It had been drizzling for several days, so when the weather finally cleared today, Miaogu took all the laundry that had piled up to the river to wash. When she arrived, she saw the girl Shitou’s family had taken in. The girl was squatting by the riverbank, her hands moving nimbly as she scrubbed a pile of clothes.
“A-chun, why are you here so early?” Miaogu set down her own laundry and sighed softly at the sight of the girl’s slender figure.
Hearing the voice, the girl looked up and smiled at Miaogu. “The clothes have been piling up for days. It wasn’t easy to get some sun today. If I didn’t wash them now, I’m afraid my father, mother, and Guo’er wouldn’t have anything to wear!”
Looking at A-chun’s fair and clean face, Miaogu couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful she was, her heart filled with silent sighs.
A-chun had appeared in Cheng Village three years ago. It was a rainy night; the girl, then eleven or twelve, had been washed down by a flash flood. She was spotted by Cheng Guo’er while he was playing in the yard, and his mother had then taken her in.
A-chun had only a breath of life left when she was rescued. Cheng Guo’er’s parents—Cheng Shitou and his wife—carried her to town and spent every last penny they had to save her. However, because she had been burning with fever for several days, she woke up remembering nothing, appearing dazed and confused. The only thing she had on her was a jade pendant engraved with the character “Chun.”
Shitou’s family reported the matter to the officials, but no one ever came to claim her. Left with no other choice, the family registered her under their own household, giving her the surname Cheng.
At the time, many people called Shitou a fool for saving a fragile young girl and wasting a mouth’s worth of rations. They said he would likely even have to pay for her dowry when she grew up. But Shitou was honest and kind-hearted, only replying with a smile, “It’s no matter, no matter. I have plenty of strength; raising one more girl won’t be a problem!”
As the saying goes, a simple man has simple blessings. Over the past three years, A-chun had blossomed beautifully. In all the surrounding villages, and even in the town, there wasn’t a girl who could compare to her. Merchants and noblemen from town had come to inquire, saying they would wait for A-chun to grow a bit older before taking her as a concubine.
Those who held influence in town were all people of high status. Even as a concubine, the betrothal gift alone would have been enough to feed Shitou’s family for several years. But Shitou’s family was stubborn; they refused to let A-chun become a concubine no matter what. The entire family treated and raised A-chun as their own biological daughter.
A-chun was also a credit to them. During a trip to the town market, she had happened to catch the eye of a pharmacy manager. He kept her on to help with drying and grinding medicinal herbs. Throughout the year, she actually earned more silver than these honest farmers, which made many people green with envy.
“Your mother seemed a bit unwell a few days ago. Is she better now?” Miaogu asked with a smile.
A-chun looked up while continuing her work. “The manager prepared some medicine for her. She’s been drinking it for a few days and is much better now. Thank you for your concern, Miaogu!”
Miaogu grew more fond of A-chun’s fresh, youthful face the more she looked at it. She then thought of her own clumsy, bratty son and began to hatch an idea. “A-chun, you’ll reach the age of hair-pinning next year. Has your mother spoken to you about marriage yet?”
A-chun blinked, then laughed. “My mother says I’m still young. There’s no rush until I’m older!”
“Your mother probably can’t bear to marry off a money tree like you…” Miaogu couldn’t help but mutter. She was truly envious. Had she known A-chun would grow up to be so beautiful and be so hardworking at earning money, she should have been the one to take her in back when no one wanted her. A young girl wouldn’t have eaten much anyway. Thinking about it now, she felt a deep sense of regret.
A-chun was unaware of the complicated thoughts swirling in Miaogu’s head. Being quick with her hands, she finished the laundry in no time. Just then, Cheng Guo’er came looking for her, and the two siblings headed home happily together.
“Guo’er, why aren’t you at the schoolhouse today?” A-chun asked softly, carrying the clothes as she looked at eight-year-old Guo’er beside her.
“Sister rarely comes home, so I asked the teacher for leave to come back and spend time with you!” Cheng Guo’er said with a smile, tugging at the corner of A-chun’s sleeve.
Guo’er was a sturdy boy with a round, “tiger-like” head and large, bright eyes that darted around playfully, making him very likable.
In the early years, because A-chun worked in town and earned a bit of money, she felt grateful to the manager and often helped him with the herbs. Over time, she actually learned to recognize many characters and began helping to dispense medicine in the shop.
Drying herbs only earned a few copper coins a month, but dispensing medicine could earn several hundred. From that day on, A-chun realized how important literacy was. She gritted her teeth and took out all her savings to send Cheng Guo’er to the schoolhouse. She didn’t expect him to become a great scholar, but at the very least, he needed to know how to read and write.
“While I was at the shop and had some free time, I made a schoolbag for you. I used scraps of fabric left over by the manager’s wife. That’s high-quality cloth. Have a look when we get back and see if you like it,” A-chun patted Guo’er’s shoulder. “I’m usually in town, and Father and Mother are busy. You go to and from school by yourself every day. Are you scared on the road?”
“Guo’er is a man, of course I’m not scared!” Guo’er puffed out his chest. “I get to go to the schoolhouse every day. When I meet Niudan and the others on the road, they’re all so jealous. They say I’ll grow up to be more than just an illiterate farmhand. After school, I even teach them the characters I learned that day!”
“As you should! My Guo’er is so sensible!” The siblings chatted and laughed, arriving home shortly.
Because A-chun was home today, Shitou and his wife had done a quick round of the fields and hurried back. As soon as they returned, they saw A-chun hanging laundry in the yard, and their hearts immediately went out to her.
“You finally have a rest day to come home. Why didn’t you sleep in? Why did you get up so early to do this!” Guo’er’s mother said, quickly taking the clothes from A-chun’s hands.
A-chun didn’t protest and let her mother take the laundry. “I’m used to getting up early, I couldn’t sleep. I saw the weather was good, so I thought I’d get the washing done.”
“This efficiency of yours is exactly like your mother’s!” Shitou said as he looked at A-chun. Noticing she looked a bit thinner, he felt a twinge of heartache. “Why have you lost so much weight? If you get any thinner, you’ll weigh less than Guo’er.”
“I had a bit of a cold a few days ago, so I didn’t eat much. I’m fine now, and I’ll gain the weight back in a few days!” A-chun took Shitou’s arm and said softly, “Father is so good to me, how could A-chun bear to make you worry?”
Just then, Guo’er came out of the house holding the schoolbag A-chun had made. He lunged into Shitou’s arms. “Father, look! The bag Big Sister made for me. Isn’t it beautiful!”