◎ A Basket of Eggs ◎
Before Tao Hua married into the Wei family, she had heard from her mother about their circumstances. Twenty years ago, the Wei family were hunters in the mountains. After settling in the village, they had a weak foundation and were among the poorest households in Dahe Village. They owned only a few barren fields, and the annual harvest, after taxes, was likely insufficient to feed the two grown men in the family. Marrying into such a household, she feared, might mean going hungry.
Her mother had even bluntly stated that the savings the Wei family had scraped together over the years through frugality had probably all been spent on Wei Dahu’s wedding. Now, the family might have no spare money for daily expenses. After marrying in, she must not let this trouble her, nor show any hint of disdain. She must not quarrel with Wei Dahu over such matters, and so on…
Whether the family had money for daily expenses remained unknown, but the claim that the annual harvest was insufficient to feed two grown men now appeared entirely true. Holding a bowl of steamed egg custard, Tao Hua watched her husband’s hearty manner as he ate from a wooden basin, sinking into a state of bewilderment.
Wei Dahu’s single meal could sustain her for three days.
Could those two barren fields really support the three of them?
On the table were leftovers from yesterday’s wedding feast. Whether out of convenience or lack of cooking skills, Wei Dahu had thrown all the leftovers together into a pot to boil. The greens, perhaps from sitting overnight or from the stove fire being too strong, had completely lost their moisture and now looked no different from the pig feed she used to prepare for the pigs back at the Qian family.
Faced with this large basin of food, Tao Hua found herself at a loss for where to begin with her chopsticks.
At the Qian family, thanks to her third uncle, Chef Qian, they had meat once every ten days or half a month. Even on ordinary days when they ate wild vegetables, they were always cleaned thoroughly, making them look appetizing.
Over the years at the Qian family, though Tao Hua had endless chores and toiled daily, her diligence and willingness to work had kept the kitchen tidy. Occasionally, when Chef Qian was too busy, he would call her to assist. Though she only handled minor tasks like waiting nearby and following instructions, she had secretly learned many skills. While she couldn’t take on the main responsibilities of preparing feasts, handling the everyday cooking in the kitchen was effortless for her.
Thus, seeing Wei Dahu’s crude cooking methods, she couldn’t help but feel it was a waste. The meat and vegetables were truly being ruined in a way that pained her heart.
Even with leftovers, she could turn them into something presentable. From now on, she absolutely could not leave the kitchen work to him.
After the family finished their morning meal, Tao Hua stopped Wei Dahu from clearing the table. She swiftly took the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen, wiped the table, and then stayed in the kitchen to tidy up.
Perhaps because the men in the family were tall, the Wei house, though made of earth, had high beams. Even the kitchen was much taller than the one at the Qian family. The stove platform was large and spacious, with two bundles of firewood stacked in the corner and a cupboard nearby, yet there was still plenty of room to move around.
What pleased Tao Hua most was the large iron wok in the house.
The Qian family had an iron wok only because of Chef Qian. As far as she knew, many households in Xinghua Village didn’t own one. Iron woks weren’t cheap, and some families didn’t even have enough food to eat—why would they spend money on such an extravagance? Pursuing good food was something only wealthy families did, while many others were just trying to survive.
The Wei family was not wealthy, and their morning meal of a pot of messy leftovers didn't seem like something from a household that pursued good flavor, so why had they gone to the expense of having a large iron wok made?
Tao Hua really couldn't figure it out.
While Tao Hua was tidying the kitchen, Wei Dahu was in the yard washing the borrowed tables and chairs. Once the sun rose and dried them, he could return them to his uncle's family. The newlywed couple each had their own tasks. When the kitchen ran out of water, Tao Hua called for Wei Dahu to bring in a bucket. They didn't disturb each other, yet their movements were filled with warm affection.
Old Man Wei sat in the yard splitting bamboo strips. Half of the fence around the yard had been dismantled yesterday, so he simply told Wei Dahu to take down the other half as well: "Later, go to the bamboo grove and cut two bundles of bamboo. We'll make a new fence, sturdy and tight, to keep out snakes, insects, rats, and pests."
Their home was right at the foot of the deep mountains. In summer, there were plenty of snakes, insects, rats, and pests. In winter, if wild beasts couldn't find food, when those creatures came down the mountain in groups, their home would be the first to suffer attacks. Old Man Wei and Wei Dahu weren't afraid of these "reserve supplies," but now that there was a woman in the house, a higher and sturdier fence, though unable to fend off wild beasts, could at least keep out smaller things like snakes and rats.
Wei Dahu glanced at Tao Hua bustling in the kitchen, thinking that women were all afraid of those long, slithery things. In the future, if he caught any, he absolutely couldn't bring them home, lest he scare his wife: "Dad, do we have any insect-repellent powder at home? Sprinkle some around the back of the house so those soft, wriggly things don't sneak into the yard."
"Was it you who was afraid of those things before, or me? No insect repellent, but I have some bait. Want it?" Old Man Wei replied without looking up.
What for? Could he possibly catch all the snakes from the back mountain?
Wei Dahu didn't want to talk to his father anymore. He went inside to fetch a machete, then stood in the yard and called out to Tao Hua in the kitchen: "Wife, I'm going to the back mountain to cut bamboo. Do you want to stay home or come with me?"
Tao Hua was busy. After finishing the kitchen chores, there was still a large pile of bowls and chopsticks in the yard to wash. How could she have time to go to the back mountain with him to cut bamboo? She wiped her sweat and said, "You go ahead. I'll hurry and wash the bowls and chopsticks in the yard. Later, we can go together to return them to your uncle's family."
"Alright." Wei Dahu tucked the machete behind his waist, said a word to his father, and headed up the mountain via the path behind the house.
While Tao Hua was wiping the kitchen cabinet, Old Man Wei entered the kitchen carrying a jar.
Tao Hua turned her head and called out, "Dad." Old Man Wei placed the jar on the stove and said, "This is honey. Yesterday, during the banquet, your eldest uncle's wife saw there were many people in the house, so she moved the jar to my room. From now on, you'll be in charge of storing these things at home. How to use them is up to you."
Tao Hua glanced at the jar and nodded in agreement: "Alright."
Old Man Wei left after saying this.
Tao Hua washed her hands, gently opened the lid of the jar, and a sweet, fragrant scent of honey immediately wafted out.
Honey was a precious thing. She remembered when she was a child in Zhou Village, a man had found honey in the mountains. Two small pieces, about the size of pancakes, were sold in town for half a tael of silver.
High-quality honey was rare, and harvesting it was even more difficult. Even after all these years, she still vividly remembered that man's appearance—his face swollen from bee stings like a pig in a pen. Every day, when he walked through the village, people would gather to stare, causing quite a few jokes.
This whole jar of pure honey was far more than those two pieces sold for half a tael of silver.
Tao Hua placed the jar in the innermost part of the cupboard. Turning her head, she looked at the results of her morning's work—the kitchen was much cleaner and tidier than it had been earlier. The firewood pile was neatly stacked, the stove was spotless, the pot scrubbed until it gleamed, and inside the cupboard, two wooden basins and three small bowls were arranged orderly, along with the most eye-catching honey jar.
The more Tao Hua looked, the more satisfied she felt. Clapping her hands, she went to tidy up the pile of bowls and chopsticks in the yard.
"Uncle."
Just as Tao Hua stepped out of the kitchen, she heard Sanhua's voice.
Sanhua stood outside the yard, her little face flushed from running. Seeing Tao Hua look over, she quickly called out, "Cousin-in-law!"
Old Man Wei, noticing no one behind her as if she had come alone, immediately said sternly, "Sanhua, next time ask your brothers to bring you over. A young girl shouldn't walk the small paths alone—it's dangerous."
Tao Hua also hurriedly invited her in. Yesterday, Sanhua had kept her company in the new house for a long time, and Tao Hua had grown very fond of this little girl. "Sanhua, come in quickly. Have you eaten breakfast?"
Sanhua bounced into the yard, first replying to Old Man Wei, "Uncle, I came with Sanshi. We just met Li Dalang on the way—he was heading into the mountains to hunt and dragged Sanshi along."
Then, she sidled up to Tao Hua and said with a smile, "Cousin-in-law, I’ve already eaten breakfast. Mother said you’d be busy today and told me not to stay at home, so she sent me over to help."
Tao Hua laughed cheerfully. "Even if you just sit by my side and talk with me, I’d be happy."
"Hehe." Ignoring Tao Hua's protests, Sanhua fetched water with her, and the two squatted in the yard to wash the dishes.
Tao Hua scrubbed them first, while Sanhua slowly rinsed them a second time. As they worked, they chatted. Yesterday, Tao Hua had learned from Sanhua that she was the youngest daughter of the eldest uncle, thirteen years old, with two older brothers. The two sisters-in-law who had helped in the kitchen yesterday were among them, both very easy to get along with.
The Sanshi she mentioned was the youngest son of the second uncle. He had an older sister named Chen Daya. Chen Daya had also sent gifts through someone yesterday, though for some reason, she hadn’t returned to her parents’ home to attend her cousin’s wedding feast.
Speaking of sending gifts through others, Sanhua remembered what her eldest brother had said last night about an incident during the wedding procession. She tilted her head to wipe away a water droplet on her cheek and chuckled, "Cousin-in-law, you wouldn’t know, but last night when my eldest brother came home, he told us about something funny that happened during the procession—just like in a storybook, someone stopped the wedding party! But it wasn’t the bride they stopped—it was him, the one leading the procession, haha… That person stopped him and insisted on giving him a basket of eggs to pass on to the family hosting the wedding today. My eldest brother, being a bit dense, refused and ended up dragging the person along to the feast. My two sisters-in-law laughed so hard when they heard, saying they’d never heard of anyone stopping a wedding procession to give gifts—only in storybooks do people stop wedding processions to prevent the bride from marrying. Haha, cousin-in-law, isn’t that funny?"
Tao Hua laughed along, but after a while, her smile suddenly froze, and she quickly asked, "Was the person who stopped them a young boy?"
"Big brother didn’t describe their appearance, just called them ‘little brother,’ so they must have been young, right?" Sanhua said uncertainly.
Tao Hua abruptly stood up.
The gifts received yesterday were all in the main hall. In rural households, there was no particular fuss about etiquette. When someone in the village hosted a banquet, aside from a few who gave money as gifts, most families brought rice, flour, or fresh vegetables. A basket of eggs was already considered a very generous gift.
That basket of eggs was placed in the corner of the main hall, surrounded by some vegetables. Tao Hua counted the eggs in the basket one by one—there were forty-nine in total.
Squatting on the ground, Tao Hua’s eyes instantly reddened.
It was her second brother, Zhou Mancang, who had sent them. Who knew how long he had saved up those forty-nine eggs.