Even though Gu Lin said out loud that he was fine, he didn’t have the heart to cook lunch. He simply boiled a pot of rice, stir-fried a plate of green vegetables, and after eating just a few bites, he returned to his own room.
Gu Lin lay down on the bed, staring up at the dark canopy above without a shred of sleepiness. He had expected to lie awake, but unexpectedly, after a short while, his eyelids felt heavier and heavier. Finally, everything went black before his eyes, and his consciousness immediately blurred into chaos.
He slept for a full two hours. When Gu Lin opened his eyes and saw that the room was pitch black, he couldn’t quite tell whether it was day or night. His gaze drifted toward the wooden window to the side, and seeing an orange glow filtering through the window paper, he realized he had slept straight through until evening.
His bright eyes rolled about in the dark. Gu Lin felt as though a single nap had left him feeling refreshed and clear-headed. The heavy, stifling emotions of the day had dissipated completely, as if all his negative and gloomy feelings had vanished along with that midday sleep.
He got up, washed his face, and then went to the woodshed.
Walking up to the stove, Gu Lin dumped all the vegetarian dishes, chicken, and pig ears from the stove top into a pot, blanched them until cooked, and scooped them out. Afterward, he added seasonings, mixed them evenly, and packed them into bamboo tubes.
Carrying several bamboo tubes, he arrived outside Zheng Hao’s door and called out, “Xiao Hao.”
Within the span of a single breath, the door was pulled open. Zheng Hao stepped out from inside and asked Gu Lin, “What is it, Uncle Gu?”
Raising the cold dishes in his hand, Gu Lin said to Zheng Hao, “Accompany me to the village chief’s house to thank him for his help.”
“Alright.” Understanding the situation instantly, Zheng Hao first went to the courtyard to scoop a ladle of water from the vat to clean his hands, washing away the ink stains on his wrists, and then walked over to Gu Lin’s side.
Seeing this, Gu Lin couldn’t help but sigh with admiration. Ever since entering school, Zheng Hao had become increasingly particular about such matters. Yet this fastidiousness was never annoying, because Gu Lin could clearly sense that the boy wasn’t putting on a clumsy imitation of others, but was genuinely holding himself to strict standards.
Stepping out of the Zheng family courtyard, Gu Lin didn’t know where the village chief’s house was, so he simply followed quietly in Zheng Hao’s footsteps until they reached the chief’s dwelling.
The village chief’s front gate was half-open, and the courtyard outside was completely empty.
Before Gu Lin could react, Zheng Hao looked around and called out toward the interior, “Grandfather Village Chief!”
The half-grown youth’s voice hadn’t broken yet, and his loud shout carried a hint of childishness. Gu Lin, who had just moments ago thought the boy mature and fastidious, instantly found back that familiar feeling.
Within a few breaths, a rather thin yet spirited-looking older woman walked out from the house. She looked toward the gate and, seeing that the visitors were Gu Lin and Zheng Hao, said, “Ah, it’s Lin-ger and the Zheng lad! Come on in!”
She walked over, pushed the half-opened gate wide, and welcomed Gu Lin and Zheng Hao inside. “You two come into the house and sit down first; I’ll pour you both a couple of bowls of water in a moment.”
Gu Lin and Zheng Hao followed behind her. Hearing her words, Gu Lin said, “There’s no need to trouble yourself, Auntie Zhang. We came specifically to thank the village chief for his help this morning.”
As for the events at the Zheng household that morning, although the village chief’s wife hadn’t been present, she had heard about it from her husband afterward. She despised the behavior of Gu Lin’s adoptive parents from the bottom of her heart, yet she felt a deep sense of pity for Lin-ger.
The village chief’s wife turned to Gu Lin and said, “You are a person of Lower River Village; how could you let those people drag you away? The head of the house helping you was only right and proper. What talk of thanking is this?”
Walking into the house, the village chief’s wife called out toward the inner room, “Old man, Lin-ger and the Zheng lad are here to see you.”
The village chief was inside smoking his dry tobacco. As soon as Gu Lin walked in, he felt the room was hazy with smoke. The village chief’s wife glared fiercely at the village chief not far in front of her. But restrained by the presence of outsiders and not wanting to make her husband lose face, she swallowed the scolding that had rushed to her lips. Still, her eyes burned with anger as she stared at the tobacco pipe in the chief’s hand, looking as if she might step forward the next second to snatch it away and throw it out.
The village chief instinctively tucked the tobacco pipe away. He hadn’t heard his wife calling just now, and upon raising his eyes to see Gu Lin and Zheng Hao, he asked with some surprise, “Why have you two come?”
The village chief’s wife shot him an annoyed look. “Is that any way to speak?” Pointing to the stools inside the house, she turned to Gu Lin and Zheng Hao, “Don’t mind your Village Chief Uncle, or Village Chief Grandfather, he doesn’t know how to talk. Lin-ger and the Zheng lad, sit down quickly.”
After that, she shouted toward the doorway, “San-ni, go pour two bowls of water quickly!”
Before he could even refuse, Gu Lin saw a young girl with a sallow complexion walk in carrying two bowls of water. There was no table in the room, so Gu Lin and Zheng Hao had no choice but to take the bowls directly from the girl’s hands.
The water in the bowls was filled almost to the brim. It was awkward for Gu Lin to handle it like that, so he lowered his head and drank a little.
Once the water in the bowl was reduced by half and less likely to spill, Gu Lin raised his head and said to the village chief, “Village Chief Uncle, Xiao Hao and I came this time to thank you for your help this morning.”
As he spoke, he stood up, walked forward, and handed the cold dishes to the village chief’s wife. “Auntie Zhang, these are cold dishes I made myself. You and Village Chief Uncle try them and see how they taste.”
Although Gu Lin’s parents had been driven away, Gu Lin knew that was only temporary; they would definitely make a comeback later on.
There were only him and Zheng Hao in the Zheng household. If things reached that point and they had to rely solely on the two of them, it would be difficult to deal with Gu Lin’s adoptive parents. Therefore, after thinking for a long time, Gu Lin decided to find himself some external assistance, and this first step was to build a good relationship with the village chief.
The village chief, who hadn’t spoken a single word since asking his initial question, raised his eyelids and looked at the cold dishes, a hint of interest showing on his face as he asked, “Is this the business you’ve been running in town?”
Gu Lin carried several bamboo baskets out to sell vegetables every day, starting from two baskets at first up to six baskets later on. Anyone even slightly quick-witted would realize he wasn’t just going to town to sell regular vegetables. The people of Lower River Village frequently traveled back and forth to town, and as time went on, villagers naturally ran into Gu Lin selling his cold dishes. As early as a few days prior, the news that Gu Lin was doing business in town had already been spreading wildly around the village.
The village chief was quite curious about what the cold dishes Gu Lin made actually tasted like, to be able to command such a high price of seven or eight cash in town.
He urged his wife, “Old woman, let me try some quickly.”
Seeing the village chief’s impatient expression, the village chief’s wife muttered, “Truly, the older he gets, the less he can control his mouth.”
Where was there an elder who was such a glutton in front of juniors? Even her three-year-old grandson was better than this.
Though she said that, the village chief’s wife still opened the bamboo tube and handed it to the chief.
Immediately, a wave of fragrance poured out from the bamboo tube. The room, previously filled with the scent of tobacco, was now permeated with a sour and spicy aroma. Upon smelling it, the village chief’s mouth began to water. He looked at the red and green cold dishes inside the bamboo tube and grew even more eager to taste the flavor.
The village chief’s wife also couldn’t help swallowing her saliva as she smelled the fragrance of the cold dishes. Coming to her senses, she felt somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, wondering how she had ended up being just as gluttonous as a child.
Raising her head to see the old man staring fixedly at the cold dishes in her hand, the village chief’s wife felt she had regained a shred of dignity and said, “Eat, then.”
The village chief didn’t even bother with chopsticks; he directly picked up a piece of lotus root completely coated in red oil and popped it into his mouth. The moment he bit down on the first piece, his cloudy eyes burst with light. He then looked at Gu Lin, thinking no wonder the food he made was so popular in town; with such culinary skill, he would thrive anywhere.
However, why hadn’t he ever heard before that Gu Lin had such a wonderful cooking skill?
The village chief turned and motioned to his wife, “Old woman, you try some quickly.”
Regarding the old man’s earlier direct use of his fingers to eat the cold dishes, the village chief’s wife felt as though her face was burning right in front of Gu Lin and Zheng Hao. How old was he, still making such a fool of himself? Yet, smelling the fragrance in the air, the village chief’s wife grew rather expectant. Not as crude as the chief, she picked up a pair of chopsticks, plucked a piece of cold dish, and placed it into her mouth.
She paused for a moment, chewed quickly a few times, swallowed, and then turned to look at Gu Lin. “Lin-ger, your culinary skills are truly wonderful! How did you ever think to prepare eggplant and lotus root like this? I’ve never eaten eggplant this delicious in my life.”
Suddenly, the village chief’s wife’s elbow was nudged a few times. She turned and glared at the village chief, but upon seeing the hint in his eyes, she instantly realized her faux pas and quickly turned back to explain to Gu Lin, “Lin-ger, don’t mind it. Your auntie didn’t mean to pry into your recipe.”
Hearing this, the village chief knocked his tobacco pipe against something with a headache.
With the old woman blurting it out so bluntly, even if she hadn’t meant it that way, others would still grow suspicious and harbor doubts.
Gu Lin didn’t take it to heart at all and said to the village chief’s wife, “Auntie, don’t worry, I understand what you mean.”
“As long as you understand, as long as you understand.” Seeing that Gu Lin was magnanimous and didn’t mind in the least, the village chief’s wife instantly set her mind at ease.
Seeing this, Gu Lin smiled slightly, then raised his head to look at the village chief. “Village Chief Uncle, I have one more matter to discuss with you.”
Having eaten food from someone’s hand, the village chief was already prepared for the other party to make some request on this basis. “What is it?”
Gu Lin said, “I am currently running a cold dish business in town, and the vegetables at home are almost running out. I don’t know if the other people in the village have surplus vegetables, but I would like to purchase melons and vegetables from the villagers of Lower River Village.”
Purchase melons and vegetables?
The hand holding the village chief’s dry tobacco paused. The expression of indifference he previously held instantly turned serious. His eyes swept toward Gu Lin as he asked, “Lin-ger, do you know what you are saying?”
It was no wonder the village chief was so serious. Although the population of Lower River Village wasn’t as large as the surrounding villages, every single household had plenty of melons and vegetables in their fields. How could Gu Lin possibly consume all of them by himself? If he couldn’t take them all and could only purchase from a portion of the people, the rest would inevitably have opinions, and in the end, things might get so bad that even he, the village chief, would end up becoming the villagers’ venting post.
Gu Lin understood his concerns and said, “You can rest assured. However many melons and vegetables the village has, I will take them all. I will never make things difficult for you.”
“Good!” the village chief exclaimed. A rare expression of joy surfaced on his ordinarily wrinkled face, as he said that if this could really be pulled off, Lin-ger would have done a great service for the village.
When it was time to be modest, he was modest, but when it was time to accept praise, Gu Lin never felt shy. “The chief exaggerates. I am also a member of Lower River Village. Now that I have a little bit of capability, it is only natural that I give back to my fellow villagers.”
Hearing Gu Lin’s words, the village chief felt even happier inside. “Good, good, good. Later on, I will gather the head of every household in the village to discuss this matter. Rest assured, Lin-ger, I will definitely handle this affair properly.”
Although the village chief was weak-natured and afraid of trouble, he wasn’t someone who couldn’t tell good from bad. Gu Lin’s purchase of vegetables from the villagers of Lower River Village was done out of regard for these ties of affection. If it couldn’t be handled well, the other party wouldn’t let them ruin his own livelihood.
Seeing the village chief’s sallow face flush with a healthy glow, Gu Lin finally brought up the fundamental purpose of his visit.
After the other party proposed purchasing vegetables from the villagers of Lower River Village, the village chief was already rejoicing that the villagers could have an extra source of income. His gaze fell upon Gu Lin as he said, “Just speak your mind. If it’s something I can accomplish for you, I will definitely get it done.”
Gu Lin said, “Village Chief Uncle knows that my parents came to look for me this morning, but you don’t know their purpose. They wanted me to abandon Xiao Hao, go back with them to my maiden family, and marry a fool in exchange for silver to get my younger brother married. But I have said I am unwilling to remarry! Since the head of the house passed away, I only want to stay with Xiao Hao and live our lives well!”
Hearing this, the village chief’s wife instantly flew into a rage, asking how there could be such parents, noting that not feeling heartbroken for their own ge-er when his husband is gone was one thing, but they actually wanted to push their own ge-er into a fire pit.
Gu Lin lowered his gaze slightly. Although he didn’t speak, the trembling eyelashes over his eyes displayed his forced composure and vulnerability.
The village chief glanced at the old woman, signaling her not to keep twisting the knife in Lin-ger’s wounds, and then turned to tell Gu Lin that once a ge-er is married, he belongs to his husband’s family, meaning no one can force him if he is unwilling to remarry, and adding that if his parents dare to bring people here to cause trouble, it might be inconvenient for them as juniors to step forward, but the people of Lower River Village are not afraid.
Seeing the village chief shed his usual cowardice and express such a fearless attitude, Gu Lin was very satisfied.
He knew that whether it was the village chief or the villagers, out of consideration for the past kindness of Hunter Zheng, they would help him in matters that didn’t harm their own interests. But the incident with Gu Lin’s adoptive parents that morning had served as a reminder, making Gu Lin realize that once he encountered trouble that made the people of Lower River Village feel helping him would harm their own interests, then no amount of deep affection would be of any use.
Only when their own interests were tied to his would the village chief and the villagers of Lower River Village stand on the same united front with him. Therefore, Gu Lin had bound the interests of the villagers of Lower River Village together with his own.
Clang, clang, clang!
The village chief struck the bronze gong vigorously. The loud, clashing sound of the gong spread throughout the entire village, and it wasn’t until nearly a quarter of an hour later that the ringing finally stopped.
Numerous figures appeared on the village paths. Upon hearing the bronze gong sounding from the village chief’s house, the villagers hurried over as fast as they could.
“Uncle, what did you call us here for?”
The village chief’s courtyard, previously quite spacious, was now packed with people. A young man standing at the front of the crowd stepped up to ask the village chief, who was his own nephew, named Zhang Erniu.
“That’s right, Village Chief, what happened? You’re even sounding the bronze gong in the middle of the night,” asked a man around the village chief’s age.
A bronze gong wasn’t struck casually. Unless a major event happened in the village and the chief needed to urgently notify every household, he wouldn’t sound the gong to gather the villagers, otherwise it wouldn’t even be used a few times a year.
Old Second Zhang gave Zhang Erniu’s head a slap with a palm as broad as a cattail fan and told him not to blabber nonsense, asking if his uncle was someone he couldn’t trust to do things right.
Guiltily holding his struck head, Zhang Erniu said to Old Second Zhang that it was almost the middle of the night and asked what could be so urgent that it couldn’t wait until tomorrow morning, while also asking if his second uncle wasn’t curious about what his uncle wanted to say.
Old Second Zhang lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, telling him to be quiet because he would know in a moment, and noting that his uncle must have a major matter to have called them all over.
Looking at the noisy, clamoring crowd before him, the village chief raised a hand, and the crowd slowly quieted down.
Seeing this, the village chief was very satisfied. Although he didn’t have as much absolute authority in Lower River Village as the chiefs of other villages, the villagers still respected him.
He looked at the crowd of villagers in front of him and asked in a deep voice whether the heads of every household in the village had arrived.
Zhang Erniu’s gaze swept toward the back of the crowd, then he craned his neck and said that Wang Mazi’s household hadn’t come yet.
Wang Mazi’s household was left with only Wang Mazi and his widowed mother. His widowed mother had raised him through bitter hardships only to end up raising a good-for-nothing wretch. Back when Liu Sanlai hadn’t yet been driven out of Lower River Village, Wang Mazi used to hang out with him every single day.
Now, who knew what kind of thievery or petty crimes he was off committing somewhere else.
The wrinkles on the village chief’s face folded together. With a cold hmph, his expression turned solemn as he said they didn’t need to worry about him.
Sweeping his gaze across the crowd before him, the village chief said in a deep voice that he knew everyone must be wondering why he called them all there in the middle of the night.