Huai City.
The sky had cleared for a few days, but before the snow on the eaves could even finish melting, fresh flakes began to drift down once more. The ground and rooftops were soon blanketed in white again.
The massive Shen estate was draped in lanterns and colorful streamers. Silk flowers were even tied to the withered trees to create a festive atmosphere for the one-month feast of the late Shen Junshan’s posthumous son.
At the city gates, the docks, and the temples, the Shen family had set up porridge stalls. They distributed porridge and money for three consecutive days, all to accumulate blessings for the young master. The entire city of Huai marveled at the vast fortune Shen Junshan had left behind and praised his lady for her mercy and kindness.
On the same day, in Shenshu Village.
While a heavy blizzard raged for miles around the Nanguan Mountains, Shenshu Village alone enjoyed a clear, sunny day. The villagers found this to be an absolute miracle.
At the Bai residence in Shenshu Village, a boisterous celebration was underway for Little Fuyuan’s one-month feast.
Early that morning, Bai Muban personally set off a string of firecrackers. The entire village arrived amidst the popping sounds to lend a hand.
The people of Shenshu Village lived off the land; their lives were modest, and most families could only manage to keep themselves fed and clothed. Except for the New Year, they rarely had the chance to eat meat. The chickens, ducks, and geese they raised were for laying eggs to trade for money; they were loath to slaughter them for food.
Now that there was a feast to be had, every household was delighted to attend Little Fuyuan’s celebration.
The children, especially, were thrilled. Hearing there would be meat and candy, they gathered at the Bai’s gate to pick up unexploded firecrackers and swarmed around Da-lang and San-lang. For the first time, Da-lang and San-lang were the center of attention among the village children, and they were quite excited.
The villagers remarked that this was the first time anyone in Shenshu Village had ever held a one-month feast for a daughter. The Bai family truly doted on her; none of their five sons or three grandsons had received such treatment, yet they held a grand event for this little girl.
In truth, they were slightly unfair to the Bais—it wasn’t that the family hadn’t wanted to hold feasts for the boys, but rather that they simply hadn’t had a penny to their name back then.
The villagers also noticed how distinct the Bai family’s celebration was. Two large red lanterns hung at the gate, adding a splash of festive color against the pristine white snow. These lanterns had been bought by Bai San-zhuang at the Xu family shop.
Upon entering the courtyard, the villagers praised the Bais even more loudly for the decency and generosity of the event.
The courtyard had been swept spotless. In the southeast corner, two massive cauldrons were set up over fires. Bai Da-zhuang and Xie Chuntao were busy slicing vegetables and chopping meat. Basins of meat and fish were piled high next to the pots, alongside eggs and green vegetables.
Previously, some villagers had felt a bit sour that the Bais hadn’t shared the meat from the large wild boar they caught. But seeing this setup, they understood: it wasn’t that the Bais were stingy, but rather that they had saved the meat to stew for a feast so everyone could eat their fill.
Several borrowed large tables were set up in the yard, laden with tea, melon seeds, peanuts, and fruit snacks bought from the town. Beneath each table sat a jar of wine.
A grand gesture. A truly grand gesture.
Even for a major event like a wedding, no one in the village had ever seen such a lavish display. Not even when the second Bai son passed his scholar exams had there been such a fanfare; they had only handed out a few handfuls of candy then.
For a mere slip of a girl, the Bai family must be emptying their entire savings, the villagers thought.
Bai Muban, dressed in clean clothes, stood at the gate with a radiant face to welcome the guests.
“Brother Bai, congratulations!” Village Chief Zhao walked up and cupped his hands in greeting.
“Big Brother Zhao, you’re here! Same to you, same to you!”
Village Chief Zhao was there to take charge. After a few pleasantries with Bai Muban, he began assigning tasks to the village men—who would chop wood, who would carry dishes—and to the young wives and older women—who would slice vegetables and who would steam the buns.
The Chief also arranged for Bai Er-zhuang to manage the gift registry. As a scholar and the most educated man in the village, the job naturally fell to him.
Bai Muban tried to stop him, insisting they wouldn’t accept gifts. The feast was meant for everyone to simply enjoy themselves.
Chief Zhao shook his head. The villagers had their pride; even the stingiest among them would be embarrassed to show up empty-handed. Besides, the gifts weren’t heavy—a few catties of cornmeal from one house, a piece of cloth from another, and even the wealthier families only gave a few strings of coins. The gifts were modest, meant only as a gesture of shared joy and blessing. To refuse them would be to insult the villagers’ dignity.
Hearing this, Bai Muban finally nodded in agreement.
Following the Chief was his wife, Auntie Zhao. She carried two packages of crisp candy, a basket of eggs, and a piece of floral cloth. With a wide smile, she called out to Old Mrs. Bai, “Congratulations, Elder Sister Bai!”
Old Mrs. Bai smiled back, but upon seeing the gifts in Auntie Zhao’s hands, she said, “…I said no one needed to bring anything.”
“This isn’t a ‘gift’; it’s for my little niece,” Auntie Zhao said, handing the items over and rolling up her sleeves. “I’m going to help Chuntao cut the vegetables.”
Old Mrs. Bai laughed. “Don’t go yet. I have a job that suits you perfectly—I wanted to ask you to help me host the female guests.”
“Sure thing!” Auntie Zhao agreed readily. Hosting was her forte; after all, as the head of the Shenshu Village “gossip circle,” communication and organization were her daily bread.
The entire courtyard was bustling, and the villagers helped out with great enthusiasm. Laughter and joy filled every corner of the Bai household.
Little Fuyuan, who had been sound asleep, was woken by the noise outside. She wiggled on the bed, let out a yawn, and opened her eyes.
Today was her one-month feast, and the family naturally placed great importance on her. She had been dressed up early that morning in a bright red padded coat and a “tiger-head” hat. Xie Chuntao had even placed a small red dot on her forehead. With her delicate features and skin as white as snow, she looked exactly like a “Fortune Baby” stepped right out of a traditional New Year painting.
“Mother, Little Sister is so beautiful! Second and Third Brother were right,” a clear, youthful voice rang out.
Who is this?
Little Fuyuan looked up in confusion. A young boy was looking down at her, smiling.
“Little Sister, I am your Fourth Brother.”
Seeing her wake up, the boy leaned down and gave her a warm smile.
Another brother! Just how many brothers do I have?
This brother looked very kind. He was as handsome as the third brother, but with an added touch of youthful elegance and scholarly refinement.
“Ee-ya, ah-ya…”
Little Fuyuan wanted to say hello to her fourth brother, but her language skills weren’t developed enough. She could only gurgle and smile at him, two deep dimples blooming on her chubby, doll-like face.
“Mother, Little Sister is so good. She smiled at me the moment she saw me,” Bai Panmei, the fourth son, said gleefully.
“Of course. Your sister is very smart; she knows you’re her brother,” Mrs. Zhen said with pride.
Little Fuyuan: “…”
It seems that no matter what I do, in Mother’s eyes, I am the absolute best.
Mrs. Zhen picked up Little Fuyuan and rocked her gently.
“Mother, I want to hold her too,” Bai Panmei said longingly.
“Alright. Here, reach out your arms. Support her head with your elbow…” Mrs. Zhen taught her fourth son the essentials of holding a baby and very carefully transferred Little Fuyuan into his arms.
“She’s so soft,” Bai Panmei whispered, supporting his sister with extreme care, his face tense with concentration.
She was so pretty—chubby pink cheeks, watery big eyes, and long, fluttering eyelashes. She was completely different from how Da-lang and his other nephews had looked as babies.
“Little Sister, my name is Panmei—it means ‘longing for a sister.’ I’m going to study hard and become the Top Scholar in the future. Fourth Brother will always protect you…” Bai Panmei vowed to his sister with great ambition.
Ah, so this brother is a scholar just like Second Brother. No wonder he looked so refined.
Mrs. Zhen laughed. “You haven’t even become a candidate yet, and you’re already thinking about being the Top Scholar! I only hope you learn to read and become a man of reason. You mustn’t put so much pressure on yourself.”
Was becoming the Top Scholar that easy? Was the position that easy to hold?
A flash of painful memory surfaced in Mrs. Zhen’s eyes. To be honest, the second son had also been held in high regard by his tutors back then, but his progress had stalled after he became a scholar. While others felt sorry for him, she had felt a strange sense of relief. She felt it was perfectly fine for him to be a simple village teacher; a peaceful, ordinary life was its own kind of blessing.
“Ee-ya, ah-ya…”
Little Fuyuan sensed a hint of suppressed sadness amidst the joy, so she waved her tiny hands and gurgled to cheer Mrs. Zhen up.
Mother, Fourth Brother is right! Fourth Brother is going to be the Top Scholar!
Mrs. Zhen tapped Little Fuyuan on the head. She felt as though her little daughter could read her heart and knew exactly what she was worried about.
Such a tiny child… it must be my imagination.