Wazi Township, Yang Family Village, noon.
The sunlight of the second month carried a faint chill as it filtered through gaps in the branches and fell on the courtyard's stone table.
When Old Master Yang entered the courtyard with a hoe over his shoulder, fresh mud still clung to his shoes, and his trouser legs were rolled up to his knees.
"Dad, you're back. Have a rest. Lunch will be ready soon," Liu Cuiling called from the kitchen.
Grandmother Madam Qin was helping Liu Cuiling.
Old Master Yang answered, leaned his hoe against the foot of the wall, then sat on the wooden stool outside the main room and slowly took out his tobacco pipe.
Knock, knock, knock.
Just then, someone knocked at the courtyard gate.
Having just finished preparing the vegetables, Madam Qin came out of the kitchen, went to the gate, peered outside through a gap between the boards, and pulled it open.
"Mother."
A woman of thirty-five or thirty-six entered with a basket on her arm. She bore some resemblance to Madam Qin, only much younger. She was Yang Jing's aunt, Yang Yan.
"What brings you here?" Old Master Yang asked his daughter, tapping the ash from his pipe.
"I happened to have some time today," Yang Yan said with a smile, then greeted her second sister-in-law, Liu Cuiling, who was busy in the kitchen.
Liu Cuiling was neither warm nor cold, offering a quiet "Mm" in response.
She still harbored resentment toward this younger sister-in-law.
Her son Yang Jing had previously accepted Yang Yan's invitation to inspect the Shi Family Old Residence, only to fall unconscious and spend half a month recuperating at home.
Yet throughout that half-month, neither Yang Yan nor her husband had shown their faces even once. That had infuriated Liu Cuiling.
But the Ning Family had set its sights on the Two Mu of Premium Field in the North, and the Shi Family had some ties to Ning Mansion's steward. They might still need Yang Yan and her husband's help with the matter, so Liu Cuiling could only tuck away her displeasure and keep things civil on the surface.
Yang Yan took two white-flour steamed buns and six or seven mixed-grain buns from her basket, set them on the stone table, and began chatting with Old Master Yang, who was smoking beside her. Before long, their conversation turned to the two mu of Grade-A Farmland the Ning Family wanted.
"Ever since Feng Lei was killed, the Ning Family hasn't sent anyone over or mentioned buying our two mu of Grade-A Farmland again. Could they have decided they don't want those two mu anymore?" Old Master Yang said, puffing away at his pipe.
Sweeping the courtyard nearby, Madam Qin nodded repeatedly at his words. "If that's true, it would be wonderful. Our family depends on those two mu of Grade-A Farmland to survive. Without them, we'd truly be left living on the northwest wind."
Yang Yan frowned, however, and shook her head slightly. "Dad, Mother, I don't think it's that simple. I've heard Yunlin say that Master Ning is a notorious iron rooster in Wazi Township-not a feather can be plucked from him. Once he takes a fancy to something, he'll get his hands on it by any means necessary."
Yang Yan paused briefly, then continued:
"Think how much land the Ning Family has bought in Wazi Township. They've bought plenty north of our village alone. Our two mu sit right in the middle of their large stretch of land. Master Ning must want to join all his fields together. I reckon he's still eyeing our two mu of Grade-A Farmland."
Yang Yan's words made sense.
Hearing them, Old Master Yang and Madam Qin both felt their hearts sink a little.
"Then does that mean we really can't keep those two mu of Grade-A Farmland?" Liu Cuiling had come out of the kitchen at some point. After hearing their conversation, her expression looked grim.
Yang Yan sighed.
She had heard from her husband that Master Ning had always been overbearing. They were merely farmers with their faces to the yellow earth and their backs to the sky. What could they possibly use to stand against the Ning Family, the local tyrants?
The atmosphere in the courtyard grew as heavy as a wad of waterlogged cotton. Old Master Yang tapped his pipe against the table, scattering ash onto the gray-brick ground. He no longer had the heart to refill it.
Suddenly, a jumble of noises came from outside the courtyard gate.
There were hurried footsteps and the calls of cattle and horses. It sounded as though quite a few people had arrived.
They exchanged glances, their hearts giving a jolt.
They had only just been talking about it. Could it have come true so soon?
Old Master Yang sprang to his feet.
Yang Yan's face turned pale. "Could it be people from the Ning Family?"
Her words had barely left her mouth.
Bang, bang! Someone knocked at the courtyard gate, and a somewhat deferential voice called out, "Li Zhong, Steward of Ning Mansion, has come to pay a visit."
Hearing him announce his identity, the Yang family grew even more alarmed and uncertain.
Old Master Yang's expression shifted. Forcing down his panic, he raised his voice. "The gate isn't locked. Please come in."
The gate was pushed open.
A smiling middle-aged man entered with two servants, followed by a sturdy yellow ox with a brand-new quilt draped over its back.
His face wreathed in smiles, Li Zhong cupped his hands. "Greetings, Master Yang, Old Madam Yang, Madam Yang."
His gaze swept over them before finally settling on Old Master Yang, Yang Shouzhuo.
"I heard that your household sold its plow ox before the New Year. With spring plowing in full swing, you simply cannot do without one. My master specially instructed this humble servant to bring one for your household's use."
Li Zhong's phrasing was rather formal.
But at these words, the Yang family froze where they stood, as though struck by an immobilization spell.
Yang Yan hurried forward. "Uncle Li, my father-in-law is Shi Yunlin, and this is my birth family's home. May I be so bold as to ask whether you've made a mistake?"
Li Zhong nodded in understanding and looked at Yang Yan. "You're Yunlin's daughter-in-law. Is this elderly gentleman named Yang Shouzhuo? Is he Young Master Yang Jing's grandfather?"
Yang Yan hesitated, then nodded.
Yang Shouzhuo was also taken aback, but nodded as well. "This old man is indeed Yang Shouzhuo, and I do have a grandson named Yang Jing. Might I ask-"
"Haha, then there's no mistake. Old sir, this plow ox is for you," Li Zhong hastily said with a smile.
"Ah? Well, this... Steward Li, we wouldn't dare accept this plow ox. What happened a while ago still hasn't been settled. Please ask Master Ning not to hold it against us."
"Oh, Master Yang, whatever are you saying?" Li Zhong quickly waved his hands, his tone growing even more courteous. "It was we servants who failed to behave properly before and disturbed your household. My master has already reprimanded us."
At this point, Li Zhong paused briefly, then adopted an even humbler tone. "Young Master Yang has made great strides on the martial path and is now Master Sun's distinguished disciple. His future is boundless. My master said that we're all neighbors here, and we ought to look after one another even more from now on."
Smiling broadly, Li Zhong bowed and cupped his hands. "If your household needs anything in the future, just tell me. If it's within my power, I won't hesitate."
As he spoke, he signaled for the servants to tie the ox to a post in the corner of the courtyard, then took a small cloth bundle from inside his robe. "Here is a little silver, a small token of my master's goodwill, for the master and old madam to buy some nourishing supplements."
These gestures from Li Zhong, Ning Mansion's steward, left the Yang family utterly bewildered.
Liu Cuiling blinked, and her lips moved, but no words came out.
Standing nearby, Yang Yan was so astonished that she could not close her mouth.
Her husband's family had dealings with this Steward Li, so she knew him all too well.
Li Zhong had served as Ning Mansion's steward for decades and held a certain standing there. Even toward the Shi father and son, he usually carried himself with a touch of arrogance. When had he ever lowered his eyes and bowed so meekly to any household?
Yet now he was treating her birth family with such respect, even using a title like "Young Master."
Seeing their hesitation, Li Zhong smiled again. "Now that everything has been delivered, I won't trouble you any longer. I must return and report to my master. If your household encounters any difficulties, send someone to Ning Mansion at any time."
With that, he cupped his hands once more and quickly left with the servants.
Quiet returned to the courtyard, leaving only the plow ox leisurely swishing its tail.
The Yang family looked at one another, unable to come to their senses for a long while.
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