Wang Dongmei tried to throw a tantrum and argue with him, but Lu Liu told her, “If you’re rude to me, don’t expect to earn a single penny from me in the future.”
His business was booming here, with county officials chasing after him to feed him. Offend him, and she’d be stuck farming for the rest of her life.
Wang Dongmei switched to a smile, offered a dry apology, and slunk away.
After she left, the house felt cold and empty for a while.
Before Qingming Festival, Chen Guizhi brought back some joss paper from the county town to sell.
She knew how to do business too—never letting the cart run empty. Besides the joss paper, she’d also brought back a hundred pounds of fresh pork to the village.
They kept three pounds for themselves. Before Qingming, Li Feng would come home, and they’d have a meal of meat and egg dumplings.
The rest was all sold.
With two villages in Li Village and a population of over a thousand, this meat sold out quickly.
Everyone satisfied their cravings. Fewer people went to the county seat, and they came back to patronize her little shop.
That day, Lu Liu couldn’t sleep. She got up early and sat on the kang, lost in thought.
The morning sun rose slowly, streaming through the window lattice into the room. He watched the dust particles dancing in the light, and thought again of how he’d once said Da Feng had smashed the wall to pieces.
Lu Liu slapped his face, breaking the train of thought. He climbed down from the kang, stepped outside, and walked along the mountain path for a while.
He didn’t dare go too far, stopping instead at their small vegetable garden.
The seeds had sprouted.
He crouched down, parting the thin layer of straw covering them to see the tender green seedlings.
Each delicate sprout represented new hope.
This batch had grown well; in two more days, they could be transplanted.
Lu Liu’s fingers gently brushed the leaves as distant laughter drifted toward him.
It was the voices of several men, among them one he recognized instantly.
He rose and hurried toward the path, taking a few steps forward. His eyes widened with surprise. The figure grew blurry, yet the voice rang out crystal clear: “Da Feng!”
As the words left his lips, tears streamed down his face, blurring his vision.
Before Qingming Festival, Li Feng and two others had returned from hunting, dragging a wild boar with dark brown fur.
………………………………..
Lu Liu shouted and started running forward.
After a few strides, Li Feng took a few more steps to meet him, and the two embraced.
Before a word was spoken, Lu Liu caught the scent of blood and gagged involuntarily.
The boar had only been dead a short while, though it had been bled out. Its size meant the lingering odor was enough to turn his stomach.
Li Feng thought the smell had affected him.
He recalled how, whenever he’d mentioned mountain life to Lu Liu—talking about washing intervals, how dirt could be scrubbed off their bodies only to leave a sour stench—Lu Liu would wrinkle his nose adorably. He’d deliberately exaggerate such details.
But this time, they hadn’t been in the mountains long. It wasn’t hot, and they had a target—mostly lying in wait, tracking cautiously without any frantic pursuit. Hunting involved traps and ambushes. With three of them working together, they hadn’t broken much of a sweat. How could that possibly make someone gag?
Li Feng placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to gently push him away, but Lu Liu clung to him again, gagging once more.
Wang Meng said, “Probably the strong scent of wild boar. Da Feng, you and your husband should head home first. Da Qiang and I can handle things here.”
Once they emerged from the forest, they could part ways.
Li Feng quickened his pace, guiding Lu Liu along. Sure enough, Lu Liu felt better—the churning nausea had subsided.
He smiled at Li Feng, tears still glistening in his eyes from the earlier retching.
“Da Feng, you’re back. I missed you so much.”
Li Feng’s heart softened at the words. He gently stroked Lu Liu’s cheek. “I missed you too.”
They needed to head to the county seat first, leaving little time for conversation. Matters could wait until they reached home that evening.
Seeing him, Lu Liu felt reassured, his anxiety and worry fading. If they had to go to the county seat, so be it.
He said, “You have to come back soon. I still want to stick to you like glue.”
Li Feng readily agreed.
Dàqiáng, trailing slowly behind them, muttered under his breath, “Talk about prioritizing romance over friendship.”
He even shared his envy with Wang Meng: “That kid Dàfēng is so lucky. Look how his husband treats him—he’s practically floating on air!”
Wang Meng nodded in agreement. “What’s wrong with us? Why doesn’t our husband treat us like that?”
Daqiang compared himself to Wang Meng. “I still have a chance. My husband gives me face. You’re out of luck—if your husband doesn’t curse you, you should count yourself lucky.”
Wang Meng flared up instantly: “What’s wrong with you? Why are you always competing with my husband? Looking for a beating?”
Daqiang retorted: “He started insulting my husband first.”
Wang Meng snapped back: “Mind your own business! This is between husbands!”
Daqiang asked him, “Your husband gets scolded, and you won’t do anything?”
Wang Meng shouted, “What’s the point of arguing with words between men! If you’ve got the guts, use your fists!”…
The commotion faded behind them as Lu Liu happily led Li Feng home. He didn’t realize his tone had changed completely, like a jar of honey had been overturned—sweet to the point of cloying.
Li Feng beamed, asking, “What were you doing down the mountain so early this morning?”
Lu Liu didn’t want him to worry, so he didn’t mention his sleepless night. He simply said, “I went to check if the seedlings had sprouted in the vegetable garden. When I got there, I heard your voices. I went over to look, and it really was you two!”
Li Feng remained impassive, saying, “I thought maybe you missed me.”
Lu Liu immediately replied, “I did miss you. Really, I missed you. I missed you so much!”
Li Feng sighed deeply.
Lu Liu continued, “It’s true. You said you’d return for Qingming. The day is almost here, but I haven’t seen you come down the mountain. I couldn’t sleep at all!”
As he spoke, a wave of hurt washed over him, and his eyes reddened again.
With his heart laid bare, Li Feng felt a pang of sorrow. He stroked his cheek, urging him not to cry.
“This time I come down, I won’t be going back up for a long while. I’ll stay with you properly.”
Lu Liu nodded repeatedly. His eyelids had grown thin from shedding so many tears lately. In the sunlight, the fine veins beneath them were visible.
Li Feng remembered they hadn’t been visible before. Staring at them for a moment, his heart grew even more bitter, and he tightened his grip on Lu Liu’s hand.
He still had to rush off to deliver goods. After getting home, he put his tools away, changed his shoes and socks, and with only the clothes on his back, hurried out the door.
He went home, and his family rushed him to handle matters.
No time for a bath—just hot water to wash his hands, wipe his face, and soak his feet.
This trip up the mountain was special—they were wandering through Daqiang’s hunting grounds. Fearful of wild bee stings, they hid in a safe house at night, not daring to take off their shoes.
If anyone got stung on the soles, the journey would be unbearable.
So while his body odor was tolerable, the stench from his feet was truly overpowering.
Lu Liu circled around him, genuinely nauseated by the smell.
Li Feng felt embarrassed. He’d intended to change his shoes and socks before leaving, but decided to soak his feet briefly first.
Seeing him soak his feet, Lu Liu approached again, only to be hit by the odor and retreat once more.
He gagged several times, tears welling in his eyes. Li Feng felt sorry for him and told him to stop struggling.
“I’ll handle it myself. Think about what you want to eat or if there’s anything you need me to pick up. I’ll get it done for you in the county.”
Lu Liu didn’t need anything brought back, nor was he craving anything.
He stood a few steps away, glancing at Li Feng, then at Li Feng’s feet.
Li Feng himself seemed reasonably alert, speaking with energy. His clothes were intact, showing no signs of injury. But those feet were pitiful—badly swollen. Even removing his shoes required forceful pulling and tugging. The soles had lost all color, swollen and pale.
Though he’d sweated little lately, perspiration was inevitable. The forest air was damp, soaking his shoes. After soaking like this, his toes and soles were wrinkled.
After soaking in water to ease the discomfort, Li Feng felt somewhat better. He wiped his feet, eager to move on quickly.
He rubbed a little too hard, and the soles of his feet bled.
Lu Liu felt sorry for him and came over to help.
His touch was gentle. He wrapped the foot in cotton cloth, pressing here and there to soak up the moisture.
His shoes and socks were clean. Li Feng slipped his feet into the shoes loosely, not pulling the soles tight, leaving his heels exposed.
Chen Guizhi hurriedly pressed some cakes for him—hot egg cakes spread with mushroom sauce. Rolled up, they vanished in a few bites.
Both pots were put to use. The other one boiled a last-minute soup of minced mountain mushrooms and pork for him to warm his body.
Leave a Reply