Chapter Two: Lingzhi

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Sun had thought about this decision for two days.

During that time, she and Xiao Dash had argued about it without end. Xiao Dash said they should let Lin Qiuran give birth to the child. Xiao Xun was already dead, and it had taken great hardship for him to leave behind a descendant. How could they possibly have the child aborted? It was Heaven’s will. He had hands and feet, and raising a grandchild would not be a problem.

Naturally, Sun was willing to let the child be born. But Lin Qiuran had been married into the family for barely two months when her husband died. How would she live afterward? The girl had a good temperament, and besides, childbirth was like passing through the gates of death. If something happened to her then, Sun truly could not bear it.

Xiao Xun was gone, but they still had to carry on with their lives. Sun was forty-two, and Xiao Dash was forty-three. If the child were born and they happened to die young someday, they would still worry about it from beneath the earth. Thus, Sun discussed with Xiao Dash the idea of acknowledging Lin Qiuran as their daughter, arranging for her to remarry, and asking nothing in return beyond having her come home once a year to visit the old couple and care for them at the end of their lives.

Xiao Dash lowered his head without a word. At last, he nodded. That was how they would settle the matter.

Lin Qiuran froze. She had assumed Sun would tell her to give birth to the child. She had been wondering how to refuse, but what she heard instead was this.

Xiao Dash remained silent, and Sun continued, “Over the past several decades, our family has saved a little more than seven taels of silver. We gave your family two taels as the betrothal gift, and spent some on the wedding banquet. We have five taels left. We’ll use two taels to prepare another dowry for you, and keep the rest for our old age. What do you think?”

Lin Qiuran nodded. “Father, Mother, now that I’ve married into the Xiao family, you will always be my parents.”

Sun wiped away her tears again. “You’re a good wife and a good child. It was Xiao Xun who had no fortune.”

When a person died, everything ended like a lamp going out. There was nothing to be done about it. Lin Qiuran offered them a few words of comfort, and the two of them returned to their room.

She let out a quiet breath of relief. The original owner had not brought much of a dowry, and if the Xiao family prepared one for her, it would certainly be better than marrying out from her mother’s home. Judging from Liu’s tone, the original owner’s sister-in-law was not an easy person to deal with.

If only she could remain at the Xiao household without having the child. Sun had a kind nature, and being treated as the Xiao family’s daughter would surely be pleasant. Earning money was earning money no matter where she did it, but if she kept the child, she would inevitably have to stay.

No, no. That would not do.

The next day, Sun and Xiao Dash went to the fields.

A dead person was like a lamp gone out, but life still had to continue. Sun had spent the past few days grieving and had not gone to work. Now that it was summer, the fields needed frequent weeding, or the crops would never grow properly.

The Xiao family had three mu of land planted with rice. After breakfast, the two of them went to the fields, while Lin Qiuran remained at home. She had risen a little later, and Sun had left food for her in the pot: three eggs.

Lin Qiuran had thought that once she refused to keep the child, Sun would stop caring about her and she would no longer eat meat every day. Who would have thought that things would remain just as they had been?

She planned to cook something at noon and take it to the two of them. After looking around, she saw that the family’s two chickens had already been eaten. There was still some rice and flour in the grain jar, and green vegetables growing in the backyard garden. Once she had a general idea of what was available, Lin Qiuran went to pick vegetables.

She did not know much about Xiao Family Village. Mountains surrounded the area on every side. The past few days had been hot, but with the mountains encircling the village, the climate was still fairly pleasant. As for whether the place lay in the north or south, she had no idea.

The Xiao family’s vegetable garden was behind the house, enclosed by a fence. It was kept very neat and orderly. Sun was clearly someone who knew how to manage a household.

Lin Qiuran picked a small pumpkin, a handful of scallions, and several chili peppers. Then she strolled to the well to wash and prepare the vegetables. Now that she ate the Xiao family’s food and used the Xiao family’s things, she could not simply eat without doing any work.

While washing the vegetables, she glanced at her belly. The child was surprisingly hardy. The original owner had been frightened badly enough to faint for an entire day, yet the child had remained unharmed.

As noon approached, Sun hurried back from the fields. Along the way, she encountered many women carrying meals to their families. The others glanced at her but did not dare speak. Finally, a village auntie who was on good terms with the Xiao family called out, “Sister, why are you heading back?”

“I’m going home to take a look,” Sun replied.

In truth, she was going back to cook. But if the others heard that, they would surely ask whether her daughter-in-law was at home doing nothing. In the village, pregnancy and childbirth were not considered reasons for a daughter-in-law to avoid work. Still, Sun could not bear to make Lin Qiuran work and would rather do it herself.

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The moment she entered the house, however, Sun smelled something delicious. Smoke was also rising from the Xiao family’s chimney.

Lin Qiuran had already prepared lunch, but she did not know where the Xiao family’s fields were. Fortunately, Sun had returned.

“Mother, I’ve made lunch,” Lin Qiuran said.

Sun sniffed, deeply moved. If only Xiao Xun had not died. With such a daughter-in-law, what more could anyone ask for?

Sun wiped her eyes and turned away. “You’re not well enough to be working. You should have stayed in bed. Why did you cook?”

“There was nothing else to do. I made some pumpkin cakes and stir-fried pumpkin. You and Father should try them.”

The Xiao family ate three meals a day. In the morning, they had thin porridge. At noon, they ate either two kinds of flour cakes or rice mixed with other grains, mostly sweet-potato rice and sweet-potato flour. In the evening, they had thin porridge again.

But Lin Qiuran had been eating well these past few days. She had white rice and stewed chicken at noon and in the evening, and eggs in the morning. She did not want to do nothing but eat, and preparing a meal was hardly tiring.

Sun smiled. “All right. Next time, when the food is ready, eat first. I’ll pack some up and take it to your father. Just soak the bowls in the pot; I’ll wash them when I get back.”

Sun soon carried the meal away. Lin Qiuran sat down to eat as well. She had eaten three eggs that morning, so she was not particularly hungry yet.

The pumpkin cakes were made with pumpkin, white flour, and eggs. Lin Qiuran had grated the pumpkin into shreds, mixed everything together with seasoning, and fried the cakes until they were crisp on the outside, tender within, and wonderfully fragrant.

The stir-fried pumpkin contained cured pork from the meat hanging beneath the roof beam. She had sliced the pork and rendered out its fat, then removed it from the pan and stir-fried minced garlic and chilies in the oil. Finally, she added the pumpkin and pork together. The spicy fragrance made it perfect with rice.

It was a seasonal dish. Once the pumpkin grew too old, it could no longer be eaten. As long as she still had her culinary skills, she certainly would not starve in the future.

Meanwhile, Sun carried the bamboo basket of food back to the fields. Whenever someone looked at her along the way, she told them that her daughter-in-law had prepared it.

These past few days, many people had spoken ill of the Xiao family. Some said the couple was cursed with bad fortune. Others said Lin Qiuran had brought about her husband’s death. If she truly had such a curse, they said, did that mean the old couple had cursed their own son? Besides, the couple’s horoscopes had been matched before the marriage was arranged. Yet people would gossip regardless.

Showing everyone that Lin Qiuran could cook would make it easier for her to remarry later.

When Sun reached the fields, Xiao Dash was puzzled by how quickly she had returned.

“Qiuran made lunch,” Sun said. “Hurry and eat.”

Neither of them had eaten much over the past two days. Their hearts were heavy, and they had no appetite at all. But when Sun lifted the cloth covering the meal, Xiao Dash could not help swallowing. He had barely eaten for two days, and his stomach had felt hollow. The food looked quite good.

Sun handed him a pair of chopsticks. “Come on, eat. We still have to weed after this.”

Xiao Dash nodded. He picked up a piece of pumpkin cake. It was soft and sweet, with crisp pumpkin and a rich, savory flavor. The stir-fried pumpkin was even better, with pieces of cured pork mixed in.

As he ate, tears filled his eyes. If only his son were still alive. With such a filial daughter-in-law, what more could he possibly want?

Sun felt miserable seeing him like that. “Stop thinking about it. In a few days, we’ll make a cenotaph for Xiao Xun and invite the villagers over.”

Xiao Dash wiped his eyes and nodded.

The food was delicious, but neither of them could taste much. After finishing, Sun washed the bowls by the well, and the two of them spent another half-day weeding. By sunset, everyone else had left the fields, and only then did the couple begin walking home.

The Xiao family’s land was far away, beside the woods. They had to pass through the forest to get home. It was dark in the fields, and Sun walked carefully. After a while, she tugged at Xiao Dash’s sleeve.

“Old man, look over there. What is that?”

Xiao Dash followed her gaze. It looked somewhat like a mushroom, but it was orange-red. Sun hurried over and took a closer look. It seemed to be a lingzhi mushroom.

Lingzhi did indeed grow in the mountains near Xiao Family Village. There were even herb gatherers who specialized in collecting it. Xiao Xun had seen people picking them when he used to hunt, but they were difficult to find. Rare things were valuable, and a genuine one could fetch a very high price.

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Sun searched for the basket she had carried the lunch in, picked the lingzhi, and wrapped it in cloth. This was a precious thing.

The old couple felt nervous. After glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, they hurried home.

That evening, Lin Qiuran cooked porridge with sweet potatoes and rice. She made no dishes, only setting out some pickled vegetables.

Sun boiled two eggs for Lin Qiuran again. After Lin Qiuran quickly finished eating, Sun showed her the lingzhi covered in white cloth.

“Qiuran, your father and I found this on the road.”

By the light of the candle, Lin Qiuran took a look. It had a reddish-brown cap, still half-round, with an exceptionally smooth surface. It was about as large as her hand, though it did not look entirely genuine.

“Is this a lingzhi?” Lin Qiuran asked.

“It was beside a tree along the road,” Sun said. “I spotted it from far away. We’ll sell it tomorrow.”

Xiao Dash coughed twice. Sun turned around and saw him signaling to her repeatedly.

Lin Qiuran noticed as well. She lowered her head. “Mother, it’s getting late. I’ll return to my room first.”

In truth, even without Xiao Dash’s signals, she already understood. The lingzhi had been found by Sun and her husband. It had nothing to do with her.

After Lin Qiuran returned to her room, Sun glared at Xiao Dash. “What was that about?”

Xiao Dash muttered, “Why did you tell her all that?”

They were going to have her terminate the pregnancy and remarry. What did their discovery have to do with Lin Qiuran? One could never be too wary of others.

“Why shouldn’t I tell her?” Sun replied. “When Qiuran marries again, she’ll still be marrying out from the Xiao family. We have neither son nor daughter. If we aren’t kinder to her, who will care for us in our final years? I’ll sell this tomorrow and give the money to Qiuran as her dowry!”

*

The next morning, Lin Qiuran woke to find three eggs in the pot. She sighed softly. She planned to wait until someone from her mother’s family came, then discuss with Liu the matter of remarrying from the Xiao household.

To be fair, Sun had an excellent temperament. It was simply a pity…

At noon, Sun returned from outside, and Lin Qiuran had already prepared the meal. That day, she made eggplant with green chili. She steamed the eggplant and roasted the chilies over the fire until their skins blistered like tiger stripes, then tore them into strips and mixed them with the eggplant. There were not many seasonings—only minced garlic and small chilies, with a simple dressing added at the end.

The staple food was a few cakes made from sweet-potato flour and white flour. But she did not know where the two of them had gone, so she could only wait at home.

Sun hurried back and closed the door as soon as she entered.

“Qiuran,” Sun said, “your mother sold the lingzhi from yesterday. It brought ten taels of silver. Take this money. Once you marry, life will be a little easier for you.”

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