At the end of the year, there were more New Year’s provisions to prepare, and the blacksmith’s expenses were hard to estimate—altogether, they’d spend over thirty taels of silver.
Lu Liu touched his chest. That was a lot of money.
Earning it was hard; spending it was easy.
To save a sum required careful planning and constant effort.
To spend it, though, was simple. Just think for a moment, and there were countless ways to spend it everywhere.
Sigh.
Lu Liu shook his head and tried to think of something else.
Li Feng had gone to the prefectural city, taking his elder brother along. Lu Liu didn’t know when his brother would come to stay at the mountain stronghold.
His brother was busy with important matters—there was no hurrying him, only waiting.
Not long after, Da Qiang came to see Lu Liu, asking if he wanted to go over to their house to play.
“Brother An is bored and wants to talk to you.”
Lu Liu agreed, and the eldest sister-in-law helped him over.
Brother Yao was about to give birth; the house was ready, only waiting for labor to begin.
The rooms had been tidied, everything cleared, so it would be easy to move when the time came.
Brother Yao showed Lu Liu the quilts on the kang and the ropes hanging from the beams: “Oh my, my mother said I should try giving birth standing first. If I get tired or can’t deliver, then I can lie down. Not exactly lie down—just lean on the quilts and push with my legs open. I said, ‘What if it hurts?’ She said, ‘It won’t kill you.’ Oh heavens, I must really honor her—bringing me into this world was no easy task!”
Lu Liu didn’t go into unnecessary worries with him, only explained what to do after Yuan Yuan was born.
“It’s the perfect time now—no snow, not too cold, not too hot. After your month-long confinement, he’ll be alert enough for you to play with him. Come spring, he’ll be half a year old, ready to be taken outside, and everyone will ask whose lovely child this is. You can say, ‘He’s ours.’ The child will definitely resemble you, not Da Qiang—he’ll be beautiful like you.”
Brother Yao laughed: “What if he looks like Da Qiang?”
Lu Liu said, “It’s fine—he’ll grow out of it. Babies are small; you can’t really tell yet.”
He truly had double standards. Saying this made Brother Yao laugh again.
Brother Yao went on: “The other day, for some reason, he told me so much. You wouldn’t know—we grew up together, right? Both from Li Village, both living at the foot of the mountain, growing up side by side. He was always foul-mouthed as a child. I never liked him; he clung to me constantly, and I even had my elder brother hit him. When our families arranged the marriage, I didn’t want to agree, but the other families had chosen partners. At the end of the year, the matchmaking was lively. I looked around—only him was left. Later I heard he drove the others away. I was so mad, but eventually married him. He said we knew each other well, from comparable families, and would treat me well. A few days ago, he said we were too familiar; small daily quarrels didn’t matter. He wouldn’t speak harshly to me, told me not to be afraid—if this one is born, there won’t be another. Do you think he’s crazy?”
Lu Liu listened like reading a storybook, asking for more details: “How did you end up marrying? What else did he say?”
Brother Yao exclaimed, covering his face, shy.
He always said he was experienced, but when embarrassed, he was like an unmarried young man—blushing deeply.
The pregnant man’s emotions shifted quickly; just moments ago shy, now tearful.
“I shouldn’t have believed him—he tricked me into having his child.”
Lu Liu held his hand, repeating what he had told him many times before:
“Da Qiang’s heart is with you.”
Even hearing it repeatedly, Brother Yao never tired of it; he always smiled.
“Ah, talking to you is comfortable. Others tell me everyone goes through this—I don’t need to hear that. I really don’t want to hear it.”
He grasped Lu Liu’s hand in return, saying: “I shouldn’t be telling you this—you have it harder, carrying two children, such a big belly, while your husband is always out, away for so long, barely home a few days.”
Lu Liu’s emotions were steadier than a few months ago. His face smiled; his eyes held little disappointment.
He said, “Da Feng and I both have responsibilities. He earns money, I give birth—each busy with our own tasks.”
Brother Yao admired him: “I thought you, all soft and clingy, would cry and fuss. Turns out I’m the noisier one.”
Lu Liu laughed softly, telling him: “I used to spend much time alone at home. To make a living, I stayed home—how could I earn silver then? Back then, family didn’t go far, returned the same day. Not like him, gone for so long. I worried about him naturally, had my moods. But I knew his hard work wasn’t for himself, so I had no temper.”
Brother Yao thought for a moment, lowering his gaze: “A couple of years ago, I was still a bit confused. My mother’s house was too close; no in-laws to pressure me. I quarreled with Da Qiang, and marrying felt no different than being unmarried. This year, with a child, I understand urgency. Recently, I was anxious, but thankfully, soon the child will be born. Then I can focus on work, earn some silver, and forget about the trivial things.”
Lu Liu listened and suddenly recalled what his elder brother had told him.
A completed task could benefit oneself, others, or be a win-win.
His own knowledge was limited. He wasn’t sure if Brother Yao would want to learn chicken-raising. Experience in raising rabbits still needed accumulation; chicken-raising had ready experience.
He said to Brother Yao: “Brother An, do you want to hear? If you do, I’ll tell you when I have time. Later, when you raise chickens, you’ll know what to do.”
Da Qiang joined the business too late to have a share. Beekeeping was on the mountain; hunting waited for winter; raising chickens could be done at the foot of the mountain.
Brother Yao knew little; Lu Liu needed to teach him, and he learned.
“The chickens you raise are good. From the same batch of chicks we caught together, we’ve killed a few. Yours all thrive, fat and plump.”
Today, there wasn’t time to go into more. Both couldn’t sit still. At noon, Lu Liu returned home for lunch.
Shunge’er came back from the drying yard, bringing him a meal.
The eldest sister-in-law didn’t eat lunch there; she returned home for her own. They rested in the afternoon, then returned.
At lunch, Lu Liu listened to Shunge’er chat excitedly about the bustle at the yard—entertaining in its own way.
Afterward, Lu Liu stayed in, resting briefly before taking a nap.
The drying yard had been busy for several days. On the sixteenth of October, it officially finished, ready to receive goods.
Chen Guizhi helped there, teaching a few wives and husbands how to manage things, while Shunge’er stayed home to care for Lu Liu.
On October sixteenth, Brother Yao gave birth.
Beforehand, he had been apprehensive; during labor, it went more smoothly than expected. The terrifying images he imagined never materialized. The child arrived with cries.
He was in good health, had been well cared for during pregnancy, and moved about frequently.
Even staying at home, he walked around front and back yards, in excellent condition.
The child was born, and Brother Yao was still dazed.
The courtyard was filled with both Da Qiang’s family and Brother Yao’s maternal relatives. Lu Liu couldn’t visit directly, so Shunge’er went to inquire. Hearing that the birth went smoothly and it was a boy, Lu Liu was genuinely happy for him.
Brother Yao’s place was lively, drawing out Chen Jiu. He came to visit Lu Liu.
Seeing his belly had grown, Lu Liu felt happy for him.
“Soon Brother An will bring red eggs for us, to share the joy. Maybe we’ll have a boy too!”
Chen Jiu watched Lu Liu’s belly and said, “You’re all blessed. You carry two; he’s definitely a boy.”
Lu Liu smiled, replying: “You’re fortunate too—your family loves you.”
Chen Jiu had heard from Wang Meng about Old Chen, and when it came to family, he didn’t know what to say to Lu Liu, regretting he once thought Lu Liu’s life was easy.
He asked, “I heard from Wang Meng that my cousin wants to see the shop. Will you go to the county after the New Year?”
Lu Liu shook his head: “Da Feng will probably arrange for you to go to the county. We are relatives. Da Feng and Wang Meng are brothers. Going to the county is best.”
