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◎The King of Scrolls, Day Thirty-Six◎
After kneading the last lump of dough, Jiang Wanzhou's arms ached so much she could barely lift them.
The head chef squatted in front of the stove adding firewood: "The dough has risen fairly well."
Without looking up, he flipped the pan with the spatula, releasing the aroma of scallions. "I'll start making steamed buns tomorrow. I have to come over when the rooster crows."
Jiang Wanzhou hummed in agreement and picked up a rag to wipe the work surface.
When she got home, Shen Xinglian was standing in the yard collecting clothes.
"How's the cafeteria?" Shen Xinglian folded her clothes into the basket, her movements a beat faster than usual.
"It's alright." Jiang Wanzhou took the basket, her fingertips touching Shen Xinglian's hand. "The head chef is quite strict."
Shen Xinglian glanced into the room and lowered her voice: "Sister Liu came over just now and said that Sister Zhao was saying behind your back that you stole the job she wanted to do to help out at the cafeteria."
Jiang Wanzhou paused for a moment: "She didn't say she was going."
"Who knows?" Shen Xinglian sighed, picking up the clothes and stuffing them into the basket. "Things on the island are hard to explain."
A strong wind picked up during the night, and Jiang Wanzhou was awakened by the noise from the window.
She got up to close the window and saw Shen Xinglian sitting in the living room, her hand on her stomach, her face pale.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Wanzhou asked. "Where's my brother?"
"It hurts a little." Shen Xinglian bit her lip, cold sweat beading on her forehead. "I've gone on a mission."
Jiang Wanzhou touched her hand: "I'll go ask Aunt Sun, she knows a lot."
She threw on a coat and ran outside; the wind rushed into her collar, making her shiver.
The light was still on in Grandma Sun's house, and a hunched shadow was cast on the window paper.
Jiang Wanzhou knocked on the door, and Sun Da Niang's voice came from inside, a little muffled: "Who is it?"
"Auntie, it's me, Wanzhou."
The door creaked open, and Grandma Sun, wearing an old cotton-padded coat, saw that Jiang Wanzhou's eyes were red, as if she had just been crying.
"What's wrong?"
"My sister-in-law has a stomachache, you should see..."
"Go to the front and find Dr. Zhang. He came with the army and knows obstetrics."
She pushed Jiang Wanzhou toward the door, her voice harsh, "Go back now, your sister-in-law is waiting."
As Jiang Wanzhou walked home, she saw that the light was on at Aunt Zhao's house, and she could vaguely hear arguing inside.
Shen Xinglian drank some hot water, and the pain subsided a bit. She leaned against the kang (a heated brick bed) and breathed heavily.
What did Aunt Sun say?
"Tell her to see Dr. Zhang if the pain continues." Jiang Wanzhou placed the medicine packet on the table. "She doesn't seem very happy."
Shen Xinglian was silent for a while, then suddenly said, "I heard Lin Xiaomei say the other day that Aunt Sun's husband injured his leg while repairing a boat and it hasn't fully healed yet. All the housework is done by Aunt Zhao and the others, and it seems like they've been giving her a lot of trouble."
Jiang Wanzhou's heart sank.
The next day, when Jiang Wanzhou went to the cafeteria, Zhao Xiulan arrived just as she started preparing the dough, carrying a basket with several eggs inside.
"This is to nourish your sister-in-law." She placed the basket on the counter, glancing at the dough counter. "The head chef didn't give you any trouble, did he?"
"No." Jiang Wanzhou kneaded the dough, her wrist spinning like a top. "Sister-in-law, you take it back yourself."
Zhao Xiulan glanced at the kitchen door and lowered her voice: "Wanzhou, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. Not just anyone can do this job in the canteen. Sister Liu's husband works in logistics, and she's wanted her sister to come for a long time. It was only because Staff Officer Wang spoke well of her to the head chef that they saved the job for you."
Jiang Wanzhou stopped, the dough slowly becoming heavy under her hands. "Why, Staff Officer Wang..."
"It's all because of your brother." Zhao Xiulan smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes crinkling. "You'd better work hard and not let him down."
The next day, Jiang Wanzhou walked towards the canteen in the dark, her cloth shoes making a soft "rustling" sound as she stepped on the sandy road.
The wind was a bit softer than last night.
The cafeteria door was ajar, and it creaked when pushed open.
The head chef was already busy at the stove, the firelight casting flickering shadows on his face, while the water in the iron pot bubbled and gurgled.
"Here it is." Without looking up, he pointed to the work surface and said, "The risen dough is over there. First, knead out two hundred round steamed buns."
"Prepare for the support teams first."
Jiang Wanzhou washes her hands.
The dough in the basin was puffed up nicely, and when pressed, it slowly bounced back, with a faint sour aroma.
"Apply more even pressure," the head chef suddenly said, flipping the spatula in the pan. "The steamed buns need to be firm; they can't be all air when you bite into them."
Jiang Wanzhou tightened her grip on her wrist.
The sky outside the window slowly brightened, and the pale white color seeped out from the clouds.
People started coming in to get breakfast.
When Zhao Xiulan came in carrying the lunchbox again, her voice was as loud as a gong: "Master Chef, the steamed buns smell delicious today!"
Her gaze swept over Jiang Wanzhou, and she placed a small cloth bag on the workbench. "I brought some candy for Wanzhou."
Just as Jiang Wanzhou was about to speak, the head chef slammed the spatula against the edge of the pot: "There are rules in the cafeteria; no bringing your own things in."
He pushed the cloth bag into Zhao Xiulan's hands, "Take it back."
Zhao Xiulan's face stiffened for a moment, then she smiled and pulled her hand back: "Look at my memory, I forgot the rules."
She got her food and turned to leave, then turned back to Jiang Wanzhou and said, "I've finished cutting Mingyuan's jacket. I'll bring it to you tonight."
Jiang Wanzhou hummed in agreement, nearly squeezing the dough in her hand out of shape.
After everyone left, the head cook added a piece of firewood to the stove, and the flames leaped up. "The Wang family's son, he's got a lot on his mind."
His voice, mixed with the crackling of firewood, said, "You're new here, so don't accept too many of her things."
Jiang Wanzhou tightened her grip on the dough, the dough slightly warm in her palm.
Before the steam from breakfast had even dissipated, Lin Xiaomei suddenly rushed in, her face as white as a sheet, the lunchbox in her hand trembling violently.
"Master chef, Wanzhou, have you heard? Grandma Sun's husband passed away this morning."
The dough for steamed buns in Jiang Wanzhou's hand fell onto the table with a "thud".
"How could this be..."
"I heard the pain was so bad at night that she couldn't hold on," Lin Xiaomei said, her voice trembling with tears, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes. "Dr. Zhang just saw her and said it was a recurrence of an old injury, plus she hadn't rested properly..."
The head chef added firewood to the stove, and the firelight made his face glow red.
"I understand." He took a cloth bag out of the drawer and stuffed it into Lin Xiaomei's hand. "This is a few yuan I've saved. Take it to Aunt Sun and don't tell her who gave it to you."
Lin Xiaomei took the money and left. Jiang Wanzhou waited until she finished and went home. She picked up her savings and thought about it before going over.
The gate to Grandma Sun's courtyard was closed. When I pushed the gate open, I saw Grandma Sun sitting on the threshold, with her back to the door.
"Auntie." Jiang Wanzhou's voice was hoarse. As she squatted down beside her, she noticed the bruises on the back of her hand.
Grandma Sun slowly turned her head, her eyes red and swollen like two ripe cherries. When she saw Jiang Wanzhou, she suddenly grabbed her hand, her knuckles turning white as she gripped it: "Yesterday he said that once his leg was better, he would take me to Sandao Reef to collect sea snails, saying that the shells there could make a sound when blown."
Jiang Wanzhou felt as if something was blocking her throat, and she couldn't speak.
Lin Xiaomei stuffed the money into Granny Sun's hand and turned her head away to wipe her tears.
At this moment, Zhao Xiulan also arrived, carrying a newly made funeral shroud in her hand. The red cloth stood out starkly against the gloomy courtyard.
"Auntie, please accept my condolences." She moved closer to Aunt Sun. "I sent Staff Officer Wang to inform them that the team will send a boat to take Brother Li to the island for burial. Don't worry."
Grandma Sun didn't take the funeral clothes; she pulled her hand back.
"No."
"He once said that he wanted to stay on the island even after he died."
Zhao Xiulan's hand froze in mid-air, and the smile on her face vanished.
"This is against the rules..."
"Rules are made by people." Grandma Sun slowly stood up and walked into the house, her back straight.
Zhao Xiulan watched her retreating figure, then shoved the burial clothes into Lin Xiaomei's hands: "Give them to her, I have other things to do."
As he turned to leave, his footsteps crunched on the sand, as if he were throwing a tantrum.
Jiang Wanzhou helped Lin Xiaomei tidy up the house and saw a yellowed photo hanging on the wall. It showed Grandma Sun and her husband standing on the dock, smiling broadly.
“Brother Li used to be the best ship repairman.” Lin Xiaomei wiped the dust off the photo, her voice low. “Last year, he fell off the mast while repairing the ship. He could have gone to the island for treatment. Sister Zhao’s nephew was also injured.”
Jiang Wanzhou felt as if something had stabbed her heart, causing a dense, persistent pain.
She remembered Aunt Sun's red eyes and the silence when the master chef slipped her the money.
Jiang Wanzhou understood how much unspeakable grievance was hidden in the wind of this island.
On the way back to the canteen, I ran into Jiang Renzhou walking this way, his face under the brim of his military cap was tense.
“Your sister-in-law said you’re here.” He glanced in the direction of Aunt Sun’s house. “The team asked me to come and help. You go back and take care of your sister-in-law. She said her stomach hurt again this morning.”
Jiang Wanzhou paused, "Brother, about Aunt Sun..."
"This is the team's arrangement, don't ask too many questions." Jiang Renzhou's voice was stiff. "You're new here, don't get involved in these things, just do your job well."
The wind picked up again, whipping up sand that pelted the two of them.
Jiang Wanzhou watched her brother's retreating figure, his military green clothes stretched taut in the wind.
When she got home, Shen Xinglian was leaning against the kang (a heated brick bed), her face even paler than in the morning.
“I’ve heard about what happened to Aunt Sun.” She took Jiang Wanzhou’s hand, her fingertips icy cold. “Your brother is right, we shouldn’t get involved. The waters on the island are too deep.”
Jiang Wanzhou added firewood to the stove: "But Aunt Sun is so pitiful."
“There are so many pitiful people.” Shen Xinglian sighed and rubbed her stomach. “Let’s take care of ourselves first and make sure nothing else goes wrong.”
When Jiang Wanzhou went to deliver lunch to the cafeteria, she saw the head chef squatting in the corner smoking, the smoke rings dissipating quickly in the wind.
"Don't worry about Aunt Sun." He stuffed a hot steamed bun into Jiang Wanzhou's hand. "Try to visit Dr. Zhang often, he's a good man."
Jiang Wanzhou took a bite of the steamed bun.
When she finished work in the evening, Zhao Xiulan stopped her, holding the little jacket she had made for Mingyuan.
"Girl, don't take what happened this morning to heart." She stuffed clothes into Jiang Wanzhou's hands. "I was just trying to help Aunt Sun. She died on the island and didn't even have a proper grave."
Jiang Wanzhou's fingers pinched the corner of the fabric of the clothes. The fabric was crisp, but the stitches were crooked and uneven, like a road that hadn't been walked straight.
"Sister Zhao, did Aunt Sun's husband not go to the island for medical treatment last year because of the quota issue?"
Zhao Xiulan jerked her hand back, her smile vanishing instantly: "Who told you that? Don't spread rumors! That was the team's decision, it has nothing to do with me!"
She turned and left, her steps so fast it was as if she were fleeing.
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