Chapter 6 Returning Home

 

When Madam Wei picked up the gray jacket, a flood of memories came rushing back, and she began to speak, her voice tinged with sorrow.

“It’s Siming’s. I made this jacket for him when he was about to join the army. The silver inside… I put it there myself,” she said, tears forming in her eyes. She had tucked coins and silver into each of Qi Siming’s clothes when packing for him.

For someone going to war, it was rare to return alive. Madam Wei didn’t want him to go, but military service was not something she could control.

“Your father had injured his leg at the time and couldn’t move, and Qingfeng (the younger son) was too young. Neither of them could go, so Siming had to,” Madam Wei explained, her voice heavy.

Xu Shuyue was puzzled. “Couldn’t you have used money to avoid it?”

Madam Wei shook her head bitterly. “Silly child, you can pay to avoid labor taxes, but not military service. Besides, where would we have gotten that much silver?”

There was no other option—only Qi Siming could go.

Wiping the tears on the back of her hand, Madam Wei continued, “Siming was a good boy. Once he made up his mind, no one could dissuade him. That night, without even saying goodbye, he left.”

Xu Shuyue could almost picture the scene: Madam Wei waking up the next morning to call Siming for breakfast, only to find his room empty. The panic and despair she must have felt were easy to imagine.

The family hadn’t forced Siming to go, but the circumstances of the time had. As the eldest son, he had no other choice but to walk down a path of nine lives for one chance at survival.

Xu Shuyue felt a heavy weight in her heart after hearing this, but it only made her more determined to succeed.

There has to be a way to change this. Even if ordinary families face hardships like this, I refuse to believe that wealthy landlords and merchants in town are dealing with the same issues. Money solves most problems in life, and if it doesn’t, it just means you don’t have enough.

Her resolve strengthened, Xu Shuyue, brimming with energy, waited until Madam Wei had calmed down before saying, “Mother, let’s start using the heated kang bed to dry the fruit. We’ll need to steam the pears and apples at least three times to get the best results.”

Madam Wei hesitated, glancing at the empty kang bed. She seemed about to object but ultimately decided to trust Xu Shuyue. She headed inside to wake up Qi Ansheng, who was napping, and had him prepare the kang.

While waiting, the two women laid clean bamboo mats on the kang bed and carefully arranged the steamed fruit pieces on top.

Once everything was in place, Qi Ansheng finished preparing the kang. Within half an hour, the room grew noticeably warmer, a stark contrast to the icy cold of the night before.

Having grown up in the city, Xu Shuyue wasn’t used to the intense heat of a fire-warmed kang. Soon, a fine layer of sweat formed on her forehead.

Qi Ansheng, worried that the heat wasn’t sufficient, continued adding firewood to the stove. Alarmed, Xu Shuyue quickly stopped him. “Father! That’s enough!”

“Enough already?” Qi Ansheng asked, looking uncertain.

He still remembered the shopkeeper in town complaining about how difficult it was to dry fruit properly—it took days of strong sunlight to get good results. He wasn’t convinced the kang alone could do the job.

Seeing his doubt, Xu Shuyue earnestly reassured him. “It’s enough. Trust me.”

Madam Wei noticed Xu Shuyue’s unfamiliarity with the kang and realized that she must not have grown up using one. How on earth did she get through winters at her uncle’s house? The thought made her heart ache even more.

Patting her husband’s shoulder, Madam Wei added gently, “Even if it’s not enough, we can always add more later. Don’t worry.”

Qi Ansheng thought for a moment and agreed. He set down the firewood, and the room fell quiet.

As the three of them rested, Madam Wei’s mind wandered back to the gray jacket. She couldn’t stop thinking about it and eventually said, “Tomorrow, let’s go to town and buy a memorial tablet for Siming.”

The room grew heavy with sadness at her words.

After a long silence, Qi Ansheng finally replied, his voice tinged with weariness, “Whatever you say.”

That one sentence seemed to drain him completely. His back, once strong and upright, now appeared stooped and frail.

“And we’ll gather a few people to dig him a proper grave,” Qi Ansheng added. “When Qingming Festival comes, he’ll have a place to return to—a home.”

Xu Shuyue, unable to contribute to this discussion, stayed quiet, lowering her presence as much as possible. She busied herself by turning the fruit pieces to check on their progress.

Qi Ansheng, meanwhile, began mentally listing the people he could call on for help. In the slow winter months, he figured they’d have time to assist. “We’ll ask the Liang brothers, Zhuzi, and Second Uncle,” he said.

The Liang brothers and Zhuzi had grown up with Siming, so they wouldn’t refuse. Second Uncle, being one of the village elders, could oversee the process.

Madam Wei didn’t object to Qi Ansheng’s plan but couldn’t help worrying. The events of the wedding day were still fresh in her mind. The villagers’ sharp tongues and harsh gossip made her fear that even Siming’s childhood friends might resent Xu Shuyue’s presence.

By evening, thanks to the kang, they had successfully dried over 70 pounds of fruit, which yielded about 10 pounds of dried fruit that fit neatly into a small bamboo basket.

Xu Shuyue picked up a piece and tasted it carefully. The dried apple was perfectly sweet and tart, with a chewy texture that made it satisfying to eat. Even the slight astringency of the fruit became a unique charm when paired with its rich flavor.

The dried pear, on the other hand, was less impressive. It lacked the balance of flavor that the apples had and seemed better suited for making tea than eating directly.

Satisfied with the results, she turned to Madam Wei and Qi Ansheng, who had also tasted the fruits, and asked, “Father, Mother, what do you think?”

Madam Wei was eating her second piece of dried apple, her face lighting up with excitement. The fresh fragrance of the fruit lingered in her mouth, and her cloudy eyes sparkled with delight. “It’s just as good as the ones sold in town! Shuyue, where did you learn to do this? You’ve really solved a huge problem for our family!”

Qi Ansheng, ever the practical one, gave his assessment. “It’s still a little soft. Let’s dry it for another day tomorrow.”

Xu Shuyue nodded and smiled at Madam Wei. “I figured it out on my own. My older uncle once told me that my mother was an excellent cook. I guess I inherited her talent.”

Madam Wei froze for a moment, touched, before gently patting Xu Shuyue on the head with a look of pity.

—

That night, Madam Wei couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned, her thoughts running in circles.

Her restlessness soon disturbed Qi Ansheng, who opened his eyes with a sigh. “What’s wrong now?”

Madam Wei stared at the dark ceiling above and let out a deep breath. After a pause, she finally asked, “Tomorrow is Shuyue’s return to her family. What should we send with her as gifts?”

Qi Ansheng frowned. “Does Shuyue even want to go back?”

Madam Wei froze at his response, then swatted him lightly in annoyance. “What kind of talk is that? No matter what, her uncle is her only remaining family. Blood is thicker than water. There’s no deep hatred between them—”

Qi Ansheng cut her off. “You’ve already forgotten how things were the day we took her away? She and her aunt got into such a fight!”

Of course, Madam Wei hadn’t forgotten. To be honest, she didn’t want Xu Shuyue to go back either. After all, there’s a saying: where there’s a stepmother, there’s a stepfather. In Shuyue’s case, her uncle wasn’t much better.

Who knew what kinds of things Madam Chen said about Shuyue behind her back? Even in public, Madam Chen didn’t bother pretending to care for her. Heaven only knew what she was like in private.

Thinking about how Xu Shuyue, a young girl, had been mistreated to the point of being skin and bones, Madam Wei’s heart ached. Just that afternoon, when Shuyue helped carry some fruit, her thin arms had trembled so much it made Madam Wei’s chest tighten with worry.

“But Shuyue’s reputation isn’t good to begin with. If word gets out that she didn’t even go back to visit her family, who knows what people will say about her?” Madam Wei admitted, voicing her real concern.

Qi Ansheng, half-asleep and unable to think clearly, muttered, “That child is smart. She knows what’s what. Why are you worrying so much?”

“You don’t understand.”

Once again, Qi Ansheng didn’t understand. Frustrated, he rolled over and decided to sleep.

Hearing the sound of his snores, Madam Wei was so irritated she gave him a sharp pinch in the dark. But after a while, she sighed deeply into the silence of the room.

The next morning, Xu Shuyue woke up naturally, feeling well-rested. Seeing the daylight shining through the gaps in the window, she suddenly worried that she might have overslept. Hurriedly, she got dressed and pushed open the door.

Outside, she noticed the snow had stopped. Turning her head, she saw Qi Ansheng sweeping the snow from the courtyard. Without looking up, he said flatly, “Your mother is calling for you.”

Xu Shuyue’s heart sank. A jumble of thoughts filled her mind. Had she really woken up too late and made Madam Wei angry?

Lowering her head, she walked nervously to the main room and pushed the door open. Her eyes immediately landed on a slab of cured meat and a basket of eggs on the table. She was taken aback.

Madam Wei saw her confusion and immediately understood—this girl had completely forgotten about returning to her family. Madam Wei had spent the entire night worrying about this, only for Xu Shuyue to not even remember the custom.

That realization lightened Madam Wei’s mood considerably. She waved Xu Shuyue over and gently instructed, “Eat your breakfast, then take these gifts to visit your uncle’s family. Stay for a while if you feel like it. If not, you can come right back.”

Xu Shuyue hesitated. “Aren’t you and Father going to find someone to make… my husband’s grave?” She still found it hard to refer to Qi Siming as her husband.

“That can wait until you’re back,” Madam Wei said calmly.

The truth was, Madam Wei was worried about leaving Shuyue alone. If she went back to her uncle’s house and her uncle and aunt mistreated her again, there wouldn’t be anyone to protect her.

Unlike the day of the marriage proposal, things were different now. Back then, Xu Shuyue hadn’t been part of their family yet, so Madam Wei had no reason to intervene. But now that she was their daughter-in-law, Madam Wei wasn’t about to stand by and let her be bullied.

While Madam Wei’s protective instincts went unnoticed by Xu Shuyue, the thought of returning to her family filled the girl with frustration.

“Do I really have to go back to my uncle’s house?” she asked, clearly annoyed.

The cured meat and eggs were valuable gifts in this village, a clear sign that the Qi family valued her. But the thought of giving these gifts to Madam Chen only made her more reluctant.

Madam Wei, confused by the question, asked, “Where else would you go?”

An hour later, Xu Shuyue was walking along the village path, carrying a basket filled with paper offerings and gold ingots for burning.

The sun was now high in the sky, and after days of snow, the villagers were taking advantage of the rare clear weather to shovel the snow from their doorways.

When they spotted Xu Shuyue, some people immediately frowned, their expressions darkening.

“Why is that jinx wandering around again?”

“Who knows? Hey, isn’t today the second day since she married into the Qi family? Maybe she’s going back to visit her family!”

The mention of a return visit stirred curiosity among the villagers. One of them, unable to resist, raised their voice and called out, “Xu family girl, where are you off to?”

Xu Shuyue turned her head, her smile sweet but calculated. Lifting the cloth covering her basket, she revealed the gold ingots inside. Her eyes curved with mischief as she replied, “I’m going home to visit my family.”