“Father, the Village Head found a vacant house for us. My siblings and I have already seen it and tidied it up. Let’s move there,” Jiang Yue announced as she returned home. Since a steady stream of villagers had been coming by to visit Jiang Youshan, they had decided to postpone the trip to the county seat for the day.
The village had a few abandoned, dilapidated houses. While they weren’t much to look at, they were a far cry better than a makeshift shack in a graveyard. More importantly, this house was in the center of the village, surrounded by kind neighbors. Living there would give Jiang Yue peace of mind when she went out to hunt.
“Is that alright? It’s a bit improper,” Jiang Youshan fretted. “What if people start gossiping? It might affect you and Xue’er…”
“It’s a ruin; who’s going to gossip?” Jiang Yue took a sip of water before adding, “Besides, do you really want to go cry at Grandmother’s grave?”
Youshan fell silent. He felt more useless than ever.
This time, Madam Cai didn’t cry. Ever since she had heard the news of their separation the night before, a sense of relief had taken hold of her. So what if they were given nothing? It was better to have a clean break. As long as her husband and children were safe, they wouldn’t starve just because they left that chaotic household. She could weave straw sandals to sell.
The house they were moving into was a ruin now, but once they saved enough, they could buy it properly.
With this in mind, Madam Cai joined in. “Husband, why don’t we listen to Yue’er? Once we have the money, we can buy the place.”
Both parents had silently agreed to avoid touching the money Jiang Yue earned if possible. Their daughter was risking her life for that gold; it was meant to be her dowry.
Jiang Yue was a little surprised. She wanted to head back into the deep mountains and wouldn’t have time to build a shack. Moving into the old house was just a temporary fix—later, they could discuss whether to build a new home or move to the county seat. She hadn’t expected her mother to be so practical this time.
“Father, do we have to stay in the village? What if we settled in the county seat and stopped farming?”
“How would that work? If we don’t farm, what will we eat?” Youshan had spent half his life tending the earth; he couldn’t imagine a life without it.
Jiang Yue thought to herself: It’s not like we even have land left to farm.
She wanted to snap back, but seeing her “cheap” father’s pitiful state, she bit her tongue. She would hunt, make money, and eventually buy land for him to till. Every day of this new life was a bonus, and she had no grand ambitions other than her family’s safety. It didn’t truly matter where they lived.
“Once I go hunting again, we’ll buy land and build a house.”
“Daughter, why must you go hunting again?” Madam Cai’s heart trembled at Jiang Yue’s bold words. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll cut grass and weave sandals for money. Let’s not go hunting anymore, alright?”
“Mother, how many pairs can you weave in a day? And how many coins does a pair sell for?” Jiang Yue asked, purely curious.
Madam Cai counted on her fingers. “I can weave three pairs a day. One pair sells for two coins—that’s six coins a day, which makes one hundred and eighty coins a month.”
“I see, I see,” Jiang Yue smiled. “But Mother, the speed of making money can’t keep up with the speed of spending it.”
Madam Cai’s eyes reddened. “I’ll work harder. I won’t let you go hungry again.”
Jiang Yue couldn’t stand it when her mother cried. “Mother, don’t cry. Father still needs you to look after him.”
Jiang Xue brought over a bowl of medicine. “Mother, it’s time for your medicine.”
Madam Cai took the bowl and drained it in one go, smacking her lips afterward. “I won’t cry. Yue’er, let’s pack our things and move.”
It seemed her mother was in a hurry to leave, too. Once the family was settled, Jiang Yue knew she’d find a way to convince them to let her hunt. For now, the priority was getting out of this “blessed” family compound. She had had enough of the stifling atmosphere.
The move happened swiftly. The family packed their few belongings and transitioned to the new place within half a day.
During the move, there was a small surprise: Jiang Zhi, from the main house, actually came over to help. The usual rival seemed almost reluctant to see Jiang Xue go. “Did Grandmother really kick you all out?”
Jiang Xue huffed. “Isn’t that exactly what you wanted?”
Jiang Zhi shook her head. “I never said that! You’re so ungrateful; I shouldn’t even bother pitying you.”
“Who asked for your pity?”
The two cousins bickered, but neither raised a hand against the other. In fact, Jiang Zhi put quite a bit of muscle into helping them carry their things.
The “ruined” house had only one habitable room, and the courtyard walls had collapsed, but the interior was spotless thanks to the scrubbing Jiang Yue and Jiang Xue had given it. Madam Cai looked around in a daze as she smoothed the bedding on the kang bed. “Are we really out?”
“It’s good that we’re out. No one can bully us anymore!”
Jiang Xue was beaming. “Mother, I’ll go dig for wild vegetables every day.”
Jiang Lei’s big eyes sparkled. “I’ll dig them too, and I’ll help with the chores!”
“Good boy, Lei’er.” Madam Cai stroked his head, feeling a glimmer of hope in their new surroundings.
After Jiang Ming finished carrying his father inside and settling him, he immediately went to help Jiang Yue and Jiang Xue clear the debris around the perimeter.
Jiang Yue watched him work tirelessly and instructed, “Brother, make sure you remember everyone who came to visit Father today. Those are the people who helped us in our darkest hour; we should stay close to them.”
“I’m remembering them, Sister.”
“And the neighbors who helped us clean today—mark them down, too.”
After dinner, Jiang Yue gathered everyone to make an announcement: “I’m going back into the deep mountains.”
Whenever her family tried to protest, she simply clutched her head and complained of a “headache,” which terrified Madam Cai into silence. Since they couldn’t talk her out of it, they threw their energy into supporting her. Early the next morning, Madam Cai steamed a large pot of buns, packing enough dry rations to last Jiang Yue for three days.