Chapter 7

The next day Zhao Deqian and I rode into Taoyuan Town with the tofu cart.

At noon the eatery hung its new menu on the wall.

Some customers, tempted by novelty, ordered a plate of fried mung-bean ge. One bite and they brightened: it was crisp and delicious, with a rich mung-bean fragrance.

Most important, it was cheap—six cash a plate.

There is no shortage of people who love food. Food is heaven to the people, after all.

Once someone took the lead, the other diners grew curious. Some ordered ge rolls with meat; some sweet-and-sour ge; some free-handed guests called for a full eight-dish ge banquet.

Father watched the crowd filling the shop and happily shook his head. “A tiger father has no dog daughter.”

Me: “…Fine. Whoever is older is right.”

Dewan and Deguan both lived in town now. After leaving the eatery, Zhao Deqian and I went to Guzhu Academy and Carpenter Li’s house.

Since our family had made a new food, we could not be stingy. We had to let the academy teachers and Carpenter Li and his wife taste it.

The academy had strict rules, so we could not see Dewan. We only asked the old gatekeeper to take the food in.

At the Li house, Carpenter Li was teaching Deguan to make a Luban lock in a wooden shed.

“Uncle Li, has our Deguan caused you trouble?” Zhao Deqian asked attentively, offering a small basket of mung-bean ge like a respectful junior.

Carpenter Li was a straightforward man. “The boy is sharp as a knife, though he likes to be lazy sometimes.”

“Then beat him hard. Don’t spare him.”

Carpenter Li laughed. “I’m only afraid your mother will dote on her youngest.”

After more than a month apart, Deguan seemed taller. It was clear he lived quite well with the Lis. They had no children, and saved their best food and drink for him. They already seemed to treat their apprentice as a son.

Zhao Deqian had said privately that if things continued well, Deguan could support his master and mistress in their old age.

But that was for later.

Leaving the Lis, Zhao Deqian told me to return to the eatery and rest, then disappeared mysteriously.

At sunset he finally returned carrying several large new parcels. On the road home, joy shone through him so clearly that even his steps were lighter.

I asked, “Good news?”

He turned and smiled. “With you here, every day is good news.”

Me: “…”

Had he taken the wrong medicine? Why was he suddenly saying things that made my heart race?

At night, when I saw the bright-red silk bedding and dragon-and-phoenix wedding candles in the side room, I understood.

Zhao Deqian meant to—

To consummate our marriage?

My cheeks flamed. I stood beneath the kang, twisting awkwardly, not knowing where to put hands or feet.

“I wasn’t there on our wedding day. I made you suffer for it.”

His face was red too. But he was a rough man and could not make his shy little wife take the lead. He stepped forward, wrapped an arm around my waist, and lifted me onto the kang in one motion.

The brick kang was hot. So were our bodies.

I twisted in his arms, half resisting and half yielding. “Didn’t you say you were injured? What, are you better now?”

Zhao Deqian blew out the dragon-and-phoenix candles dripping dark-red wax and gave a low laugh against my ear. “Better or not, why not find out?”

Me: “…”

Then find out we did.

We had been married four or five months. If we did not try now, even heaven would be anxious.

I discovered another strength of Zhao Deqian’s.

He seemed to have energy that could never be spent.

Every day he made more than ten boxes of tofu with the aunties, then dozens of sheets of mung-bean ge. At night he was not tired at all and could still keep at things until deep midnight.

Ah, it was rather troublesome.

At last I understood what sweet worry meant.

Winter gradually entered Taoshui Village. By the twelfth lunar month, more and more diners came by name to taste mung-bean ge, and Mother’s eyes grew brighter every day.

One day heavy snow fell in the mountains. Zhao Deqian rose early to shovel the courtyard, while I made a steaming pot of ge soup with cured pork.

Every household in Taoshui had the custom of inviting guests in the twelfth month. Villagers helped one another all year: today you helped me, tomorrow I helped him, and the day after he helped you. Farmers were sincere, and most would never shamelessly take wages for their labor.

So even the poorest family warmly fed the men of other households in the twelfth month.

That day, after Zhao Deqian cleared snow and made tofu and ge, he went to Uncle Wang’s house for a meal. Mother and I sat at the kang sewing quilts.

The snow outside looked like jade, the stove on the kang glowed warm red. It was a rare country picture.

Then light footsteps sounded in the yard. A woman called happily beyond the curtain, “Mother, Mother, I’m back!”

Mother froze. So did I. A moment later, a woman in a flowered headscarf rushed in with a small gray cloth bundle.

“You are?”

Mother narrowed her eyes, peering hard. The woman’s cheeks were red from cold. Sniffling, she shoved me aside and threw her arms around Mother’s waist.

“Mother, I’m A-Lian, your second son’s wife. Your eyes are better? Oh, it must be that my daily prayers moved heaven, and heaven sent this blessing. Mother, this time I won’t leave. We’ll live a flourishing life together.”

Me: “…”

Second son’s wife?

Where had this second son’s wife come from?

Could she be the troublesome wife who had run from Zhao Deqian before?

But if she was Zhao Deqian’s wife, who was Pan Xi’er?

I was fierce by nature. In a few sentences she sent my temper shooting to the crown of my head.

I was about to roll up my sleeves and tear into her, but Mother winked hard at me.

Without showing anything, Mother pushed A-Lian away. “Oh, it’s A-Lian. Where have you been? Don’t you know that a married woman must serve her mother-in-law?”

A-Lian wiped tears with her sleeve. “Mother, I had no choice.”

“Tell me why.”

“You know I have a widowed mother. Before I married into the Zhao family, she forced me to demand ten more taels from my husband’s family for her support. I refused and she threatened death. Later I pretended to agree, then hurried home on my wedding day to cry that my husband’s family had driven me out, hoping she would soften. But she was truly hard-hearted and would not let me return. She is a mother, and you are a mother. I missed you until I fell ill. That is why I found a chance to run back. I won’t leave again. I’ll live properly with Second Brother. As for others—”

She gave me a disdainful, triumphant look.

“Don’t be fooled by someone unclean. Looking like a fox spirit, what can she do besides seduce men?”

Mother nodded calmly.

“So you mean you can do everything? Good. I’m thirsty. Ladle me some water.”

“Yes!” A-Lian joyfully ran to the kitchen and brought a scoop of fresh well water.

Mother took it steadily, then flung the icy scoop straight into A-Lian’s face. Before A-Lian’s scream could leave her throat, several crisp slaps struck her cheeks.

“Pah! You black-hearted whore with a man outside, and you have the nerve to return!”

“Did you hear our Zhao family is prospering and come back to swindle silver again?”

“Do you think this old woman is really blind? Can’t I tell good people from bad? You call my daughter-in-law a fox spirit? I’ll tell you this: my daughter-in-law was born beautiful, kind-hearted, and hardworking. She is better than you, you crooked melon and cracked date, by far!”

“You cursed pestilence, I’ll scratch you to death today!”

Me: “…”

Though Mother was old, she had a special fighting method: she pulled hair.

A-Lian had come smiling, entirely unprepared to be grabbed by the hair. Her moment of shock put her at a disadvantage. I watched Mother drag her to the ground by her hair and, without easing up, spit several great mouthfuls of phlegm on her face.

I did not move, because I was stunned.

Half a year in the Zhao family and I had never known Mother could fight with a viciousness equal to the village butcher’s.

I had thought she was fierce only with words.

I should have guessed. A widow who raised several sons alone must have something formidable in her.

Hair disordered and mouth bleeding, A-Lian lay on the ground howling, “Old hag, I’ll report you to the yamen!”

“Go report me! If you don’t, may your future son be born without an asshole!”

“You old witch, just wait!”

The old woman and the young one clawed and cursed, neither willing to let go or stop talking.

Then the heavy door curtain flew up. Someone came through the snowstorm and planted himself before me, shielding me tightly behind his broad chest.

It was my father, Pan Fugui.

“Father, why are you here in this snow?”

“I brought you a warming pot. Oh, what is this? In-law, let go. Don’t pull this pretty little wife bald. What? Who am I? I’m a great wealthy man from town, with mountains of silver I can’t spend in eight lifetimes. Guess what? This old man took one look and liked you. Why stay here? Come with me. You’ll wear gold and silver, eat and drink fine things, listen to songs and watch dances, command servants—”

Father turned into a street rogue before our eyes. With shameless nonsense, he hauled A-Lian from the ground and, like a fierce gust, swept her out of the house half coaxed, half tricked.

Outside, dragged along, A-Lian asked uncertainly, “You really are rich?”

“Tsk, you have poor eyes. Look at my silk clothes, my carriage, my jade thumb ring. Do I look poor?”

“What is your surname? Why have I never heard of you?”

“My surname is Zhao. My name is Zhao Gongming.”

“…Isn’t that the God of Wealth’s name?”

“I’m richer than the God of Wealth! Come on.”

In the idle season, the uproar quickly drew neighbors shoveling snow outside. Zhao Deqian hurried over when he heard, but as I saw his anxious, rugged face, for the first time a deep anger rose in me.

“Hmph!”

After helping Mother up, I gave him a hard glare, then dropped the curtain and walked away in a storm of temper.

It was not his fault, really. Still, I was terribly wronged.

And while I was wronged, I felt guilty too. Was I being too precious?

All day I lay listlessly on the kang. Zhao Deqian coaxed me in every way. A hard man who could knock a rogue flat with one fist bent himself low and said baskets of sweet words, but I would not answer him.

I seemed sick again.

I had no desire for tea or food, no strength in my body. My heart felt tangled in wet weeds, and tears came for no reason.

Zhao Deqian painstakingly made fragrant chicken soup. One smell turned my stomach, and I vomited violently.

I vomited so hard it felt as if I might bring up my intestines.

Zhao Deqian was furious. “If I had known that woman was such a troublemaker, I would rather have been a bachelor for eight lifetimes than marry her!”

But Mother could not stop smiling. She tapped Zhao Deqian’s forehead. “Foolish boy, Xi’er has morning sickness.”

“Sick from what? That shrew made her sick?”

Mother slapped his back. “You’re going to be a father!”

“What? Really? How do you know?”

“I bore four sons. How would I not know?”

The next day Father drove to Taoshui again.

On the hot kang, he chewed stewed tofu with his back teeth and announced proudly, “That little woman? I tricked her to the yamen and handed her to Constable Xing.”

I was surprised. “What crime did she commit?”

“Didn’t you suspect she cheated people out of bride-price?”

“But we had no evidence.”

“Then let Constable Xing investigate.”

“Would he take it without evidence?”

Father slapped the table and laughed. “You don’t know. It’s year-end, and Constable Xing was worrying about his report. All year he caught only two chicken thieves. He had nothing to submit. I brought him a person and he was so happy he drank a jar of Bamboo Leaf Green with me. Of course he took it!”

Zhao Deqian and I were speechless together.

We had learned something. Cases could be started like that?

Still, everyone was pleased to hear it. Mother immediately put a great chunk of stewed tofu in Father’s bowl. “In-law, eat tofu to your heart’s content today!”

Zhao Deqian smiled at me, glowing with shy happiness, and poured Father a bowl of wine.

“Father, we have happy news. Xi’er is with child.”

“What?”

Father’s chopsticks fell. “I’m going to be a grandfather?”

“Aren’t you happy?”

“Happy my ass! My daughter is carrying a child and that woman came specifically to anger her. How can this old man spare her?”

He drained his bowl, put on his shoes, and hurried out.

Zhao Deqian chased him. “Father, what are you going to do?”

“What business is it of yours? Troublemaker!”

Half a month later we learned. Father had secretly hired two people to help Constable Xing investigate.

And the investigation uncovered a shocking case.

A-Lian really did have a widowed mother. The mother and daughter were outsiders who traveled about surviving by fraud.

A-Lian’s skills were shallow; she could only use marriage as a pretext to cheat bride-price. Her mother was much worse. With a kindly face, she had abducted five or six respectable women in recent years.

The strange thing was that everyone who met the mother praised her as a good person. Had the truth not come out, the victims might have competed to support her in old age.

The forest was big, and all kinds of birds lived in it.

You could know a face but not a heart. The better the world, the more one had to beware smiling tigers who pretended harmlessness.

Constable Xing had solved such a big case that it brought glory to all Taoyuan. At year-end he was promoted and given twenty taels as a reward.

More than once, drunk, he held Father’s hand and sobbed, “Brother Pan, you are my reborn parents!”

Father shed fake tears. “I don’t have a son as ugly as you.”

From then on Constable Xing and Father swore brotherhood: not asking to be born the same day, month, and year, but asking to die the same day, month, and year.

Guzhu Academy gave its year-end holiday, and Deguan left the Lis to come home for the New Year.

When the two brothers heard these strange events, their jaws nearly fell off.

As I ate sour dried apricots bought in town, I comforted them. “Now no one will spread gossip about you anymore.”

To my surprise, Dewan and Deguan said together, “We don’t care!”

Mother proudly slapped her thigh. “That’s right. A straight body fears no crooked shadow. Spring is coming for our Zhao family!”