Sunlight slanted in through the window, casting the shadow of the latticework onto the floor. The red paper with the character for “double happiness” trembled slightly in the wind.
“Today we’re not cooking at home,” Lu Zhanye said. “We’ll go to the old family house for dinner tonight. My elder brother and sister-in-law will be there too. Take two pieces of wedding candy and give them to Tiandan tonight.”
“Alright.” Lin Wan nodded.
Lu Zhanye looked at her, then suddenly took her hand and led her inside.
“What are you doing?” Lin Wan asked, surprised.
He didn’t answer. He walked to the kang bed, released her hand, moved a chair over and stepped on it. Reaching up to the beam, he felt around for a moment and pulled down a wooden box.
It was small, its lacquer mostly worn away, revealing the raw wood underneath.
He jumped down, placed the box on the table, and opened it.
Inside was money. Bundles of it—some neatly stacked, some loose. The largest notes were ten yuan bills, with more fives, twos, ones, along with small change and even coins.
“This is what I’ve saved over the years,” Lu Zhanye said. “A total of 287 yuan, 6 mao and a few fen. Money earned from the black market, and what I saved bit by bit.”
Lin Wan stared at the money, shaken.
In this era, over two hundred yuan was a huge sum. A regular worker only earned thirty to forty yuan a month. This was nearly half a year’s wages for an ordinary laborer without spending a single cent.
“Since we’re married, the household money is yours,” Lu Zhanye pushed the box toward her. “You handle the finances.”
But Lin Wan didn’t take it. “I don’t have anywhere to keep it. You should put it back where it was. When you need money, just tell me and take it yourself.”
He looked at her, eyes questioning.
“I trust you,” Lin Wan said. “And you should trust me too. It doesn’t matter where the money is kept. When we need to use it, we’ll discuss it together.”
Lu Zhanye looked at her for a few seconds, then nodded.
“Alright.”
He closed the box and put it back up on the beam.
“I’ve cleared out the garden,” he said, pointing to the back of the house. “I added some manure, the soil’s fertile. What do you want to plant? I’ll go find seeds.”
Lin Wan thought for a moment. “Green onions, ginger, and garlic first—they’re useful for cooking. Cucumbers, chilies, eggplants, beans… can we get seedlings for those?”
“Yes,” Lu Zhanye said. “Mother will bring some in a few days. I’ll also trade for a couple of bottle gourd seedlings. Dried gourds in autumn are great for stewing meat.”
“Okay.” Lin Wan smiled. “Also, if you have time after work, take me up the mountain. I want to gather some wild greens and herbs. We can dry what we can’t finish and save them for winter.”
“Alright,” he said. “I know which hills have the most wild greens. In a while, the wild fruits will be ripe too—I’ll take you to pick them.”
They talked as they walked to the back of the house. The garden was indeed neatly prepared, the soil freshly turned and soft, the rows straight and even. It wasn’t large, but it was enough to feed a family.
“I’ll build the chicken coop later,” Lu Zhanye said. “The materials are all here—stones and mud. Once it’s done, my mother can bring the chickens over.”
Lin Wan looked at the small garden, then at the man beside her, and a sense of steadiness welled up inside her.
This was her home now.
A house, a garden, a chicken coop—and a husband willing to hand over the household savings and take her up the mountains to gather wild vegetables.
The marriage had begun in haste, but life ahead could be slowly built.
“Oh right,” Lu Zhanye suddenly said, as if remembering something. “Can you make pickles? My mother’s pickles are good, but I want to try yours.”
“Yes,” Lin Wan said. “When the vegetables come in, I’ll make a few kinds for you to taste.”
“Good.”
They stood there a while longer as the sun slowly sank westward. Lu Zhanye said, “Let’s go to the old family house. It’s time for dinner.”
Lin Wan went back inside, took two pieces of candy from the wedding sweets bag, and put them in her pocket. She checked her reflection and fixed her hair.
When she stepped out, Lu Zhanye was already waiting in the courtyard. He had changed out of his Zhongshan suit into a slightly worn military-green jacket, but he still stood tall and straight.
They walked out of the courtyard side by side. The setting sun stretched their shadows long, overlapping on the ground.
On the road, they met villagers coming back from work, who smiled and called out, “Congratulations on your marriage!”
“Thank you!” Lin Wan replied with a smile.
The wind carried the scent of the fields, along with smoke rising from distant cooking fires.
This spring, on this stretch of black soil, she truly had a home now.
Though the future was unknown, there was someone willing to walk forward with her.
That alone was enough.
As for the days ahead…
Lin Wan glanced at Lu Zhanye beside her.
They would plant vegetables together, raise chickens together, go into the mountains to gather wild greens together, and slowly build this small home into something better and better.
That alone was enough.