Ping'an woke up early in the morning. Zhang Guoqing prepared formula and expertly fed his son, holding him. After he finished, he changed the diaper he had prepared the previous night. He looked in the dim light and saw his son, his eyes closed, having drunk the milk and fallen asleep after changing his diaper. He was amused and kissed the top of his head. He listened in the inner room, but there was no movement. He probably was exhausted from the last few days, and the red wine had helped him sleep. Zhang Guoqing gently carried his son to the kang, then slowly lay down beside him, tucking him in with the quilt.
The roosters crowed before dawn. Zhang Guoqing looked at his son with a start. It was almost five o'clock. His parents would be up soon, and his mother-in-law had to get up to catch the train. He gently moved away from his son and pulled the small blanket down around his neck, so his face wouldn't be covered. He then covered it with his own large blanket to block the wind. He then dressed, took his towel and toiletries, carefully opened the door, squeezed out, and quickly closed it.
The weather is getting colder as the year draws to a close, no different from winter in the Jiangnan region of southern China. I wonder if I'll have to stay home for the winter like I always do. My breath is filled with fog. The morning wind is so cold it bites my bones, and I shiver.
Zhang Guoqing immediately entered the kitchen in the dark and expertly lit the kerosene lamp with the kerosene lighter he had brought back from the provincial capital. He then ran to the well and drew a large bucket of water. This well was warm in winter and cool in summer, which was what he was most satisfied with. He quickly finished washing.
The kerosene lamp in the east wing of the main house was already lit. He walked to the window and whispered a greeting inside. He quickly took his things and ran to the outer room of the west wing. He waited until he was warm enough before he dared to approach the kang to check on his son. He checked the coal stove and found it was fine. He was relieved that the room temperature would not chill his son.
Then he went out, took the two hares from the eaves, and returned to the kitchen. He took the iron pot off the stove and propped the rabbits on an iron rack, slowly roasting them there. It was inconvenient to roast them outside. He had to turn the rack from time to time, then ran back to check on his son. Luckily, they were using wood, so he didn't have to watch them. After half an hour, the aroma gradually overwhelmed the meaty aroma of the braised meat. He took another piece of wood and placed it in another burner. He slowly roasted it, breathing in the aroma. He carefully scored it with a knife a few times, then ran back to check on his son. He realized he was very busy and would buy an oven, no matter how much it cost. After an exhausting hour of hard work, he finally cooked it. He immediately put it on a plate, put it on the iron pot, added water, and took the plate back to his room. The aroma immediately filled his nose, and the room was filled with the fragrance of barbecue.
Zhou Jiao was half asleep. She had just bitten into a chicken leg in her dream when suddenly a burst of delicious food wafted through her. She jolted awake, startled. After staring at her mother for a long moment, she finally remembered where she was. The outer door was half-open, and Zhang Guoqing was poking at the coal stove. Afraid of waking her mother, he hurriedly shook it.
Zhang Guoqing always felt that someone was staring at him from behind, so he quickly turned around to look, and was immediately amused. He saw her waving her hands vigorously, glaring at her, rolling her eyes, and shouting silently.
He returned to the kang, carrying his son along with his small quilt, and returned to Zhou Jiao, winking at her to move in. He gently placed his son outside, then tiptoed back to the outer room, piled his own quilt into a fence, and placed it around his son's body. It was over, and with a sigh of relief, they both smiled silently.
Zhang Guoqing was afraid that she was hungry, so he pointed to her stomach and mouth, and then to the action of drinking soup. Seeing Zhou Jiao shook her head, he gestured to accompany them to sleep, and then pointed to his son, asking her to be careful. Seeing her nod, he pointed to himself and said he was going out.
Zhou Jiao wanted to ask him what was that fragrant thing, but she thought better of it. Seeing him gesticulating, she couldn't help but laugh and waved him off.
Zhang Guoqing breathed a sigh of relief. He was so tired. He left the room and headed towards the kitchen, but he didn't see his mother. It was almost six o'clock, and she would have been up by then. He looked out and saw a light on in the east wing of the main house. Worried and anxious, he entered the room and saw them getting up.
"Mom and Dad, are you feeling unwell?" Zhang Guoqing looked at his father and then at his mother worriedly.
Zhang's mother laughed and said, "What are you thinking about? You didn't go to work today. There's meat stewing in the pot. Why rush to make breakfast? I asked your father to lie down and rest for a while. He can't lie down anymore, so we were just planning to get up."
"Usually you get up around five o'clock. I saw you lighting the lights and thought what was going on. Dad, I'm going to the backyard to see if there is any work to do." After saying that, he left first.
There weren't many vegetables left in the backyard. He'd been away the past few days, and it looked like the potatoes and sweet potatoes had been dug up, and even the cabbages had been harvested. Zhang Guoqing thought about what he usually did at this time of year, looked around, and walked to the woodshed, picking up a hoe to plow the soil. He was a skilled farmer, skilled in farming and hunting, and strong enough to do the work of three others. Fortunately, he'd brought his memories with him from the time he traveled through, otherwise, he wouldn't have known how to farm or hunt.
Zhang Guoqing followed his memory, relying on his sight, and started hoeing the sweet potato patch. Strength was a plus, and by the time his father arrived, he had already plowed through the entire patch. Daybreak arrived, but he didn't chat with his father. The more work he did, the fewer people would be home, and since they were building a house, they were busy too. When the snow and ice fell, the hoe wouldn't work, and by then it would be too late to cry. Next, he headed for the cabbage patch, but he had to be careful because his mother wanted the cabbage roots, so he slowed down and didn't pick any. His second sister-in-law would come over to help after she finished feeding the pigs.
By the time his father had picked up a hoe and started working from that end, he'd already reached the potato patch. The two of them exchanged a few words, but not much chatter; they were both busy working. By the time his second sister-in-law came out, she'd cooked the pigs and fed them. While he was packing cabbage roots in bamboo baskets in the cabbage patch, he and his father had already finished hoeing the backyard. They were just waiting to fatten them that night, but he refused. Fortunately, Zhang Guoqing didn't like fertilizing either.
"Dad, we're all done. We'll be spreading fertilizer tonight, so I won't interfere. Do you think there's anything else you need to do? If not, I'll go up the mountain to collect firewood. We definitely won't have enough this year."
"Go ahead, be back before breakfast, and don't go too far inside. Your brother and I are going to the private plot. We also need to hoe the fields there. The three of us are enough. We're halfway done." Father Zhang looked at the fields in the backyard, breathed a sigh of relief, and looked at his youngest son with envy. It's great to have so much strength. One man can do the work of three. Yesterday, the three of us were still halfway through the private plot before we had to go back to work. The backyard is so big, and I saw him get up early and work until now, and he didn't even take a break. He finished the work easily.
Zhang Guoqing put away his hoe and, armed with his machete, rope, and shoulder pole, headed for the back door. Many of the village women enjoyed gathering firewood in the northern mountains, so there was no dead wood around. He walked along the mountain path, found a spot, and then set down his shoulder pole and rope. Without even using his machete, he went straight ahead, picking through the dead trees with his hands, the thinnest with his feet, the thicker with his feet. The sound of crackling echoed, and soon he had moved on to another spot.
After a while, he figured it was about time. He checked his watch and saw it was almost time for dinner. He still had to go back to check on Jiaojiao's postpartum meal. He quickly gathered the firewood in a pile, trimmed the machete, and tied it up with rope. He had five large bundles, four of which were hung on the ends of a shoulder pole. He lifted it up, picked up a bundle at random, and easily walked through the back door of the house.
Zhang's mother stood at the back door watching him come back and calling him from afar. When he unloaded the firewood and put it in the woodshed, the woodshed was full in an instant.
"Xiaowu, you have already finished hoing the backyard early, why are you still going to collect firewood? Don't you take a break? Go back to the main room and drink some water. It's time to eat. What a kid you are. You work so slowly, but look at how much you are carrying at once. Aren't you tired? Don't be so stupid next time. You still have two older brothers." Mother Zhang pointed at him with a look of disappointment.
Zhang Guoqing smiled and said nothing. He knew that his mother loved him and was reluctant to let him do heavy work, always forgetting that he was very strong.
After breakfast, Zhang Guoqing looked at the wild boar meat outside the kitchen. It had already been drained. He took the wrappings and began packing them up. He packed them into one package. Together with the three from yesterday, there were four packages, weighing nearly 400 kilograms each. He felt so sorry for his mother-in-law. He had to go send a telegram early this afternoon, otherwise he wouldn't be able to get them home. He would ask the conductor to help him escort the four packages out of the station. He would pack up the valuable items like the wolf fur and ginseng, and take the clothes with him. Fearing that there would be too many people building the house and too many people talking, he put all four packages on the train and locked it. After a moment's thought, he went to get two wild rabbits and set them aside.
Looking at the time, it was already 6:30. He changed his clothes and asked his mother to pack up. It was almost time to leave. After arriving in the provincial capital and buying a ticket, he had dinner and then got on the train. He was in a hurry.
Zhang Guoqing arrived at the west wing and saw his mother-in-law already packing. Soldiers certainly pack well. He cut the roasted rabbit into pieces, removed the head, leaving only the thighs and meat, and wrapped them in oil paper. He added the pastries he brought back from the provincial capital and a few apples Jiaojiao had given him, making a small package to take with him. "Mom, here's the food. Please pack it up. We need to leave around 7:00."
Lin Lishan took it without hesitation. She hadn't noticed the package in the car yet, and now she was saying goodbye to Zhou Jiao. The mother and daughter spoke tearfully, reluctantly. They waited for Zhang's mother to come and parted ways. Zhou Jiao couldn't hold back her tears as she watched her mother leave. Lin Lishan walked out of the west wing, wiped her tears, looked back, listened, and then left with a hard heart.
Zhang Guoqing carried her luggage and parcels, comforting her as they walked: "Mom, you can come back to see her in a few days. When Ping'an is older, he can come to Beijing to see you. You will see each other soon. In a few years, when you are not busy with work, Jiaojiao and Ping'an can go to Beijing and see each other every day."
Zhang's mother also wiped her tears and comforted her.
Zhang Guoqing took the car keys and drove away. Once they were all in, he waved goodbye to everyone. Lin Lishan expressed her gratitude repeatedly and asked them, as sisters-in-law, to take good care of Jiaojiao. Everyone said their goodbyes reluctantly, and once the car was out of sight, they dispersed to go about their business. Huang Cuilan and Lin Juhua, the sisters-in-law, went into the west wing together to check on Zhou Jiao and offer their comfort.
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