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Old Tan pondered for a moment, calculating in his head. “Wife, if we count it this way, the copper coins we have should be enough to pay the Yu family’s bricklayers.”
Wan Chunmei nodded. “Yes, it’s enough, but we’re still short on wood.”
“Didn’t Uncle Chen say he’d give us some wood?” Old Tan asked.
Wan Chunmei shook her head. “Uncle Chen’s family is in chaos right now. How could they still have the mind to give us wood? And with the way his wife is, would you even dare accept it?”
Old Tan quickly shook his head. “You’re right, you’re absolutely right.”
On his way back earlier, he had heard that Old Man Chen’s eldest son had run off with his wife. Old Man Chen was likely heartbroken at the moment, so it wasn’t appropriate to ask him for wood.
Nearby, Tan Xiaomei laughed and said, “Big Brother, why is it that nothing grows on that patch of land in our backyard? If only we could grow some sand trees there.”
As she spoke, she lowered her head to tease the baby in her arms. “What do you think, Little Qiyue? Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Little Qiyue seemed to understand her words, squinting his eyes as he broke into a smile.
Wan Chunmei chuckled. “All right, I’ll figure out a way to get some from the wild mountains.”
Old Tan nodded in agreement. “Yes, wife, you’re right.”
Tan Yiliang chimed in, “Father, Mother, didn’t we see a few good sand trees in the mountains last time? Let’s go check them out tomorrow and see if we can bring them back.”
Wan Chunmei nodded lightly. “Tomorrow, then. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
After dinner, the family gathered for some lighthearted chatter before heading to their rooms to rest.
The Next Morning
Tan Yiliang groggily got up early to feed the chickens in the backyard. When he looked up, he was stunned by the scene before him.
Behind the chicken coop, on the previously empty patch of land, a few large sand trees had mysteriously appeared.
He ran back to the house in a panic, shouting, “Father, Father, Father!”
Old Tan, washing the pot in preparation for breakfast, glanced up and asked, “What now?”
Tan Yiliang, hands trembling, pointed toward the trees and stammered, “Father, Father, look… the trees, the trees!”
“What trees?” Old Tan followed his son’s gaze and froze. Behind the chicken coop, a few sand trees had indeed appeared. He was dumbfounded. “H-how did a few trees suddenly grow here?”
Hearing the commotion, Wan Chunmei came over. She looked at the trees but was calmer than the two men. Walking slowly to the trees, she raised her head to examine the lush leaves. “Old Man, do you think these trees might’ve always been here? Maybe we just never noticed because we weren’t planning to build a house.”
Old Tan couldn’t think of another explanation and reluctantly agreed. “Maybe you’re right.”
At that moment, Tan Xiaomei approached, holding Little Qiyue in her arms. She smiled and said, “Big Brother, Sister-in-law, I think this is Little Qiyue bringing us good fortune.”
Both Old Tan and Wan Chunmei looked up at her.
Tan Xiaomei continued, “Think about it. Just yesterday, I asked Little Qiyue if it wouldn’t be nice if there were trees in the backyard, and now, here they are.”
Old Tan and Wan Chunmei chuckled. “Xiaomei, that’s nonsense. How could something like this happen?”
But Tan Xiaomei was convinced. “I think it’s entirely possible.”
To test her theory, she turned to Little Qiyue and said, “Little Qiyue, wouldn’t it be great if we had a donkey right now?”
Old Tan and Wan Chunmei dismissed it as a joke. “All right, Xiaomei, take Little Qiyue back inside. It’s cold out here.”