Chapter 002: What a Beautiful Cluster of Roses

At the end of the village lived three families, arranged like the character “三” (three). The first household had twin sisters—local beauties—petite and delicate. Most rare of all, despite growing up in the countryside, their skin was flawless and never tanned.

Xiaomei liked these sisters very much. In fact, she liked all beautiful older girls, though she had a bit of an inferiority complex—even though she herself was cute and likable.

Unfortunately, the sisters weren’t home; they were out working in the fields.

The two girls then went to the second house, which was one of Xiaomei’s relatives whom they visited frequently.

The male head of the household was surnamed Gu. He was Xiaomei’s grandmother’s distant uncle, so Xiaomei called him Great-Grandpa.

Great-Grandpa Gu had left his hometown early in life to work in Shanghai. After the Liberation, he became an official worker. Though he was already quite old at that time, he soon retired and returned to their home village of Tianjing with his daughter.

Later, his daughter married in the village and had two sons.

Because Great-Grandpa Gu had a pension, his family was the most well-off in the village. He often helped Xiaomei’s family.

Xiaomei had heard her grandmother say countless times that during hard times, if it weren’t for Great-Grandpa Gu, their family would’ve starved.

Once, when they ran out of matches (a box cost two cents at the time), the family was so poor they couldn’t afford even one cent. They asked all their neighbors but couldn’t borrow any. Finally, her grandmother walked from the east end of the village in Henan to the west end in Hebei to borrow money from Great-Grandpa Gu.

His two grandsons, whom Xiaomei called “uncles,” were about her age. The older one was honest, while the younger was cunning. Her grandmother once told a funny story: the two boys wanted to share a boiled egg for lunch. Great-Grandpa planned to cut it in half, but the younger one insisted they mash it up and steam it in two separate bowls.

Her grandmother had laughed, saying the younger one was a real rascal. But all Xiaomei heard was: boiled egg.

Just thinking about it made her drool.

After all, she had never tasted a steamed egg before. All their eggs were sold.

“Great-Grandpa!” Xiaomei called out before even entering the courtyard.

Indeed, the Gu family was one of the few in the village to have a walled courtyard.

“Oh, it’s Xiaomei! Come in, come in,” Great-Grandpa said with a creak of the gate and a beaming smile.

Xiaomei cheerfully greeted him again, then walked into the yard and waved for Jinhua to come in too. “Come on!”

Then she said, “Great-Grandpa, Jinhua and I were collecting chicken droppings in the village today—we’re working together.”

“Come in, come in,” Great-Grandpa smiled, beckoning Jinhua.

Jinhua, ever sociable, also greeted him and followed them inside.

The Gu family had four main rooms—most village homes only had three—so their courtyard felt especially spacious and tidy.

The two girls suddenly became self-conscious about their smell and quickly left their chicken-dropping tools under the eaves. They straightened their clothes before entering the main hall.

Great-Grandpa had already poured two bowls of water and even brought out some snacks in a small dish. “Have some water and snacks,” he said cheerfully.

“Oh! Pickled radish strips!” Xiaomei’s mouth watered uncontrollably.

Jinhua was drooling too.

Seeing the girls hesitate, he pushed the dish closer. “Eat, and if it’s salty, have some water.”

Xiaomei gave him a sweet smile. “Thank you, Great-Grandpa.” Then she sniffed her hands. “They smell—we’ll go wash them first.”

Xiaomei’s father was the village’s barefoot doctor, so among her peers, she was the cleanest.

Great-Grandpa led them to the well in the courtyard, drew up a bucket of water, and poured it into a wooden basin for them.

In the countryside, you didn’t wipe your hands after washing—just shook them dry.

As Xiaomei shook her hands, her eyes scanned the yard.

“Wow, Great-Grandpa, this flower is beautiful!” she exclaimed, running over to take a closer look.

Near the well, at the corner of the wall, a rose bush was blooming in season.

Xiaomei didn’t know what it was called. She just thought it was the most beautiful flower she’d ever seen.

It was a purplish-red rose, just after Qingming Festival, with only a few blooms but many buds—vibrant, lively, and heartwarming.

“That’s a rose bush,” said Great-Grandpa. “It used to be behind the house, but it didn’t get enough sunlight and didn’t bloom well. Last year, I moved it here before New Year and buried a bunch of snail shells underneath. With sunlight and nutrients, it’s thriving.”

Clearly, he loved it.

Xiaomei admired it as she circled around. “So beautiful! Just looking at it brightens my day and lifts my mood.”

“If you like it, I’ll cut two buds for you to take home. Put them in a vase with some water and they’ll bloom in a few days. That way, you’ll be happy again!” He chuckled and went into the house to get scissors.

“Xiaomei, can I ask Great-Grandpa for two too?” Jinhua asked, eyes gleaming.

“I don’t know how much he paid for the plant…” Xiaomei hesitated.

“No money,” Great-Grandpa said, overhearing as he returned. “A friend gave me some rose cuttings to propagate. I grew it from that.”

“Cuttings?” Xiaomei’s eyes sparkled. “Great-Grandpa, can I take some cuttings home to grow my own? Then you don’t have to give me the buds.”

“Haha!” Great-Grandpa laughed. “You’re adorable. But rose cuttings are tricky. Now isn’t the best time either—you should wait until after the blooming season.”

He then explained the conditions needed: temperature, soil, and so on.

Xiaomei pouted. She hadn’t expected it to be so complicated.

She looked even more lovable when pouting, and Great-Grandpa’s heart softened. “Tell you what, I’ll cut two branches for you today. After the blooming season, I’ll do some more cuttings. If they take, you can come back and transplant them. Deal?”

“Really? That’s great! Thank you, Great-Grandpa!” Xiaomei nearly jumped for joy.

Smiling, he trimmed two branches. “Watch out for thorns—wait, I’ll tie them up for you.”

He went to a shed at the south end of the yard and came back with some twine, tying the ends so it could be carried easily. “Here you go.”

Then he saw Jinhua’s eager eyes. “Jinhua, would you like two as well?”

Jinhua nodded furiously. “Yes please! Thank you, Great-Grandpa!”

The two girls, now carrying rose cuttings, forgot about snacks and water. They stuffed their little tools into their bags, said goodbye, and hurried home—Great-Grandpa had said rose cuttings needed to be planted quickly or they wouldn’t survive.

They had to get home and plant them right away!