14 This is Shanxiu Village (Bug Fix)

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The sun stood directly overhead, and the people in the market gradually dispersed. Ye Xi bought some needles and thread, then set off home with Lin Jiangshan.

This was the largest town in the area. Villagers from all around came here to sell their goods or purchase household necessities. Quite a few people traveled along the main road, including those who made a living driving ox carts and carrying passengers, charging three copper coins per person.

There were also somewhat better horse-drawn carriages. They traveled faster than ox carts and were far less bumpy, but they cost more—five copper coins per person.

Old people who could no longer walk, or women carrying small children, would pay to ride when necessary. Most people still relied on their own legs to make the journey home.

Ye Xi had always been reluctant to spend money on a ride. Lin Jiangshan walked swiftly and easily, without the slightest sign of fatigue, but his legs were long and his stride much greater than Ye Xi’s, so he had to deliberately slow his pace.

“You needn’t worry about your elder brother’s matter either,” Lin Jiangshan said as they walked. “The medicine may be expensive in the shops, but there might be some growing in the mountains. We can go look for it.”

Ye Xi’s eyes brightened. “Can we really find it? If we do, then there’ll be hope for my elder brother’s injury!”

Lin Jiangshan did not dare make any absolute promises. “There are plenty of medicinal herbs in the mountains around Shanshow Village. I don’t recognize notoginseng myself, but this place is blessed with fine mountains and fertile earth. There’s still some hope of finding one or two plants.”

Ye Xi was already eager to enter the mountains. If they could find the herb, they would save a great deal of money.

Seeing through his thoughts, Lin Jiangshan warned him quietly, “The mountains are full of tigers, wolves, insects, and ants. If you’re not accustomed to going deep into them, don’t ever go alone. It’s easy to enter and difficult to leave. I’ll take you there myself.”

Ye Xi nodded. Several people from their village had gone into the mountains in the past and never returned. That was also why hunters tended to live relatively well. The deep mountains held many valuable things, but not everyone had the ability to take them. Only hunters who had spent years roaming the wilderness knew how to survive there. For anyone else, the dangers were countless.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you once again,” Ye Xi said. Ever since meeting Lin Jiangshan, it seemed that the man had been helping him constantly.

Lin Jiangshan pressed his lips together, looking somewhat embarrassed. After hesitating for a long while, he finally said, “Could you bring me another jar of pickled vegetables?”

To be honest, he had barely eaten his fill these past few days. In the past, he could swallow down whatever rough food was available, but after eating at the Ye household for several days, his palate seemed to have grown fussy. The hard steamed buns he once forced down now stuck in his throat, impossible to swallow. Even the dark, mushy dishes he cooked himself could no longer be tolerated, leaving him hungry for days at a time.

He had claimed to be coming to the market today to purchase supplies, but in reality he had gone to a noodle stall and eaten three large bowls of noodles.

“If you like them, I’ll bring them whenever you want,” Ye Xi told him. “They’re all made from vegetables in our own garden. We have enough to fill as many jars as you like.”

Lin Jiangshan gave a faint smile. “I’m afraid your family has spoiled my palate. In the past, anything edible was good enough for me.”

Ye Xi wanted to say that perhaps it was because Lin Jiangshan’s cooking was simply too terrible to eat.

The two of them walked and chatted about trivial matters, keeping a distance of roughly two yards between them. After about an hour, they returned to Shanshow Village.

Ye Xi pushed open the wicker gate and invited Lin Jiangshan in for a cup of tea, but the man shook his head outside the entrance to the yard. “There’s still work at home that needs doing. I’ll pass on the tea.”

Ye Xi gave a small hum, one hand resting on the gate. “I’ll bring the pickled vegetables over once they’re ready.”

Lin Jiangshan nodded slightly, then carried his things away.

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After returning to the house, Ye Xi first chopped a basketful of fresh grass and poured it into the chicken coop. Then he swept the fallen leaves from the courtyard. Once he had finished tending to everything inside and out, he sat beneath the shade of the tree and began rubbing dry rice straw into cord, which he used to weave straw shoes.

People from farming households worked in the fields and could not wear cloth shoes. Cloth shoes wore out quickly and became caked with mud. Straw shoes were far more practical and economical.

The family had just finished harvesting the rice, and dry straw was abundant. He could replace all the worn-out straw shoes belonging to his father and elder brother, with several pairs left over in reserve. Straw shoes might be cheap, but even at the market they sold for ten copper coins a pair. Wasn’t that how farm families saved money—one copper coin at a time?

Ye Xi had nimble hands. The straw shoes he made were neat, soft, and sturdy. Before long, he had woven two pairs.

Liu Xiufeng returned from the village mill after grinding flour. The moment she pushed open the wicker gate, Ye Xi saw that her face was dark with displeasure.

He looked up at her. “Mother?”

Liu Xiufeng put the sack of flour away in the kitchen cupboard, then came out and dropped onto the chair beside him. Her expression was unpleasant as she said, “I went to the mill on the east side of the village this morning and ran into several of the village aunties. Can you guess what they told me?”

Ye Xi’s fingers never stopped moving as he carefully braided the straw cord. “What?”

Liu Xiufeng angrily struck the tabletop. “They said the youngest son of the Lin family has taken a fancy to the Cao family—the very family you were once betrothed to! They’re going to find a matchmaker and have their birth characters compared!”

Ye Xi merely gave an indifferent “Oh,” completely unconcerned. If Lin Yao insisted on throwing himself into a den of wolves, why should he stop him?

Liu Xiufeng knew nothing of this. All she could think about was how the good marriage that had once belonged to her own son now seemed likely to fall to the Lin family. If it had been any other family, she might have let it go, but the Lin family had always been at odds with her, and the thought left her deeply frustrated.

Ye Xi smiled faintly and comforted her. “It’s all a matter of fate. Since the Cao family broke off their engagement with me, whom they marry has nothing to do with us. If the Lin family is willing, let them marry into that household. We needn’t get involved.”

Liu Xiufeng sighed. “It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

“That Cao family is no treasure,” Ye Xi said. “We used to think they were wonderful in every way, but after they came to break off the engagement, how could you still not see what they’re really like? Cao Bin’s mother is cruel and spiteful. She values money more than life itself and controls the entire household. She never yields an inch in an argument. Cao Bin may be an elegant scholar, but at heart he’s a hypocritical lecher. His father is timid and submissive, with no say in the household. What kind of family is that except a complete mess? Even if they are wealthy, I doubt life would be easy for anyone who married into it.”

Liu Xiufeng was relieved as well. If her son had married into that family, he would surely have suffered under that vicious mother-in-law. During the negotiations, the woman had worn a pleasant, reasonable face, but when it came time to tear off the mask, her true nature had emerged. Liu Xiufeng doubted she herself could have stood against Cao Bin’s mother.

“You’re right, my boy,” she said. “If you had married into that family, you’d be living in another village, and we might not see you more than a few times a year. How would I ever know what hardships you were enduring over there?”

Ye Xi smiled. “Things are better this way. I can stay home and keep you and Father company. Isn’t it happier when the whole family stays together?”

Liu Xiufeng glared at him angrily. “Nonsense! What young man doesn’t marry? Don’t let the Cao family’s broken engagement make you lose heart and give up on marriage. If you meet someone suitable, you still ought to marry. A harmonious household filled with children and grandchildren—that is the proper life.”

Ye Xi responded vaguely and picked up the bowl of water on the table for a sip.

Liu Xiufeng continued, “Your mother thinks that young Lin is quite good. He’s tall and strong, willing to work, and steady. He doesn’t seem like the idle sort. I was thinking of having your elder brother spend more time with him and sound him out.”

Ye Xi nearly spat his water across the table. His gaze darted away, and the back of his neck turned red. Stammering, he said, “Mother, what are you talking about? We’ve only known him for such a short time. How did you already start thinking about things like that?”

Liu Xiufeng blinked and smiled. “He’s a fine young man. Your mother has taken a liking to him. If another family snatches him up, won’t it be too late?”

Ye Xi muttered softly, “That depends on whether he’s willing. I’m not the same as I used to be.”

Liu Xiufeng let out a dismissive sound, taking the matter with a farmer’s frankness. “Then just ask him directly. If he’s willing, you marry. If he isn’t, we’ll pretend the matter was never raised. We can still remain relatives by marriage and keep in touch. In any case, we’re not forcing anyone.”

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Ye Xi picked up the straw shoes, rose, and walked away. “Mother, you’re becoming more ridiculous by the minute. I’m going to cook.”

Behind him, Liu Xiufeng called, “Hey, hey, hey! Why are you so embarrassed? Just give me an answer, and I’ll have your elder brother go ask him.”

Ye Shan, who had been inside listening to his mother’s hearty laughter, came out and asked, “Mother, were you calling me?”

Liu Xiufeng covered her mouth and laughed. “No, I was laughing at your shy little brother.”

But when she looked at Ye Shan, she could no longer laugh. Good grief—there was still this dull, wooden son whose marriage had yet to be settled.

What a headache.

*

Three days passed. The jar of fermented chili and kohlrabi that Ye Xi had prepared had finished fermenting, so he carried it over to Lin Jiangshan’s house.

Lin Jiangshan was not home. Ye Xi squatted outside the gate and waited for a long while, but the man still did not return. In the end, Ye Xi pushed open the gate and went into the courtyard to wait. A young man could not conveniently enter a grown man’s room, but there was no problem with sitting in the yard.

The courtyard was covered with freshly chopped firewood, stacked in neat piles beneath the eaves. It was clear that whoever had done the work was patient and orderly. Just as Ye Xi was about to lift a chair from beneath the eaves, he noticed a coarse-cloth shirt hanging atop the woodpile. When he took it down, he found a large hole worn through the back.

The owner had probably torn it on thorns while chopping wood in the mountains. Ye Xi placed the jar in the kitchen, then carried the chair into the courtyard and sat down. He took a needle and thread from his pocket.

Fortunately, he had the habit of carrying sewing supplies with him. He could mend the shirt for Lin Jiangshan now.

After threading the needle, Ye Xi quietly sat in the courtyard and began repairing the garment. He worked with such concentration that he did not notice when Lin Jiangshan returned.

Lin Jiangshan came back from the fields with a hoe slung over his shoulder and saw Ye Xi sitting in his courtyard, head bowed as he worked the needle and thread. His fingers were deft, and the tiny embroidery needle slipped back and forth between them. Under Ye Xi’s swift stitching, the torn garment seemed to return to its original condition.

Lin Jiangshan did not make a sound to disturb him. He leaned against the gate and waited for Ye Xi to finish.

The graceful young man sat quietly in the courtyard, his dark hair gathered with a bamboo hairpin and spilling down his back. A gentle breeze stirred the strands, while fallen leaves drifted lazily in slow circles through the air.

The tranquil beauty of the scene gave Lin Jiangshan the inexplicable feeling that the house had gained a human presence. It no longer seemed so empty. Without realizing it, he became absorbed in the sight.

Only the long cry of a white egret from the forest roused him from his thoughts. When he came back to himself, Ye Xi had already finished mending the shirt.

Looking toward the gate, Ye Xi smiled at him. “I didn’t know you had come back. I brought you the pickled vegetables, and when I saw this shirt, I took the liberty of mending it for you.”

Lin Jiangshan carried the hoe into the yard. “Thank you. I’m a grown man and truly have no skill at delicate work. I had planned to throw the shirt away, but after your repair, I can probably wear it for several more years.”

Ye Xi slipped the needle and thread back into his sleeve. “If something can be saved, it should be saved. As long as you’re satisfied. I also wanted to ask when you might have time. Could you take me into the mountains to look for notoginseng?”

Lin Jiangshan set down his hoe and came back toward him. “Today will do. It rained two days ago, and the mountain mist was heavy then. The weather is clear today, so it’s a good time to go into the mountains.”

Ye Xi brightened. “All right! I’ll go with you right now!”