Chapter 24: Chapter 23: Dug Up a Ginseng

In the half-month that followed, Gu Yuwei visited the He family home several more times. She always brought a small gift, chatted with Mrs. He for a bit, and then left. Each time, Mrs. He’s laughter could be heard from inside the house all the way out in the courtyard.

Xue Yue ran into her in the courtyard twice, and Gu Yuwei always greeted her enthusiastically.

For some reason, Xue Yue never really warmed up to these educated youths. ’They’re just too calculating,’ she thought.

In mid-November, the weather had been gloomy for days, and it felt like it was about to snow.

Xue Yue finished knitting the scarf. He Lang loved it and even wore it on his trips to town.

As it happened, that very afternoon, Xue Yue’s older brother, Xue Xingzhou, came to visit.

When Xue Xingzhou arrived, he was carrying two fish and a wild pheasant in his hands.

“Brother, what are you doing here?”

Xue Xingzhou smiled. “I came to see you. It looks like it’s going to snow soon, and the roads will be too slippery to travel.”

Xue Yue invited him inside. Noticing the pheasant in his hands, she asked, “Did you go up the mountain again?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t go deep into the mountains.” Xue Xingzhou knew his sister worried about his safety, so he didn’t dare tell her the truth.

Xue Xingzhou handed the fish to Xue Yue. “I caught these in the river. You keep one, and give the other to your mother-in-law.”

’Even though my sister and brother-in-law have their own household now,’ Xue Xingzhou thought, ’the whole family still lives in one courtyard. They’re always eating under everyone’s watchful eyes, so it’s best to avoid any awkwardness.’

“Okay.”

Xue Yue took the fish and found a basin to put them in.

Xue Yue poured her brother a bowl of malted milk.

“Here, Brother, drink this. It’s the malted milk He Lang bought for me.”

Xue Xingzhou glanced at it. He’d never drunk this stuff in two lifetimes. He picked up the bowl and took a sip. ’Too sweet,’ he thought. ’I don’t really like it.’

“By the way, where’s He Lang?”

“He went to town. Brother, have you gathered enough firewood? It looks like it’s going to snow any minute now.”

Xue Xingzhou nodded. “Enough.”

“That’s good. If you start to feel cold, be sure to light the kang early.”

Without a stove, his house got very cold as soon as the temperature dropped. Winters here could reach around minus 20 degrees Celsius, with snow deep enough to cover your knees.

Xue Xingzhou pulled a cloth-wrapped object from his pocket and opened it.

“Ginseng?” Xue Yue cried out in astonishment.

“Shh!” Xue Xingzhou quickly motioned for her to be quiet.

Xue Yue’s eyes lit up. “Brother, where did you get this?”

Xue Xingzhou smiled. “I just happened to find it on the mountain. It looked like ginseng, so I dug it up.”

’I really must have some good luck on my side,’ Xue Xingzhou thought to himself.

“So, what are you going to do with it?”

“I want to ask He Lang to sell it on the black market.” Xue Xingzhou had no idea how much it was worth, and he didn’t have the right connections. It was better to let He Lang handle it, since he knew more people.

“Okay. I’ll talk to him when he gets back tonight.”

When Mr. and Mrs. He found out Xue Yue’s brother was visiting, they insisted he stay for dinner.

Xue Xingzhou, seeing he couldn’t get out of it, could only agree.

“Alright. I brought two fish today and was planning to have my sister bring one over to you. Since I’m here, let’s just cook it tonight. I’ll have a couple of drinks with Uncle.”

“That’s wonderful!” Mr. He said. “Your Aunt and I get to benefit from your good fortune again.”

Since Xue Xingzhou had to head back that evening, they decided to have an early dinner.

Xue Yue made dinner. She prepared fish with pickled greens, using the pickled vegetables Mrs. He made every year, which were now perfect for the dish.

There was also a cold wood ear mushroom salad and hot-and-sour shredded potatoes.

Since He Lang was out, they called He Nan over. The three men sat on the kang, drinking and chatting.

After dinner, while there was still some light in the sky, Xue Xingzhou left.

After cleaning up, Xue Yue returned to her room and lit the kerosene lamp.

He Lang still hadn’t returned.

With nothing else to do, Xue Yue washed up, got onto the kang, and went to sleep.

Mr. He was in high spirits and had a bit too much to drink.

Mrs. He helped him lie down. “Look at your age,” she chided gently. “You shouldn’t be drinking so much.”

Mr. He sighed. “I was just happy today, so I had a bit more. I really like that Kid Xue. The way he talks shows he’s got a good head on his shoulders. I’m telling you, that kid has a bright future ahead of him.”

Mrs. He chuckled. “Oh, so now you’re a master of judging character? I think you’ve just been won over by all the delicious food Kid Xue brings. Last time it was wild boar, and this time it was fish.”

Mr. He laughed as well. “You can’t deny it, that meat was delicious.”

In the eldest son’s part of the house, He Nan had also had a lot to drink. He wasn’t drunk, but his face was flushed.

He Nan went straight to the kang when he entered the room, ready for bed.

Guo Jinfeng sidled up to him. “What did you all have for dinner tonight?”

“A few dishes our third sister-in-law cooked, plus the fish her brother brought.”

Guo Jinfeng pouted. “So that’s why Mom and Dad were so welcoming. That sister-in-law of ours sure knows how to get on their good side. Look how happy she made them—I could hear their laughter from our room.”

He Nan glanced sidelong at Guo Jinfeng. “You have brothers too, two of them. How come they never come over to ’win over’ my parents? I bet you don’t even get to eat anything they bring, do you?” With that, he turned his back to her and went to sleep.

Guo Jinfeng stared at the back of He Nan’s head, her face flushing. She mumbled under her breath, “But my brothers have their own families to worry about.”

「The next morning」

When Xue Yue woke up, she saw He Lang was still fast asleep, just like always. She had no idea what time he had come home last night.

As Xue Yue got up to go make breakfast, she suddenly noticed an iron stove sitting on the floor.

Her mouth fell slightly agape as she glanced at He Lang in astonishment.

After He Lang woke up, Xue Yue told him about Xue Xingzhou’s visit and showed him the ginseng.

He Lang examined it with curiosity for a moment, then said lazily, “Our brother is really something else, huh? To even find a ginseng root.”

“Not as capable as you,” Xue Yue said, giving him a meaningful look. “You’re the one who managed to get an iron stove.”

Then she saw He Lang lean in, bringing his face closer to hers. Xue Yue blinked, her fingers curling slightly. Her heart pounded as she watched his handsome face draw nearer… and then she saw him raise his hand.

FLICK!

Xue Yue felt a faint sting on her forehead and realized He Lang had just flicked her.

“You…” Xue Yue rubbed her forehead, her wide eyes trembling as she stared right at He Lang, her gaze full of accusation.

Seeing his young wife’s expression, He Lang, for some reason, felt an overwhelming urge to tease her relentlessly.

“Does this count as domestic violence?” Xue Yue asked softly.

He Lang’s heart skipped a beat, and he had to suppress a laugh. “You even know about domestic violence?”

Xue Yue huffed, tilting her head. “Well, you were just violent toward me. As punishment, you have to go help my brother sell that ginseng right away. If you don’t, I’ll tell him you abused me and have him beat you up. My brother can take down a wild boar, you know.”

“Pfft!” He Lang burst out laughing, his laughter growing louder and louder.

Xue Yue had no idea what had gotten into him. ’He’s laughing so hard,’ she thought. ’I hope he doesn’t hurt himself.’

Shaking her head helplessly, Xue Yue walked out. Seeing her reaction, He Lang bent over, overcome with laughter.

That morning, a cart of honeycomb coal briquettes that He Lang had ordered was delivered. Mr. and Mrs. He had an old iron stove in their room, too; it was ancient but still worked.

Some villagers had tried building their own earthen stoves, but for whatever reason—be it the wrong kind of clay or something else—the bodies of the stoves would crack easily. A few years prior, an entire family had died in their sleep from a smoke leak, so no one dared build them anymore. Still, a few families who couldn’t bear the cold would build them anyway, simply patching the cracks with fresh mud whenever they appeared.

It was hard to say what the eldest branch of the family was thinking, but Gao Cuiyun, for one, was getting antsy.

Seeing the third son’s family eating meat and now buying a stove, Gao Cuiyun couldn’t help but wonder where they got the money. ’Mr. and Mrs. He must have secretly given them money they set aside when the households were divided,’ she concluded.

The more she thought about it, the more certain she became.

After lunch, He Lang left again, taking the ginseng root with him.

He Lang had barely left when Gao Cuiyun showed up.

“Second Sister-in-law, is something wrong?”

Gao Cuiyun put one hand on her hip and pointed a finger at Xue Yue. “You, wife of the third brother! Let me ask you, did Mom and Dad secretly give you two money?”

“Huh?” Xue Yue was baffled by her question.

“Don’t play dumb. If Mom and Dad didn’t give you any, where did you get the money for meat and a stove? You didn’t get a single cent when the family assets were divided.”

Xue Yue finally understood. ’We’ve been too conspicuous lately,’ she realized. ’It’s made people suspicious.’

’Judging by Gao Cuiyun’s attitude, it’s probably not just her. The eldest brother’s family must be wondering, too.’

“Second Sister-in-law, it’s true we didn’t get any money. But don’t forget, I received a 500-yuan betrothal gift. My brother used a portion of it, but there was still some left.”

A doubtful expression crossed Gao Cuiyun’s face. “Are you telling the truth?”

Xue Yue nodded. “The meat we’ve been eating was all from my parents’ home. We didn’t spend money on it. The stove is the only thing we’ve bought.”

Half-convinced, Gao Cuiyun returned to her rooms.

Watching her go, Xue Yue let out a quiet sigh of relief.

’We’ll have to be more careful from now on,’ she thought. ’I can’t let He Lang be so conspicuous. If someone were to report us, we’d have a hard time explaining where we got the money.’

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