novelraw Chapter 224 - 220: A Family in the Mountains (1)
Chapter 224 - 220: A Family in the Mountains (1)
Lin Lan grabbed a handful of fruit candies from her bag and gave two to each child. The children happily unwrapped them and popped them into their mouths.
A villager who recognized Lin Guoliang looked at Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang curiously, calling out with a smile, "Guoliang, you were just here! How are you back already? Bringing more things for your aunt?"
Lin Guoliang laughed. "I brought my younger sister and brother-in-law to visit and get to know the family."
One of the children who had gotten candy from Lin Lan ran down toward Qiaohui’s house, shouting, "Aunt Wu, you have relatives visiting!"
A tall, thin middle-aged man came out of Wu Shufang’s house. Seeing Lin Guoliang, he happily walked up the slope toward them. "Guoliang, what brings you back again?"
Lin Guoliang smiled. "Eldest Cousin, I brought my sister and brother-in-law to see Auntie."
An old woman also came up to greet them, panting. She looked at Lin Lan and said hesitantly, "Eh? You’re... Little Lan!"
Lin Lan looked at the old woman, whose graying hair made her look like she was in her sixties or seventies. ’She must be Wu Shufang,’ Lin Lan thought. Just as she was about to greet her, Lin Guoliang said:
"Little Lan, Xiangyang, this is our aunt! And this is our eldest cousin, Shi Tou."
Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang smiled and called out, "Auntie! Eldest Cousin."
Li Xiangyang took out a cigarette and handed it to Zhou Shitou, who accepted it with both hands. "Cousin, Brother-in-law, welcome! Please, come inside and have a seat." As he spoke, he took the reins of the mule Li Xiangyang was leading and warmly invited the three of them into his home.
The three men walked ahead while Wu Shufang took Lin Lan’s hand with her own calloused one. Her eyes reddened. "Little Lan, the last time I saw you, you were just a girl of about ten. So many years have passed in a flash."
"Your mother came by last time and said you’re doing well now. Your auntie is so happy for you. I’m sorry Qiaohui is causing you trouble over there. If she misbehaves, don’t hesitate to discipline her. Don’t you worry about sparing my feelings."
Lin Lan smiled. "It’s no trouble at all. Qiaohui is a very sensible girl."
As she spoke, Wu Shufang took out a handkerchief to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I know," she said gratefully. "Your mother worries about me, and you want to help your auntie too. All these years, we’ve relied on support from your family and your younger aunt’s family. It’s the only reason life hasn’t been so difficult, and it’s how your two cousins were able to start their own families."
By then, they had arrived at the Zhou family’s home. Zhou Dashi stood at the entrance to the courtyard, a wide smile on his face. His back was stooped and his hair was gray. His thin, sallow face was covered in wrinkles, and he wrung his veiny hands together. "Guoliang, you and your brother-in-law, hurry inside and sit."
Wu Shufang led Lin Lan into the courtyard, followed by some curious relatives who had come to see what was going on.
The Zhou family’s house was also built of stone, with a traditional layout of three main rooms and attached side rooms. There was also a small courtyard, and the slope below it was planted full of greens and radishes.
The main hall was shallow. The dirt floor inside had been tamped down and was relatively flat. A lamp was lit in the hall, and in its dim yellow glow, they could see the room contained nothing but an old square table and a few benches.
Three children ran in from outside. Standing at the doorway, they called out to Lin Guoliang, "Uncle!" then stood to the side, shyly watching Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang.
Lin Lan saw that the oldest boy was about eleven or twelve, and his clothes had fewer patches. The younger grandson, around nine years old, was probably wearing his older brother’s hand-me-downs. His clothes were covered in so many layers of patches that none of the original fabric was visible.
The youngest, a granddaughter of five or six, was dressed in similarly patched clothes, their original color almost completely obscured. The good thing was, although the three siblings’ clothes were patched, they were all washed clean.
’I had no idea Wu Shufang’s family was in such dire straits,’ Lin Lan thought. ’I’ll entrust the task of collecting goods from this area to them. They can help collect pumpkins and beans, just like Li Guizhi, and deliver them to the Lin family in Shilian. That way, they can earn some money to supplement their household income.’
Wu Shufang pointed at Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang and told the children, "Call them Auntie and Uncle."
"Auntie, Uncle," the three children called out, their faces blushing.
"Good kids!" Lin Lan grabbed a handful of fruit candies from her bag for each of the three siblings. When she saw a few of the relatives’ children staring eagerly, their fingers in their mouths, she gave them a few each as well.
"OOH! OOH! We got candy!" The children took the candy, cheered, and ran off.
The eldest cousin’s wife, Xu Hongju, came out of a room carrying a large black pottery kettle in one hand and several earthenware bowls in the other. "Guoliang, Brother-in-law, Cousin, please have some tea."
Wu Shufang said apologetically, "Little Lan, Xiangyang, this is just some local tea we picked ourselves in the mountains."
Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang felt their hosts were being too polite, which made them feel a little awkward. "Auntie, you’re being too formal. The mountain tea is delicious."
As they spoke, they both picked up their tea bowls. The tea was clear and bright. It was slightly bitter at first, but the aftertaste was cool, crisp, and sweet.
Li Xiangyang smiled. "Auntie, you must have used mountain spring water for this tea!"
"Yes!" Zhou Dashi said with a smile. "There are two springs up on the mountain. A long time ago, people built stone pools around them and hollowed out bamboo stalks to pipe the water down. The dozens of families here in Shishanling all rely on those two springs for their daily water. Once you get used to our water, you feel like no other water tastes as good."
Li Xiangyang nodded in agreement. "This water really is better than any other spring water I’ve tasted."
As Lin Lan drank, she thought, ’This water’s quality puts that famous bottled spring water to shame. It wasn’t just a little better; it was a whole different league.’
Wu Shufang went to the kitchen and told her eldest daughter-in-law to slaughter a chicken. She sent Zhou Dashan to buy a wild rabbit and a pheasant from one of the hunters in the village. Next, she had her eldest son, Zhou Shitou, start a charcoal fire to warm their guests. Finally, she went inside, scooped some chestnuts out of a basket, and brought them out for everyone to roast.
Zhou Shitou carried the back-basket Lin Guoliang had given him into a room. "Ma, Cousin said these are all from our younger cousin and her husband."
"How can we accept this? They bring so much every time." Wu Shufang handed him the chestnuts. "Cut a slit in each one with a knife so your cousin and the others can roast them."
Zhou Shitou nodded, took the chestnuts, and went back to the main hall.
Wu Shufang took the things out of the back-basket and laid them on the bed: salt, brown sugar, fabric, medicine, and also rice and flour. Looking at all these items, she was so moved that tears streamed down her face.
’Qiaohui must have told her cousin that we were short on salt. I wonder how many favors Little Lan had to call in to buy so much of it? And this white flour, this fabric, and the medicine... Forget not having money, you can’t buy these things even if you have money in a remote mountain village like this!’
In the main hall, Lin Lan, Li Xiangyang, Lin Guoliang, and Zhou Shitou gathered around an earthenware basin, roasting and eating chestnuts.
Zhou Shitou raked the hot chestnuts out of the fire and placed them in front of Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang. "Cousin, Brother-in-law, have some chestnuts."
"Thank you!"
Lin Lan picked up a chestnut, but before she could peel it, Li Xiangyang placed a peeled one in her hand. "Try this. I think the chestnuts from the mountains are sweeter and softer than the ones from outside."
Lin Guoliang nodded with a smile. "The chestnuts here are definitely sweeter and softer than ours."
Zhou Shitou laughed. "The brigade leader says it’s colder in Shishanling than outside, so the chestnuts and fruits take longer to ripen, which makes them taste better."
Lin Lan nodded and asked, "Eldest Cousin, what kind of mountain goods do you have here? Is there a lot of variety?"