned disapprovingly.

“Why is the window open? Close it quickly.”

“Yes, your sister-in-law’s husband is already unwell. If he catches a chill, it’ll cost more money for medicine.”

“I know.” Liu Xiaomei pouted unhappily after being scolded. She was about to close the window when her sister-in-law’s husband spoke gently, “Mother, Big Sister-in-law, I asked Xiaomei to open it. It’s a bit stuffy in here, and I wanted to let in some fresh air.”

Ruan Xiulian remembered Doctor Zhou’s advice not to keep the windows and doors closed all the time, to let in fresh air occasionally. So she nodded, “Alright, staying cooped up inside all the time isn’t good for you. Lingzhi, keep your sister-in-law’s husband company and chat a bit.”

“Okay.”

Tang Chunxing said sarcastically, “The chicken coop still needs cleaning. There’s no time for chatting.”

Ruan Xiulian glanced at her daughter-in-law, “Why make Xiaomei do it? It’s not like there’s no one else in the house. Didn’t you just say embroidering handkerchiefs was straining your eyes? Perfect time to clean the chicken coop and rest your eyes.”

Tang Chunxing’s face fell, and she reluctantly got up.

The small courtyard returned to peace. Song Tingzhu, observing the scene outside, finally understood how difficult life was for the Liu family. The small courtyard was no bigger than a storage room at the Song family estate.

His new husband had even said he would earn money to treat his illness. Even with the Song family’s wealth, they couldn’t cure him, let alone the Liu family, who lived in a mud house without even a proper roof.

Song Tingzhu clutched the money pouch hidden under his pillow. His eyes, already lacking luster, were now as still as a dead pond, without a single ripple.

Author’s Note:
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