Chapter 6: Moving

With the separation finalized, Lin Heng began preparing to renovate the old house.

He called on a few good friends from the village—Huzi’s father, Zhang Changgen, Shuanzhi, and his second uncle’s son, Lin Hai.

Lin Hai was Lin Heng’s cousin. The two had grown up together and shared a close bond. Upon hearing that Lin Heng needed to repair the house, Lin Hai immediately agreed to help.

The renovations mainly involved reinforcing the roof beams and adding more thatch to the roof.

Zhang Changgen provided wood, and Shuanzhi brought thatch. The group of men headed to the old house to clear out debris, while Lin Guangbai led his eldest and second sons over to assist as well.

For three days, Li Yulan stayed home to organize belongings. Wanru continued with her usual household chores, and Wanqing helped her sister. Since they were separating, they might as well do their part and leave things on good terms.

After three days of hard work, the thatched house was finally repaired and ready.

Now, it was time to move.

Early in the morning, Lin Heng borrowed an ox cart from Uncle Niu in the village to transport their belongings. They didn’t have much—a bed and a cabinet were the only large items. Everything else—blankets, clothes, and boxes—fit into one trip.

Before leaving, Wanqing found her grandfather in the backyard vegetable garden. She looked at Lin Guangbai and said, “Grandfather, even though we’ve separated, you will always be my grandfather. If our family becomes prosperous one day, we won’t forget you.”

Wanqing said this because she knew her grandfather had quarreled with Tian Shi multiple times over her illness. Her mother, Li Yulan, had mentioned more than once that Wanqing owed her life to her grandfather.

Lin Guangbai looked at his frail granddaughter. Every time money was spent on her, she seemed to escape danger.

Because of Wanqing, Tian Shi had argued with him countless times. None of the other children in the family had been so delicate and hard to raise. He sighed, took out a cloth bundle from his pocket, and placed it in Wanqing’s hands. “From now on, I won’t be able to look after you anymore.” Then, he turned and walked away.

Wanqing took the bundle—it was heavy. Copper coins? She watched her grandfather’s retreating figure before tucking the bundle into her clothing.

Back home, her parents had finished loading their things, and the family set off in the ox cart to their new home.

Upon arriving at the thatched house, they started unpacking and organizing.

The house had three rooms. One had an earthen bed (kang), which the parents took. The sisters shared one room, and the three brothers shared another. The bed was given to the boys, while Wanqing and Wanru slept on wooden planks.

In the kitchen, Wanqing placed the iron pot on the stove. The original stove was unusable, so they had built a new one, which already felt different from the one at the old house.

The iron pot, however, was damaged—it had a hole in it. They couldn’t cook large amounts of water, but thankfully, their family was small, so they didn’t need to cook too much at once.

After unloading the cart, Lin Heng returned it to Uncle Niu. When he came back, Huzi’s mother, Liu Shi, and her daughter, Hehua, arrived with some vegetables. Liu Shi set them down and immediately began helping Li Yulan clean up.

Li Yulan tried to decline the help, saying they didn’t have much to tidy up, but Liu Shi insisted.

Shortly after, Lin Hai’s wife, Yuan Shi, also arrived with some vegetables. She knew that Lin Heng’s family hadn’t received much in the separation, so she brought some food as a small gesture to celebrate their move. After exchanging warm words, she left.

Now, only the family remained.

Wanqing, overjoyed, rolled around on the kang. Her younger brothers, Zhiqin and Zhiyuan, clambered up and joined her, laughing loudly.

Wanru busied herself in the kitchen, while Li Yulan arranged the children’s bedding. Outside, Lin Heng and Zhiwen tidied up the yard.

As mealtime approached, Wanqing went to the kitchen to see what was available. This was their first meal after separating—she felt they should celebrate with a few dishes and something delicious.

Inside the kitchen, Wanru had already cleaned up and was preparing lunch.

The kitchen had only one stove, with a single pot on top. Next to it was a water vat, and on the floor were piles of cabbage, radishes, and sweet potatoes—some from the separation, some gifted that day. There were also ten eggs from Huzi’s mother.

The eggs had to be saved for their mother’s health. That left only cabbage and radishes.

Sigh. They could only make cabbage soup.

Wanqing helped Wanru by tending the fire. Wanru, quick and efficient, kneaded dough and made flatbreads. Before long, everything was ready—a large pot of soup and a basket of flatbreads.

They placed the meal on a low tea table on the kang. The whole family gathered around for their first meal after the separation.

Each person got a coarse grain flatbread, dipping it into the cabbage soup. Though the food was simple, they ate happily, their faces full of smiles.

“Why do these flatbreads taste extra good today?” Zhiyuan asked curiously.

“I think this cabbage soup is especially fresh today,” Wanru agreed.

Wanqing grinned mischievously. How could it not taste better?

She had secretly poured a good amount of spring water into the vat. Back at the old house, meals were shared with the whole family. Call her selfish if they wanted—she simply didn’t want that miraculous water benefiting those other people.

…

After the meal, they sat on the kang, and Wanqing began laying out her plan.

“Starting tomorrow,” she announced, “Zhiqin and I will gather wild vegetables and fruits. Big Brother will chop firewood. Big Sister will handle household chores. Father will go to town for day labor. Mother will rest and recover.”

She neatly assigned tasks to everyone.

“What about me?” Zhiyuan piped up anxiously.

“You’re in charge of watching over Mother and making sure she rests well,” Wanqing told Zhiyuan.

“Okay!”

Everyone laughed.

Remembering the copper coins her grandfather had given her, Wanqing’s eyes darted as she asked, “Mother, how much money do we have left?”

“Not a single coin,” Li Yulan admitted, feeling embarrassed. After fifteen years of marriage, they hadn’t saved a single penny.

Lin Heng immediately assured them, “I’ll head to town tomorrow to find work. If I can find a job, I can earn 15 wen a day.” Just thinking about how every coin he earned from now on would be for his own family filled him with motivation.

Wanqing took out the cloth bundle from her pocket and opened it, revealing 50 wen.

“Where did you get that?” Li Yulan and Lin Heng asked at the same time.

“Grandfather gave it to me.”

“How could you take money from Grandfather? Does Grandmother know?”

“I don’t think Grandmother knows,” Wanqing admitted. “Father, Mother, this is what I think—right now, we’ve just separated, and we have many expenses. Grandfather gave me the money, so I accepted it. When our family is doing better, we’ll repay him double.”

Lin Heng and Li Yulan hesitated. They felt they shouldn’t take the money—even though they needed it, they could manage without it for now.

“Father, you should take some of it to Doctor Li and get medicine for Mother,” Wanqing urged. She believed her mother’s health needed proper treatment. While the spring water could help, she wasn’t entirely confident in relying on it alone.

Some things were best left to professionals.

“You’re right,” Lin Heng agreed. There were other things they could delay, but Li Yulan’s health couldn’t wait. She needed proper care.

With that, he took 50 wen and headed to Doctor Li’s.

Meanwhile, the siblings continued tidying up. There wasn’t much to organize.

Li Yulan’s room contained only a chest, a cabinet, a worn-out cloth covering the kang, and a small, low tea table. A few sacks of grain sat on the floor.

Wanqing and Wanru’s room had a wooden plank covered with straw for a bed, along with a bamboo basket for clothes.

The boys’ room was similarly simple—just a bed and another bamboo basket.

Wanqing sighed at the sight. Their home was truly bare. If this isn’t ‘four bare walls,’ I don’t know what is.

But she wasn’t discouraged. She was a Lin family descendant—the hope of their lineage. And more importantly, she had a wonderful family. She would lead them to a prosperous life!

Silently, she cheered herself on.

Just then, Lin Heng returned with the medicine. Doctor Li, aware of their situation, only charged them 30 wen and mentioned that the best treatment for Li Yulan would be ginseng.

That statement left the family silent. Where could they possibly afford ginseng?

Sensing the heavy mood, Wanqing quickly tried to lighten the atmosphere. “Our family is hardworking. Maybe before long, we’ll be able to buy Mother some ginseng!” She then turned to her father with a playful smile. “Right, Father?”

“Yes, of course!” Lin Heng nodded, full of determination.

Clenching his fists, he silently vowed to earn more money. He wasn’t afraid of hardship or exhaustion. If needed, he could go to the county town—there would be even more job opportunities there than in the village.

That day passed in a whirlwind of excitement and activity.

As night fell, they had an early dinner and retired to their rooms.

Under the cold moonlight, they drifted into a dreamless sleep.