Chapter 102: Lighting the Stove

The county’s coal and briquette supply station was crowded, with a long line stretching all the way to the street corner. People squeezed together, chatting about what their households lacked or what the supply station had run out of lately.

Old Zhang sat upright on the horse-drawn cart, listening to the city folks talk. He realized that his own family’s life wasn’t much different from theirs, and felt secretly pleased. He glanced at his new clothes, then at the long line—there were barely a handful of people not wearing patched-up garments.

Zhang’s eldest son-in-law, Zhang Chunming, was waiting in line. After finally collecting over 300 jin of briquettes, the two of them rode the horse cart straight to their newly purchased courtyard. They’d just completed the paperwork yesterday, and the previous owner had already moved out. At the moment, Zhang Meili was tidying up inside. When she saw her father arrive, she quickly brought hot water for the two men.

“Dad, this army coat is really thick. It’s perfect for your son-in-law to wear on night shifts. You must have one too, right? Xiao Wu must have prepared one for you. Chunming and the others all have one. Let me guess, that’s not just five coats, is it? Wow, Jiao Jiao’s mother-in-law is really generous. You can’t even buy these if you wanted to. Now your youngest son doesn’t have to worry about anything. I heard from Old Chen that our Xiao Wu might be coming to work in the county. Is that true? Should I start looking for a house?”

After finishing his water, Old Zhang set down the cup and considered his daughter’s suggestion. He replied, “No rush. Let’s see what he says when he comes back this time. If there’s no change, he’ll be moving to the county. For now, keep it quiet and look around discreetly. There’s no hurry. If they really do move, it won’t be until the weather warms up—at the earliest, February or March. You can start looking, but pick somewhere close by, with a newer courtyard. If it’s too rundown, they won’t like it. It should also be quiet, with neighbors who mind their own business. Price isn’t an issue—they have money. I reckon his mother-in-law gave him quite a bit again this time. Besides, Jiao Jiao’s courtyard in Beijing is rented to a government office for 50 yuan a month. Think about how much that adds up to over the years. So just take your time and find something that feels right.”

Zhang Meili’s jaw dropped. After a moment, she exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, he’s a golden boy! Xiao Wu is really set now. No wonder Uncle Chen said even the county might not be able to keep him. I was wondering what he meant by those random comments.”

Old Zhang shot her a look of disdain. “Golden boy? He stopped being a golden boy a long time ago. Don’t go shouting nonsense—it sounds awful. Keep a low profile. There are things I haven’t told you, but you’ll understand in time. Out of my five kids, you’re the silliest. Just look at where Xiao Wu is now, and who he’s with.”

He ignored his foolish daughter and turned to his eldest son-in-law with a smile. “Chunming, I’m heading back. Do you have any message for your parents? And get the house warmed up and move in soon. This was a good buy—big and in a great location. Once you set a date, just let us know.”

Zhang Chunming nodded repeatedly. “Dad, why don’t you eat before you go? Meili, go make some noodles for Dad before he heads back. It’s cold on the cart.”

“No need. We’re building the courtyard at home today, and I have to host the workers. I’ll go first.”

Zhang Chunming wanted to say that since his brother-in-law was planning to move to the county, there was no need to keep building in the village. But he remembered his own father’s words about his father-in-law being low-key but secretly well-off. In just a few years after marrying off two daughters-in-law, he’d given 800 yuan in bride price for the youngest son’s marriage. Thinking about that 800 yuan, and comparing it to his own monthly salary, he decided not to say anything.

He watched his father-in-law drive away in the horse cart, then went back inside and looked around the spacious courtyard, feeling delighted. Now he had a real family foundation. With a bit more effort to pay off his debts, life would be smooth from here on out.

Watching his wife grinning foolishly, he shook his head to himself—his father-in-law was right, she really was a silly girl. Even now, she was still giggling. He’d always known his brother-in-law was capable—even without Jiao Jiao’s family, he would have made something of himself. Didn’t the old man from his brother-in-law’s in-laws often take him to visit officials’ homes?

Old Zhang drove the cart back to the village. By the time he arrived, the stove had already been installed in the small living room of the west wing. He changed into old clothes and went outside to find that the briquettes had already been unloaded and stacked under the eaves.

He checked the eaves, then went to the storeroom for some tools and made sure everything was protected from rain and snow, so the coal wouldn’t freeze in the winter. Only then did he relax.

He thought to himself: once the second and fifth sons move out, should he let Xizi have the west wing to himself? Maybe his eldest grandson would be as successful as his youngest uncle in the future.

Once the stove was lit, he put on the newly bought kettle. Zhou Jiao could almost see steaming, fragrant braised pork, chicken stew with mushrooms, spicy wild rabbit, and pickled fish. She couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.

Lin Lishan saw her daughter’s greedy look and felt both amused and a bit sad. She secretly decided to drive around and look for good food to nourish her daughter. After all, a successful postpartum period was like a woman being reborn.

After a long chat last night, Lin Lishan felt she finally understood her daughter. From the little things, it was clear she belonged in the city. She was cold by nature, with an unshakeable pride. She didn’t fit in with rural life—unaccustomed to rural hygiene, to women’s gossip, to opening up to strangers, or to plain and simple food.

She liked to brew tea in her spare time, filling the house with its fragrance, savoring it from delicate cups; she liked to read quietly in a room full of books; she liked to serve delicious pastries on fine plates and enjoy them with a few close friends, chatting happily. She was a scholar at heart.

Her daughter had inherited her love for a refined life—and even her obsession with cleanliness.

Lin Lishan patted her daughter’s head. “Once you’ve put Ping’an to sleep, I’ll drive out and find something good for you to eat. Tell me what you like.”

Zhou Jiao thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Forget it. You’re new here and don’t know your way around. There’s nothing good on the streets these days anyway. When Xiao Wu comes back, he’ll have a way. For now, we still have the things you brought from home. Knowing them, they won’t touch it. Let’s just eat that for now.”

“I’ll still go out and look. In the countryside, you don’t need ration tickets—just pay more and you can buy a few hens to make soup for you. While it’s cold, I’ll get more eggs too. Whenever you want, just toss a few eggs in the pot and eat them when you feel like it. I just got some donkey-hide gelatin today—I’ll stew it for you. The things your grandma prepared are finally coming in handy.” Lin Lishan bustled about, happily bringing out gelatin, red dates, walnuts, brown sugar, and other ingredients to make a nourishing dessert for her daughter.

Zhou Jiao nursed Ping’an, thinking she’d wait for Zhang Guoqing to come home before taking out the goodies from her secret stash. Just thinking about all the delicious food made her secretly happy—finally, she could say goodbye to those plain steamed buns.

After changing the baby’s diaper, she looked at her son, then at her busy mother, and started humming a little tune."