My steps were quick, and I returned to the village before dark.
I stopped at the large locust tree at the entrance of the village, looked around to ensure no one was there, and took out the items I had just bought, along with the Sea Gathering Tools I had purchased from the modern side.
I then poured the unsold Seafood from my basket into the Space, packed the items into the basket, and carried it on my back as I headed home.
When I was still a short distance from the Walled Courtyard, I saw a small head poking out, peering in this direction.
Upon seeing it was Jiang Tang, the small figure rushed out with a "whoosh," calling out from afar: "Elder Sister..."
"Mm, slow down."
Jiang Tang watched her dark-skinned Younger brother running toward her with joy.
My heart felt soft; having someone look forward to and wait for my return is a wonderful feeling.
"Elder Sister, what did you buy? It looks quite heavy. Let me carry it; I have a lot of Strength."
Jiang Yi wanted to take the basket, but I dodged him and continued walking home: "You forgot, Elder Sister has plenty of Strength too. It’s no trouble, let’s hurry back."
The two of us returned home to see Madam Feng sitting under the eaves, looking out.
Hearing our steps, she raised her head. Seeing Jiang Tang, her face immediately filled with feigned annoyance: "You dead girl, coming back so late! If you couldn't sell it all, you didn't have to rush back in the dark. We thought you were tired of the drafty house and didn't want to come back."
Though she spoke words of blame, she was thinking, "Not seeing you return, I was so worried. How unsafe it is for a girl to walk at night!"
In truth, it wasn't completely dark yet. Although the moon was already hanging high on the horizon, it was still adorned with the last trace of orange-red from the sunset, stubbornly refusing to fade.
"I know, Grandma." Jiang Tang heard the worry in her tone, and instead of being annoyed, she felt warm and sweet inside.
She had finally understood: Madam Feng truly wanted to live with them.
Before the family split, Grandma had to look after two shops, but now that she wasn't going back there, she was waiting to be separated.
As long as Grandma didn't act foolishly, she would show filial piety to her and support her in old age on behalf of Father.
I set down the basket and took out two items: "Grandma, A Yi, look, these are good items I bought from the Foreigners."
I put the headlamp on my head, paused intentionally, and then pressed the switch.
A bright beam of light suddenly shot out from the lamp, hitting the Fence wall opposite and illuminating the weeds in the corner clearly.
Once they realized it was just a harmless beam of light, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
The beam was startlingly bright; wherever it shone, it was as bright as day, ten times brighter than the dim Oil Lamp in the house.
Jiang Yi was the first to react, excitedly circling the beam. When he ran directly in front of it, the light was too dazzling, and he raised his hand to shield his eyes.
"Elder Sister, this really is a good item! It seems even more useful than an oil lamp. Now we can see clearly when we go for Sea Gathering at night, and we don't have to worry about the wind blowing it out. But I wonder what makes it shine? It doesn't use lamp oil, and it's not fire?"
The boy had hit the nail on the head; a boy's nature is like that, always unable to resist exploring new things.
Jiang Tang pretended not to know and did not answer.
"Elder Sister, can you take it off and let me take a look?"
Jiang Tang deftly took off the headlamp and handed it to him, not forgetting to urge: "Be careful, don't break it. This thing is not cheap."
Since something worth nine point nine could be exchanged for ten thousand taels, a headlamp of the same price was naturally categorized by Jiang Tang as "not cheap."
Unlike Jiang Yi, Madam Feng only marveled that it was a good item and didn't think to take it to look at it. By comparison, she was more concerned about her granddaughter.
"I left porridge in the pot. Go eat quickly! You must be hungry after being out all day."
"Okay." Jiang Tang nodded and pointed to the basket, "Grandma, there are a few bolts of cloth in the basket. The smoke-blue one is for A Yi to make new clothes, and the greyish blue one is for you. The grass-green one is mine; after mine is done, I'll cut some for Lianxue and Jiuxi as well."
As Jiang Tang spoke, she carried the newly bought Iron Pot into the Kitchen.
The Kitchen was low, the Window Lattice was small, and the moonlight was blocked by the eaves, leaving it dizzy and groggy inside.
I washed my hands and lifted the lid, only to see what looked like orange-red chunks in the white porridge; I couldn't tell exactly what they were.
Jiang Yi followed with the headlamp, the beam shining directly into the pot.
Jiang Tang then saw that it was actually a Carrot, cut into irregular small pieces and soaked until soft in the white porridge.
It was her first time seeing a Carrot cooked in porridge.
She muttered to herself, wondering what it tasted like.
On second thought, no matter how bad it tasted, it was better than that bowl of Mixed Grain Porridge that would scratch the throat.
This was a taste and texture she would remember for a lifetime, and it would also make her cherish the hard-won grain even more.
"Elder Sister, this thing cooked in porridge is actually quite delicious, soft, glutinous, and sweet."
"Did you cook this porridge?" Jiang Tang served a bowl, blew on it, and took a sip. It really had a faint sweetness, with a texture somewhat like Sweet Potato porridge, smoother than she had imagined.
"Mm," Jiang Yi nodded, "I didn't know how to eat this, so I asked Grandma, and she said she hadn't seen it either. But Grandma said that since it's edible, it must be fine if it's boiled thoroughly in the pot, so I cut some up and boiled it with the rice."
"This is called a Carrot," Jiang Tang said after swallowing a mouthful of porridge, "It can be used to Stew Soup or stir-fried. It's very nutritious."
"Did the Foreigners say that?"
"Mm."
When she finished eating and came out, Madam Feng was feeling her way in the dark with a stick, moving the cloth Jiang Tang had bought into the room, one bolt at a time.
"Grandma, let me do it." Jiang Tang walked over quickly to take the cloth.
"Put them all in my room. Tomorrow I'll cut them and make clothes for you all." Madam Feng thought that since she couldn't help with the family's work, she might as well sew new clothes for the children.
"A Yi's clothes are all too short. Make his first, and Grandma should make two new sets for yourself as well," Jiang Tang said while moving them into the room.
Madam Feng waved her hand: "Mine don't matter; I can still make do. Don't waste such good cloth."
She hadn't made new clothes in many years. If they tore, she would just patch them with a scrap of cloth and keep wearing them; even if they were washed until they turned white, she couldn't bear to throw them away.
In those years, it wasn't easy for a widow to raise two boys, and she had even borrowed external debts to Marry a wife for her two sons.
Later, the Younger son and his wife were diligent and earned some Silver Coins by going out to sea to fish, which not only paid off the debts but also allowed them to build a New House.
Just as life was about to brighten, the Younger son disappeared after one trip out to sea...
Thinking of this, Madam Feng couldn't help but shed tears.
She felt resentful; she blamed god for not opening his eyes—taking her husband wasn't enough, he had to take her son too.
She even resented her husband for being heartless, leaving behind an Orphan and widow so early and making her taste all the bitterness of the world.
Jiang Tang didn't know she was crying. When she lit the Oil Lamp and turned around, she happened to see Madam Feng wiping away tears with her back turned, her eyes red from rubbing them with her sleeves.
"Grandma, why are you crying?"
"Grandma is fine," Madam Feng hurriedly wiped away her tears and forced a smile, "It's just that some Sand got into my eyes."
She couldn't let her granddaughter be sad with her.
These two children had finally walked out of the sorrow of losing their parents and were just starting to live their lives again; her old bones shouldn't add to their burdens.
"Is Grandma missing Father?"
Besides this, she couldn't think of any other reason.
When Madam Feng heard this, she instantly looked up at her, and Jiang Tang knew she had guessed correctly.
"Grandma, no one saw Father meet with an accident with their own eyes," Jiang Tang said, weighing her words and trying to make her tone sound firm, "There are many small islands at sea; perhaps Father is just trapped on one of them and can't return for the moment?"
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