Chapter 230

Chapter 230

The moonlight was soft and tranquil, but the courtyard at the foot of the mountain was not as quiet as usual.

In the backyard, in front of the pigsty, Pei Yan, Liu Dagé, and Zhou Dalang were all awake. Several torches were held or stuck nearby, illuminating the situation inside the pigsty. The sty was lined with clean straw, making it much more comfortable for the old sow to lie on than the ground.

During the day, the old sow had shown signs of giving birth, so Pei Yan did not leave, staying until now. When the pig squeals grew louder, a piglet wrapped in blood and water emerged.

Pei Yan went up first, wiping the sticky liquid from the piglet's mouth and nose. Seeing the piglet cry, he finally felt relieved.

The dogs were kept outside the courtyard gate and became restless upon hearing the commotion, barking incessantly.

Thinking of Xingxing, Pei Yan asked Liu Dagé to open the courtyard gate and let the dogs in. At least in the backyard, once they saw people, they would stop barking.

As soon as the gate opened, the dogs rushed into the backyard. For them, guarding the house at night was instinct; any unusual movement would make them uneasy until they saw what was happening, or until the disturbance disappeared. But the sow would take a long time to give birth.

In the east room.

Gu Lanshi, using the light from the window, propped himself up on his elbow and looked at Xingxing sleeping on the inner side of the bed.

Fortunately, Xingxing was still sound asleep and had not been woken up by the noise.

He lay back down gently, worrying about the sow giving birth, but also fearing that if he left, Xingxing might wake up and cry uncontrollably if not immediately picked up and comforted.

Thinking that Pei Yan was there, Gu Lanshi yawned and closed his eyes, feeling reassured.

His sleep was not very restful. After hearing some footsteps, Gu Lanshi opened his eyes. Due to the dimness of the room and his drowsiness, he could not tell the time.

Until Pei Yan pushed the door open and came in, he asked in a low voice, "Are they all born?"

"Yes, eight piglets, all alive. I lit a fire in the sty, and Brother Liu is watching over them," Pei Yan replied softly.

"What time is it?" Gu Lanshi's voice was sleepy, and he added, "Eight piglets, that's good. The old sow can manage to feed them. Last year, there were twelve, and they were all good at nursing, which made it hard for the sow."

"It will be dawn in half an hour." Pei Yan picked up the bedding from the chest and laid it out on the bamboo bed by the window.

After being busy all night, he was not as clean as Gu Lanshi and the child. He would have to take a bath when the sun was high at noon.

"Is Brother Liu watching alone?" Gu Lanshi asked again in a low voice.

Pei Yan said, "I asked Brother Zhou to keep him company, but he said it wasn't necessary and that he could manage alone. He told Brother Zhou to go to sleep first since dawn is only half an hour away."

"Let him sleep during the day; he stayed up all night."

"Okay." Gu Lanshi responded softly, "I'll check on them in the backyard later. You should get some more sleep too."

Just then, they heard Xingxing murmuring in discontent, clearly disturbed by their conversation.

They both fell silent, and soon, Xingxing settled down on his own.

*

It was still a bit chilly early in the morning, so Gu Lanshi put on another layer of clothing.

Seeing that the charcoal pot still had embers, he thought for a moment and added a few more pieces of wood. The piglets were tiny and without clothes, so keeping warm was essential.

All eight piglets were lying on the old sow's belly, having eaten and fallen asleep. Two of them still had nipples in their mouths.

The bloodstains and filth on the ground had been cleaned up, leaving only some damp marks. The old sow lay there, her large belly rising and falling. Zhou Dalang was cooking some milk for the sow, which she would drink after it cooled down. Once she rested, he would feed her grass and food.

Huīhuī ran over from the other side of the passage. After a winter, it had become even stronger and sturdier.

Seeing that the sow and piglets were sleeping peacefully, Gu Lanshi thought there would be no problem. Since the sow had given birth before, he patted Huīhuī's head and pointed through the pigsty gate, saying, "Watch over them and don't let them get squished."

"Woof—" Huīhuī tilted its head and looked over, wrinkling its forehead slightly, almost like it had eyebrows.

Gu Lanshi smiled and rubbed its ears, wondering what it was thinking, mimicking human expressions.

The family's dogs understood the command to watch over the house, so after he left, Huīhuī remained in the backyard.

*

The thunder sounded muffled, as if muffled by thick clouds or far away, rumbling faintly.

Rain poured down, creating ripples on the river surface. As the rain intensified, the ripples became fragmented.

The water buffalo and the dog started running, and Gu Lanshi picked up a grass whip to chase them, using his left hand to shield his head, but realizing it was futile, he stopped trying.

He didn't need to chase the buffalo; it knew to run home on its own, and Dàhēi was even more reliable.

The buffalo, the dog, and Gu Lanshi entered the fence one after another. The rain was heavy, but the buffalo, which loved water, was fine. Gu Lanshi's clothes and hair were soaked.

Once inside, the buffalo seemed relieved and stopped running, slowly swishing its tail along the stone path, occasionally stopping to eat some vegetables nearby.

Gu Lanshi ignored it and ran quickly into the main room.

Dàhēi was faster and had already shaken off some water at the door.

Luckily, Xingxing was asleep, so he didn't have to carry the child out in the rain, which would have gotten them both wet.

When the thunder first sounded, seeing small raindrops, he thought it would take a while to get heavier, so he went out to find the buffalo without wearing a raincoat or hat.

After changing his clothes and drying his hair, Gu Lanshi squatted in front of the mud stove and added a few pieces of wood, warming himself by the fire. His hair would take a while to dry even after more rubbing.

He stood up, took an umbrella, and went to the kitchen to boil water in a large pot. Pei Yan and the others were still outside, and he hadn't seen them yet. When they returned, they would likely be even wetter than he was, so it was best to wash their hair.

The water buffalo had eaten some vegetables, and Huīhuī and Huīzǎi kept barking at it. Hearing the commotion, Gu Lanshi shouted from afar, and the buffalo stopped lingering near the vegetable patch, following the dogs' steps a few paces before slowing down and entering the shed on its own.

The rain came suddenly, and those who usually didn't mind a little drizzle hurried home with their hoes.

Pei Yan and the others entered one by one, indeed all soaking wet.

With the eaves sheltering them from the rain and the doors and windows blocking the wind, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, no longer worried about the rain.

Taking advantage of the fact that he hadn't changed his clothes yet, Pei Yan went to the backyard to check on the pigs. The piglets were already ten days old; one had died, leaving seven. In a few more days, the piglets raised by other villagers would be fully grown, and he planned to buy three.

The pigpen could accommodate ten pigs. With Zhou Dalang helping this year, the three men could gather a lot of straw, ensuring they had enough to feed the pigs.

Raising ten pigs wasn't an easy task, but with more people around, it wouldn't be as exhausting as last year.

Gu Lanshi heated water and brewed ginger soup. Even though the weather wasn't cold, everyone should drink a bowl to ward off the chill.

On rainy days, they didn’t go out to work and instead sat in the main room weaving bamboo baskets.

Liu Dagé and Zhou Dalang were honest and hardworking people. They often found tasks to do, knowing that Pei Yan and Gu Lanshi liked cleanliness. They washed their hair too, so the rain wouldn’t leave an unpleasant smell.

Inside the house, Gu Lanshi sat with his half-dry hair loose, holding Xingxing by the window to watch the rain.

"Wooh—" Xingxing extended his chubby little hands, so plump they barely had wrists. A few raindrops blew in and landed on his hand. He quickly pulled back his hand, widened his eyes, and looked down at his hand.

"It's raining. This is rain," Gu Lanshi said with a smile, talking to the child. After standing for a while and feeling tired from holding the chubby baby, he saw that the bamboo bed had been moved nearby and placed the child on it.

Xingxing could already sit up, a chubby bundle. Without shoes, his two small hands grabbed his meaty feet, smiling at Gu Lanshi.

Gu Lanshi picked up a cloth and wiped his hair again. When Pei Yan came in, he said, "Wipe his drool."

Pei Yan glanced at his chubby son, took a handkerchief, and approached. Xingxing didn’t cooperate, turning his face away and making incomprehensible sounds, causing even more drool to drip down, forming a line onto his own leg.

"Such a mess," Pei Yan said with a laugh, pinching his son’s chubby arm after wiping him clean.

Usually, Gu Lanshi took care of the child more. Now that he had some free time, he picked up his son to play and entertain him.

Xingxing laughed continuously, delighted to have both his father and mother playing with him.

*

Hearing the crying from the Pei family courtyard, neighbors peeked out from under their eaves, straining their ears to listen. Amidst the rain, both men and women cried, and the sound of someone calling for their mother was heard, making it clear what had happened.

Pei Chunyan stood beside the bed, dazed. Fang Yun and Wang Yaor rushed over, accidentally bumping into her, and feigned crying with pinched throats.

Ye Jinrong closed her eyes and breathed her last, no longer showing any signs of life.

Pei Sheng and Pei Huzi shed few tears but still lowered their heads to wipe their eyes and wailed a few times.

No matter what, when their mother passed away, not shedding a tear would surely invite criticism from the village elders.

A few days ago, Wang Maoer had come to visit, claiming to see his mother-in-law and take Pei Chunyan back home. With so much work to do, having one less person made things difficult. Taking care of her for ten or fifteen days was considered filial enough; staying for months was excessive.

Upon entering the house, however, he found Ye Jinrong emaciated, barely able to open her eyes. Given his age, he sensed something was amiss and thus didn’t mention taking Pei Chunyan back, eating a meal before leaving.

She was Pei Chunyan’s mother, and seeing her in such a state, it was clear she didn’t have long left. Not allowing her to care for her mother might lead to resentment later.

Fang Yun cried loudly, while Wang Yaor rolled her eyes secretly and joined in.

To be honest, she didn’t feel much for Ye Jinrong, having interacted little with her. But now that she was gone, crying was appropriate.

Seeing Pei Chunyan still dazed, unable to accept what had happened, she pushed her gently, signaling her to cry. Otherwise, if word got out that a daughter didn’t cry for her mother, even Ye Jinrong’s family wouldn’t let it slide.

Was she angered to death?

It shouldn’t be. Since that day, Ye Jinrong hadn’t spoken much, not looking like someone who had been angered.

Did she die of fright? That didn’t seem right either.

Pei Chunyan remained dazed until she suddenly remembered: her mother had fallen ill and died of illness.

Like her father, she had become very thin before passing, unable to speak, her eyes gradually losing focus. Yet, just eleven or twelve days ago, she hadn’t been that thin.

She also recalled that since that day, her mother had barely eaten. Even when she tried to sit up, she couldn’t stay long and had to lie there, being fed. But even then, she couldn’t eat much.

Not eating led to her becoming thinner.

Until Wang Yaor pushed her, Pei Chunyan suddenly came to her senses, hearing the cries. Realizing she needed to cry too, she bent over the bed like Fang Yun and Wang Yaor, lowering her face and opening her mouth.

Her throat felt blocked, unable to make a sound. Closing her eyes, she imitated Fang Yun’s wail.

That hoarse cry sounded nothing like someone her age, but her voice seemed to clear, and she gradually began to cry, tears streaming down her face, flooding her heart with an indescribable feeling. She cried until she was weak and exhausted.

*

Ye Jinrong had died, and the Pei family began preparing for the funeral.

Gu Lanshi didn’t bring Xingxing to the village these days and rarely visited the ancestral home, which was close to the Pei family.

From his mother’s and Aunt Guihua’s conversation, he learned that Pei Chunyan was crying the most pitifully, unable to stop her tears every day.

As for Pei Yan, he continued driving the cart to sell vegetables and didn’t bother taking a detour through the river path, passing directly in front of the Pei family’s door.

When returning, he was seen by Pei family relatives and Ye Jinrong’s family members. Despite their dissatisfaction, thinking that even if the mother-son bond was severed, he should at least cry a bit, his daily passing by seemed deliberate and truly unfilial.

But no one dared to confront him. They knew well Pei Yan’s temper and behavior, only daring to curse him in their hearts.