6 This is Shanxiu Village (Bug Catching)

Having accepted the offer, Ye Xi nodded and carried the jar of pickled vegetables into the kitchen.

The kitchen was cold and desolate, likely because a fire hadn’t been lit for a long time. A layer of fine dust covered the stove, and several wild pheasants, already gutted and salted, hung above the hearth. On a low table sat a large bowl filled with grey, dusty steamed buns.

Ye Xi placed the jar on the stove and couldn't help but feel curious about the buns. It was his first time seeing buns of that color; they didn't look like they were made of buckwheat flour, nor did they seem to be mixed with bean flour.

He glanced outside and saw the man busy tying up firewood. Taking advantage of the moment, he reached out and poked one of the buns. It wasn't the soft, pillowy texture he had imagined; instead, it felt like poking a stone. Ye Xi gathered his courage and gave it a squeeze—it was rock-hard! He suspected that one bite of that bun could choke a person to death.

How did this man even survive eating things like this?

On the table next to the buns was a dish of pickles, dark and murky. When he leaned in to smell them, he caught a whiff of smoke. He suspected the man had smoked the pickles himself.

Was this even fit for human consumption?!

After placing the pickled vegetables, he went back outside. The man had already finished bundling the firewood, adding some cypress branches he had gathered himself to the pile Ye Xi had collected.

Ye Xi felt his face flush; he felt embarrassed to accept the man's firewood.

The man didn't seem to mind, saying in a low voice, "It’s not for nothing. Consider it payment for the pickled vegetables."

Ye Xi nodded and was just about to reach for his basket when it was snatched away by a large hand. The man hoisted the basket onto his back with ease.

Ye Xi didn't know how to react to this gesture. Twisting the corner of his tunic, he said, "I can carry it back myself."

If others were to see this, there was no telling what rumors might spread. An unmarried youth walking so closely with a stranger from out of town—even if their intentions were pure, it wouldn't stop people from wagging their tongues.

The man, clearly understanding his concerns, said, "I will only carry it to the foot of the mountain." With that, he walked ahead with the firewood on his back.

Throughout the journey, the man kept a significant distance from Ye Xi, taking great care to avoid any impropriety.

Watching the back of the man ahead of him, Ye Xi felt a surge of gratitude. He wore a veil over his face, and others would inevitably ask about it, yet this man seemed not to care at all.

Ye Xi touched his face subconsciously. If the man were to see his ugly scar, he would likely shrink away from him as well.

The man walked at a brisk pace and soon reached the foot of the mountain. By the time Ye Xi caught up, the man had been waiting under a tree for some time.

Ye Xi took the basket and whispered his thanks. The man said nothing; his dark, deep eyes lingered on Ye Xi for a moment before he turned to head back up the mountain.

"Wait," Ye Xi called out.

Seeing him turn, his rugged profile highlighted by the golden sunlight, Ye Xi bit his lip and said softly, "I am a youth from the Ye family in Shanxiu Village. My name is Ye Xi."

The man gave a noncommittal grunt, as if knowing his name made no difference.

Ye Xi felt his cheeks warm slightly as he asked for the man's name. "Since you helped me, I still don't know your name. Anyway... we are in the same village now, so perhaps we can look out for each other in the future."

"Lin Jiangshan."

Hearing the man's reply, Ye Xi repeated the name to himself several times. For some reason, he found the name quite pleasant.

"Right. If you run out of pickled vegetables, you can let me know. I have more at home," Ye Xi nodded.

The man seemed to be a man of few words, grunted deeply again, and headed back up the mountain without looking back.

Ye Xi carried the firewood all the way home. Liu Xiufeng was spinning linen in the courtyard. Farming families couldn't afford cotton like the townspeople; for one, linen was durable—after years of working in the fields, it held up well—and for another, every household knew how to spin it. By utilizing their spare time during the off-season, they could be self-sufficient for clothing without having to spend money at the cloth shops.

"Mother," Ye Xi said, stacking the firewood under the eaves.

Liu Xiufeng replied with an "aye" without stopping her work. She glanced at the firewood Ye Xi had brought back and smiled, "That’s a good bundle of firewood, very neatly tied."

Ye Xi bit his lip and remained silent, turning to the kitchen to prepare dinner. He lit the fire, and the flames danced in the hearth.

As the oil grew piping hot, he tossed a basket of leafy greens into the wok. Steam rose into the air, and as Ye Xi stirred with an iron spatula, he couldn't help but think of Lin Jiangshan.

The man was a rough laborer, living in a cold house with no one to tend to the fire, eating those terrible, hard buns—he lacked anyone to provide warmth or a home-cooked meal.

A drop of hot oil splashed onto the back of Ye Xi’s hand. He felt his face flush involuntarily and stuck out his tongue, scolding himself silently, "Pah, pah, pah! Ye Xi, have you no shame? Whether or not someone else has a hot meal has nothing to do with you. Thinking about a man like that—how shameless!"

That night, when Father Ye and Ye Shan returned from the fields, they brought a handful of wild groundnuts for Ye Xi, wrapped in a few leaves. They were red and round, and when gently pulled apart, they revealed a cluster of dense, sweet fruit flesh. A single lick was incredibly sugary.

He had been pampered at home since he was a child, never lacking wild fruits. Even for the expensive melons sold in town, Father Ye had bought some for him several times.

After the family enjoyed their dinner, they extinguished the lamps and went to sleep.

At dawn, before the sky had fully brightened, the family rose after the chickens began to crow. With the Lesser Heat already halfway over and the Great Heat approaching, they had to take advantage of this time to tend to the rice paddies. Before the sun rose and the air was still cool, farming families hurried to get as much work done as possible.

Father and the eldest brother headed to the fields, while Liu Xiufeng went to the vegetable garden to harvest greens. She had to get them to town before the dew evaporated to fetch a better price. Each member of the family had their own tasks, all driven by the desire to live a better life.

Ye Xi’s job was to prepare a hearty, filling breakfast for the family to sustain them.

With the rice harvest approaching, they didn't have to ration the grain left over from last year as strictly as before. Ye Xi boiled a pot of thick green vegetable porridge with rice, sprinkling in a little salt to make it refreshing and gentle on the stomach.

He also tossed a dish of cucumbers with fragrant oil. The pickled long beans he had started a few days ago were ready as well; he fished out a few, chopped them into segments, and drizzled them with spicy chili oil—the perfect accompaniment for the thin porridge.

Blue smoke rose from the kitchen stove, drifting into the morning mist and waking Shanxiu Village. Every household was having breakfast, and the more diligent ones were already carrying their plows and harrows along the dew-kissed village paths.

The family sat in the courtyard to eat. An old man from the village walked past their gate, leading his ox. The ox flicked its tail, and the bell around its neck chimed, creating a pleasant sound in the morning air.

Father Ye held his bowl and greeted the old man, "Uncle Liu, out early to graze the ox?"

The old man gave a hearty laugh. His straw sandals were soaked with dew, and his pant legs were rolled up to his knees, revealing thin, weathered calves, yet his spirit was high. His voice was deep and strong, "Not grazing today; I'm heading to the neighboring farm to plow. The Wang San family bought another acre of land and needs it tilled quickly to sow the seeds."

Father Ye clicked his tongue with envy, "The Wang San family is really getting ahead. This is the second time they’ve bought land this year, isn't it?"

"Indeed. This time it's riverbank land. Can't talk any longer; you keep eating, I have to get going."

"Go on, go on."

After Uncle Liu and his ox passed by, Father Ye squatted back down on his small stool and slurped his porridge, "If only our family could buy a few more acres of land."

Ye Shan chewed his cucumber and comforted his father, "Father, I’ll work harder. If the harvest is good this year, we’ll surely save enough silver to buy an acre of fertile land!"

Liu Xiufeng tapped Ye Shan on the head with her chopsticks, "You silly oaf, don't mix up your priorities. Buying land can wait. You’re eighteen this year; finding a girl to marry should be the family's top priority. Even Zhang Ergou in the village has children already, and you still haven't settled down."

Ye Shan rubbed his head and muttered, "The family isn't well-off. I should focus on working hard to earn more for our foundation."

The Ye family’s land was not vast—just the few acres allocated by the government—which barely covered their basic needs. Extra money was hard to come by, which was why they hadn't been able to afford any additional property over the years.

Ye Xi felt a pang of guilt. If it weren't for his face being burned, the family wouldn't have spent their meager savings on doctors and medicine. Otherwise, they would have saved enough by now to buy a good acre of land this year.

Ye Shan noticed his younger brother's distress and quickly comforted him, "Don't overthink it, Xi-ge'er. You manage the household inside and out, which is no less tiring than my farm work. I’m not in any rush to marry; if you were to get married, who would cook such delicious meals for me? I’d be skin and bones within days!"

Ye Xi laughed, picked up a piece of pickled long bean with his chopsticks, and placed it in his brother's bowl, "Then big brother should hurry up and find me a good sister-in-law to take care of you."

Ye Shan blushed at his brother’s teasing, hurriedly gulped down half a bowl of porridge, and grabbed his harrow to dash off.

Liu Xiufeng huffed in frustration, scolding, "Your brother is so dense! At his age, he’s still shy about marriage. If he keeps dragging his feet, he’ll become an old bachelor. By then, no girl or youth will want him."

Ye Xi tidied up the bowls and chopsticks, comforting his mother, "Big brother is capable and responsible. If he marries, he will surely treat his wife well. With such a good temperament, some girl will definitely take a liking to him. Don’t worry, Mother."

Liu Xiufeng had to rush to town to sell the vegetables and couldn't linger. She picked up her heavy basket and hurried off with the other village women.

Left alone, Ye Xi first mixed some wheat bran, then went to the fields to gather sweet potato vines. He chopped them up, mixed them with the bran, and fed the pigs in the sty. He then let out the chickens and ducks and lit some mugwort to smoke out the mosquitoes in the coop.

By the time he finished tending to the livestock, the sun had climbed over the mountain. The morning mist had dissipated, and the heat of the day began.

Ye Xi put the dirty clothes into a wooden basin, grabbed a few soap pods from the stove, and headed out to wash the laundry.