Chapter 39: Not a Silkworm

A quarter past five in the afternoon.

Zhou Qiuxiang saw that Liu Xing still hadn’t returned. She had no choice but to take sunflower seeds and Liu Cumin to attend the banquet at Wang Dazhu’s house. As for Liu Dongju and Zhao Dongkui, she didn’t bother with them; after all, there were dishes at home, and they could cook for themselves in the kitchen.

But the couple had no intention of staying idle. After Zhou Qiuxiang left, they headed to the riverbank to search for river snails and crabs. Unfortunately, after so many attempts, the river snails had become scarce. After almost an hour, they hadn’t even managed to fill half a bucket, though they did catch quite a few river crabs.

They also dug up several dozen lotus roots.

As the sun was about to set, the couple entrusted Liu Ye, who was grazing cattle by the river, to keep an eye on the river snails they’d gathered. Then, carrying the lotus roots and a wooden bucket full of crabs, they made their way toward the earthen brick house at the foot of Shiniu Mountain.

Before they arrived, the rumble of a tractor echoed along the country road. Soon, Liu Xing appeared behind the tractor, riding his old black bicycle.

“What’s Liu Xing up to?” Zhao Dongkui asked, surprised, glancing at Liu Dongju.

“How would I know?” Liu Dongju replied, her voice betraying a hint of guilt.

Though she claimed ignorance, she had a vague suspicion but dared not voice it without certainty.

It wasn’t until the tractor and Liu Xing arrived at the drying yard that the couple realized something: Liu Xing had undoubtedly brought something back from the city on the tractor. But what exactly, they couldn’t tell from a distance. To settle their curiosity, they quickened their pace.

At this moment, Little Dot stumbled out of the main room, rubbing her eyes, her face scrunched as if about to cry—she’d been woken by the tractor’s roar. But upon seeing her uncle Liu Xing by the tractor, her face immediately lit up with a smile.

The tractor driver, having parked, took the initiative to help unload the cargo. When Zhao Dongkui saw the bucket of cooking oil in the driver’s hands, he was stunned. “Goodness, your brother’s really come into money recently! This cooking oil is a treasure nowadays—even with money it’s hard to buy. How did he manage to get a whole bucket? That must be at least ten pounds!”

“How should I know?” Liu Dongju shot him a look, but as she drew closer and saw all the things being unloaded—pots, pans, bowls, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea—she was dumbfounded.

These were clearly all the daily necessities for her house after splitting from the family!

When Liu Xing saw his eldest sister and brother-in-law return, he smiled and greeted them, carrying the iron bucket into the house. Little Dot, unaware of the situation, picked up a rice bowl and toddled behind him.

The tractor driver wanted to help, but Liu Xing called out, “Brother, please take a rest. Let me handle these heavy things.”

“Alright then!” The driver smiled. Soon after, he received three yuan for his fare. The extra yuan was pressed upon him by Liu Xing.

Grateful, the driver left his contact information before driving off. In the 1980s, tractor drivers were in high demand. Leaving Liu Xing his contact was not only about making friends but also in hopes of more business.

Liu Xing took the handwritten note, glanced at it, and put it away. Then, he said to Liu Dongju and Zhao Dongkui, “Sister, brother-in-law! All these things on the tractor are for your new household. You can’t just stand there and watch—you have to help carry them home.”

The reason he hadn’t delivered everything directly to Liu Dongju’s house was due to a local custom in Zhangmu Township. When a daughter gets married and sets up her own household, her natal family must carry the household goods over themselves, as a sign of formality and respect.

Having lived through this before, Liu Xing knew this well. Liu Dongju and Zhao Dongkui understood it too, but were still taken aback by Liu Xing’s words.

Especially Liu Dongju—she covered her mouth, tears rolling down her cheeks as she gazed at the pile of household items in the drying yard, deeply moved.

Zhao Dongkui, however, felt not touched but rather guilty. Compared to his own parents, his wife’s family was truly a world apart.

Seeing Liu Xing carry a bucket of soybean oil into the main room, Zhao Dongkui snapped out of it, picked up the iron pot and washbasin, and hurried after him.

Liu Dongju knew she couldn’t cry now; it would do a disservice to Liu Xing’s efforts. Wiping away her tears, she picked up a stack of rice bowls and a bundle of chopsticks and headed into the house.

As she came out again, she couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, you bought all these things for us—how much did it cost?”

Zhao Dongkui listened intently.

“The money I made selling river snails, crabs, and lotus roots this morning is almost all gone. In total, about eighty yuan,” Liu Xing replied after a moment’s thought.

“That much?” Zhao Dongkui was astonished.

Liu Dongju shot him a fierce look. “Let me tell you! These things were bought by my brother for me. If your parents try to take them again, don’t blame me for being unkind.”

She said this because most of the things from her bridal dowry had been divided up and given to Zhao Wuliang by her in-laws. She had wanted to curse them out at the time, but for Little Dot’s sake, she endured. But Zhao Dongkui hadn’t uttered a word in her defense, and now she couldn’t hold back any longer.

Even if she had to give up on her husband, she would demand an explanation.

Hearing this, Zhao Dongkui was overwhelmed with guilt and remorse. He squatted on the drying yard, face in his hands, his eyes reddened. “Wife, the truth is, I was the one who suggested splitting off. My parents wanted me to come up with five hundred yuan to find a wife for Wuliang. I couldn’t take it and argued with them, which led to the split. In my anger, I said I didn’t want anything from the household, which is why even your dowry was taken away.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” Liu Dongju had always thought Zhao Dongkui was a meek, obedient son, almost spineless, and never imagined that the split was actually the result of a quarrel between him and his parents over his brother Zhao Wuliang.

It was a surprise, but a good one. At least it showed her that Zhao Dongkui was not entirely spineless, and could distinguish right from wrong when it mattered.

She helped Zhao Dongkui up. “Don’t say any more. Let bygones be bygones. Let’s start again, for Little Dot’s sake and for our future. Let’s work hard together, alright?”

“Alright,” Zhao Dongkui replied, embracing her.

“Ahem...” Liu Xing cleared his throat. “Be mindful of your surroundings—Little Dot is watching.”

“I didn’t see anything,” Little Dot declared, pretending to cover her eyes with her small hands but peeking through her fingers, her black eyes shining.

Seeing this, Liu Dongju quickly pushed Zhao Dongkui away, her face flushing as she grabbed the wooden bath basin and hurried into the house.

Zhao Dongkui scratched his head sheepishly and joined in moving things.

Liu Xing had intended to sit down and rest for a moment—he hadn’t even had a sip of water since returning from Dongyuan’s outskirts. But suddenly, he dropped everything, not even minding Little Dot, and raced toward the riverbank at top speed.

It turned out Liu Ye, in charge of the cattle, had been careless and let his buffalo graze together with the village’s other buffaloes—a serious mistake, as buffaloes are aggressive creatures. When grouped together, they inevitably fight, and the more ferocious ones can even attack people.

In his previous life, Liu Xing had suffered several losses when raising Black Calf; once, his foot was nearly crushed by a buffalo.

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than, sure enough, the dozen or so buffaloes gathered on the riverbank began to fight. At first, they tested each other with their horns, but soon, one of the bulls—perhaps provoked, perhaps in heat—went berserk and charged straight at Black Calf.

Even from a distance, Liu Xing could feel the ground tremble. Liu Ye, meanwhile, stood frozen, clueless about what to do.

He’d thought the buffaloes wouldn’t harm him, but the next moment, he realized how wrong he was—terribly wrong. Two large buffaloes on the right broke free from their handlers and lowered their heads, charging straight at him.

Their speed was terrifying, almost instantaneous.

Their momentum was enough to strike fear into anyone’s heart.