“Ah, look how fierce Young Master Xiaoman is. From now on, we’re all villagers from the same village. We only heard about this happy event and passed by, thinking we might get a glance. Later when we meet, it’s good to greet each other, right?”
“Yes, why hide it, shout it out so everyone can see.”
Qin Xiaoman stood at the doorway. He didn’t care about these people flattering him to his face: “It’s not a monkey performing tricks. What’s so interesting? Aunts themselves have men at home to look at. Why run into someone else’s house to look at others? Aren’t you afraid of angering the uncle?”
Several women who had come to watch looked displeased. They knew Qin Xiaoman spoke harshly, truly leaving no face: “Look at Young Master Xiaoman hiding him so tightly. Indeed, once he’s getting married, it’s different.”
Qin Xiaoman said: “Once married, of course it’s different.”
The woman holding the scallions asked: “Is he really a cripple? How did he fix on a cripple? Didn’t the aunt say, in the neighboring village that old young man found someone with all limbs, your conditions are better than the one in the neighboring village.”
Qin Xiaoman said: “What cripple, what not cripple? His foot is just injured; a doctor must look at it.”
“You still have to hire a doctor to treat him? Tendons and bones injured, you can’t avoid spending money! This isn’t just giving yourself away for free?”
Qin Xiaoman impatiently listened to these words, put his hands on his waist and said: “Looking at an injury, a few coins is giving away for free? Didn’t the aunt’s family prepare several thousand coins of dowry for their daughters? Isn’t that giving away even more?”
“Eh! You young master.”
Qin Xiaoman was too lazy to argue with these women, and directly said: “It’s cold. The aunts haven’t eaten breakfast yet, right? I’ll go back to cook, not letting the aunts delay their breakfast.”
Seeing him about to leave, the women quickly asked: “Then when will the event be?”
Qin Xiaoman said: “When the event happens, of course the aunts will be invited.”
The women saw that Qin Xiaoman was like a hen protecting her chicks and knew they would not see him today. After saying a few sour words, they dispersed, lacking interest.
Qin Xiaoman watched them leave and stood at the doorway for a while, letting go of the strong, dominant expression on his face.
He sighed. Village women were gossipy. He was used to hearing these words himself and could respond regardless of whether people were comfortable, but he didn’t know whether Du Heng, someone who had grown up as a young master, could endure such idle talk.
His second aunt really was proactive. Yesterday’s matter was already half the village knowing today.
“I’m back!”
Qin Xiaoman had just entered the courtyard and saw Du Heng standing at the kitchen doorway, seemingly waiting for him after hearing his voice.
He hurried over, took off his straw hat, and hung it on the wall: “You got up so early?”
Du Heng nodded.
“Was it the outside people’s voices disturbing you?”
“No. I got up and then came. I was just thinking whether to go greet them, and you came back.”
Qin Xiaoman went into the kitchen: “From now on, ignore them, they’re just idle troublemakers.”
“Good.”
Hearing Du Heng’s reply, Qin Xiaoman looked at him. His temper was domineering; whether speaking with family or villagers, it always involved arguments, and rarely did anyone follow without contest after he spoke.
His eyes moved, thinking: this person really listens.
“I went to Doctor Cui’s house this morning. He was already asked to see a patient yesterday and won’t return for two days. I can only bring you to see your foot later.”
Du Heng looked at his foot: “No matter, these two days don’t matter. It’s not worse being cold and doesn’t hurt more.”
“Then let’s eat.”
Qin Xiaoman steamed four sweet potatoes. During sweet potato season, everyone was accustomed to eating them. Sweet potatoes fill the stomach and are cheap, much more economical than rice. The year’s rice had to be sold to pay taxes; there wasn’t much left for themselves. Without rationing, it wouldn’t be enough.
He scooped up the sweet potatoes, among them also one egg.
Breakfast was simple. Pulling a wide bench, the two of them ate under the stove, keeping warm.
Qin Xiaoman brought a dish of pickled vegetables to eat with the sweet potatoes. He cracked the eggshell, peeling it while instructing: “I’ll go up the mountain later, probably won’t be back until the afternoon. Yesterday’s cooked rice has one bowl left; I warmed it in the pot for you. You can eat it yourself at noon.”
“Going up the mountain to do what? Chop firewood?”
“This weather isn’t suitable for chopping firewood. The bamboo grove on the public mountain has winter shoots. I’ll try my luck,” Qin Xiaoman said. “Also, I’ll inspect the private mountain to see if anyone is digging shoots or cutting firewood on our mountain.”
Du Heng nodded: “Good. Then I’ll go with you.”
“Why would you go?”
“Of course, to help with work.”
Qin Xiaoman said: “With your foot, climbing the mountain now, in slippery rainy weather, if you fall again, it’ll be troublesome.”
Du Heng frowned: “Then what am I supposed to do?”
“Then just stay at home.”
“Then what to do at home?”
“Nothing much to do. On such a cold day, if you put the charcoal into the fire basin and then go back inside to sleep for a while, it will soon be noon. Then you get up, eat a meal, and lie back down. I’ll quickly be back to make dinner.”
Having said this, Qin Xiaoman handed over the peeled egg: “Eat.”
Du Heng looked at Qin Xiaoman, serious, not joking with him anymore. Soon he understood: “You mean I do nothing and live off others at home?”
“What’s wrong with living off others? I won’t let you starve!”
Du Heng was greatly shocked. He had never imagined that one day, this kind of life—longed for by many in the new era—would fall on him.
Qin Xiaoman saw he didn’t speak and didn’t take the egg. He thought Du Heng must have been offended, upset about his pride.
He put away the fierce expression, softened his tone a bit, and said: “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. No one will know. Eat quickly; the egg will cool.”
Du Heng looked at the youth in front of him, several years younger, eyes burning with sincerity as he coaxed him. He covered his face with his hands.
Really… too shameful!
“Then… if you’re really bored, you can sweep the courtyard, is that okay?”
Qin Xiaoman originally wanted someone who could work and handle things, but now he had accepted the weak Du Heng. Thinking that Du Heng had been a young master, and could read and write, villagers generally respected literate people. Naturally, he didn’t expect him to do rough or tiring work.
Somehow, though, it still made him unhappy.
“Good.”
Du Heng put down his hands and agreed. Qin Xiaoman quickly handed over the egg: “Eat.”
“You still have to go up the mountain to work later, eat now.”
“I specially cooked it for you. You’re too thin. If you nourish your body early, you’ll look better too.”
Du Heng slightly raised his eyebrows, took the egg, and split it in half: “One half each.”
Qin Xiaoman looked at the egg half handed over by the hand with clear joints, fingers slender and proportioned. He didn’t refuse. He even happily treated it as if Du Heng had specially cooked the egg for him.
After breakfast, Qin Xiaoman took two roasted sweet potatoes from the stove, leaving one for Du Heng to eat at noon. Then he wore a straw raincoat, carried a straw hat, slung a small basket on his back, and carried a hoe out the door.
Du Heng stood by the courtyard fence, looking at the muddy path outside. Qin Xiaoman stepped into a puddle and went on, braving the cold wind and drizzle toward the mountain. His thin figure soon disappeared into the mist.
He was eighteen this year. The young men in the family were generally shorter than average men. Qin Xiaoman was tall among his peers, but standing before Du Heng, he only reached slightly above his shoulders.
Seeing a young boy carry the weight of life already made him feel sorrowful. Now he had to support another idle person. It wasn’t that his pride couldn’t accept it; it was that he felt like a huge burden had been placed on someone already struggling.
Du Heng’s mind was in chaos. Under these circumstances, how could he live off others? How could he eat it! He picked up a broom and swept the already clean courtyard, thinking about how to live his days going forward.
He went around the inside and outside of the house, trying to find something to do.
He didn’t dare enter Qin Xiaoman’s room. The other rooms were very clean and tidy. There were no pots or pans to wash in the kitchen. Wood was stacked neatly along the courtyard wall; he didn’t even have firewood to chop.
Finally, he found a small shed in front of the kitchen. Inside, the chickens were clucking loudly. Du Heng went to feed them the leftover sweet potato peels from breakfast mixed with a little bran.
Then he went to the livestock pen, looking at a pig of roughly one hundred jin (about 50 kg) licking the nearly empty trough. Seeing someone enter, it howled at Du Heng.
Du Heng had dealt with livestock before. Although he hadn’t actually done feeding, he had seen enough that it was no different from doing it himself.
Usually, pigs were fed three times a day. Given limited conditions, he would probably feed twice.
Qin Xiaoman had probably already fed them once in the morning; the second feeding would be in the afternoon.
Du Heng first brought in a basin of water to fill the pig’s water bucket. He returned to the kitchen, took a large wooden basin, and chopped the sweet potato vines from the basket into pieces… at least he had found something to do.
In the afternoon, after eating, Du Heng cooked the pig feed over the fire. Outside, the drizzle continued, the sky dim, making it hard to tell the time.
“Young Master Xiaoman, open the door!”
Du Heng heard the voice in the kitchen and went out. Outside, the rain had already stopped.
“Uncle.”
Qin Xiong looked at Du Heng, who came to the door. His eyebrows subconsciously furrowed: “Young Master Xiaoman isn’t at home?”
“He went up the mountain.”
Qin Xiong still entered the courtyard and walked toward the kitchen. He was thinking to scold Du Heng a bit: hiding at home and living leisurely like a woman or a husband, when he saw the pig feed bubbling in the pot.
His brow twitched: “Young Master Xiaoman just left?”
Du Heng brought a stool for Qin Xiong to sit: “He went out after breakfast. Uncle, did you need him for something?”
Hearing that Qin Xiaoman had already left and seeing the kitchen fire burning brightly, Qin Xiong relaxed his brow but didn’t say anything.
He handed a piece of meat he was carrying to Du Heng: “I told him to come get the meat, but he didn’t.”
Du Heng took the large piece of pork, with ribs, fat and lean, about four to five jin (roughly 2–2.5 kg), and it was good meat, showing how well Qin Xiong took care of Qin Xiaoman: “Thanks, Uncle.”
Qin Xiong had originally come to find Qin Xiaoman to talk about Du Heng.
He had gone to Young Master Xiaoman’s paternal uncle’s house. His cousin worked as a clerk in the county office to see if anyone could inquire about Qiuyang County matters.
Fortunately, the county magistrate had submitted registration information for Qiuyang County to the county office to help refugees settle in Luoxia County. Among that, he also found Du Heng.
As Du Heng had said, Qin Xiong also accepted him more readily: “Don’t call me ‘Uncle.’ Sounds odd. From now on, just call me Second Uncle Qin, like the same generation as Young Master in the village.”
“Yes, Second Uncle.”
Qin Xiong glanced back at Du Heng: this kid really knows how to climb up the ladder.