Jie Ge ran until his face turned pale, his chest heaving like a bellows.
Shen Miao quickly pulled him into the courtyard, rushing to fetch him some water while scolding,
“Did you forget everything I told you earlier? What’s more important, passing the exam or your health? Your body is your lifelong capital!”
She nearly let slip those two words but quickly swallowed them back.
As soon as they entered the house, before she could fetch the water, Jie Ge suddenly turned around and buried his face in Shen Miao’s chest, hugging her tightly.
Shen Miao, holding two plump chickens in one hand, stood frozen in place.
Unlike Xianjie, Jie Ge rarely showed such affection.
Whenever Xianjie would cling to her and act spoiled, Jie Ge would just stand to the side, teasing her for being so clingy at her age.
At such times, Xianjie would only lift her chin higher and wrap her arms even tighter around Shen Miao’s waist.
Since Shen Miao had returned to Bianjing and become a part of Ji Ge’s life, this seemed to be the first time he had ever been so emotionally open.
“I ranked sixth. Sister,” his voice muffled by the fabric, sounded somewhat subdued, though he was already trembling with joy, on the verge of tears.
“I actually ranked sixth.”
Without a teacher’s guidance, without classmates to motivate him, without his father’s advice, he only had three old books gifted by Jiu Ge’er and the countless lonely nights spent studying and solving problems.
Late into the night, he often wondered if all this effort was worth it.
Was he just wasting his time, spinning his wheels?
He felt like he was lost in a fog, both proud and insecure, unable to voice these doubts even to his closest sister.
With no one to confide in and no clear path ahead, he could only move forward in a haze, not even knowing where he was going.
Later, he couldn’t help but seek comfort from his sister, like a traveler yearning for light in the cold night.
And he did find comfort.
He repeated her words to himself as he tossed and turned in bed, trying to convince himself not to worry, not to expect too much, not to exhaust himself over an outcome that hadn’t yet arrived…
He understood the logic, but his heart couldn’t help it.
Even on the way to the outer city with Uncle Li to check the results, his heart was like a boiling pot of oil, each step filled with agony.
When they reached the entrance of Piyong Academy, the large board filled with names had already been posted, surrounded by layer upon layer of people.
Uncle Li pulled him through the crowd with great effort.
When they finally reached the board, his heart was pounding so hard he almost didn’t dare to look up.
He carefully counted backward from the 100th admitted student.
By the 70th, he saw Hai Ge’er’s name but still hadn’t found his own.
His heart sank.
Hai Ge’er memorized texts faster than him and had a natural talent for writing essays.
If Hai Ge’er only ranked 70th, what about him?
Had he failed?
He continued counting up to the 50th, still no sign of himself.
He closed his eyes, not daring to look further.
Uncle Li was also nervous.
He couldn’t read, so he could only twist his fingers and ask,
“Jie Ge, have you seen Gou’er’s name?”
Jie Ge shook his head and continued counting.
By the 20th, the top twenty students had been placed in the “A Class,” and even the ink used to write their names had been changed to a bright vermilion, glaringly red in his eyes.
The 20th place is still not him, nor Gou’er.
By the 10th, still nothing.
His heart was in his throat.
Desperately, he glanced up once more and suddenly saw a red “Ji” character.
His gaze immediately stopped and slowly, slowly moved back to that line.
The name, high on the board, seemed to shine brightly, crashing into his already dim eyes.
“A Class, sixth place, Jie Ge, second son, residing at Yongkang Fang, Jinliang Bridge, Willow East Lane…”
Jie Ge’s body trembled, his eyes wide, unable to believe it.
He read it again, word by word, even standing on tiptoe to check the address three times to make sure it wasn’t a case of mistaken identity.
Once he was certain, the heart that had nearly jumped out of his throat didn’t settle back down but instead surged with an impulse that seemed ready to burst through the top of his head.
But he quickly suppressed that impulse because he noticed Uncle Li still standing there, tense and waiting.
Even though he couldn’t read, he was still scanning the densely packed board, trying to make out the various ink blots.
Jie Ge quickly scanned the board again, from top to bottom, and indeed found no trace of Gou’er’s name.
He had to whisper the news to Uncle Li.
Though Uncle Li showed a hint of disappointment, he quickly smiled and said,
“It’s alright, it’s alright. Gou’er is a year younger than you. He can try again next year.”
After that, the two headed back.
Uncle Li had walked quickly on the way to check the results, but now, knowing his son hadn’t passed, his steps slowed, dragging as if each one was a sigh.
Jie Ge walked with him for a while but couldn’t hold back any longer.
He apologized and then started running home.
He didn’t dare show his joy in front of someone who was disappointed, but he wanted to get home as soon as possible and be the first to tell his sister.
He had passed, he really had passed.
So he ran faster and faster, the wind whistling past his ears, his chest burning, all his joy and relief released in the run.
But all those intense emotions disappeared the moment he saw his sister.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a little aggrieved, a sourness rising from deep within.
He hugged his sister’s thin waist, the lonely days of studying flashing before his eyes like a lantern show, and after saying, “I ranked sixth,” he choked up, unable to say anything more.
The only response was his sister’s hand gently patting his back.
Her hands were working hands, not particularly smooth, with many scars, but the warmth of her hand on his back quickly calmed him down.
When he finally calmed down, he suddenly realized what he had done.
What was he doing?
He was being so mushy!!
Jie Ge jumped back like a rabbit, his face red, and ran back into the house.
Why was this kid so jumpy?
Shen Miao, holding the plump chickens, couldn’t help but laugh.
She then called out to his retreating figure as usual,
“Ji Ge, rest in the house for a while. Later, remember to go to the alley and find Xianjie and Youyu. Those two unreliable ones, they took the dog out and disappeared.”
After a pause, she happily shouted toward his room, “Jie Ge, well done!”
With that, she cheerfully hummed a tune about good fortune and went into the kitchen to chop the chicken.
Jie Ge buried his almost bleeding face in the quilt for a long time until he heard the familiar sound of a knife chopping on a thick cutting board in the kitchen.
Then he got up and, as instructed, slipped out the back door to find Xianjie.
He peeked into the back doors of every neighbor’s house but couldn’t find Xianjie.
It wasn’t until he reached the deepest part of the alley, at the Gu family’s oil mill, that he heard Xianjie and other children playing house.
The Gu family’s house was more spacious than others, with a large stone mill in the yard, tall wooden levers, and a huge iron pot for frying oil.
There was also a massive warehouse like a tower, filled with sacks of sesame, rapeseed, and soybeans on raised wooden shelves.
As soon as you entered the Gu family’s yard, you could smell the rich, fragrant oil.
The older generation of the Gu family was no longer around.
Now, the head of the household was the young Gu Dalang, only a few years older than Shen Miao.
He had a good temper, soaked in sesame oil, and a big, round belly like a watermelon.
He loved playing with children.
When Jie Ge arrived, Xianjie was playing the role of a barber, and Gu Dalang was lying on a bamboo chair as the customer, letting Xianjie do as she pleased.
His twin children, A Bao and A Di, became Xianjie’s apprentices, one pretending to hand over a razor and the other pretending to hold hot water, eagerly waiting for Xianjie, the barber, to give them tasks.
Leiting and Youyu sat on two other bamboo chairs with dazed expressions, clearly the previous customers who had just been “tortured.”
Leiting had two pigtails on his dog’s head, and Youyu had two uneven braids.
Jie Ge curiously peeked in.
“Uncle, am I doing well? Will you use soap when you wash your hair later? Or not?” Xianjie asked seriously.
Gu Dalang was amused and tried to keep a straight face while saying. “What’s the difference?”
“There’s a big difference! If you use soap, you won’t get lice. Then use a fine-tooth comb, and your hair will be shiny and smooth for ten to fifteen days without tangling.”
“That sounds good. Then I’ll use soap.”
“Using soap costs an extra thirty coins. My soap is the best sheep fat soap.”
Gu Dalang pretended to be shocked and sat up from the bamboo chair. “No, no, I can’t afford that.”
Xianjie quickly pushed him back down and said,
“Oh, you’re a regular customer. I’ll give you a discount!”
“How much of a discount?” Gu Dalang was already laughing, his shoulders shaking as he was forced back into the chair.
“Twenty coins? Quick! A Bao, bring the soap! Get the best for our uncle!”
“Yes! Coming!” A Bao responded, running into the house and then back out, pretending to hold something, and then performed a scene of a daughter betraying her father, shouting to her dad, “Uncle, here’s your soap!”
Gu Dalang laughed so hard his gums showed.
“Alright, alright, let’s wash then.”
“Uncle, do you want a shave? Ten coins.”
Gu Dalang pretended to be shocked again and jumped up.
“This is a black-hearted shop! I’m not getting a haircut anymore!”
Xianjie quickly pushed him back down. “Don’t go! I’ll give it to you for five coins.”
So the children played around in the oil-scented yard, pretending to wash Gu Dalang’s hair, comb his scalp, and even shave his face with small wooden pieces.
After all the fuss, Xianjie had A Di bring a mirror and praised,
“Uncle, look at you after washing and shaving. You look so… human-like!”
Gu Dalang laughed so hard he almost fell off the chair.
Was that a compliment?
“Uncle, do you want to trim your beard? How about a mustache that curls up at the ends?”
Gu Dalang could already guess what Xianjie was implying.
He patted his belly and squinted, smiling. “Is that going to cost extra?”
“Just five coins. You’re a regular customer, so I’ll give it to you for free!”
“You barber, you make money here and there. You must earn a lot in a day!”
Gu Dalang was laughing uncontrollably.
“Not at all, it’s all hard-earned money!” Xianjie rubbed her hands together, showing a cute yet shrewd expression.
“You have to make money. My sister says you can’t just rely on your looks to eat, or you’ll get cheated! Either study more or earn more money, you have to have at least one!”
Gu Dalang laughed heartily, and even Jie Ge, who was eavesdropping outside, couldn’t help but laugh.
When he went in to fetch Xianjie, Gu Dalang had been turned into a pitiful figure with disheveled hair, a bald patch on his temple, and several beard hairs pulled out.
Seeing Jie Ge coming to take her away, Gu Dalang quickly slipped away.
“Your brother’s here, no more playing! Go home!”
The customer had escaped, but the hair washing, shaving, beard trimming, and temple shaving were done.
Now it was time to trim the split ends!
Xianjie stomped her foot and then turned her hopeful eyes to her brother.
“Brother, do you want a haircut too?”
“Cut your own head. Sister told you to come home.”
Grabbing his mischievous sister by the back of her collar and taking Youyu by the hand, calling Leiting to follow, Jie Ge led the whole group away, finally rescuing the Gu family from the chaos of the children.
As the three of them and the dog walked home, they passed the Li family and heard Gou’er’s sharp cries and Aunt Li’s wailing through the wall.
“You useless child! I’ve been reading with you every day, burning the midnight oil, spending so much money and effort… Where did all that reading go? It’s all for nothing!”
Xianjie paused, instinctively wanting to peek through the door to see what was happening, but Jie Ge quickly shushed her and pulled her away.
Xianjie asked worriedly, “Brother, will Gou’er get beaten?”
Jie Ge wasn’t sure.
Aunt Li was known in the alley for being competitive and comparing everything.
He shook his head. “Don’t go in. If Aunt Li sees us, she’ll only get angrier.”
“Why?” Xianjie tilted her head.
Jie Ge hesitated, then whispered,
“I passed, but Gou’er didn’t. If we go in, Aunt Li won’t think you’re worried about Gou’er. She’ll think you’re there to mock her. Besides, Gou’er is at home with his parents. Even if he gets scolded or beaten, it probably won’t be too bad. Uncle Li loves him so much.”
“You passed, brother!” Xianjie finally realized and jumped up in joy.
Jie Ge quickly covered her mouth. “Keep it down.”
“This is a great thing, not something to hide…” Xianjie muttered, looking back once more.
Gou’er’s cries echoed through the alley like a tightly drawn string, making her heart ache.
She reached out to hold Jie Ge’s hand and finally obeyed, saying no more and quietly returning home.
Sister is better.
Sister never hits people.
She thought to herself.
Shen Miao was in the kitchen washing the blood off the chicken.
She also heard the cries coming through the window.
She paused for a moment, then sighed and continued washing the chicken in the large bowl.
She had originally thought that such a good day should be celebrated by inviting Aunt Gu and her family over to congratulate Jie Ge.
For this, she had bought two particularly large chickens, plump and tender, with eggs still inside.
But now, hearing the commotion from the Li family, if she made a big deal about celebrating Jie Ge, Aunt Li might hold a grudge for life.
Forget it.
It would be better to just have a small family gathering.
After washing the chicken, she prepared mushrooms, chicken blood, lettuce, bok choy, and fried tofu skin on the counter.
The fire in the stove was already burning, the flames roaring.
The pot was hot, and she dropped in a piece of lard.
Once the oil was hot, she added scallions and ginger to stir-fry, then added star anise and Sichuan peppercorns to release the rich aroma.
Then she added the chicken pieces and stir-fried until they turned slightly yellow.
She added bean paste, soy sauce, and salt, then poured in a large bowl of yellow wine along the edge of the pot.
The wine sizzled, and the steam rose, mixing with the spices and chicken, creating an intoxicating aroma.
Once the chicken was browned and the meat fragrant, she added enough water to cover the ingredients and put the lid on to simmer.
The broth gradually thickened, and the aroma of the chicken mixed with the other ingredients filled the air.
She added the other vegetables and continued to simmer.
While waiting, she started making the flatbread.
The flatbread for the iron pot chicken also had its own technique.