Chapter 38 Something Has Happened!

By evening, the pigsty was finally taking shape. That night, Xia Yan prepared a tableful of dishes and invited Ruan Xiaotian’s family over for dinner. Her culinary skills thoroughly won over their palates. Throughout the meal, Ruan Xiaotian praised Xia Yan enthusiastically, saying that Lin You was truly fortunate to have married her. Lin You could only nod repeatedly in agreement, and the two men shared a bottle of aged baijiu and a bottle of homemade wine—since the terrain below the mountain was well-suited for grape growing, many families made their own.

The next morning, Lin You found a truck, driven by Li Guoxiang, who had accompanied him down the mountain last time. Upon hearing that Lin You needed the vehicle, Li Guoxiang immediately offered to help, his mind still preoccupied with his own romantic pursuits.

Pig farming was rare in the northwest, and Wang Guilan hadn’t raised pigs in years. Relying on her memory, she asked around extensively before finally locating the pig farm they had bought from before. Although it had been years since Wang Guilan last came, the owner recognized her instantly. During their conversation, when he learned that Xia Yan was also from the military family compound on the mountain, his expression turned peculiar. Before their departure, he advised Xia Yan to keep a dog—preferably a fierce one—by the pigsty.

Xia Yan didn’t quite understand his meaning. The pigsty was right behind their house, and theirs was the only family on the mountain raising pigs—who would steal from them? Nevertheless, she nodded in agreement. On the way home, gazing at the ten piglets in the truck, Xia Yan’s mind was already picturing the days to come, free from any shortage of meat.

She recalled that in films set in this era, there was a line she remembered vividly: “In these times, raising a pig means living the good life.” Back then, she hadn’t understood it; now, she finally did.

When the piglets arrived home, the children were the happiest of all. Erdan and Nuannuan chased the piglets around the pen, while Lin Hongzhuo stood by, issuing commands.

Taking advantage of the commotion, Xia Yan headed to the garrison’s mess hall to find the person in charge.

“You want to buy kitchen leftovers?” the man asked.

“Yes, we’re raising a few pigs at home. I don’t need all of it, just a portion would be fine.”

Unlike cows and sheep, pigs can’t subsist on grass alone, and pig feed was expensive. The only thing she could think of was the leftover food from the garrison’s mess hall.

“You’re from Captain Lin’s household. There’s no need to talk about buying. But there are already people who collect the kitchen slops. However, when we prepare vegetables each day, there are always some trimmings and scraps left over—those are good for feeding pigs, too. If you want, you can take those.”

Though grateful, Xia Yan was a bit disappointed. While vegetable scraps were fine, the oil and grease from the leftovers would have helped the pigs gain weight more quickly. Still, something was better than nothing. She’d just have to buy some bran next time she went down the mountain.

When she returned home, the three children were still playing in the pigsty. Xia Yan enjoyed the peace and quiet, and upon entering the house, she found Lin Hongzhe hunched over, writing.

“Xiao Zhe, why aren’t you out playing with your brother and sister?” she asked.

Lin Hongzhe was startled and immediately used his hand to cover the notebook in front of him, but Xia Yan caught a glimpse—it looked like a diary.

“Why didn’t you knock before coming in?” he said coldly.

“Sorry, the door was open. I was just passing by, not deliberately trying to see what you were doing,” Xia Yan replied apologetically, sticking out her tongue.

Hearing her apology, Lin Hongzhe closed the diary with an air of maturity and replied, “Only little kids play with piglets.”

“But aren’t you a little kid, too?” Xia Yan couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s just what you think. I don’t care what you think; I care what I think!” With that, Lin Hongzhe stood up and brushed past her. Xia Yan glanced down and noticed a toy gun tucked into his waistband—the one she’d bought him before—which made her laugh.

“What are you laughing at?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing. I just suddenly remembered something funny,” Xia Yan replied, choosing not to tease him. Over time, she’d found that while he was aloof, he was also quite amusing.

“So strange,” Lin Hongzhe muttered, rolling his eyes as he left the room.

Xia Yan shook her head, smiling, and set about sorting the vegetable scraps she’d brought back from the mess hall. When she returned to the pigsty, she found Lin Hongzhe crouched by the pen, holding a little spotted piglet.

“Xia Yan, can I be the one to take care of this pig?” he asked quietly, standing up with the piglet in his arms as she approached.

“I thought only little kids played with piglets,” she teased, unbothered by him calling her by name—it was just a form of address, like when Lin Nuannuan called her “sister.” She’d grown used to it.

“I’m not playing; I’m raising it!” Lin Hongzhe insisted.

“All right, all right, you’re not playing—you’re raising it. In that case, you’ll be in charge of its meals from now on,” she replied with a smile.

“No way! You handle the feeding. I have to go to school and don’t have time,” he refused immediately.

“Then what’s the point of saying you want to raise it? You just want to play with it,” Xia Yan said, half exasperated, half amused.

“I told you, it’s not playing. It’s raising. Right, Little Spot?” He stroked the piglet’s ear, and the piglet obligingly grunted twice, making Lin Hongzhe whirl around with joy, piglet in arms.

It was the first time Xia Yan had seen him so happy. She wished she had a phone to capture the moment.

***

That evening, Lin You came home, checked on the piglets, and joined the children in playing with them. Only when Xia Yan called them to dinner did they return home.

In the days that followed, Xia Yan was so busy that she barely had a moment to rest—feeding the pigs, tending the garden, teaching the two children their letters. She wished she were like Nezha, with three heads and six arms. By nightfall, she was so exhausted that as soon as her head touched the pillow, she fell asleep.

During this time, Lin You had to leave again for the mountain. Everything was peaceful and happy.

Until the morning of the fifth day, the day after Lin You had left—

The tranquility was shattered by the sound of heart-wrenching cries.

Xia Yan jolted awake, quickly dressed, and rushed out of her room. She found Lin Hongzhuo sitting on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, while Lin Hongzhe stood beside him, silent and sullen.

“What happened?” she asked, alarmed, fearing one of the children was hurt. She hurried to pick up Lin Hongzhuo and check him over.

“Auntie, I’m fine… It’s the piglets… All the piglets are dead,” Lin Hongzhuo choked out, oblivious even to the snot running into his mouth.