7 This is Shanxiu Village (Bug Fix)

The midsummer heat brings plenty of farm work, and the household’s laundry piles up into a large basin every two or three days. Since the beginning of summer, the prime spots along the village river have been in high demand, with everyone rushing to wash their clothes.

Stepping through the shade of the trees lining the path to the river, Ye Xi found the best spots already crowded. The village women and young men were squatting in small groups on the riverside stones, their hands submerged in the flowing water to scrub the fabric, all while chatting and joking with one another.

Ye Xi carried his wooden basin, circling around, but could not find a suitable place to settle. Instead, he drew a flurry of inquisitive stares. He chose to ignore them; ever since his engagement to the Cao family was broken off, some still treated it as fodder for gossip. Coupled with the white gauze covering the burn scar on his face, he was even more of a spectacle.

Not wanting such idle chatter to disturb his peace, Ye Xi simply carried his basin further down the riverbank. After walking a few dozen meters, the group of villagers was no longer in sight. The water babbled softly, and the reeds along the bank grew lush and thick.

Ye Xi found a spot where the water was shallow and easy to stand in. He set down his basin and began to beat the clothes with a wooden paddle. The soap nuts used for washing were gathered from the mountains—they cost nothing, but they weren't exactly abundant. With so many people in the village relying on the soap nut trees for laundry and hair washing, Ye Xi thought while scrubbing that he should take some time in the next few days to head up the mountain and gather more, lest they run out at home.

Lost in these thoughts about household chores, he momentarily lost track of his work. The river current, though not rapid, was swift enough that it caught a piece of clothing he had just finished washing. Before Ye Xi could reach out to grab it, it was swept away.

He watched as the garment drifted downstream. Farming families are not wealthy; it often takes years to afford a single new set of clothes. Mending and patching can keep a garment going for three more years, and even when it is finally beyond repair, it must be kept to be cut into cleaning rags. He couldn't afford to lose a piece of clothing just like that!

Ye Xi gave chase along the bank, trampling through the reed beds. He didn't even notice the sharp leaves slicing into his heels. Seeing the garment about to drift into a wider, flatter stretch of the river, Ye Xi rolled up his pant legs, intending to jump in and try to retrieve it.

Just as he was preparing to step into the water, someone beat him to it.

Lin Jiangshan strode quickly into the river. The water was shallow, and being a large and tall man, it only reached his waist. He walked against the current as if it offered no resistance, reaching the middle of the river in moments. With a large hand, he snatched the garment Ye Xi had lost.

Ye Xi stood dumbly on the bank, watching as the man returned.

"Here." He handed the clothing to Ye Xi.

Ye Xi reached out to take it, whispering a soft "thank you." His earlobes turned red—not for any other reason than the fact that he had just realized the garment he had lost was his undergarment.

A young man’s undergarments are private belongings, not meant to be seen by others. Now that they had been held in the hands of this man, he couldn't help but blush with embarrassment.

Lin Jiangshan, however, showed no particular reaction. He had simply lent a helping hand and likely hadn't even registered what the object was. After handing over the clothes, he stooped to wring the water from his pant legs, picked up the fish he had left in the reeds, and prepared to leave.

"Did you catch these?" Ye Xi noticed the fish in his hand, tied by a grass rope through their gills. They were still twitching, clearly fresh from the river.

Lin Jiangshan nodded. "I used a net. Just enough for a meal."

There weren't many in the village who knew how to fish; it was a skill in itself, and a single fish could sell for a few coppers in town. Because of this, Ye Xi’s gaze held a hint of admiration.

"Your fishing skills are excellent. You caught so many! Even our village’s regular fisherman doesn't necessarily catch this many in a single day."

Lin Jiangshan did not seem to be a man of many words. Faced with Ye Xi’s praise, he appeared somewhat awkward, not knowing how to respond. He simply looked straight at him, his dark eyes reflecting Ye Xi’s image.

His lips remained pressed together. After a long moment, he held out the grass rope with the two fish toward Ye Xi.

Now it was Ye Xi’s turn to be stunned. He looked at the fish, confused. "Are you giving these to me?"

Lin Jiangshan gave a slight nod. "Yes."

Two fish were not cheap. How could he accept them? Ye Xi waved his hands in refusal. "I didn't mean I wanted your fish; I was just praising your skill. You don't need to give them to me."

Did he think I was talking to him just to get his fish?

Lin Jiangshan did not withdraw his hand. Instead, he leaned over and placed them at Ye Xi’s feet, saying in a deep voice, "I can't finish them all anyway. Just take them back."

It was easy enough for him to feed himself; one fish a day was plenty. Every time he went fishing, he caught more than he could eat. The leftovers were usually salted, but his skills were poor, and the resulting salted fish were always so bitter that he couldn't bring himself to eat them.

Having received such a generous gift, Ye Xi felt embarrassed. Blushing, he said, "Then let me pay you for the fish. I don't have any copper coins on me right now; would another day be alright?"

Lin Jiangshan replied, "Keep your money. I just caught them while I was at it; I don't rely on this for a living."

As he turned to leave, Ye Xi suddenly thought of something and called out to him, "How about I send you a jar of pickled vegetables instead?"

Lin Jiangshan stopped and turned to look at him.

Ye Xi bit his lip and asked, "If you liked the pickled vegetables I brought you the other day, I can send some more. Let that settle the debt for the fish."

The jar of pickled vegetables Ye Xi had sent last time was crisp and refreshing, perfect with plain porridge or steamed buns. It hadn't even taken two days for Lin Jiangshan to scrape the bottom of the jar.

At the thought of this, he finally relented. He nodded and said in a low, gravelly voice, "Thank you."

Ye Xi smiled, his eyes curving into the shape of lovely crescents. "Pickled vegetables are nothing compared to fish."

Lin Jiangshan’s expression flickered slightly, but he said nothing more and turned to walk away.

Ye Xi hurriedly finished washing the rest of his clothes and carried the two fish home. It was nearly noon, and time to prepare the midday meal.

Smoke was rising from the chimneys throughout the village. Thinking of his father and older brother who had been working in the fields all morning and would soon be home for lunch, Ye Xi quickly hung his laundry on the bamboo rack in the yard and ducked into the kitchen to cook.

The household’s cornmeal was freshly ground and filled a large jar. He scooped out a large gourd-full, mixed in half a bowl of fine flour, added well water, and kneaded it into golden dough.

While the dough was rising, he took the fish out into the yard to gut and scale them, burying the scales in the vegetable garden as fertilizer and tossing the entrails into the chicken coop.

Fish was a rare treat, and Ye Xi was determined to prepare it perfectly. Fortunately, the jar of pickled red peppers was crisp and tangy, and the ginger was fresh and tender. Minced together, they would make the fish sour, spicy, and fragrant.

The oil in the wok hissed as he dropped in the scored fish, followed by half a bowl of minced peppers and a splash of sweet potato starch water. The air filled with the aroma of the dish, wafting out through the window.

Ye’s father and older brother, Ye Shan, had just returned carrying their farm tools. Before they even entered the yard, they smelled the delicious aroma and couldn't help but sniff the air, their stomachs rumbling loudly.

"Xi-ge, what are you cooking for lunch? It smells so good!" Ye Shan couldn't wait and ducked into the kitchen.

Ye Xi was just pouring the colorful bits of pickled peppers from the cutting board into the wok, finally tossing in a handful of fresh green mugwort leaves. He smiled at his brother, "I'm making spicy pickled fish. The ingredients are perfect today; it’s bound to be delicious."

Ye Shan leaned over to look into the wok and exclaimed, "I never thought we’d have such a feast today! Did you steam rice? I’m going to eat three bowls of it!"

Ye Xi laughed. "There isn't much rice left, so I steamed corn buns. They'll fill you up." With that, he lifted the grass lid of the steamer. A cloud of steaming white heat washed over his face, revealing the golden, plump, and fluffy corn buns inside.

"Great! I’m going to eat three or four!" Ye Shan happily went out to the yard to wash his hands.

Ye Xi quickly plated the dish and set the table.

Liu Xiufeng had also returned from selling vegetables in town. Her basket was empty, which meant business had been good.

"The town was crowded today. I got a good spot, so the vegetables sold fast!"

Ye’s father smiled as he took the basket from her. "It’s because the vegetables you grow are good that they sold so quickly. It’s worth all the hard work you put into the garden day and night."

Liu Xiufeng gave him a playful glare, clearly pleased. "If I didn't grow the vegetables, what would we eat? You know how hard it is to tend the garden."

Ye Xi called out, "Come and eat, the food is getting cold."

Liu Xiufeng entered the kitchen and exclaimed, "Such a feast for lunch? Did you find money somewhere? You actually bought fish."

Ye Shan replied, "Xi-ge bought it. He probably saw how hard we were working."

Ye Xi gathered the corn buns into a basin, handed one to each of them, and laughed, "My fingers are tied tight; I don't have any copper coins to buy fish. Someone gave it to us."

Ye’s father bit into his corn bun and asked curiously, "Who is so generous? Willing to give away two fish?" Villagers would fight tooth and nail over an inch of field boundary; who would give away fish for free?

Ye Xi held his clay bowl, bit his lip, and answered truthfully, "It’s that outsider who moved into the hillside cabin."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiufeng frowned and scolded, "Didn't I tell you to stay away from him? He’s an outsider with no known roots, and he’s so hulking and burly, living halfway up the mountain away from the village. Who knows what kind of business he’s in! And he gives you fish? Who knows what his intentions are!"

Ye Shan also warned his younger brother, "Mother is right. We should be careful; we don't want to fall into someone else's trap."

Ye Xi hung his head in silence. In his heart, he was convinced the man was a good person.

Ye’s father, who doted on his youngest, saw Ye Xi drooping and tapped his chopsticks against his bowl in his defense. "Why scold Xi-ge? He got the fish and brought it straight home for us to eat. Why are you lecturing him? I say he might not be a bad person. Since he has the official residency papers and can settle in the village, he must be law-abiding. Let’s not judge a person so harshly."

Ye Xi felt emboldened by his father’s words and explained, "His name is Lin Jiangshan. He’s not a 'barbarian with a bushy beard' like Brother says; he even knows how to fish! I was doing laundry by the river today, and when some of my clothes were swept away, he jumped into the water to get them back for me. Not only that, he said he caught more fish than he could eat, so he gave me two. He wouldn't even take money when I offered it."

Ye’s father’s tone softened. "He’s warm-hearted and generous. He seems like an honest person, not a bad one. Let’s not join in with the gossips in the village and talk about him anymore."

Liu Xiufeng pouted. "You’ve been bought off with two fish. Our Xi-ge is a young man; who knows what he’s planning."

Ye Xi pointed to his own face. "I look like this, Mother. What could he possibly be after?"

"Xi-ge..." Liu Xiufeng felt a pang of pain in her heart.

Ye Shan bit his lip and called out, "Let’s eat, let’s eat. Why talk about all this? Next time I run into the man, I’ll thank him properly."

The conversation at the table died down, and the family finished their lunch in silence.