Chapter 234

Chapter 234

Playing with children is a joyful affair, but over time, it inevitably leads to physical and mental exhaustion. When the child isn't crying or fussing, it's manageable, but once they start crying, it becomes incredibly difficult to handle alone, leaving no room for other tasks.

In the main room, Gu Lanshi sat in a chair with Xingxing on his lap, looking down at the basin on the floor.

Inside the water, live fish and loaches swam around, while there were seven or eight small shrimp that occasionally moved. Yesterday, Pei Yan had set up a net in the river, and by morning, the net was pulled up, yielding these catches.

The child had never seen live fish and shrimp before and had been staring at them for a long time. Whenever a fish splashed in the water, causing ripples and splashes, or when a loach darted quickly through the water, Xingxing would laugh joyfully.

Gu Lanshi yawned, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes. He wiped them away with his hand. At first, he was quite happy holding Xingxing and pointing out the little fish and shrimp to him, even scooping up a shrimp to show him.

When the shrimp wriggled, water splashed onto Xingxing's face, but he wasn't afraid. Instead, he pointed at the shrimp and made excited sounds, boldly reaching out to touch it, his big eyes filled with curiosity.

The shrimp almost wriggled out of his hand, but Gu Lanshi reacted quickly, grabbing it back, which made Xingxing clap his hands and giggle.

Initially, the few shrimp were lively and active, and Gu Lanshi intended to release them back into the water after showing them to Xingxing. But Xingxing wouldn't let go, making noises and insisting on holding them until they became sluggish, losing his interest then.

Sometimes, children can spend a long time observing something, playing with it endlessly. Even just covering their faces and then uncovering them could make Xingxing laugh many times.

Sometimes, Gu Lanshi tried to keep Xingxing inside, putting in considerable effort to entertain him. However, as soon as there was any noise outside, Xingxing would be drawn to it and insist on going out to see.

Unlike adults who can be reasoned with, raising a child naturally requires more effort.

Gu Lanshi leaned back in the chair, one hand supporting Xingxing on his lap, gazing ahead in a daze, yawning occasionally.

The puppies lay scattered around the main room, sleeping. The sun was too intense for them to venture outside. Dahei sprawled under the table, panting from the heat.

The ground was bleached white by the sun, and the leaves on the trees remained motionless. Occasionally, a weak cicada's song could be heard.

The sun was scorching, even the lush vegetables in the garden wilted slightly. Despite watering them in the morning, the top layer of soil had already dried out, only revealing moisture when dug into.

Pei Yan and the farmhands returned from the fields, as working in such heat could easily lead to heatstroke.

Finally, Gu Lanshi had someone to take over, handing Xingxing to Pei Yan and hurrying to the kitchen. Earlier, while Xingxing was still asleep, he had already prepared the vegetables, and the steamed buns didn't need reheating; all he needed to do was stir-fry the vegetables.

Pei Yan sat down again with their chubby son, watching the fish in the basin. There were about seven or eight fish of various sizes, not as lively as they were in the river, with some already floating belly-up.

"Uh—” Xingxing stretched out his little hand, pointing at the fish in the basin and looking at Pei Yan.

Pei Yan smiled, gently swinging his son's hand and said, "Showing Daddy? Daddy sees them."

Xingxing enjoyed listening to adults speak, though no one knew if he understood. Regardless, he laughed again, twisting his body and stretching his little arms, as if wanting to reach into the water.

Pei Yan scooped out a loach and two shrimp, making Xingxing giggle.

Loaches were much easier to keep alive than fish, still wriggling energetically. Xingxing bravely reached out to touch them, but before he could, the loach slipped out of Pei Yan's hand and plopped back into the basin.

Xingxing made another “uh” sound. Pei Yan bounced his leg, moving his son slightly, and held out his open palm: "The loach fell, but we still have the shrimp."

The shrimp were small, and Xingxing's chubby hand reached out, boldly grabbing one.

Pei Yan smiled, impressed by his son’s bravery.

Unexpectedly, Xingxing immediately tried to put the shrimp in his mouth. As he flipped his hand, the other shrimp fell back into the basin. Without hesitation, Pei Yan retrieved the shrimp from his son's mouth.

"You can't eat it." He tossed the dead shrimp back into the water, noting how tightly Xingxing held it despite his small size.

Having his snack taken away, Xingxing pouted and cried a little.

"What's wrong?" Gu Lanshi called out from the kitchen.

"He wanted to bite the shrimp, so I stopped him," Pei Yan replied.

Hearing this, Gu Lanshi didn’t intervene further, focusing instead on the sizzling oil in the pan, stirring the vegetables continuously.

Xingxing continued crying, but it was more bark than bite, producing only a few tears. Seeing that the adults weren't paying attention, his whimpers gradually subsided.

Pei Yan rocked his leg to soothe his son, noticing that two loaches were eating the dead shrimp in the basin. He pointed this out to Xingxing: "Look, they're eating the shrimp."

Xingxing followed his father's finger, seeing the loaches pecking at the dead shrimp, pushing it forward in the water, and laughed again.

Liu Dagé and Zhou Dalang brought back a cartload of hay, spreading it out in the threshing area and using pitchforks to separate it for drying.

Each adult had their own tasks. As the sun grew hotter, after eating and feeding the livestock, everyone retreated indoors to rest.

Xingxing fussed and cried again before falling asleep in Pei Yan's arms.

Gu Lanshi lay on the bed, finally having a moment of peace. He didn't fall asleep immediately, turning to look at Pei Yan. "Our child doesn't cry much, yet it's still exhausting. I wonder how people manage with fussier children."

Pei Yan chuckled. "We have to raise them somehow. When busy, we just carry them along while working. Who cares if they cry? We just set them aside."

Indeed, it was common practice. Growing up, Gu Lanshi had often accompanied his parents to the fields. He yawned again and added, "Mother says we spoil Xingxing by not taking him to the fields."

Pei Yan took off his shoes and climbed onto the bed. "We have people to work, and you don't need to go to the fields. That's hardly spoiling him."

"Besides, it's so hot out there. Why go and risk heatstroke? Adults might not mind bitter medicine, but getting a child to take it is another story."

"True," Gu Lanshi agreed, his eyes nearly closed from fatigue.

Pei Yan settled down on the edge of the bed. The bamboo mat was cool at first, but soon it warmed up, prompting him to shift positions.

The blazing sun kept the window partially open, letting in occasional gusts of warm wind, making everyone feel even sleepier.

Gradually, the courtyard quieted down as both adults and children drifted off to sleep. Even the dogs found shady spots to nap.

*

In the evening, Liu Dagé and Zhou Dalang gathered the dried hay in the threshing area.

In the courtyard, Pei Yan collected the bamboo trays from the wooden racks and the roof. He sifted through the dried vegetables, thinking that they should be left out to dry further tomorrow to ensure they were thoroughly dehydrated for storage.

The sun gradually sank behind the mountains, and the sky darkened.

Gu Lansi wiped Xingxing's face and hands, then held him to soothe him to sleep, humming a few lines of a mountain song. Xingxing cooed in his arms but refused to close his eyes.

He smiled helplessly, carrying and patting the child while walking around the room.

The child was young and stayed indoors every evening, never taken out. Xingxing had grown accustomed to this routine. After a few pats, he yawned softly, his chubby little hand gripping Gu Lansi’s clothes. Soon, he fell asleep.

The moon rose, and stars twinkled in the sky.

Soon after, the courtyard gate closed, and the house door was tightly shut. After a day of labor, lying on the kang felt incredibly comfortable.

In the west room.

Liu Dagé didn’t talk much. Exhausted from a day’s work, he quickly fell asleep. Zhou Daliang thought about some family matters. By the end of the month, he would receive his wages and needed to go home one night to bring back the earnings of the past two months.

This year was his first here, earning only 150 wen per month. Though not much, it was stable and provided food. Over two months, he had saved three tael, which he would give to his husband to keep safe. Perhaps by the year after next, they could arrange a marriage for their son.

Since working here, the food had been good, and he could always get a taste of oil from the landlord. He hadn’t gained weight, but he felt more energetic than before. There was no abuse or nitpicking, making life surprisingly pleasant.

Not just him, Liu Dagé no longer wore the same worried expression. Recently, he earned a bit extra catching venomous insects, enough to buy a couple of pounds of meat for the family. With the recent wage increase, he had saved some money, not much, but enough to make the whole family feel secure.

Pei Yan suggested taking a break these few nights before catching more venomous insects. They followed his advice, trusting whatever the landlord said.

*

The sky was a deep blue with many clouds, occasionally blocking the sun.

Pei Yan was hitching the donkey cart in the front yard. Today, there was a market in town, and he planned to visit and buy some tea.

The so-called "good tea" they bought was merely a bit better than the coarse tea they picked from the mountain, not particularly expensive, but satisfying enough for them. It was good for both themselves and guests.

Gu Lansi held Xingxing nearby. Xingxing knew that hitching the cart meant his father was going out and cried loudly, waving his little hands and leaning forward, eager to join.

Pei Yan usually delivered eggs and vegetables early in the morning when Xingxing was still asleep. Sometimes, if the delivery wasn’t urgent, he waited until dawn.

Twice before, Xingxing saw him leave and cried, insisting on riding in the cart. So, Gu Lansi held him, Pei Yan led the donkey, and they walked into the village. Once outside the village, Gu Lansi carried him back down.

Xingxing wanted to stay in the cart and cried, but it was futile. Gu Lansi comforted him all the way back, not allowing him to go to town.

Hearing Gu Lansi’s instructions and seeing his son’s eagerness, Pei Yan glanced at the partially obscured sun. Today wasn’t too hot. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Why don’t we take him along?”

Gu Lansi hadn’t visited the town in a long time, especially not during a big market. Surprised, he smiled, “That sounds good. Xingxing is older now and doesn’t cry in the cart. We can bring him two milk fruits and some water. It’ll be nice to go.”

Pei Yan agreed. Seeing Gu Lansi happy, he went to gather things and took over watching their son in the courtyard.

The cart was empty, and Xingxing wanted to sit in it, so he placed his son there.

Xingxing sat there, smiling at his father, his chubby little hands holding onto the sides of the cart.

Worried about accidents on the road, Gu Lansi packed a small bundle with clean clothes for Xingxing. Summer clothes were thin; if they got dirty, they could easily be changed.

Seeing Xingxing so happy sitting in the cart, he smiled and filled a bamboo tube with water.

Liu Dagé was working in the vegetable garden and hadn’t gone out. Pei Yan instructed him to watch the house and not go to the fields.

Liu Dagé agreed readily and continued weeding and catching pests in the garden after they left.

The black dog followed them out but was sent back by Gu Lansi. He happily carried his son onto the cart, where Xingxing made excited noises, waving his little hands and kicking his feet, clearly delighted.

"Woof—"

Huazi barked from behind, having never seen Xingxing go out. The three dogs watched the departing donkey cart, pacing at the door.