Chapter 55

These were indeed bitter human sufferings!

Bai Ziqian couldn’t endure it any longer!

He couldn’t fathom why there were so many pits to dig for planting fruit trees. Besides, it would be just as fine to plant them next spring. Why rush?

But how did Aunt Shuiqing put it?

“Chilly the cold bird is, it must build its nest tomorrow. If the nest isn’t ready by winter, it will freeze to death; we must prepare well before winter comes.”

Bai Ziqian scoffed. It wasn’t the correctness of her words he doubted; preparing in advance was wise, and he agreed with that.

What amused him was that Uncle Fan, nearly thirty years old and yet not even a scholar, still lived in a small thatched house with his family of seven. It was ironic coming from someone in such a situation. If he had worked harder earlier, at least they could live in a brick house now, right?

Bai Ziqian glanced toward Shanshui Village, where two households had brick houses. Considering Uncle Fan’s family’s decent meals and sensible views, those living in brick houses must fare even better.

His standards weren’t high; he’d be satisfied if the food was as good as Aunt Shuiqing’s and the work only half as much as at Uncle Fan’s place.

Even their donkey at home got to rest, but at Uncle Fan’s, he couldn’t even catch his breath!

He decided to seek work at a better household! Maybe he could even earn wages.

The thought of wages thrilled Bai Ziqian.

He packed up and approached Shuiqing — though there wasn’t much to pack; he only had the clothes on his back.

Seeing the proud and determined young man before her, Shuiqing asked casually, “Have you decided?”

“Water flows downhill, but people strive to rise higher, Aunt Shuiqing. Surely, you understand?” Bai Ziqian assumed she felt guilty about mistreating him as a laborer and was now regretting it.

“Fine, but I’ll tell you this out of the ten days we spent together: the food in the village isn’t as good as ours,” Shuiqing warned.

Her kind warning, however, sounded more like a way to give him an excuse to stay. He wasn’t buying it!

A family living in a thatched house could have decent meals, so those in brick houses must have it even better. Besides, Shuiqing’s cooking might taste good, but compared to the lavish meals at his own home, it was nothing.

Even though he finished all his meals here, if he could find a place with good taste and more variety, he would certainly prefer that.

After a moment of silence, he remembered the person who had saved his life. He pulled out a jade pendant, smooth and pristine, and handed it over.

“Auntie, your life-saving grace cannot be repaid by my labor. This jade pendant, worth a hundred taels, is my token of gratitude. Please accept it.”

He thought Shuiqing would either firmly refuse or at least decline politely.

Unexpectedly, she accepted it immediately without hesitation.

“Farewell!” he thought angrily, thinking his life was worth less than a jade pendant in her eyes.

Shuiqing didn’t mind, fondling the smooth jade pendant. “No need to see me off.”

Bai Ziqian left in a huff.

Once Bai Ziqian was out of sight, Yanqiu and the others gathered around Shuiqing.

“Mom, are we really not going to look after Hei Zi?” Yanqiu asked with some doubt.

“This jade pendant is beautiful. Are you going to sell it, or pawn it?” Fan He was only concerned about how much it was worth.

“Big Brother’s use of the pendant to repay the favor is quite good. Better than mere words of gratitude,” Fan Hu pragmatically analyzed.

Xinghui reached out to touch the jade pendant.

Surrounded by her children’s chatter, Shuiqing felt a headache coming on.

She swatted Xinghui’s hand away and answered one by one, “No need to worry. No family in the village has food better than ours. Hei Zi will come back on his own.”

“We won’t sell or pawn the pendant. Our family has enough money to build a house and enough food to get through winter. We’re not at the point where we need to sell something a child has worn since childhood.” Of course, if they were starving, she would sell it without hesitation to fill their bellies.

Naive Fan Jiang didn’t understand and asked, “Then why did you take the jade pendant, Mom?”

Yanqiu was the first to catch on and explained for Shuiqing, “Mom, are you worried Hei Zi might meet unkind people in the village and get taken advantage of?”

Shuiqing smiled but didn’t respond, implying agreement.

However, she had another deeper intention.

Hei Zi would likely first approach the households in the best condition, which in this village meant the brick houses. There were only two such families.

The old village head’s family was kind but had many mouths to feed and wouldn’t waste food on an extra worker.

The other family was her mother-in-law’s and elder brother-in-law’s. If Hei Zi went there, he wouldn’t get his jade pendant or even his clothes back intact!

Shuiqing didn’t care about the clothes, but she didn’t want that jade pendant to end up in the hands of her mother-in-law and brother-in-law.

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Bai Ziqian fumed as he walked.

Arriving at Shanshui Village, he found it even more dilapidated up close.

There were thatched huts everywhere, most of the thatch turning black from years without repair.

The village’s dirt paths were uneven and hard to walk on.

Taking a deep breath, he headed to the nearest brick house after the slope.

Li Changlin opened the courtyard gate and, seeing the young man about his age, stepped aside to let him in.

He quickly explained to his family the purpose of Bai Ziqian’s visit.

“That won’t do. A few days ago, we might have needed help with water caltrop seeds, but now they’re almost gone. Everyone has gone far to pick them, and we have enough help at home,” Wang Guifen frowned.

This year, thanks to Fan’s family, they had earned nearly a hundred pounds of rice!

Their family didn’t eat black noodles but rather coarse grains like cornmeal and millet. One pound of rice could be exchanged for two pounds of coarse grain. In just over ten days, they had earned half a year’s worth of food.

That was unimaginable before.

But despite the abundance, they couldn’t waste food. Next year’s prospects were uncertain, and they couldn’t squander what they had.

She gently suggested to her father-in-law, “Dad, we have more food now, but Changlin needs money for school fees, supplies, and exams. Every bit wasted affects his future.”

The old village head, hesitant at first, made his decision.

He told Changlin, “Go and tell him that only Shuiqing’s family might hire help. Other families don’t have enough food.”