Chapter 36: Here’s a Look That Says, “You Haven’t Seen Much of the World”

After finishing their business and selling the herbs, the mother and son set out early to find a bullock cart heading back to Gu’an Town, eager to return to their village.

They opted not to take an earlier cart because they had stayed too long in the county.

Wang Chunlan was preoccupied with the tasks back at the fields, not wanting to linger in the county any longer than necessary.

Song Liangzuo wasn’t in the mood to throw a tantrum about wanting to play longer in the county; instead, he obediently followed his mother back home.

Upon reaching the outskirts of the village, they didn’t head straight home. Instead, they took a detour to the fields to find the old woman. The weeding hadn’t been done in a timely manner over the past few days, and some of the weeds had grown taller than the seedlings.

From a distance, Song Liangzuo spotted his grandmother and elder sister working in the field. He jumped up and shouted, “Grandma, Grandma, we’re back!”

Song Zhaodi, being the youngest with sharp ears and good eyesight, turned to check the noise early on. Excitedly, she called out to the old woman, “Grandma, look! It’s Mom and Little Brother!”

The old woman straightened up and looked in the direction her granddaughter pointed, where indeed, her precious grandson was jumping around, greeting her.

Before long, Wang Chunlan approached along the furrow and cheerfully took the hoe from the old woman’s hand. “Mother, I’ll do the weeding. You take Liangzuo back home. Today’s harvest includes one tael and three hundred wens from our herbs, and we sold the pangolin that the hunter’s grandson brought for three taels and two hundred wen. The apothecary weighed the silver, and here’s four taels and five wens for you.”

Wang Chunlan leaned the hoe against herself and took out the money to hand to the old woman.

The old woman, beaming, asked, “Why are you back so early today?”

“I took the bullock cart from Zhao Village back,” said Wang Chunlan with a smile.

Zhao Village was a bit farther from Daliushu Village, so even if they chose the nearest drop-off point, it was still farther than from Nanyang Village.

They had eaten the beef from Nanyang Village that morning.

The old woman looked at the weedy field and, walking over to Song Zhaodi, took the hoe from her hand. “You take Liangzuo to play. I and your mother will finish weeding this field and then come back.”

“Grandma, let me do it! I have plenty of strength,” Song Zhaodi dutifully suggested.

“What good is your strength if you work at a turtle’s pace? By the time you reach the end, your mother has already made a round. Give it to me!” The old woman remarked, indicating her annoyance at her granddaughter’s slow working speed.

But Song Liangzuo happened to overhear this as he was trotting over, and he saw his elder sister flinch in response to Grandma’s tone, looking somewhat timid and wronged.

He stepped in, snatching the hoe from her hand and handing it to their grandmother, declaring assertively, “Sister, Grandma is just worried you’re working too hard and wants you to take a break. Isn’t that right, Grandma?”

The old woman wanted to refute this, but at that moment, seeing the expectation in her grandson’s eyes, and then the trepidation in Song Zhaodi’s, she recalled her dear grandson’s past words.

He had often praised her, saying, “Grandma is the best! Sister is great, and Mother is great; everyone is great.” Each time she heard him say these words, it filled her heart with warmth, making her feel that no hardship they faced was too great.

Right now, her grandson simply wanted her to acknowledge that his sister was also doing well, but didn’t girls have their chores to fulfill in any case? Wasn’t that how girls grew up in their family?

“Grandma, if you could share just a bit of the kindness you show me with Elder Sister and Second Sister, they would be so happy. They really hope to receive your praise!” Song Liangzuo’s words echoed in her mind.

After a moment’s hesitation, the old woman stiffly nodded her head and said to Song Zhaodi, “All right, you’ve worked hard today. Go ahead and rest.”

“Wow, Grandma is the best!” Song Liangzuo cheered enthusiastically.

For the first time, Song Zhaodi heard her grandmother’s praise, and she tried to suppress the oncoming tears, her lips quivering.

Noticing her elder sister was about to cry, Song Liangzuo quickly pulled her along and ran toward the head of the field, waving his other arm back at their grandmother and mother, shouting, “I’m taking Sister to play!”

Watching the children scamper off, Wang Chunlan stole a glance at her mother-in-law, who was radiating a glint of pride, and she couldn’t help but smile, her heart warming.

As Song Liangzuo dragged his sister to the edge of the field, he teased her, seeing her eyes glistening with tears. “Sister, if you keep crying, they’ll say you’ll never find a husband!”

Song Zhaodi blinked the tears away, stubbornly insisting, “I’m not crying! I just… I just…”

“You just had your eyes tricked by the wind and sand,” Song Liangzuo countered playfully, getting close to her face.

“Yeah, exactly!” Though she felt the excuse was flimsy, it was better than crying in front of her younger brother.

Song Liangzuo chuckled in delight.

His sister was still someone who cared about her pride.

The sun had yet to set, and the work in the fields was done. The four of them began their journey home. Upon returning, they found Song Pandi eagerly waiting for them at the house.

“Grandma, Mom, Little Brother! You’re back! Just now, someone came to deliver herbs, but I didn’t take them. I told her to come back later.”

“Mm-hmm!” The old woman nodded in acknowledgment.

“Good girl, Pandi!” Wang Chunlan praised.

“Little Sister!” Song Zhaodi chimed in happily.

“Elder Sister did well! Mom, if anyone else comes to deliver herbs, be sure to accept them! I’m going to take Grandma to see Hunter Grandpa!” Song Liangzuo exclaimed, darting into the yard with the broken bamboo basket that Lin Shanye had given him for the pangolin.

Earlier, he had mentioned wanting to pick some vegetables for Hunter Grandpa.

The old woman didn’t stop him, letting him go on his own.

Song Liangzuo picked four or five eggplants and a bunch of cowpeas and returned to the front yard, where he joined his grandmother in exiting the house.

Upon reaching Hunter Grandpa’s home, they found Lin Shanye busy cooking in the kitchen. He quickly got up to greet them, calling out, “Three Grandma!”

“Where’s your grandpa? How is he?” the old woman asked.

“He’s inside lying down,” Lin Shanye answered.

“Here are some vegetables, don’t mind if it’s a little bit. Also, this is the money from selling the pangolin today. Make sure to take it all,” she said, pulling a handkerchief from her sleeve to reveal three small silver coins.

Lin Shanye’s eyes widened at the sight of the coins. “So much?”

“Hmph!” Song Liangzuo crossed his arms, giving Lin Shanye a look that conveyed, “I see you haven’t seen much of the world.”

“That’s just the loose silver, but there’s more,” the old woman continued, bending down to pull out two bunches of copper coins from the bamboo basket and handing them over, “In total, it’s three taels and two hundred wens, all right here.”

Song Liangzuo’s earlier look was spot-on; at this moment, Lin Shanye did indeed look like someone who hadn’t seen much of the world. He had thought the pangolin would only fetch a little over two taels, but now he realized just how much it could truly be worth.