Chapter Thirty-Six: Returning Home
On the day of her return visit to her parents' home, before dawn, Zhang Yili was still having a hazy dream in her warm bed when Xiong Zixiang gently shook her awake.
"Pay attention, wake up, it's time to get up."
Zhang Liuyi opened her eyes groggily; the view outside the window was still a hazy gray.
She mumbled something, still heavy with sleepiness: "So early..."
"Yes, I'm returning to my parents' home today, and I have some things to take care of."
Xiong Zixiang patiently coaxed her, helped her sit up, and wrung out a warm cloth to wipe her face.
The damp touch jolted Zhang Yixing awake, finally bringing him back to his senses.
She let Xiong Zixiang help her put on her everyday clothes, and she also styled her hair into a simple bun herself.
Xiong Zixiang stood to the side, taking out a heavy bamboo basket covered with a blue floral cloth from the cabinet; it was unclear what was inside.
"This is…?"
Zhang looked at the basket with a puzzled expression.
"Let's go, we'll talk on the way."
Xiong Zixiang didn't explain much. He took her hand and steadily carried the basket with his other hand. The two of them stepped out of the courtyard in the morning mist. Instead of going directly to the Zhang family, they turned onto the path behind the village and headed towards the back mountain.
The mountain road wound its way through the mountains, and the morning dew soaked my trouser legs.
The higher you go, the crisper the air becomes.
Zhang Liuyi's doubts deepened until Xiong Zixiang led her through a pine forest to a sunny, sheltered hillside.
Several graves are scattered on the slope, and some of the tombstones are inscribed with the character "Zhang".
This is the Zhang family's ancestral cemetery. Zhang Yi paused, his heart skipping a beat.
She saw one of the relatively new graves, where her mother, who had died young, was buried.
Zhang Yili was clearly stunned; she never expected Xiong Zixiang to bring her here.
My mother's figure in my memory has long been blurred, leaving only a gentle outline and the memory of her fragrant embrace.
She never thought of making a special trip to pay respects on her return visit to her parents' home. Firstly, she felt there was no need to make a special trip, and secondly, the deep longing buried in her heart always made her hesitant to touch upon it.
“Brother Zixiang…you…” She looked at Xiong Zixiang, her throat tightening.
"On the day of our return visit, Mother should let us see each other."
Xiong Zixiang explained calmly.
He solemnly put down the basket, lifted the blue floral cloth, and inside were neatly arranged: a small bundle of thin incense sticks and candles, several thick stacks of paper money, a small pot of sake, several kinds of fresh fruits and pastries, and even a small and lightweight iron shovel and a small broom.
Zhang Liuyi's eyes instantly welled up with tears as he looked at these things.
He had prepared all of this long ago!
This feeling weighed heavily on her heart, both warm and bittersweet.
Xiong Zixiang didn't say anything more. He picked up a small shovel and broom, walked to Wang's grave, and began to carefully clear the weeds and fallen leaves around the grave.
His movements were steady and powerful, moving around in a half-squatting, half-kneeling manner, showing great respect.
Zhang Liuyi took a deep breath, suppressed his surging emotions, and squatted down to help.
The two remained silent.
After cleaning, Xiong Zixiang placed the offerings he had brought in front of the grave one by one.
Then he lit the incense and candles and gave three sticks to Zhang Liuyi.
"Mother, we've come to see you." Xiong Zixiang's voice was exceptionally clear in the mountain breeze.
Zhang Liuyi took the incense and knelt beside Xiong Zixiang in front of the grave, respectfully kowtowing three times.
As my forehead touched the cool, dewy earth, the long-buried longing, mixed with the peace and gratitude of the moment, surged up uncontrollably.
She looked up at her mother's name on the tombstone, her voice choked with sobs.
"Mother, your daughter...your daughter is married. His name is Xiong Zixiang, he is the head constable of the county government, and he is...a very good young man."
Her voice trembled violently, and after a long pause, she continued, "He treated me very well, and Father and my aunt and uncle's family were also very good. You...you can rest assured down there, don't worry about us..."
She paused, then added, "Father... Father, your uncle, aunt, and I will take good care of him. You can rest assured that he's being looked after."
Xiong Zixiang listened quietly to her, and after she finished speaking, he also spoke in a deep voice.
"Mother, don't worry. From now on, I'll protect her and make sure she doesn't suffer any injustice. I'll also keep an eye on Uncle Zhang from time to time, fulfilling my duty as a son-in-law."
Incense and candles burned, their smoke rising in wisps and merging into the morning mist of the mountains.
The paper money burned in the brazier, turning into ashes that then drifted away in the wind.
The two stood quietly in front of the grave for a while, silently conveying something.
After the worship ceremony, Xiong Zixiang tidied up the offerings, leaving only the wine.
He took Zhang Xiaoli's hand and said, "Let's go to the Earth God Temple on the back mountain. Let's add some oil to the lamp for the Earth God, to comfort our ancestors, and to pray for peace and harmony in our home."
Zhang nodded, the bittersweet feeling in her heart caused by waking up early and missing someone was replaced by a comforting warmth.
She gripped Xiong Zixiang's hand tightly and followed him up to the higher-level earth god temple.
By the time the two of them came down from the back mountain and returned to the Zhang family's courtyard, the sun had already risen a little.
But Zhang Dashan was already waiting in the yard, pacing anxiously with his hands behind his back, muttering to himself.
"These two kids, did they oversleep? Aren't they worried about missing their mealtime..."
Just then, the courtyard gate creaked open, and Xiong Zixiang, carrying a basket, led Zhang Yixiao in.
"Father!" Zhang Yili quickly called out.
"Ah, I'm so glad you're here!"
Zhang Dashan came up to them, and was about to say a few words of criticism when he saw the mud and grass clippings on their trouser legs and noticed their slightly red eyes. He paused for a moment, and swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"It's good that you're here! Your aunt and uncle have already started cooking!"
Xiong Zixiang put down his basket, walked up to Zhang Dashan, and without saying a word, lifted his clothes, knelt down properly, and kowtowed to Zhang Dashan!
"Father!" This cry of "Father" was exceptionally loud and sincere.
Zhang Dashan was startled and quickly went to help him up, saying, "Oh dear, what are you doing! Get up, get up!"
Xiong Zixiang insisted on finishing kowtowing before getting up, with a respectful smile on his face.
“Father, this is the right thing to do. Your son-in-law kowtows to you to thank you for raising such a wonderful girl and for betrothing her to me.”
As he spoke, he magically pulled a paper package from his pocket, opened it, and inside were several pieces of fine dried tobacco.
He skillfully picked up Zhang Dashan's pipe from the stone mill, filled it with tobacco, and carefully lit it for Zhang Dashan.
Zhang Dashan was somewhat bewildered by his son-in-law's smooth and natural display of filial piety, but seeing his son-in-law's respectful and honest demeanor, his anxiety vanished, leaving only a sense of comfort.
He took a deep drag of his cigarette, exhaled a long puff of smoke, and beamed with joy.
"Good! Good lad! You're sensible! Better than your wife!"
He was referring to Zhang Liuyi, who usually wouldn't let him smoke and was always controlling him.
Seeing that his father-in-law was happy, Xiong Zixiang said, "Dad, let's go to Uncle and Aunt's house. Don't keep the elders waiting."
Zhang Dashan then remembered the important matter and nodded quickly.
"Yes, yes, yes! Let's go! Let's go now!"
As he walked, he chatted with the young couple, "Your uncle insists that I move in with him to live in the east wing, saying it's lonely for me to live here alone. I can't refuse him, so I'll move in a few days. But I still have to come to this little courtyard. My three piglets and a cage of chickens can't be left alone! And these pig-slaughtering tools, I can't leave them in your uncle's yard, all bloody and messy, it's not right! I'll come over during the day to feed the pigs and tidy up, and at night I'll go over to sleep and get a free meal."
Zhang listened attentively, understanding that her father was afraid of causing trouble for her and Xiong Zixiang, and also afraid that her uncle and aunt would be burdened.
She immediately said, "Dad, it's a good thing you're moving there. It'll be lively at your aunt and uncle's house. Don't worry, Zixiang and I will take care of your meals! I'll bring them to you, or you can come over to eat!"
"Oh, no need, no need!"
Zhang Dashan waved his hands repeatedly: "Would your uncle's family ever let me go hungry? I'll just eat there, so you don't have to travel back and forth, it's too much trouble!"
His loud voice drew the attention of passersby in the village.
Xiong Zixiang listened quietly without interrupting, but simply took notes.
The three chatted and laughed, and soon arrived at Zhang Dahe's house.
The aroma of food was already wafting from the courtyard.
As the new son-in-law, Xiong Zixiang naturally had to observe all the proper courtesies.
He first bowed respectfully to Zhang Dahe and Aunt Wang and greeted them.
Then she took out a small bag of dried apricots, which she had brought for Xiao Nan'er.
The little guy immediately beamed and sweetly called out "Uncle," making Xiong Zixiang so happy that he lifted him up high.
Li Xiulan called out from the kitchen doorway, "Yi-jie, come and help your sister-in-law serve the dishes!"
"Hey! Coming!" Zhang Yili responded and quickly walked into the kitchen.
As soon as they entered the kitchen, Li Xiulan lowered the curtain, pulled Zhang Xiaoli to a corner, and said in a low voice with a concerned smile and a hint of mischief, "Let your sister-in-law take a look!"
As she spoke, her gaze drifted to Zhang Yi's collar, then she pointed to a faint red mark on her neck, winking and saying, "Tsk tsk, look at this! This newlywed fool certainly doesn't know his place! You'd better keep an eye on him, don't let him cause trouble! It's your body, you have to take care of it!"
Zhang Yili blushed under her gaze and instinctively covered his neck with his hands, feeling both ashamed and annoyed.
"Sister-in-law! What...what nonsense are you talking about!" Those marks were naturally left during a passionate moment.
Seeing that she was shy, Li Xiulan stopped teasing her, straightened her expression, moved closer, and lowered her voice.
"Seriously, Yi-jie, have you and Zi-xiang thought about having children? When do you want one? You need to have a plan in mind. You're at the perfect age, so having one sooner will help you recover faster. Zi-xiang's mother is still young and can help take care of the baby."
Zhang Liuyi was taken aback by the blunt question, and her face burned even more.
She was newly married and her heart was full of the freshness and sweetness of living with Xiong Zixiang. She never thought that far ahead.
She stammered, "This...this is still early...I...I haven't thought about it..."
"Silly girl!" Li Xiulan gently patted her.
"You need to think about this! Make plans as soon as possible. Your mother-in-law has a good temperament, but you can't be completely ignorant. You need to have a clear idea of when you want her and how to care for her. It's a life for both of you, so you need to plan it out carefully."
She earnestly shared her experience as someone who had been through it all.
Zhang listened attentively, understanding that her sister-in-law meant well. Although she was shy, she nodded.
"Okay, sister-in-law, I understand. I'll talk to him about it later."
"Ah! That's right!"
Li Xiulan smiled with satisfaction.
"Alright, hurry up and take the bowls and chopsticks outside, don't keep the people outside waiting. Liu Ji! Come in and serve the dishes!" she called out loudly.
Zhang Liuji came in as instructed, and Li Xiulan handed him several plates of stir-fried dishes.
Hearing the commotion outside, Xiong Zixiang, with his keen sense of observation, followed into the kitchen and took the generously sized pot of stew from Li Xiulan's hands, saying, "Sister-in-law, let me do it."
Soon, the square table in the main room was filled with a sumptuous feast.
The dish included glistening meat and potato salad, stir-fried vegetables, cold bean sprout salad, and a large bowl of steaming white rice.
The whole family sat together in a lively atmosphere.
As the head of the family, Zhang Dahe raised his glass with a broad smile.
"Come, come! Today is an auspicious day for the family to return home! Let's have a family reunion! Eat and drink well! Zixiang, don't be shy, make yourself at home!"
"Thank you, Uncle; thank you, Aunt; thank you, Brother and Sister-in-law." Xiong Zixiang raised his wine glass and respectfully toasted everyone.
Zhang Dashan couldn't stop smiling. Looking at his daughter and son-in-law, and then at the lively family, he felt incredibly at ease.
During the meal, Zhang Liuji mentioned where he was asked to do work again, and Xiong Zixiang also shared some interesting stories from his time in the government office.
Li Xiulan and Zhang Yili were quietly exchanging cooking tips, while Xiao Nan'er was munching on dried apricots, her little mouth bulging with food.
The aunt kept serving food to Xiaoyi and Xiong Zixiang, while Zhang Dahe and Zhang Dashan toasted each other, their faces flushed with drink.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm glow on the dining table.
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