Li Feng smiled, a genuine laugh.
The phrase “running out of food” hadn’t crossed his ears since he was fifteen and went up into the mountains.
It was truly strange—could they really run out of food?
He laughed and asked, “How did we run out?”
Lu Liu admitted his mistake, “It’s all my fault. I made dumplings yesterday.”
Li Feng’s heart melted. “We ran out of food just from eating dumplings?”
Lu Liu nodded emphatically. “We’re out of flour, out of meat, and we’ve finished the eggs!”
He had added eggs when preparing the filling.
Li Feng nodded, taking mental notes. “What else do you want to eat?”
Lu Liu thought about the fish soup he didn’t get to drink last night. “I want to eat fish.”
Li Feng responded, “Alright, I’ll go get some.”
Lu Liu: ?
Get some?
The Li village was far from the county, and it was rare to go there. Every time they went shopping, they’d stock up.
Before Li Feng got married and lived in the old village, whenever he went up the mountain, he’d bring Erhuang with him. Since no one was at home to look after things, they’d store their food reserves at someone else’s house.
Every time he went out, he’d bring back a bucket of flour, three pounds of cured meat, and fifteen eggs.
Eggs spoiled over time, so those were fresh ones he had bought. There was no fresh meat, just the cured reserves. There were eight pounds of flour.
Suddenly, they were quite wealthy.
Lu Liu was ecstatic.
Li Feng said, “There’s no fish. Daqiang is so stingy, he won’t sell me any. I’ll ask Sanmiao later; they’re having a wedding, and they’ve raised some fish for it.”
This was already pretty amazing!
Lu Liu, with his limited vocabulary, was clumsy with his praise. He could only keep praising Li Feng, calling him a capable man who could support the family. Li Feng felt proud hearing it all.
For breakfast, they had vegetable porridge. The vegetables had been stir-fried with oil, and then cooked into the porridge, giving the rice soup a nice, savory flavor.
There was only one dish to go with the rice—pickled vegetables, which Li Feng didn’t particularly like.
Lu Liu used a ladle to scoop out tofu cubes and meat chunks into Li Feng’s bowl of porridge.
A bit of pickled vegetables clung to the toppings, but only a little. Lu Liu asked him to try it.
The tofu cubes were large, the meat chunks small, and the pickled vegetables scattered throughout. Mixed together, they provided a nice chewiness and taste—much better than just pickled vegetables alone.
Li Feng wasn’t picky when it came to food, but he didn’t like the soft texture of pickled vegetables. With the added cubes, though, he ate it happily.
Lu Liu added two more scoops of pickled vegetables into the porridge and stirred it with chopsticks. Every bite of the porridge was full of flavor, and before swallowing, he chewed slowly, savoring it. His stomach felt comfortable.
Seeing Li Feng enjoy his meal made Lu Liu feel even hungrier. He smiled sweetly, and as he saw Li Feng finish three bowls of porridge, he felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
The pickled vegetables had been saved! Next time, when they went to the Chen family, he’d take some tofu!
After finishing breakfast, with the pot still steaming, Lu Liu hurried to wash the dishes.
Li Feng put away the food he had just brought, then went to the firewood shed to bring back two bundles of firewood, neatly stacking them by the wall in the kitchen, making it easier for Lu Liu to reach.
He also checked the water barrel. They’d need to fetch water when they returned home today.
Once everything was tidied up, the two of them left the house and caught the cart to the new village.
Lu Liu handed the two strings of copper coins to Li Feng. “I’m afraid I’ll lose them.”
Li Feng showed him a pair of gloves. “Make a pair like this, so you can wear them when it gets cold. You can also use them to hold money.”
Li Feng’s gloves were cotton ones, filled with cotton inside, made the same way as cotton clothes. The gloves had a stretchy opening, and coarse hemp rope was woven through them.
The hemp rope was long, with knots at both ends. When not in use, it could be hung around the neck; when needed, it could be untied and used to fasten around the arm.
Lu Liu carefully observed it, even comparing his own hand to the gloves. Li Feng’s hands were much bigger than his.
As he compared, Lu Liu couldn’t help but laugh, “My hands are small, but they’re also delicate!”
Li Feng casually responded with a crude joke, “Small hands can’t hold onto chickens.”
Lu Liu’s face turned bright red with embarrassment. He shot Li Feng a glare, but his eyes, glistening with moisture, made the look lose its force.
He handed the gloves back to Li Feng, then tried to sit farther away from him. But Li Feng reached out with his large hand and grabbed his.
The donkey cart rolled along the road, passing many homes after leaving their own.
Li Feng grew up here, and everyone in the village knew him. Whenever they passed by someone’s yard, people would call out to Li Feng.
Lu Liu didn’t want to quarrel with him in front of others, but his face was so red, it was hard to keep it from being noticed.
As they walked, people kept pretending to ask innocent questions, laughing loudly.
It was all in good fun.
After leaving the old village, they still had to walk a bit before reaching the new village.
Lu Liu glanced at Li Feng several times before gathering the courage to ask, “When you’re out, do you ever tease other people’s young wives or husbands?”
Li Feng, feeling idle, said he didn’t do such things.
“Making fun of those men, though, is something I do often.”
When men spoke to each other, Lu Liu didn’t get involved.
He was easy to please. Li Feng said something, and Lu Liu didn’t question whether it was true.
Even though Li Feng was being honest, he couldn’t help but glance at Lu Liu twice more.
How could he be so obedient?
The new village was bustling. After breakfast, people started to arrive from every home.
Li Feng led Lu Liu along, and Lu Liu carried a small bamboo basket. They had also brought the scales today, ready to weigh silver if anyone needed it.
Chen Guizhi had an old abacus, and there was even an old scholar in the village who came over to help count the money.
Li Feng sat down with Lu Liu. Their family’s matters weren’t a concern here.
He even handed the gloves to Lu Liu to hold onto. After the silver was divided, Lu Liu could store it in the gloves.
Lu Liu’s face flushed again.
It was all Li Feng’s fault for speaking so inappropriately!
Chen Guizhi, watching them, felt a bit teary but was secretly very happy.
Finding a good husband for Li Feng, even spending a little more money, was well worth it!
Li Ertian tried to come over, but Chen Guizhi shut the door on him, refusing him entry.
“You didn’t contribute any money for the glutinous rice this year. You and your wife helped out a bit, but once your older brother finishes dividing the silver, we’ll settle your wages.”
Li Ertian, still in pain, didn’t dare argue. He nodded reluctantly.
Wang Dongmei spoke up, “How can we not include the younger brother when the elder brother and his husband are dividing the silver? That doesn’t make sense!”
Chen Guizhi called over Shun Ge’er: “You all, as older siblings, didn’t even give San Shun some silver, how can you show your face?”
Wang Dongmei: “…”
Outside, Chen Guizhi kept watch at the door. The couple hadn’t gotten what they wanted, and the door was still shut in their faces. They had no choice but to go off wandering in the village.
Shun Ge’er felt relieved and asked Chen Guizhi, “Mom, didn’t Dad say we were supposed to move in with them? Why aren’t we going?”
Chen Guizhi taught him, “We’re not the ones who should be leaving. Your father has it tough. He’s only just finished building this house. Your second brother understands; it’s fine for him to help out. But if we leave, what are we leaving for? It’s unfair to him.”
Shun Ge’er suggested, “Then let Dad and them move in with us!”
But that wouldn’t work either.
“Your dad has a stubborn temper, and I don’t dare to speak out. The husband he married, thinking he could manage things, can hold up the household while your dad’s in the mountains. But they’re both hot-headed. Three firecrackers in one family—life’s impossible.”
Shun Ge’er said, “If we could get along, Big Brother used to be at home!”
Chen Guizhi replied, “I’m his mother, he has to listen to me. But would his husband let me?”
Shun Ge’er nearly cried, feeling pity for his mother. After both of his older brothers married, their mother had to watch their wives and husbands’ faces when it came to matters like these.
Inside the house, Lu Liu, who wasn’t in the mood to care about anyone’s face, was dividing the money.
The silver sat in his hands, and the accounts were just like yesterday. Li Feng explained everything to everyone again, with the old scholar verifying the amounts. Then each family received their share based on their stakes.
None of the families got a full ounce of silver, so they would gather up some small silver pieces to make up the difference.
The scales were used by Li Feng, who calculated the silver and then asked Lu Liu to count the copper coins to fill in the gaps.
Though the money was little, everyone was careful, counting everything twice to ensure accuracy.
San Miao asked Li Feng, “When are we making rice cakes again?”
Li Feng replied, “In a couple of days. There’s snow now, and once it stops, we’ll go to the county.”
He was accurate with his weather predictions, and everyone believed him.
Then they discussed when to buy glutinous rice next, with each family deciding how much they would contribute, and the matter of dividing the silver for today was settled.
