Chapter 238: The East Wind Prevails Over the West Wind

Chapter 238: The East Wind Prevails Over the West Wind

That night, a faint crackling sound came from outside the house. The wind blew against the door, letting out a loud swoosh. Zhao Xiping woke up to the sound of something rolling in the yard, a loud and unsettling noise. He quickly put on his sheepskin coat, got out of bed, opened the door, and stepped outside.

It wasn’t snowing yet, but snow pellets were coming down like little rocks, creating a crackling sound as they hit the ground. The pellets stung his face as they fell.

"Lao San? Is that you getting up? It’s snowing, right?" Zhao's father called from inside the house.

Zhao Xiping picked up a wicker basket rolling around the yard and said, "It's snowing. It's windy outside. You and Mother should wear more clothes tomorrow morning."

"I said it would snow last night, but your mother didn’t believe me," Zhao's father muttered, followed by a few coughs.

"Your mother says you should drink some water. She’s worried about your cough," Zhao's mother urged.

"The water’s cold. How am I supposed to drink it?"

Separated by a door, the old couple's voices were muffled. Zhao Xiping stood under the eaves, gazing at the sky. Maybe it was the grogginess of the night, but he was suddenly reminded of his childhood. When he was young, he would go outside at night to relieve himself and overhear his parents lying in bed, complaining that their three sons ate more and more, unable to save any money by the end of the year since everything went to feeding the family. Back then, their complaints made him feel uneasy, but now, those familiar voices brought him comfort.

The door opened, and a gust of cold wind rushed in. Sui Yu hissed and pulled the quilt over her head.

"Want some water?" Zhao Xiping asked.

"No."

"Is the little one awake?" he asked again.

"Not yet, he’s sleeping soundly."

"Hehe." The kid, who was faking sleep, giggled and peeked out from under the covers. "Dad, is the snow falling heavily?"

"It hasn’t started snowing yet. It’s snow pellets, like little stones. Do you want some water?"

The little one smacked his lips and said yes.

Zhao Xiping went outside again and opened the front gate. He ran quickly to the west kitchen, where the gate to the kitchen yard wasn’t locked. He pulled out the stick wedged in the door ring and went inside.

Two big black dogs, who had been sleeping under the hay, perked up their ears and quietly padded toward him.

As their breaths drew near, Zhao Xiping turned around and, by the light of the fire, saw two dark dog heads and wagging tails.

"You think I’m a burglar?" Zhao Xiping asked. "You're quite alert. I’ll slaughter a pig tomorrow and give you some big bones to chew on."

The water in the pot had boiled. He scooped two bowls, chased the dogs out, and left.

"Dad, do you want some hot water?" Zhao Xiping asked from outside the door.

Hearing this, Zhao's father perked up. He got out of bed, wearing his coat, and happily exclaimed, "I only coughed a couple of times, but your mother always turns everything into a big deal. Whether I drink water or not is fine. Did you hear that? This old woman is too much."

Zhao Xiping handed him the bowl without stepping inside, turned on his heel, and left, adding, "The little one is thirsty."

The old man's face fell a little. He closed the door and drank the hot water in one go, muttering, "Looks like I’m getting special treatment thanks to my grandson."

The little one stretched his neck and drank a few sips of water, quenching his thirst, before quickly lying back down, shivering from the cold.

Zhao Xiping passed the rest of the hot water to Sui Yu, who took the bowl and gulped it down in one go.

"Do you want more?" he asked.

"No more."

"Aren't you really done drinking?" the man said with a laugh, putting down the bowl and going out to close the gate.

After being outside for a while, he was freezing like an ice cube. When he got back into bed, both the mother and son next to him grumbled.

"Mom, Dad is touching me," the little one whispered in a small voice. "His hands are so cold."

"Don't move, don't move. We're losing all the warmth under the quilt," Sui Yu said, pressing the corner of the quilt down. She kicked at the man under the covers, but he caught her leg. He clamped his legs around her feet.

"Not sleeping?" she glared at him in the darkness.

"Can you sleep?"

Of course not, people tend to be very clear-headed when they wake up in the middle of the night, especially after drinking water and talking. She was annoyed with him and reached out to pinch him, saying, "I said I didn't want to drink water. You still made me drink."

"I didn't force you," Zhao Xiping said with a smile.

"You put the bowl right up to my mouth, and you didn't force me? You made me drink your son's leftover water." Noticing that his body was warming up, Sui Yu pushed the child lying in her arms toward him. "Go sleep with your stinky dad."

"My dad isn't stinky."

Zhao Xiping laughed loudly, which made Sui Yu roll her eyes in annoyance.

"It's snowing. We'll slaughter two pigs tomorrow," Zhao Xiping brought up the main issue at hand. "There are forty-three pigs in the pen. We'll slaughter ten pigs a month, and butcher five more around the New Year. By the time spring comes next year, the pig pen will be empty again."

"Alright. Only when we slaughter our own pigs do I feel good about eating meat."

"I want to eat a lot of meat too." The little one mimicked.

"Still not sleeping?" The voice from the next room knocked on the wall, Zhao Fù's voice carried impatience. "In the middle of the night, what are you two still talking about?"

Zhao Xiping's previous good mood vanished, and he felt annoyed. It was such a mood killer.

"Sleep," Sui Yu said, lying flat and pulling the quilt up, closing her eyes. "You two can hug and sleep tonight. Don't bother me."

No way. The little one crawled over, wanting to lie next to her.

"Didn't you say your dad isn't stinky?" Sui Yu said, pulling the quilt over her head and speaking from under it.

The little one giggled quietly and whispered in Sui Yu's ear that he had lied.

"Zhao Mingguang, I heard that," Zhao Xiping snorted. "If you think I'm stinky, next year you can go sleep at your uncle's."

The little one fell silent, closed his eyes pretending to sleep, but he couldn't actually fall asleep. After a moment of quiet, he whined that he needed to pee.

The door opened, and a series of footsteps echoed in the courtyard. Zhao Fù turned over and muttered, "If you keep messing around, it'll be morning soon."

Zhao Mǔ was too lazy to bother with him. On a snowy day, there wasn't much work to do. What difference did it make to sleep in a bit longer in the morning? This old man was just looking for trouble. Lao San had been nice to him again.

The snowflakes settled, and the night grew still as everyone drifted off to sleep.

When daylight came, even the chickens were too cold to leave their nests. Zhao Fù opened the door and came out. He shooed the birds off the wall and urged his wife to get up. His early morning fuss kept everyone from sleeping.

Zhao Xiping came out with a stern face, staring at him in silence. Zhao Fù's voice gradually faded away. He kicked some snow and, with his neck shrunk, left the yard, heading straight to the kitchen courtyard.

The yard became quiet again. Sui Yu and the little one fell back into a cozy sleep. When she woke up, two pigs had already been slaughtered, and Zhang Shun and Li Wu were pouring water to scald the pigs' hair.

"There's porridge warming on the stove in the storage area," Zhao Xiping informed Sui Yu.

"Okay," Sui Yu said, leading the little one toward him. "What's with the long face? When did you get up? I didn't hear a thing."

Zhao Xiping didn't sleep at all. He tossed and turned but couldn't sleep, so he got up. As soon as he went out, he went to speak with his father. The two of them argued for a bit, and his father, defeated, agreed to all of Lao San's demands.

But Zhao's father held onto his anger. In the days that followed, apart from eating, drinking, and sleeping, he barely spoke to his son or grandson.

Sui Yu stayed out of it, neither showing up nor saying a word. She pretended not to know about the argument and smiled when she saw people, but kept her distance from her in-laws if they weren't around.

The aroma of pork dishes chased away the biting cold of winter. Every few days, they slaughtered a couple of pigs, and the smell of stewing meat never left the kitchen. Everyone ate and drank their fill, then spent their time chatting in the teahouse, not caring whether it was snowing or sunny outside.

"This winter has passed too quickly. In the blink of an eye, it's year-end again." A Hu merchant stepped out of the guest house and loosened his belt. He patted the flesh on his waist and said to his elder brother, "I haven't gained weight in years."

Just then, Sui Yu came over through the snow. She stomped the snow off her feet and asked, "Why are you standing outside? Aren't you afraid of the cold?"

"I have some fat on me, I'm not afraid of the cold," the Hu merchant joked.

It wasn't just the merchants who had gained weight; Sui Yu had put on a few pounds too. Her face had become round again. During this time, there was a constant supply of meat, and she had been nourished to the point of having abundant qi and blood. Her family was harmonious, and her days were peaceful. She always had a good complexion.