Chapter 37 Mountain Home Hearth 37

Chapter 37: Mountain Family Hearth 37

Only after Luo Qingzhu smoothly finalized the divorce did Lin Xingniang finally breathe a sigh of relief.

She wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, then quickly returned to her usual energetic self, laughing heartily and saying, "My Qing Zhu's divorce is a good thing! I should throw a celebration!"

"Sister Cui Lanfang, bring your whole family to my place for a meal tomorrow! I'll prepare delicious dishes and good meat to treat you! And Butcher Song, you put in a lot of effort today! You should come too!"

Hearing Lin Xingniang's words, Song Qingfeng instinctively glanced at Luo Qingzhu, who was lowering his head, carefully folding the divorce papers in half and tucking them into his chest, not looking up at him.

Song Qingfeng couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed and was about to decline, but before he could speak, he heard Lin Xingniang's voice, full of embarrassment.

"Ah, actually, there's another matter I'd like to shamelessly ask Butcher Song for help with..."

"Although Zhu Geer's divorce papers are signed, we still need to go to the household registration office in town tomorrow to separate the household registrations. This matter requires both Qing Zhu and that scoundrel to go together; not a single person can be missing. But as you saw today, Qi Shan is really acting crazy. Auntie is truly worried..."

Lin Xingniang hadn't finished speaking, but her meaning was already clear. Seeing that Song Qingfeng wasn't responding, she anxiously added, "I know this will interfere with your business! I'll pay you—I just want you to accompany my Qing Zhu on this trip!"

It wasn't that Lin Xingniang didn't want to accompany her own son, but Qi Shan was, after all, a grown man. If he truly went crazy and acted recklessly, Lin Xingniang really wouldn't be able to handle him!

But today, she had seen that Butcher Song was really skilled! Taking on three or five Qi Shans would be no problem for him!

Song Qingfeng came to his senses, stole another glance at Luo Qingzhu, and then hurriedly replied, "No need to pay! It's a small matter, not worth paying for! It's all good... Then, I'll come to the village to pick you up early tomorrow morning."

He blurted out the words in one breath, flustered and hurried, seeming even more anxious than Lin Xingniang.

He said the last sentence while looking at Luo Qingzhu. Luo Qingzhu gave him a faint smile and said, "Then I'll trouble you."

Song Qingfeng scratched his head, stared at him, and let out a dry laugh. He wanted to say something nice, but what came out was still a stammered "No trouble," "No trouble."

Song Qingfeng felt embarrassed, his dark face began to redden. Rubbing his hands, he added, "Then, I'll head back first."

After saying that, he left, looking back every few steps, not watching the road, and nearly tripped over a loose stone, stumbling a couple of steps before steadying himself. Instantly feeling even more embarrassed, he didn't dare stay longer and simply broke into a run, disappearing from sight in no time.

Luo Qingzhu watched his retreating figure and laughed a couple of times, but Lin Xingniang unconsciously furrowed her brows.

This Butcher Song was being a bit too good.

It wasn't that Lin Xingniang was overthinking.

This man used to be from Shanghe Village too, but he was cold-natured and didn't interact much with the villagers. Later, he quietly moved to town without a word, and the villagers only realized someone was missing from the village after a long time.

He really didn't seem like a warm-hearted, kind, and helpful person. In the past, there had never been any hearsay about Butcher Song kindly helping anyone.

A few days ago, Lin Xingniang had been too busy worrying about her own son, only thinking about his matters with Qi Shan, and hadn't paid attention to these things. Now that the divorce papers were in hand, Lin Xingniang began to realize... something was a bit off.

Thinking of this, she patted Luo Qingzhu's hand and asked casually, "Qing Zhu, I remember you used to play with Butcher Song when you were little, right?"

Luo Qingzhu still had a smile on his face. Having left Qi Shan, he didn't feel particularly sad in his heart. Instead, he felt relieved, as if a weight had been lifted off his entire body.

Hearing his mother's words, Luo Qingzhu thought for a moment before replying, "He's a few years younger than me. We did play together when we were little, but with the age difference, we didn't really play together much. However..."

Halfway through, Luo Qingzhu tilted his head and said strangely, "I remember he wasn't very tall when he was little, skinny and small like a dried-up monkey. How did he grow to be as strong as a mountain now?!"

Who? Song Qingfeng?? Like a skinny monkey???

Luo Maier let out a small "huh," and even Liu Guyu looked over in surprise.

Seeing everyone staring at him, Luo Qingzhu touched the tip of his nose and said softly, "He was thin and not very tall when he was little, often bullied by kids his age. I saw it several times and helped him a few times."

Lin Xingniang nodded and drawled, "...No wonder. He's also a loyal and righteous one."

But then again, this Butcher Song was twenty and still hadn't married. Most men in the village his age already had children! Why wasn't he looking for a wife?

The more Lin Xingniang thought about it, the stranger it seemed. But she was too embarrassed to look at every young man and assume he liked her own Zhu Geer; that would be rather shameless.

Maybe he was just cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and loyal and righteous!

Liu Guyu, however, sensed something and was stroking his chin with a sly smile, which made Qin Rongshi glance at him several times.

Unable to figure it out, Lin Xingniang decided not to dwell on it and instead smiled as she pulled Cui Lanfang aside, insisting that she bring the children to eat tomorrow.

It was hard to decline such warm hospitality, plus this was truly a joyous occasion worth celebrating, so Cui Lanfang agreed.

After exchanging a few more words, everyone returned home.

The family ate dinner, then sat around the kitchen hearth chatting by the fire. Cui Lanfang sewed clothes by the firelight, while Qin Rongshi read a book by the same light—both mother and son making full use of the fire.

"You didn't see it today, but that fellow Song was really impressive! He fought two people by himself! The Qi Shan brothers didn't even have the strength to fight back!"

Cui Lanfang was unusually talkative today, recounting everything that happened before Liu Guyu and Qin Rongshi returned, emphasizing Song Qingfeng's heroic deeds.

Liu Guyu listened as if it were "Three Attacks on the White-Bone Demon," his eyes shining brightly, even providing sound effects on the side—now a "whoa," then a "wow," and another "ah,"—very enthusiastically.

After listening, he said, "I could tell he was strong just by looking at his build! That height! Those muscles! One punch from him could kill a cow!"

Qin Rongshi found him noisy, disturbing his reading. Impatiently, he looked up at Liu Guyu and said irritably, "Why not say he could kill a tiger with one punch?"

Liu Guyu's eyes widened, and he immediately said, "That would be a bit exaggerated."

Qin Rongshi retorted, "And killing a cow isn't exaggerated?"

Liu Guyu's eyes widened even more, and he said, "How about—one punch could kill a person! That should be fine, right?"

Qin Rongshi shot back, "Then it's over. If he kills someone, he'll be in big trouble."

Liu Guyu said angrily, "Qin Erlang! What's wrong with you today! You keep contradicting me!"

Qin Rongshi added, "You're disturbing my reading."

Liu Guyu snorted discontentedly, "You don't mind the noise when you read in the busy streets during the day! Now you mind me being noisy?! I don't know if Song Qingfeng is done for, but you are! You're only getting three sesame tangyuan tomorrow morning!"

Qin Rongshi said with a sincere expression, "That is truly terrifying."

...

The two of them went back and forth, arguing, but neither was truly angry. Instead, the bickering was quite lively and amusing.

Qin Banban watched from the side, quietly covering her mouth to avoid laughing out loud.

Cui Lanfang was also smiling. It was rare to see her second son so lively and youthful, unlike his usual mature demeanor, with his not-yet-fully-grown face always tense.

The room was noisy and bustling. Although they were bickering, light laughter accompanied it from time to time, warm and lively.

*

The next day.

Although Lin Xingniang had invited them for a meal, living as close neighbors, they felt it would be impolite to show up right at mealtime.

In the morning, Liu Guyu made sesame tangyuan. Holding a grudge, he indeed only scooped three for Qin Rongshi. Qin Rongshi, however, had already cooled down. Staring at the three sesame tangyuan in his bowl, he unconsciously curved the corners of his lips into a smile.

After the family finished their meal, they divided up the day’s chores—some washed dishes, others swept the floor or watered the vegetables—and only after everything was tidied up did they all head out together.

Just as they stepped outside, they ran into Luo Maier, who was carrying a bamboo basket and heading out to dig up bamboo shoots on Little Flow Mountain. Spotting Qin Banban, she immediately waved enthusiastically and called, "Banban! I'm just heading to Little Flow Mountain, want to come along?"

Girls around the same age naturally enjoyed playing together.

Banban was instantly tempted and turned to look pleadingly at Cui Lanfang.

Cui Lanfang smiled and patted the girl’s back, saying, "Go ahead. Oh, and don’t forget to tie on the snake-repelling wraps!"

It was already winter, and there weren’t many snakes in the mountains.

But Cui Lanfang still remembered how Liu Guyu had been bitten by a snake before. Luckily, it wasn’t venomous, but it had left him uneasy. For a long time afterward, she hadn’t allowed Qin Banban or Liu Guyu to go back to Little Flow Mountain.

Later, Qin Banban made her own insect- and snake-repelling wraps out of coarse gauze. She dried snake-repellent herbs, sewed them inside, and tied them around her pant legs and sleeves.

And it worked surprisingly well! Not just snakes—even insects stayed far away.

The two girls ran off hand in hand. Cui Lanfang watched them and called out worriedly, "Make sure they’re tied tight! And be careful on the road!"

The two girls replied in unison, their voices clear and cheerful.

Liu Guyu and the others stepped into the yard and heard Lin Xingniang call out from the kitchen, "You’re here? There are stools in the yard—make yourselves comfortable! I picked two pomelos—they’re in the winnowing basket under the eaves. Go ahead and peel them to eat!"

Naturally, Liu Guyu and the others didn’t feel right sitting around in the yard snacking on pomelos while Lin Xingniang worked alone in the kitchen preparing the meal.

Liu Guyu and Cui Lanfang went into the kitchen to help, leaving Qin Rongshi to peel the pomelos. Once he was done, he’d bring them in for everyone to share.

An old hen was simmering in a clay pot with chestnuts, and the rich aroma had already begun to waft out, making everyone’s mouths water.

Lin Xingniang was washing cured meat, and Cui Lanfang tied on her apron to help cut the tofu. Liu Guyu, the "food expert," didn’t jump in but sat by the stove to tend the fire.

After cutting the tofu, she moved on to the cured meat.

The cured meat had a deep color and was sliced into generous pieces, ready to be stir-fried with winter bamboo shoots. The slices had a good balance of lean and fatty meat, glistening with oil. The lean parts were firm, the fat wasn’t greasy, and the savory aroma filled the air.

Cui Lanfang praised, "This cured meat looks really good. This year has been better—before Lunar New Year’s, I should smoke some cured meat and sausages too. It’s been years since we last made any at home!"

Lin Xingniang grinned and said, "You should! It’ll be a great addition to the New Year’s Eve dinner!"

The two women chatted and laughed as they prepared the meal. With two families, plus Song Qingfeng, there would be eight people eating—they couldn’t skimp on the food!

Lin Xingniang had prepared plenty: chestnut and chicken soup, stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured meat, fresh pea shoots from the garden perfect for a meatball soup, steamed eggs topped with savory minced meat sauce—all delicious!

Plenty of meat dishes, but they couldn’t forget the vegetables. They could make cornbread potstickers, pan-fried tofu, and a simple stir-fry of spinach.

Lin Xingniang counted on her fingers, worried there wouldn’t be enough dishes to properly entertain everyone.

But with chicken, meat, and eggs, there were several meat dishes! Most families in the village rarely ate this well all year—frankly, it was even fancier than many families’ New Year’s Eve dinners!

Almost everything was ready—all that was left was the bamboo shoots and cured meat stir-fry, which they were waiting for Mai'er and Banban to bring back. But Luo Qingzhu and Song Qingfeng returned first.

Seeing them back, everyone inside asked, "So? Is everything settled?"

Before Luo Qingzhu could answer, they could already tell from the relaxed look on his face that the matter had been resolved.

Sure enough, Luo Qingzhu soon nodded. Lin Xingniang was so moved she nearly cried, but Cui Lanfang quickly reassured her, "This is a good thing! A happy occasion! From now on, it’s all good days ahead—no tears now!"

Lin Xingniang nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, it’s a good thing! A happy occasion!"

In the midst of the joy, Mai'er and Banban returned hand in hand. Before they even entered, their laughter could be heard—they were chatting and giggling happily.

The two girls had come back with plenty: not only a basket full of bamboo shoots, but also a small basket of fish and crabs.

"Banban and I ran into Chen Sanxi on Little Flow Mountain! He caught the fish and crabs. He was so generous—he told Banban he’d trade the fish and crabs for winter bamboo shoots, so we swapped for a basket!"

Lin Xingniang laughed joyfully and said, "Great! We’ll dust them with starch and deep-fry them—that’ll be another dish!"

Soon, the last two dishes were ready, and the whole group gathered around the table to eat.

The stove was burning brightly, and everyone sat close to it, soaking up the warmth.

The chestnut chicken soup was brought to the table still in the clay pot, still steaming. The golden broth bubbled with floating specks of oil, the chestnuts sweet, the chicken tender and falling off the bone.

Right beside it was a large plate of golden cornbread potstickers, crispy and browned, the aroma of corn just as enticing as any meat dish!

The final dishes were brought out one after another. Lin Xingniang untied her apron and sat down, picking up her chopsticks and urging, "Everyone, dig in! Butcher Song, please make yourself at home—eat up and enjoy!"

Something about her words made Song Qingfeng’s ears turn red. He didn’t dare look at Luo Qingzhu, just nodded awkwardly and muttered, "Yes."

Mai'er chatted with her young friend, the two girls sitting side by side, offering each other pieces of chicken and cured meat, as close as real sisters.

Outside, the wind blew relentlessly, rattling the paper windows again and again—clearly, it had grown even colder.

But inside, it was warm. The stove burned brightly, casting a rosy glow on everyone’s faces.

Everyone was beaming with joy.