To entertain the honored guest from across the river, the Fu family prepared plain noodle dumplings in broth for breakfast, along with a plate of fried eggs and two bowls of steamed fermented fish. Mother Fu, ignoring Lou Zhaoshui’s claim that he had already eaten, ladled him a large bowl of noodle dumplings, topped with three fried eggs and five pieces of fermented fish.
“Plowing works up an appetite, and you’re such a big fellow—eat more,” Mother Fu urged.
Lou Zhaoshui hadn’t expected this. He knew full well that farm work made a man hungry, so to keep his stomach from embarrassing him, he had eaten until the food reached the top of his throat before coming. Now, looking at this bowl, he wanted to eat but simply couldn’t manage another bite.
Fu Ruyi brought out an empty bowl. She took the large bowl from his hands and asked, “How much can you eat?”
“I’m not hungry at all.” Even as he said this, Lou Zhaoshui didn’t notice that his eyes were fixed on the food in the bowl, unable to look away.
“Try the fermented fish? I put it up to ferment last autumn—there’s not much left now.” Fu Ruyi transferred all five pieces of fish to the empty bowl, then added one fried egg for him. “How about some noodle dumplings? Mother and my youngest sister-in-law got up before dawn to knead the dough, roll it out, and shape the dumplings just to host you. Is this amount too much?”
“That’s enough.”
Fu Ruyi set down her chopsticks. She gave him a little less than half a bowl of glistening noodle dumplings and kept the remaining larger portion for herself, sitting down beside him to eat.
“Little Lou, come over again tomorrow for a meal,” Mother Fu instructed, walking over with her bowl to share a few pieces of her fermented fish with Ruyi.
Lou Zhaoshui realized that “Little Lou” meant him. Chewing on the savory, salty fish, he nodded emphatically.
“Does it suit your taste? You don’t have this up north, do you?” Lin Juan asked. “This fermented fish is made with big carp from the Yellow River—it has to be neither too fatty nor too lean to ferment well.”
“Can you understand her?” Eldest Sister-in-law hadn’t been willing to leave with her husband and children. She stayed behind at the old house to continue admiring the handsome guest, holding half a bowl of noodle dumplings and picking at them without bringing a bite to her mouth.
“I can’t catch a few words, but I can guess the meaning,” Lou Zhaoshui replied, pointing at the fish in his bowl. “First time trying this—it’s delicious.”
“In a little over a month, when the Yellow River swells and the weather warms, fish will get cheaper. Then we’ll put up a few more jars to ferment, and you can take them back for your family to enjoy,” Lin Juan said.
Fu Yuan let out a sarcastic snort. “Oh, so now you don’t mind the fishy smell anymore? You’re willing to do the work?”
Lin Juan shot him a glare. “Eat your meal.”
“I’m already full just from looking—why would I eat?” Fu Yuan muttered.
“Fifth Brother, are you jealous?” Eldest Sister-in-law laughed. “Don’t blame your wife—blame Mother for not giving you a better face.”
“I don’t have that kind of skill,” Mother Fu interjected. “Hurry up and eat, stop your chattering. If we dawdle any longer, it’ll be noon.”
Just then, Eldest Sister-in-law’s eldest son came to call for her. “Mother, we’re heading to the fields.”
Eldest Sister-in-law dared not delay any further. She finished her half bowl of noodle dumplings, set down the bowl, and headed out the door, saying before she left, “Little Sister, once the field work is done, bring your husband-to-be to our place to learn the way.”
Fu Ruyi agreed.
Father Fu finished eating and went to bring out the curved wooden plow for tilling, along with the harrow for leveling the soil. “Yuan’er, shouldn’t we sow the seeds on the land we plowed yesterday?”
“We might finish sowing before dark, and we’d have to come back to swap tools—a waste of time and effort going back and forth. Let’s plow one more day, then use the whole day after tomorrow for sowing,” Fu Yuan said.
Whoever did the work called the shots, and Father Fu had no objections.
Lou Zhaoshui finally finished everything in his bowl. He set down the bowl and went to help.
The plow and harrow were loaded onto the wooden cart, the wooden beam fitted across the two cattle’s necks. They also brought along two buckets, two shovels, and a water pouch filled with lightly salted water—everything was ready.
Fu Ruyi was also fully equipped. She wore a wide straw hat on her head, her hair bun poking through the round opening at the top, and her face was wrapped in a thin silk veil, leaving only her eyes exposed. Walking over to Lou Zhaoshui, she plopped a straw hat onto his head and said in a muffled voice, “Put it on. Don’t let your handsome face get tanned.”
“It’ll turn pale again after a winter.”
“Little sister, come lead the cattle,” Fu Yuan called out.
“Coming,” Fu Ruyi replied. She said to Lou Zhaoshui, “Follow behind the wooden cart. When we hit an uphill slope, help my third brother give it a push.”
Fu Ruyi and Lin Juan took the lead, guiding the cow and her offspring. Fu Yuan hoisted Fu Ying up onto the wooden cart, then lifted the shafts and pulled the cart along behind them.
Lou Zhaoshui followed at the rear, one hand resting on the cart’s edge, secretly lending his strength.
The Fu family’s non-glutinous broomcorn millet field was on the high ground to the west. Leaving the village and heading south, they passed the mulberry field where Ruyi had once taken Lou Zhaoshui to strip elm seeds, and they arrived.
At the field, Fu Yuan hitched the plow to the wooden shafts, and Ruyi drove the cattle into the field.
As the cattle dragged the plow into the field, Fu Yuan called out, and Ruyi immediately stopped in her tracks with a “whoa.”
Fu Yuan adjusted the depth of the plow blade, and Lou Zhaoshui leaned in to watch.
“Know how to use a plow?” Fu Yuan asked.
“Used one before.”
Fu Yuan stood up and stepped aside without hesitation. “Come on, give it a try.”
Lou Zhaoshui hesitated. He was worried about making a mistake in front of Fu Ruyi—if she got annoyed with him, that wouldn’t be good.
“Try it. If there’s something you don’t understand, just ask. My third brother will teach you.” Fu Ruyi encouraged him.
Lou Zhaoshui couldn’t refuse, so he walked over and gripped the curved wooden handle, asking, “How deep should I plow?”
“Deep enough to cover the top of your shoe,” Fu Yuan said.
“Last autumn when I planted wheat, I plowed about a finger deep. Was that wrong?” Lou Zhaoshui asked.
“Deep plowing in autumn, shallow plowing in spring—that’s correct.” Fu Ruyi shared the experience she’d summed up. “Crops planted in autumn have to survive the winter. If you plant them too shallow, the roots will freeze. Even if you’re not planting crops, you should plow deep—plowing deep turns up the insect eggs in the soil so they freeze to death. Do you understand?”
“I do!” Lou Zhaoshui was excited. Now he understood, and he remembered it. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Ruyi let out a whistle. Holding the two ox reins, she led the two cattle straight toward the other end of the field.
The iron plow turned over the compacted soil, releasing the earth’s breath that had been sealed in all winter—the fresh green scent of tender grass stems mixed with the fermented smell of rotting bean stalks.
“Bring your feet closer together. Why are you spreading your legs so wide? Don’t you get tired?” Fu Yuan reminded him from the side. “Keep your eyes on the plow. If it goes too deep, ease up a little. Bend your arms. I told you to guide the plow, not push it. The plow is pulled by the cattle—it doesn’t move because you push it.”
“Speak more slowly. He might not understand everything. Give him some time to figure it out,” Fu Ruyi called out from ahead.
Fu Yuan let out an “oh,” and when he corrected him again, he demonstrated with his movements.
When they reached the end of the furrow, Ruyi let out a “whoa.” Judging the distance, she tugged the reins to force the two cattle to slow down and turn the corner.
Fu Yuan pressed down hard on the lifted plow, forcing Lou Zhaoshui to follow his lead and guide the wooden handle to carve a smooth arc as they turned.
“It’s time for you to push the plow. Put some effort into plowing this headland, or we’ll have to have someone dig it by hand instead.” After turning the corner, Fu Yuan let go of the plow handles. Afraid this fool wouldn’t understand, he stepped forward and grabbed the wooden shaft. “When the ox turns, the shaft on the outside is taut. You steer the plow along the outer arc, and the shaft will pull the plow. Give it some extra push, and you’ll get the land plowed. Understand?”
Lou Zhaoshui looked at him, embarrassment written on his face.
Fu Yuan was troubled. How else could he explain this?
“Again, let’s do another pass. Just follow what I do.” Faced with that handsome face, Fu Yuan couldn’t muster any anger. He might be hard to communicate with, but at least he was willing to learn.
“Is the plow in the soil?” Fu Ruyi asked. “I’m moving now.”
Lou Zhaoshui adjusted the depth of the plow, looked at Fu Yuan, and when he saw the other man nod, he broke into a brilliant smile. “Ready.”
Fu Ruyi clicked her tongue twice, and the two cattle stepped forward.
It wasn’t until the cattle had dragged the plow far away that Fu Yuan snapped back to attention and followed. He muttered to himself, “Good-looking, and even his smile is prettier than other people’s.”
They plowed another furrow alongside the fresh one. As they neared the headland, Fu Ruyi let out a series of “whoa, whoa, whoa” calls and smoothly pulled the cattle around the turn.
Fu Yuan again guided the plow through an arc, then let go and patted the beauty’s shoulder. “Not bad. Even though you didn’t understand, you learned it. Next pass, I won’t help. You do it yourself.”
Lou Zhaoshui understood, and he smiled with excitement. “I learned it?”
“You learned it. Keep practicing.” Fu Yuan didn’t look at him. He picked up the other iron shovel from the wooden cart and went with his wife and daughter to break up the big clods of earth.
The two resumed plowing. No one spoke. The only sounds in the field were the snorts of the cattle and the crunch of the iron plow cutting through soil and stems—a reassuring sound.
A long-drawn “whoa” rang out, followed by a series of “lie, lie, lie.” Lou Zhaoshui heard the sound, looked up, and watched the cattle for a few moments. He pushed the iron plow with force, following the cattle as they walked the outer arc, and successfully plowed the headland.
“Whoa!” Fu Ruyi stopped the cattle, dropped the reins, and went around to the back. Seeing the headland had been plowed, she pulled down her face covering and smiled. “You learn fast.”
Lou Zhaoshui raised an eyebrow with no small amount of pride, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
“Try again.”
“One more pass.”
“Tired? No? Then one more pass.”
“Let’s do another one, to reinforce what you’ve learned.”
“…”
“Great beauty, come hold the plow. Let me see whether you’ve forgotten how to do it over a meal.”
Pass after pass, Fu Ruyi coaxed Lou Zhaoshui into plowing the field again and again, until they had plowed all one mu and three fen. Only then did the two set down their burdens and walk over to sit by the wooden cart.
The plow was swapped for a harrow. Fu Yuan stood on the wooden harrow as the cattle dragged it across the field, breaking up the turned soil and leveling the furrows. The hard, compacted earth from the morning became loose and soft. The yellow soil took on a new look, turning brown.
“Tired?” Ruyi propped her leg up and tilted her head to look at him.
Lou Zhaoshui hesitated. She laughed. “Tired is tired. Too embarrassed to say it?”
Lou Zhaoshui moved his arms and winced. “Both arms are probably swollen.”
Ruyi had half a mind to take advantage and give him a massage, but she was too exhausted to move.
“Coming back tomorrow?” she asked.
“Coming.” He gave a definite answer. “Don’t underestimate me. I can support a family.”
Ruyi laughed heartily, and the laughter brought back her energy. She tilted her shoulder and leaned against his, saying, “With arms this strong, you’re definitely capable of supporting a family. I won’t suffer any hardship if I marry you.”
Lou Zhaoshui didn’t know what to say. He muttered a few random sounds in the Xianbei language.
“What did you say?” Fu Ruyi asked, but it was only a casual question, not one she insisted on having answered. She raised her right hand, covered in gray dust and sweat, in front of her face and murmured, “My life will keep getting better.”
Lou Zhaoshui lifted his sore arm and took her hand in his. “Tomorrow I’ll learn from you how to drive the cattle. When you get tired, I’ll take over so you can rest.”
“Aunt!” Fu Ying shouted.
Fu Ruyi was startled. She looked over.
Fu Yuan stood on the harrow, cracking his whip at her, eyes wide with anger as he yelled, “Go back, go back! Don’t stay here where I have to look at you.”
Fu Ruyi couldn’t have been happier. She scrambled to her feet, grabbed the great beauty by the hand, and the two of them walked away without a trace of reluctance.
Mother Fu had already prepared the meal at home. Ruyi and Lou Zhaoshui ate first upon arriving. After they were full, she walked him home. On the way, they ran into her old father, who had already eaten and drunk his fill at the Lou household, and the father and daughter walked back together.
Seven or eight days passed like this until a spring rain fell, and only then did the spring sowing pause, giving people a chance to rest.