Chapter 126: Xuemei of the Qi Family

On the morning of the eighteenth of June, after breakfast, Gu Chengyong hitched the carriage. With Li, Gu Chengren, Feng, and Wu sitting inside and plenty of gifts packed, the group set off for the county seat. They were heading into town to find a matchmaker and needed to prepare engagement gifts; they couldn't afford to go too late, or nothing would be easy to arrange.

With Li and the others gone, the old master led the remaining children and grandchildren out to work in the fields. The crops had grown quite tall by now, and the bean fields needed another weeding. Since the Gu family had planted a significant amount of beans, there was plenty of work to be done.

Because Feng had left, Wenxiu was a bit worried about the house. He told his grandfather that morning that they would stay behind to feed the pigs and chickens instead of working in the fields. Besides, they needed to head into the mountains to collect firewood. Since the old master knew Wenxiu and the others weren't yet skilled at weeding, he agreed, allowing Wenxiu and Wenqi to stay home to look after the house.

Wenqing had left early that morning leading the ox, while Wenjing had taken Wen'an off somewhere to play. Xu, for her part, had vanished right after breakfast. Zhao, however, stayed in her room with her daughter, doing needlework. Now that she was pregnant, she focused entirely on the arrival of her child, spending every spare moment sewing small clothes and blankets.

Wenfang, Wenfei, and Wenying had been learning needlework from their mother and Feng for some time. While they weren't quite ready for embroidery, they were capable of basic mending. The three of them sat by their mother’s side, helping with the chores.

Because Gu Chengyong and his wife had left in such a hurry, Feng hadn't had time to prepare the pig swill. Wenxiu helped Jiaoyan make it, then carried the wooden bucket to feed the pigs. The Gu family’s pigsty was in the east courtyard. As Wenxiu poured the slop into the trough, the pigs came scrambling over excitedly.

Watching these hungry creatures fighting for their food, Wenxiu found it amusing. "Eat up, eat up. Once you're fattened, I’ll slaughter you for the winter."

After feeding the pigs, Wenxiu was walking back with the bucket when he saw someone entering the Gu family gate. It was a girl of about eleven or twelve, wearing a peach-colored dress and carrying a basket on her arm. It was none other than Xuemei from the Qi family.

"Sister Xuemei, why are you here? My grandmother and the others aren't home," Wenxiu said, assuming she had come to look for Li.

Qi Xuemei looked at Wenxiu and smiled. "Brother Wenxiu, I'm not looking for Grandma Gu. I came to find Wenfang and Jiaoniang. The apricots in our orchard are ripe, so I picked some to bring over for you to taste." As she spoke, she lifted the basket and shook it slightly toward him.

Inside the basket were golden apricots, a few fragrant melons with distinct markings, and some bright red cherries wrapped in large leaves.

Although the Gu family had a large garden, Li was quite stubborn and forbade the planting of fruit trees, so they had none of these fruits. When they first returned, Gu Chengyong had suggested planting some melons to give the children a treat, but Li had scolded him soundly, calling him indulgent and saying he didn't know how to manage a household.

"Oh, thank you, Sister Xuemei. Come, Jiaoniang is in the west courtyard; I'll take you there," Wenxiu said, smiling as he took the basket from her. "It’s quite heavy, sorry for the trouble."

Xuemei pursed her lips and smiled. "It's fine. Country girls have plenty of strength; I didn't feel a thing." She often did chores at home, so this was nothing to her.

"Look at you, you don't look like a country girl at all," Wenxiu said with a shake of his head and a laugh.

The Qi family was one of the wealthier households in the village, and they lived quite comfortably. Xuemei was pampered by her family, and her food and clothing were far better than those of other girls in the village. Combined with her natural beauty, she appeared quite exceptional.

Hearing Wenxiu’s words, Xuemei’s face flushed a deep red for some reason. She stopped talking and followed him with her head down until they reached the west courtyard.

"Sister Wenfang, Wenfei, Jiaoniang, come out! Xuemei brought us something delicious!" Wenxiu shouted from the yard.

Wenfang and Wenfei heard him and set down their work to come out. Jiaoyan was busy tidying the kitchen, but hearing her brother’s voice, she washed the rag, wiped her hands, and stepped out.

"Sister Xuemei, why did you have time to come over today?" Jiaoyan now recognized almost everyone in the village, and she knew Xuemei well.

"Some of the fruit in our orchard is ready. My grandmother said your family surely didn't have any, so she told me to bring some over for you to try." Xuemei was a straightforward girl who got along well with Jiaoyan; seeing her, she smiled warmly.

By now, Wenxiu had placed the basket on a large wooden stump in the yard, and Jiaoyan saw the contents. "Oh, the apricots are ready, and there are cherries and melons, too! Sister Xuemei, your melons are ready to eat so early? That's wonderful."

Back in the south, Jiaoyan had been used to having plenty of fruit during this season, but upon returning, the Gu family had none. Because the climate here was different, these fruits were rarely seen in the markets. Jiaoyan loved fruit but had been forced to do without.

She was delighted that Xuemei had brought so much. "Sister Xuemei, you didn't have to bring so much; these are quite rare."

"What's rare about them? My orchard is full of them; we don't even have time to pick them all. If you like them, just come over and pick whatever you want. We even planted two mu of watermelons; when those are ripe in a while, you must come over to eat them," Xuemei said with an indifferent wave of her hand.

The Qi family had always been on good terms with Gu Chengyong, and since Miao Suwen had helped treat the elderly Mrs. Qi, the family had grown even fonder of Jiaoyan.

Jiaoyan didn't stand on ceremony; she picked up a golden apricot and handed it to Zhao. "Third Aunt, you're the one who needs to eat more fruit. Eat this; it's good for the baby." Zhao rarely ate vegetables in the Gu household, let alone fruit. In her condition, she needed to supplement her nutrition, especially vitamins.

Zhao took the apricot, looking touched. "You children eat, you eat. I don't care for these." Zhao doted on her children; whenever there was something good, she always wanted to save it for them. These fruits were nothing to other families, but in the Gu house, they were a luxury. Zhao felt reluctant to eat; one bite from an adult was a whole meal for a child.

Xuemei heard what Jiaoyan had said and turned to Zhao, quickly adding, "Aunt, please eat it, it's alright. We have plenty at home. Later, I'll take Wenying to pick some more; you can eat as much as you like."

"Mother, just eat it. It's good for the baby," Wenfei encouraged from the side.

Zhao had no choice but to take a bite. The sweet and sour taste was very appetizing. She had been suffering from morning sickness lately, but the apricot seemed to soothe her nausea.

"Mmh, it's quite good. It’s not very sour, though; if it were a bit greener, it would be even sourer," Zhao murmured almost subconsciously.

Jiaoyan’s eyes crinkled with a smile. Zhao craving sour things was a good sign. Old folks always said, "Sour for a boy, spicy for a girl." If Zhao liked sour, it meant there was a good chance she was carrying a boy. "Sister Xuemei, can we go to your place and pick some green apricots?"

Xuemei was more than happy to oblige. "Of course! What's the problem with that? Let's go, let's pick some apricots." She turned to leave.

"Xuemei, wait, you need to empty the basket and take it back," Wenxiu said, finding a wooden basin to gather the fruit from the basket before handing it back to her.

"Look at me, so careless, I almost forgot the basket," Xuemei said, slapping her forehead in mock annoyance. "Brother Wenxiu, thank you. Why don't you come with us to pick the apricots? You're a boy, you can climb the trees. Since Third Aunt wants green ones, those can't be shaken down."

With nothing urgent to do, Wenxiu thought it over and agreed. "Alright, I'll go help pick some. Third Aunt, wait here, I'll go get you some green ones."

"No need for the trouble, climbing trees is dangerous," Zhao said, trying to stop him. She did crave the green apricots, but she didn't want Wenxiu to be in danger. She couldn't let her cravings put him at risk.

"Third Aunt, it's fine. I climb trees all the time; it's nothing. Just wait at home. If Wenqi comes back, tell him to wait for me; we'll head into the mountains to collect firewood later." Wenxiu smiled, ignored her protests, and left with Jiaoyan, Xuemei, and Wenfei.

"Sister Wenfang, Wenying, you two stay here and keep Third Aunt company. Keep an ear out toward the east courtyard, too. There’s no one there, so make sure no strangers wander in," Wenxiu instructed before leaving.

Xuemei glanced back at Wenxiu. Despite his young age, he was quite thoughtful. His sensitivity and gentle, polite nature were truly different from the other boys in the village who only knew how to cause trouble. Xuemei’s fondness for Wenxiu grew even more.

The group left the Gu house and headed toward the Qi family’s home, which was quite close to the Gu family’s old residence—now the Miao family's home. As it happened, Shaoyuan hadn't gone to the mountains today and heard Jiaoyan’s voice from the courtyard. He ran out, asking, "Brother Wenxiu, Yan'er, where are you all going?"