Song Jinzhao noticed Old Man Song had been lost in thought and silent. Was he in shock?
"Grandpa, you and Grandma come to our house for dinner tonight."
Old Man Song snapped out of it and shook his head in refusal. "No need, I'll eat at home."
Song Jinzhao pressed him down onto a stool. "There was a rabbit in the trap when we came down the mountain. It's stewing in the pot right now. There's too much for just us, and it won't be fresh if we save it for tomorrow."
She turned and instructed Song Qiming, who was changing Song Anhao's diaper. "Go to Uncle's house and call Grandma over for dinner."
Song Qiming threw the used diaper into a wooden basin. "I'll go right away."
When he ran into the courtyard, Old Lady Song was washing vegetables with Elder Aunt Song.
Old Lady Song saw him and asked, "What are you doing here? Where's your grandpa?"
Song Qiming: "Grandpa's at our house. Big Sister told me to come call you for dinner at our place."
Why would they go to the third branch's house for dinner out of the blue? That would just be eating their food.
Song Qiming hooked his arm through Old Lady Song's and dragged her along. "Hurry up, Grandma, the food will be ready soon."
Only when she arrived did she learn they were having rabbit meat for dinner.
Looking at the freshly cooked spicy diced rabbit, its aroma was mouthwatering, making one's mouth water.
All other thoughts instantly vanished from her mind.
Old Man Song and Old Lady Song stared at the bowls of snowy white rice for a long time, not daring to take a bite.
Eating like this would lead to ruin. Grain shouldn't be consumed this way.
Old Lady Song held her bowl, her voice like ginger simmered for thirty years. "When cooking rice, you can mix in half coarse millet. You don't need to use all white rice."
Song Jinzhao took a bite of rice. "Cooking with millet makes the rice too rough, it's hard to swallow."
Old Man Song swallowed the soft, fluffy rice in his mouth. "White rice costs twice as much as coarse millet. You have to be frugal when getting by."
Last year's harvest was poor. The grain they were eating now was all bought with money, and every single grain was precious.
Song Jinzhao picked up a piece of diced rabbit and put it in Song Qiming's bowl. He was eating quickly, rushing to relieve Song Shixue so she could eat.
"Money is meant to be spent. Qiming and the others are at an age where they're growing. They should eat more good food."
"Grandpa, Grandma, hurry and eat. The spicy rabbit won't taste as good once it's cold."
Old Lady Song looked at the heaping plate of rabbit meat, glistening with oil. They had cooked the whole thing.
Seeing the two elders weren't eating much meat, Song Jinzhao kept serving them dishes. By the end of the meal, the old couple's bellies were pleasantly round.
Having lived for decades, they had never enjoyed eating meat so freely.
After putting down her bowl, Song Jinzhao said to Old Man Song, "Grandpa, I want to dig a well in the courtyard. Is there anyone in the village who can do it?"
Old Man Song frowned. "What do you need a well for? Didn't your uncle come to fetch water for you this morning?"
Song Jinzhao quickly clarified, "He did, it's just not quite enough. The weather's hot, we need to bathe twice a day. The water in the vat was used up by noon."
"I went to fetch water from the village well twice this afternoon. It feels a bit far. The household needs water every day, so having a well in the courtyard would be more convenient."
Old Lady Song spoke unhappily, "Bathing once a day is enough. No need for twice."
Song Jinzhao: "If you don't bathe before the noon nap, you're covered in sweat. Washing the bedding is even more work."
Old Lady Song: "Just lie on the ground for the noon nap." That's what they all did.
Song Jinzhao shook her head. "Lying on the ground isn't comfortable. If we had a well in the yard, I could even store some meat without it spoiling. We'll need to dig one sooner or later anyway."
Old Man Song thought of the thirty-three taels of silver she had. Spending two taels to dig a well was acceptable.
Having the oldest son fetch water every day wasn't good in the long run either.
"Digging a well requires a well-digger. Our village doesn't have one. I'll go to the next village in a couple of days to call someone over."
Song Jinzhao nodded, then turned and brought out a bowl of rabbit meat she had set aside earlier in the kitchen.
“Uncle has been working hard fetching water every day. I specially saved a small bowl of rabbit meat for him. Grandma, take it back and share it with Yongnian and the others.”
Old Lady Song asked, puzzled, "Why didn't you have Qiming call them over to eat together just now?"
She had thought calling just the two of them over meant they didn't want to share meat with the oldest son's family. If that wasn't the case, why go through the trouble?
Song Jinzhao lowered her eyes meaningfully and explained softly, "Second Uncle and Second Aunt came yesterday. They said I only sent meat to the old house, that I was playing favorites."
Song Qiming stuck his head out from the small room. "Second Aunt even scolded us for being selfish and tried to take the little lamb from the sheep pen."
Old Man Song's face was dark when he left.
Old Lady Song held the bowl, muttering curses. "It must have been Second Song's wife who stirred things up. Before he married her, Second Song never said such things."
On the way back to the old house, they had to pass by Second Song's home. They could hear Second Aunt Song inside scolding Song Laidi for not cooking enough rice. Old Man Song stopped Old Lady Song, who wanted to rush in and teach her second daughter-in-law a lesson.
"Don't go. It's not wrong for him to protect his own family. If they smell the meat on you, who knows what kind of argument it'll cause."
Old Lady Song glanced at the bowl in her hand and said fiercely, "They're not getting any anyway. Dream on if they think they'll get free meat."
In the middle of the night, Old Man Song lay in bed turning things over in his mind. He felt they couldn't skip watering the fields. The land and crops were serious matters. They had struggled through to near harvest time. If they ended up losing fifty or sixty catties of grain just because they didn't water, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
Since Jinzhao was busy, he'd leave it to the first and second branches.
Once they finished watering their own family's fields, they had nothing else to do anyway. Better to help the third branch than sit idle at home.
The next day during watering, he said to the two of them in front of everyone, "Jinzhao and Qiming are going up the mountain to pick mushrooms to sell. They don't have time to water."
"Hurry up and finish your work quickly, then all go together and water the remaining six mu of Third Song's family's fields."
"Alright." Oldest Song didn't see any problem with it and agreed readily.
She was his own niece. Helping out was the right thing to do. The taste of yesterday's meat still lingered in his mouth.
Second Song's eyebrow twitched. He complained softly and reluctantly, "Jinzhao herself isn't even watering..."
He had already prepared himself to help, but hearing that Song Jinzhao herself wasn't carrying water made him feel somewhat unwilling.
Old Man Song glared. Just thinking about what he had done made his chest burn with anger.
"She's your niece. Watering six mu of land is nothing, watering sixty mu wouldn't be too much. If you don't water, then don't call me your father anymore."
Second Song panicked upon hearing this and quickly explained, "Father, I didn't say I wouldn't water."
Second Aunt Song arrived carrying water, unaware of what had just happened. Only when she got home did she learn that Song Jinzhao wasn't planning to water but was going to the mountain to pick mushrooms instead.
Her eyes widened as she asked, "Did you ask how much the mushrooms can sell for?"
Second Song lay on the ground. "How much can mushrooms sell for? Jinzhao must just find carrying water tiring and doesn't want to do it."
Second Aunt Song fell silent.
After five consecutive days on the mountain, Song Jinzhao looked at the sacks piled in the corner of the room. If they didn't take them away soon, there would be no space to walk.
"We're not going up the mountain tomorrow. I'll go to the city to sell the mushrooms."
Song Qiming was troubled. "How do we transport so many mushrooms to the city?"
Song Jinzhao frowned. It was indeed a lot. Carrying them by hand would require three trips back and forth to move them all.
Song Shixue, standing nearby, raised her hand and said, "We can use a flatbed cart to pull them. Grandpa's house has one."
They often used it to transport grain in the summer.
Song Jinzhao stood up and walked out. "I'll go borrow it."
The sky was dim. Seeing only two children in the yard, Song Jinzhao frowned slightly, "Where are your father and mother?"
"They went to the fields with Grandpa and Grandma to water the crops and haven't come back yet." Song Yongnian rubbed his stomach, which was rumbling with hunger.
Song Jinzhao blinked. It had been several days already, and they still weren't finished?
"Stay at home and don't run around. I'll go call them back."
Walking along the ridge, a glance across the fields showed almost no one left.
The rice paddies of every household held a layer of river water half a finger deep. The leaves were a lush green, looking full of vitality; this year would surely bring a good harvest.
Spotting six figures in the distance, Song Jinzhao stopped and squinted for a closer look.
That location seemed to be their family's field.
As she got closer, Song Jinzhao confirmed it—they were watering her family's rice paddy.
The previously parched paddy now held a pool of spring water, carrying a hint of coolness.
"Grandpa, what are you all doing?"
Old Man Song lifted his arm to wipe the sweat from his chin. "Your Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle were idle at home with nothing to do, so they decided to help water your field."
Second Song, shoulders slumped and face full of resentment, curled his lip. It wasn't by choice; who wanted to work in this heat?
"The remaining one mu will be finished tomorrow morning. What are you doing here?"
Old Man Song saw her empty-handed. With night about to fall, she couldn't possibly have come for a stroll.
Song Jinzhao felt a bit embarrassed by the Song family's help. She had stopped watering herself, yet they had taken the initiative to finish the work for her.
She licked her lips. "I need to go to the city tomorrow to sell the mushrooms. I wanted to borrow the family's flatbed cart."
Old Man Song gestured and led the way. "The cart is at home. You can take it back with you tonight."
The members of the eldest and second branches followed behind, shoulders drooping. Working continuously for half a month had worn them out.
Dragging the cart back home, Song Qiming asked, puzzled, "Why did you take so long, Sis?"
Grandpa's house is very close, and now it's completely dark.
Song Jinzhao placed the cart in the yard. "I went to the fields. Grandpa, Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, and both aunts were helping us water them."
Song Qiming's eyes widened in surprise, a little taken aback.
Carrying water was exhausting. Sis's shoulders swelled up after just one day. Six mu of land must have been incredibly tiring.
Grandpa and Eldest Uncle carried water, but why were Second Uncle and Second Aunt carrying too? They never usually help.
Song Jinzhao: "I plan to invite Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle's families over for dinner tomorrow night, as thanks for their help. Let's keep two jin of fresh mushrooms to make soup tomorrow."
Song Qiming nodded. For such a big favor, it was right to invite them for a meal.
