Chapter Twenty-Nine: Kindness
After several light spring rains, the vegetation on both sides of the Zhuoshui River seemed to have been infused with vibrant life overnight, its greenery growing even more lush and intense.
On the riverbank, tender green lotus leaves have quietly unfurled, or peek out a few pointed, plump flower buds, shyly foreshadowing the approach of summer.
Behind the Xiong family's old house, two new houses also rose from the ground during this season of growth, revealing their clear outlines.
The wall, made of blue bricks, has been built to a height of more than one person, and is square and solid.
The door and window frames have been installed and are ready to be painted.
However, the most crucial step is yet to be completed. The main beam, which bears the weight of the entire roof and symbolizes the backbone of the house and the fortune of the homeowner, still lies quietly in the courtyard, covered with a red cloth for rain protection, awaiting its solemn moment.
Raising the main beam is the most solemn and elaborate ceremony in the process of building a house in the countryside.
They had to choose an auspicious day and invite respected elders from the village and senior family members to witness the ceremony, praying for peace and prosperity for the family.
As the master ink maker, Zhang Liuji had consulted the almanac well in advance and discussed with the Xiong family to set this auspicious day with gentle breezes and bright sunshine.
When the auspicious time arrived, the area in front of the Xiong family's new house was filled with villagers who came to watch the excitement.
Song and Xiong were dressed in their slightly worn clothes, their faces beaming with undisguised joy and anticipation.
Zhang Liuji changed into a clean set of coarse cloth clothes and looked solemn.
He directed several strong and healthy men, whose zodiac signs had been chosen and were compatible with his, to be selected by a fortune teller.
With a loud shout from Zhang Liuji, four strong men responded in unison, attaching thick hemp ropes to both ends of the heavy beam that exuded the fragrance of pine.
A deep chant rang out, and the men strained their backs and waists, their arm muscles bulging and veins standing out.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the thick main beam was steadily lifted and slowly moved to the designated position on the roof.
The beams were carefully placed into the tenons pre-drilled at the top of the two sturdy central columns.
Zhang Liuji personally climbed the ladder and stood on the high place.
With a focused expression, he dipped a new brush in the thick rice porridge and carefully pasted a large piece of red paper in the center of the clean beam.
On the red paper were four powerful characters written by the village's old scholar, his brush dipped in thick ink: "Great Fortune for Raising the Beam!"
The ink was dripping, the red paper was bright, and it stood out against the backdrop of blue bricks and gray tiles, exuding a solemn and festive atmosphere.
Then, Zhang Liuji took out two small items wrapped in red cloth from his pocket. These were small animal figurines that he had specially asked the old blacksmith in town to carefully make out of brass to protect his home.
A fierce little lion, and an adorable Pixiu.
He carefully placed the two small animals at both ends of the main beam and gently secured them with specially made wooden wedges.
The small animal reflects a golden light in the sunlight, symbolizing the warding off of evil spirits and the protection of the home's peace.
Zhang Liuji announced loudly once again.
At this moment, Xiong Zixiang, who had been standing to the side, wearing a brand-new constable uniform but looking somewhat awkward, immediately picked up a heavy cloth bag and walked to the front of the crowd.
With a rare smile on his face, he untied the bag, revealing it full of colorful maltose cubes.
"Children! Come on! Have some candy!" He said in a loud voice, with a hint of nervousness.
The village children had been eagerly anticipating it.
Upon hearing this, how could he possibly care about the fear he usually had of this tall and burly head constable Xiong?
They swarmed forward like a flock of birds released from their cage, cheering and screaming.
The little hands eagerly reached for the cloth bag in Xiong Zixiang's hands.
"Captain Xiong! Give me a piece!"
"I want the red one!"
"Don't push me!"
The children's laughter and squabbles, mixed with the rustling sound of candy bags being torn, instantly diluted the solemn atmosphere of the ceremony, replacing it with an incredibly lively and festive atmosphere.
Xiong Zixiang was surrounded by children, and his tall figure seemed a little flustered. The children who usually avoided him were so enthusiastic for candy.
With the main beam in place, the ceremony was complete. The villagers, no longer reserved, gathered around to get a closer look at their soon-to-be-completed new house.
"Tsk tsk, look at this foundation, how solid it is!"
"This brick wall is laid so smoothly; Master Liu Ji's craftsmanship is truly impeccable!"
"Even the door and window frames are well-made! This house is spacious and bright. It looks grand, much better than many houses in town!"
"The Xiong family has really risen to prominence this time! This house is quite impressive."
Envy, admiration, and flattery rose and fell.
Several women surrounded Song, who was beaming from ear to ear.
"Zixiang's mother, congratulations! This new house is beautifully built!"
A woman held Song's hand, her face beaming with smiles: "When the young couple gets married and moves into their new home, you must invite everyone to come and warm up the house and share in the joy!"
"That's right!"
Another woman quickly chimed in, "This new house was built by Engineer Zhang himself for his sister, so he must have put in a lot of effort! We should take a good look and see it for ourselves! If we ever need to renovate our old house, we'll have to shamelessly ask Engineer Zhang for help!"
"Yes, yes, you absolutely must invite us!"
Hearing these compliments, Song felt as sweet as if she had drunk honey, and she couldn't stop smiling.
She nodded repeatedly: "Please! Please! Everyone come! Come and join the fun!"
She figured that the house construction was going smoothly, she had found a feng shui master to look at it, and she estimated that it would be completely completed in August.
When the time comes, we need to have a good talk with the in-laws and pick an auspicious day for the wedding and moving in, so that we can bring the bride into the family in a grand and glorious way and let her move directly into this brand-new and bright new house. That would be a double celebration, and that would be perfect!
Under the same sunlight, the scene at the Zhuoshui River dock was quite different.
Huge cargo ships were docked at the shore, with heavy loads of cargo piled up like mountains.
The air was filled with the fishy smell of river water, the sour smell of sweat, and the mixed stench of goods.
Zhang Yi's pork belly soup stall was set up in a relatively sheltered spot at the entrance of the dock.
A few simple benches, a large iron pot bubbling and steaming, the lid lifted, and a thick white steam, carrying an intensely oily aroma, rose up, forcefully dispelling the surrounding odors.
Inside the pot was a thick, milky-white soup, bubbling with large pieces of pork belly, pork lungs, and fried tofu.
That aroma was fatally attractive to the coolies on the docks.
A few days ago, Zhang Yili had just finished getting all the equipment ready and decided to try setting up a stall at the dock.
Unexpectedly, business was exceptionally good, especially among the dockworkers who carried heavy loads and pulled ropes; they absolutely loved it.
Boatmen, those were the real coolies.
Most of them came from poor families and worked tirelessly day and night at the docks to earn a few extra coins to support their families.
Heavy sacks and huge wooden crates bent their backs, and sweat soaked through their tattered clothes, leaving streaks of white salt on their bronze skin.
Many people sleep in makeshift shacks at the dock year after year, enduring dampness and cold.
Every year, a dozen or so boatmen, due to overwork or accidents, disappear silently into the waves of the Zhuoshui River, leaving behind only the desperate cries of their families.
For them, Zhang Xiaoyu's bowl of hot, juicy tripe and lung soup was a lifesaver.
It's cheap, a big bowl costs only three coins. The soup is rich and flavorful, with plenty of ingredients. The pork belly and lungs are tender and flavorful, and the fried tofu is soaked in the broth.
Most importantly, it's a perfect match for soaking hardened, rock-hard multigrain pancakes or cornbread brought from home.
The cold, hard flatbreads and steamed buns, once soaked in the scalding hot and oily broth, instantly became soft and warm, absorbing the savory aroma of the broth and the richness of the oil.
One bite, and the warmth spreads from your throat all the way to your stomach, and then to every part of your body.
The strength that had been drained by the heavy work and cold wind seemed to be replenished by this bowl of hot soup, and was briefly soothed by its warmth.
"Miss Zhang, the usual order, a bowl of soup, and extra fried tofu."
A burly man with a full beard and a tattered burlap sack draped over his shoulder slapped three sweaty copper coins onto Zhang Liuyi's small chopping board in a hoarse voice.
"Okay, please have a seat and wait a moment!"
Zhang Liuyi deftly picked up a large, rough porcelain bowl and used a long-handled ladle to scoop a large spoonful of milky white soup from the boiling pot, along with several trembling pieces of pig lung, pig stomach, and fried tofu soaked in the soup, and steadily poured them into the bowl. The scalding soup emitted an enticing white steam.
The bowl was brought over to the man, who took it and eagerly pulled a cold, hard cornbread from his pocket, broke it into pieces, and soaked it in the soup.
He swallowed it down in large gulps, letting out a satisfied sigh.
The scalding soup made him slurp, but he couldn't bear to stop.
Several boatmen who had just finished unloading their goods quickly gathered around the stall, all of them drenched in sweat and panting heavily.
"Miss Zhang, is there any soup left?"
"Give me a bowl too!"
"Quickly, give me a bowl of soup! I'm starving!"
Zhang was busy serving soup and collecting money with quick and efficient hands and feet.
Looking at these men, ragged and exhausted, yet beaming with satisfaction over a bowl of hot soup, watching them wolf down their food and listening to their slurping sounds as the soup scalded the heat, Zhang felt a sense of contentment.
Although my bowl of soup is meager, it can at least bring them a little warmth on the cold dock after they are exhausted.
She watched the soup in the pot rapidly diminish, then looked outside at the several boatmen craning their necks and gazing longingly at them, unable to squeeze in. She even saw two men sharing a bowl of soup, taking bites of the softened flatbread as they ate...
Zhang Liuyi made up her mind. As she served soup to the last boatman who squeezed to the front, she said loudly, "Brothers, we're sold out of soup today, I'm so sorry! Tomorrow! Tomorrow I'll ask my sister-in-law to come and help, and she'll make a big pot! I promise everyone will have a hot one!"
It wasn't about making money or not; Zhang thought it was about ensuring that these struggling people, after exhausting themselves, could have a bowl of hot soup to warm their bodies chilled by the river wind and soothe their hearts roughened by life.
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