CHAPTER 5 The Inheritance Left by the Late Husband

 

Looking at the extra eggs in his bowl, Qi Ansheng’s cheek muscles twitched slightly, his expression complex. When his two sons were young and constantly crying out for food, the scrambled eggs his wife made never reached his bowl. As soon as the plate hit the table, it was gone in the blink of an eye.

But today was different. His new daughter-in-law was considerate and thoughtful. Seeing her like this, a warm feeling rose in his heart, and even if he had any lingering resentment toward her, he couldn’t bring himself to express it.

Unaware of what Qi Ansheng was thinking, Xu Shuyue quietly finished her breakfast. Drawing on customs she had seen in television dramas, she prepared a simple sweet red date tea to offer to her in-laws as part of the tea ceremony.

She knelt on the prayer mat that Madam Wei had specifically fetched, holding an enamel bowl with both hands. Her voice was crisp and clear as she said, “Father, Mother, please drink this tea.”

Madam Wei’s eyes welled up with tears as she let out a soft “Ah” and took the bowl, sharing a sip with Qi Ansheng.

After drinking the tea, Madam Wei reached into her pocket and pulled out a small redwood box. She helped Xu Shuyue to her feet and placed the box in her hands. With a warm voice, she said, “Now that you’ve married into our family, you’re our daughter-in-law. Don’t pay any mind to what others say. As long as we live a good life together, that’s all that matters.”

Seeing Xu Shuyue nod in understanding, Madam Wei smiled with satisfaction. Her gaze lingered on the red box, and her expression grew tinged with melancholy.

“All these years, I’ve been saving up bride prices for both our sons. I even had hairpins made for their future wives, designed in the latest styles back then. But now, after so many years, they already look a bit outdated.”

Xu Shuyue opened the box and saw a hairpin resting on a red cloth. The intricate design and gleaming silver immediately drew her attention.

The hairpin was heavier than she expected. Its delicate carvings featured a butterfly on the end, so lifelike it seemed ready to flutter away at any moment.

Xu Shuyue held her breath as she admired it. She looked at Madam Wei and shook her head, speaking sincerely, “Mother, it’s not outdated at all. I love it.”

Madam Wei was momentarily taken aback but soon broke into a radiant smile. “Good, good! As long as you like it. Come here, Shuyue, let me help you put it on.”

Xu Shuyue stepped forward, and Madam Wei carefully adjusted her hair before securing the hairpin. Leaning back to admire her handiwork, she exclaimed, “Our Shuyue is truly beautiful!”

Qi Ansheng, who had been quietly watching them, also nodded. Xu Shuyue’s features were delicate and lovely, but her time with her uncle’s family had left her haggard and gaunt, her thin frame making her beauty seem fragile. Even her complexion was pale and sallow.

Unable to hold back, Qi Ansheng reassured her, “Our family might not be rich, but you’ll never go hungry here. Don’t hesitate to eat your fill. Your mother and I can provide for you.”

His words carried the tone of a father comforting his daughter.

A wave of warmth surged through Xu Shuyue’s heart. At first, she had been furious about being forced into an arranged ghost marriage, but Madam Wei’s kindness had soothed her anger. Now, Qi Ansheng’s sincerity eased her lingering anxieties.

Her situation became clear, and for the first time, she felt a sense of hope.

After the tea ceremony, the topic turned to practical matters.

Xu Shuyue’s suggestion from earlier that morning had taken root in Qi Ansheng’s mind. To be honest, the family earned barely enough from selling fruit to cover taxes and food for everyone. Saving anything beyond that was a distant dream.

In recent years, fruit prices had plummeted. The family had even watched some of their uneaten fruit rot in the cellar. This year, they had been forced to dip into their savings to pay for their younger son Qi Qingfeng’s school fees. If this continued, Qi Ansheng was already considering selling off a few of their fruit trees just to get by.

Madam Wei, who was well aware of the family’s struggles, spoke up in her husband’s stead. “Shuyue, what you said earlier—are you serious?”

Normally, a new daughter-in-law wouldn’t be involved in the family’s business matters on her first day, but with only two elders left in the Qi household, clinging to such formalities was meaningless.

Xu Shuyue understood their hesitation. Producing candied fruit would require an initial investment, and for a struggling family, even a small investment meant dipping into their savings. If it succeeded, everyone would rejoice. But if it failed, it would only make their situation worse.

Madam Wei and Qi Ansheng couldn’t afford to take that risk lightly.

Sensing their concerns, Xu Shuyue responded seriously, “Father, Mother, making candied fruit is actually very simple. For now, we can start small—at most, it’ll only cost us a bit of firewood.

“There’s still plenty of firewood in the house. Once the snow melts, we can go up the mountain to gather more. It’s just a bit of extra effort, and since the fruit will spoil if we don’t sell it anyway, why not give it a try?”

Madam Wei’s expression softened as her resolve wavered. She asked cautiously, “Are you sure it’ll only use up some firewood?”

The Qi family’s firewood stockpile was more than adequate. Aside from what they used for cooking and heating, they had half a room full of extra wood. Like the unsold fruit, the firewood was just sitting there. Using some to test the idea didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

Madam Wei turned to Qi Ansheng, wanting to know his thoughts. Xu Shuyue also looked at him expectantly.

After a long silence, Qi Ansheng finally stood up. Without any explanation he said, “Come with me.”

Xu Shuyue was momentarily stunned. What did he mean? She glanced at Madam Wei, who now wore a faintly joyful expression, and suddenly understood. Excitement bubbled up inside her. Supporting Madam Wei by the arm, she followed Qi Ansheng out of the house.

The three of them descended into the cellar. The pitch-black space swallowed all light, and Xu Shuyue struggled to see her footing. Her malnourished body had left her with slightly impaired vision, making it even harder for her to navigate the darkness.

“Old man, are you down there yet? Hurry and light the lamp—I can’t see a thing,” Madam Wei called out.

Xu Shuyue blinked in surprise. She quickly realized that Madam Wei, who must have been familiar with the cellar’s layout from countless visits, was pretending to be unable to see—for her sake. The one who truly couldn’t see was Xu Shuyue.

Gratitude swelled in her chest. Just as she was about to say something, Qi Ansheng’s voice came from ahead. “Alright, you can come down now.”

The soft glow of candlelight lit up the cellar, and Madam Wei gave Xu Shuyue’s hand a reassuring pat. Returning to her senses, Xu Shuyue carefully followed her mother-in-law down the steps.

With the light, Xu Shuyue could finally see the cellar’s size and how many fruits were stored inside.

Looking at the piles of fruit filling half the cellar, Xu Shuyue couldn’t hide her astonishment. “There’s still this much left?”

“No one wants to buy them at a high price, and at a low price, people look down on them.” Madam Wei sighed. “Ordinary folks can barely fill their stomachs, let alone buy fruit.”

Low prices hurt farmers.

With no other choice, Qi Ansheng sighed deeply. “Alright, wife. Let’s bring up one sack first and let Shuyue give it a try.”

Madam Wei nodded and asked, “Shuyue, do you want to start with pears or apples?”

Back in her previous life, Xu Shuyue had made dried fruit from both pears and apples using an oven. Here, without a modern oven, she planned to use the heat from the stove or the kang bed to dry them. Since she wasn’t entirely confident, she thought for a moment before replying, “Could we try both?”

Madam Wei laughed. “Why not?” She turned to Qi Ansheng and said, “Old man, I’ll go up and grab a bamboo basket for the pears. You take the apples up first.”

Before Qi Ansheng could respond, Xu Shuyue quickly said, “Father, I’ll help you.”

Qi Ansheng glanced at her thin arms and legs, doubting she could even lift a sack, let alone carry one up. Waving her off, he said, “No need. It’s just one sack of apples—I’m not that weak yet.”

With that, he hoisted the sack of apples onto his back and began climbing the wooden stairs. The weight caused the stairs to creak and groan with each step.

Xu Shuyue, half amused and half worried, could only watch nervously as his figure disappeared into the light above. Soon, Madam Wei came back down, and together with Xu Shuyue, they filled a basket with pears and carried it up to the courtyard.

Though the two elders were used to heavy labor and carried the fruit with ease, Xu Shuyue, unaccustomed to such work, found herself panting and clutching her waist by the time they reached the top.

Once she caught her breath, Xu Shuyue eagerly said, “Father, Mother, the first step is to wash the fruit, peel it, and cut it into pieces or slices.”

This step was simple but tedious.

Madam Wei gathered all the pots and basins in the house while Qi Ansheng fetched a full bucket of water from the well and poured it into a large wooden tub.

The splashing water soaked the hem of Xu Shuyue’s pants, but she casually rolled them up and took a deep breath before grabbing an apple and dunking it into the tub. To her surprise, the well water wasn’t as cold as she had expected.

Seeing her surprise, Madam Wei chuckled as she rolled up Xu Shuyue’s loose sleeves and explained, “This well was dug by your father. He hired someone from the town to do it. In summer, the water’s cooler than other wells, and in winter, it’s warmer.”

“That’s amazing,” Xu Shuyue said in admiration.

Madam Wei smiled proudly. “Isn’t it?”

The two women worked efficiently, washing the fruit with practiced movements.

Xu Shuyue found the cloth wrapping on her injured finger cumbersome and decided to remove it. The cut was small, and when Madam Wei glanced at it and saw it wasn’t serious, she let her be, but she strictly forbade her from handling the knife.

Cutting the fruit fell to Qi Ansheng, who surprised Xu Shuyue with his precise knife skills.

The apple chunks he cut were uniform in size, and the pear slices were thin and even, laid neatly in the basin. Just looking at them was satisfying.

Once they had enough for a full pot, Xu Shuyue turned to Madam Wei and reminded her, “Mother, let’s light the fire and steam a batch first.”

“How long should it steam?” Madam Wei asked, wiping her hands on her apron as she stood up.

Xu Shuyue recalled her experience and replied, “Steam it on high heat for about ten… uh, I mean, for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.”

[time it takes to burn a stick of incense= 10-15 minutes]

Madam Wei didn’t notice her brief hesitation and went straight to work, lighting the fire under the steaming pot.

Relieved, Xu Shuyue carried the basin of prepared fruit to the kitchen and set it down, taking her familiar position by the stove to tend the fire.

Madam Wei noticed this and couldn’t help but smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling with warmth. The two of them worked together seamlessly—one tending the fire and the other arranging the fruit chunks on the steaming rack. With water added to the pot, they began steaming the fruit over high heat.

The three of them worked in harmony, and by midday, they had steamed dozens of pounds of fruit. Some pieces, which had become too soft during steaming, were set aside by Madam Wei to make fruit porridge with rice. Paired with some pickled vegetables, this became their simple yet satisfying lunch.

After lunch, Xu Shuyue returned to her room to tidy up, planning to make space for the fruit-drying process.

While arranging her belongings, Madam Wei entered the room. Her eyes were immediately drawn to a dusty gray jacket lying on the bed. Her expression softened, and her eyes glistened with tears.

Noticing Madam Wei’s reaction, Xu Shuyue hesitated. She was about to say something but stopped when she saw the pain in Madam Wei’s eyes. Changing her approach, she picked up the jacket and casually said, “Mother, is this… is this my husband’s?”