Chapter 73: Blowing Scallion Leaves

Dou Ming copied Xiu Niang’s method and quickly plucked the remaining two chickens. He held them by the necks, rinsed them clean, and gently set them on the chopping board.

Out of habit, he looked toward the corridor. There was no movement at all in Yun Shan’s cradle.

Just now, while Dou Ming was chopping meat, Tuo Tuo had dragged Chun Hua and Yun Shan’s cradles beneath the corridor of the house.

There was no movement in Yun Shan’s cradle, so this time, Dou Ming was not frightened.

The minced meat Xi Jue had chopped had already been carried into the kitchen, basin after basin, by Xiao Cong and Tuo Tuo.

“There’s no room left.” Xiu Niang took the wooden basin from Xiao Cong and shooed Tuo Tuo away from the doorway. “Just leave the meat at the door. We can grab it whenever we need it.”

Tuo Tuo hugged the wooden basin and turned out of the room. He looked around, then placed the basin in a shady spot by the wall.

There were still a few large chunks of meat left. Xi Jue did not touch them. He tossed them all into a wooden basin in one go, planning to see how Xiu Niang intended to handle them later.

“I could smell it from outside the courtyard.” Wan Niang led Da Mao and Er Mao into the courtyard with a smile. “What tasty thing are you making? It smells so good.”

“Brother Xiao Cong.”

“Brother Xiao Cong.”

When Da Mao and Er Mao saw Xiao Cong, both boys pressed close to him affectionately.

“You’ve got a sharp nose. We’re frying meatballs.” Xiu Niang poked her head out of the kitchen and waved to Da Mao and Er Mao. “Come try the meatballs Auntie Huaniang fried.”

The two boys ran into the kitchen, and Xiu Niang picked up one meatball each for them.

Wan Niang stood by the door and smiled. “I heard you sold a whole pig this morning. Where did all this meat come from?”

At that, Xiu Niang laughed. She stepped out of the kitchen, glanced at Dou Ming, who was chopping chicken, then said quietly, “That pig from this morning was all sold. Dou Ming said he wasn’t full, so he ran up the mountain himself and caught another one.”

“The wild boars on the mountain are like they’re raised by his family. He catches one whenever he wants. I’m telling you, with skills like that, he’s bound to become rich and noble someday.” After Wan Niang finished speaking, she noticed the silver hairpin in Xiu Niang’s hair.

She leaned closer for a careful look. The head of the pin was shaped like a large lotus flower. Inserted among Xiu Niang’s black hair, it made Xiu Niang look like a young lady from a wealthy household, beautiful in a way that was hard to describe. “It’s really pretty. Qiu Sheng bought it for you?”

Xiu Niang took off the hairpin and handed it to Wan Niang to see. “Qiu Sheng didn’t buy it. Our family owes so much silver lately. Where would we get the money to buy hairpins to wear?”

She glanced into the kitchen. Hua Qi was lowering his head to look into the pot. Xiu Niang pursed her lips and smiled. “Huaniang gave it to me. I said I didn’t want it, and she said…”

Xiu Niang bit her lip, embarrassed but very happy, with a faintly showing-off tone. “She said that since other women in town were wearing them, I had to have one too. I wouldn’t take it, but she wouldn’t agree. She insisted on stuffing it to me and directly stuck it into my hair.”

“Feel this hairpin. It’s so heavy. It must be worth money.”

As soon as the hairpin was in Wan Niang’s hand, she could feel its weight. She could not help saying enviously, “Our little sister really has good fortune, meeting such a good family.”

Xiu Niang smiled happily. Wasn’t that exactly it? She really did have good fortune.

After Da Mao and Er Mao finished the meatballs in their mouths, they looked at the basin by the stove, packed full of meatballs, and still wanted more.

Their auntie was not in the room, so they kept looking back and forth between Hua Qi and the wooden basin, but were too embarrassed to speak. They knew all the meat belonged to Xi Jue’s family, not their auntie’s.

Hua Qi noticed the two human children’s gazes and asked, “What is it?”

“Huaniang, can we have one more?” Er Mao asked nervously, clutching the corner of his clothes.

Hua Qi did not speak. He turned his face away and fished the finished meatballs out of the pot.

After receiving no response, Da Mao and Er Mao ran out of the room in disappointment.

“It’s all because you’re greedy.” Da Mao quietly blamed Er Mao. “Why are you so greedy? You even asked other people for food.”

“You didn’t want to eat?” Er Mao retorted, unconvinced. “I heard you swallowing the whole time.”

“You heard wrong. I didn’t.” Da Mao, embarrassed into anger, shoved Er Mao.

The two little brothers began arguing in low voices. Their mother was there, so they did not dare be loud. Even when arguing, they only dared to argue quietly.

Hua Qi raised an eyebrow. Why had those two boys run off? The meatballs in the pot were cooked. He was going to pick some up for them after fishing out this batch.

What strange human children. Hua Qi thought this as he placed meatballs onto a plate.

He came into the courtyard. Da Mao and Er Mao were still sulking at each other.

The two of them were quietly cursing at each other under the tree. Xiao Cong and Tuo Tuo stood off to the side, watching.

“Da Mao, Er Mao.” Hua Qi set the plate on the table. “Come eat meatballs.”

Dou Ming reached the table before Da Mao and Er Mao and snatched the first meatball.

Da Mao and Er Mao froze for a moment. Seeing that Dou Ming had already started eating, the two boys quickly ran to the table.

After they got meatballs, Da Mao and Er Mao secretly looked at Hua Qi. So it wasn’t that he wouldn’t let them eat meatballs.

Hua Qi had no time to care about human children. He turned and went back to the kitchen.

As he passed by Wan Niang, Hua Qi heard her say, “Huaniang, don’t spoil them. Eating one or two just to taste is enough.”

“We have plenty of meatballs at home. If they want to eat, then let them eat.” After saying that, Hua Qi did not stay around to chat. Meatballs were still frying in the pot. He had to go back and watch it.

Xiu Niang said quietly to Wan Niang, “See? Huaniang has always been generous.”

“She really is generous.” Wan Niang took out her money pouch and said, “Where’s the two catties of meat I asked you to save for me? Hurry and get it for me. I need to go home and cook. The stove at home hasn’t even been lit yet.”

“It’s here. I saved it first thing this morning.” Xiu Niang entered the kitchen and took out a piece of meat from the cupboard. She had saved it when the first pig was being sold in the morning.

While Xiu Niang went into the kitchen, Wan Niang smiled and asked Xiao Cong, “Where are the pomegranates Xiao Cong said he saved for us? Da Mao and Er Mao have been thinking about them for two days.”

When Xiao Cong heard this, he ran into the house. Da Mao and Er Mao followed him in while calling, “Brother Xiao Cong.”

Very soon, the two boys came running out, each hugging a big pomegranate.

Wan Niang counted out thirty coins and called toward Hua Qi in the kitchen, “Huaniang, I’m leaving thirty coins on the table.”

“No money.” Hua Qi put down the long chopsticks in his hand and quickly walked to the kitchen door. “Take the meat and eat it. No money.”

“I heard Xiu Niang say that the two bags of peanuts dragged over from your house yesterday weren’t paid for.” They did not take human things for free.

“How could I feel right about that? Peanuts aren’t worth much. I…”

Before Wan Niang could finish, Hua Qi looked at the two catties of meat in her hand and said generously, “That piece of meat is too small. Take a bigger one. There are big ones in the basin.”

“Huh?” In Wan Niang’s eyes, two catties of meat was not small. It was enough for her family to have a proper meal. “No, no need. This piece of meat is enough.”

Hua Qi said, “It really is small.” He pointed to a piece of meat in the wooden basin that looked to be around five or six catties. “Take this one. Its size looks all right.”

Wan Niang froze where she stood. Huaniang was a little excessively enthusiastic today.

“Can’t carry it?” Hua Qi looked at Wan Niang suspiciously.

This piece of meat was not even as heavy as Chun Hua. He had seen Wan Niang carry Chun Hua before.

Wan Niang waved her hand. “No, that’s not it. How could I possibly fail to carry something that’s only five or six catties?”

“Then take it.” Hua Qi did not understand. She could carry something five or six catties heavy, so why was she still not moving? Could it be she wanted Dou Ming to deliver it to her door?

Even after Wan Niang walked out of Xiu Niang’s house carrying the meat and leading Da Mao and Er Mao, she still felt rather muddled. The whole thing seemed to have gone wrong somehow.

She looked at the five-catty chunk of meat in her hand and asked Da Mao and Er Mao beside her, “How did it turn into five or six catties of meat?”

Da Mao, who was holding a bowl of meatballs, said, “Huaniang said the meat didn’t cost money.”

Er Mao, who was holding two big pomegranates, said, “Huaniang said the meat was small and told Mother to take a big piece.”

Wan Niang’s face flushed slightly. “How did I end up taking it?”

Da Mao looked at his mother in confusion. “You just took it.”

Er Mao echoed, “Mother, you just took it. Huaniang even gave us a bowl of meatballs.”

Da Mao said, “Huaniang is really nice.”

“Yes,” Er Mao agreed. Anyone willing to give them food was a good person.

Wan Niang carried the meat and led the two children home. Along the way, she kept thinking that Hua Qi really was generous.

When Qiu Sheng came home, Xiu Niang had already stir-fried two dishes.

He carried a basket into the kitchen, lifted the cage cloth covering it, and showed Xiu Niang. “They returned a bowl of braised eggplant. I tasted it, and it’s pretty good. It’s Mother’s cooking.”

“Eldest Brother’s family caught a few new chicks. I saw that Mother’s complexion was pretty good. Eldest Sister-in-law was also very polite to me and even praised Huaniang to me.”

Xiu Niang did not say anything. She carried out the braised eggplant and set it on the table, quietly listening to Qiu Sheng chatter.

Qiu Sheng said a few things and felt happy. Then he pinched up a piece of chicken and tossed it into his mouth.

He had only just stepped out the door when he spat the chicken from his mouth into the vegetable garden. “Xiu Niang, why was the chicken butt still left in there? Pah—pah—pah—”

Xiu Niang ran out of the kitchen. When she saw the chicken butt spat onto the ground, she laughed. “Oh no, I forgot to tell Dou Ming.”

She raised her voice and called, “Dou Ming, next time, chop off the chicken butt directly. We don’t want it.”

Dou Ming came over and saw that there was nothing wrong with the meat Qiu Sheng had spat out. Curious, he asked, “Why? That piece is all meat. There aren’t any bones.”

“Silly boy, nobody eats chicken butt.” Xiu Niang did not know why either. She only remembered that when she had eaten chicken butt as a child, her family had all hurriedly told her to spit it out.

Tuo Tuo ran into the kitchen, picked up a small stick, then returned to the vegetable garden. He squatted on the ground and poked the chicken butt again and again.

Xiu Niang said, “Leave the chicken butt for Bailing’s big yellow dog. After we finish eating, I’ll take it over together with the bones.”

“Oh.” Tuo Tuo broke the small stick in two, turning it into a pair of long chopsticks. He picked up the chicken butt and placed it in the small wooden basin in the corner outside the kitchen wall. He knew Xiu Niang always used this basin to feed Big Yellow.

“Dou Ming, Tuo Tuo, Xiao Cong, hurry and pull scallions. We’re out of scallions.” Hua Qi’s urgent shout came from the kitchen.

Tuo Tuo threw away the wooden sticks and sprinted into the vegetable garden. He grabbed a handful of scallions and used a little force. The soil cracked open, and the scallions were pulled out by the roots.

“Tuo Tuo, you can’t pull them like that.” Dou Ming ran over and looked at the scallion patch with heartache. “Don’t pull the little ones first. Pull the big ones. The little ones can still grow.”

“Go play over there. I’ll pull the scallions.” Dou Ming took the scallions from Tuo Tuo’s hand, lifted them, and shook them hard, flinging off the mud clinging to the roots.

“There are still so many little ones that haven’t grown big.” Dou Ming muttered in distress while pulling scallions.

Xiao Cong squatted beside him and helped Dou Ming pull scallions.

With nothing to do, Tuo Tuo picked up a scallion leaf Dou Ming had pulled off, tore off a short section, put it to his mouth, and tried blowing into it.

“Woo-woo… woo-woo… woo.”

The scallion leaf by his mouth could make a sound, so Tuo Tuo kept blowing. “Woo-woo… woo-woo…”

Xiao Cong was curious too. He picked up a scallion leaf and copied Tuo Tuo, blowing into it. “Woo-woo-woo.”

Dou Ming pulled scallions while watching the two little ones happily playing. His heart itched. He wanted to blow too.

He had just picked up a scallion leaf from the ground when Hua Qi stood at the kitchen door and shouted, “Where are the scallions?”

“Coming, coming.” Dou Ming quickly washed the scallions and handed them to Hua Qi.

After finishing that, he returned to the edge of the vegetable garden, picked up a scallion leaf, and copied their example, cutting off a section and placing it by his mouth to blow.

Tuo Tuo blew loudly. “Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo-woo…”

Xiao Cong blew. “Woo-woo… woo-woo-woo…”

Dou Ming used great force, but he could not make a sound…

He took down the scallion leaf and looked it over from front to back, then looked at Xiao Cong’s scallion leaf. After looking and looking, Dou Ming still did not feel there was any difference in the scallion leaves.

He puffed out his cheeks and tried again. This time, he blew spit straight through the scallion tube, but there was still no sound.

“Like this.” Xiao Cong demonstrated for him. “Don’t use so much force. Blow gently.”

“Pfft.”

It was a short sound, and it did not seem to have come from blowing the scallion tube. Dou Ming wiped the spit from the corner of his mouth, then turned the scallion leaf over and over, muttering in distress, “Why won’t it make a sound?”

Seeing that Dou Ming did not know how to blow one, Tuo Tuo provocatively circled Dou Ming while blowing his scallion leaf. His smug look made Dou Ming’s eyes hurt.

“What are you blowing for?” Dou Ming slapped the scallion leaf from Tuo Tuo’s hand with a cold face. “You’re disturbing Yun Shan’s sleep.”

“I’m not.” Tuo Tuo bent down to pick up the scallion leaf, but Dou Ming stepped on it. Not only did he step on that one scallion leaf, he stepped on every scallion leaf on the ground, flattening them all so Tuo Tuo could not find one that would make a sound.

“I’ll go pull one from the field.” Tuo Tuo was about to run toward the vegetable garden, but Dou Ming grabbed his little topknot and dragged him back. “You’re not allowed to pull my scallions.”

“How are they your scallions?” Tuo Tuo slapped Dou Ming’s hand. “Let go. You’re going to pull my braid off.”

Xiao Cong hurriedly joined in to stop the fight. “Dou Ming, don’t hit Tuo Tuo. He can’t beat you.”

“If you hit me, I, I, I’ll tell Hua Qi.” As soon as Dou Ming let go, Tuo Tuo ran toward the kitchen doorway. At this time, the only ones who could stop Dou Ming were Hua Qi and Xi Jue.

But Xi Jue had always disliked meddling, so only Hua Qi could help him.

“Tell me what?” Hua Qi stood at the kitchen door with his arms folded and sneered. “I won’t help you either.”

Tuo Tuo braked in time. He turned around and rushed toward the cradle under the corridor. “I’m going to tell Yun Shan.”

Hua Qi’s chilly voice sounded behind him. “If you wake Yun Shan up, after Dou Ming finishes hitting you, I’ll hit you again.”

“You all…” Tuo Tuo abruptly stopped and said in grief and indignation, “You’re bullying me too much.”

He shuffled to Yun Shan’s side, lay beside the cradle, and mumbled complaints about Hua Qi and Dou Ming.

Yun Shan moved his little head, smacked his little mouth, and slept sweetly. He had no idea there was a little demon lying beside his cradle, muttering endlessly and hoping he would quickly grow up and uphold justice.

Xiu Niang packed a whole basket of meatballs and asked Hua Qi, “Huaniang, do you think these are enough?”

“Not enough.” Hua Qi pointed to the two remaining basins of meatballs and said, “Add two more basins. No need for baskets. We’ll use carrying baskets to bring them up the mountain.”

Xiu Niang asked, “Do you need that many meatballs? How many masters are there at Yunling Temple? I remember you bought twenty mooncakes for Yunling Temple last time. In the past, it seemed like one master led a few young apprentices.”

Hua Qi made something up carelessly. “That was before. Now some other Daoists have come to the mountain, so there are more people. There are twenty masters now.”

“Then Yunling Temple is a big Daoist temple now.” Xiu Niang said shyly, “Why don’t I go up the mountain with you? I really want to pray.”

Hua Qi glanced at her, then lowered his eyes. This matter of having children was truly difficult to handle. He could not accept this job. Yunling Temple was not some big Daoist temple. It was still the same Daoist temple from half a year ago. It was just that the masters in the temple had changed, from humans into demons.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing that she did not speak, Xiu Niang patted Hua Qi’s arm and asked, “Why did you suddenly stop talking?”

Hua Qi sighed softly. “You’re still young. There’s no need to go pray now. If you still don’t have a boy in two years, it won’t be too late to go pray then.” If it were something easy to handle, as long as Xiu Niang said it, he could do it for her. But with this matter, he truly did not know any method.

“When Yun Shan is a bit older, give me one of his little clothes, all right? I’ll borrow a bit of your family’s good luck.” Xiu Niang smiled at Hua Qi. She knew she was still young now, but she was also worried. If she really never had a boy, who would continue the family line in the future? After she died, who would burn paper money for her and Qiu Sheng?

“All right.” Hua Qi agreed at once.

“When are you going to Yunling Temple to deliver the meatballs?” Xiu Niang asked him.

“We’ll go up the mountain in the afternoon,” Hua Qi said. “We won’t come back tonight. We’ll stay on the mountain.”

“Stay in the Daoist temple?” Xiu Niang was a little disappointed. “You won’t spend Reunion Festival with us? If you’re going up the mountain, you should go early. It won’t be safe to go up late.”

Hua Qi frowned slightly and thought for a moment. “Then we’ll go up the mountain after looking at the moon.”

“It isn’t safe at night. If you’re going, go early.” Xiu Niang raised a smile. “The moon on the fifteenth is full on the sixteenth. It’s the same if you come back tomorrow to look at it.”

“All right then.” Hua Qi nodded. “We’ll come back tomorrow and look at the moon with you.” Today, they would first watch the moon with the little demons on the mountain.

The little table under the tree could not fit all the dishes, so they ate at the large table in the main room.

Braised pork, sweet-and-sour pork ribs, scrambled eggs with chilies, stir-fried sliced pork with chilies, mixed meatball stew, smashed cucumber, chicken stewed with shiitake mushrooms, stir-fried green beans, tofu and greens soup, plus the braised eggplant Qiu Sheng had brought back, made nine dishes and one soup altogether, filling the large table to the brim.

In Dou Ming’s eyes, today’s meal was extremely abundant. He could not help praising it. “Reunion Festival really is a good holiday.”

Xiu Niang had just sat down when Chun Hua started crying.

She was about to get up, but Qiu Sheng pressed her shoulders and made her sit back down. “You eat first. I’ll go look.” Then, still uneasy, he reminded Dou Ming, who had already started eating meat, “Remember to leave me a few bites.”

“I know.” Dou Ming answered him unclearly through a mouthful of food.

Chun Hua’s diaper was wet. Qiu Sheng changed him into a clean diaper, washed his hands, and came back to look. Dou Ming’s earlier promise might as well have been nonsense. The bones on the table in front of him had already piled into a little mountain. In front of Xi Jue, there was likewise a pile of bones.

Tuo Tuo chewed the meat in his mouth twice and felt the texture was wrong. He spat the meat onto his rice and immediately saw the pointy chicken butt.

“The taste is weird after all.” Tuo Tuo picked the chicken butt onto the table and said, “It tastes a little different from chicken meat.”

The third chicken butt was eaten by Hua Qi.

Hua Qi did not chew when he ate. By the time Xiu Niang realized it, he had already swallowed the chicken butt with a gulp.

“Why did you eat it?” Xiu Niang asked. “Didn’t it taste bad?”

“It was all right.” He had swallowed it directly, so he could not tell any difference. To him, the taste of chicken butt and the taste of other chicken meat were all the same.

“Where’s the wine I bought this morning?” Qiu Sheng had eaten halfway through the meal before remembering that he had not drunk the wine he had bought.

“It’s still in the courtyard.” Xiu Niang quickly sucked the soup juice from her chopsticks, set them down, and hurried out of the room. She carried the wine in, along with two small bowls.

She poured a bowl for Xi Jue, then a bowl for Qiu Sheng, and the three taels of wine were gone.

Xi Jue lifted the bowl and sniffed. There was a harsh smell that made him instinctively turn his face aside.

“Brother Xi Jue, I toast you.” Qiu Sheng raised his bowl toward Xi Jue. “Ever since your family came, Xiu Niang’s and my days have become lively and better and better. You are noble benefactors to me and Xiu Niang. Let us brothers drink one together.”

Seeing Qiu Sheng hold up his wine and drink, Xi Jue also lifted his bowl and took a shallow taste.

He frowned and said, “It tastes bad.”

Qiu Sheng said, “It doesn’t taste bad. His family’s wine is pretty good. All three nearby villages buy wine from his family.”

“Let me taste too.” Dou Ming was greedy. Without waiting for Xi Jue’s reply, he reached out, took Xi Jue’s bowl, and gulped down a large mouthful.

After swallowing the wine, Dou Ming wrinkled his face and gave the same judgment. “It doesn’t taste good.”

Qiu Sheng burst out laughing. “You’re still a child. You can’t drink wine. You’ll have to grow a few years older before you can drink.”

“Brother Xi Jue,” Qiu Sheng looked at him suspiciously, “you haven’t drunk wine before either, have you?”

Xi Jue shook his head. “I have not.”

“Then count today as keeping me company. Come on, let’s be straightforward and finish it in one go.” After Qiu Sheng said that, he held up his bowl, tipped back his head, and drank the remaining half bowl of wine.

He did not love drinking wine. He only drank a little during holidays. Even when he did drink, he drank in big mouthfuls, not fond of sipping and savoring bit by bit.

Xi Jue frowned and drank the wine at the bottom of the bowl, then quickly ate a piece of braised pork to cleanse his mouth. Wine was not good to drink at all.

After their afternoon nap, Hua Qi carried Yun Shan, while Xi Jue carried a basket of meatballs on his back, along with their mooncakes. Together, they headed up the mountain.

Next Chapter >