Chapter 15

New Year was approaching, and Hu Xiu was filled with anticipation.

Besides preparing meals, she went to the village entrance several times a day, eager to see her son return after three years. She had almost lost him once, so her excitement was understandable.

Lin Ting didn’t scold her. She just reminded her to dress warmly.

Finally, New Year’s Eve arrived, the day Huo Xiao was supposed to return.

After sending her mother-in-law out for the fifth time, Lin Ting sat on the kang and cut New Year pictures while the twins played with fabric scraps.

But three-year-olds are naturally curious.

Guoguo soon lost interest in the red paper, crawled beside Lin Ting, and sat next to her. “Mom, what are you cutting?”

Though the twins were mostly raised by their grandmother, they were still close to Lin Ting.

Grateful for her mother-in-law’s help, Lin Ting adapted to her new role as a mother.

Instead of answering immediately, she got off the kang, filled a basin with warm water, and washed the children’s hands. The red paper had faded, and young kids might accidentally eat it.

After washing their chubby hands, she carried them back onto the kang.

Lin Ting held up her nearly finished paper cut. “Look, it’s a little monkey.”

Guoguo’s eyes lit up. “Is it the Great Sage ^[1]phrase used to describe Sun Wukong, the Monkey King in Chinese mythology..?”

Lin Ting was surprised. “You know the Great Sage?”

Guoguo tilted his head, thinking. Before he could answer, Miaomiao said, “Grandma took us to see a shadow play ^[2]a traditional Chinese performance using puppets and light.!”

Lin Ting nodded. She had almost forgotten about shadow puppetry. If she remembered correctly, the animated film Havoc in Heaven ^[3]a 1961 Chinese animated movie about Sun Wukong. should have been released. Maybe she could take the kids to see it.

She smiled. “The Great Sage is indeed a monkey.”

Guoguo beamed but suddenly asked, “Why did Mom cut a the Great Sage^[4]refers to monkey’s cut. picture?”

Miaomiao rolled her eyes. “Silly! Grandma said next year is the Year of the Monkey! We put these up to celebrate.”

Lin Ting laughed and continued cutting. “Your sister is right. Next year is the Year of the Monkey.”

Guoguo’s black eyes sparkled. “Then… can I be the Great Sage?”

Lin Ting hesitated. “You were born in the Year of the Snake.”

Guoguo frowned. “But if it’s the new year, shouldn’t I be a monkey now?”

Miaomiao blinked in confusion. “So next year, am I a monkey too?”

Lin Ting, encountering this kind of logic for the first time, was unsure whether to laugh or cry. She had to break it down piece by piece to explain the zodiac to the little ones.

Little Guoguo, realizing he could only be born in the Year of the Snake in this lifetime, was visibly disappointed.

Lin Ting tapped his forehead, about to tell a story about a dragon transforming when a knock came at the door.

She quickly pushed the twins onto the kang and put away the scissors before slipping on her shoes to answer.

Before unbolting the wooden door, she habitually asked, “Who is it?”

“Sister-in-law, it’s me, Zhu Zi.”

It was the eldest son of the second aunt’s family. As soon as Lin Ting opened the door, before she could invite him in, he thrust two frozen fish strung with straw ropes into her hands.

Zhu Zi, though tall, was still growing—thin as a bamboo pole and dark-skinned.

After delivering the fish, his face flushed red. “My father and Third Uncle caught them chiseling ice this morning. My mother asked me to bring them over.” Then, too shy to linger, he bolted like his pants were on fire.

Lin Ting shook her head in amusement and stored the fish in a small ice cellar dug for food storage.

Just as she stepped out, she spotted a strange man a few steps away. When she hesitated, wondering if he was headed toward her, he walked straight over.

He wore a thick coat, unwashed for who knows how long, with an unshaven beard. He appeared to be in his thirties.

The man stared at Lin Ting blankly, his eyes scanning her repeatedly until she grew annoyed. Then, he stammered, “I’m looking for Aunt Xiu. My wife is about to have a girl.”

Hearing the reluctance in his tone, Lin Ting’s irritation deepened. What was wrong with having a daughter?

However, she didn’t argue with strangers and simply said, “Mother is at the village entrance. Go find her there.”

She expected him to leave immediately, but instead, he frowned in disappointment. “I’m in a hurry. Why isn’t she home?”

Lin Ting frowned, not realizing he wanted her to call for help. To her, he simply couldn’t grasp urgency, so her tone sharpened. “If you’re in such a hurry, why are you still standing here? Run and call for her!”

Perhaps a serious expression was intimidating.

At least, the man’s laziness—his expectation that the young, pretty woman before him would run errands—vanished. He shrank back, turned, and ran toward the village entrance.

It was only then that Lin Ting realized what he had meant.

She scoffed in frustration. So he wasn’t in a hurry just because it was a girl? Infuriating!

Despite her irritation, she packed up her mother-in-law’s midwifery tools. Before the man returned to double-check, she slipped some candy and biscuits into her mother-in-law’s pouch. Delivering a baby was physically demanding, and her mother-in-law was still weak.

After watching them leave, Lin Ting returned to the kang to tell stories and cut New Year pictures with the children. But this time, her mind wandered.

She worried about the delivery. Would it go smoothly? And if it was a girl, would the family be unreasonable or blame the midwife? She prayed they had a son—anything to avoid such misfortune.

The worry stayed with her through dinner, through washing the little ones and putting them to bed. Her mother-in-law had warned she might not return that night, but experiencing this for the first time, Lin Ting couldn’t help but be anxious.

She lit a kerosene lamp, picked up an old study book, and waited.

By midnight, her exhaustion took over. Just as she was about to nap, a knock at the door startled her awake.

Rubbing her eyes, she put on her shoes and climbed down from the kang.

As she neared the door, she realized—if it were her mother-in-law, she would have called out.

The thought banished the last traces of drowsiness.

Glancing around for a weapon, she grabbed a stool and asked, “Who is it?”

Outside, a young man named Huo Xiao hesitated before answering, “It’s me, Huo Xiao.”

Lin Ting’s heart skipped a beat.

She knew Huo Xiao was returning today but hadn’t expected him overnight.

After a brief hesitation, she asked, “How do you prove you’re Huo Xiao?”

Silence. Then, “Is my mother not home?”

Lin Ting… was quite smart.

But she answered firmly, “She’s home. Asleep.”

Huo Xiao chuckled.

He wasn’t a particularly cheerful person, yet this was the second time his unseen wife had amused him.

Smiling, he offered, “Take the kerosene lamp. I’ll stand by the window for you to check.”

Lin Ting… “Alright.”

Kerosene lamps didn’t give off much light, so she twisted the knob a few times to raise the wick. The flame flared, consuming extra oil, but it was enough to see his face through the window.

Huo Xiao was strikingly handsome. His old two-inch black-and-white photo hadn’t done him justice.

But it was enough to confirm his identity.

Taking a few deep breaths, she calmed herself and turned to open the door.

Due to the angle, Huo Xiao could only make out her outline. But he clearly saw the stool she held in one hand.

He thought his wife was very cautious.

Lin Ting, who had been single since birth, relied on her thick skin developed from social life to avoid blushing the moment she met her husband.

It wasn’t her fault for feeling embarrassed. In the dark, their sudden intimacy as husband and wife was overwhelming.

And… her husband was more handsome than expected.

Huo Xiao, equally unsettled, put down his bag, hid his surprise, and asked, “Did Mom go to help with the delivery?”

Lin Ting nodded, quickly setting aside her thoughts. She explained the situation at her mother’s house and voiced her concerns. “Mom should be okay, right?”

It wasn’t unreasonable to worry. Medical disputes over the birth of daughters were common in later generations, let alone in this more traditional era.

Huo Xiao, hearing this, paused in removing his military coat. “I’ll go there.”

Lin Ting had the same idea. “Do you know which family? I only know it’s in the Victory Brigade”

Huo Xiao nodded. “I’ll ask around once I get there.”

As he prepared to leave, Lin Ting quickly said, “I’ve warmed up fish soup. Have a bowl before you go. A few minutes won’t hurt.”

The hungry Huo Xiao hesitated but softened at her words. “Okay.”

His eyes weren’t the fashionable double eyelids, but rather long, narrow, and deep-set, making his gaze intense. Lin Ting, feeling awkward under his stare, turned away to fetch the soup.

Huo Xiao, extremely hungry, drank a large bowl of delicious fish and tofu soup, feeling warmth return to his stomach.

Seeing he wasn’t full, Lin Ting asked, “Would you like another bowl?”

Huo Xiao shook his head. “No, I’ll wash the dishes when I get back.”

Lin Ting didn’t insist on washing to appear virtuous. Instead, she walked with him to the door.

Before he left, she stuffed a packet of biscuits into his hand. “Eat on the way if you’re hungry.”

Huo Xiao hesitated but pocketed them. “Thank you.”

Lin Ting coughed. “No need to thank me, just go.”

Huo Xiao nodded. “I’m leaving. No need to wait at the door.”

Lin Ting paused. “Then how did you get in earlier?” She was a deep sleeper and hadn’t woken up.

Without answering, Huo Xiao signaled her to bolt the door.

A moment later, outside the door, a wooden bolt was swiftly unlatched with a dagger.

Lin Ting’s eyes widened. Was it really this unsafe? How could she sleep peacefully?

Seeing her alarm, Huo Xiao reassured her, “Don’t worry. Only trained professionals can do this.”

Lin Ting… wasn’t reassured at all.

***

If you’d like to show your appreciation, consider buying me a coffee—it really helps me keep going! 𖹭