“It’ll only take a few minutes. I’d just finished eating and was taking a break. It gets boring with no one to talk to, so I came to see you, Sister Liu.”
As she spoke, Yang Yufen followed Auntie Liu into the house.
Auntie Liu had married young and had children early. Yang Yufen, on the other hand, had married late and become a mother later in life. She was tall and sturdy, which had made her less popular with most men. The two women were actually the same age, their birthdays less than a month apart.
“That’s wonderful. I’m usually by myself too. Our little courtyard isn’t nearly as lively as the apartment blocks. My husband, son, and daughter-in-law are either at the military base or at the research institute. They leave early and come home late. Sometimes I don’t even see them all day. When they get busy, they might not come home for several days. Thankfully, the two children come by and keep me company now and then.”
Following her gaze around the room, Yang Yufen quickly spotted the small stool with the problem.
“It’s this stool, right? Just wedge a wooden shim into it and it’ll be fixed. Easy enough. Are people at the research institute really that busy? Gone for days at a time? Nian Nian said she’d be busy too and wouldn’t be coming home for lunch.”
Picking up the stool, Yang Yufen pulled a thin wooden sliver from her pocket, measured it against the loose leg, and began trimming it with a knife.
“They’re often like that all year round. Little Qin’s advisor is the institute director, so she’s even busier.”
Only after speaking did Auntie Liu realize she might have said the wrong thing and hurriedly tried to make up for it.
“That sounds exhausting. No wonder she’s so skinny. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have sold that rooster—I’d have brought it over as well. Fortunately, I managed to buy some meat today.”
After saying that, Yang Yufen tapped the stool several times to test it. Once she was satisfied it was steady, she trimmed away the excess wood and smoothed it down so there were no splinters.
“There. Done.”
“You’re such a kind person, Sister Yang. Little Qin is truly fortunate to have a mother-in-law like you.”
Auntie Liu was momentarily stunned before breaking into a smile.
“My son is the lucky one for marrying Nian Nian. She’s beautiful and capable. What kind of man disappears on a mission right after getting married? He’s been in the army for years and hardly comes home. I might as well consider him donated to the military.”
Handing the stool back, Yang Yufen said,
“Take a look.”
“Oh my, that was fast! Amazing.”
Auntie Liu took the stool and shook it. It was solid as a rock.
“I should head back and do some more tidying. Now that the ground is ready, I need to get some vegetables planted as soon as possible.”
“You really can’t sit still. If you plant seeds now, they’ll mature too late. I’ve got some seedlings. Wait a moment—I’ll take you to see Sister Wang. She loves gardening and always has more seedlings than anyone else. If you plant them now, you’ll still get an autumn harvest.”
“Oh, I’d feel bad taking them for free. Let me grab a couple of eggs. Good thing I brought those three hens with me.”
Though she spoke politely, Yang Yufen moved quickly. She grabbed two eggs, picked up a basket, and followed Auntie Liu to Auntie Wang’s house nearby.
“Sister Wang, do you have any extra seedlings?”
Before she even entered the yard, Yang Yufen was impressed by the vines covering the fence. Once inside, she was even more amazed. Clusters upon clusters of grapes hung overhead, their deep purple-red color making them look irresistibly delicious.
“I do! I’m in the backyard. Come on in!”
From the front gate to the main house, grape trellises stretched overhead. One side of the yard was planted with loofah gourds, the other with bottle gourds, all climbing the walls. Every patch of soil in the courtyard had been put to use. Eggplants, string beans, and all sorts of seasonal vegetables grew in neat rows.
“This courtyard is arranged beautifully. I’m going to copy some of these ideas.”
In one corner, Yang Yufen noticed an outdoor latrine.
That’s right, I should build one too, she thought. I’ll ask her how she did it.
Passing through the west side of the house, they reached the backyard, where even more crops were growing. There were also bamboo-framed shelters set up among the plants.
“I was just thinning out these seedlings. If I don’t transplant them soon, they’ll start crowding each other. And this is…?”
“This is Sister Yang, Little Qin’s mother-in-law. Little Qin’s husband is away on a mission, so she came to visit.”
“Hello, Sister Wang. I’m here hoping to trade for some seedlings. I’ve never even seen some of these vegetables before. And your whole garden is incredible—better than the fields back in our village.”
Yang Yufen gave a thumbs-up and praised her sincerely.
“I’m from the countryside too. I just love farming. Come, come—I’ll pick out some good ones for you.”
For just two eggs, Yang Yufen received a basket overflowing with all kinds of vegetable seedlings.
Since she had spent her whole life farming, she and Auntie Wang chatted enthusiastically. The two eggs were pushed back and forth so many times they nearly fell to the ground before Auntie Wang finally accepted them.
Even then, she clipped two bunches of grapes and shared them with the visitors.
Yang Yufen casually asked for a grape cutting, then gifted Auntie Wang a jar of homemade soybean paste in return.
“I really have to thank you, Sister Liu. Otherwise I never would have met Sister Wang. She’s such a generous person. I thought only the front yard could be used, but it turns out the empty backyard can be used too. This place is so much better than those apartment buildings.”
“Exactly. Put up a bamboo fence in the backyard and plant some vegetables. You’ll have enough to last all winter.”
Back home, Yang Yufen washed the grapes and left them to dry in a basket. After planting all the seedlings, she started preparing dinner: mixed-grain rice and braised eggplant and green beans with pork belly.
When Qin Nian returned home and saw the new changes in the courtyard, she was amazed.
“You’re back. Wash your hands and eat.”
Hearing her return, Yang Yufen came out and conveniently drew some water for her.
“Mom.”
Qin Nian called out, parked her bicycle, and washed her hands. She intended to help with dinner, but Yang Yufen had already carried everything to the table.
“Eat.”
Setting a bowl of rice in front of her, Yang Yufen spoke only those two words.
Qin Nian had no choice but to sit down and pick up her chopsticks.
She wasn’t a picky eater, but she disliked overly fatty meat. Today’s dish contained pork belly, yet Yang Yufen had deliberately rendered out much of the fat beforehand. The flavorful oil had been absorbed by the eggplant and green beans.
Looking at her rice bowl, Qin Nian was certain it was her normal bowl—not the oversized noodle bowl from yesterday.
So why was she stuffed today?
It must be because Mother-in-law’s cooking is just too delicious.
Without giving it much thought, she reached for the dishes after finishing.
Yang Yufen silently went to boil water.
She had packed that bowl of rice tightly, pressing it down again and again with a spoon. Since her daughter-in-law only ate one bowl, making it denser was the perfect solution.
She could finish it, after all.
Next time, I’ll do the same.
“There are grapes in the basket. They’ve already been washed. Help yourself. They’re too sour for my taste.”
The next morning, Qin Nian got up and discovered breakfast was different. Instead of porridge, there was a boiled egg and a bowl of malted milk drink.
“Mom, you should keep the malted milk for yourself. I’m still young.”
“If I tell you to drink it, then drink it. I already made a bowl for myself.”
With that, Yang Yufen ignored her and went outside to feed the chickens.
Three hens were too few.
Since the backyard could be used for growing vegetables, it could also support more chickens. If she raised a few dozen now, they’d be ready to eat by the end of the year.
Watching her mother-in-law, who seemed even busier than she was, Qin Nian could only drink the malted milk, slip the egg into her pocket, and hurry off to the research institute.
“Sister Yang, why are you buying so many chicks?”
Auntie Liu stared in surprise as Yang Yufen selected thirty chicks.
“They might not all survive. Better to buy a few extra. Besides, they’re not expensive.”