Chapter 9: Testing

In this era, the law did not encourage migration.

And the people of this time also held a deep, almost unshakable attachment to their native villages.

Unlike the world Xia Daohua came from, where many—especially young people—did not have such deep ties to their hometowns. Instead, they longed to explore the wider world, gain more experiences, and see more of life.

People followed the money.

But in this world, as long as there was a piece of land to farm, people would root themselves to it like trees or wild grass, clinging tight to the soil—they would rather die than leave.

Only under extreme and irresistible disasters would people be forced to flee—disasters like drought, where the land cracked open for miles; floods, where water engulfed everything; or war, where the dead lay in white bones and blood flowed like rivers.

But when such things happened, it was often too late to escape.

Xia Daohua didn’t want something like that to happen to the Xia family.

More importantly, she didn’t want something like that to happen to herself.

But right now, she was just a child who held no real importance. Her shaved head reminded everyone that not long ago, she had fallen and hit her head on the edge of the well.

If she spoke these thoughts aloud now, everyone would probably think the fall had made her stupid.

After much thought, Xia Daohua concluded that for the time being, she could only stay quiet and bide her time—slowly looking for a suitable opportunity to gradually plant the idea of moving in her family’s minds.

She hadn’t found the right chance yet, and as a faint anxiety loomed in her heart, the days passed one by one. Several more heavy snowfalls came and went, and the New Year drew closer and closer.

The entire Xia household bustled with New Year preparations. Every branch of the family was caught up in the festivities.

Jiang-shi and Lihua worked hard cleaning every corner of the house, inside and out. Not only did they sweep the floors, wash clothes, and take apart and clean the cotton-padded garments and quilts, but they also restuffed the door curtains with fresh cotton and even re-papered the windowpanes.

Xia Youtian took Wulang into the mountains twice, returning with large bundles of firewood.

Worth mentioning was that Xia Daohua, with Linghua in tow, had secretly followed behind Xia Youtian and Wulang into the mountains. By the time they came back, she was holding two wild rabbits—with gray-yellow fur—one in each hand.

Facing Xia Daohua holding those rabbits, with Linghua at her side looking clever and bright-eyed, the little girl immediately and without hesitation stopped calling her “Daohua” and switched to “Sister.”

From that day on, her sweet little mouth never changed back. Everything was “Sister this, Sister that,” as if it had always been that way.

When Xia Youtian skinned the rabbits, Xia Daohua couldn’t bear to watch and slipped away.

But Linghua? She stared without blinking, fascinated from start to finish, missing not a single detail. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and interest the whole time.

Jiang-shi cleaned and prepped both rabbits, then sent one to the old couple.

The other was split in half. One half was chopped into pieces and stewed with lots of potatoes and radishes for the children. The remaining half was rubbed with salt and hung from the ceiling beam—saved for New Year’s.

That evening, when the rabbit stew was being cooked, the second aunt couldn’t help but come over and throw some passive-aggressive barbs at Jiang-shi—only to be forcefully dragged back by Erlang, who had followed after her.

The second household’s main labor came from the quiet Erlang and the equally silent Taohua.

Second Uncle worked hard in the fields and was considered one of the more capable men in Beiguan Village. But once home, he completely dropped the ball—sprawling out on the heated brick bed, resting against his bedding like some kind of lord.

He didn’t lift a finger for household matters. Even if an oil bottle tipped over right in front of him, he wouldn’t bother to set it upright.

Second Aunt, Sun-shi, was quick-handed but sharp-tongued.

She had three sons and three daughters—aside from the old matriarch Zhou-shi, no one else in the family had given birth to more children.

This seemed to give her a strange sense of superiority. No matter the occasion or time, she dared to go head-to-head with any member of the Xia family. Arguments and quarrels were her daily routine.

With someone as soft-tempered as Jiang-shi, Sun-shi naturally didn’t hold back. And when it came to her own children, she was even more aggressive.

But her sharp tongue was selective.

When it came to Erlang, she involuntarily softened a bit.

She assigned most of the second household’s chores to the children. Among them, the eldest and most sensible—Erlang and Taohua—were tasked with the most. Xinghua and Meihua also worked diligently.

As for Sanlang and Silang? They often treated her words like background noise. As soon as she called out for help, they’d vanish into thin air. Sometimes they even ran outside and wouldn’t return until mealtime.

Erlang worked the hardest and spoke the least. Whether because his marriage had been delayed or because he was the eldest son, Sun-shi could never quite summon her usual bossy tone when dealing with him.

Xia Daohua had sharp ears. She overheard Erlang scolding his mother as he dragged her away:

“Third Aunt already finished steaming her bean buns. We haven’t even boiled our bean paste yet. How can you have time to stand around chatting with Fourth Aunt?”

Sun-shi only got half a sentence out—“Who’s chatting with her!”—before getting distracted by what Erlang said:

“Third Aunt is that fast? I better hurry and cook the bean paste!”

These days, the old matriarch Zhou-shi had generously allowed all the daughters-in-law to use the main kitchen for New Year preparations. She didn’t assign time slots—they had to work it out themselves—but cooking could only begin after daybreak and must stop by nightfall, as she and the old man slept early and were light sleepers.

So Sun-shi from the second branch, Wu-shi from the third, and Han-shi from the fifth were racing against the clock.

Jiang-shi, however, had a different plan.

Even though the fourth household had many members, the eldest child, Lihua, was only twelve. During the first month of the new year, they wouldn’t actually need that much food.

Jiang-shi figured, now that they had their own little kitchen, no matter how many buns they steamed, she could do it all there. So she didn’t bother fighting for space in the main kitchen with her sisters-in-law.

When Xia Youtian heard her plan, his chest swelled with pride.

“No one compares to my wife! Always thinking ahead for me! Filial to her in-laws, respectful to her sisters-in-law, kind to the children—where else could I find such a good wife?”

Seeing her husband grinning like a fool, Jiang-shi blushed for no reason.

Xia Daohua watched the couple’s interaction and couldn’t help but smile. Maybe this strong family bond was the best way in—maybe she could use this angle to convince them to leave this dangerous place.

She seized the moment and made her first tentative probe:

“Dad, Mom.”

“Daohua? What are you doing here? Are you feeling better? Does your head still hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore. Just feels a little itchy at the back. I want to scratch it, but I’m scared I’ll tear the scab.”

“Good girl! That means it’s healing. But you must hold back these next few days—whatever you do, don’t scratch it!”

“Okay!”

With a crisp response, Xia Daohua casually shifted the topic:

“It’s so cold here! Why didn’t our ancestors settle somewhere warmer when they picked this place to live?”

(End of Chapter)