Chapter 58: Yun Shan Gives Flowers

“Tuo Tuo, why do you keep staring at me?” Qiu Sheng had no idea what was going on. Tuo Tuo had still been perfectly normal while they were eating just now.

Tuo Tuo said, “I’m waiting for you so we can go to Bailing’s house together and look at the loom.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen Tuo Tuo so eager to go to Bailing’s house,” Xiu Niang said with a smile as she stacked the empty bowl in front of Tuo Tuo on top of her own.

“I want to weave red cloth for myself…”

Hua Qi lifted his eyes and swept a cold glance over Tuo Tuo. The little ginseng spirit immediately changed his words. “I want to weave red cloth to make clothes for Yun Shan!”

Tuo Tuo looked toward Hua Qi and saw that he had already set down his bowl and was teasing Yun Shan in the cradle beside him.

“I want to weave red cloth to make clothes for Yun Shan!” Tuo Tuo emphasized to Xiu Niang again, while secretly glancing at Hua Qi. Seeing that Hua Qi had no reaction, Tuo Tuo let out a breath in his heart. That stinky black snake’s look just now had been so scary to demons.

Xiao Cong, beside them, said quietly, “Maybe Yun Shan doesn’t like red?”

Tuo Tuo whipped his head around to look at Xiao Cong, his face full of disbelief. “How could Yun Shan not like red?”

Xiao Cong thought to himself, it was not as if every demon and human liked red the way Tuo Tuo did. Da Mao liked blue, and he liked the brown of his own scales.

After Qiu Sheng finished his rice soup, Tuo Tuo immediately stood up from the stool, full of energy. “Uncle Qiu Sheng, let’s go. We’re going to Bailing’s house.”

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.” Qiu Sheng got up and followed behind Tuo Tuo. “Making a loom will need wood too. Tomorrow, we’ll have to have your father go into the mountains to find some.”

“All right! Tell me what kind of wood it needs, and I’ll go tell him in a bit,” Tuo Tuo answered loudly.

“Xi Jue is still sleeping. Tell him after he wakes up.”

Their voices grew farther and farther away. Xiu Niang also rose from the stool. Hua Qi helped her clear the bowls and chopsticks from the table, then carried them to the wooden basin by the well.

The little flower on top of Yun Shan’s head slipped from his hair and fell onto his forehead. Uncomfortable, he kept turning his face back and forth, trying to get the little flower off.

The little flower slid down from his forehead and landed beside Yun Shan’s chubby little cheek. Yun Shan could feel it there, and his eyes rolled around, but no matter what, he could not see it. He grew so anxious in the cradle that he cried out, “Ya!” “Ya!”

“What’s wrong?” Hua Qi touched his chubby little face. Seeing him constantly turning his head, he thought Yun Shan was uncomfortable and quickly picked him up to check.

Once he was lifted up, Yun Shan stopped crying. His head kept turning to the right, and his eyes kept rolling about, as if he were looking for something.

What could Yun Shan possibly have? Hua Qi thought with amusement. A human cub lies around all day, with inconvenient hands and feet. What good thing could he have?

He swept his gaze around and found a small yellow flower in the cradle. It was precisely the little flower Yun Shan had brought back from the mountain.

Hua Qi pinched the flower stem and held it in front of Yun Shan’s eyes, asking tentatively, “Are you looking for this?”

Yun Shan stretched out his little hand and grabbed the entire little flower in his fist. Then he raised his hand in Hua Qi’s direction.

Hua Qi, puzzled, held out his hand. “Is it for me?”

Sure enough, Yun Shan loosened his little hand, and the yellow flower fell back into Hua Qi’s palm. Only, after Yun Shan had grabbed it like that, four of the five petals that had originally grown on the little flower now hung crooked and twisted, with only one petal still perfectly stuck to the stamen.

Having given the thing away, Yun Shan opened his big, clear black-and-white eyes and grinned at Hua Qi with a face full of delight.

Xiao Cong, who was embroidering, looked enviously at the little flower in Hua Qi’s hand. Little Temple Master had already given Hua Qi things twice, but he had not given Xiao Cong anything even once. He also wanted something given by Little Temple Master.

Hua Qi could not stop the corners of his mouth from rising. He pinched Yun Shan’s fleshy little hand, then touched his chubby little face. How could this little cub be so adorable?

While Xiu Niang had her head lowered washing bowls, Hua Qi curled his hand into a loose fist and put the already battered little flower into the qiankun pouch he carried with him.

“Ya?” Yun Shan patted Hua Qi’s empty palm. Where had the little flower from just now gone?

Hua Qi lowered his head and whispered by Yun Shan’s ear, “I put away the thing you gave me.” Put it away, so he could take it out and look at it again later.

“What are you mother and son whispering about? Let me and Chun Hua hear too,” Xiu Niang teased with a smile as she passed by carrying bowls.

Hua Qi said, “Chun Hua can’t understand.”

“Chun Hua can’t understand, but I can.” Xiu Niang wiped the water off on her apron and untied it. “I have to hurry and embroider. Sister-in-law said the handkerchiefs need to be sent to town this afternoon. I’m still short one.”

“Xiao Cong, how many have you embroidered?” Xiu Niang brought the sewing basket out of the room and sat beside Xiao Cong to work with him.

“Only this one is left.”

There was only a small half of the pattern left in Xiao Cong’s embroidery hoop. Xiu Niang said in surprise, “These past two days, I kept seeing you playing, and yesterday you even spent half the afternoon opening up wasteland. I didn’t expect you to embroider this quickly. Next time, I’ll have Wan Niang give you more.”

“Mm.” Xiao Cong’s hands did not stop. In just the time it took Xiu Niang to embroider a few stitches, he was already preparing to finish.

“So fast!” She knew Xiao Cong embroidered quickly, but she had not expected him to be this fast. Xiu Niang simply set down the embroidery hoop in her hands. “Xiao Cong, embroider this one too. Once it’s done, all the money will count as yours.”

Xiu Niang said happily, “Then I won’t sit here rushing the work in such a panic. I need to take out the autumn clothes and wash them. With this weather, it’s hard to say which day it’ll turn cold.”

Xiao Cong glanced at the embroidery hoop and nodded. Five embroidered handkerchiefs would be one hundred and fifty wen. That was enough to buy a lot of embroidery thread.

Hua Qi put Yun Shan into the cradle and dragged the cradle beside Xiao Cong. Then he picked up the little hoe, preparing to go out and open up wasteland.

Xiu Niang called after him, “There’s a big hoe at home. It’s in the westernmost room. Just look at my memory. Yesterday I actually forgot to take it out for you to use.”

Xiu Niang took down the key from the doorframe, opened the room, and carried out a hoe. There was even a straw hat perched on top of the hoe.

“After giving birth to Chun Hua, I hardly went into the fields. I even forgot to take out the straw hat.”

Xiu Niang handed the straw hat to Hua Qi. “Wear the hat. Then the sun won’t sting your face.”

She looked at Hua Qi worriedly. “Can someone with such delicate skin go work in the fields?” Hua Qi was fair and clean all over, his skin as tender as an egg.

Then she looked at Hua Qi’s slender, scallion-white hands. The scar from where oil had splashed on them before was already gone without a trace, and Xiu Niang grew even more worried. “If you use these hands to work, won’t they get blisters?”

Hua Qi replied, “I’m not that fragile.” His snake skin was very tough and very resistant to wear.

Xiu Niang was still worried. “Why don’t you not go? Stay home and cook with me. Once Xi Jue and Dou Ming wake up, let those two go farm.”

“I’ll just go work for a while. When it’s time to cook, have Xiao Cong call me. I’ll come help you.”

Hua Qi put on the straw hat and had just picked up the hoe when Qin Niang stumbled into the courtyard holding a money pouch.

“Huaniang, here, five taels of silver.” Qin Niang steadied herself and held out the money pouch in her hand to Hua Qi.

When Hua Qi had seen her in the morning, only half of Qin Niang’s face had been swollen. Now both sides of her face were swollen high, clearly from being beaten.

Xiu Niang saw it too, but did not ask. She only called, “Sister-in-law.”

Hua Qi took the money pouch and opened it for a look. It was full of broken silver. He did not know how to count it, so he had to ask Xiu Niang for help.

Xiu Niang took the pouch and poured out the silver. At a glance, she saw a piece of broken silver marked with yellow paint.

Before the family split, this piece of silver had been handed over by Qiu Sheng to his parents. The yellow paint on it was from when Qiu Sheng’s father had failed to hold it steady while taking the silver, and it had smashed onto a stool Qiu Sheng had just finished painting, picking up the mark. She had not expected that the money his parents had saved was still what Qiu Sheng had given them before the family divided.

Xiu Niang finished counting the money and handed the pouch back to Hua Qi. “Exactly five taels of silver.”

Hua Qi said coldly to Qin Niang, “Fine. This matter is settled.”

Qin Niang forced out a smile, turned, and left quickly. She had only snatched this money over after getting into a fight with Xia Sheng’s mother. Who knew what kind of fuss her mother-in-law would kick up after she went back?

Hua Qi had no time to understand where Qin Niang’s silver had come from, nor would he care why her face was swollen. All of this was the price Qin Niang ought to pay for her past behavior.

He placed the money pouch in the western room and reminded Xiu Niang, “If Wan Niang comes this afternoon, have her wait for me. I’ll go to town with her. I’m going to buy hoes.”

Xiu Niang thought to herself that no wonder Huaniang had asked for five taels of silver. Five taels of silver was just enough to buy three adult sets of hoes, pickaxes, and iron shovels.

On Yunling Mountain, Dou Ming opened his tiger eyes, and his stomach gave a gurgling rumble. He shook his head, left the cave, and headed straight for the rear mountain, startling the birds in the forest into chaotic flight as he ran.

A human face suddenly transformed on the tree ahead, scaring Dou Ming into braking sharply. Then he cried out in dissatisfaction, “Hong Shan, why did you suddenly appear on a tree?”

The old man’s face on the tree chuckled. “I am a tree to begin with. Every tree on the mountain can be my incarnation. Every leaf is my eye.”

Dou Ming lay down, bored. “What do you want to say to me?” He was still in a hurry to go eat.

“I heard from the little demons on the mountain that you have already started opening up wasteland to farm?” Hong Shan asked.

“We just started yesterday.”

Hong Shan asked again, “How is Temple Master Yunshan?”

“Very good.”

Hong Shan asked with a smiling squint, “I heard from the little demons on the mountain that in a few days, it will be the humans’ Reunion Festival.”

“That’s right.” Dou Ming looked at Hong Shan. “Hua Qi bought mooncakes for every little demon. Xiu Niang said humans all eat mooncakes on the day of the Reunion Festival. Tuo Tuo and Xiao Cong should have brought mooncakes up the mountain today. Did you eat a mooncake? What did it taste like?”

Yesterday, he had wanted to eat his mooncake early, but Xiu Niang had not allowed it. Xiu Niang said that one mooncake per person had to be saved for the day of the Reunion Festival.

The smile on the old man’s face on the tree paused. “I didn’t get a mooncake.”

“Hua Qi bought twenty mooncakes. After we went down the mountain, there were only…” Dou Ming stretched out a paw, wanting to count on his fingers. But a tiger’s claws were not as flexible as a human’s. He moved his paw back and forth, eyes fixed on the tips of his claws as he counted six numbers, and then his mind suddenly became muddled. He abruptly could not remember where he had counted to just now.

Hong Shan sighed softly and looked at Dou Ming with eyes full of helplessness. “After you went down the mountain, there were still twenty-one demons with awakened intelligence on the mountain.”

“Ah. Twenty-one, then…” Dou Ming suddenly stopped speaking. Even though his brain was not clever, he relied on instinct and quickly judged that Hua Qi had deliberately left out Hong Shan.

“I’m going to eat.” Dou Ming lifted his tail and ran off like a wisp of smoke. He did not want to get involved in the matter between Hua Qi and Hong Shan at all.

After eating half a deer, Dou Ming caught a few wild rabbits and hurried down the mountain. If he walked faster, he could still make it in time for the humans’ lunch.

In the kitchen, Xiu Niang put the sliced noodles into the pot and urged Hua Qi, “Hurry and call Xi Jue and Dou Ming to get up and eat. They can sleep again after eating.”

Before Hua Qi could speak, Dou Ming had already entered the courtyard. He asked Xiao Cong, who was sitting beneath the tree, “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.” Xiao Cong spared a glance at him, replied, then lowered his head and continued embroidering.

“You weren’t sleeping in the room?” Xiu Niang asked strangely. “Where did you go all morning?” She stuck her head out and saw the wild rabbits in Dou Ming’s hand, then asked, “You went up the mountain? Why did you come back so late? Where’s your father?”

“Don’t know. I found a place on the mountain and slept for a while.” Dou Ming asked with concern, “When are we eating?”

“Very soon. We’re eating noodles today.” Xi Jue had not hunted today, so Xiu Niang had cut more noodles for lunch.

“I cut two big basins today. It’ll definitely be enough for you to eat.” Xiu Niang asked Hua Qi, “Xi Jue isn’t home either?”

Hua Qi said, “They came back early in the morning, ate all the flatbread from the beam, then both went up the mountain. I reckon Xi Jue is still sleeping now. Don’t worry about him. We’ll eat ours.”

“I won’t put his noodles in yet, so they don’t get soggy.”

They had all finished lunch by the time Xi Jue came back with prey. Xiu Niang put all the remaining noodles into the pot, and Dou Ming followed along and freeloaded another bowl.

After the afternoon nap, Tuo Tuo lay on the bed and retied the little braid Yun Shan had undone during his nap. He heard Xiu Niang and Wan Niang talking in the courtyard.

“I heard your eldest sister-in-law and your mother-in-law argued today and even came to blows,” Wan Niang told Xiu Niang the news she had heard.

Xiu Niang said, “I didn’t hear about it. But when Sister-in-law came to deliver the money, her face was terribly swollen.”

“Did Qin Niang really pay five taels of silver?” Wan Niang asked for details.

“Exactly five taels of silver, not a single coin short.” Xiu Niang added softly, “With that personality of hers, she needs to suffer a bit of a loss. If she doesn’t, she really thinks everyone has to act like a fool and let her take advantage of them.”

Tuo Tuo said enviously to Xiao Cong, “Wan Niang is here. Your handkerchiefs can be sold for money.” Once Xi Jue found wood on the mountain tomorrow, Uncle Qiu Sheng would start helping him make the loom. After the loom was finished, he would be able to weave cloth and sell it for money too!

Xiao Cong happily took out the five handkerchiefs and ran out of the room. He stopped in front of Wan Niang and said shyly, “All five handkerchiefs are embroidered.”

“Where did five come from?” Wan Niang blinked, a little dazed for a moment. She remembered that she had given Xiao Cong four handkerchiefs at the time.

“One of them was mine. I couldn’t finish it, so I let Xiao Cong take it,” Xiu Niang explained.

“I knew it. I remembered it was four.” Wan Niang took Xiao Cong’s handkerchiefs and examined each one carefully. This craftsmanship was even better than the skill she had after embroidering for more than ten years.

“You can put a hundred hearts at ease. Xiao Cong has always done things earnestly and meticulously, and he works fast too. Next time there’s embroidery work, you have to think of him first,” Xiu Niang teased.

“I definitely will. This craftsmanship really is good,” Wan Niang sighed. Then she said to Xiao Cong, “Once I go to town and exchange them for money, I’ll bring it back to you.”

“No need for you to bring it,” Hua Qi cut in from the side. “In a bit, have Xi Jue go along. We just happen to need to go to town to buy hoes. We also need to sell the prey, and that basket of pomegranates has to be brought to town and sold too.”

“Then I’ll hitch a ride on your family’s ox cart,” Wan Niang said to Xiu Niang.

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