Zhao Xiaobao was wearing a thick padded jacket, leaning over the half-open window. Her chubby body looked even rounder under the heavy clothes.
Ever since it started snowing outside, her mother wouldn’t let her go out. She really wanted to go into the yard to build a snowman. The other day, Xiao Wu and the others were having a snowball fight, and she could only watch eagerly from the side. When she tried to join them, her mother grabbed her little ear and dragged her back inside.
“Dad, Mom, big brother and second brother are back!”
The child had sharp eyes and could see far. Through the snowy haze, she could vaguely make out two tall, sturdy figures walking along the path.
Wang Shi bent slightly, squinting out the window. Those shapes really did look like the eldest and second sons.
Their bamboo hats were covered in snow, making them look like two moving human snow mounds.
The courtyard gate was pushed open. Zhao Dashan and Zhao Ertian walked in one after the other, wearing straw raincoats. Hearing the noise, Zhao Deng started calling “Dad” loudly from inside the house, and after getting a response, he began making a racket.
“Dad, Mom, wife—we’re back,” Zhao Dashan said, his breath coming out in white puffs, his lips trembling from the cold.
The first and second households reacted even faster than the main room. They had been staying inside to keep warm, but when they heard the voices, Zhu Shi and Luo Shi both pushed open their doors at the same time. One grabbed a basin, the other went to the kitchen to fetch water. By the time the two brothers took off their raincoats under the eaves and sat down in the main room, the whole family had already gathered.
Zhu Shi came out of the kitchen with a large basin of hot water, with a clean cloth inside. She said to the brothers, who were rubbing their hands to warm up, “Hurry and wash your faces, then soak your feet to relieve the fatigue. You’ve worked hard these past few days.”
Zhao Xiaobao had been hugging her big brother’s knee and holding her second brother’s finger. Seeing this, she obediently moved aside. “Big brother, second brother, hurry and soak your feet.”
Two days ago, Zhao Dashan and Zhao Ertian had taken twenty copper coins, tucked two machetes into their belts, told the third brother—who wanted to go with them—to stay home and take care of things, and then went to town with two ropes. They said they would go to nearby mountains to cut firewood. If it sold well, they would just find a broken temple nearby to sleep in for a couple of nights.
Since it was snowing outside, no one was watching them. As long as they could endure the cold and dared to work, they could make money.
The people in the village didn’t know what was happening outside. These days, the town was very lively. Many men were doing the same thing as the Zhao brothers. Unlike the quiet, winter-hibernating village, outside was bustling with activity.
After washing their faces, the brothers took off their straw shoes. Their two pairs of feet were red from the cold. They placed their feet on the edge of the wooden basin, feeling the heat rising to the soles. Once their feet warmed up a bit, they slowly lowered them into the hot water.
It felt so warm.
After freezing outside for two days, Zhao Dashan and Zhao Ertian finally relaxed completely once they got home.
Holding large bowls full of food, Zhao Dashan shoveled rice into his mouth while pulling out a money pouch from his chest and handing it to Wang Shi. He said vaguely, “Right now, a bundle of good dry firewood sells for fifteen copper coins. This is what the second brother and I earned over the past two days—a total of three hundred and thirty coins. Mom, you keep it.”
“It’s been snowing every day. Dry firewood is hard to find, so we could only earn this much,” Zhao Ertian added.
In previous years, the brothers would also go to town in winter to sell firewood. They weren’t afraid of hard work—as long as they could make money, it was fine. Everything has its pros and cons. In past years, there was no snow, so firewood prices were low. A bundle of good firewood could at most sell for ten coins, and they had to say countless polite words and bow repeatedly to sell it.
This year, things were different. They didn’t need to flatter anyone, and they could stand up straight. As soon as they carried the firewood to town, it would sell, and the price was fair. However, because of the constant snow, the forest was wet. It was difficult to find dry firewood everywhere. Still, it wasn’t impossible—it just required more effort.
One brother gathered and chopped wood, while the other carried it to town to sell. After working nonstop for two days, they earned a little over three hundred coins. It sounded like a lot, but it was all hard-earned money.
“That’s already very good. You two have worked hard these past two days,” Wang Shi said as she took the money pouch. She glanced at her daughters-in-law and saw that all their attention was on their husbands. A smile appeared on her face.
Over the years, no matter whether it was the eldest, second, or third son, all the money they earned outside was handed over to the family fund. In the early years, the daughters-in-law would sometimes complain privately. But ever since Xiaobao was born, it seemed like the whole family’s fate had been tied together. With a shared secret, their daily interactions became more united and closer. No one cared about a few small coins anymore.
The three daughters-in-law were not troublemakers, and they were sensible. The three brothers got along well. As long as the old couple didn’t favor one son or grandson over another, the family wouldn’t fall apart or split up.
Of course, Xiaobao was an exception. No one dared—or wanted—to compare with her.
“You two should rest well for a few days and regain your strength. Our family also has something to start preparing for,” Wang Shi said, glancing at her daughter sitting on the third brother’s lap, eating malt candy. Her wrinkled face broke into a smile.
As soon as she said this, everyone except Zhao Sandi—who already knew—lit up with excitement and looked eagerly at the innocent Zhao Xiaobao.
“Mom, do you mean inside there…?” Zhao Dashan couldn’t help but pick up his little sister from his third brother’s arms, looking at Wang Shi with anticipation, afraid he had misunderstood.
“Yes, we can start transplanting the rice seedlings!” Wang Shi took her daughter back from him and gently brushed off the dirt on Xiaobao’s clothes. Honestly, the eldest didn’t even realize how dirty he was—how dare he hug Xiaobao while covered in grime?
“Hahahaha…”
Zhao Dashan’s loud laughter echoed through the main hall for a long time.
…
The fact that things could grow in that “immortal land,” and even better than outside, made the Zhao family happier than finding gold.
It was Wang Shi who first suggested reclaiming land there. At the time, it was harvest season. After working hard all year, the whole family carried water from the river every day to irrigate the fields. But after the harvest, once taxes were paid, the little grain left was nowhere near enough to feed more than a dozen mouths for a year.
Even tightening their belts and eating thin porridge every meal wouldn’t be enough.
The Zhao family had always been honest farmers. Especially Old Man Zhao—although he had a “fairy-like” daughter, he only wanted to worship her. Just stepping onto that land made him feel blessed by the immortals. He was deeply grateful and never dared to have other thoughts.
It was only when Wang Shi saw the grandchildren constantly drinking water to fill their empty stomachs that she hardened her heart and proposed reclaiming land in that place.
The soil there was far more fertile than outside. Even weeds grew vigorously. The only problem was that the seasons and day-night cycles were unclear. Other than that, everything was perfect.
There were no snow disasters, no drought, and no taxes to pay to the government… You had to try things to know whether they worked, so they gave it a try.
Now they had their answer—not only could they farm there, the crops grew better and faster than outside!
Tonight was destined to be an unusual night.
Some people curled up in their quilts, fast asleep. Others were bent over in the fields, working hard, planting rice seedlings. The whole family took turns planting, each experiencing it in their own way.
They were planting “immortal seedlings” in “immortal fields” reclaimed in the “immortal land.”
The Zhao family might lack many things, but they didn’t lack strong labor. Zhao Dashan felt he could finish planting the three mu of paddy field in one night by himself—he didn’t need his younger brothers’ help.
But his brothers refused. They also wanted to plant. They had all worked together to reclaim the land and irrigate it. It wouldn’t make sense for only the eldest brother to do the planting.
No matter what he said, they wouldn’t agree. In the end, Zhao Dashan had no choice. What he could have done alone was divided among the three brothers. The three mu of land took six days to finish—each brother planted one mu, working one day and resting one day. Their slow pace nearly drove their father mad.
Normally, transplanting and harvesting had to follow strict timing—you couldn’t do it too early or too late. But these brothers were competing over it instead. Fortunately, the “immortal land” didn’t follow normal rules. According to the eldest, the seedlings planted on the first day and those planted on the sixth day showed no difference. Unlike when the seeds were first sown, there was no visible rapid growth.
After hearing this, Old Man Zhao felt both happy and worried. He was glad that the mysterious immortal paddy field was so forgiving—it didn’t matter if the timing was off. But he also worried: if there was no difference between the first and sixth day, could the seedlings still grow into rice within a month?
Well, he admitted he had been greedy.
The sprouting seeds had given him unrealistic hopes, but transplanting the seedlings brought him back to reality.
Now he no longer dared to hope for miracles like seeds sprouting in a day, seedlings growing in a few days, and harvesting rice in a month.
He only hoped that the three mu of land carrying his family’s hopes would grow normally and be ready for harvest in a few months.
…
When something weighed on his mind, even eating and sleeping didn’t feel right.
Zhao Xiaobao walked behind Old Man Zhao along the field ridge, both of them with their hands behind their backs.
“Dad, let’s go back.”
“Wait, let me take another look.”
The father and daughter walked one after the other. The child urged him, but the old man wasn’t in a hurry at all.
Recently, Old Man Zhao had been going into the immortal land every few days. He couldn’t help it—he kept thinking about his three mu of land and the seedlings.
The good news was that weeds didn’t seem to grow there, and there was no need to worry about fertilizing. Even if he worried, it wouldn’t help. Bringing people in depended on Xiaobao, and sometimes she slept so deeply that she wouldn’t respond no matter how much they called her. He certainly didn’t dare to carry buckets of manure inside—he was afraid he might get struck by lightning.
The bad news was that his dream of rice maturing in one month was completely shattered. He admitted he hadn’t fully given up before.
But now, that hope was completely gone.
“Xiaobao.”
“I’m here.”
The father and daughter walked to the giant peach tree and looked up at the three peaches hanging from its branches.
Old Man Zhao sniffed hard. Was something wrong with his nose? Why did the peaches smell so fragrant today? The scent made him swallow his saliva.
The peaches had grown much bigger, with their tips turning a soft pink. They looked plump and very appealing.
Staring at them, Old Man Zhao’s mouth watered uncontrollably. He couldn’t help but say, “Daughter, when the peaches are ripe, make sure to give your dad a bite. I’m really craving them…”