Chapter 5

April 20th.

It was the last solar term of spring—Grain Rain (Guyu).

And it also happened to be the day Grandpa Xu had carefully chosen as the “Warm House Day”.

That morning, relatives came to visit, and neighbors dropped by with gifts.

One family brought sorghum, another gave bowls and chopsticks.

What surprised Xu Wanchun the most was that some even carried matches as a congratulatory gift.

Later, her adoptive mother explained: matches symbolized “adding fuel (wealth) and fire (life).”

In short, the whole warm house ritual was a real eye-opener for Xu Wanchun.

Scorching the bottom of the pot, scattering five grains, pasting red paper… and when her maternal grandfather, Xu Dagen, lit the first fire in the stove and cooked a pot of sticky rice symbolizing reunion, the banquet preparations began.

Because of her divorce, Xu Hehua often became the subject of gossip in the hamlet.

So, if she wanted peaceful days ahead, there were some expenses she couldn’t skimp on.

Braised pork with vermicelli, sauerkraut and pork belly, braised fish with tofu, chicken stewed with mushrooms, stir-fried three treasures of the earth… altogether, a solid eight large dishes.

Though the meat portions were modest compared to the vegetables, this spread was still better than what many families ate during New Year’s.

Relatives and neighbors alike, seeing the dishes brought to the table, all had satisfied smiles on their faces.

And that—was exactly the effect Xu Hehua wanted. After all, people soften after sharing food.

In Xu Family Hamlet, there wasn’t a custom barring women from the table. Still, as the hostess, Xu Hehua had to stay in the kitchen to tend to things.

Naturally, little Xu Wanchun couldn’t sit at the main table either.

It was only then that she learned her adoptive mother had six siblings in total: one older brother, one older sister, two younger brothers, and a younger sister.

Aside from the youngest sister who had married far away, everyone else had come.

Each family also brought one or two children, all of whom crowded into the kitchen, waiting to sneak a share of food before the dishes went out.

Though Xu Wanchun was tempted, her soul was still that of an adult. She had self-control and didn’t join in the scramble with the little kids. Instead, she stuck by her adoptive mother, lending a hand, and filled her stomach with a plain steamed bun.

She thought she wouldn’t get to taste any of the good dishes, especially since the plates on the table were soon picked clean.

But unexpectedly, after all the guests had left, her adoptive mother pulled out two earthen jars from the very bottom of the cupboard.

Xu Wanchun rushed over and saw that one jar held sauerkraut with big pork bones, and the other was full of black fish soup. She gasped in delight:
“Mom, you hid these in advance?”

Xu Hehua grinned with pride:
“Of course. No matter what, we can’t shortchange ourselves. Just wait, I’ll heat them up.”

This personality suited her perfectly. Xu Wanchun chirped sweetly:
“I’ll go get the bowls and chopsticks!”

=

The generosity of the warm house banquet indeed brought positive returns.

In the days that followed, aunts and neighbors would drop by now and then to chat.

And because Xu Hehua—

Having just moved back to Xu Family Hamlet, they hadn’t had time to plant vegetables yet, so whenever the aunties came by, they rarely came empty-handed.

One family would bring a few potatoes, another a single cabbage—small things, but all of them were tokens of acceptance from the villagers toward the Xu mother and daughter.

Of course, there were still a few old-fashioned folks, clinging to outdated notions, who criticized them with an air of superiority.

But neither of the Xu women paid them much mind.

And so, amid the lively clamor of chickens and dogs and the bustle of daily life, time quickly slipped to May 10th.

Spring planting was drawing to a close, and it happened to be the day of the big market fair.

Before dawn even broke, Xu Wanchun was yanked out of bed by her mother to get dressed.

She was put into a floral dress, then slipped into cloth shoes embroidered with little flowers and clasps.

When her foster mother reached for her barely one-centimeter-long hair, trying to tie it up into a sprout, Xu Wanchun was so horrified she hugged her head and bolted, her refusal written all over her face.

“All right, all right, I won’t tie it. Don’t run or you’ll fall!” Xu Hehua said as she locked the red hair ribbon back into the cupboard.

Already peeking from the doorway, Xu Wanchun leaned against the frame:
“Really?”

Her mother rolled her eyes at her:
“Really, really. Now go wash up, you little nuisance.”

She honestly couldn’t understand it—weren’t all little girls supposed to love having their hair tied into cute tufts? Yet this unlucky child of hers never cooperated, making those pretty ribbons she’d bought go to waste.

Not knowing her foster mother was grumbling in her heart, Xu Wanchun, certain she wasn’t being watched anymore, grinned and skipped off to the kitchen.

At the fair there would be all sorts of treats, so Xu Hehua planned to indulge her daughter’s cravings a little. Before leaving, they just had a quick bite at home.

On the way out, they stopped by next door to call for Su Nan.

Dr. Cao had to make a house call that day, and not wanting his wife to go alone, he’d arranged the night before for the two families to head to the fair together.

So when she heard their voices, Su Nan quickly came out with a basket on her back.

Her beauty was too striking, so when she went out, she not only darkened her face with powder but also dressed herself in plain, matronly clothes.

Xu Wanchun stared at her face for a long while, curious about what kind of concoction she used.

Su Nan bent down, chuckling as she pinched the little girl’s cheeks:
“Don’t recognize me anymore?”

Xu Wanchun’s eyes curved as she flashed a row of tiny white teeth like little grains of rice:
“Good morning, Auntie.”

“Ah! And good morning to our Peach Blossom too.”

After nearly a month together, even the seemingly aloof yet warm-hearted Su Nan had grown fond of the child—after all, the little girl was obedient and sweet.

Most importantly, she was very well-mannered.

Suddenly remembering something, Su Nan slapped her forehead and said,
“Wait here a moment.”

She hurried back inside.

About a minute or two later, she returned and placed a little flowered hat on the girl’s head.

With her short hair hidden, the child looked even more delicate. Su Nan appraised her with satisfaction:
“Our Peach Blossom is truly lovely.”

After a month of good food and care, Xu Wanchun had already put on a few extra pounds compared to before.

Her weight was still far below normal, but at least she’d gone from looking like a mung bean sprout to a soybean sprout.

Not exactly beautiful, but at least no longer ugly.

Finally, she’d shaken off labels like “ghastly” and “little freak”—truly something worth celebrating!

Xu Wanchun touched the little hat on her head, her smile even sweeter:
“Thank you, Auntie.”

Seeing that the hat was just made of scraps of cloth stitched together, Xu Hehua relaxed—clearly it hadn’t cost much. She smiled and teased:
“Sister Nan, you’ve gone to such trouble again.”

Su Nan’s expression was gentle:
“It’s only because Peach Blossom is such a lovable child.”

In her life, she had only given birth to one child—Cao Jingliang.

He had always been well-behaved and sensible since he was small. But last year, after Liberation, her husband’s elder brother, who was busy fighting in the army, came home for a visit and tried to persuade her husband to return to service.

Unexpectedly, her husband refused, but her son—only sixteen years old, yet already quite skilled in medicine—insisted on going instead.

A boy full of sincerity and burning passion, eager to serve his country with what he had learned.

And once he left, it had already been a year.

Thinking of this, Su Nan’s face turned wistful. That rascal hadn’t even sent a letter home for three whole months…

---

The big market fair was held in the town.

On the 5th, 10th, and 15th of each month, nearby villagers all came to trade.

Money was rarely used; most exchanges were done by bartering goods.

But there were just too many people. Holding a sesame flatbread in her hands, Xu Wanchun was squeezed and shielded in the middle by her mother and Auntie Su, so she hardly saw anything new.

Oh, no—that wasn’t quite true.

She actually witnessed a 1950s blind date right there at the market.

Young men and women, pretending to shop for needles and thread, but clearly too shy—their faces were as red as cloth, and after stammering for ages, they still couldn’t force out more than a few words. Their parents looked on in exasperation, while Xu Wanchun nearly laughed herself sick from secretly peeking at them.

But her laughter didn’t last long.

When they passed by a grain stall, her mother traded a bolt of cloth for 80 catties of sorghum, loading it onto the donkey’s back—then promptly lifted her up and handed her over.

Xu Wanchun was bewildered:
“Mom?”

“It’s fine,” Xu Hehua brushed her off, then looked at the farmer selling grain.
“Uncle, help me weigh this child—let’s see if she’s put on any meat.”

The uncle clearly wasn’t doing this for the first time. Without a word, he tied a hemp rope around the little girl’s waist, hooked it to the scale, and hoisted her up with ease. He quickly called out the number:
“Twenty-eight jin, six liang. Tall for her weight!”

His booming voice was so loud it startled people nearby into looking over.

She hadn’t expected this, let alone for the man to shout it so publicly. And tall for her weight on top of it… Xu Wanchun covered her face, feeling like she had just died of embarrassment on the spot.

“Too light, lighter than a piglet even… Hah? Now you’re blushing? Such a little one, and already embarrassed so easily.”

Taking back his daughter, Xu Hehua set her securely on the donkey’s back…

Hua was laughing so hard she couldn’t stop.

Even a little kid has self-respect—Xu Wanchun declared inwardly… she didn’t want to talk right now, please let her wallow in silence for five minutes, thank you!

Su Nan had long noticed that the little girl was unusually mature. Seeing her small face flushed scarlet with embarrassment, she stifled her laughter and quickly changed the subject:
“There’s a shadow puppet show over there. Peach Blossom, do you want to take a look?”

Xu Wanchun wasn’t particularly interested, but facing her foster mother—who was still laughing so hard she could barely stand—was even worse. So she reluctantly nodded.

But they never got to see the shadow puppets. The moment Su Nan spotted the postman, she grew excited and rushed toward him.

She hadn’t expected much, just wanted to try her luck—but unexpectedly, there really were letters. Not just one, but several.

When Su Nan carefully pulled out her seal and received four envelopes, her whole face lit up.

The marketplace was packed with people, far from a good place to read letters. With her sharp social sense, Xu Hehua said warmly:
“I’ve finished my trades. Sister Nan, once you sell your herbs, do you still have other errands?”

This time, just from her son alone there were three letters. Su Nan was indeed anxious to get home. Her heart warmed at Xu Hehua’s thoughtfulness, and she gratefully replied:
“No, nothing else.”

Xu Hehua smiled:
“Then let’s stop by the clinic, and after that we’ll head home.”

---

Deyuan Medical Clinic.

This was the place Xu Wanchun had most looked forward to on this trip.

Out of courtesy, she and her foster mother stood some distance away from Auntie Su, so she didn’t know how much the herbs had sold for.

But in that short while, several herbal gatherers came and went, and just from the snippets of conversation that leaked out, Xu Wanchun had already pieced together quite a bit about the current market.

For example, licorice root sold for 0.2 to 0.5 yuan per jin, depending on its quality.

Schisandra berries went for 0.4 to 0.7 yuan per jin. Astragalus ranged from 0.3 to 0.8 yuan.

She hadn’t overheard the rest, but even this much was enough to make her heart race with excitement.

These days, she often ran next door, shamelessly tagging along behind Doctor Cao like a little tail. By now, she could already recognize more than a dozen medicinal herbs.

Maybe tomorrow… when she dragged her foster mother into the mountains to pick wild vegetables, she could give it a try!

She wasn’t the heroine of some novel—she didn’t dare dream about stumbling upon wild ginseng. But common herbs? If she could earn three to five yuan a month, that was very possible.

Don’t underestimate three or five yuan. That was enough for her and her mother to buy more than ten jin of pork. If they bought chicken or fish instead, it would stretch even further.

The more she thought about it, the more she itched to take action immediately…

“What are you daydreaming about again? Time to go home.” Xu Hehua lifted her absent-minded daughter onto the donkey’s back, puzzled.

Her daughter never liked running wild with the other village kids—no matter how they coaxed, she wouldn’t go. Instead, she just sat there daydreaming.

Xu Wanchun snapped back to her senses, realizing Auntie Su had already returned. She couldn’t very well admit she had been fantasizing about eating meat every single meal. So she just grinned and said cheerfully:
“Nothing! Let’s go home, go home!”

Su Nan, in high spirits, pinched the little girl’s now-chubbier cheeks, teasing:
“Our Peach Blossom is really eager to get home, isn’t she?”

Xu Wanchun chuckled:
“Auntie, aren’t you the same?”

Su Nan truly was in a hurry. An hour later, when they finally arrived home and Xu Hehua was unloading their goods from the donkey, Su Nan couldn’t wait a second longer—she tore open one of the letters right on the spot.

At that moment, Xu Wanchun was biting into the malt candy her foster mother had bought her, when a small slip of paper fluttered down onto her shoe.

She froze, then instinctively picked it up—only to find it was a two-inch black-and-white photograph.

In the picture, a young man in military uniform had eyes sharp as blades, yet features as delicate as blossoms.

A paradox—a fusion of cold edge and gentle warmth.

What a… strikingly handsome young man!