Page 19

Then Zhou Jinian took two steps forward with his hands behind his back, then two steps back. He made no effort to soften his footsteps, and the sound was especially clear in the still night, giving Xie Ning a considerable sense of security.

Xie Ning's naked body was so pale it seemed to glow in the night. Behind his back, Zhou Jinian clenched his fists, pressing his thumbs hard into his palms, trying to create pain to suppress the heat within him.

Xie Ning swiftly stripped off his clothes and slipped into the bathing tub. He turned around in the water, rested his chin on the rim, and gave Zhou Jinian a cautious, closed-lipped smile.

The smile still held the fear of his fright, making it somewhat strained, but it made Zhou Jinian find Ninglang soft and adorable, and softened his heart even more.

Zhou Jinian extinguished the oil lamp, inevitably drawing another quiet cry from Xie Ning. "Ah... Jinian!"

"Don't be afraid." Zhou Jinian walked to the bedside and reached out to touch Xie Ning's little face, so pale it seemed to glow. "I'm here."

Xie Ning quickly clasped Zhou Jinian's hand. Both his hands were icy cold, and now that he was soaking in the water, Zhou Jinian's warm palm felt especially comfortable.

Zhou Jinian neither pulled away nor hurried him, simply letting Xie Ning hold his hand, serving as his lifeline in the dark.

All this time, Zhou Jinian kept his hand extended for Xie Ning to hold, then lay down fully clothed. Fortunately, he was lying on a built-up earthen kang, higher than an ordinary bed, or it really would have been awkward.

As Xie Ning soaked in the water, his whole body slid down to the bottom of the tub, his hands unconsciously loosening their grip. Like a mermaid, he curled up and slept deep beneath the sea.

Nights in the countryside were peaceful above all else. A cool breeze blew gently, accompanied by the chirping of crickets and the occasional barking of dogs, as household after household extinguished their lamps and drifted into dreams.

Halfway between sleep and waking, Lin Jin heard the fourth brother calling at the courtyard gate. He and Zhou Sanfeng sat up at the same time, threw on their long robes, and headed for the gate.

There stood Zhou Sifeng carrying a figure covered in mud on his back. He himself was muddy too, though not as badly as Zhou Dafeng on his back.

Zhou Sanfeng hurriedly opened the courtyard gate and reached out to help.

Zhou Sifeng was already filthy, so he stopped his third brother. "I'll carry him. Don't get your hands dirty, Third Brother. I can manage."

"What happened?"

"We really ran into wild boars-three of them! Bold as anything, charging straight at us as soon as they saw us. Eldest Brother was too slow getting away and got shoved into a ditch. Split the back of his head open."

With a burst of strength, Zhou Sifeng hurried to the eldest branch's home with Zhou Dafeng on his back. Their eldest sister-in-law was frightened out of her wits at the sight. In the end, Zhou Sanfeng fetched water and helped her wipe Zhou Dafeng clean.

Meanwhile, Lin Jin hurried off to fetch Physician Hu from the village.

By the time the flurry of activity was over, it was already the midnight hour. Physician Hu applied medicine to Zhou Dafeng's wound and instructed them, "Someone needs to watch him. Don't let him turn over. If he pulls the wound open again, it'll be serious. He'll probably develop a fever tonight, so pay close attention. As soon as he does, use a damp cloth to bring it down."

Naturally, it was Zhou Dafeng's wife who kept watch that night. Everyone else could only disperse. Even if they stayed, they would merely be standing around watching, unable to help.

There was still farmwork to be done the next day.

Back in their own room, Lin Jin still felt lingering fear as he recalled the fourth brother's account. "Thank goodness I stopped you. Fourth Brother said Eldest Brother only got caught because he ran too slowly. Those three wild boars kept charging into him once they caught him and didn't stop until they'd knocked him into that ditch. If you'd gone, dragging that leg of yours, how could you have outrun them?"

Even now, Zhou Sanfeng had yet to realize how serious the consequences were. After all, bumps and scrapes were inevitable when working the fields and going up the mountain to catch insects.

"If Eldest Brother asks you to catch wild boars again, I'll hit you if you dare go." Lin Jin's heart was still in his throat, and seeing Zhou Sanfeng's unconcerned attitude, he threatened him.

"I won't, I won't. At worst, our family will have one less meal with meat. I'm not going again." Zhou Sanfeng's tone was perfunctory, but Lin Jin knew him. Once he had made a promise, he certainly would not get involved again.

Zhou Sanfeng extinguished the lamp and lay down. After thinking for a moment, he added, "What a coincidence, though. Just as I was about to leave, our son-in-law held me up. The second time I went out, you stopped me. What do you call that?"

"Ninglang?" Lin Jin paused in the act of lying down.

"Yes." Zhou Sanfeng answered, reaching through the darkness to pull his husband down beside him. "A stray cat had kittens in the grain room. He heard them and thought they were rats, so he came to get me to catch them."

Lin Jin followed his pull and lay down beside his husband. "That really was a coincidence."

The next morning, Xie Ning woke at the rooster's first crow. Zhou Jinian was still asleep. Holding the rim of the tub, Xie Ning studied him. Zhou Jinian slept just as he conducted himself: serious and proper, with a forbidding air of authority that kept others at a distance.

Xie Ning pressed his lips together, remembering how Zhou Jinian had coaxed him so gently the night before, holding him, carrying him on his back, indulging him, and even letting him hold his hand before sleep...

The more he thought about it, the faster his heart beat. Xie Ning hurriedly submerged himself in the water again. Only after his heartbeat had settled did he climb out and get dressed.

Xie Ning was the first person in the entire Zhou household to get up. Rather pleased with himself for being so hardworking and rising so early, he went with light steps to inspect the eggplants drying in the little courtyard.

He pinched them. They had already dried out and hardened. Xie Ning carried the two winnowing trays into the kitchen.

He began the second step, taking dried chilies and pounding them finely in a stone mortar, then mincing some garlic. He scooped a small bowl of glutinous rice flour from the grain crock, and finally ladled out a bowl of the sweet rice wine that every farming household brewed.

He lit the fire and heated the wok, scooped in a spoonful of solid lard, and added the minced garlic and chili powder once it melted. After frying them until fragrant, he poured in the sweet rice wine, sprinkled in salt and sauce to season it, and finally added a bowl of glutinous rice flour. He stirred quickly to combine everything evenly; once the glutinous rice chili paste formed a mass, the fire could be put out.

The moment Lin Jin entered the kitchen, the pungent air made him cough. "Up so early, Ninglang? What are you making?"

"Dad." Xie Ning scooped the sticky mass of chili paste out of the wok. "Steamed dried eggplant."

Lin Jin fetched a brush. "Finished? Go on with what you're doing. Dad will scrub the wok."

"Spread this on the dried eggplant, then leave it in the sun for another morning, and it'll be ready to steam and eat. Whatever we can't finish can be dried further and eaten as a snack. It'll keep for a long time."

Using a wooden spoon, Xie Ning scooped up the glutinous rice chili paste and spread it evenly over each slice of dried eggplant.

"That's quite an unusual method." After scrubbing the wok and putting on some cracked-corn porridge to cook, Lin Jin came over to help Xie Ning spread the chili paste.