The aroma wafted through his house for days, but Xiao Mei next door never climbed over the wall to ask him what delicious food he had made. He hadn’t mind Xiao Mei pestering him before, but now he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable.
The tofu was sold out in the morning, and with nothing to do in the afternoon, Meng Wan took his small basket and went out. “Auntie, I want to go up the mountain to see if there are any mushrooms.”
”Go ahead, but don’t go deep into the mountains, there are wolves there.”
Meng Wan has been working non-stop making tofu for the past few days and is quite exhausted. Chang Jinhua wants him to relax and doesn’t restrict where he goes.
After receiving the message, Meng Wan carried his basket on his back and walked to the gate of the neighbor’s house. He looked around and saw that only Zhu Ge’er was hanging clothes to dry in the yard, so he asked him, “Sister-in-law, is Xiao Mei home? I want to go find her to pick mushrooms.”
After the busy farming season, every household is busy washing clothes and cleaning the yard. Harvesting and planting grain are all tiring tasks, and everyone is busy working. There is no time to clean up these things. Now that things have a little free time, there are still some farm chores left to be finished. Therefore, the young wives or young men and women in the family are the ones who are doing the housework.
Zhu Ge’er worked all morning and only washed a few clothes in the afternoon. He hung the last piece of clothing on the pole and said to Meng Wan, “Xiao Mei and my second brother went back to her parents’ home. Her parents’ home has a lot of land, and my second brother went there to help with the harvest.”
”Oh, okay, I’ll be going now, sister-in-law.”
Meng Wan suddenly realized why he hadn’t seen Xiao Mei for the past few days. He had thought Xiao Mei was too scared to play with him anymore after what happened last time.
”Wait a minute, Brother Wan.” Brother Zhu actually called out to him.
The neighbor, also a boy, Meng Wan hadn’t spoken much to him. He turned around and saw that Zhu Ge’er was also carrying a basket, so he asked, “Is Sister-in-law also going up the mountain?”
Zhu Ge’er said shyly, “I also want to go back to my parents’ home in a few days to visit them and pick some mountain produce to take back. I’m too scared to go alone, so I’d like you to keep me company.”
Meng Wan smiled and said, “I’m bored by myself anyway, so it would be good if we went together. Let’s go to Snake Gully[1]Shegu=Snake Gully jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2817507_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2817507_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.”
The name Snake Gully sounds a bit scary, but it’s actually just an ordinary little gully. This little hill is located to the north of another mountain, and it receives little sunshine all year round, making it easy for fungi to grow.
Now, the farming work of every household in the village has been almost completed. The winter in the north is cold and long. After the villagers finish harvesting the grain, they still have to pay a portion of the grain tax. The rest is barely enough to fill their stomachs. They still have to find something to eat on their own. If they live near the mountains, they will gather some mountain products. If they live near the sea, they will catch some fish and shrimp.
When Meng Wan arrived at Snake Gully, there were already many peasant women and their children hunching over and climbing up the narrow mountain path at the foot of the mountain.
Zhu Ge’er said, “Looks like there are quite a few people today.”
Meng Wan burrowed into the dry grass and followed the mountain path uphill. “I wonder if we can find any mushrooms. Let’s hurry up and get up there.”
Zhu Ge’er silently followed him. Meng Wan always felt that he wanted to talk to him, but he was also socially awkward and didn’t know how to start the conversation.
He wasn’t familiar with Zhu Ge’er and had no intention of becoming his spiritual mentor; he just wanted someone to keep him company.
The tree roots halfway up the mountain have all been picked clean, leaving only the small ones untouched, waiting to be brought back when they’ve grown bigger.
He and Zhu Ge’er each picked up two or three pieces. Looking at the mountain blocking the way in front of Snake Gully not far away, Zhu Ge’er suggested, “Why don’t we walk up the mountain behind us? There are men from our village chopping firewood there, so we’re not afraid.”
Meng Wan, remembering Chang Jinhua’s advice, decided to be on the safe side and said, “I’d better not. Maybe I can pick more if I come back in a few days. I should go home now, or my aunt will worry.”
Zhu Ge’er wasn’t good at persuading people. Even though he still wanted Meng Wan to stay with him, he couldn’t convince him. Before leaving, he glanced at the mountain and shook his head.
After the busy farming season ended, good news came one after another. First, Xiaomei from next door felt dizzy all day after returning from her parents’ home. She went to the barefoot doctor in Hongmiao Village to have her pulse checked and found out that she was pregnant.
The Tian family next door was naturally overjoyed. Aunt Tian rarely took the initiative to talk to Chang Jinhua. She praised Xiao Mei for being clever and secretly said that when she was choosing Xiao Mei, she was attracted by her big buttocks, which made her look like she would be good at bearing children.
When someone else has a happy occasion, Chang Jinhua naturally goes along with her words and praises them. She also says that Xiaomei always invites Mengwan over to play, and that she seems to be a generous and open-minded person. Aunt Tian is pleased to hear this, as she likes her youngest daughter-in-law for being bold, talkative, and cheerful. In return, she praises Mengwan.
”Your Wan-ge’er is not bad either, he’s quite good-looking. I just came in and took a look, he also has a big round bottom!”
In reality, everyone in the village knew why Chang Jinhua brought a relative from her maternal family to live with her. Song’s eldest son would be nineteen after the New Year, and she was probably afraid that another accident like the Yang family’s would happen. Even good families have to be selective about the bride and groom when they marry off their daughters. It’s just as difficult to find a wife when you’re too old.
Meng Wan was refilling their teacups when he heard this: “…”
He silently retreated back to the hut and incredulously touched his backside.
It seems to be somewhat round and has some variation, but is it large?
Is it big?!
No sooner had Chang Jinhua seen off Aunt Tian, who was boasting about her sharp eye for talent, than Song Laoliu’s wife hurriedly came looking for her.
”Sister-in-law, is your son Tingzhou coming home these next few days?”
Chang Jinhua seemed to have expected this, “He’ll be back in a few days, won’t he? Is there no room left at home?”
“It’s not that there’s no room. My family lives far away, and I have many brothers and sisters, all of whom have brought their families with them. Sister-in-law, could you please spare a room for me for two nights? They’ll leave early the day after the wedding tomorrow night.”
The sixth brother’s wife was extremely anxious. Tomorrow, her son Song Dali was getting married, and distant relatives had already arrived today. They needed to vacate a room for the wedding, but there wasn’t enough room for everyone, so they had to be sent to stay with other relatives. Now, her fourth brother’s husband and his three children were left without a place to stay.
“They can stay here, but they’ll have to squeeze in on the kang (heated brick bed) in the main room,” Chang Jinhua said bluntly.
”Hey, as long as there’s room, it’s fine. Even if we have to sleep on the floor, you can just find us a place to stay, sister-in-law. You don’t need to worry about anything else.”
After settling on the accommodations, Lao Liu’s wife busied herself again. It was the first time she had organized her son’s wedding, and there were too many trivial matters to handle. Nowadays, without cell phones, if there was anything, the whole family had to go out and search door to door.
They had already walked quite a distance when the sixth son’s wife turned back to instruct, “Sister-in-law, have Wan-ge go over early tomorrow morning. He’s steady and reliable, and I think he’s more dependable than the other young wives and husbands. Tell him to lend me a hand and help me out.”
Meng Wan heard this and replied, “Don’t worry, Sixth Aunt, I’ll go there early tomorrow morning.”
”Hey!” Aunt Song’s loud voice was filled with joy.
That evening, Aunt Song brought her fourth sister-in-law and three children to Chang Jinhua’s house. The eldest child was a girl, about ten years old; the second was a ge’er, about seven or eight years old; and the youngest was a boy, about three years old. All four of them were dark-skinned and thin.
Meng Wan is also thin, but he has a well-proportioned figure, a slim waist and long legs, and some baby fat on his cheeks, unlike his family who are so thin they look like refugees and look like they don’t have enough to eat.
Aunt Song was busy. After giving the four of them a few instructions, she asked Chang Jinhua, “Sister-in-law, who will make the tofu when my son comes with me tomorrow morning?”
She was so busy that she forgot, only thinking about how many people would go to help, but the banquet had ordered twenty-five pieces of tofu from Chang Jinhua’s family!
Just as Meng Wan was about to say that Chang Jinhua could now make tofu, Chang Jinhua tugged at him, stopping him from speaking.
“I’ve already ground the soybeans during the day. I’ll ask Wan ge’er to make the tofu first before I go to your house, since it’s a bit of work for him to do it later.”
The sixth son’s wife was deeply moved. “Good boy, you’ve worked so hard. I’ll give you a big red envelope tomorrow.”
Meng Wan quickly declined, “No need, Aunt Liu. Brother Dali’s wedding is a joyous occasion, and I’d be happy to help.”
After exchanging pleasantries, the sixth son’s wife hurriedly left.
There were no extra bedding in the house, and Chang Jinhua was reluctant to lend her son’s to outsiders, so she found two sets of thin summer quilts.
”Fourth sister-in-law, I’m sorry, we don’t have any extra quilts at home. We only have two thin ones. You and the children can squeeze in and use them.”
I thought that Aunt Song’s fourth brother’s husband seemed honest and wouldn’t have any objections, but to my surprise, he asked as soon as he opened his mouth: “Isn’t the blanket you used thick? It doesn’t matter whether the eldest and second uses blankets or not, but my son can’t get cold.”
The husband even got up from the kang (a heated brick bed) with his son in his arms, looking around without any politeness.
”Isn’t it too crowded for the five of us to squeeze onto this kang (heated brick bed)?”
He showed no regard for being a guest and pushed open the door to the small room. Meng Wan’s room was sparsely furnished and kept clean and tidy; the bedding looked comfortable.
“I think this room is quite nice. I’ll stay here with my son, and the five of you can sleep on the kang in the other room.” He said, and was about to take off his shoes and get on the kang. Not only were his shoes filthy, but the stench emanating from his exposed feet was absolutely awful.
”Wait!” Meng Wan’s soft, clean bed was about to be defiled by those stinky feet, so he called out urgently.
Chang Jinhua also spoke up at the right time, “That’s my son’s room, it’s not convenient for outsiders to stay there.”
The husband’s expression changed, he snorted coldly, slipped on his shoes, and left.
As soon as he left, Meng Wan quickly opened a crack in the window to let in some fresh air. Thank goodness! Those children didn’t look very clean either. There’s still one more night to go, and the day after tomorrow, I’ll definitely go with Chang Jinhua to take apart and wash all the bedding they slept in.
”Auntie, why don’t you come and sleep in my little room tonight?”
Chang Jinhua also felt quite troubled. “Forget it, I don’t think this family is honest. I’ll keep an eye on them tonight.”
”Then call me if you need anything.”
The next day, Chang Jinhua woke up before dawn. Meng Wan was young, and she always wanted him to sleep a little longer.
Meng Wan was awakened by the smell of soybeans. He got out of the warm bed and changed into the new jacket and skirt that Chang Jinhua had made for him last time. It was a little thin, which was just right for him to wear now.
”Auntie, I overslept.”
Chang Jinhua held a bowl of brine and was intently setting tofu. “It’s not too late. You don’t need to do anything. I can come back and take a nap during the day. You’ll be busy later. There’s some soy milk on the table. Go drink it and go to your sixth aunt’s house.”
Meng Wan smiled at her, his eyes crinkling, “Auntie, you’re so kind.”
Chang Jinhua kept a straight face, and even when she spoke words of concern, her tone was stiff: “Go quickly.”
After washing up, Meng Wan drank a bowl of soy milk in the kitchen. There was also a piece of bean curd skin in it. The big bowl of soy milk was warm and filling.
The curtain of the main room was lifted a crack, and the girl and the ger[2]I will be using ger instead of ge’er as 3rd gender jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2817507_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2817507_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); were drooling over the bottom of Meng Wan’s bowl. Meng Wan could even see the clear saliva at the corners of their mouths dripping down their necks into the dark and stiff fabric, making the fabric even darker.
They have parents, and Meng Wan had no time to pity them. He didn’t linger either, washed the dishes, and went out.
Chang Jinhua stayed home and pressed tofu blocks. Not to mention that these four people were just staying at her house and there was absolutely no reason for her to feed them, she also couldn’t stand this husband’s behavior.
The husband got up with his son and, seeing there was no food in the kitchen, pouted and took the child to Song Laoliu’s house.
When Meng Wan arrived at Song Laoliu’s house, the groom had not yet returned. He and a group of young men and women from the Song family were decorating the bridal chamber, scattering peanuts and red dates on the bed. Since everyone was of similar age, there was no awkwardness in their conversation, making it a lively and fun occasion.
After the hour of Chenshi (7-9 AM), the newlywed groom stepped over the fire basin to enter the house and perform the wedding ceremony. The guests of Song Laoliu’s family began to take their seats at the table one after another, and the kitchen started to get busy again.
This was incredibly busy, and the young women and men didn’t dare to help. It was all the aunts and uncles who were on good terms with Aunt Song who took charge of the kitchen.
The Song family is a large family with many members and a lot of tables. When the kitchen was short-handed, Aunt Song Liu quickly pulled Meng Wan to fill in. First, she picked the vegetables, and when everything was almost done, she went to chop them. In the end, when the vegetables were served too slowly, she replaced another aunt to start cooking.
The head chef was Aunt Tian from the village, not the one next door to Chang Jinhua. This Aunt Tian didn’t like to brag; she was just a skilled cook and a quick worker. Whenever someone had a wedding or funeral, they would ask her to cook, and at the end, they would give her a red envelope with some meat and vegetables.
The Song family had many tables, so in addition to her cooking, there were two other people standing at the stoves. They were all women from the Song family. The person in charge of the main dishes was in charge, while the two of them prepared the ordinary stir-fries.
One of the aunties, whether out of nervousness or something else, kept running to the outhouse. When she came back, she didn’t even wash her hands before continuing to cook. After several trips back and forth, the bottom of the pot was almost burnt. The cook couldn’t bear to watch any longer and said, “Wan-ge’er, your tofu has arrived. You know how to cook this, right? Why don’t you make a pot of tofu stew? Your fourth aunt isn’t feeling well today, so you can use her stove.”
”Oh, then I’ll make a cabbage stew.” With the chef’s order given, Meng Wan had no choice but to accept the task.
Aunt Si was shoved down by a junior, and her face turned very ugly. She slammed her spoon down with a loud bang. “Then you come here. You’re quite capable, aren’t you, a young man who hasn’t even gotten married yet?”
The head chef got anxious and frustrated when she saw the dishes weren’t going out; how could she be afraid of her?
Hearing this, she retorted, “Why are you putting on airs with a kid? I’m the one who asked him to come up here. This tofu is a precious thing, not something you can fool as easily as the dish you just burned.”
Auntie Si lost face after being scolded by Aunt Tian, who was in charge of cooking. She turned and was about to leave when several of the other women in the kitchen tried to persuade her to stay.
Aunt Song Liu, seeing that the dishes hadn’t been served yet, came to urge them on, and just then witnessed this scene. Aunt Song Si was her sister-in-law, and their husbands were brothers; how could she not know what kind of person her sister-in-law was?
”Fourth Sister-in-law, what trouble are you causing now? It’s your nephew’s wedding day, can’t you just stay quiet and stop causing me trouble?”
Aunt Tian, who was in charge of cooking, told the host family what had happened, which made Aunt Song so angry that tears welled up in her eyes.
”You insisted on cooking, so I let you. Look at what that pot of food was like! I’d rather throw it away than serve it and make a fool of myself. What are you arguing with Wan-ger for? Aren’t you ashamed?”
”If you think my cooking is bad, I’ll just leave. I won’t come back to your shabby house even if you ask me to!” After being publicly criticized by her sister-in-law, Aunt Song’s face turned pale and then red. She pushed through the women who were watching the commotion and left the kitchen.
Aunt Song Liu was in a hurry, which is why she spoke so harshly. After Aunt Song Si[3]si means 4th, not name jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2817507_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2817507_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); left, she hurriedly went out to chase after her. Otherwise, arguing with her sister-in-law on such a joyous day would make her a laughing stock for others.
Meng Wan remained uninvolved. When the aunties asked him to pick vegetables, he picked vegetables; when they asked him to chop vegetables, he chopped vegetables; and when the cook asked him to help on the stove, he came up to help.
Now a pot of tofu and cabbage stew is ready, and he carefully divides it into even portions for the young women and men serving the dishes.
The cook, Aunt Tian, nodded in approval when she saw that he was methodical in his work and remained calm even when faced with nitpicking from Fourth Aunt.
References[+]