Aunt Sun’s trip to the neighboring village was fruitful. Since it wasn’t the busy season for arranging funeral banquets, they said that if she informed them two days in advance, they could handle everything. They also offered to help her find a coffin for sale. After all, they were in this line of work and naturally had their own connections.
When she arrived home, Chen Qing had already prepared dinner. Usually, they ate twice a day on workdays, but recently, since they’d been working in the fields, they’d added a third meal to keep up their strength.
That afternoon, Chen Qing made rice soup. He hadn’t touched the biscuits he’d brought back that morning. Instead, he steamed them again to soften them and make them easier on Aunt Sun’s teeth. In their vegetable patch, a few wild greens had started sprouting tender shoots. These greens were at their best this time of year. You could eat them two or three times before they turned coarse. They weren’t anything special, so there was no point in thinking about selling them. They were just for the family to enjoy.
The greens didn’t require much effort. He just washed them, quickly blanched them in boiling water, and mixed them with coarse salt and a splash of vinegar. They tasted fresh and appetizing.
When Aunt Sun saw the lunch Qing had set out, she knew he hadn’t eaten any of the bread she’d asked him to buy. She sat down, drank some water, and told him what she had learned that day. Chen Qing nodded, then handed her the money he’d earned from selling the embroidered handkerchiefs. “This is the money from the shop. I think the shopkeeper is about ready to lower the price.”
Aunt Sun looked at the copper coins in the little embroidered pouch. “Next time, I’ll go help you negotiate. You keep this money. Buy something you like with it.”
Peddlers would come through the village every now and then, selling embroidery supplies and little treats that young girls and gers liked. Chen Qing never spent money on snacks, only practical things.
He felt he should tell her, “Today, I took a ride on an ox cart. I paid one coin.”
Aunt Sun nodded. “I’ve always told you to ride the cart back. It’s good you listened this time. But isn’t the fare two coins?”
Chen Qing lowered his head. “I met a neighbor and got on halfway.”
Aunt Sun didn’t ask any more questions. She just said, “All right, let’s eat.”
After dinner, Chen Qing offered to do the dishes, but Aunt Sun stopped him. “Go rest first. Then, go get some water. I saw the water jar is almost empty.”
Chen Qing nodded. “Okay.”
Their water came from the communal well, which was a bit of a walk from the house. It always took at least two trips to bring back enough water. Aunt Sun said the big water jar had been carried home by Meng Tao’s father when he was young.
After resting briefly, Chen Qing picked up the buckets and headed out. On his way to the well, he passed the village meeting hall that the village chief had built to “ensure fairness.” Right now, the place was packed with people gathered to discuss something. Not wanting to get caught up in the crowd, Chen Qing quickened his pace.
When he carried the water back, he hurried past the meeting hall again. Despite his thin frame and the weight of the buckets, he could still move quickly. Zhou Yuan, who was about to enter from the other side, noticed him and watched him go before looking away.
The main topics of today’s meeting were Zhou Yuan’s house repairs and who would cook for the workers. The village chief had wanted to give this good job to his own family, but Zhou Yuan was too straightforward. He said it wouldn’t look good to pick anyone in particular, so he insisted they draw lots. The village chief was slightly displeased but didn’t dare argue, so he called everyone together to witness the drawing.
Soon, the village chief explained why everyone had been gathered. The villagers were excited to hear the news, hoping their family would be chosen.
Zhou Yuan looked around at the assembled households and asked the headman, “Is there any family that hasn’t been notified?”
The village chief shook his head. “Everyone’s here.”
Zhou Yuan thought for a moment. “What about Meng Tao’s family?”
The Village Chief froze, his face shifting slightly, then said, “I went to call them earlier, but no one was home. I didn’t want to delay things, so I didn’t wait.”
“In that case, could I trouble you to send word again?” Zhou Yuan asked calmly, holding the lottery jar as if he wouldn’t begin until they had been summoned.
The village chief clenched his teeth and told a boy to run to Chen Qing’s house and fetch them.
He remembered that Zhou Yuan had spoken up for that household earlier. His gaze darkened. At that moment, Zhou Yuan said, “Meng Tao and I served in the same battalion. When he was dying, he asked me to look after his mother.”
“Ah—so that’s how it is,” the village chief murmured awkwardly.
Chen Qing had just returned with water when he saw the village boy waiting by the door. “The village chief wants to see you in the hall.”
Usually, Aunt Sun would go for things like this, but she wasn’t around. He asked if he could wait a little, but the boy said, “The village chief said to hurry. Everyone’s waiting.”
With no other option, Chen Qing went along. When he stepped inside, all eyes turned to him. He dug his toes into the dirt floor, wishing he could vanish on the spot.
“Since everyone’s here, let’s begin,” Zhou Yuan announced.
Only then did Chen Qing realize what this was about. Zhou Yuan needed someone to cook, but to avoid gossip, he decided to draw lots. Chen Qing wanted to say they’d rather not participate, but then he thought, “It’s honest work, and we could really use the money.” He and Aunt Sun could manage it.
However, as soon as he imagined working for Zhou Yuan, he felt awkward again. Before he could decide, the drawing had already begun.
There were 96 households in the village. Aside from a few who opted out, 85 remained. Only one stick in the lot had a red tip.
People went up one by one to draw. Each time, there was a sigh of disappointment. Finally, the jar was placed before Chen Qing. Under everyone’s gaze, he reached in and pulled out a stick. When he saw the red tip, his scalp went numb instantly.
To prove that no trick had been played, Zhou Yuan poured out the remaining sticks. Sure enough, none of the others were marked.
One could only say that Chen Qing’s luck was that good.
Whispers rippled through the crowd at once. Chen Qing, standing alone in the center, heard every word.
“Oh, why did it have to be their family?”
Isn’t that unlucky? Two widowers—doesn’t that bring bad luck to someone else’s house?”
“Foolish. Shouldn’t you know to avoid suspicion in situations like this?”
Chen Qing’s head hung lower and lower. After mumbling something, he gathered his courage to respond. Just as he began to say, “You—” a voice from outside cut through the hall.
“Who are you calling unlucky?” Aunt Sun’s voice boomed across the room. “You lot with your poison tongues are always jealous of others’ good fortune! Everyone knows whose luck is rotten.”
She pulled Chen Qing behind her. “We didn’t cheat. This good fortune comes from Chen Qing’s kindness. Not like certain people who have never done a good deed and can’t even draw a lucky lot!”
“You—”
Aunt Sun glared at Zhou Yuan. “Want to redraw?”
Zhou Yuan shook his head. “No need. I’ll talk over the details with you later, Auntie.”
Hearing this, the village chief naturally didn’t dare object. The crowd slowly began to disperse. Chen Qing followed Aunt Sun out and listened to her scold him.
“They cursed you right to your face! Even if you’re made of clay, you have to stand up for yourself.”
Chen Qing said softly, “I was going to scold them back. But since you came, I didn’t.”
Aunt Sun could imagine exactly how he would “scold” them—probably with a soft plea like “Please don’t talk that way.” She sighed heavily.
“From now on, people are going to be even nastier. If you don’t learn to stand up for yourself, what will you do if something happens to me one day?”
Chen Qing’s breath caught. He looked flustered. “Don’t say things like that.”
She sighed again, then changed the subject. “Anyway, since we’ve accepted the job, we’ll do it properly. You’re good with chores, but you’re too soft. Anyone can push you around.”
She looked at him, remembering the courage it must have taken for him to sell himself all those years ago.
Back home, they tried to figure out what to do next. The problem was that they still needed to plan Meng Tao’s funeral, yet Zhou Yuan seemed eager to rebuild his house. Even if he didn’t mind, they were worried that it would cause conflict.
Aunt Sun thought for a moment. “Let’s ask him if it bothers him first.”
Chen Qing nodded and watched her go find Zhou Yuan. She didn’t take him along, and he was glad.
However, he hadn’t expected things to change so quickly. The carpenter they’d contacted sent word that someone had returned a coffin, claiming there was a crack in it. Normally, coffins weren’t refundable, but the carpenter had no choice but to take it back. Considering their urgent need, he hurried to inform them.
The next morning, Chen Qing went with Aunt Sun to take a look. The coffin only had a few minor flaws, and the price was low, so Aunt Sun decided to buy it on the spot.
This unexpected turn of events made them act quickly. She planned to speak to Zhou Yuan the next day. As expected, he didn’t mind at all. He only asked that she let him know the date, as he had fought alongside Meng Tao and wanted to pay his respects one last time.
When Aunt Sun returned to inform Chen Qing, he felt relieved. They set the date right away and started making preparations.
Naturally, word spread through the village. People pretended to be sympathetic but mocked them behind their backs for wasting money on a burial. Meng Tao didn’t even leave a body, yet they insisted on buying a coffin and holding a funeral.
Chen Qing and Aunt Sun ignored it all and simply did what they felt was right.
The next morning, they headed into town to shop. The funeral workers said they could buy the vegetables themselves while the others handled the cooking. So Aunt Sun took Chen Qing to the market.
The most important thing to buy was pork. Chen Qing also wanted to buy bones like the ones his father used to buy to make broth when he was young. They were so poor, yet his father would bring home bones so that he could at least taste a little meat.
He watched his mother haggle with the butcher over every coin. If it were him, he would just give up and leave when the price was too high. If he didn’t buy something nice, the shopkeeper would complain. His ears would turn bright red, and he’d walk away in embarrassment.
But Aunt Sun wasn’t afraid of embarrassment; she was afraid of wasting money. He wished he could be as firm as she was.
In the end, she convinced the butcher to give her four or five big, clean-scraped bones.
On the way back, their packs were full, so Chen Qing carried them. They’d planned to walk rather than pay for an ox cart, but they didn’t expect to run into Zhou Yuan on the road again.
This time, when Zhou Yuan offered them a ride, Aunt Sun accepted and pulled Chen Qing up onto the cart with her.
He lowered his head and pulled two coins out of his pouch.
Now, both Aunt Sun and Zhou Yuan were looking right at him. He hung his head even lower.
