Though she was clearly talking about the yellow earth, Lou Zhaoshui inexplicably felt his spine tingle, his face flush red, and a nameless irritation rise within him. He pulled his hand free and turned away, his face averted, clutching a pinch of yellow soil, coarse grains mixed with fine.
Fu Ruyi’s ears were red too, burning hot enough to make her dizzy. She lowered her eyes to stare at her right hand, still curled as if grasping, and felt a secret thrill of satisfaction.
The three children lowered their heads one after another as soon as the two adults’ hands separated. They stared at the clumps of dirt on the ground, stealing sidelong glances at the two lost in their own thoughts.
Fu Ying coughed. She grabbed a handful of elm seeds and stuffed them into her mouth, then gave a handful each to Little Blondie and Que’er, saying loudly, “Tender elm seeds are sweet. Have some too.”
Fu Ruyi snapped back to attention. She rubbed the yellow dirt between her hands and said absently, “The weather is really nice.”
Lou Zhaoshui didn’t respond to her words, nor did he look at her. Facing Little Blondie, he let out a string of Xianbei speech.
Little Blondie nodded, then looked at the elm seeds in the basket.
Lou Zhaoshui stepped forward, picked up his family’s large bamboo basket, and moved to walk past Fu Ruyi.
“Hey?” Fu Ruyi looked bewildered. “You’re leaving?”
“We need to go back and make lunch,” Que’er answered, though her feet were reluctant to move.
“What lunch? It’s still well before noon.” Fu Ruyi took Que’er by the arm and said, “Come on, go to my house with your Sister Ying. I’ll give you the silkworms, and I’ll walk you back later.”
She didn’t believe Lou Zhaoshui would abandon the children and run off.
Sure enough, Lou Zhaoshui’s departing steps halted.
“How rude—leaving without even saying goodbye to me,” Fu Ruyi said solemnly. She studied him intently and asked, “Are you angry? Why are you angry?”
Lou Zhaoshui himself couldn’t tell why he was angry. She seemed to have flirted with him, but then again, perhaps she hadn’t. He had the feeling but no proof. His command of Chinese was poor, so he couldn’t catch her out. He was angry at her, angry at himself, and even angrier at the chaotic life his family had fallen into since moving to Luoyang—everything going wrong, enduring others’ disdain daily, getting bullied from time to time, and being unable to fight back after being wronged, just like right now.
Fu Ruyi saw the flush rise on his face, and anger and hurt well up in his eyes. She suddenly became flustered and at a loss, whispering, “I won’t touch your hand anymore.”
“Don’t say that!” Lou Zhaoshui glared at her.
Fu Ruyi guiltily shut her mouth.
“Que’er, let’s go,” Lou Zhaoshui called out.
Que’er didn’t dare make a sound. She stepped out from behind Fu Ruyi.
Fu Ruyi hastily picked up her basket and followed Que’er. Seeing this, Fu Ying followed along too.
“Uncle, what’s wrong with you? You only touched hands,” Little Blondie muttered under his breath. He spread his own hand and looked at it, then said, “Auntie, do you want to touch my hand instead?”
Fu Ruyi had no interest. She stole a glance at the great beauty and said, “I wouldn’t dare.”
“Don’t talk!” Lou Zhaoshui was very wary of her, and couldn’t bear to hear her voice right now.
“Why should I listen to you? Just because I like you?” Walking up beside the cold-faced beauty, Fu Ruyi’s heart once again stirred uncontrollably. Seeing him freeze, she continued, “I like you, so I want to talk to you, yet you tell me to shut up. Do I listen to myself or to you?”
Lou Zhaoshui was left speechless. He turned his face away.
“Let’s go.” Fu Ruyi landed her blow and withdrew at once. She led the three dazed little birds past him and left first.
Fu Ying, Little Blondie, and Que’er kept looking back every few steps, making Lou Zhaoshui feel intensely uncomfortable all over.
The two groups walked back in silence, keeping a distance of one zhang between them.
When the pontoon bridge came into sight, Fu Ruyi stopped. She set down her basket and asked Beinu and Que’er whether they had ever eaten food made from elm seeds.
Lou Zhaoshui had also calmed down by now. He walked closer and said, “Take them all. We wouldn’t know how to make anything with them.”
“You cook at home, don’t you? Why don’t you come to my place and learn how to make elm-seed steamed buns and elm-seed fan? Both are simple—you’ll pick them up after watching once.” Fu Ruyi was trying to lure him to her house.
Lou Zhaoshui knew exactly what she was up to. There was no way he would go with her, so he refused outright.
“Then let Little Blondie and Que’er come with me. They can learn and come back to tell you.” Fu Ruyi settled for the next best thing. Seeing him about to refuse again, she seized on his weakness and countered, “If you don’t learn anything, do you plan to move back north all by yourself someday? Your two elder brothers are surely going to put down roots in the Central Plains, and your parents will likely choose to live with your brothers.”
Lou Zhaoshui fell silent at once.
Fu Ruyi extended her hand. When he looked at her, she smiled encouragingly. “Seize this opportunity that’s been handed to you. Use my help to learn as much as you can. Don’t feel burdened—if you’re unwilling, I won’t pester you.”
Lou Zhaoshui stared at her steadily.
Fu Ruyi smiled brightly and said with confidence, “I do like you, but besides you, there are handsome men among the Xianbei, and fine young men among us Han as well. I have plenty of choices.”
Lou Zhaoshui was stung by the unrestrained smile on her face. His expression soured. “You really are a fickle person.”
Fu Ruyi burst out laughing. “You even know the word ‘fickle’? Your Chinese is coming along well.”
Once again, Lou Zhaoshui couldn’t be bothered to answer her. He stared at her hand, mulling over whether to take it.
“Give me the bamboo basket. I’ll clean the elm seeds properly and bring them to you.” Fu Ruyi moved her hand.
Lou Zhaoshui’s face tightened. He shoved the basket at her roughly and hurried off in a flash.
Fu Ruyi shook her head. “Oh well, what can I do? He’s just too handsome.”
“Auntie, you carry one basket, and the three of us will carry the other,” Fu Ying said.
“I don’t need you for that. You lead the way and take Que’er and Little Blondie back to our house.” The elm seeds weren’t heavy. Fu Ruyi slung one basket over each arm and followed the three children with an easy stride.
The Fu family’s old house sat in the middle of the village, with the village entrance to the north. Passing by her second sister Cao Peiyu’s house, Fu Ruyi called out to her two young nieces. When she got home, she went to her eldest brother’s house to fetch her little nephew and niece, gathering a crowd of children to help her pinch off the bitter brown stems from the elm seeds.
When the village children heard that a golden-haired Xianbei had arrived at the Fu house, a chattering crowd came to gawk, and Fu Ruyi put every one of them to work.
Two baskets of elm seeds, thousands upon thousands of clusters, were stripped clean in a little less than half a shichen with the help of ten or twenty pairs of small hands.
When the work was done, Fu Ruyi brought out roasted pumpkin seeds as payment, giving each child a handful. “Now go play,” she said, shooing them away.
Fu Ying ran off with Que’er, but Little Blondie stayed. He had taken to heart what Fu Ruyi said to Lou Zhaoshui and wanted to learn how to make elm-seed steamed buns.
Fu Ruyi didn’t chase him off. She had him help wash the elm seeds and, between tasks, casually probed for information about the Lou family.
The sun was bright and the wind strong. After washing the elm seeds and letting them drain, Fu Ruyi divided half of them into two basins. Into one basin she sprinkled salt and oil, mixing well, then cracked four eggs and stirred them in. Into the other basin she poured half a bowl of honey and mixed it evenly. Finally, she added a scoop of flour to each basin—she was making two kinds of buns, one savory and one sweet.
Mother Fu returned from picking mulberry leaves and saw a golden-haired boy as she entered the courtyard. She started—was she about to meet her future son-in-law already?
“Mother, you’re back? We’re having elm-seed steamed buns for lunch,” Fu Ruyi said. “This is Beinu. His uncle is Lou Zhaoshui—you know who I mean.”
“Granny,” Little Blondie said, standing up straight.
“Ah, ah, sit down, sit down. Stay for lunch,” Mother Fu said. She looked around but didn’t see a second golden-haired head, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the young lad looking uncomfortable, she kept walking through the front courtyard toward the back. “I’m going to feed the silkworms.”
Little Blondie looked up at the sky—it was getting late. He stared hesitantly at the flour basin and said, “Auntie, I should be heading back.”
“You’re leaving halfway through your lesson? Stay for lunch and taste the elm-seed steamed buns you helped make yourself.” Fu Ruyi had no intention of letting the two children leave. “Sit down. I’ll have Xiaoying deliver the message, and you can go back after the meal.”
Little Blondie hesitated.
Fu Ruyi smiled. “Don’t be shy. Sooner or later I’ll be your aunt by marriage—we’re bound to become family.”
Little Blondie grinned sheepishly. He thought so too.
Fu Ruyi called for Fu Ying to take a message to Pinghe Village. Back at the stove, she scooped up a shovelful of plant ash, wrapped it in cloth, and soaked it in water for a while. After filtering, she got half a bowl of alkaline water. She poured the alkaline water into the flour basin and said to Little Blondie, “Mix in a bit of this water, and the buns will stay a tender green when steamed. Otherwise they’ll turn a withered yellow.”
Little Blondie nodded, noting this down.
Once the two basins of elm-seed dough—one savory, one sweet—were kneaded, Fu Ruyi called her mother over. The mother and daughter pressed the dough into fist-sized buns, placing them one by one into the steaming baskets.
Because his hands were small, Little Blondie could only watch from the side.
The two basins of elm-seed dough yielded enough buns to fill four steaming baskets, requiring two rounds of steaming.
Fu Ruyi had her mother tend the fire while she went to peel garlic. After peeling, she ground mustard seeds and huqin seeds in a stone mortar. The mustard seeds were pungent and sharp, while the huqin seeds were fragrant and rich—both were essential seasonings for dipping sauces and pickled vegetables.
Fu Ruyi mixed the ground mustard and huqin seeds with sesame oil and vinegar, then blended in garlic water. The aroma made Little Blondie’s mouth water. He thought to himself that with this dipping sauce paired with boiled mutton, he could eat two big bowls.
“Auntie, what were those two spices you ground? Where did you buy them? Are they expensive?” Little Blondie inquired.
“They’re not bought—we grow them ourselves,” Fu Ruyi said. “They’re mustard seeds and huqin seeds. Plant them in spring, and they bear seeds in summer.”
“Can we still plant them now?” Little Blondie asked eagerly.
“In a little over two months, the mustard greens and huqin I planted will be ready to harvest for seeds.” Fu Ruyi immediately thought of a new reason to meet again. “Your vegetable garden is still lying fallow, isn’t it? Go back and ask your uncle—if he’s interested in growing vegetables, have him prepare the garden. In a few days, I’ll bring over two baskets of melon seedlings and vegetable seedlings for you.”
Little Blondie agreed enthusiastically.
“Oh? We have a guest?” The workers had returned. Lin Juan, Fu Yuan, and Father Fu all stared curiously at the golden-haired young lad.
“This is Beinu. He’ll be having lunch at our place,” Fu Ruyi said by way of introduction. “There’s also a little girl guest who went with Xiaoying to Pinghe Village to deliver a message for me. The Lou family doesn’t know their two children are staying at our place for a meal yet.”
The Fu family members immediately understood—Ruyi couldn’t win over her sweetheart, so she was turning to curry favor with the children of his household instead.
“Good, good, good. It’s been a while since we’ve had guests,” Lin Juan said. “This little lad is quite handsome.”
Fu Yuan stared at the golden-haired boy for a few moments, then nodded in satisfaction. If his future nephew and niece grew up to look like this, they’d be the best-looking children in the Fu family.
“What are we cooking? Have we boiled any eggs? Boil a few eggs for the two kids,” Fu Yuan said.
“Not yet. Once the stove is free, I’ll fry two panfuls of eggs with elm seeds—everyone can have some,” Fu Ruyi said.
Lin Juan went into the kitchen and saw elm-seed steamed buns steaming on the stove, with two more baskets set out on the counter—enough to feed the family for two days. Her eyes darted around as she guessed her sister-in-law was planning to give some buns as gifts. She walked out and volunteered, “Steaming this many buns? Our family can’t finish it all. When the two little guests leave, let them take a basket with them.”
Fu Ruyi waved her hand. Sending food to the great beauty’s elders would be going too far. Winning over the two children and having them put in a good word for her was enough.
“We’ll finish it. Eldest Brother’s and Second Sister’s children are also eating here at noon—they helped me strip elm-seed stems today,” Fu Ruyi said.
“Where are they? Did they go to Pinghe Village too?” Fu Yuan had a guess forming.
Fu Ruyi smiled and nodded.
* * *
Pinghe Village.
A group of children of varying ages arrived in the Lou family’s small courtyard. While Fu Ying earnestly relayed her aunt’s message, the others kept their eyes on Lou Zhaoshui’s face, whispering among themselves one moment and giggling the next.
Once the children had been seen off and the courtyard gate was shut, Lou Zhaoshui faced an interrogation.