Chapter 52: Expanding the House

“There now, Grandma won’t cry anymore. Come on, Fubao, let’s see your auntie and her family off.”

Zhang Jinlan drew in a deep breath, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and cleared her throat.

She picked up her granddaughter and slowly walked into the courtyard.

But her daughter’s family was already gone without a trace.

“Mother, Sanhe’s family has already left. I said I’d walk her to the village entrance, but she wouldn’t let me.”

Jiang Dahe came back in from outside and spoke to Zhang Jinlan.

“If she won’t be seen off, then so be it. Let her go. You all come over—I have something to say.”

Hearing her daughter had already left, Zhang Jinlan froze for a few seconds. But she quickly returned to herself.

She beckoned to her eldest son.

“Just now, I secretly slipped half a tael of silver to Sanhe. Her life is hard. You only have this one sister—helping her is what you should do. As for the rest of the silver, we’ll set aside two taels for Tongjin’s marriage, and another two for expanding the house. Just now, Old Woman Zhou was right—once the children start marrying one by one, there’ll be no room to live in at all.

Since we’re expanding, we’ll build eight rooms—one for each child! The rest of the money will be saved and not touched. With our hens laying so well, giving us so many eggs each day, that income will quickly earn back what we spend.”

Her words landed like heavy stones on Jiang Fubao’s little heart.

Heavens! She could finally have her own room!

No more sneaking in and out of her secret space at night.

“We’ll do as Mother says.”

Jiang Dahe had no objections.

Nor did the others.

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow I’ll go to Qianjia Village to find a matchmaker for Tongjin. You and Eryong will handle the house-building. Your father and Siyin will tend the fields. The silver—come to my room later, I’ll give it to you.”

Zhou Xiufen’s words reminded Zhang Jinlan of something.

Since they were planning to bring in a grandson-in-law, naturally a house was needed.

And besides, the grandsons were growing up as well.

Whether early or late, the house had to be built.

Better to build now.

When she finished speaking, she went into her room and handed two taels of silver to her eldest son. Then she led her daughters-in-law up the mountain to dig wild vegetables.

Jiang Fubao also followed her brothers up the mountain to catch bugs.

Life quickly returned to normal.

At this time, the Sun family had already returned home.

“Well then, how much did your mother give you just now? Hand it over.”

Zhou Xiufen knew well that Zhang Jinlan treated her only daughter with great generosity.

She had often given her extra in the past.

And after three years apart, she was sure to give a handsome sum this time.

Looking at the basket of eggs and grain, Zhou Xiufen’s tone softened considerably.

“She gave me half a tael. Mother, here it is. Giving it to you is only right.”

Jiang Sanhe completely cast aside her mother’s instructions, not hesitating even a moment before handing over the half tael of silver.

“Hm, your mother really is good to you. I’ll take it then. By the way, your monthly time should be due these days. If your body’s still clean, I’ll invite Doctor Xu to have a look.”

Clutching the silver tightly, Zhou Xiufen’s eyes flicked over her daughter-in-law’s belly as she asked in a low tone.

“Yes, it should be coming… I’d forgotten if you hadn’t mentioned it. If it still hasn’t arrived tomorrow, you can call the doctor.”

Jiang Sanhe’s heartbeat suddenly sped up.

By her count, her monthly bleeding was already two days late.

Could it be—she was pregnant?

She thought back to all the bitter folk remedies she had swallowed these past months, and her face twisted in a grimace. If this time she could truly carry a son, all the suffering would have been worth it.

That afternoon, she ran to the latrine again and again. Even if she only managed a few drops of urine, she forced it out—just to check her underclothes for red.

But all the way through supper, nothing came.

The corners of her lips curved higher and higher.

“Mother, my monthly time hasn’t come. Tomorrow you can bring the doctor.” Her voice trembled with excitement.

But the next instant, her joy plummeted.

“Doctor? What for—look at the red patch behind you! All that excitement for nothing. Seems that pock-faced old woman’s remedies were useless after all. You’ve been choking them down for two months, wasted so much money, and not a trace of a child. Enough—tomorrow I’ll try again. I heard in Lijia Village there’s a woman who bore eight sons. I’ll go ask her for a secret recipe.”

Zhou Xiufen had wanted to lash out.

But remembering the half tael of silver from her daughter-in-law that afternoon, and the mixed-grain porridge they had eaten for supper, she swallowed her anger, waved her hand, and returned to her room.

Night soon fell.

On a narrow path in Zhoujia Village, a group of people were sneaking toward the village entrance.

They carried bundles on their backs—men and women, young and old.

“Mother, do we really have to move to town and rent a house? What about our farmland?” asked Zhou Chen-shi’s youngest son, Zhou Fusheng, his face lined with worry.

“What choice do we have? We can’t stay here. After today’s events, how can any of you hold your heads up outside? People will gossip until our spines snap. I’ve already rented our fields to the neighbors. She gave me two strings of coins—shamelessly steep! I’d planned to ask just half a tael.

But never mind—if she hadn’t rented it, we wouldn’t even have the two strings. We won’t be back this year. Once your niece gives birth safely, we’ll sell both the land and the house and never return to this wretched village again.”

Her eyes fixed on her granddaughter Zhou Yuanyuan’s belly and didn’t move away.

“Mother, what if Ma Tongsheng refuses to acknowledge it?” Zhou Fusheng asked again.

“We’re not going to find him right now. Didn’t Yuanyuan say? Ma Tongsheng climbed high and married a landlord’s daughter, all for someone to fund his exams. This autumn he’ll sit again. If he passes as a Scholar or even a Licentiate, then he’ll have rank.

By then Yuanyuan will already have borne his child—double the joy. He’ll surely take her in, even if only as a secondary wife. And what’s a landlord compared to an aspiring scholar? Once our son-in-law speaks, that landlord wouldn’t dare utter a word. Yuanyuan’s child will be Ma Tongsheng’s eldest son! That will be our Zhou family’s ladder to the clouds.”

Her eyes burned as though aflame.

Though today they had lost two taels of silver to the Jiang family, and had to return the betrothal gifts—painful as that was—

the Jiang family’s little girl’s words had given her hope.

The child in her granddaughter’s belly—

it must be a boy.

With that, what was there to fear?

They would move straight to town.

With such a solid base, as long as they endured for half a year, the Zhou family’s days would turn around.

“Mother’s right—let’s go quickly. If we hurry we can get through the gates before they close. Tonight we’ll lodge in a shared inn, then tomorrow we’ll look for a house.”

Young Chen-shi chimed in, both hands supporting her daughter, terrified she might stumble and lose the golden nugget in her belly.

The group set off toward the town.

The moon shone bright, giving just enough light to see the road.

Meanwhile, Jiang Fubao was already lying in bed fast asleep.

Beneath her bed sat two basins—one filled with chicken eggs, the other with quail eggs.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo—”

“Cock-a-doodle-doo—”

At the rooster’s crow, Jiang Fubao stretched and woke up.

From at first being unused to it, she had now grown accustomed.

At the sound of the rooster, she rose as if to an alarm clock.