Winter, the fifth year of the Jingyuan era.
The first wife of Shen Junshan, a wealthy tycoon in Huacheng, was suffering through a difficult labor. She had been wailing for two days and one night, yet the child had still not been born.
“Save the child,” the Ru Lady, Shen Junshan’s consort wife, made the decision decisively.
Bowl after bowl of labor-inducing medicine was poured down her throat. The first wife’s shrill screams pierced the snowy night as despair and terror filled the birthing bed, eventually turning into a pool of blood.
Suddenly, a crisp baby’s cry cut through the delivery room.
“Congratulations to the First Lady! Congratulations to the Ru Lady! It is a young master.” The nanny wrapped the blood-stained infant in swaddling clothes and presented him to the Ru Lady with a beaming smile.
Ever since the First Lady became pregnant, the management of the household had been temporarily handed over to the Ru Lady. From the moment the First Lady went into labor, she had been standing guard outside the room.
At this moment, she glanced at the infant in the nanny’s hands. The breath she had been holding finally escaped her; her body, which had been strained for two days, nearly collapsed, but she was caught and steadied by the maid beside her.
“Carry him out for them to see.”
Receiving the Ru Lady’s command, the nanny walked down the steps holding the newborn. She approached the patriarch of the Shen clan and pulled back the baby’s swaddle.
Dense snowflakes fell between the infant’s legs. Spurred by the cold wind, the baby cried even louder.
“Look clearly, all of you. Shen Junshan’s lineage has an heir to carry on the family name.”
The Ru Lady stood under the corridor, speaking coldly as her sharp gaze swept across the clansmen one by one.
The clansmen lowered their voices and whispered among themselves, their faces filled with resentment.
“If anyone harbors ill intentions or dares to bully the widow and orphan left behind by Shen Junshan in an attempt to seize his wealth, my Shen family will absolutely not tolerate it.”
Snowflakes swirled at the Ru Lady’s feet in the wind. The dim candlelight from the paper lanterns hanging under the eaves flickered across her face, making her look like a phantom devouring the dark night.
Ultimately, the dark mass of Shen clansmen retreated from the Shen estate under the leadership of the patriarch.
As the candles under the eaves were blown out one by one, the entire Shen estate fell into darkness.
At midnight, a dark figure carrying a bamboo basket braved the wind and snow, rushing from the side gate of the Shen estate toward the outskirts of the city.
…
Winter in Huacheng had always been very cold.
As in previous years, not long after winter began, several heavy snowfalls occurred in succession.
Mount Nanguan, seventy miles from Huacheng, was draped in silver. The white snow wound for dozens of miles; were it not for the wisps of smoke rising, one would never discover the villages scattered at the foot of the mountain.
God Tree Village sat downstream in the river valley at the base of the mountain.
To save wood, the Bai family on the eastern slope of the village did not light the stove at night. The entire house was like an ice cave. Old Mrs. Bai woke up from the cold during the night and could not fall back asleep.
Having finally endured until dawn, Old Mrs. Bai pulled back the quilt and got out of bed. To keep out the cold, she slept wrapped in her padded jacket, which saved her the trouble of getting dressed.
A thin layer of ice had formed on the floor by the bed. The light reflected from the snow through the paper-pasted window frames filled the dilapidated rural earthen house with a shimmering, clear glow.
Old Mrs. Bai wrapped an old kerchief around her head, pushed open the door, and looked into the distance.
The snow had stopped.
The entire courtyard was covered in a thick layer of snow. As the cold wind blew, snowballs weighed down the trees in the yard, falling with a rustling sound and shattering into powder against the fence.
The small path in front of the Bai yard led to the village entrance. Old Mrs. Bai stood on her tiptoes, peering down the road again and again, but not a single soul appeared in the vast expanse of white.
“Calculating the days, they should have been home long ago. That couple is likely wasting time in Huacheng…”
Old Mrs. Bai tucked her hands into her sleeves. After watching for a long time without seeing anyone, she felt deeply disappointed.
Her son and daughter-in-law had gone to work for a wealthy family in Huacheng a year ago. During the autumn harvest, they sent word that they would quit and return home as soon as winter arrived. Several snows had passed, yet the couple had not returned.
After her disappointment passed, Old Mrs. Bai became anxious, fearing that her son and daughter-in-law might have encountered some misfortune on the road.
The cold wind continued to blow, and snowballs from the treetops continued to hit the fence.
With a loud thud, the fence in the southeast corner of the yard collapsed under the weight of the snow.
“Grandmother, you’re up so early again.” Xie Chuntao, the eldest grandson’s wife, came to Old Mrs. Bai’s side and said with concern, “Did you catch a chill last night? I’ll boil a bowl of ginger tea for you to dispel the cold.”
“I’m not cold. Go and cook for the family first.” Old Mrs. Bai withdrew her gaze and waved Xie Chuntao away, then shouted toward the east and west wing rooms, “Dazhuang, Zhaomei, Dalang, Sanlang—you little brats! Are you still sleeping like the dead? Get up and sweep the snow!”
Xie Chuntao gave a quick response and ducked into the kitchen to briskly light the fire.
The eldest grandson, Bai Dazhuang, was already dressed. He grabbed a broom and stepped into the deep snow. The youngest grandson, Bai Zhaomei, followed behind him with the great-grandsons Dalang and Sanlang, wielding shovels to clear the snow.
Curled up in her blankets, the second grandson’s wife, You Jingui, shouted through the window: “Sister-in-law, fix me a bowl of egg tea, and add a few extra drops of sesame oil.”
Demanding both eggs and sesame oil—Old Mrs. Bai was pained to the core. The family was on the verge of starvation, and they only had two eggs and half a bottle of sesame oil in total.
According to her usual temper, she would have pierced You Jingui with sharp words long ago, but You Jingui was currently pregnant and could not be provoked.
“Grandmother, it’s not that I want to eat it; it’s your great-granddaughter in my belly who wants to eat.”
Sure enough, every time You Jingui made a demand, she used the child in her womb as a shield.
Old Mrs. Bai curled her lip. You? Thinking you can birth a girl for the Bai family? I’m afraid you don’t have that kind of luck.
“Is that Father and Mother?” Bai Zhaomei tossed snow outside the fence and looked up to see two people getting off a carriage at the village entrance.
Old Mrs. Bai widened her eyes and tried hard to see. Her eyesight was poor, and she couldn’t make them out clearly.
“It is! It’s Grandpa and Grandma!” Dalang and Sanlang saw them vividly. They jumped with excitement, dropped their brooms, and rushed out with Bai Zhaomei to meet them.
“What are you standing there for? Go help your parents carry their things! It’s freezing out there.” Xie Chuntao set down her kitchen knife and stepped out, speaking to the still-dazed Bai Dazhuang.
Grinning, Bai Dazhuang pulled Xie Chuntao along as they walked toward the village entrance.
In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the crowd surrounded Bai Muban and Mrs. Zhen as they vibrantly stepped into the courtyard.
“Mother,” Bai Muban and Mrs. Zhen called out in unison.
“What time is it? Why did you only just—” Old Mrs. Bai’s face was stern, but her eyes fell upon the swaddled bundle in her daughter-in-law Mrs. Zhen’s arms, and her remaining words were cut short by shock.
“Grandmother, Mother gave birth to a younger sister!” Bai Zhaomei announced the joyful news.
Old Mrs. Bai showed no emotion. She swept a glance over Bai Muban and Mrs. Zhen; the couple looked quite uneasy.
“Get inside the house.”
Bai Muban and Mrs. Zhen followed Old Mrs. Bai into the main room. It was as cold as an ice cellar. Mrs. Zhen shuddered from the chill and pressed the bundle in her arms even tighter against her chest.
“I have a sister! I have a sister!”
“I have an aunt! I have an aunt!”
Bai Zhaomei, Dalang, and Sanlang circled Mrs. Zhen, hooting with excitement.
Bai Dazhuang wanted to shout along too. Their Lao Bai family finally had a girl. Without waiting for orders, he took it upon himself to light the stove; his sister was so small, she couldn’t be allowed to freeze.
Xie Chuntao brought hot ginger soup from the kitchen for her parents-in-law. She was observant and noticed that Old Mrs. Bai, who had always longed for a girl, did not seem as happy as expected. Therefore, she didn’t dare act too joyful herself.
“That… Mother, this child…” Bai Muban began tentatively.
Old Mrs. Bai interrupted: “Enough. I know our family has always hoped for a daughter.”
“Dazhuang’s mother, put the child on the bed. You’re clutching her to your chest like she’s a golden egg you’re brooding over. Chuntao, go to the village and borrow some rice and flour to nourish your mother-in-law.”
As soon as the old lady gave her orders, the entire Bai household immediately became jubilant, radiating happiness from the inside out.
“Yes, right away, Grandmother!” Xie Chuntao replied, rushing out like a whirlwind.
“Dazhuang, what are you standing there for? Take Zhaomei, Dalang, and Sanlang to the river to catch some fish so you can make fish soup for your mother.”
Bai Dazhuang agreed verbally but didn’t move. He craned his neck toward the bed. It had been freezing outside, and his sister had been wrapped tightly by his mother; he hadn’t seen what she looked like yet.
Behind Bai Dazhuang, several heads stretched out in unison toward the bed, silly smiles on their faces.
“Go, quickly!” Bai Muban glared at his sons and grandsons, standing before the swaddled bundle like a guardian deity. He couldn’t let these stinky boys bump into the baby girl.
The baby girl was very well-behaved. The child in the bundle behind him hadn’t cried or made a fuss the whole way, and even now that they were home, she was still fast asleep.
Bellowed at by his father, Bai Dazhuang led Bai Zhaomei, Dalang, and Sanlang out to get the fishing tools.
“Oh, Father and Mother are finally back.” You Jingui, wrapped up like a ball, heard the commotion and lifted the curtain to enter. Showing off, she supported her waist and moved to rummage through Bai Muban’s luggage on the bed. “What good things did you bring for your granddaughter? By the way, Father and Mother, I’m pregnant again. They say ‘sour for a boy, spicy for a girl,’ and I’ve been craving spicy food lately. I’ll surely be the one to bring the first girl to our Lao Bai family.”
“Your mother-in-law has already beaten you to it. She gave birth to a sister-in-law for you,” Old Mrs. Bai said expressionlessly.
“What? A sister-in-law?” You Jingui spotted a red floral swaddle next to Mrs. Zhen. She reached out to pull at it, but Mrs. Zhen blocked her like a mother hen protecting its chick.
To actually be beaten to it by her mother-in-law—You Jingui felt indignant as she stroked her belly.
Old Mrs. Bai instructed You Jingui: “Go to your parents’ house and borrow some brown sugar. Borrow some eggs, too.”
“My parents’ house isn’t a gold mine,” You Jingui grumbled.
Brown sugar was a precious commodity; how could she just borrow it like that? In this house, which was so poor it clinked, what would they use to pay it back?
Judging by the patches all over her parents-in-law’s clothes, she could guess they hadn’t earned much money while away.
The Lao Bai family was a bottomless pit. How had she been so mindless as to board this sinking ship of poverty in the first place?
You Jingui was full of reluctance, but she couldn’t withstand Old Mrs. Bai’s dagger-like gaze. Supporting her belly, she headed toward her parents’ house at the west end of the village.
Once the grandsons and their wives were sent away, Old Mrs. Bai took a deep breath and sat down on the bed. She couldn’t help but glance sideways at the infant in the swaddle. The delicate, jade-like little face was indeed incredibly endearing.
“Alright, speak. Where did this child come from?”