“Fufu, do you still remember Grandma Hao?” The old woman was worried that the freshly cleaned chubby little one might have forgotten her.
Pang Fu was still the same Pang Fu, waving at Aunt Hao like a beckoning cat: “Grandma Hao, catch bugs.” She had been having so much fun playing that being suddenly scooped up left her a bit distracted. She shoved a cicada shell into Aunt Hao’s hand, trying to make her escape.
Aunt Hao couldn’t help but laugh—the little one even knew how to bargain now.
She didn’t tease the child further and returned the cicada shell to her: “Grandma Hao doesn’t want bugs, Fufu can keep them.
Here, take this too.”
She placed a boiled egg into Chubby Baby’s hand.
Pang Fu immediately dropped the cicada shell, staring at the egg with drooling anticipation: “Yummy.”
Grandma Hao was amused by her eager expression and smiled as she peeled the shell: “Yes, a yummy egg. Eat up quickly.”
Pang Fu hugged the white, tender egg, took a big bite, and swayed her head delightedly at how delicious it was.
Grandma Fu was ready and said, “You’ve gone to trouble again, Elder Sister Hao. Let’s go now. Xiao Si and Xiao Wu, come with me.”
Xiao Si and Xiao Wu hurried to follow.
Aunt Hao ruffled Pang Fu’s curly hair: “It’s just an egg, hardly any trouble at all.
Younger sister, can you carry that? Do you need my help?”
Grandma Fu quickly waved her hands: “No need, no need, it’s not heavy at all. Elder Sister Hao, are you carrying your family’s meal in baskets?”
Aunt Hao was carrying a load of food on a shoulder pole, and judging by the bend of the pole, the baskets weren’t light.
Aunt Hao’s smile faded, replaced by a gritted-teeth expression: “Exactly. Those little rascals are all bottomless pits. Even if we had mountains of gold and silver at home, it wouldn’t be enough to feed them. This one basket is barely enough to fill them up with watery fullness.
All the grain we harvest in a year goes straight into their stomachs, not a bit left.
Oh, my heart turns cold just thinking about those little rascals.”
Grandma Fu smiled, unsure how to comfort her. If they were princes and nobles, raising over a dozen grandsons might be manageable, but here in this poor, remote place…
Even if each person only ate half a pound of grain a day, just the twelve grandsons alone would need six pounds a day, one hundred eighty pounds a month, and over two thousand pounds a year.
Add in the others, and it’s no small amount.
Aunt Hao had already resigned herself to fate and was just complaining casually. She quickly put the matter out of her mind.
“I don’t have much to do this afternoon. How about I teach you how to weave straw mats?
After autumn, we get a lot of rainy, overcast days here. If your shed leaks, you’ll suffer.
By the way, are you planting vegetables? Every household can clear a small plot to grow some vegetables to eat. You can clear the land next to the woods.
Now is just the time to plant radishes and cabbage. If you plant them now, you can eat them in winter.
I have both seedlings and seeds. If you want some, I’ll bring them to you later.”
Grandma Fu nodded eagerly: “Yes, yes, thank you so much, Elder Sister Hao. If you hadn’t mentioned it, we wouldn’t have known anything.
It’s just that we’re not very skilled at farming or growing vegetables. We’ll have to trouble you to teach us more.”
“That’s nothing. Don’t worry, leave it to me.”
Aunt Hao was truly robust. Carrying a load of lunch on her shoulder pole, she walked briskly and still managed to chat.
Grandma Fu started panting after walking a stretch. Xiao Si and Xiao Wu helped share some of the load, otherwise she would have been even more out of breath.
The main group of Aunt Hao’s family wasn’t assigned to the same area as the Fu Family, so the two parted ways halfway.
“Younger sister, go up from here. You’ll see a large stretch of orange trees—that’s the place. If you really can’t find it, just shout.”
“Could you please tell my Little Twelve to come down for lunch later? I’ll bring it to the front field.”
Grandma Fu quickly agreed and continued climbing the slope with her two grandsons.
Just as they reached a ridge, they saw a vast orange grove on the back slope, branches heavy with fist-sized oranges, a delightful sight.
People were moving among the orange trees, too far away to distinguish who was who, so Grandma Fu had Fu Little Four call out.
Fu Little Four shouted, “Father, Mother, it’s time to eat!”
Their distinct accent made it clear who they were calling.
Fu Family’s eldest son, Fu Yu’an, promptly responded, “Grandma, Little Four, Little Five, we’re over here!”
After shouting for the first time at the top of his lungs, Fu Yu’an’s heart raced a little from the embarrassment.
But in such mountainous terrain, a loud voice was indeed practical.
Grandma Fu and the two children got their bearings and headed over with the lunch.
Some families in the grove were already eating.
They glanced curiously at the newcomers but didn’t greet them, given the Fu Family’s status.
Grandma Fu didn’t mind, though Little Four and Little Five felt a bit uneasy.
Once the family gathered, Grandma Fu noticed a sturdy young man helping with the Fu Family’s work, as robust as the Ma Family members, and asked, “Are you Little Twelve?”
Ma Shi’er smiled and nodded. “Hello, Grandma.”
“Hello there. Your grandmother asked you to go down the slope for lunch.”
At the mention of food, Ma Shi’er dropped his tools and dashed off without a moment’s delay.
Grandma Fu chuckled. What a kid.
Turning to her own family, she saw exhaustion on everyone’s faces except for Old Second Fu.
Grandma Fu sighed but said nothing, urging them to eat quickly.
In the dilapidated thatched shed.
“Lao Si’s wife, bring Fufu over for lunch,” Old Master Fu called out, having already served meals for the mother and daughter as well as Fu Little Six.
Pang Fu was quite the foodie too. The moment she heard “lunch,” she didn’t hesitate for even half a second, tossing away the cicada shells she’d spent all morning collecting with her little bottom wiggling.
Baba sighed. [Little Master, these can be sold for money. If they break, it’ll be a waste.]
Pang Fu paid no attention. She ran up to Old Master Fu, tilted her chubby head, and stared at him eagerly.
Old Master Fu couldn’t help but laugh. Using the small wooden bowl he’d bought that morning, he filled it halfway with rice, added two pieces of cured meat, placed a small wooden spoon inside, and led her to sit on a nearby stone stool.
“Do you want Grandpa to feed you?”
Pang Fu eagerly reached out. “Baby is good, eat by self.”
Old Master Fu patted his granddaughter’s curly hair in praise and placed the bowl in her hands. “Then hold it steady. If you drop it, there won’t be any more food. Sit here nicely, and call Grandpa if you need anything, understand?”
“Understand.”
Old Master Fu reminded Fu Little Six beside them to take care of his sister before leaving.
Qingqing Yin gathered up the cicada shells her chubby daughter had painstakingly collected. She remembered her daughter muttering while picking them up that they could be exchanged for money to buy meat.
“Exchange for money, buy meat, give Baby eat.”
Since Qingqing Yin’s mental health issues, she rarely spoke to others voluntarily. Now, she had improved significantly.
Old Master Fu felt pleased. Glancing at the large bundle of cicada shells, which likely weighed less than half a pound, he smiled. These things could indeed be exchanged for money—he had collected them himself as a child.
“Alright, leave it to me. Hurry up and eat. Go sit with Little Six and Fufu.”
Qingqing Yin carried her bowl and happily sat down in a row with the two little ones.
Grandma Fu and her two grandsons only returned after the people in the field had finished eating and she had collected the dishes.
The elderly lady had lived a life of comfort and privilege for most of her years, and now at an advanced age, the journey had exhausted her thoroughly. She sat to the side for a long while, unable to catch her breath.
The old man felt both heartache and guilt. “I’ve made you suffer by following me,” he said.
The old lady shot him a glare. “Did I suffer any less when I followed you to teach in the mountainous regions back in the day? Enough with the unnecessary talk—fetch me some water.”
The old man smiled, brought her a bowl of water, and urged Xiao Si and Xiao Wu to hurry and eat.
He waited until the old lady had recovered her strength, and only then did the two elders eat together.
Not long after the meal, Aunt Hao arrived.
First, she taught them how to clear the land and plant the vegetable seeds, then she moved on to the matter of weaving straw mats.
Pang Fu was also called away by her little companions, taking Qingqing Yin and Fu Little Six with her.