Chapter 16 – Harvest After the Rain

They had only known each other for a short time, yet he already felt he couldn’t live without her. Every expression of hers deeply captivated him, but aside from when they were in bed, she always treated him with a kind of distant indifference, as if he could never truly grasp hold of her.

This made him insecure and restless. When he heard her say she might find someone else, he could no longer restrain the wild beast inside him.

“Are you really that upset?” she asked seriously, cupping his face.

Huo Tingwu nodded as he stared into her eyes.

Ye Tao, in her first ever relationship, wasn’t sure how to get along with a partner, but she was willing to learn slowly. “Alright then, I won’t scare you anymore. Let’s live well together.”

“Am I dreaming?” Huo Tingwu looked at her blankly.

“What? You’re not happy about it?” Ye Tao asked back.

“Of course not,” he hurried to explain. “It’s just… happiness came so suddenly.”

“Silly, I’m your wife. If I don’t like you, who else would I like?”

Since there was no way back, she might as well live well here. Huo Tingwu seemed dependable enough, so she would reluctantly give him a chance.

“Wife, can I ask you something?”

Ye Tao was in a great mood. “Go on, what is it?”

“Could you maybe call me something else next time? It feels too distant when you just call my name.”

In the army, all the wives addressed their husbands affectionately. He longed for that too.

“Then should I call you Old Huo?”

“No way.” The word hit his sore spot. He was already seven years older than her—if she called him ‘Old Huo,’ that would only make him sound older. Absolutely not.

“Then I’ll call you Tingwu. That should be fine, right?”

“Yes, yes, that’s fine.” Anything was acceptable—so long as it wasn’t “Old Huo.”

Liu Wenxiu was sitting under the eaves sewing insoles. Seeing the couple awake, she went to the kitchen and brought out a pot of chicken soup.

“Taotao, taste this soup. See if you like it.”

It was from one of their home-raised hens, fat and full of flavor.

After sharing meals these past days, she already understood Ye Tao’s tastes: she loved spice but disliked greasiness. So Liu Wenxiu skimmed off the thick layer of fat and ladled a drumstick into her bowl.

“Thank you, Mother.”

Ye Tao thanked her and eagerly lifted the bowl for a sip. The soup was fragrant and rich, seasoned only with salt to keep the chicken’s natural flavor. “It’s delicious.”

“Good. We still have a few hens left. We’ll slaughter them all while you two are home.”

Her son had told her yesterday that Taotao would be joining him in the army. Liu Wenxiu was surprised, but also delighted—husband and wife belonged together.

No one knew when they’d be back again once they left, so she wanted to nourish them well while they were still home.

After finishing a drumstick and a bowl of soup with noodles, Ye Tao sat under the eaves with Liu Wenxiu, watching her sew insoles.

The pattern looked simple, and Ye Tao wanted to give it a try.

Since it was her first attempt, Liu Wenxiu worried she might hurt herself and handed her an awl. “Use this to poke the holes. It’s easier.”

Ye Tao pushed it through, and it went in smoothly.

At first, her movements were clumsy, but gradually she got the hang of it. When she finally finished, she realized there was a blister on her index finger joint.

“Oh dear, how did this happen? Put it down right now. Laoer, come check your wife’s hand.”

Ye Tao felt embarrassed. She had only worked for ten minutes and already got a blister—if word got out, people would laugh. She quickly hid her finger behind her. “It’s fine, Mother, just a blister.”

She often burned herself while cooking; a little blister was nothing.

“That won’t do. Let Laoer take a look. Otherwise it’ll hurt more later, and it won’t heal quickly.”

Huo Tingwu carefully took her hand and rubbed it with concern. “I’ll get something to lance it.”

Worried it might hurt, Ye Tao closed her eyes tightly.

After sterilizing the needle in fire, he held her finger, pricked a small hole, pressed out the fluid, applied medicine, and gently blew on it.

“All done,” he said softly.

When she touched it, surprisingly, it no longer hurt.

Huo Tingwu forbade her from working with her hands again, leaving Ye Tao restless and fidgety.

Seeing she was bored, he suggested, “Why don’t you sit with Mother and chat?”

The rain had come quickly and gone just as fast.

After the meal, Huo Tingjie couldn’t wait to take his fishing net to the river. The rain-swollen waters had washed many fish downstream.

Those with nets brought nets; those with buckets brought buckets. Everyone was busy at the riverside.

Huo Tingting and Huo Tingfeng came to invite them along.

Huo Tingwu asked Ye Tao if she wanted to go.

Bored of sitting at home, Ye Tao gladly agreed.

“Let’s go then. Tingjie already took the net. We’ll just bring buckets.”

The riverside was crowded. Since the rain had made the fields unworkable, people had free time, and what better than fishing to improve the family’s meals?

“Come look! I heard Erzhuang caught a forty-pounder!”

Ye Tao was shocked. “A forty-pound fish? Can anyone even carry that?”

How many meals would that last a family?

“Let’s go watch the excitement,” Huo Tingfeng said, striding ahead.

At the river, a large crowd surrounded Erzhuang and his catch.

“Erzhuang, will you sell it?” someone asked boldly.

Erzhuang shot him a glare. “Sell it? Are you kidding? It’s barely enough for my family.”

He wasn’t wrong. Even a large fish had little meat. With many relatives who often helped out, he would have to share, and each household would only get a little.

Hoisting the fish onto his shoulder, Erzhuang left with his net, leaving the onlookers staring enviously after him.

Huo Xiaolin used a loudspeaker to remind everyone to be careful while fishing—the river was deep, and falling in was no joke.

Meanwhile, Huo Tingjie had already cast his net and now stood barefoot on the rocks, picking snails.

“Second Brother, come quick! Tons of snails here!”

Tongxiang brigade sat by the mountains and rivers, and stir-fried snails were a beloved summer snack.

But the river water was too cold. Since Ye Tao was still taking medicine and had to take care of her health, Huo Tingwu had her hold the bucket on shore while he waded in to collect snails.

With one scoop he got a handful. Ye Tao’s fingers itched to try it herself.

Before she could speak, Huo Tingwu cut her off firmly. “The water’s too cold. Taotao, you can’t come in. Be good.”

Ye Tao pouted. Again with that coaxing tone, as if she were a child.

“If you catch a chill, the next batch of medicine will taste even worse,” he reminded.

He wasn’t exaggerating. Uncle Wen had warned her not to get cold, and also to watch her diet—so when stir-frying the snails later, they couldn’t add chili.

Huo Tingjie and Huo Tingfeng pulled up the net together—three big fish and a good haul of smaller ones.

Grinning, Huo Tingjie tossed them into a bucket. Luckily he had arrived early to secure a good spot.

Ye Tao and Huo Tingwu had gathered a full bucket of snails, while Huo Tingting had half a bucket—though it looked less, it was enough for several meals.

Back home, they wasted no time getting to work.

The snails were first scrubbed of algae, then left in a basin to purge sand. At least five or six washes were needed to get them truly clean.

Huo Tingwu handled the washing, while Ye Tao poured water for him.