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After dinner, everyone left, and the house suddenly became quiet. Apart from the Xie family of four, only Xiao Lihua's older brother, Xiao Dashu, remained.
Xie Youshun did not go to the fields but stayed to accompany Xiao Dashu. The two children sat on the kang, watching their uncle. Little Wood had no impression of this uncle since he was still too young, but Shitou remembered a few things. In his memory, this uncle was nice to him and even gave him candy. So when he saw his uncle arrive, he was quite happy. When Little Wood mentioned it, he understood that his uncle was good and was no longer afraid of him.
"Big Brother, there's no tea at home. Why don't you have some water? I added sugar to it."
Xiao Lihua poured a total of four bowls of water and served them to Xiao Dashu, Xie Youshun, and the two children. She didn’t pour one for herself; Shitou offered his to her, but Xiao Lihua smiled and said she wasn't thirsty and told him to drink it himself.
Xiao Dashu took a sip of the sweetened water and felt a bit dazed, wondering how his sister had changed.
He recalled the smile that Xiao Lihua had shown him today and her words that were free of barbs. He thought about how she spoke with the villagers during lunch with such straightforwardness and remembered the fragrant dishes that were all cooked by his sister. It turned out that his sister had such good cooking skills. It also dawned on him that when she smiled and spoke, she was so different from before.
In Xiao Dashu's memory, his sister Li Hua was a lazy and greedy girl who always wanted to climb higher in life. She spoke somewhat harshly and after getting married, she often wore a cold expression. Every word she said seemed to carry thorns; when she was unhappy, she would scold and cry, making everyone dislike her—even their mother had almost been driven to her death several times by her behavior. The Xiao Lihua he remembered was nothing like the woman in front of him now, whose face brought comfort whether she smiled or not. But it was indeed the same face; this was his sister.
"Li Hua, why do you seem a bit different?"
Xiao Dashu was a straightforward person and directly expressed his doubts.
Xiao Lihua repeated what she had said to others earlier and added, "Big Brother, I used to be narrow-minded. When someone almost dies, they understand everything. I feel that living like this now is pretty good. I used to let you down; from now on, I will behave well and not cause you any more trouble or worry."
"Good! Good! As long as you think this way, we can rest easy. If Mother knew you were feeling better, she would surely be so happy that she'd get up immediately. You don’t know; she worries most about you."
Xiao Dashu said excitedly. He was the only son in the family with two sisters. Although Li Hua was the middle child, she was the most favored and ended up being spoiled. However, if someone truly loves another person, they cannot simply forget them when hurt—especially a mother's love for her daughter. Even if their mother had nearly been driven to death by her daughter’s actions, she still thought about her daughter while lying in bed. Otherwise, why would he come this time?
Xiao Pozi heard from others that Xiao Lihua had been injured and even separated from her family; she immediately became worried and sent her son to check on her. If she hadn’t been bedridden herself, she would have come personally.
Now that Xiao Lihua had changed for the better, if Xiao Pozi found out about it, it would be more effective than taking a miraculous medicine—she might even recover immediately. Xiao Dashu felt happy for his sister and for their mother as well.
Xiao Lihua felt uneasy inside; how pitiful parents' hearts are! The old Xiao Lihua really didn’t understand anything back then.
"Big Brother, I’ll go back to see Mother in a couple of days. You tell her not to worry; I'm doing well and she should take care of herself."
"Hey! I'll definitely tell Mother—how's your head from the fall? Don’t take it lightly."
Xiao Dashu was happy to hear that Li Hua was going back to her family. In the past, he wouldn't have felt this way because every time she returned home, it would cause chaos. Then he became concerned about Xiao Lihua's injury. Although he felt sorry for her, he also thought that it was this fall that made her realize things, so he was somewhat grateful to fate for allowing her to get hurt. He quickly felt guilty about that thought.
Xiao Dashu chatted with his brother-in-law for a while and played with his two nephews before saying goodbye. There was a lot of work waiting for him at home, and it would take him an hour and a half to walk back. By the time he got home, it wouldn't be dark yet, and he could still get some work done. Xiao Lihua insisted on returning the one hundred wen he had brought, saying she had enough money to spend and couldn't take any more from him. In the end, Xiao Dashu had to take the money back but left behind two chickens.
"Mom, we have four chickens now, so doesn’t that mean we’ll have four eggs every day?" Shitou asked excitedly as he looked at the two chickens in the coop. He loved collecting eggs because he always got them first while they were still warm.
"Four eggs!" Little Wood clapped his hands happily.
"Yes, if we feed them well, they will lay more eggs."
Xiao Lihua thought that her family was really nice. Despite how much trouble the original owner had caused them and how much she had hurt their feelings, they still came immediately with money and goods after hearing about her injury and separation. They were truly kind-hearted. Fortunately, she wasn't a baozi (steamed bun); if she were, she would have continued down the path of becoming a concubine. If she had ended up in this body under those circumstances, it would have been a tragedy. Just thinking about this made her feel even more favorable towards her family.
Xie Youshun sent Xiao Dashu back, and Xiao Lihua told him she wanted to find time to visit her family. Xie Youshun nodded.
"After we finish pulling out the yellow flowers from the wheat field, I will go back with you and bring the two kids."
"Okay, are there many yellow flowers in the field? I can help you pull them out."
Xiao Lihua said that since she had crossed over, she hadn't been to the fields yet. She didn't know what yellow flowers were exactly but could guess based on her previous experience with farming. She knew some wild grasses and vegetables grew in wheat fields. With less than a month until harvest time for the wheat, there was often a type of grass that could grow taller than the wheat itself. If they didn't pull it out now, it would be troublesome when mixed in with the wheat later.
Xiao Lihua thought it was time to check on their land. Now that she was a farmer, she couldn't just stay at home all the time. Before thinking of ways to make money, it was practical to ensure the land was well taken care of.
Xie Youshun said, "No need; it's just an acre of land. I can finish it quickly by myself. You still haven't fully recovered; just rest at home."
Xiao Lihua thought Xie Youshun was actually a good man. He always took care of hard work first and never shirked when she asked him to do something; he even cooked! This was rare among men during this time, especially in rural areas where few men would help around the kitchen while there were women present. Yet Xie Youshun was willing to assist her.
"I'm fine now; we can work faster together. Besides, I want to see our land."
In her memory, there were several plots of land, but she wasn't clear on which ones had been allocated to them. She thought about one acre of paddy field and one acre of dry land along with one acre of sandy land—three acres in total. At this time of year, crop yields weren't high; after paying taxes, they would barely have enough food to eat. To make money, they needed other ideas. However, it was also necessary to think of ways to increase crop yields; once they went to the fields, she wanted to see if what she remembered about good farming practices was known by people at this time or if she could find an opportunity to share it with Xie Youshun.
Xie Youshun nodded when he heard her say this.
Xiao Lihua packed up her things while Xie Youshun returned the borrowed tables and chairs and then sent back the cleaned chopsticks and dishes before thanking several families. By the time everything was done, it was already late in the day.
By this time, it was already May, and it was getting dark late. However, Xiao Lihua did not let Xie Youshun go back to the fields; instead, she asked him to help her prepare dinner so the family could have a nice meal together. They had finished all the food from lunch, and even if there were leftovers, she didn't want to eat them. For dinner, Xiao Lihua planned to make dumplings.
In the backyard, there was chives that were green and tender, completely organic without pesticides. The smell was delightful as she cut a large bunch. Xie Youshun and their two sons helped pick the chives. Shitou could still lend a hand while Mutou was just playing around. Seeing him so serious made Xiao Lihua want to laugh, but she didn’t stop him; it was good that the kids wanted to help. She prepared the dough and started chopping the meat filling. After having meat for lunch, she finally understood why novels often described ancient meat as fragrant—it truly was aromatic. Thinking about how delicious it would smell once wrapped into dumplings made her stomach growl again after a satisfying lunch.
The whole family pitched in: Xie Youshun rolled out the dumpling skins while Xiao Lihua filled and folded them. The two children each held a dumpling skin and tried to wrap them too, creating a cheerful atmosphere filled with laughter.
Soon, the dumplings were ready. Xiao Lihua made the kind that looked like ingots—small and exquisite—but they were generously filled inside.
The two children were delighted by what they saw, and Xiao Lihua even made many fun-shaped dumplings for them: goldfish, little rabbits, and little mice, which made them giggle with joy.
Xie Youshun thought to himself how skilled his wife had become; he felt fortunate that she had come to this realization. Reflecting on who she used to be compared to now, he thought that even if she were possessed by a ghost, it wouldn’t matter as long as she never returned to her old self. They could continue living happily like this.
Once the dumplings were boiled and served in a small bowl, they didn’t have vinegar at home, so Xiao Lihua made a dipping sauce that tasted delicious.
Both children ate until their bellies were round and kept asking for belly rubs. Xiao Lihua laughed as she rubbed their bellies while telling them not to eat anymore since they could save some for later without overstuffing themselves.
Xie Youshun also ate quite a bit; he felt full too but didn’t have the same boldness to ask his wife for a belly rub. Watching Xiao Lihua sip on the dumpling soup with delicate movements filled his heart with warmth—more satisfying than just being full in his stomach.
The family was well-fed, with one bowl left over for breakfast tomorrow.
As night fell, they lit a lamp. Xiao Lihua tried her hand at knotting while Xie Youshun wove a basket. One child surrounded Xiao Lihua while the other circled around Xie Youshun. They chatted and laughed occasionally. When Xiao Lihua looked up at Xie Youshun, he happened to glance over too; under the lamp light, their eyes sparkled brightly.
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