Chapter 85: Family

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Great Serpent King, No Popup
(Happy National Day to all my friends. This is the final chapter of this volume. From tomorrow we will enter a new stage, and the pace will pick up a bit. Many people have said the updates are too slow. I do feel a little guilty. One reason is that I write slowly, and another is that there will be a strong push soon, so I must save some material. But I have far too few votes, which makes me a little embarrassed.)

The mountain village was in an uproar. A village performance troupe had beaten the town troupe and won first place, while another dance group won second. Secretary Tao was so excited he proposed a celebration, and Director Feng stopped him.

"Secretary Tao, we still have to perform in the county. When we bring back first place from there, then set up the banquet to celebrate."

"All right, all right. When you return from the county, I’ll have everyone beating gongs and drums to welcome you, and we’ll hold a feast for your victory. My little rascals, I’m truly happy for you!"

Who in the troupe was not excited? This time they had really shown off; teachers and lots of classmates had seen them perform, and they now had something to boast about at school. And besides, there was prize money. Naturally, the top award went to Le'er, Luo Yinxiang, and Feng Shuya—the three of them took first place, two thousand each. They declined the second-place prize entirely and gave it to the schoolchildren.

Those who won second place got one hundred yuan each. Le'er and the three children each received six hundred yuan, with three hundred left over. Feng Shuya suggested giving Secretary Tao two hundred yuan, and Tian Sihua one hundred.

"How can we take this? It all came from your hard work."

Secretary Tao’s face lit up. Of course he was happy to have money, too. Tian Sihua was even happier, running up and down with tea and water, enjoying herself.

If they did even better in the county, the county reward would be far greater than the town’s. Secretary Huang from the township had said that if they brought honor to the town, the town would give them an extra big reward.

Among the country folk, the schoolchildren said it felt like they had swallowed lucky charms; they were thrilled beyond measure.

There were still five days left before they went to the county for performance. To achieve better results, these days the troupe would tighten rehearsals. In truth, they already performed very well, but after returning from the last show, Le'er and Feng Shuya decided to take one day off.

That day there were no rehearsals. The village had gone quiet and still; villagers still went out to the fields in little groups, not out of energy but because idleness was making them feel uneasy. Le'er thought about the pond she meant to dig in her garden and decided to talk to her uncle about taking on the job.

When winter is truly slack, and there is some work to be done, any farming family wants it. It means a bit of money in the pocket. Just as she was about to leave, a party arrived at her gate.

"Auntie… Big Sister, you’ve come. Come inside."

It was Big Sister Peach Blossom, with two schoolchildren behind her. Big Sister was smiling; Auntie was smiling too, looking so happy.

"Tiger, call Uncle. Lian, call Uncle."

The two children called out affectionately.

"Tiger, you’ve grown so tall. And Lian, you’re growing up too—so beautiful."

Tiger was Big Sister’s eldest son, Le'er’s older nephew. Seeing Le'er, he was first a little shy and held her hand, then was instantly full of warmth. Lian looked shy at first, but soon she was all chatter.

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"Uncle Le'er, your house is so beautiful."

The two schoolchildren were fourteen and thirteen. Seeing Le'er’s pretty house, they were beside themselves with excitement. They kicked off their shoes and ran around the room. Le'er switched on the television for them.

"Uncle Le'er, you’re doing well. This TV is so big—much bigger than Lili Girl’s. We don’t even have one at home." Lian stared at it, unable to look away. "At home, if I want to go to Lili Girl’s house to watch TV, Mother beats me."

"Ha... in another two years, your home will have one too," Le'er laughed softly.

"It won’t be ours. Grandpa’s been sick, and we spent so much. Mother says the household accounts are in the red," Tiger said maturely. "But once I grow a little more, I’ll be able to earn money and buy one."

Poorer children grow up early.

Peach Blossom brought Le'er a whole bag of oranges. Bright orange, round and plump. Peach Blossom was from Nine Mountain Ridge, where the honey oranges are the finest within a hundred miles.

"Big Sister, you brought this many oranges—must be twenty to thirty jin," Le'er said happily. "That’s worth several dozen yuan. How could I eat so many?"

"They’re all picked from our own trees. The trees were heavy this year; could it really be only twenty or thirty jin?"

The orange harvest at home was not huge, only two or three dozen trees and about a thousand jin total. Even if all sold, it would only be a bit over a thousand yuan, but to her family that thousand was a big windfall.

"Auntie, kill a chicken—take one big hen from the cage and I’ll do it. I’ll buy some more meat, then I’ll invite Uncle over and let’s drink a few glasses."

"Auntie, we can’t kill it, it lays eggs," Peach Blossom objected. "Such a pity."

"Why not? It’s just a chicken. Who cares whether it lays eggs or not?"

Le'er took it upon herself and did it, and Peach Blossom could not stop her. Her eyes turned red; she could only remember silently how kind her younger brother had always been to her. Le'er gladly slaughtered the chicken, then went to Uncle Shengwang, the village butcher, and bought three jin of pork. He knew the two schoolchildren had surely gone a long time without meat, and he let them eat as much as they wanted.

Both Auntie and Big Sister were excellent at household work. Before long a table of dishes was set out. Le'er and Uncle sat at the table, peeling and eating oranges. The oranges from Nine Mountain Ridge were as good as promised: seedless, sweet, and never sour. When the food arrived and the wine was poured, Uncle sat at the table while Auntie and Big Sister hesitated. The two children sat close to Le'er, eyes hungry over the spread.

"Auntie, Big Sister, come sit."

"We won’t sit," Big Sister laughed. "You all start eating."

"If Uncle asks you to sit, then sit. Why are you so worried about rules?" Uncle said, pretending to be stern though he was pleased to see the two children. "Tiger, Lian—eat."

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Uncle put a big chicken leg into each of their bowls, and Tiger and Lian dived in with both hands. Auntie and Big Sister came and sat, too. Watching their appetites, Le'er laughed. She then pulled a wallet from her trouser pocket and took out two hundred-yuan bills.

"Tiger, Lian, Uncle hasn’t seen you in such a long time and hasn’t bought you anything. Take one hundred yuan each and buy something for yourselves." Le'er smiled. "Otherwise later, when everyone’s a little drunk, I’ll forget."

The two children looked at the money, then at their mother and grandfather, and did not dare to take it.

"Le'er, this isn’t right—you may have to get married someday," Big Sister said anxiously. "Tiger, Lian, give it back to Uncle."

"Le'er, I said even if I were to marry, it won’t be with this two hundred," she said, waving her hand. "Besides, I’m so busy now I have no headspace to think about marriage."

"Don’t dodge it. Take it, Tiger and Lian. Learn from Uncle and become successful people one day."

Hearing Grandfather’s words, Tiger and Lian happily put the money away. Then they bent their heads and resumed their feast of chicken and meat; Tiger’s brow was beaded with fine sweat. This was true family warmth. Le'er thought that if one day she married and had two children, and the whole family sat together like this, what happiness there would be.

"Big Sister, how is your husband who works outside now? Is he all right?"

"He’s a hard-headed man, only fit for heavy labor. He can’t pull in much money."

"Without education and skill, if you work out there, this is all you can be," Le'er thought. "Next year, make him stay. Let him work with me. He can earn a few more yuan than he does outside."

"Work with you?" Uncle’s eyes lit up. "Le'er, are you planning something big next year?"

"It’s too early to say yet. It won’t be settled for another month or two." Le'er smiled. "There’s something at my place: I want a pond dug in my vegetable garden. I’m busy these days and can’t dig now. In this slack season you also have little to do. Could you bring a few people to help? As for pay, do you think three thousand is enough?"

"My goodness, your money is a lot. How could one pond need three thousand?" Uncle had already seen roughly where Le'er had dug. He took a sip of wine and thought. "There isn’t much earth to move. Two thousand is enough. Why are you digging a pond at all?"

"I raise snakes. They need food. I’m doing this for keeping fish and frogs to feed them." Le'er smiled. "Among kin, two hundred more or less doesn’t matter."

"Then two thousand five hundred. That’s the most, and even if you have money, you still can’t waste it." Uncle confirmed it. "Peach Blossom, there isn’t much at home for you to do either. Stay here these days and help dig the pond, and earn a little as well."

"All right." Big Sister happily agreed. "And Le'er, your sweet potatoes haven’t been dug yet. If you wait much longer they’ll rot in the ground. I’ll dig them today and also plant some winter greens."

There weren’t many sweet potatoes in the garden; there had never been time to dig them, and no time to grow vegetables, either. That whole afternoon Big Sister, Uncle, Auntie, and the two schoolchildren dug them out together.

The sweet potatoes were pulled up, rubbed clean of mud, and laid out in the garden to dry until the dampness left them, then carried into the cellar. The vegetable beds were planted—rows and rows of cabbage, mustard greens, cilantro, garlic, and scallions.