Chapter 56: Stirring
"So, who are you planning to ask?"
Zhao Wendong stopped eating and thought for a moment, then looked at Chen Yanmei.
"How is my third aunt doing?"
"She’s almost fully recovered. She can even get out of bed now! Why? Oh, you want to take Er Gouzi with you?"
It took a moment for Chen Yanmei to realize what he was getting at.
"Yep! Big Brother, go tell Er Gouzi in a little while. Have him come to our house tomorrow morning so we can all go to sea together."
"Alright!"
Zhao Wenjun nodded. Like Zhao Wenwu, he now followed Zhao Wendong’s lead without question.
Zhao Dashan looked at Zhao Wendong with satisfaction. ’My youngest son has really grown up,’ he thought. ’And he’s a good judge of character, able to tell the good from the bad.’
Er Gouzi was a good kid, just a bit proud. If they brought him along and had a good catch, it would be a perfectly good reason to help him out.
"My boy, all of you have to be so careful out there!"
Chen Yanmei was still worried. There was an old rule that brothers shouldn’t all go out on the same boat. But Zhao Wendong knew the chance to find a school of fish in winter was rare. This might be their only opportunity, so he couldn’t afford to worry about superstitions.
"Don’t worry, Mom. We have a whole barrel of diesel. We’ll be running the engine the entire time. Nothing will happen."
"Alright then!"
With Zhao Dashan laid up on the kang with a broken leg, Zhao Wendong had become the true head and pillar of the Zhao Family. Afraid of jinxing them by saying more, Chen Yanmei stopped talking about the trip. Instead, she and Song Xiaoyu began to take stock of all the goods Zhao Wendong had brought home.
Coarse salt, refined salt, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, matches, white sugar, needles and thread, soap bars—all sorts of food and household supplies. The sight of it all made the two women forget their worries about the next day. They were absolutely beaming, their smiles so wide they couldn’t contain them.
"We’re going to sea tomorrow. If we’re not back by nighttime, it just means we caught fish and went straight to the Commune to sell them. Don’t worry. We’ll definitely be back the day after."
Zhao Wendong wanted to make sure his family wouldn’t worry. At the same time, he began to calculate in his head. ’If this trip is a success, I can upgrade more of our things at home. For years, everyone has only had one set of clothes. When they wash them, they’re stuck at home with nowhere to go. And everything is so worn out. The quilts are covered in patches, stiff as boards, and don’t keep anyone warm.’
Zhao Wendong also fed the three dogs some leftover rice and pickled vegetables. This made Chen Yanmei so angry she smacked him a few times, scolding him for being wasteful after only a few days of eating his fill. This time, however, Zhao Dashan unexpectedly came to Zhao Wendong’s defense.
"What does a woman with long hair and short sense like you know? You didn’t mind feeding that fox, so why the hell are you getting worked up over feeding them? These three aren’t your ordinary mutts; they’re proper hounds! Especially that yellow one. Look at the cleverness in its big eyes—it’s definitely the leader. Letting them get their strength back now is a good investment. Just wait. Once they get up on the mountain, they’ll earn back what you fed them and more!"
Zhao Wendong shot Zhao Dashan a thumbs-up. "Good eye! You really are the best Hunter in Dragon King Pond!"
’The best, that is, besides me,’ he added silently. ’In my past life, I had far more experience than him, and I knew all sorts of modern techniques.’
As if they understood, the three dogs wagged their tails furiously.
Zhao Wenjun returned shortly after.
"Er Gou said he’ll come over first thing in the morning to meet up."
"Alright. Everyone get to bed early, then. We leave at the crack of dawn."
Zhao Wenjun nodded and waved to Shitou.
"Time to go. Let’s go home and get some sleep."
Shitou reluctantly let go of the dog he was petting and obediently said his goodbyes.
"Grandpa, Grandma, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, Little Aunt, I’m leaving now!"
Little Tuanzi immediately responded like a little grown-up.
"Okay, Shitou! You go home and be a good boy and go sleepy-sleep, okay? Don’t wet the bed again!"
"I haven’t wet the bed in a long time!"
"Hahahaha!"
Little Tuanzi’s comment made everyone roar with laughter, while Shitou’s little face flushed bright red.
"Goo goo, ga ga!"
Yadan waved at everyone as if saying hello, making the atmosphere in the house even more cheerful.
Chen Yanmei’s eyes moved from one person to the next, finally landing on Zhao Wenwu with a worried expression. ’Wendong is so resourceful now,’ she thought. ’Even if he doesn’t find that daughter of a capitalist, he won’t have any trouble finding a wife. But what am I going to do about my second son? With his condition, no family will be willing to marry their daughter to him. If there’s no other way, I’ll just have to save up more money for him and pay a high bride price for one.’
Zhao Wenwu, oblivious to his mother’s gaze, was giggling foolishly along with everyone else. To him, every day felt as blissful as life in heaven. He had a full belly, his family was happy, and he was completely content.
Back in their own little home, the two little ones quickly fell asleep. Even though they spent their days in his parents’ courtyard next door, they always made time to come back and heat their own kang for the night.
"Wife."
Zhao Wenjun lay on the kang, the bracelet in his hand. He wasn’t quite sure how to bring it up with Song Xiaoyu.
"What is it?"
Song Xiaoyu turned her head. In the faint moonlight, Zhao Wenjun saw a flicker in her eyes.
"You’ve gotten more beautiful, wife."
"So I wasn’t beautiful before?"
"No, that’s not it! I mean, you’re even more beautiful than before!"
Zhao Wenjun explained, clumsy and flustered.
"Pfft!"
Song Xiaoyu couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
"It’s not that I’m more beautiful, it’s that we’re eating better. Haven’t you noticed everyone in the family has better color in their cheeks these days?"
Zhao Wenjun thought for a moment, and it dawned on him.
"Yes, that’s it! Your color is better! That’s why you’re more beautiful!"
In the darkness, Song Xiaoyu smiled softly and spoke with deep feeling.
"It’s all because our third brother has made something of himself. Before, he was always out messing around, being a street punk, getting into fights, and never doing a lick of honest work. I’ll admit, I really looked down on him. But I never would have expected it. This year, with the famine and Dad laid up with his injury, it’s like he became a completely different person. He single-handedly propped our entire family up!"
"Before, your mom and I were still thinking we had to scrimp and save every bite. But now, we eat our fill every single day, with so much variety we can barely get through it all. When you eat well, you have more energy, and of course, your color comes back!"
"Wife, this is for you!"
Zhao Wenjun held out his hand to Song Xiaoyu. She took the object from him in the dark. After feeling it for a moment, she shot up into a sitting position on the kang.
"This... isn’t this my bracelet?"
"How did you get it back? Did... did you go to Aunt Wang to trade for it?"
"Haha! My precious bracelet! It’s back!"
She couldn’t resist kissing it twice before eagerly slipping it back onto her wrist.
Zhao Wenjun scratched his head, finding it hard to say what he had to say next.
"It wasn’t me. Wendong gave it to me today. He must be the one who got it back."
"What? Wendong did?"
"Yeah. I was planning on talking to Aunt Wang to get it back, too. I was thinking of saving up some things to trade with her, but I never expected Wendong to just go and do it! I don’t even know how he found out about it."
Song Xiaoyu was silent for a moment before speaking softly.
"Third Brother really is different now. He puts so much thought into taking care of the family!"
They talked for a while longer. Song Xiaoyu was too excited to sleep.
Zhao Wenjun felt the same. After two meals of pickled cabbage stewed with glass noodles, he felt like he had boundless energy.
He felt a stir of desire and reached for Song Xiaoyu. In the darkness, her voice became as soft as water.
"It’s so late... not sleeping yet?"
"Can’t sleep..."
"Mmm, I can’t either..."
As a long-married couple, they understood each other’s desires in an instant.
Their hands found each other, and their heads drew slowly together.