Font Size:
July was almost over, and the weather was still extremely hot.
Wan Chunmei was breastfeeding two children, sweating all over from the heat.
Little Qiyue, who was chewing on her fingers, had developed a few small heat rashes on her forehead, her fair skin now flushed red.
Wan Chunmei felt sorry for her and, while waving a fan to cool herself, said, “If only it could rain right now.”
At that moment, the fourth son of the Tan family leaned over and said, “Mother, it can’t rain, it can’t rain. Father hasn’t come back from buying salt yet.”
Wan Chunmei thought for a moment and then smiled, saying, “Then let’s have some wind, a bit of a cool breeze.”
Tan Siwen chuckled and replied, “Now that’s more like it.”
Wan Chunmei lightly tapped his head with the fan and scolded, “You little rascal, just because your mom says there should be wind or rain, does that mean it’s useful?”
Tan Siwen, scratching the back of his head, innocently smiled and said, “If it doesn’t work, then why does mom say it?”
Wan Chunmei gave his head another swipe with the fan.
Tan Siwen dodged and ran off.
He ran barefoot towards the yard gate, but just then, a gust of wind blew by, lifting his little jacket and bringing a cool breeze.
He quickly turned around and shouted, “Mother, the wind is picking up, the wind is picking up!”
Soon after, several gusts of wind blew towards Wan Chunmei.
The cool, refreshing breeze immediately eased the heat.
Wan Chunmei couldn’t help but laugh, “Look at that, look at that! I didn’t expect my words to be so spot on.”
“Who else would it be? You’re my mom!” Tan Siwen teased, and perhaps hearing the sound of Tan Siwen ‘s father approaching, he ran towards the village entrance.
“Father! Father! Father!”
Old Tan quickly stepped forward and picked up his well-behaved and thoughtful son, laughing, “What’s this? Are you thinking about the treats I brought for you?”
Tan Siwen glanced behind Old Tan, “No, I just missed you, Father.”
Old Tan gave Tan Siwen’s little nose a playful flick, smiling, “Alright, alright, Father will give it to you now. Here, here.”
He then put Tan Siwen down and reached into his basket, pulling out a packet wrapped in oiled paper.
Inside the oiled paper were a few pieces of dried apricot.
Although the dried apricots weren’t as expensive as pastries, they were refreshing, quenching thirst, and had a nice sweet-and-sour taste.
Tan Siwen immediately brightened up, laughing, “It’s dried apricots, dried apricots!”
Hearing the noise, Tan Wuguan also ran out, “Fourth brother, fourth brother, what dried apricots?”
Tan Siwen pointed to the oiled paper in Old Tan’s hand, smiling, “This, this.”
Tan Wuguan quickly looked up, imagining the dried apricots, and nearly drooled.
Old Tan walked towards the house, saying, “Let’s go, call your eldest brother and the others to come and eat.”
“Yes, Father.” The two little ones, though greedy for food, were very well-behaved and respectful.
There was a clear sense of order between the older and younger, and Old Tan had taught them well.
Tan Siwen and Tan Wuguan held hands and ran to the inner room, calling out, “Eldest brother, second brother, third brother, come eat dried apricots.”
Tan Yiliang looked up from where he was learning characters with Tan Erqian and Tan Sanyuan, still in high spirits. He smiled, “Alright, you two go ahead and eat first, we’ll be there soon.”
“Yes, eldest brother.”
The two children ran barefoot back outside.
Tan Sanyuan slowly closed the book and said, “That’s enough for today.”
Tan Yiliang still felt there was more to learn, but he said, “That’s enough for today.”
Tan Erqian glanced over and smiled, “Eldest brother, didn’t you say you wanted to be a general? Why suddenly get so interested in reading?”
Tan Yiliang replied seriously, “Are you stupid? In this world, what general doesn’t know how to read? How can you study military strategy without being able to read?”
He had only recently realized this, and if he’d known earlier, he would have focused on his studies more.
“That’s true,” Tan Erqian nodded with a smile.
Wan Chunmei, standing nearby, laughed, “Yiliang, if you think like this, you’ll definitely become a great general in the future!”
As she spoke, Wan Chunmei playfully poked little Qiyue in her arms and said, “Little Qiyue, do you agree? Your big brother will definitely become a grand general, riding a prized horse to come pick us up and take us home.”
Little Qiyue blinked her big eyes, looking very approving.
Of course, her big brother wouldn’t be anything less.
Just then, Old Tan entered the room, saying, “Wife, you’re talking nonsense again. Stop filling our son’s head with empty dreams.”
“Father!” Tan Siwen, holding the dried apricots, followed behind. “Mother wasn’t talking nonsense. Mother’s words are always spot on. Today she said there’d be wind, and look, there’s wind!”
Old Tan dismissed him as innocent child’s chatter. “Alright, alright, stop thinking about nonsense. Finish your dried apricots and help your mom make pickled vegetables!”
“Yes, Father!”
The children, big and small, each holding a piece of dried apricot, squinted their eyes and smiled brightly.
Sometimes, happiness is really quite simple. It doesn’t require wealth or grandeur—just a small piece of dried apricot, and the children are happy enough to smile like blooming flowers.
Old Tan never hesitated to give what he could. If he was able to provide, he would always do so.
That’s why, even though they had lived in poverty before, their children grew up bright and optimistic, without feeling inferior or rebellious.
Wan Chunmei stood up and gently placed little Qiyue on the bed, patting her little back. She smiled and said, “Little Qiyue, you play by yourself for a while. Mother has to go make pickled vegetables, and I promise I’ll make the best pickled vegetables in the whole world for you.”
Old Tan leaned in and smiled, saying, “Wife, in my heart, your pickled vegetables have always been the best.”
Little Qiyue waved her little arms excitedly, as if to show her agreement a hundred times over.
Wan Chunmei lowered her head, feeling a bit shy. “Stop teasing me.”
Old Tan chuckled and stood up to wash the vegetables, but not before mentioning what the shopkeeper Bai had said about wanting to take Tan Erqian as an apprentice.
Wan Chunmei felt both happy and worried. The happiness was because, for Tan Erqian, this was indeed a good opportunity. If he did well, he might even make something of himself in the future.
The worry, though, came from the fact that the child was still so young. She truly couldn’t bear the thought of him going to the county alone.