Their family wasn’t large, so the house never felt very lively. Having a dog around was pleasant to look at, too.
And, of course, there was the original reason: Xie Yan was the only man in the household. Keeping a dog made sense for guarding the home.
Once they decided on it, the rest was just everyday conversation.
Since this visit was a happy occasion, everything else could be discussed later.
They asked what people usually did while living in the village, what they played, how they passed the time.
Lu Yang was curious. “Do people come here to hike? Don’t scholars like climbing high to look into the distance?”
Chen Guizhi told him, “No one comes to hike, and scholars even less so. When the season comes, people from other villages come to pick mushrooms, dig bamboo shoots, gather wild dates and walnuts, things like that. Many don’t follow the rules, and we drive them off.”
Their livelihood relied on the mountain. The women and husbands were all strong, and the men were tougher than those from other villages. When they drove people off, outsiders didn’t dare linger.
The mountain, like farmland, had its rightful owners. This mountain was their foundation for survival. Even at the county court, they would be in the right.
Lu Liu explained what they usually did: “Winter is quieter. Mostly we stay home to keep warm. Some sit around the fire and chat. Last year I didn’t know many people, so I often played with Yao Fulang. He took me out to sunbathe and talk. People sew and do bamboo weaving; some sewing involves leatherwork—making hats, gloves, leather coats, that sort of thing.”
Spring brought more things to do.
Many went out together to dig wild vegetables. Lu Liu loved digging for them. He also carried a small bamboo basket with a lid—while picking greens, he would catch bugs to feed the chickens.
The chicks he raised turned out well. Of all the chicks caught together, his grew the biggest, with soft, shiny feathers. Each one looked spirited.
He hadn’t gone deeper into the mountains yet, but Li Feng once took him to a nearby bamboo grove to dig bamboo shoots and taught him how to spot them. He had found it fun.
“We even found bamboo water—water inside the bamboo. It’s incredibly sweet and refreshing, not the same kind of sweet as sugar water. Next time you stay in the mountains for a few days, I’ll take you to find some to drink!”
There were many interesting things to see without going deep into the mountains.
Once, he saw clusters of mushrooms growing along a tree trunk. He picked them and brought them home to eat.
But the villagers didn’t think much of them. This season offered even fresher, better mushrooms. Those ones were left for anyone who came back empty-handed and needed to fill their basket.
Life at home wasn’t much different from other villages—eating, drinking, housework, and sewing when there was time. Those with skills took on extra work to earn money.
Their household had several livelihoods, so they were busier than most. The shop needed watching, mountain goods needed collecting and drying, and the rabbits and chicks in the back courtyard needed care.
“It’s busy, but fulfilling. I really like this life,” Lu Liu said.
Everyone in the family worked together, and each day’s effort brought something in return. It kept the body full of energy.
Lu Yang nodded repeatedly. “That’s good. I was worried living in the mountains would feel stifling.”
Lu Liu didn’t think so. He’d never liked going out anyway. When he first married in, if Yao Fulang hadn’t come to find him often, he could have stayed shut inside all day.
Now he had become more open. At first it was for promoting their little shop—going out to chat, getting familiar with people. After dealing with more folks, he found it wasn’t that difficult. Now he even went out for walks from time to time.
They talked while eating and drinking.
Lu Yang didn’t only speak with his younger brother; he also chatted with Shun-ge’er. This young man wasn’t like Li Feng or Chen Guizhi—he had a somewhat cute air about him.
“You’ve got a handsome face. How old are you this year?”
After the New Year, he would be seventeen by traditional age.
His family was generous, so he could marry next year.
Lu Yang asked a few more questions with a mild smile. Seeing the boy blush and answer awkwardly, realizing no match had been arranged yet, he shifted to talking with Chen Guizhi. “Auntie, have you thought about opening a shop in the county? You should have enough saved by this year. Running a business in town gives a steadier life.”
But if they opened a shop in the county, they shouldn’t arrange a marriage for Shun-ge’er yet; otherwise they’d end up like Lu Yang and Lu Liu—brothers separated, living in the same county but still rarely seeing each other.
Chen Guizhi had considered it but hadn’t decided what kind of shop.
Given their current income, a mountain-goods shop made sense.
But they already sent their goods to Lu Yang to sell. Opening another shop could cut into his business, which felt improper.
Lu Yang only smiled. “Auntie, I sell steamed buns. How many people in the county sell buns and bread? If mountain goods become big business, two shops won’t hurt anything.”
So it would be a mountain-goods shop.
Lu Yang nodded and toasted her with tea.
Lu Liu began thinking of a name for it. “What should we call it?”
Lu Yang teased, “Shouldn’t you come up with a name for the baby first?”
Lu Liu had already picked a nickname: Zhuang-zhuang—“Sturdy.” The formal name would take more thought.
Villagers valued children and would pay scholars for naming.
There happened to be a scholar present—Xie Yan, a certified xiucai. Asking him for a name would be convenient and cheap; he’d do it for free as family, and keep working until the name felt right.
But since both Lu Liu and Li Feng had started learning to read, they wanted to try naming their first child themselves. If they couldn’t decide, then they’d ask Xie Yan.
Lu Yang had been waiting for a chance. Hearing the nickname, he set down his chopsticks and touched his brother’s belly. “Zhuang-zhuang, Zhuang-zhuang—good name. You’d better give birth to a chubby boy!”
Lu Liu grew shy at his words, though he couldn’t stop smiling.
While they were having a pleasant time, Xie Yan and Li Feng were still competing quietly.
Drinking a little wine and eating good dishes, they clinked their bamboo cups, showing off the red strings on their wrists.
“My husband braided this for me,” Li Feng said.
Xie Yan also had one. “Mine too.”
Then he went for the kill: “Yours only matches afterward. My husband braided one for your husband first. You were left out—pitiful—so your husband learned and made you one. Mine is different. My husband braided a matching pair from the start.”
Li Feng lowered his gaze and examined his own. “Mine has a copper coin. Yours just has a knot.”
The knot made Xie Yan beam. “And you call yourself a hunter? No eye for details at all. That’s a lovers’ knot—symbol of staying together to the end. My husband gave me his heart. He loves me.”
Li Feng calmly lowered his sleeve and ended it with the unbeatable line, “My husband’s giving me a child. He loves me.”
After eating and drinking, they strolled around the house.
Lu Liu held his brother’s hand and showed him around the rooms, the back courtyard, the rabbits and chicks.
They also had a mule, and a dog they treated like a son. Erhuang liked to wag his tail against Lu Liu’s hand, asking to play.
But today he played with Lu Yang.
Lu Yang had raised mules and chickens before. When he stroked Erhuang’s head, he felt the soft warmth of its fur.
Erhuang was a well-behaved dog. With Lu Liu around, he didn’t roll or cause trouble, didn’t bark or bare his teeth—simply obedient and cute. Lu Yang liked him right away.
Lu Liu then told him the tragic love story between the village dogs.
“Erhuang likes Huanü—but Da Feng and I both like Sanliang, so we gave Sanliang a big bone as a bride-price and married him into our yard. Last time Sanliang followed Da Feng up the mountain, Huanü was there too. They were playing together, and Huanü’s father refused to let Erhuang near her, saying he already had a wife and needed to maintain ‘dog morals’ and not go flirting with a good family’s daughter.”
Lu Yang: “…”
He didn’t fully understand, but life in this mountain village was truly… colorful.
They kept walking, heading toward the small vegetable garden.
Lu Yang knew the mountain was close, but after walking it himself, he realized just how close.
He said, “If some big creature came down—like a wild boar—would your courtyard even hold up? Wouldn’t it crash right through?”
