The Bracelet

It was past noon, and the sun hung high in the sky. However, because the well had been dug deep, nothing could be seen at the bottom; illumination relied entirely on an oil lamp brought down into the well. Zhang Xiaohua's face revealed no decision in the flickering lamplight. He pondered for a moment, then raised his hoe and began to dig in one direction. "Clang, clang..." The sound echoed, and after trying a few more directions, the result was the same. What was he to do? It seemed they had truly reached the end of their rope.

Zhang Xiaohua felt like giving up. He decided to go up first and see if he could reassess after widening the well opening. But his mother hadn't brought food yet. Should he try digging from below first? As he thought, Zhang Xiaohua didn't stop. He found a direction at a waist-deep point in front of him and began to dig. While digging, he suddenly heard another "clang." Xiaohua couldn't help but startle. Was it stone again? But then he swung his hoe again, and there was no sound. Zhang Xiaohua was puzzled but didn't think much of it. Perhaps it was just a small pebble; as long as it wasn't a big rock, it would be fine. After digging about a pace forward, Zhang Xiaohua tried digging down again, hoping not to hear that annoying sound. However, to his dismay, the area a pace forward was also blocked by that stone.

Just as Zhang Xiaohua was about to rest and change direction, Zhang Xiaolong's voice came from above, "Xiaohua, hurry up and come eat. Mom brought food." Zhang Xiaohua was pulled up from the well by his elder brother. Seeing Zhang Xiaohua's expression, Zhang Xiaolong didn't ask any further questions. He simply brought him the food and watched him devour it. Then he comforted him, "It's okay, Xiaohua. This spot isn't working. Let's try another place. The hillside is so big, there must be a place to dig a well."

After eating, Zhang Xiaohua's complexion improved significantly, and his mood seemed less gloomy. Seeing the well diggers going down into the well, he smiled and said to Zhang Xiaolong, "I know, big brother. I'll go up to the field and take a look, and I'll be back later." Zhang Xiaolong patted Zhang Xiaohua's shoulder without a word and walked away with the empty bamboo basket.

Zhang Xiaohua shouldered his hoe and walked up the hillside to his somewhat presentable field. He placed the hoe aside and sat at the edge of the field, looking helplessly at the land that couldn't be watered. He wondered if he would have to carry water from the river himself in the future. As his eyes fell on the hoe, he noticed a clod of dirt on it, likely brought up from digging in the well earlier. Zhang Xiaohua tried to rub it off with his foot, but it wouldn't budge. He brought the hoe closer and cleaned the dirt with his hand. To his surprise, he found a round object fitted onto the hoe, and it was stuck quite tightly. Zhang Xiaohua tilted his head and thought, guessing that the "clang" he heard earlier in the well was the sound of the hoe hitting this ring. No wonder there was no further sound; it had gotten stuck on the hoe. Zhang Xiaohua wanted to remove the ring from the hoe. He tried prying it with a twig and gently tapping it with a stone, but nothing worked. If he hit it hard against a stone edge, it might come off, but it might also break. He couldn't possibly take this thing down into the well to dig. Zhang Xiaohua felt helpless again. Finally, Zhang Xiaohua steeled himself and, using half his strength, struck the edge of a stone with the hoe. With a "clang," the ring didn't break, nor did it come off the hoe. Zhang Xiaohua then used his full strength and struck it several times. Finally, he managed to get it off. The mysterious ring didn't break either, indicating it was quite sturdy.

Zhang Xiaohua picked up the ring and wiped the dirt off it with his clothes. Only then did he see clearly that it should be a bracelet, about two fingers wide, pitch black, without any patterns, and flat. He couldn't tell what material it was made of. Just as Zhang Xiaohua was about to examine it closely, he heard Zhang Xiaolong's joyful voice from down the slope, "Xiaohua, come quickly, there's hope!" Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua jumped up with joy. Forgetting to look at the bracelet he had found, he casually stuffed it into his chest, picked up his hoe, and slid down the slope, completely unaware of the lightness he felt when holding the bracelet.

When Zhang Xiaohua reached the bottom of the slope, he saw smiles on Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu's faces, and Zhang Cai's slightly bitter expression. Listening to Zhang Xiaolong explain, he learned that the bottom of the well wasn't entirely stone, and the stone wasn't too large. As long as they widened the well opening, they could remove the stone. However, the expansion would be at least three paces long. A larger well opening meant more soil to dig and naturally longer working hours, which also meant more money to pay the diggers. However, it was a good outcome, as they didn't have to choose a new location, start a new well, or carry water to irrigate the fields. Seeing the three children's happy faces, only Zhang Cai worried silently in his heart, hoping such stones wouldn't appear again. If this happened a few more times, the well would probably have to be abandoned.

The afternoon's work was relatively simple. The well diggers, based on the stone's size, remeasured the well opening, planned how to widen it, and resumed digging. After this minor disruption, everyone got back to work in an orderly fashion.

When they returned home that evening, after dinner, before going to bed, Zhang Xiaohua hadn't thought about the bracelet in his chest. It only fell out when he was taking off his clothes, and then he remembered it. However, exhausted from the day, he was too sleepy to think much about it. He casually tucked it under his pillow and fell into a deep sleep.

That night, everything in the Zhang family's home was the same as before. The oil lamp was extinguished early, and the wind made the fence gate sway. Dry grass on the mud walls was blown about, waving weakly. Only the moonlight shone from the sky, filtering through the window and falling on the worn table and bedding. Everyone had entered dreamland, and in the quiet night, only the sounds of snoring could be heard.

The only difference was Zhang Xiaohua. No, it should be Zhang Xiaohua's dream! His dreams were no longer of braised pork but of flickering lights! It was like a breath, a pulse of light, flashing and moving.

The next morning, as the first ray of the rising sun shone on Zhang Xiaohua's face, he opened his eyes. He looked around in confusion, not finding anything flashing. It was then he realized that all the flickering had been in his dream. He shook his head with self-mockery and prepared to go back to sleep. However, he then realized that listening to his two brothers' snoring, he couldn't seem to sleep. He was full of energy and had no choice but to get up and get dressed.

When Zhang Xiaohua walked into the yard, he saw his mother cooking at the stove in the courtyard. He went to the well in the corner to fetch water to wash his face. Guo Sufi saw Zhang Xiaohua come out and said, "Xiaohua, why are you up so early? You were tired all day yesterday, sleep in a bit more today. The work will still be a while off."

Zhang Xiaohua said while fetching water, "I'm not sleeping, Mom. I'm not tired anymore. And look, I've rested. I'm full of energy now. I could break that stone with one swing of my hoe." As he spoke, he put down the water basin and made a hoeing motion.

Guo Sufi smiled and said, "Good, good, Xiaohua, you're growing up. You're a pillar of the family, just like your father."

Zhang Xiaohua blushed and said, "Mom, I'm this old already. Don't call me 'good boy' anymore. It sounds so unpleasant."

As they were talking, Zhang Cai returned from outside, holding some vegetables. He asked, "Who's growing up? Why is Xiaohua up so early? Aren't you going to sleep more?" He then handed the vegetables to Zhang Xiaohua's mother and said, "The weeds in the vegetable garden are growing. We need to pull them when we have time. We've been so busy with the well lately, don't let our vegetables go to ruin."

Guo Sufi took the vegetables and said, "Aren't we talking about your son? He's up so early for the first time today. He'll be a good hand at work from now on."

Guo Sufi continued to prepare the family's meal, and Zhang Cai also went inside. After washing his face, Zhang Xiaohua had nothing to do, so he went out of the yard.

Although it was still early, and winter was approaching, farmers were not idle. Many people in the village were already moving about. Some were driving ducks and geese to the river, some were bringing grass from the river to feed the chickens and pigs, and some were already carrying hoes, preparing to go to the fields. Zhang Xiaohua walked along the village paths, feeling that today was different from usual, though he couldn't quite say how. He just felt full of energy, as if he had inexhaustible strength, or rather, that every part of his body contained power. However, he didn't think much of it, attributing it to a good night's sleep. When Zhang Xiaohua returned home, everyone had already started eating. He also ate in a hurry and followed his father and brothers to continue digging the well.

The following days were peaceful. The well face was widened, the stone was dug out from the bottom, and the well was dug deeper and deeper. The stone that was dug out looked quite flat and felt cold to the touch. Zhang Xiaohua asked his two brothers to move it under a tree at the edge of the field, intending to use it as a resting place during breaks in the summer. As for the bracelet, Zhang Xiaohua had forgotten about it, leaving it under the bedding, completely forgotten. However, his dreams had long since been replaced by flickering lights instead of braised pork, though he was unaware of it.

A few more days passed, and still, no water emerged from the well. Zhang Cai began to worry. Winter was fast approaching, and the soil layer would soon freeze. Although the bottom of the well wouldn't freeze, working would no longer be as smooth. That evening, after dinner, the family gathered to do farm work. Zhang Cai, frowning, discussed with Guo Sufi that if no water appeared in the well in the next few days, they would likely have to stop and resume in the spring. At this point, Guo Sufi said, "Husband, do you know that Mr. Wu from the neighboring village also has a plot of land on the southern hillside?"

Zhang Cai replied, "I didn't know. But I did hear that they were also digging a well on the south slope."

Guo Sufi continued, "That's the well Mr. Wu's family dug, just like ours, to irrigate the fields. Today, I was pulling grass by the river to feed the chickens and met Guo Quan's sister-in-law from the village entrance. Isn't her sister-in-law married to Mr. Wu's brother? Guess what she told me?"

"What did she say? Could it be that the well has already produced water?" Zhang Cai asked in surprise. "Didn't they start later than us? How did they get water so quickly?"

"You're only thinking about the water. Something even stranger than the water!" Guo Sufi said exasperatedly.

"Oh? What is it?" Not only Zhang Cai but also the three Zhang brothers' curiosity was piqued.

"When they were digging the well, they dug out a small, broken box!" Guo Sufi continued. "The box was broken by a hoe when it was dug out of the well, revealing its contents. Although covered in dirt, the pearls and jade inside were clearly visible! Tell me, why don't we have such good luck? We started digging earlier than them, and all we dug out was a large rock the size of a bed."

As the family marveled at the good fortune of Mr. Wu's family, Zhang Xiaohua suddenly remembered the item he had dug out of the well. He excitedly said, "Dad, Mom, I dug up a treasure from the well too." Urged on by his family and their eager gazes, he took out the forgotten bracelet from under the bedding.

Zhang Cai took it and brought it closer to the oil lamp for a careful look. It was a pitch-black, flat object made of an unknown material. It was more like an iron ring than a bracelet. Unable to discern anything, he handed it to Guo Sufi. Guo Sufi took it, weighed it, and rubbed it with her fingers for a while. She said, "It's so light, it doesn't seem to be made of jade, and there are no patterns. It's probably not jewelry. It looks like a child's toy. Xiaohua, you can play with it." Zhang Xiaohua took it back listlessly and passed it to his brothers to look at, as if it were his fault for not digging up pearls and jade.

The bracelet went around in his brothers' hands and was then passed back to Zhang Xiaohua. It seemed no one was very interested in this ugly thing. Xiaohua had no choice but to put it back in his chest.

Guo Sufi then added, "Sigh, if it were a nice piece of jewelry, we could consider keeping it. When we arrange a marriage for your eldest brother in the spring, we could use it as a betrothal gift."

This reignited the family's spirits. After the spring, Zhang Xiaolong would be twenty, and it would be time to find a bride and settle down. The family began to discuss potential brides for Zhang Xiaolong based on their impressions. When the oil lamp was extinguished, the family was still engrossed in the conversation, but for the sake of digging the well and farm work the next day, they had to go to bed.

Before sleeping, Zhang Xiaohua took out the bracelet from his chest. Just as he was about to tuck it under the bedding again, he had a change of heart. Mr. Wu dug up a treasure from his field, and his item was also a treasure. He decided he must preserve it well. But where to put it? He thought for a moment and then put the bracelet on his wrist. Coincidentally, it fit snugly against his wrist. When he swung his arm, the bracelet didn't slide up or down. Zhang Xiaohua was secretly delighted; it was as if it were custom-made for him.

Until he fell into a deep sleep, he never considered how it could fit his wrist so perfectly, without any gaps, if he couldn't get it over his hand in the first place. Not to mention that his nightly dreams of braised pork were long gone, replaced only by endless flickering in his mind.