Old Man Sha took the opportunity to introduce Xie Mingzhu, “This is my wife. If you need anything in the future, just come to her.”
Sha Pozi quickly responded, “Yes, yes, just come to me.”
Xie Mingzhu and the children bowed to Sha Pozi, and the group of children hurriedly called out ‘Grandmother’.
Having seen the daughters-in-law from the Leng and Zhuang families bowing in the same manner earlier in the day, Sha Pozi thought to herself, “They’re truly from the capital, all so proper.”
Hearing the children call her Grandmother made her happy. “They’re all good children, but it would be even better if you called me Granny.”
So the children quickly changed how they addressed her.
They knew they had to be perceptive—after all, they would be eating and sleeping at her place that night.
Seeing that everyone had been introduced, Old Man Sha urged, “Wife, hurry up and cook. Don’t let the children go hungry.”
Yue Zhixian seized the moment to squeeze in through the main gate, leading the mule to the pen downstairs.
Old Man Sha then guided Xie Mingzhu and her group upstairs.
However, Xie Mingzhu felt embarrassed about just waiting for food to be served, since they were essentially freeloading.
So after settling the children upstairs, she came back down to help.
The kitchen was a separate structure, detached from the main living quarters, but similarly built on a sturdy wooden frame.
Since the livestock were kept in pens under the main house, the lower level of the kitchen had no walls, allowing a clear view of the thick, solid wooden pillars.
Cooking was done on the second floor, which had wooden flooring. Instead of the traditional inland stove, they used coral stones to build knee-high pedestals with hollowed-out pits, resembling ground stoves.
A small earthen pot sat on top of one such pedestal.
Nearby, another similarly elevated stove contained hot coals, likely transferred from the main stove.
A rough iron grate was placed over this stove, serving as a grill.
Although the kitchen and living quarters were separate, a covered bridge connected the two buildings, allowing easy access without having to go up and down stairs.
When Xie Mingzhu entered the kitchen, Sha Pozi saw her and asked with a smile, “Do you have any dietary restrictions?” She had heard that Zhuang Jia’s wife didn’t eat perilla leaves.
Xie Mingzhu shook her head, “I came to help you.” With six mouths to feed from her family alone, she couldn’t let the old woman cook alone.
Sha Pozi initially wanted to refuse. Though not her own daughter-in-law, Xie Mingzhu was newly married, and A Xian was like a son to her.
She shouldn’t have to work in the kitchen on her first day.
But thinking of all those hungry children, her heart softened.
She assigned Xie Mingzhu an easy task, “Then you can grill all the crabs in that bamboo basket.”
Xie Mingzhu took the offered basket containing four swimming crabs.
Swimming crabs were at their plumpest this season.
The crabs had been scrubbed clean and tied with palm leaves. As she placed them directly on the grill, Sha Pozi brought over a small winnowing basket containing ginger slices, garlic cloves, and perilla leaves.
“I don’t know what flavors you central plains people prefer. These are our household seasonings – use them as you like.” As she spoke, Sha Pozi took a small stone mortar from a wall shelf and tossed in some glittering bluish-white crystals.
“This is cliff salt. We usually crush it while eating.”
When she brought out these seasonings, Xie Mingzhu was already quite surprised—they were more abundant than she had anticipated.
Moreover, they were using cliff salt, which forms naturally when seawater splashes onto coastal rocks and evaporates, leaving behind salt crystals. This type of salt has far less bitterness than what is commonly found in the market today and can truly be considered a delicacy. If it were sold, wealthy families would clamor to get their hands on it.
However, judging by the quantity, it probably wasn’t much. Otherwise, why wouldn’t they have thought to exchange it for silver?
Given the other party’s warm hospitality, Xie Mingzhu was filled with gratitude but didn’t know where to begin expressing it. In the end, it all condensed into two simple words: “Thank you.”
“No need to be so polite! A Xian is like my own son, so you’re naturally like my daughter-in-law.”
Perhaps due to the environment here, there really weren’t many opportunities for Yue Zhixian to find a wife of similar age. So even though Xie Mingzhu was a bit older and had a group of children in tow, Sha Pozi was already content just to have a daughter-in-law. Thus, she treated Xie Mingzhu with genuine sincerity, as she would her own daughter-in-law.
A little later, she brought over some rice wine.
Xie Mingzhu sprinkled the rice wine over the swimming crabs with perilla leaves. As the charcoal fire roasted them, the alcohol evaporated, carrying away much of the fishy odor. Not only that, but the addition of the rice wine also made the crab meat more tender and succulent.
Soon, as her crabs finished roasting, the capable Sha Pozi had already cooked a large pot of clams in a clay pot and was about to serve them, sprinkling a handful of chopped basil on top.
In addition, there were glutinous rice balls wrapped in banana leaves and various fruits cut into small pieces, placed in coconut shells.
It was quite a lavish spread.
Yue Zhixian, after feeding the mule, had gone to bathe in the waterfall behind the village and returned carrying six or seven coconuts he had picked along the way.
He hurried upstairs to the kitchen to help. “Aunt Sha, let me help with the fire.”
Sha Pozi poured the clams from the clay pot into a large earthenware basin. “If we wait for you to tend the fire, we might not even have our New Year’s Eve dinner. Quick, take this over.”
After Yue Zhixian left with the basin, Sha Pozi seemed a bit worried that Xie Mingzhu might find A Xian too young and immature.
Unconsciously, she began to speak up for him. “Don’t let his usual boisterousness fool you—this child has a good heart. Once you spend more time with him, you’ll understand.”
There was no doubt about that. Xie Mingzhu believed Yue Zhixian was fundamentally a kind-hearted young man. Of course, he might have a bit of a rascal side, but at his age, who hadn’t been a little wild and untamed?
Though she knew her smile now might look even more unsettling, she couldn’t help but smile. “I know. He’s a good person.”
What she really wanted to say was, “He’s a good kid.”
Sha Pozi seemed satisfied with her answer. She took a large sieve and placed Xie Mingzhu’s roasted crabs along with some of the cut fruit inside, apparently intending to send it over to the other side.
The journey of exile hadn’t been entirely without gains for Xie Mingzhu—at the very least, she had built up her strength. And the children were no longer delicate; they no longer feared harsh environments.
“Let me do it,” she said, stretching out her arms and lifting the sieve effortlessly.
Sha Pozi watched with a beaming smile, growing increasingly satisfied. She was diligent and strong, unlike the delicate daughters-in-law from the other two families.
She then fetched chopsticks, wooden spoons, and a stack of coconut bowls, filled them with rice balls, and carried the bamboo tray over.
Tonight’s dinner was, in fact, the most lavish meal Xie Mingzhu and the others had enjoyed in over two months. It included fruits, meat, and vegetables, and the family could finally gather around a proper table to eat.
However, it was already very late. Even with the silver moon hanging high in the sky, the children hurriedly ate, washed their faces hastily, and went straight to bed.
Xie Mingzhu actually wanted to take a bath, as she noticed Yue Zhixian had already bathed and heard the sound of flowing water nearby, indicating the presence of a river or waterfall. But she was worried about the children and decided to ask Yue Zhixian about it the next day.
She also planned to discuss the matter of their marriage with him properly.
She was so much older than him and had children in tow—how could she possibly bind him to her for life? Following them to Silver Moon Beach was merely a temporary arrangement. If an opportunity arose in the future, she would surely restore his freedom.
Moreover, Yue Zhixian seemed like an innocent young man, with no understanding of what it meant to be husband and wife, let alone matters of love.
But since they would be living together for a long time, Xie Mingzhu felt it necessary to bring this issue into the open and clarify things. Otherwise, sharing the same roof would only lead to awkwardness.
With these thoughts in mind, she soon fell asleep.
The nights by the sea were much cooler than in the mountains, and the bamboo hut was free of mosquitoes, so the children slept soundly. She, too, finally enjoyed a peaceful night’s rest.
At daybreak, as the sun rose over the sea, golden sunlight streamed into the small room, and Xie Mingzhu awoke.
As expected, Sha Pozi doted the most on Yue Zhixian, and by extension, she showed affection to Xie Mingzhu and the children since their household registration was now linked to his. Early in the morning, Sha Pozi brought over a pile of clothes.
Though they were just simple linen garments, they were far better than what they had been wearing. Most importantly, the clothes were breathable, moisture-absorbent, and very cool.
So, even though they were secondhand, after bathing in the small pool beneath the waterfall behind the village and changing into them, everyone felt refreshed and invigorated.
The clothing styles were simple and elegant. The women’s skirts resembled Song Dynasty-style ruqun, with upper garments featuring both straight and cross-collar designs.
The most notable difference from Central Plains attire was in the sleeves.
The sleeves were mostly three-quarter length.
This was understandable, as they lived by the sea. Although women didn’t venture into the ocean, they often went to the shore to gather seafood, making three-quarter sleeves much more practical.
These sleeves came in both wide and narrow styles, but regardless of the type, the cuffs were embroidered with vivid floral patterns.
Thus, even though they were just ordinary linen dresses, they were exquisitely crafted.
After Sha Pozi’s family changed into the local attire, it might have been an illusion, but the rashes on their faces and bodies seemed smaller and less red than when they had first arrived the previous night.
Especially the children, who appeared to recover faster—some areas of their skin had already returned to their normal tone.
She looked at them with great fondness. “Once you’ve settled in properly, I’ll find time to get you all new clothes.”
No one had expected Xie Mingzhu to bring so many children, so naturally there were no extra clothes prepared. These were all old garments Sha Pozi had dug out from her home.
Fortunately, the clothes fit the children quite well, regardless of size.
Xie Mingzhu hadn’t seen Yue Zhixian arrive early that morning. Normally he wasn’t so unreliable—he shouldn’t have just abandoned their whole family in Sha’s care.
But even after returning from their baths, he was still nowhere to be seen.
After thanking Sha Pozi, she finally asked about him.
Sha Pozi smiled and pointed at the five bamboo baskets of seafood in the courtyard. “That young man got up in the middle of the night to go to the beach. He gathered quite a bit of seafood. Early this morning, he hurried the old man to throw divination blocks at the Sea Goddess Temple. If they don’t go out to sea today, he plans to start building the house.”