On the second day of their marriage, the newlyweds’ life was rather uneventful.
They had already moved out to live separately, so Cheng Baozhu didn’t need to perform or curry favor in front of her in-laws like other village daughters-in-law.
Still, it was customary for a newlywed girl who had moved out to occasionally visit her in-laws and act like the dutiful granddaughter. But the easygoing Baozhu didn’t consider that. She just stared at the pile of miscellaneous items in the corner of the room.
“Is this… really my dowry?” she asked, astonished.
Xu Chuan rolled up his sleeves and began organizing. “Well, otherwise what? Your brothers-in-law probably feared we’d find an excuse to ‘borrow’ things, so they brought all your stuff over.”
There wasn’t much value. Well, the new cotton quilt barely counted, so that had been set aside yesterday.
The rest of the pile consisted mostly of Baozhu’s old clothes and a few books, all packed in the camphorwood chests her parents had prepared for her.
The two camphorwood chests were painted a bright red, adding a lively touch.
“What are you just sitting there for? Help me out,” Xu Chuan said, noticing Baozhu still hadn’t moved.
Baozhu, with a serious expression, held up a hand to signal “pause.” “Wait a moment, I think I have more than this.”
Xu Chuan frowned. “More?”
“Yes,” Baozhu recalled, “there’s also a thermos and two tin boxes.”
These items were precious to the original Baozhu. The thermos had been bought by her mother to ensure she had hot water at night, always kept in her room.
The tin boxes were things she had found herself, used for storing cookies and candy, long coveted by her brothers and sisters-in-law.
Xu Chuan was speechless. So her family had only brought the things that couldn’t be kept back home.
“Don’t think about it,” Xu Chuan said. “We should be thankful they even brought this pile of clothes over.”
Baozhu shrugged. “Fine!”
In that case, she would quietly enjoy the small gold ingot hidden at the bottom of the water jar.
Honestly, those brothers-in-law were absurd—finally getting rid of the troublesome sister, yet still holding back some of her things, stingy and petty.
The thermos and two tin boxes, how were three families supposed to divide those?
Baozhu guessed correctly. Several kilometers away, the Cheng family village was in a minor dispute over that thermos.
In the main room, shouting filled the air, everyone talking over one another.
Cheng Sanming sat in the corner, face red, almost tipping his chair over. “Stop fighting. Just send it to Baozhu. It’s not shameful to do things one by one.”
Instantly, the room quieted.
Cheng Sanming said nothing and walked out.
The eldest brother appeared simple but was actually sharp.
The second brother looked sharp but was actually foolish.
Combined with the three women at home, the commotion was chaotic. Cheng Sanming didn’t want to get involved.
None of them were capable; with so much money in hand, they didn’t think to buy a new one from the county supply store. They insisted on claiming every little thing.
He strode toward his allotted plot of land, inspected the soon-to-be-built house, then visited his great-uncle briefly before returning home.
Great-Uncle Cheng sighed, glad that his elder nephew still had some sense of decency.
This time, Cheng Sanming didn’t say much else; he just wanted his great-uncle to allocate some grain to Baozhu.
In a few days, it would be the village’s ration distribution. Cheng Baozhu’s parents had worked hard before passing, leaving behind some shares, not much, but enough to give her some grain.
Cheng Sanming remembered that Xu Chuan’s father had been ill early in the year and hadn’t worked in the fields since. So Xu family’s shares were probably limited.
Xu Chuan’s elder brother, Xu He, was capable, but since the brothers had split households, Cheng Sanming couldn’t rely on him to transfer any grain.
Xu Chuan himself worked barely three days a year; no one knew how he survived without earning grain. Whether he ate or not wasn’t important, Baozhu mustn’t go hungry just after marriage.
He couldn’t handle this personally; it had to be Great-Uncle Cheng, or else he’d be scolded by everyone in the household.
That was all he could do—afterward, each would live their own lives, each following their own fate. Cheng Sanming sought peace of mind; what happened to Baozhu afterward was up to her.
With some guilt lifted, his expression finally brightened. He could now respond firmly to the subtle criticisms of the villagers.
Who would dare say Cheng Sanming treated his sister poorly or was ashamed to see his parents?
Nonsense!
Which brother could go this far?
Cheng Sanming straightened up again.
Meanwhile, Baozhu, still plotting when to retrieve her gold, never expected to receive grain earned by her original parents.
After tidying up all her things, Baozhu found the house increasingly depressing.
She tugged at Xu Chuan’s sleeve. “When will you build a clean, bright house?”
Xu Chuan was stunned. “A new house?”
“Yes.” She nodded, serious. “I’m not picky, I don’t need three or four floors. Just a concrete house will do.”
She never thought her standards would sink this low.
Baozhu already felt wronged, but eating and living conditions still had to be taken care of.
Xu Chuan remained silent for a while.
After a few seconds, he skeptically touched her forehead. “No fever… Why daydreaming in broad daylight?”
Baozhu’s face darkened. She swung her braids in a huff and stormed out.
At the door, she realized the place was unfamiliar and stopped at the threshold.
Suddenly, a wave of suffocating emotion hit her, pressing down on her mood, making her heart ache.
The courtyard gate was at a windward spot; the breeze carried a hint of the mountains.
Even in autumn, the mountain remained verdant. No matter the season, the trees stayed green, standing tall even under snow.
The courtyard was so silent that one could hear a needle drop.
Xu Chuan didn’t pay much attention, thinking he shouldn’t be manipulated by Baozhu. But when he caught sight of her back, she seemed slightly out of place.
A lonely, out-of-place feeling.
Xu Chuan scratched his head, puzzled. After a moment, he stepped forward and took her hand. “Come on, I’ll take you out. You can get familiar with the gates. When it’s time for lunch, we’ll go to the old house—my mother will have cooked something good.”
A young girl shouldn’t be cooped up all day.
Baozhu didn’t resist and walked alongside him, though she still pouted, her mood not yet improved.
Xu Chuan explained as they walked. “There are two ways out. The main road passes more houses; the closest is Aunt Bai Feng’s. She’s decent, but talkative. Don’t let her know important matters.”
Baozhu only gave a soft “hmm.”
He pointed out a narrow, winding path flanked by ditches and overgrown with weeds.
“This path leads directly to the grain fields and the village entrance. Harder to walk, but it also goes up King Mountain. People often use it.”
Leaning close, Xu Chuan whispered, “When I hunt wild meat, I take this path.”
Baozhu reacted this time, pouting but curious, making Xu Chuan chuckle.
He said excitedly, “Don’t underestimate me. I don’t farm, but I’m excellent at setting traps. In hunting wild game, I’d bet no one in the commune can beat me.”
People only saw the surface; they didn’t know he was skilled at the mountains.
Baozhu swallowed, hesitant. “Wild meat isn’t good to eat…”
Xu Chuan’s eyes widened. Lowering his voice, he said, “Why not? You don’t know how rich the meat is on King Mountain. Especially wild chicken—it’s amazing…”
Baozhu fell silent. After a moment, glancing around guiltily, she whispered, “Don’t eat it in a few years.”
So she wouldn’t get addicted and end up in trouble.
Xu Chuan nodded perfunctorily, remembering a dish he had seen at that “ghost place” last night—crispy, fragrant wild chicken.
“Did you hear me?”
Baozhu frowned, nudging him with her elbow.
“I heard, I heard. Autumn and winter wild chickens are the fattest…”
Baozhu: …
They started on the main road, stopping to greet each household.
Baozhu had always had a decent memory for faces. When her father took her home for ancestor worship, she could remember most relatives with the same surname.
But the villagers of Laokeng were impossible to remember.
“Weijun, eating meat today?”
Xu Chuan greeted a man carrying meat. Baozhu couldn’t help widening her eyes.
They had just passed someone named Weijun.
Soon, Xu Chuan smiled, “Aunt Honghua, drying sweet potatoes? Your sweet potatoes look great!”
Goodness, if she remembered correctly, the daughter-in-law of Bai Feng’s household was also named Honghua.
“Not a big deal,” Xu Chuan said casually. “Our father is called Baoguo. Do you know how many Baoguos are in the commune?”
Baozhu shook her head, intrigued.
Xu Chuan put his arm around her shoulder, pointing. “Nine. Nine in total, three in our Laokeng Village alone.”
Baozhu snickered, then quickly suppressed it, still pouting.
She looked at Xu Chuan, feigning annoyance, gently pushed his hand off her shoulder, lifted her chin, and said, “I’m hungry. Take me to eat.”
Xu Chuan beamed. This girl was like a cat, only showing closeness when giving instructions.
“All right!” he said, taking her hand, leaving no chance to pull away. “Do you believe I can guess what my mother’s cooking today?”
Baozhu’s attention was caught. “What is it?”
“Ah, you really can’t guess? Dumplings! On the second day, all new brides eat dumplings here. You don’t know why, do you…”
Xu Chuan suddenly wondered how such a girl was raised, knowing nothing and unable to do anything.
Yet she was easy to read. In just over a day, he had figured out her nature.
She needed coaxing, pampering, good food and drink. If displeased, she’d show a little temper but calm quickly. A few kind words, and she’d forgive—it was so easy to handle.
Seeing her face of sudden realization mixed with curiosity, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but chuckle.
As the saying goes: remember the treats, forget the scoldings!