Chapter 7: A’Mei

Chapter 7 Little Sister

Zhou Ye, who was the last to enter the room, was also recalling the scene just now when Lin Shu got off the carriage.

Her skin was smooth as jade and pale as snow, her face like peach blossoms, her waist like a willow—she looked utterly incapable of carrying heavy loads or doing manual labor. Such a woman truly belonged in the secluded chambers of a wealthy household, sheltered and pampered.

The thought that such a girl might have to live here from now on made Zhou Ye's head ache.

It seemed she hadn’t come to the Lin family to be a daughter, but rather to be treated like an ancestor—Lin Dashan and Auntie He would probably have to wait on her hand and foot.

Lin Shu was a sweet-talker and quickly charmed Lin Dashan and He Guixiang into beaming with joy. But after the initial excitement faded, their poverty became apparent.

At this hour, smoke was rising from chimneys in every household, but Auntie He stood worrying over the rice jar at home. The jar was full, but it contained only coarse rice.

She had gone to town earlier to buy medicine for Xiao Pu. The medicine was essential—once it ran out, more had to be purchased. After buying the medicine, there were only a few copper coins left, so after some calculation, she bought some needles and thread.

If she had known her daughter was coming back, she would have bought a sheng (about one liter) of polished rice instead.

Polished rice was rice with the husks removed, while the villagers ate coarse rice grown themselves. This year’s rice had been planted less than two months ago, so they were still eating last year’s stored grain.

“Husband, our daughter just returned—she probably isn’t used to coarse rice. We have ten eggs saved up. I was planning to sell them at the next market, but maybe I should take them to Village Chief Zhang’s house and exchange them for half a dou (about five liters) of polished rice?”

These days, eggs were a rarity. Sold at the market, one egg could fetch five copper coins. Ten eggs would be fifty coins. But polished rice from the grain store was also expensive—ten coins per sheng. A dou would cost a hundred coins. Ten eggs could only buy half a dou of polished rice.

Lin Dashan remained silent for a long while before nodding. “Go ahead and exchange them. The medicine we bought this time will last half a month. I’ll find a way to save up for the next batch.”

Zhou Ye, passing by the kitchen, happened to hear this and said to them, “Uncle, Aunt, don’t worry about Xiao Pu’s medicine money. I’ll go into the mountains again and find some wild produce to sell in town.”

The mountains he referred to weren’t the hills behind Sweetwater Village, but the deep mountains three li (about one kilometer) away. Few villagers ventured deep into those mountains—at most, they gathered firewood or picked mushrooms around the outskirts.

But while others dared not go, Zhou Ye did. Years ago, he had led his family through wilderness, crossing who knows how many mountains. Staying in the deep mountains for ten days or half a month was no problem for him.

“A Ye, there are many poisonous snakes and wild beasts in the deep mountains. You should go less often,” Auntie He said. She knew his capabilities, but now that she regarded Zhou Ye as like a son to her, she didn’t want anything to happen to him.

Thinking of Lin Shu, who had just returned, Auntie He’s mind started working again. She knew better than anyone what kind of man was best for a rural woman—someone strong and hardworking. In all of Sweetwater Village, even in the surrounding ten li (about three miles), no one could match Zhou Ye’s strength.

Originally, she had been saving Zhou Ye for A Yao, but now…

She just didn’t know what her daughter thought—whether she would even consider someone like Zhou Ye, a rough-around-the-edges man.

Lin Dashan was proud by nature, but he respected Zhou Ye, this outsider. “Uncle isn’t good with words. Do what you think is best. Go if you have the energy, but prioritize your safety. I’m counting on you to help plow the few mu (about 1/6 acre) of land we have.”

Other families spent days weeding their fields this season, but he and Zhou Ye had cleared all the weeds in their fields in just two days. Partly because they didn’t have much land—only five mu—and partly because both worked quickly. The next few days would be easier. After resting a day, Lin Dashan planned to go to town and find day labor to earn a few dozen coppers.

“Uncle and Aunt, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing,” Zhou Ye said. Just as he finished speaking, his stomach growled, and he looked embarrassed.

“Oh, I’ve been so busy talking I forgot to cook! We’re already late today. I’ll wash the rice and cook a pot of porridge made from coarse rice,” Auntie He said cheerfully. She didn’t mind Zhou Ye’s appetite because one man’s labor was worth three men’s.

Nine out of ten households in Sweetwater Village lived in mud-and-thatch huts, so their stoves were not inside but built outside in the yard, sheltered by a simple roof. After starting a pot of coarse rice porridge on the outdoor stove, Auntie He took a basket of eggs to Village Chief Zhang’s house.

The Zhang family was among the wealthiest in the village. If anyone had surplus polished rice, the villagers would first think of them.

After Auntie He left, Lin Dashan and Zhou Ye kept busy—one chopping weeds to feed the chickens, the other splitting firewood in the yard.

While the family was occupied, Lin Shu was looking over her new home.

The walls were made of tightly packed straw, coated with a thick layer of mud. At first glance, they resembled earthen walls mixed with straw. The corners and roof frame were wooden, with thick thatch covering the roof. It was sturdier than she had expected, with no drafts.

The interior was simple. The main room had only a well-worn square table and two long benches. One bench had a broken leg, repaired with a bamboo splint, but it sat sturdily, though it looked a bit odd.

On the side walls hung two straw raincoats, each with a bamboo hat perched above. Beyond that, the room was as bare as her pockets.

On either side of the main room were doorways leading to two bedrooms. As Lin Shu glanced toward the left doorway, she suddenly met a pair of eyes.

The owner of those eyes, startled, quickly pulled back half of their head.

A moment later, a small head cautiously peeked out again.

To their surprise, Lin Shu’s gaze hadn’t moved and was still fixed exactly where they had been. Their eyes met again, and Lin Xiaopu's eyes widened in surprise.

“Little sister, why are you hiding? Do I look so ugly you can’t bear to see me?” Lin Shu blinked at her.

Lin Xiaopu was nine years old but, due to a congenital weakness, looked no bigger than a seven-year-old. Her face was thin, making her eyes appear large and dark.

Hearing this, she shook her head vigorously, as if afraid Lin Shu would misunderstand if she hesitated.

“Then tell me I’m pretty,” Lin Shu said playfully, seizing the opportunity.

Lin Xiaopu opened her mouth, closed it, and after several attempts, whispered under Lin Shu’s expectant gaze, “Sister is pretty.”

In Sweetwater Village, people often used “A” as a term of endearment. Lin Shu quickly adapted. “Oh! Little sister, your words are so sweet! Later, I’ll make candy for you!”

Lin Xiaopu looked at her, her large eyes sparkling.

Lin Shu’s heart softened. If the child was this adorable while still thin, how heart-meltingly cute would she be once she filled out?

I'll have to fatten her up!

Lin Xiaopu was shy, but Lin Shu coaxed her into talking, learning everything she could.

For instance, the Lin family’s relations. Her father was the second of three brothers. The elder uncle had three sons, the oldest of whom had just married, and his wife was already pregnant—making them the largest branch. The third uncle had only one son, three years older than Xiao Pu.

Old Man Lin had passed away early, and for years, the grandmother had managed the household. She had always favored the elder uncle’s family. Three years ago, on her deathbed, she divided the family property. The twenty mu of land were split—the elder uncle’s family received ten mu, including seven mu of paddy fields. The remaining ten mu were divided equally between her father and the third uncle, each getting five mu. Moreover, the grandmother left the old family home to the elder uncle’s family, while her father and the third uncle received only two strings of copper coins to start anew.

And this was only after Lin Yao, the original daughter, had argued fiercely for it.

For a poor farming family that struggled to save even a few copper coins a year, two strings of cash might seem substantial, but it had to cover building a new house, purchasing pots, pans, and other necessities—and with a sickly child requiring medicine, the money vanished quickly.

Fortunately, Lin Yao was capable. She excelled at embroidery, selling handkerchiefs and pouches in town for a decent income. She was also frugal. Even before the family split, she had secretly saved a portion of her earnings, accumulating a modest sum over time.

After the division, the family’s situation improved. Her once overly filial father also woke up to the grandmother’s blatant favoritism.

Later, driven by resentment, Lin Dashan used a bag of coarse grain to “buy” Zhou Ye, who was fleeing famine. His intention was obvious—he had no sons, but he could find a live-in son-in-law!

With Zhou Ye’s arrival, the family gained a strong laborer, and their lives became more comfortable. If not for Lin Xiaopu’s recurring medicine expenses, the family would have been living quite well.

Lin Shu leaned in and whispered, “So Brother A Ye has only been with the family for less than three years? He doesn’t look like someone who’d starve. How did he end up indenturing himself to the family?”

In the yard, Zhou Ye was splitting firewood. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing well-muscled arms. Each swing of the axe was clean and efficient, the wood splitting smoothly under his strength. The veins on his arms bulged with each movement, exuding a raw, powerful energy.

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