Zhang Quan had even gone to the trouble of shaving off his unkempt beard, transforming himself from a scruffy middle-aged uncle back into the spirited young fellow he once was.
Over these past days, besides his regular wages, Zhang Quan had earned an extra two hundred copper coins in bonus every time he made a grain run to Cangshi County. The work at the rice shop was busy, leaving him little time or inclination to spend, so he had saved up a tidy sum.
This time back home, Zhang Quan planned to take advantage of the slack farming season to hire someone to renovate the family’s dilapidated old house. He had also brought back two shi of aged rice, purchased at cost from the Wu-Liu Store.
With those two shi of rice, his family was sure to enjoy a proper New Year!
Hearing the cheerful chatter from the carriage behind him, Zhang Quan couldn’t help but grin. He was deeply grateful to Wu Wei and Liu Cuiwei for giving him this opportunity.
For so many years, Zhang Quan had scraped by as a traveling peddler, earning barely enough silver. His parents were aging, his children growing, and the old house falling apart, yet as the family pillar, he had been powerless to change their fortunes. It was all thanks to the Wu-Liu Store!
Zhang Quan had made up his mind long ago: he would spend the rest of his life at the Wu-Liu Store, devoting every ounce of his strength to it.
…
Meanwhile, on the Zhang family’s carriage, Old Man Zhang and Old Lady Zhang grew increasingly uneasy the closer they drew to their hometown. They worried about how severely the drought had affected their fellow villagers in Zhang Family Village—were they getting by? Had anything major happened lately that they ought to attend? And now that their own lives had improved… would the neighbors think differently of them?
Zhang Shuisheng and his wife, Second Sister Liu, fully understood the old couple’s anxieties. The pair bantered back and forth through the carriage curtain, offering comfort for quite some time.
At last, they arrived at Zhang Family Village.
Even before the carriage entered the village, a large crowd had already gathered by the old tree at the entrance—friends of the Zhangs, parents with children in tow just to gawk, and even some nearby residents.
The village’s dirt lanes were too narrow for such a spacious carriage as the one from the Wu-Liu Store, so they simply stopped at the entrance.
From a distance, villagers spotted Zhang Shuisheng and began calling out to him and Zhang Quan by name, waving greetings. Two sturdy young men who were usually close with Zhang Shuisheng even ran up to the carriage, clambering aboard to plop down beside him. Grinning with envy, one said, “Brother Shuisheng, this is my first time riding in a carriage—it’s so grand!”
“Brother Shuisheng, how’s life in Taizhou City? Are the new neighbors treating you well? If there’s anything you need from us, don’t hold back.”
Zhang Shuisheng, that towering, burly fellow, felt a pang in his chest at those words. He swallowed hard before forcing a laugh. “Good? What’s good about it? It’s been months, and I still can’t recognize everyone on our street. City folk have no warmth like we do in the village—everything costs silver. Digging a drainage ditch? Silver. Expanding the yard? More silver!”
“What? Even that costs money? What’s wrong with city people? Have they all gone money-grubbing?”
Zhang Shuisheng burst out laughing, and Second Sister Liu lifted the carriage curtain, chiming in warmly, “Doggy, don’t mind your brother—he’s such a blockhead, always thinking about pressing oil and nothing else. He never socializes, so why should anyone know him well enough to help?”
“Uncle Zhang, Auntie Zhang, sister-in-law—hey, Zhuzi’s gotten so big!”
(T/N: Gouzi can also be translated as Doggy and Zhuzi as Pillar)
…
The carriage halted at the village entrance, and villagers crowded around, chattering questions about the Zhang family’s recent life. Even Old Lady Liu received warm greetings from two elderly women her age.
Old Lady Zhang’s eyes welled up at the sight of her old friends. They embraced, pouring out their longing for each other.
Wu Wei watched the lively scene before her, all the accumulated frustrations of the past days melting away, leaving only a cozy warmth lingering in her chest.
A woman about Liu Cuiwei’s age approached with her child in her arms, a touch shy as she said, “Embroider Maiden, I heard you changed your name? Is it true?”
“Third Sister Zhang, it’s been too long! Yes, Mother renamed me and Second Sister. Just call me Cuiwei from now on—I brought you a gift!”
Embroider Maiden pulled a package of pastries from the carriage and handed it to Third Sister Zhang. “Take it back for my little nephew.”
“Oh, thank you! No need to go to the trouble. Come over for a meal sometime!”
Cuiwei and Wu Wei exchanged a glance and smiled. “We’re only staying in the village a day or two this trip, so we won’t impose. Uncle Zhang’s hosting a feast, so come then—we sisters can catch up properly.”
Third Sister Zhang’s eyes lit up. “I’ll be there! I have some embroidery patterns I want you to check; I can bring them along.”
“Sure.”
…
A young man called Donkey came up to Wu Wei, eyeing her for a moment before speaking. “Miss Wu, you’re back.”
Wu Wei flashed a bright smile, fetching another identical package of pastries from the carriage and offering it to him. “Long time no see, Donkey. I brought you a gift.”
Wu Wei and Liu Cuiwei had prepared thirty such packages beforehand, planning to hand them out to whoever they met. They had picked special gifts only for Eldest Sister Li’s family; the rest were left to the Zhangs to distribute.
Donkey took the pastries from Wu Wei with evident delight, cradling them in both hands, his joy impossible to hide. “I saw the village lanes are too narrow for your carriage and came to ask if you needed help unloading. I didn’t expect a gift!”
Seeing this, Liu Cuiwei sighed inwardly. Donkey had always looked out for Wu Wei, and she could guess his feelings—but she saw no harm in it. She trusted Wu Wei to handle her friendships without interference.
“That’s perfect! We do have some things to move—could we trouble you?”
Donkey nodded eagerly, carefully setting the pastries atop the carriage for now. He called over a few helpers, and soon they had cleared everything from the cart.
Zhang Quan, meanwhile, went home to fetch his wife. They brought two wheelbarrows and hauled off the rice.
Wu Wei gave a package of pastries to everyone who helped unload. Donkey’s eyes dimmed a shade as realization dawned.
…
The crowd escorted both families to the Zhang home. Old Man Zhang waved a hand grandly and announced that he would host an open-house feast the day after tomorrow. Anyone free tomorrow should come help: men to build stoves and haul things, women to wash vegetables and cook.
The ingredients were already ordered and would arrive first thing in the morning.
Cheers erupted from the group. These days, life was lean for most in the village—even households with full granaries had cut back on meals, afraid to eat too well.
After more idle chatter, Wu Wei and Liu Cuiwei handed out the pastries they had brought, then headed home.
Halfway there, they ran into Eldest Sister Li hurrying over with her three girls in tow.
Old Lady Liu laughed at the sight. “What a coincidence! We were just talking about you.”
The three girls rushed forward, swarming Wu Wei and Liu Cuiwei, while Eldest Sister Li helped Old Lady Liu toward the hillside.
…
Back at the Half-Mountain Courtyard, the yard felt a bit emptier than before, but otherwise everything was just as they had left it. San Ya explained that the three sisters had come every day to tidy the rooms, sweep the courtyard, water the vegetable patch in the back, and weed.
Wu Wei ruffled San Ya’s hair, praising her. “You’ve grown a good bit, San Ya. You three sisters should make yourselves some new clothes.”
No sooner had she spoken than Liu Cuiwei pulled the gifts from a bamboo basket: two complete sets of the Four Treasures of the Study, a thick stack of xuan paper, two bolts of cloth suitable for young girls, and a ready-made outfit for Eldest Sister Li.
Wu Wei and Liu Cuiwei had discussed it beforehand—they knew Eldest Sister Li would never use good cloth on herself, so they had made her a finished garment.
Liu Cuiwei had sewn the clothes herself and lined them with cotton batting; they would keep her plenty warm through winter.
Tears shimmered in Eldest Sister Li’s eyes as she thanked them profusely.
Embroider Maiden then dug out a large bundle of raw cotton from the bottom of the basket and stuffed it into Eldest Sister Li’s arms. “Eldest Sister Li, winter’s almost here—don’t make thin clothes for the three girls. Use this for three winter outfits instead.”
Eldest Sister Li agreed, then asked, “Have you eaten? I can whip something up right now.”
Old Lady Liu stopped her. “No need—we ate on the way back. The Zhangs are hosting a feast the day after tomorrow; bring the girls!”
…
After seeing off Eldest Sister Li and her daughters, Old Lady Liu turned in early. Wu Wei took Liu Cuiwei’s hand and led her up the back hill, gazing at the familiar vegetable garden, the now-empty fish pond, and the thick carpet of fallen leaves on the slopes. With a sigh, Wu Wei said, “Once we’ve weathered this storm and saved enough silver, I want to come back here to live. I’ll build you a treehouse with my own hands, complete with a skylight so we can watch the stars together at night.”
“Agreed. I’ll follow you anywhere.”
Wu Wei teased, “Like ‘married to the chicken, follow the chicken; married to the dog, follow the dog’?”
This time, Liu Cuiwei did not chide her for being cheeky. Instead, she gazed at Wu Wei with eyes full of affection and nodded.
Wu Wei’s heart fluttered. She drew Liu Cuiwei to the hammock and sat down, leaning in to claim her lips.
A cool mountain breeze swept through, rustling fallen leaves and teasing loose strands of hair from their temples.
For once without reservations, Liu Cuiwei draped her lotus-root arms over Wu Wei’s shoulders, responding with sincere, if slightly clumsy, passion.
The kiss finally ended, leaving both women breathless. Wu Wei simply lay atop Liu Cuiwei, unwilling to rise. She nuzzled the other woman’s neck with the tip of her nose and called out softly, “Third Sister~.”
“Mm?”
“I’m so happy.”
“Me too.”
…
As dusk settled in, Wu Wei took Liu Cuiwei’s hand and led her back to the small courtyard. The west room had already gone dark, with only a faint orange glow leaking from the east room.
Eldest Sister Li had stoked the kang before she left, and now the room was comfortably warm.
With the night deepening and dew settling heavily, it was no longer practical to bathe in the woodshed. Wu Wei fetched some cold water, mixed it with the hot water from the pot, and the two of them wiped themselves down right there in the room.
They blew out the oil lamp and slipped under the covers, wearing only their bellybands and underpants. The warm bedding enveloped them in a cozy embrace, and everything felt so familiar.
Suddenly, Wu Wei wrapped her arms around Liu Cuiwei from behind and murmured into her ear, “Third Sister, we’re far enough away this time—Mother won’t hear a thing.”
…
😳😏