Chapter Seventeen Sister
The pig offal and fresh meat in the house are almost gone.
Zhang Dashan got up before dawn, shoveled down a few mouthfuls of cold bread, gulped down half a ladle of cold water, and then pushed his wheelbarrow, carrying the last half-jar of braised pork offal and a small piece of lean hind leg meat, to his regular stall in the West Market.
The county and town markets are large, and there are many wealthy households who know their goods, so they can sell them for a slightly better price.
He was quick on his feet, and just after noon, he returned with an empty cart and warm copper coins tucked in his pocket, his face showing a weary but satisfied expression.
"Dad, you're back? How was it?"
Zhang Liuyi was cooking millet porridge in the kitchen when he saw his father enter and quickly asked.
"Sold out! The entire purchase from Liu's Restaurant in the county was booked, and they offered two coins more than they would have paid individually!"
Zhang Dashan pulled a bulging money bag from his pocket and dumped it on the table with a clatter, piling up a small heap of gleaming copper coins.
"Here they are."
Zhang Liuyi looked at the pile of copper coins and smiled.
"That's good. Dad, take a rest, the porridge will be ready soon."
Zhang Dashan washed his face, sat down at the table, looked at the pile of copper coins, and started calculating again.
"This afternoon... I'll go check on Old Liu again. He said before the New Year that one of his pigs in the pen is ready to be sold..."
"father!"
Zhang Liu interrupted him and placed a bowl of steaming millet porridge in front of him.
"It's not even the end of the first month of the lunar calendar yet! You've already traveled dozens of miles to and from the county this morning, and you're going to collect pigs this afternoon? Even the strongest body can't withstand this kind of strain. Take a break! You need to rest when you need to!"
Zhang Dashan looked at his daughter and smiled helplessly.
"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you! Let's take a break! We'll rest this afternoon!"
He picked up the bowl of porridge, slurped up a large mouthful of hot porridge, and his stomach immediately felt soothed.
After lunch, Zhang Dashan, as expected, rested on the kang (a heated brick bed) for a while, just as Liu Jing had suggested.
Zhang Yixin, however, was not idle.
She found a tinderbox and a slightly worn wooden bucket in the house, and took a small hoe, intending to go down to the field.
The large stacks of wheat straw piled up at the edge of the field after the autumn harvest are still there, exposed to the wind and sun, turning yellow and dry.
With spring just around the corner, these straws need to be disposed of. Firstly, to make room for tilling and sowing, and secondly, because the resulting ash is excellent fertilizer that can enrich and nourish the soil.
Her family's land is located at the west end of the village, totaling three mu of irrigated land, adjacent to Zhang Dahe's three mu of land. There is an irrigation canal in between that draws water from a mountain spring, which Zhang Dahe and his brother Zhang Dashan dug out with hoes and shovels when they were young.
These six acres of land, guaranteed against drought and flood, were the foundation upon which their two families made a living in Zhuoshui Village.
In the summer, we only need to weed and chase away the wild boars that occasionally come down from the mountain to damage the crops, so we don't have to worry too much.
However, the ground is still frozen and hard, making a crunching sound when you step on it.
Zhang Liuli walked to the edge of his own field and looked at the several large stacks of wheat straw, each taller than a person.
She chose a spot a little away from the field ridge and sheltered from the wind, and used a hoe to clear a small area to prevent the fire from spreading.
Then, she took out a tinderbox, blew on it, and carefully brought it close to the bottom of the dry straw.
With a soft "poof," a small cluster of flames leaped up.
The flames quickly spread upwards and outwards, crackling and popping, as orange-red flames rose up, accompanied by billowing smoke.
A distinctive burnt smell, characteristic of burning vegetation, filled the air.
Zhang Liuli stood upwind, watching quietly.
The fire grew larger and larger, with thick smoke billowing into the sky, visible from miles away.
Judging that the fire had stabilized and the thick smoke was enough to serve as a warning, Zhang kept watch for a little while longer. After confirming that nothing would go wrong, he turned and left.
She carried a wooden bucket, intending to go to the turbid river near the village to fetch some clean ice to boil water.
The river was frozen solid, and the melted ice, once broken off, produced clear, sweet water that tasted even better than well water.
Stepping on the unmelted snow on the ridges of the fields, Zhang Liuyi walked towards the river, his steps uneven.
From afar, several small figures could be seen on the wide ice surface of the Zhuoshui River.
As I got closer, I saw clearly that it was Xiong Zixiang.
He was wearing a slightly worn indigo cotton robe, not his official uniform, which made him appear less austere and more approachable and gentle.
He was squatting on the ice, with a small bamboo fish basket next to him.
What surprised Zhang even more was that next to Xiong Zixiang sat a young woman holding a baby. She looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, and her features resembled Xiong Zixiang's. She was wearing a simple cotton-padded jacket and skirt, and had a gentle smile on her face.
The baby in the woman's arms looked to be just over a year old, wrapped up like a round ball, and was looking around curiously with its big, dark eyes.
At that moment, the little child was riding on Xiong Zixiang's neck, his two little hands tightly gripping his hair. Xiong Zixiang was steadily supporting the child's legs, with a rare, clumsy yet doting smile on his face, carefully trying to move his feet on the ice, making the child giggle.
"Pfft..." Zhang Yixin couldn't help but laugh out loud.
This scene is a stark contrast to his usual cold-faced constable image!
Her laughter startled the people on the ice.
Upon hearing the voice, Xiong Zixiang turned his head and saw Zhang Xiaoyi. The smile on his face froze instantly, replaced by an unusual embarrassment, and his ears turned visibly red.
He instinctively tried to quickly lift his nephew off his neck, but his movements were somewhat flustered, causing the child to grumble and complain.
The young woman's eyes lit up when she saw Zhang Xiaoli. She stood up, holding her child, and greeted her with a warm and friendly smile: "Oh! Isn't this Xiaoli? What a coincidence! Come over here!"
She clearly knew Zhang Yi's identity, her tone as familiar as if they had known each other for a long time.
Zhang Liuyi walked over carrying the bucket and greeted him with a smile.
"Brother Xiong, who is this...?"
“This is my sister, Xiong Zijuan.”
Xiong Zixiang finally managed to safely lift his nephew down and put him back in his sister's arms. He then quickly tidied his disheveled hair and collar, trying to regain his usual composure, but the blush on his face had not completely faded, making him look somewhat disheveled.
"Keep an eye on her, my mother often mentions you, praising you for being capable and kind-hearted! I'm Zixiang's older sister, I married into the neighboring Willow Tree Village, just call me Sister Zijuan!"
Xiong Zijuan smiled broadly, holding her child, and looked Zhang Yixiao up and down with kindness in her eyes.
"This kid insisted on pestering his uncle to come ice fishing. Now, he didn't catch any fish, but he's using his uncle as a horse."
As she spoke, she glanced mischievously at her younger brother.
Xiong Zixiang felt even more uncomfortable after his sister's words. He cleared his throat and pointed to a small hole he had carved into the ice and a simple fishing rod placed next to it.
"Ahem... Ice fishing isn't open yet."
Xiong Zixiang's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible unease, as he tried to hide his embarrassment at being caught by Zhang Liuyi being ridden like a horse by his nephew.
Seeing Xiong Zixiang's unusually awkward expression, and then meeting Xiong Zijuan's warm smile, Zhang Liuyi's tense nerves relaxed, and she responded with a smile.
"Hello, Sister Zijuan. Hello, Xiaobao too. Xiaobao is so cute."
She grabbed Xiaobao's hand and shook it twice, then put down the wooden bucket, took out the small hoe she had brought, chose a spot on the ice a little distance away from them, and swung the hoe forcefully.
With a crisp "clang," the hoe blade struck the thick layer of ice, sending ice shards flying.
"Hey girl, are you breaking ice to get water?" Xiong Zijuan, holding the child, took two steps forward and asked, getting closer.
"Hmm." Zhang nodded and picked up the hoe again.
"For boiling water. Water from melted river ice is sweet."
"What a diligent person."
Xiong Zijuan gave a sincere compliment, but her gaze bypassed Zhang Yi's ice-carving movements and landed on her own younger brother.
Xiong Zixiang stood to one side, his eyes darting around, his fingers unconsciously rubbing non-existent dust on his belt, his lips moving slightly, clearly preoccupied with something on his mind, but unsure how to speak.
Looking at him like this, Xiong Zijuan sighed inwardly.
Holding the child, she took a small step forward and squatted down next to Zhang Xiaoli, her gaze falling on the ice hole that had just been chiseled open.
The clear, cold river water flows silently beneath the ice, reflecting the sunlight.
Xiong Zijuan took a deep breath, made up her mind, lowered her voice, and spoke with a hint of solemnity.
"Keep an eye out for girls."
She spoke, her voice not loud, but it clearly reached Zhang Yi's ears.
"Sis... I want to talk to you, is that okay?"
The question came abruptly. Zhang Liuyi was concentrating on preparing to chisel for the second time when he heard the question. He stopped abruptly, looked up in surprise, and looked at Xiong Zijuan.
The relaxed smile from before was gone from the other person's face, replaced by a deep worry.
Xiong Zixiang clearly didn't expect his sister to suddenly pull this stunt!
His expression changed instantly. They had clearly discussed this at home, and he was supposed to explain it to Miss Zhang himself. If his sister spoke up so rashly, wouldn't it make him seem irresponsible, as if he was deliberately hiding something, or as if the Xiong family was keeping something from the Zhang family and his sister had to speak up for him?
"Watch out for the girl!"
Xiong Zixiang practically rushed forward, his voice filled with obvious urgency and panic. He had to explain things clearly immediately and couldn't let any misunderstanding occur!
He looked at Zhang Yili urgently: "It's me! I have something to tell you! My sister... she was worried and confused, and acted rashly! This matter... this matter is about my Xiong family, and... a little bit of... specific situation about my sister's family."
He spoke very quickly, afraid that Zhang would misunderstand his sister's meaning, and also afraid that his sister would continue talking.
"I was planning to...find you right after I finished spending time with Xiaobao, and talk to you face-to-face and make things clear! Really!"
His tone was full of frustration at having his plans disrupted and concern for Zhang's feelings.
Zhang Liuyi was completely bewildered by the siblings' drastically different reactions.
What are these two siblings up to?
She put down the small hoe, straightened up, patted the ice chips stuck to her cotton pants, and put on a gentle smile, trying to soothe the brother and sister in front of her who were obviously a little nervous.
"Sister Zijuan, Brother Xiong, don't worry. Tell me slowly. I'm listening."
She knew this was no casual conversation; for someone as composed as Xiong Zixiang to show such urgency, and for someone as gentle as Xiong Zijuan to display such a serious expression, it must be something important. She prepared herself to listen. She pointed to the ice bucket.
"We can get the ice later."
Xiong Zijuan visibly breathed a sigh of relief and gave Zhang Yiyan a grateful look.
Xiong Zixiang's tense expression eased somewhat.
"Then...then let's not stand on the ice, it's too cold."
Xiong Zijuan suggested.
"Why don't you come to my old house for a while? Xiao Bao and I live there, at the foot of the mountain, not far from here. We can heat up the kang (heated brick bed), it'll be warm and easy to talk."
She was referring to the Xiong family's old house at the foot of the mountain in Zhuoshui Village. Although Xiong Zixiang and his mother now live in a slightly better house in the village, the old house is still there, and they occasionally go back to tidy it up.
"good."
Zhang Yili readily agreed. She bent down and picked up the empty wooden bucket, temporarily abandoning her plan to get ice.
Xiong Zixiang silently took the baby from his sister's arms and held him steadily.
Xiong Zijuan then packed up her ice fishing basket and rod.
The three people and one child left the open ice surface and walked along the snow-covered ridges towards the low, mud-brick old house at the foot of the mountain south of the village, surrounded by a few old locust trees.
In the chilly air, only the sound of footsteps and the occasional bark of a dog from afar could be heard.
All four remained silent, and the atmosphere became inexplicably heavy.
Although Zhang Liuyi had some doubts, he walked steadily with the Xiong siblings toward the old house.
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