Chapter 12
The two children weren’t home. Ye Qingzhi checked the kitchen; the rice in the pot was gone, which meant they had already eaten lunch.
She put her things away, changed her clothes, and prepared to go to their private plot to pick some vegetables.
The original owner was truly capable. The plot was filled with vegetables. Climbing plants grew at the foot of the retaining wall, and beans were planted on the ridges of the fields. Not an inch of space was wasted.
Green beans, eggplants, cucumbers, pumpkins, and peppers—in no time, Ye Qingzhi had picked a full basket.
“Qingzhi, picking vegetables? Your cucumbers are growing so well,” Auntie Wang said, passing by with a basket.
“Yours aren’t bad either,” Ye Qingzhi said with a smile, glancing at her basket.
“No, they’re all crooked. Hey, Qingzhi, do you know what’s going on with your father-in-law’s family?” Auntie Wang asked mysteriously.
Ye Qingzhi looked blank. “What’s going on?”
Auntie Wang’s face immediately filled with regret. She had thought Ye Qingzhi knew and was trying to trick her into spilling the beans.
“It’s about your stepmother-in-law’s affair. Did your father-in-law really forgive her?” Auntie Wang was clearly eager for some drama.
Ye Qingzhi pinched off a pumpkin shoot. Prepared properly, it was also delicious.
“You know what my relationship with my father-in-law is like. We never interact. How would I know what’s going on with his family?” she thought, rolling her eyes inwardly.
Thinking of Ye Qingzhi’s personality—she never meddled in other people’s business, only sweeping the snow in front of her own door—it seemed normal that she wouldn’t know.
“Well, you’re close with Auntie Ye. Do you know that her daughter Juzi is getting engaged? Where’s the man from? What does he do?” Auntie Wang changed the subject.
This time, Ye Qingzhi was truly a bit stunned. Juzi is getting engaged? How come I don’t know?
“I haven’t heard anything. It’s just a rumor. You shouldn’t spread it around,” Ye Qingzhi said. She had always known Auntie Wang had a big mouth, but she hadn’t realized it was this big.
“I’ve already heard about it. Auntie Ye asked someone to introduce a match a few days ago, and she’s been going to Dayang Village a lot. Besides Juzi, who else in her family is of age to be married? Don’t try to hide it. Is he from Dayang Village?” Auntie Wang pouted. It wasn’t a bad thing, so why be so secretive?
Ye Qingzhi instantly understood. The root of this rumor was her.
“It’s just a rumor. You know what Auntie Ye is like; she’s always willing to help others. She’s probably helping a relative or a friend. How old is Juzi? Just the other day, Auntie Ye told me she wanted to keep her at home for a few more years,” Ye Qingzhi denied it outright.
But Auntie Wang didn’t agree. Juzi was already seventeen, and she would be eighteen after the New Year. If she wanted to find a good match, she should start looking early.
“Juzi isn’t that young. Qingzhi, I have a nephew on my mother’s side. He’s twenty this year, only three years older than Juzi. His family has a lot of strong laborers, and they have surplus grain every year. You’re on good terms with Auntie Ye. Why don’t you help put in a good word for him?” Auntie Wang said, linking her arm with Ye Qingzhi’s affectionately.
So that was her motive. Ye Qingzhi pulled her arm away, picked up her basket, and said as she walked, “Auntie Wang, have you forgotten my current situation? Is it appropriate for me to go and speak well of your nephew?”
Auntie Wang was taken aback. Oh, she had forgotten that Ye Qingzhi was a new widow.
Although the “Four Olds” were being smashed, people were still very superstitious in private. Asking a new widow to act as a matchmaker could bring bad luck and resentment.
“Well, Juzi is still young. There’s no rush to find a match. Qingzhi, I have things to do at home. I’ll be going now,” Auntie Wang said awkwardly.
Because Wei Jiancheng hadn’t been home for six years, Ye Qingzhi had been living like a single mother. Now that he was gone, nothing seemed to have changed, so Auntie Wang often forgot she was a widow.
Back at home, Ye Qingzhi poured the vegetables onto the ground, a large pile of them.
Other families had more people and could finish three large pots of food a day. Her family only had three people, and the original owner had planted so much and so well. She would always dry the surplus and take it to the market to trade for other things.
Ye Qingzhi also planned to dry them, but not to trade. First, she had money now. Second, in September, she would be joining the army with her children. It was much harder to get vegetables in the Northwest than in their Jiangzhe region, so she had to take all these dried vegetables with her.
“Mama, you’re back!” Wei Anjie ran in, his head covered in sweat.
“Where did you two go to play this afternoon? Where’s your brother?” Ye Qingzhi poured him a bowl of warm water. Just then, Wei Anmin came in, and she poured him a bowl as well. “What were you two doing, all sweaty like this?”
“We went to catch fish with Wei Zhiqiang and the others. I put them in the big water vat in the front yard. There’s a really big one,” Wei Anmin said excitedly after taking a few sips of water.
“Catching fish? You didn’t go anywhere deep, did you?” Ye Qingzhi followed Wei Anjie to the yard to look at the fish. The big one looked to be over a catty.
The two brothers shook their heads. They always remembered their mother’s words: don’t go into deep water. Even though Wei Zhiqiang and the others had called them cowards, they had only played in the shallows.
“You two remember this: you are not to go into deep water. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Don’t think that just because you can swim, you’re invincible. The ones who drown are always the ones who can swim. Also, you must warm up before getting in the water. If you get a leg cramp, it can be very dangerous even in shallow water,” Ye Qingzhi reminded them again, still worried.
The two boys obediently nodded. Seeing their mother open the cupboard and take out two pieces of mung bean cake for them, they knew they were from that PLA uncle.
“Mama, how much money can we get from selling the Gastrodia?” Wei Anmin asked, not eating the cake right away.
“I sold it for four yuan and twenty-four cents,” Ye Qingzhi didn’t hide it. For these two sensible children, letting them know a bit about the family’s financial situation would put them at ease.
As expected, upon learning that the Gastrodia could be sold for money and that they now had a source of income, Wei Anmin’s expression visibly relaxed, and even Wei Anjie’s smile became brighter.
“Tomorrow morning, Mama wants to take you to meet Uncle He. He said he’ll take you to catch pheasants and rabbits. Do you want to go?” Ye Qingzhi asked in a consultative tone.
They already knew they were going to meet He Qiming and were mentally prepared. Now, hearing that they could also catch pheasants and rabbits, they were even more excited.
In the evening, Ye Qingzhi was cooking in the kitchen while the two boys were watering the vegetables in the backyard.
“Brother, are we really going to have a new papa?” Wei Anjie asked, feeling a bit lost.
“I think so. Don’t worry, the new papa is a PLA uncle. He’ll definitely be good to us. Actually, it’s good to have a papa at home. Mama won’t have to work so hard. Haven’t you noticed? Mama has been very happy these past few days, not like before,” Wei Anmin said, his head lowered and his voice soft.
Wei Anjie also thought of how their mother used to be. During the day, she was as busy as a spinning top, never stopping for a moment. At night, she would often stare at the moon or their father’s clothes in a daze, and sometimes she would cry secretly under the covers.
“Mm. Then we’ll observe Uncle He carefully tomorrow. If he’s really good to Mama, then I’ll agree to let him be my papa,” Wei Anjie said with a firm nod.
In fact, besides being nervous, the two boys were also filled with anticipation. They had a father, but it was as if they didn’t. Although they said having a mother was enough, in their hearts, they longed for a father’s love.
The next morning, the two boys woke up earlier than Ye Qingzhi. After washing up, they even made breakfast.
Wei Anmin, the little penny-pincher, even boiled four eggs, saying it was one for each of them.
“Oh, has the sun risen from the west? You’re actually willing to boil so many eggs?” Ye Qingzhi teased.
“Mama,” Wei Anmin called out helplessly.
The reason he was so frugal was all for the family. But now that they had a source of income from the Gastrodia, he naturally wouldn’t be so stingy anymore. Of course, he would still save where he could.
“I know, I know. Mama’s just joking with you,” Ye Qingzhi said, ruffling his hair.
After breakfast, she packed the eggs and some pastries.
“Qingzhi, going to pick wild vegetables again? We have more than enough vegetables at home now. Are you still picking?” Auntie Li asked curiously when she saw Ye Qingzhi with her basket.
“I’m not picking wild vegetables today. I’m going to gather some firewood. Where are you two going?” Ye Qingzhi asked, looking at Auntie Li and Auntie Wang.
“Auntie Wang and I are going to look for some Callicarpa leaves. My husband suddenly said he wanted to eat leaf tofu. By the way, you go up the mountain every day. Have you seen any Callicarpa?” Auntie Li asked expectantly.
Callicarpa? Ye Qingzhi searched the original owner’s memories. It was for making Guanyin tofu. She had eaten it in her past life but had never seen the raw material.
Before, she had been focused on finding Gastrodia. The last two times, she had been focused on her date. She hadn’t had the time to pay attention to Callicarpa.
Of course, she couldn’t say that. She pretended to think for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve seen any. If I had, I would have cut it down already. I’ll look again today. If I find any, I’ll let you know.”
Auntie Li and Auntie Wang thought that made sense. If Ye Qingzhi had seen it, she would have cut it down herself. Since she had only been picking wild vegetables, it meant there really wasn’t any on Niutou Ridge.
“Alright then. We’ll go look over there. I remember there were a few plants there. I just don’t know if someone else has cut them down,” Auntie Li said, muttering to Auntie Wang as they left.
Watching them walk away, Ye Qingzhi let out a sigh of relief. She had been afraid they would say they were going to Niutou Ridge. That would have ruined their date today.
When she arrived at the meeting spot, she didn’t see He Qiming, but she saw the mark he had left. He had probably gone after some prey again.
“Mama, isn’t Uncle He here yet?” Wei Anmin looked around, then down at the village below. “Mama, you can see the whole village from here.”
“You’re right! It looks like a big chicken leg,” Wei Anjie said happily.
“Be careful. Don’t stand too close to the edge,” Ye Qingzhi said, afraid they would fall.
Just then, a rustling sound came from the side. The three of them turned and saw He Qiming emerging from the forest, carrying two pheasants.
“Pheasants?” Wei Anjie ran over. Looking at the brightly colored birds, he wanted to touch them but was afraid of being pecked.
“It’s alright. I’m holding its head. You can touch it,” He Qiming said kindly.
Wei Anjie was delighted. But as he was about to touch it, he looked back at Ye Qingzhi and Wei Anmin. Only after they nodded did he happily reach out his hand.
He Qiming looked at Wei Anmin, who hadn’t moved. “Do you want to touch it?”
Wei Anmin hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
He Qiming raised an eyebrow. The older one was clearly more guarded than the younger one.
“Alright. When I was chasing them, a few others got away. I remember which direction they went. I’ll take you over there later, and you can try to catch them yourselves.” Seeing the older boy’s interested expression, a faint smile touched the corners of his lips. “I also know where a rabbit warren is. I’ll take you to catch some rabbits later.”
As expected, the two boys’ eyes lit up. If they weren’t still strangers, they would have jumped up and urged him to go right away.
Ye Qingzhi chuckled. “This is Uncle He. Qiming, these are my two sons. This is the older one, Wei Anmin, and this is Anjie.”
“Hello, Uncle He,” the two brothers said in unison.
“Anmin, Anjie, hello. It’s nice to meet you.” He Qiming extended his hand and shook theirs solemnly.
This feeling of being treated with respect instantly made the two boys’ impression of him much better.
They first went to the pheasant nest. They didn’t catch any pheasants, but they found a nest of seventeen eggs, which made the two boys ecstatic.
Then they went to the rabbit warren. He Qiming and Ye Qingzhi started a fire at one entrance, while the two brothers stood guard at the other.
After a while, the smoke forced the rabbits to run out of Wei Anmin’s side. The two brothers were quick and each caught one. He Qiming caught two, and even Ye Qingzhi caught a small one.
“I caught one! Hahaha, I caught one too!” Ye Qingzhi’s laughter was even more exaggerated than the children’s.
He Qiming put out the fire and covered it with a lot of dirt to prevent a forest fire. He turned and saw the happy faces of the mother and sons, and a wide smile spread across his face.
“I set two traps over there. Come on, let’s go see if we caught anything,” he said with a smile, tying up the rabbits and putting them in his basket.
“Yay! Uncle He, you’re so amazing. Can you catch a big tiger?” Wei Anjie was already very familiar with him now.
“I can with a gun. I can’t do it with my bare hands.” Seeing that the slope ahead was difficult to navigate, He Qiming picked up Wei Anjie, tucked him under his arm, and scrambled up in a few steps. After putting him down, he leaped down and carried Wei Anmin up.
“Uncle He, I can climb up myself,” Wei Anmin said, his face flushed, his voice muffled.
“I know you can, but your mother would worry. It’s better if I carry you.” He Qiming smiled, put him down, and jumped down again to help Ye Qingzhi.
The two brothers watched as He Qiming took their mother’s hand and carefully climbed up. Then he took the lead, clearing away branches that blocked the path, warning them when the path was difficult, or reaching out a hand to help them…
Is this what it feels like to have a father?
A tall and strong presence who can shelter them from the wind and rain?