Chapter 1 The Yu family is truly lucky during the Grain in Ear season.
When the Grain in Ear season arrives, the sky seems to be spitting out sparks, scorching the yellow dog at the village entrance until its tongue lolls out.
The sun hung overhead, baking the entire loess slope until it was smoky. The air was filled with the dry, scorching scent of wheat straw and the earthy smell of scorched soil, mixed with the sweat of the farmers, pressing down on people in a sweltering heat.
In Xingcheng Village, as far as the eye could see, the wheat fields stretched out like rolling waves, and everyone urged each other on to harvest. All around, the sounds of slicing wheat filled the air. The men, their backs tanned and bare, bent over, their sickles never ceasing as the wheat fell with a rustling sound. The women followed behind, bundling and carrying the wheat, beads of sweat rolling down their cheeks, their hands too busy to wipe them away.
Just then, a small figure ran across the ridge between the fields. It was Xiaochun, the daughter of Zhao the Cripple from the village. She was wearing faded clothes and just kept running forward with her head down.
Upon seeing her, Aunt He quickly called out, "Xiao Chun, slow down!"
Xiaochun replied crisply, "I know!" without stopping her feet.
Upon hearing her daughter's name, Aunt Zhao looked up and roared, "Don't wait for me to come and get you, get home before the sun goes down."
This time, Xiaochun didn't even say a word, and took advantage of the chaos to pluck a handful of foxtail grass at her feet.
"Oh dear, look at this girl." Uncle Li, who was sharpening his sickle in the field nearby, stopped and wiped the sweat from his neck with a towel. He teased, "Going to look for that girl from the Yu family again?"
Aunt Zhao nodded helplessly, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Didn't anyone from the Yu family come?"
Not far away, Fu Hai's wife gestured towards the field on the far right, saying, "We don't need any more people; the field is all cleared up." Her tone was undeniably a little sour.
In her opinion, the Yu family must have done something incredibly lucky in their past life to have such auspicious ancestral graves in this life. The old man of the Yu family had a keen eye; he helped the Pei family when they fled to the village and even reluctantly allocated some land to them to build houses. Before he died, he still told them that since they were neighbors, they would see each other all the time and should take care of each other.
And so, a scholar was suddenly discovered.
Thinking of this, Fu Hai's wife felt as if she had been drinking a bowl of vinegar—extremely sour.
How come the Pei family produced a scholar? He entered the academy at a young age and took some kind of exam. The village chief said that when they see Pei Ji, they should respectfully call him "Master Scholar".
Seeing Fu Hai's wife's expression, Aunt Zhao knew that her old habit had resurfaced. Although she wasn't particularly sharp-tongued, she was still a little envious.
These days, having a scholar in the village is a huge deal; these people who toil in the fields have never even heard of a scholar.
Moreover, this Pei family lad is born like a god; her husband always says that he might be the reincarnation of the God of Literature.
Unfortunately, this "God of Literature" had already married the daughter of the Yu family at a young age. When the news spread, many eligible girls in the village quietly went out to marry.
Fu Hai's wife bent down and cut another clump, continuing, "I think the Yu family's land is probably managed by someone else. I heard Aunt Feng say that she saw a lot of unfamiliar men enter the village this morning, heading straight for the Yu family's land. Could it be that they've set their sights on Yu Man again..."
Because of her daughter, Aunt Zhao was also close to the Yu family, so she interrupted directly: "It's hard to talk, so let's hurry up."
She knew that Fu Hai's wife had no bad intentions, but it was still a young woman's reputation, and she couldn't say anything that would damage it.
Fu Hai's wife was young and easily embarrassed. When she was interrupted, her face turned pale and then red. In the end, she muttered, "They say that if you are upright, you have nothing to fear. Yu Man's reputation is so bad that it's known to the next village. Why should I be afraid of what people say?"
There are many girls in the village, but it was Yu Man, who was lazy and loved to eat, who became the 'God of Literature' to marry.
So what if she's born well? Look at her, you never see her working in the fields, and you never see her doing any work. She's practically living the life of a landlord's daughter.
Who could accept that their own sister-in-law was in the prime of her life, quick and efficient, and perfectly capable of being a scholar's wife? Who knows, she might even be able to lead their family to a better life.
Moreover, despite the engagement lasting for so many years, there has been no indication that the Pei family has offered any betrothal gifts.
Seeing that Fu Hai's wife was getting stuck on her own ideas, Aunt Zhao didn't bother to persuade her anymore. She picked up the bundled wheat and headed towards the cart.
*
Xiao Chun moved with lightning speed, disappearing in a flash into a small courtyard surrounded by a bamboo fence at the end of the village.
In the courtyard, an old locust tree casts a sparse shade. Under the tree sits a crooked bamboo recliner, on which a person is slumped, his face covered by a huge banana leaf, his clothes worn but not new.
Xiaochun, panting, ran to the recliner, stretched out her dirty little hand, intending to gently push the person's arm, but then remembered something, put her hand behind her back, and said in a panicked voice, "Sister Aman, Sister Aman! Something bad has happened! Sister Xiuxiu is fighting with the chubby boy from Uncle Zhao's house at the village entrance!"
The person on the recliner remained completely still, not even the banana leaves swayed. Only a muffled female voice drifted from below: "...Hmm?"
Xiaochun became even more anxious, stamping her feet: "No, Sister Man! It was so fierce! Sister Xiuxiu... was hit on the head with a stone by Zhao Xiaopang, and... she's bleeding! Lots of bright red blood!"
These words were like a pebble thrown into a lake, finally eliciting a reaction from the person on the deckchair. She slowly raised her hand, then slowly moved the banana leaf covering her face down, revealing a pair of eyes. Those eyes were clear and bright, with the corners drooping lazily, glancing sideways at the extremely anxious Xiaochun.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the locust tree leaves, casting dappled shadows on her face.
She paused for two seconds, and just as Xiaochun was about to push her in her haste, she slowly spoke, her voice revealing no trace of urgency:
"oh……"
She paused, as if thinking about it seriously, before posing the most crucial question:
"So...did Xiuxiu win?"
Xiaochun was taken aback by the question, her mouth slightly agape, clearly not expecting this to be the first question. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, her voice losing the confident tone she had when reporting the news, now tinged with a hint of guilt: "--of course not... Little Fatty is so strong, how could Sister Xiuxiu possibly beat him...that's why I rushed back to call Sister Xiaoman to go..."
The girl on the recliner finally sat up slowly, the bamboo chair creaking under its weight. She casually tossed the banana leaf aside, revealing her entire face. Her features were delicate, her complexion exquisite, as if nothing, no matter how great, could stir the slightest emotion in her eyes.
Xiaochun stared blankly for a moment, then saw her get up. Her small chest heaved noticeably, as if she had breathed a sigh of relief.
To everyone's surprise, the girl simply adjusted her posture to make herself more comfortable, and then her gaze fell on Xiaochun's face.
"Xiaochun," her voice was still slow and deliberate, like the lukewarm river water after being warmed by the afternoon sun, "were you quite disappointed that you didn't rush to grab your weapons when you saw me?"
"Huh?" Xiaochun looked up abruptly, her eyes wide and round like a startled deer. Her eyes darted around wildly, and she waved her little hands rapidly. "N-nothing! Sister Aman, what are you saying? I...I was just anxious..."
The girl didn't urge her, but just quietly watched her.
Xiaochun felt increasingly uncomfortable under her gaze, her toes unconsciously shuffling on the ground, completely unaware that she had been seen through.
After a few moments of silence, the girl spoke again, her tone even casual: "Why didn't you finish the candy crumbs on your lips?"
"Ah!" Xiaochun exclaimed, hurriedly raising her sleeve to wipe her mouth. She rubbed it several times, then licked the area around her lips with her tongue, finding nothing. She muttered in confusion, "Nothing..."
When she finished her work, she looked up and met the girl's knowing gaze.
His gaze was full of insight, and he even had a smile on his lips.
Xiaochun's hand, which was holding up her sleeve, froze in mid-air. Her face gradually turned red as she finally realized that her little scheme had been seen through long ago.
She deflated instantly, her shoulders slumped, and her head hung low. She kicked a small pebble on the ground, her voice muffled, carrying a hint of annoyance at being seen through and a sense of grievance at having confessed.
"Alright, alright... I'll tell you the truth..." she pouted, "It was Er Qiao and Song Zi! They insisted that you, Sister Aman, are the hardest person in the village to get rid of, harder to push than that old stone mill in the village! We made a bet to see who could trick you out of this yard today..."
Her voice trailed off as she spoke, secretly glancing at the girl's face. Seeing no expression on the other's face, she mustered her courage and continued, "I...I bet a small piece of maltose! I...I think I can definitely do it! So...so I just...I took his candy first...no, I took it first!" She subconsciously touched her bulging little pocket, a smug look of "the candy's in my hands anyway" appearing on her face, but it quickly faded. "But who knew I still couldn't fool you, Sister Xiaoman..."
Xiaochun hurriedly looked up again, as if to prove that she wasn't entirely lying, and eagerly added, "But! But Sister Xiuxiu really did fight with Little Fatty! Right under the tree at the village entrance! Although I don't know why, they really pushed each other a few times and got a little mud on their hands..."
As she was gesturing, she noticed that Yu Man, who had been lazily sitting, suddenly raised her head slightly. Her gaze wasn't directed at her, but rather passed over her and fell upon the low bamboo fence surrounding the yard.
Xiaochun subconsciously turned her head to look in the direction of her gaze.
Several small heads peeked out from the gaps in the fence, huddled together like a row of plump mushrooms just sprouting from the ground. Each one had a look of tension, curiosity, and barely suppressed laughter on their face, their eyes wide open, staring intently at the commotion in the yard.
It was Er Qiao, Song Zi, and their friends who had made the bet with her.
Clearly, they came to watch the spectacle and wait to see the "results" of the bet.
At that moment, caught off guard by the gazes of the two people looking out from the courtyard, the group of little heads froze instantly, their expressions changing from amused to panicked, and they all shrank back, wanting to run away.
Xiaochun's mouth dropped open; she was completely dumbfounded.
Yu Man glanced at the few timid little ones, his voice still flat and indifferent: "Come in, all of you."
The area outside the fence fell silent instantly.
The little kids looked at each other, pushing and shoving each other. After a while, one by one, they slunk into the yard with their heads down and stood in a row in front of Yu Man. They all kept their heads down and dared not look up at her.
Yu Man didn't speak, she just looked at them. She was sixteen years old, with a clear girlish profile.
Er Qiao couldn't help but sneak a peek, only to meet Yu Man's gaze. Startled, he immediately fixed his gaze on the tip of his tattered straw sandals. He dared to say that no one in the village dared to disobey Sister Xiao Man.
The air was so quiet that the only sound was the cicadas chirping incessantly in the trees.
Just as the children were on tenterhooks and sweating, Yu Man finally spoke again, her tone unchanged, revealing neither joy nor anger: "Betting on the outcome is wrong, and lying is bad."
Several little heads nodded like chicks pecking at rice.
“Maltose…” Yu Man paused.
The children's hearts jumped into their throats, especially Xiaochun, whose little hands clutched her pockets tightly.
"... Figure it out yourselves." After saying that, Yu Man grabbed some candy from the small wooden table next to her and distributed it to them. Then she waved her hand and said, "Go back and help with some chores at home. Come to my place at dawn tomorrow."
The children, as if granted a pardon, paused for a moment before responding with a resounding "Yes!" They didn't even bother to share the candy; they grabbed it, turned around, and dashed out of the courtyard, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The courtyard fell silent again in an instant.
Yu Man leaned back in the recliner, her gaze falling on the last small figure who hadn't left.
She was a little girl slightly shorter than Xiaochun, with fair skin and slightly messy braids. She wore a short-sleeved shirt and trousers, and there were mud streaks on her arms and legs. One cheek was a little red, as if it had been rubbed against something. At this moment, she lowered her eyes, pursed her lips, and looked stubborn, not wanting to say a word.
This is Yu Xiuxiu, Yu Man's half-sister.
A note from the author:
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