Because there were two children, whenever Li Feng was not home, Mother would come over to help. When Li Feng was home, she did not come.
Last night, Li Feng had been woken twice by the children. Early in the morning, when Lu Liu woke up and saw that Li Feng was still asleep, he gently slipped out of his arms and went to check on the children sleeping on the inner side of the kang.
The two of them were sleeping soundly. The wool sleeping bags were a good thing—there was no worry about them kicking the blankets off. They had stayed snugly wrapped all night.
Lu Liu planned to get up. Just as he nudged the quilt aside, Li Feng reached out again and wrapped an arm around his waist.
“Sleep a little longer,” he said. “Why get up so early?”
Lu Liu replied, “It’s already light out. Even the chickens are crowing.”
He knew Li Feng was tired. From last year into this one, Li Feng had been constantly on the move. Even when he came home, there was always work to do. He had been busy straight through the New Year and had hardly rested at all. Lu Liu wanted him to sleep more, so he said he would get up and make breakfast.
Li Feng pulled him back under the covers and made him lie down together with him.
“It’s fine. Things aren’t busy at home. No rush to get up.”
Lu Liu was already awake and could not fall back asleep. He said, “Da Feng, how about I rub your head for you?”
Li Feng did not need that—he did not use his brain much anyway.
“If you’re bored,” he said, “you can rub the chicken.”
Lu Liu: “……”
See? He knew it. When the two of them were together, this was exactly how it would be.
Lu Liu muttered to himself a bit, then quietly reached out his hand.
Li Feng’s eyes flew open, then slowly closed again in comfort.
After feeding the chickens, the husband and husband finally got up.
Mother had not waited for them and had already cooked pancakes for herself.
When Lu Liu got up, he ate a pancake with Li Feng, drank a bowl of porridge, washed the dishes along the way, and then could go work in the backyard for a while.
During breakfast time, the wet nurse came over to feed the children, so Lu Liu could do other tasks.
In the backyard there were three horses, one mule, and two dogs. Just chopping fodder alone took a long time.
Whenever Li Feng was home, he would play with the two dogs. He also paid close attention to the horses. Lu Liu watched as he mixed eggs into the fodder and blinked quietly.
“Da Feng, I want to eat eggs too.”
Li Feng asked, “What kind of eggs do you want? Stir-fried or steamed?”
Lu Liu was sick of steamed eggs. He had eaten a lot during pregnancy—some custard, some eggs cooked with brown sugar.
He was not especially craving stir-fried eggs either, since they were often added to everyday dishes.
After thinking for a bit, he realized they rarely ate boiled eggs at home. He wanted boiled eggs.
Li Feng agreed and told him, “Back when we went up the mountains, we’d bring a few boiled eggs with us. By the time we got up there, they’d be cold. When we made a fire, we’d skewer the eggs on sticks and roast them again. We’d cut a few slits in them like we do with grilled fish, and if we had oil, we’d brush some on. They’d get fragrant really fast. Sprinkle a bit of salt and they’re especially good.”
Lu Liu wanted to eat that kind of egg.
Li Feng asked him, “Do you want grilled fish too?”
Lu Liu wanted grilled fish as well.
Li Feng agreed to make it for him and even asked if he wanted to go fly a kite.
Lu Liu wanted to go.
He nodded his head hard, following behind Li Feng like a little tail.
“Da Feng, it’s so nice when you’re home. When you’re back, someone dotes on me. I get to eat and play. How should we arrange it later? Eat first and then go out, or play first and come home to eat? I’m already anxious—when are we going?”
Li Feng checked that there was water in the jars, that the latrine was not full, that the vegetable garden had been tended, and that there was still firewood left. After making a full round, he went to boil the eggs, then came back to let the two dogs out and told Lu Liu to pack things.
“Today,” he said. “The weather’s good today.”
Lu Liu hurried back inside and told Mother they were going out to play and might be back in the afternoon.
The wet nurse lived nearby and would come at the usual time to feed the children. His sister-in-law was printing books in the small shop and watching the store and could help out. Lu Liu could go out for a while.
Chen Guizhi told him to dress warmly. “The wind is strong outside. Put your hat on too.”
Lu Liu obediently listened. He had been out of confinement for a long time, but he still listened to his mother—avoiding cold and wind. Usually, even when he worked a bit, she would nag him endlessly. Now that he was going out, he agreed to everything. Chen Guizhi still chased after him with reminders and even called out to Li Feng, telling him to keep an eye on Lu Liu and not let him take his hat off.
Lu Liu grinned as he packed oil paper and bamboo tubes with oil, salt, and seasonings.
He slung Li Feng’s leather bag over his back. It had many compartments, making it convenient to carry these things.
Before leaving, he grabbed the kite and packed the boiled eggs. He also said he wanted to scoop a fish out of the tub, but Li Feng told him not to bother—they could catch one later, either by fishing or spearing it.
Lu Liu had never fished before. Hearing this, his eyes lit up.
They went to the new village to play, riding in a cart. The two dogs ran alongside the cart.
They passed through the mountain path and went by Yao Fulang’s house.
Seeing them heading out, Yao Fulang called out, “Are you going to the county?”
Lu Liu held up the kite for him to see. “Not going to the county. Da Feng is taking me to fly kites!”
Yao Fulang cried out, “Oh my! Look how happy you are! Your Da Feng is back, and your heart’s already flown away!”
As the cart moved forward, Lu Liu loudly replied, “Yes!” Then he sat properly, leaned against Li Feng, and smiled sweetly. “Da Feng, my heart didn’t fly away. My heart is still right next to yours.”
Li Feng glanced at him. “It’s your body that’s next to me.”
Lu Liu put the kite down and patted his chest with both hands, then gestured seriously. “I just checked—it’s right here, this big! I’m here, and it’s here too. I’m next to you, so it’s next to you.”
He coaxed Li Feng so thoroughly that Li Feng laughed loudly the entire way.
Along the road, they passed many households, and people called out to ask, “Da Feng, what are you laughing about? Did you strike it rich?”
Li Feng had not struck it rich. He told them, “I’m taking my husband to fly kites!”
What was so joyful about flying kites?
These people did not understand. After watching the two of them go far ahead, they started gossiping.
Someone said, “Is he really going to fly kites? He just wants to show off how affectionate he is with his husband.”
In life, being fed and clothed was enough. Why talk about affection? It was teeth-achingly sweet.
What had been a pleasant chat ended with everyone feeling sour.
Li Feng took Lu Liu to play near the reed marshes. There was a small river here. Before long, they could pick reed leaves, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts. If they were lucky, they could even find wild duck eggs.
They had eaten their fill before coming out. First, they flew the kite. Li Feng ran to get it airborne, and it took off on the first try.
Lu Liu held the string, a little at a loss. He had never flown a kite before. From what Li Feng told him, once the kite was up, he could let out more string or tug it occasionally.
He did not know how much counted as “more,” nor when to tug.
When Li Feng came back, the two of them walked and ran across the open ground, letting the kite fly very high. Only then did they hold the reel steady and tug it now and then.
The kite had a bamboo frame, covered with thick draft paper.
The paper was yellowed, with large black characters on it—discarded practice sheets from their calligraphy.
It was not very pretty in the hand, but once in the sky, it stood out clearly. Yellow and black against the blue sky, easy to spot.
Lu Liu felt as though the kite was about to pull the reel right out of his hands. He had to grip it tightly.
He barely tugged the line himself; it was the kite pulling the reel upward, and he pressed his hand down to keep it steady.
Li Feng stood beside him, reaching out now and then to help press it down.
Every time Li Feng reached out, Lu Liu wanted to laugh. “Can it pull me up into the sky too?”
Li Feng picked him up, lifting him suddenly into the air. Lu Liu cried out in surprise and nearly let go of the reel.
Once he was set back on the ground, he deliberately walked a few steps away, then quietly edged back, pretending it was just part of flying the kite, until he was back beside Li Feng.
Lu Liu’s eyes felt uncomfortable. He was not used to looking up at the sky.
He had never raised his head like this before. When people worked, they mostly kept their heads down, focused only on what was in front of them.
His eyes stung until tears welled up. Li Feng took the reel and handed him a handkerchief.
Lu Liu took it and wiped his eyes, only then realizing how soft the fabric was. Even the calluses on his hands could snag threads from it.
Li Feng said, “This was a return gift from a traveling merchant. There were two. I kept this handkerchief and gave the tea leaves to the brothers.”
