After returning home, the family played together in the alley for a while.
The two little ones had learned to crawl and chased Er Huang around every day.
The mats weren’t long enough, so Chen Guizhi made them small mittens and knee pads, and a coarse cloth onesie that was durable and easy to clean, so they could crawl and play freely.
He Fulang sat on the doorstep, glancing this way and that. He usually played along before, but today he seemed to be waiting for a particular time.
As evening approached, Lu Liu went inside to prepare dinner. Tonight’s meal was earlier than yesterday’s. When Li Feng returned home, the food was already on the table. After eating, he stepped out and saw He Fulang waiting at the door.
His face was still pale, eyes dark and hollow, lips cracked. He hadn’t slept all night and had stayed awake all day, drinking only rice water.
Lu Liu accompanied him quickly to the academy to speak with the gatekeeper.
Lu Yang often came by to deliver food and accompany Xie Yan, so he was familiar to the gate staff. Seeing Lu Liu arrive with a familiar face, the gatekeeper was friendly and answered all questions.
When asked about Liu Youli, the gatekeeper said, “He hasn’t been to the academy since late July. He and a few scholars took turns going to the docks to catch a boat to the provincial city for exams. He didn’t come home yesterday, probably went to the provincial city.”
The gatekeeper looked surprised. “He didn’t inform his family about the exams?”
He Fulang, still wanting to preserve Liu Youli’s dignity, mumbled, “I—I don’t understand exams. He told me, but I didn’t catch it…”
Hearing this, He Fulang’s steps became heavy. At home, he forced a faint smile and thanked Lu Liu and Li Feng before entering, then broke into uncontrollable sobs.
Lu Liu told Li Feng to go home first. “I’ll talk to him a bit.”
Li Feng went only as far as home, letting the dog out and staying alert in case needed.
Lu Liu waited outside the door for a while until the crying subsided, then knocked.
He Fulang was startled. His soft sobbing abruptly stopped. When Lu Liu called out, he responded, “Y-you didn’t go home?”
Lu Liu let him save face. “I went home, but came back. I thought you might be scared alone, so I came to keep you company.”
After a while, He Fulang opened the door.
For the first time in months, Lu Liu stepped inside his home.
It was a shared rental, and they rented the smaller room. Most tenants had moved out, leaving only his family.
He Fulang led Lu Liu inside. The room had a small earthen kang, cluttered but orderly and clean.
Under the table were jars used for making salted duck eggs. A basin and washboard were placed outside. With no other tenants, nothing could be stolen.
With Liu Youli gone, some belongings were gone, too. Outside the cabinet, things had been removed.
On the kang was a single pot with two grayish steamed buns, showing traces of wheat bran and straw.
The room had only a round stool and a small bench, obviously designated for specific use. He Fulang hesitated, avoiding the round stool, and instead brushed the kang so Lu Liu could sit and talk.
The teapot had no hot water. He picked it up, then set it down again, smiling awkwardly.
Lu Liu asked what he planned to do. He Fulang pressed his lips together, eyes full of bewilderment.
“I’ve been thinking since last night,” he said, “I don’t recall him ever telling me about the exams… He didn’t intend to.”
Lu Liu suggested he reflect on his own situation. “My brother went to accompany him for the exams, leaving early. He won’t be back until September. How did you get through this past month?”
Tears welled up again. He Fulang truly didn’t know what to do.
He rambled on, mixing village matters with city affairs. When they married, Liu Youli had been sullen, refusing intimacy for a long time. His parents-in-law pressured him, and even his efforts to appease were useless. Liu Youli scolded his parents.
His parents-in-law also blamed his parents, saying they raised an incapable son-in-law who would trouble their family.
After over a year in the village, Liu Youli went to the prefecture for studies. The family wanted someone to look after him, so He Fulang followed.
Living as a couple cost more than living alone. At first, it was about meals; then even water. He didn’t dare boil water for himself. When he first arrived, he would shamelessly ask for a bowl of hot water. Over time, others said he was calculating, even complaining to Liu Youli that he was miserly with firewood and took advantage of others. Liu Youli, concerned about scholarly appearances, didn’t strike him but made him kneel overnight as punishment.
Lu Liu listened, both angry and astonished. He felt He Fulang shouldn’t have had to tell him this, since he usually protected Liu Youli—just like earlier at the academy gate.
Everyone in the alley knew they were a couple. He Fulang did the laundry while Liu Youli reacted strongly but said nothing. When he went to carry water or sell at the stall, Liu Youli’s reactions were extreme.
“He said I embarrassed him at home, so I’d go out and embarrass him further,” He Fulang tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Soon, everyone in the alley knew I feared my husband. People would scold me constantly. If someone’s drain was blocked, they blamed me for washing clothes. I told him, and he made me clear it without arguing. Eventually, nobody wanted to deal with me.”
In the shared rental, washing clothes in the yard meant using lots of water, making a mess. Everyone resented it. With Liu Youli not defending him, he dared not complain, taking all burdens alone.
Lu Liu looked around the small room, unable to imagine He Fulang living here, isolated and bullied for over two years.
He Fulang said, “You ask me what to do… I don’t know. In the village, I was mocked. Some adolescent boys even asked if I slept with my husband. I don’t dare go back, and I don’t know when he’ll return.”
He muttered, “I earned a little from selling duck eggs and washing clothes—over a tael of silver. He took it all. When we married, he took the silver bracelets given by his family too. I have no money… not a single coin…”
Lu Liu handed him thirty-five wen, explaining it was the leftover payment from the duck eggs last time.
“Next time you make salted duck eggs, make a couple extra. Keep this money for now.”
Holding the coins, He Fulang’s eyes brightened.
He glanced at the two buns in the pot, calculating how to spend the thirty-five wen.
With Liu Youli absent, he could scavenge vegetables at the market or pick through leftover buckets behind taverns. With this money, he could buy some duck eggs and gradually manage day-to-day life.
Lu Liu proposed another idea: “I’m opening a small eatery. Do you know? You could help in the kitchen—slaughtering chickens or ducks, washing dishes. I’ll pay you wages. Or, if you stay home, I’ll buy the duck eggs and you prepare them. Wages would be slightly lower.”
He Fulang’s eyes sparkled, tears welling and catching the lamplight.
He grabbed Lu Liu’s hand, sobbing repeatedly, unable to speak through the tears.
Tonight, he could finally sleep peacefully. Lu Liu went home to bring him a bowl of leftover warm food.
He Fulang thanked him repeatedly. Lu Liu told him to wait patiently.
“Let’s talk again in September.”
He Fulang agreed, seeing him to the door, tears still flowing.
He watched as three households closed their gates, lingering at the entrance for a moment.
The next morning, hope collided with despair—Liu Youli had left him no way forward.
Hai Youtian came to collect the house. Seeing He Fulang unprepared, panicked as if the sky were falling, he asked cautiously, “What’s wrong? You don’t want to move? Your husband asked me to terminate the lease. The deposit was forfeited, and that little silver—took me two days to handle…”
He Fulang couldn’t survive this. With no money, and the house taken, he couldn’t even return to his village.
