Chapter 40: fertilizer

“Our family has completely offended the village head this time!”

Returning to the Ancestral House, Fan Shoulin didn’t feel much relief from venting his anger. Instead, his heart was uneasy, hands behind his back, brows tightly furrowed in worry, not knowing what to do.

Just before they left, Chen Yushun privately told Fan Shoulin that their family had found a good son-in-law, one who was sharp-tongued. Before long, he’d be riding over their heads.

He left coldly after saying that.

Fan Shoulin didn’t really take such instigating words to heart. He wasn’t the type who liked to control every little thing in the household; if he were, he and Fan Jing would never get along.

On the contrary, he was glad to have someone to help manage family affairs, even hoping for a son to shoulder the burden. Kang He, now the family’s son-in-law, had come to live with them, which made him a son of the Fan Family.

With everyone being family, what was all this talk about riding over whose head? Besides, he knew very well that Kang He genuinely cared for the household.

But he understood Chen Yushun’s meaning. Today, Kang He had embarrassed him in front of the Village Elder and so many villagers, leaving him unable to save face.

Kang He, noticing that Fan Shoulin was uneasy, said, “I know you’re unsettled, but if someone bullies us, are we supposed to just keep swallowing it?”

“We respected him before, treated him with courtesy, tried to be accommodating at every turn, but he never appreciated it. Instead, he saw our family as poor and weak, thinking we should curry favor with him, and that he could push us around as he pleased. When we went to buy land, he made things hard for you, and that was just words—no real harm done. But he still wasn’t satisfied. This morning, when marking the land, he deliberately shorted us by seven tenths of a mu. If it hadn’t been for your sharp eyes, we would have taken that silent loss.”

“Seven tenths of a mu—that’s over five hundred coins! Jing Er has to catch several Wild Animals in the Mountain to make that much, and Mother would have to work from dawn till dusk selling Steamed Bean Curd in The Town to earn that money. This time, he really wanted to cut the flesh from our bones!”

“As for Er Zhuang and Ma Zi, they’ve got no grudge with us. Why would they make trouble for our family? Even if Chen Yushun didn’t tell them directly, they’re his lackeys. They must have acted on his signal, following his orders.”

“When someone slaps you in the face and you don’t fight back, you only let them get away with it. Not only will Chen Yushun think our family is easy to bully, but the whole Village will think we’re pushovers. In the future, whenever something happens, they’ll trample us if they can. Who would truly respect or fear you then? Maybe, just to please Chen Yushun, they’ll join in bullying us, too.”

“We have to show everyone that the Fan Family isn’t so easily bullied. Only then will the villagers have some fear and not dare to look down on us. No matter if we obey or not, if Chen Yushun has it in for us, he’ll find a way to make trouble. Why should we put on a good face for his sake? Let him know that our family has thorns—he’ll think twice before trying anything!”

Chen Shi nodded in agreement.

“I think Yue said nothing wrong. In the Village, the Qiu Family is big and unreasonable. Who doesn’t talk bad about them behind their backs? But who dares provoke them face-to-face? Even Chen Yushun treats them with a smile.”

“We’ve changed our attitude now, gotten a bit tougher. If others want to call us domineering, so be it! If we’re not tough, they’ll even short us on the land. We paid for that land with our own hard-earned money!”

After hearing them out, Fan Shoulin’s brow eased a bit.

He understood the reasoning. They’d just been too agreeable before.

But having been meek for half his life, it’s not something he could change overnight. He took their words to heart, but when it came to actually being forceful, he just couldn’t do it.

Kang He understood that, too. He didn’t expect Fan Shoulin to change his nature in a day or two—a temperament built over decades can’t be altered so easily.

“Your father was just born lucky. Your uncle spoiled him since childhood. Whenever something happened, your uncle handled it for him, which made him timid. Even at this age, whenever something comes up, the first thing he thinks of is to find your uncle.”

Chen Shi shook her head. Zhang Jingui had quarreled with him over this more than once.

The weather in Yue month was warm; sometimes, you could catch a whiff of summer in the air.

At night, after washing up, Kang He felt hot and stuffy, so he walked around the room bare-chested.

Fan Jing had washed up before him and was also lightly dressed.

“Smell this. Isn’t it nice?”

Kang He noticed mosquitoes already flying about in the room. He sniffed the Musk Perfume in the box—it had a scent of Jasmine Mint. Thinking it might repel mosquitoes, he smeared some on himself.

He’d bought the perfume along with a jewelry box for Juner and Qiaor when he was in The Town, but it had been left in the cabinet ever since. Fan Jing had said he didn’t want it, so it had never been opened.

Kang He held his perfumed arm up to Fan Jing’s nose. “Let me put some on you, too—it keeps the mosquitoes away.”

Fan Jing glanced at him.

After washing, his body felt fresh and clean. With Kang He nearby, it seemed the whole bed was filled with his scent.

He couldn’t tell if it was his imagination, but Kang He seemed even taller than when he’d first come to the family.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t impossible—he was still young, after all.

Looking at the handsome face in front of him, Fan Jing said nothing. He lifted Kang He’s chin and let his thumb slide across his lips.

Seeing this, Kang He smiled and pounced on Fan Jing, moving in for a kiss.

Fan Jing seemed to melt into Kang He’s kiss. His eyes, usually calm and indifferent, now had a hint of softness.

But after a while, the expected warm, soft touch didn’t come. Fan Jing kept a distance from Kang He, and the man didn’t come any closer.

Fan Jing frowned. Just then, Kang He said, “When you pretended to be husband and wife, you didn’t actually kiss, did you?”

Fan Jing’s eyes shifted, and any hint of romance faded away.

“That’s right. When I pretended to be your wife, we never kissed.”

Fan Jing judged by his own standards. Even if he took advantage, it just proved he wasn’t the kind of person to act recklessly.

“If you had kissed, I would have ripped his lips off.”

Fan Jing replied, “He wouldn’t have kissed me.”

Kang He squinted at that. He hadn’t been jealous before, but now he was. “What a pity, then. So, you two never got together?”

“He likes someone else—a young man he’s liked since childhood.”

Kang He’s brow furrowed. “If he liked someone since he was little, why pretend to be husband and wife with you? That doesn’t sound like a good person. Tell me more!”

Fan Jing hadn’t wanted to talk about those old childhood memories, but since Kang He insisted, he could only tell him.

Before Ling Niang passed away, Fan Jing’s nature wasn’t as withdrawn as it was now. His father doted on him, his mother loved him. Though quieter than other children, he still played with other kids in the Village.

“Xu Ye is a Xiu Cai, and Xu Yang’s father was a Tong Sheng. In the early years, the Xu Family ran a Shuxue in the Village, and many children from this and nearby villages studied there. They were quite well-regarded in the area.”

“Fan Xin was sent to study and learn to read from a young age. He and Xu Yang were the same age and from the same Village, so they were close.”

Sometimes, Xu Yang would come to the Fan Family looking for Fan Xin to play. Back then, the two households hadn’t split yet, so Fan Jing would join in.

They climbed trees for birds, caught shrimp in the river—when those games got boring, the kids would gather and play house, drawing lots to decide who would be husband and wife.

There were always more girls and young boys, not enough older boys, so Xu Yang suggested putting Fan Jing in with the boys.

Fan Jing thought it sounded fun, so he agreed.

Who would have thought, when drawing lots, he’d end up paired with Yuan Ge’er from the south of the Village by Washing River, Yuan Guo.

This Yuan Ge’er was fair-skinned, with a round face and big eyes—always good-looking since he was little.

His family wasn’t well-off, but he always kept himself neat and clean. Unlike the other little monkeys, he never smelled of sweat—he always had a pleasant scent.

All the boys in the Village liked playing with him.

Kang He listened and asked at the right moment, “Wasn’t Xu Yang fond of this Yuan Ge’er?”

Fan Jing nodded.

When Xu Yang saw his beloved Yuan Ge’er paired with Fan Jing, his heart felt colder than the river in the middle of winter.

He thought Fan Jing was fierce and domineering—not at all like a good husband. Yuan Ge’er was gentle and adorable; how could he end up with Fan Jing?

But he was too embarrassed to ask for a swap, to let Yuan Ge’er play his little wife. That would reveal his feelings to the other kids.

So what could he do? If he couldn’t swap with Fan Jing, he’d have to swap with Yuan Ge’er.

For the sake of the boy he liked, he was willing to do anything! Even if it meant playing Fan Jing’s “bad husband” as Yuan Ge’er’s wife, he didn’t mind!

The kids played happily all day, except for Xu Yang, who endured a whole day of humiliation.

Fan Jing didn’t talk to him or play games—just ordered him to wash shoes, cut grass, chop firewood—he worked all day.

When he got home, Xu Yang was exhausted and heartbroken, buried himself in his blanket, and had a good cry. Afterward, he felt better, even proud—he’d protected Yuan Guo for a day.

Kang He listened and buried his face in the pillow, laughing.

“He didn’t seem stupid when I saw him today. Was it because you were so fierce as a child, always hitting people on the head, that you knocked him silly?”

Fan Jing glared at Kang He. “You sure care a lot about other people’s business.”

“That’s only because it concerns you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bother to ask.”

After that, Kang He asked, “Did Xu Yang and Yuan Ge’er ever get together?”

“No.”

“Why not? Xu Yang is a bit older than you. With the Xu Family’s standing, he should have married by now.”

Fan Jing replied, “How should I know?”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell Kang He, but since he spent most of his time in the Mountain, he rarely saw his childhood friends and didn’t know much about their lives.

After saying that, he looked at Kang He. “You understand everything now?”

Kang He straightened up and nodded.

Fan Jing nudged Kang He’s leg with his foot, as if he’d been waiting a while. “Kiss me.”

Two days later, Fan Shoulin came back from outside and called Kang He into the room.

“I went and got the Deed today. You put it in the place you and Jing keep things.”

Fan Shoulin took the Deed from his chest and handed it to Kang He.

He’d gone to get the contract at the county office this morning. After the trouble the other day, he was a bit apprehensive about going.

But to his surprise, the villagers who used to tease and pressure him had changed their tune. They weren’t overly polite, but they didn’t dare joke with him anymore.

Even Chen Yushun kept a stern face and didn’t say anything.

“Father, you should keep it. Why give it to us?”

Kang He asked after taking the Deed, also inquiring if everything went smoothly.

Fan Shoulin waved his hand. “It’s fine.”

But he insisted on giving the Deed to Kang He. “Even though our family isn’t split, and we all live together, most of the money for this land came from you and Jing. You two keep it—you’ll feel more at ease.”

Fan Shoulin wasn’t as smooth-tongued as Chen Shi, but his heart was in the right place.

“Just take it.”

Kang He accepted it. “Then I’ll keep it for now.”

Anyway, no one could sell the land on their own. If anything changed, the whole family would discuss it together.

With the new land, there was more work at home—not just sowing at the right time, but also breaking in the Wasteland.

The sooner the Wasteland was cultivated, the sooner they could plant crops and get a harvest. After all, once the Deed was in hand, the taxes were theirs to pay.

At dawn, Kang He and Fan Jing went with Fan Shoulin to open up the Wasteland. Chen Shi and the two girls stayed home to make breakfast, then cleaned up before heading to the fields.

After breakfast, the whole family worked in the fields.

First, they had to cut down the person-high weeds in the Wasteland, then dig out the stubborn grass roots and tree stumps.

Any stones they found had to be cleared away.

Fan Shoulin worked especially carefully. In the sandy soil, he used a sieve to strain out even finger-sized pebbles, leaving only fine earth behind.

Around noon, Chen Shi packed up the dishes from breakfast and, with the girls, went home to make lunch.

On cool days, when the sun wasn’t harsh, Chen Shi would bring lunch to the fields to save everyone a trip home. If it was too hot, they’d eat at home and rest.

West Suburb wasn’t too far, and with spring in full swing, many families were opening up new fields—not just theirs.

The Fertile Field over there had already hired tenant farmers to work the land. The landowner didn’t need to toil—they’d just come by in the afternoon to check on things.

Kang He took a sip of tea soup, glancing over at the Fertile Field. He knew their family couldn’t live like that in a year or two, but as long as they managed things well, there was always hope.

Lost in thought, a Sweat Towel landed on his shoulder. He came back to himself and saw Fan Jing carrying a Clay Bowl toward him.

The Clay Bowl held rice and stir-fried pickled vegetables with cured meat.

Kang He took it, wiped the sweat from his brow with the Sweat Towel, and sat with Fan Jing under a Locust Tree to eat.

“The Locust Flowers are blooming. Once the field is ready, we should go up the Mountain and have a look.”

Fan Jing nodded, seeing Kang He put the meat from his own bowl into Fan Jing’s.

After all the expenses at the start of the year—buying a donkey, buying land—they hadn’t hunted in the Mountain, so money was tight and income scarce.

With things tight, Kang He had become more frugal, unlike before when he would buy meat or offal every few days for a good meal.

If they wanted to eat meat, it was only the smoked pork left over from the New Year’s banquet.

Compared to before, it was still a decent life.

But Kang He, used to good food, found the current days a bit bland.

Fan Jing said nothing, just ate the meat.

The spring sun shone warmly, lifting a few strands of hair at his temples.

Kang He reached out and tucked Fan Jing’s hair behind his ear, then used the Sweat Towel hanging around his neck to wipe the sweat from Fan Jing’s neck. “Once we get honey from the Mountain, maybe we can catch a couple of fish, pound the meat, and make Fish Meatball Soup for you.”

Fan Jing chewed slowly and nodded.

The warm wind carried the scent of young grass, caressing Fan Jing’s thin face. Kang He, following the gentle breeze, quickly kissed Fan Jing on the cheek.

Fan Jing felt as if a butterfly had landed lightly on him.

He turned his head to look at Kang He, who was already eating as if nothing had happened, but the upturned corners of his mouth betrayed him.

Fan Jing withdrew his gaze, looking out at the sparkling Spring Water in the distance.

They had never been this close outside before.

Suddenly, Fan Jing felt a burning in his chest—a feeling he couldn’t quite describe.

The whole family worked from dawn till dusk on the mu and a half of land, even bringing the donkey to help. In just a few days, the field was ready.

Next came fertilizing the land.

Their original fields weren’t many, and the manure from the pit was just enough.

But with new livestock and more poultry, they were feeding a lot of grass and grain, and producing much more manure.

Juner and Qiaor cleaned up and dumped it far away, but Fan Shoulin felt it was a waste.

He often said Chicken, Duck, and Rabbit droppings were good fertilizer, but you couldn’t just dump them on the fields or they’d burn the roots.

So Kang He and Fan Jing dug a pit outside the back yard, built a straw shed, and stored the manure there.

Chen Shi complained about the smell. She said the family’s manure water was enough for the vegetable patch—why bother making more?

But Fan Shoulin was delighted. He wasn’t afraid of the smell and often carried straw to the shed to compost.

Now, with plenty of fertilizer piled up, it was just right for improving the new, dry, thin field.

“Fan Er, how come your fertilizer is so good?”

As the donkey carried loads of manure to the field, other villagers came over, praising the dark fertilizer.

Fan Shoulin replied proudly, “That’s all from our family’s manure pile, bit by bit.”

“Your family raises a lot of Chicken, Duck, and livestock, so fertilizer is easy to come by.”

“They eat so much all day, besides making manure to fertilize the fields, what else are they good for?”

Fan Shoulin spread manure and chatted with the neighbors, and the day passed easily.

The next day, in the late morning, Kang He, Fan Jing, and Fan Shoulin were working in the field.

Qiao Ya Tou came running, panting, and told Fan Shoulin, “Wang Shu and Zhang Yue came to the house with things. They want to ask for some fertilizer. Mother wasn’t sure, so she told you to come home and decide.”

The fieldwork had lightened up these last couple of days. The previous rush had left a pile of chores at home. Today, Chen Shi and the two girls stayed in to clean, wash the clothes from the past few days, and handle the people bringing Sichuan Pepper to sell.

Someone had asked yesterday if they still bought Sichuan Pepper, and if so, they’d bring some over today.

Chen Shi agreed—they were almost ready to eat the Pickled Duck she’d prepared, and it had been a while since she’d gone to The Town to sell things.

She was hoping to save up some Sichuan Pepper, so when the fieldwork eased, she could take Pickled Duck and sell Steamed Bean Curd in The Town together.

“Must be because we talked about composting in the fields yesterday. Now they’ve heard about it.”

Fan Shoulin looked at Kang He. “Let them have some—there’s plenty, and we can’t use it all.”

Kang He thought for a moment. “Father, since they’re coming to ask, we shouldn’t just give it away. Tell them the price per load and sell it to them.”

“Sell?”

Fan Shoulin frowned. “They’re neighbors—won’t people say we’re greedy, always talking about money?”

He muttered, “The villagers will say we’ve got money on the brain.”

“What’s wrong with that? They’re bringing things—that’s money too. If we don’t charge, and they take our fertilizer, we’ll owe them a favor. If we set a clear price, it’s a transaction, and everyone feels at ease.”

Kang He continued, “Mother is selling Pickled Duck, and with all the Chicken and Duck we’re raising, there will only be more manure in the future. We can’t use it all. Everyone knows you’re a good farmer—if word gets out that we have fertilizer for sale, those in need will come to buy.”

“If someone really can’t pay, we can take goods in exchange. We’re all from the same Village—it’s not like business in The Town, where it’s cash only.”

Fan Shoulin was tempted.

His fertilizer was good, and selling some to the neighbors didn’t feel wrong.

Plus, Kang He had a point—the family had so much manure, it would just go to waste otherwise.

Seeing that Fan Shoulin was wavering, Kang He added, “We can set the price lower than the market—villagers will only be grateful. And whatever we earn—say, five copper coins a load—you can keep as your own. If you want to buy wine or a snack, you’ll have extra, and won’t have to ask Mother for money. Isn’t it nice to have your own income? Look how much energy Mother has when she’s selling Steamed Bean Curd.”

Fan Shoulin was completely convinced, looking at Kang He eagerly. “Then you go tell your mother—the money from selling manure is mine to keep.”

“Alright, I’ll tell her—she’ll definitely agree!”

Kang He patted his chest in promise.

Fan Shoulin, delighted, tossed aside his hoe and went with Qiao Ya Tou to sell manure.

Fan Jing was spreading manure and saw Kang He had made the old man so happy. He wondered what the two had been whispering about.

Kang He volunteered the information.

Fan Jing, after hearing it, said, “That’s fine. Give him something to do, so he doesn’t just go out drinking with people when he’s idle.”

But then he wondered, how did Kang He always have so many ideas for making money?