That day, after lunch, the sun was scorching.
Fan Father didn’t take a nap. He carried over a plate of soy sauce meat that Kang He had made, a plate of pickled cucumber, and a jug of wine, then headed to Hu Dasan’s place.
Hu Dasan’s days weren’t bad at all. He lived in a spacious blue-tiled house with eight rooms.
The daughters and sons had all married and moved out, and his son lived in a rented house in the City, so now only the two elders lived in this big house.
Hu Dasan’s fulang was a gentle and obedient person. With only two people at home, there was rarely any bickering, so the place was usually very peaceful.
Once people get to a certain age, they start to crave lively company. When Fan Shoulin came by, Hu Dasan was delighted and called him into the house.
The two sat barefoot, cross-legged on a cool bamboo mat, with a low table set between them on the bamboo bed, the wine and soy sauce meat placed on top.
“Where did you get this wine? It’s so clear and smooth.” Hu Dasan propped up one leg, took a sip from his wine bowl, fanned himself with a hand fan, while the windows and doors were wide open. Occasionally, a breeze would drift in from outside, so it wasn’t too hot.
“It’s still from East Bridge. I’m an old regular at their wine shop. But this wine is really good—heard they brewed it with new spring water.”
Hu Dasan said, “Next time I’ll get a jug myself and keep it at home.”
“You’re never short on wine.” Fan Father replied, picking up a piece of soy sauce meat for Hu Dasan. “Try this soy sauce meat too.”
Hu Dasan followed his suggestion and ate a piece of cold soy sauce meat. Although it didn’t have much aroma when cold, the flavor in the mouth was excellent.
“Where did you get such good meat? Was it made by San Fang?”
As he spoke, Hu Dasan tossed another piece into his mouth.
“She’s good at making delicious soy sauce meat, but would she make it for me to drink with? Not everyone’s as lucky as you, marrying someone so virtuous and capable.” Fan Father picked up some crisp cucumber for Hu Dasan. “This was made by my son-in-law.”
“Not everyone is as lucky as you, Brother Fan, to have such a good son-in-law. That day, when the Village was measuring land, I saw he wasn’t just good-looking, but also capable. Even that Chen Yushun was handled by him.” Hu Dasan wasn’t just flattering Fan Shoulin—he truly thought highly of Kang He, who, as the third son-in-law, had a lot of skills.
The other day, he even told his fulang, it was a pity they didn’t have a daughter to marry off to someone like him, otherwise, their house would be lively too.
“I just thought he could handle things outside, but I didn’t expect he could cook too. Tell me, what’s the difference between having a good son-in-law and a good daughter-in-law?”
Fan Father was quite pleased at being praised like this, but he hadn’t forgotten the reason for his visit today.
“He’s good, I admit it. But I still feel uneasy, like I’ve let the kids down.”
Hu Dasan saw Fan Shoulin suddenly looking downcast and asked, “Why talk like that out of the blue?”
“These past days, the two kids went up the Mountain, and who knew they’d suffer so much? They got attacked by a Mountain Boar, covered in wounds from head to toe. It made my heart ache.” Fan Father lowered his head. “It’s because I’m not capable. If I had some skills to earn more money, the kids wouldn’t have to risk their lives up the Mountain.”
Hu Dasan was startled as well. He’d heard in another Village about someone getting mauled by a Mountain Boar and carried back. He’d caught a glimpse on the road—it was a terrible sight.
“Was it serious? Did you have Xu Yang take a look?”
Fan Father shook his head. “Luckily, just flesh wounds, nothing major.”
Hu Dasan was relieved to hear that, but still felt uneasy. He loved children himself—he had three. If any of his own suffered like that, his fulang would probably faint from the news, and he’d be worried sick too.
Fan Father saw Hu Dasan frowning and said, “I keep thinking, relying on the Mountain for a living isn’t a long-term solution. A while back Da Jing got hurt badly, and since then, our hearts have been in our throats. Now Sanlang’s gotten into trouble too. The Mountain isn’t safe anymore, and my wife and I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in ages.”
“She told me, if only we could find another way to make a living, we’d be able to rest easy.”
Hu Dasan didn’t know what Fan Father was getting at, so he just comforted him, “It’s only natural for San Fang to think like that. Parents always want their children to be safe.”
“Exactly. But I’m worried—what can Da Jing do if he leaves the Mountain? If he doesn’t go, Sanlang won’t go either.” Fan Father said, “I’ve been thinking about this for days, but haven’t come up with a solution.”
“You’re not the only one worried—I feel bad for you too.” Hu Dasan paused, then said, “That unfilial son of mine has been doing odd jobs in the City lately—grown man, doing beadwork with girls, it’s a joke.”
He cursed his own son a bit, then added, “If Da Jing’s willing, I can have that unfilial son’s fulang talk to him, see if Da Jing wants to do that work.”
“No matter what the job is, as long as it earns money, it’s a good living. Your eldest is already so accomplished—look around our Village, who can compare?” He continued, “Just give me some advice. But you know Da Jing’s temperament—he’s not cut out for City life. He’d do better working in a shop, but…”
“If you ask me, instead of going to the City, he might as well learn hog slaughtering from you.”
Hu Dasan laughed, not responding to Fan Father’s suggestion. “Kids like that are honest and hardworking—what more could you want?”
Fan Father saw that Hu Dasan didn’t want to discuss it further, so he didn’t press. The two chatted for a while longer, and when Fan Father saw the sky had clouded over a bit, he said his goodbyes, put on his straw hat, and left.
Qiao Fulang came in after Fan Father left to clean up the table.
He said to his husband, “I think Brother Fan wants you to take their Jing as an apprentice Butcher.”
Hu Dasan replied, “I didn’t say anything, he just came to vent a bit about his family.”
Qiao Fulang said, “Jing is a tough one, stubborn too—he’s not suited for City work. If he’s not going to be a hunter, being a Butcher is the best fit. On such a hot day, Brother Fan worked in the fields all morning, didn’t nap, and brought food over just to drink with you—he’s not doing that for nothing.”
Hu Dasan thought about it and realized it might really be the case.
He said, “Even so, I want to leave this craft to Dali.”
Qiao Fulang said, “You want to leave your skills to Dali, but do you think he wants them? He wanted to do business in the City, you didn’t like it and didn’t give him any money, but you didn’t make things hard for him either. Now he’s running a business just fine. The other day I went to the County Town to buy oil lamp, and the shop was doing great.”
“If you ask me, instead of just keeping your skills, you should take a couple of apprentices.”
Hu Dasan didn’t answer, just sprawled out on the cool mat.
Qiao Fulang saw this and said nothing more, carrying the dishes and wine bowls out.
When Fan Father got home, the sun was blazing and his body felt like it was on fire.
Chen Shi hurried up to ask, “Well? What did the Butcher say?”
Fan Father shook his head. “He didn’t say anything—nothing at all.”
Chen Shi said, “It’s not so easy to become an apprentice—it can’t be settled just by opening your mouth. Let’s just wait and see. If it really doesn’t work out, we can find another master outside, even if it means paying some silver just for a name.”
That day, Kang He and Fan Jing went back up the Mountain. They still had to rely on hunting to save money, and even if the Butcher thing worked out, they couldn’t just give up the Mountain entirely.
They’d set up those Bee Boxes up there, and it hadn’t been easy to get them going—they still had to go up regularly to take care of them.
One day, Kang He used some cold brine to make a fresh batch of brined meat and called Zhang Shili over to eat.
“If you really can find work down in the valley, I’d be happy for you two. Life up here isn’t just dangerous, it’s awfully dull too.” Zhang Shili came to the cabin and, after hearing Kang He and Fan Jing’s new plans, thought it was a good idea.
“But you two—why didn’t you tell me when you got hurt before?”
Kang He said, “It wasn’t a big deal, not worth making a fuss over. Little injuries are common in the Mountain. We rested down below for a few days and we’re all better now.”
Zhang Shili understood. “As long as you’re fine. Dali, that kid—he’s been limping for ages. I heard there’s a Da Fu in your Village now, and he wants to go get checked out.”
“Zhu Doctor’s skills are good. It’s worth going to see him. A young man—if he ends up with a bad leg, that’d be trouble.”
Zhang Shili nodded.
After eating, Kang He packed up a chunk of unsliced brined meat for Zhang Shili to take home. People who love wine usually love a bite of brined meat too, so Kang He had made extra.
If they were going to leave the Mountain in the future, they’d have to trouble Zhang Shili to keep an eye on things here.
Another day, Kang He and Fan Jing caught some live animals and took them into the City to sell.
On the way back, they passed the Tofu Workshop, and Kang He spent a few copper coins to buy a square of fresh Tofu to take home.
Lately, he’d discovered a new way to eat it—mixing Songhua Egg with Tofu. The Tofu itself is bland, but the Songhua Egg is rich in flavor, so together, it made a unique dish everyone at home loved.
When they got home, they were both drenched in sweat, as if they’d just taken a bath.
Kang He couldn’t stand it, so he went inside, stripped off his clothes, cooled off with a fan for a while, and then put on a sleeveless vest.
No one else was home, so he thought about fetching some water to take a bath. When he lifted the lid off the water jar, he found it was empty.
“No water left. I’ll go fetch some.” Kang He said, looking for the water bucket and shoulder pole. “Where’s the water bucket?”
“Maybe they went to fetch water.” Fan Jing was hot too, wiping sweat off with his sweat towel. “It hasn’t rained in days. In the dog days of summer, water is tight in the Village.”
Most people in the Village didn’t have their own wells. For drinking and washing, they either caught rainwater on rainy days or went to the Public Well.
There were only two wells in the Village—one in the east, one in the west. When it was hot, there were always long lines at both.
Their family usually fetched water from Uncle Li’s house, since their well was close by.
Hearing this, Kang He went out, planning to find someone at Li’s place, but bumped into Fan Father and Chen Shi on the way back.
Chen Shi was leading the donkey carrying a bucket of water, while Fan Father carried another bucket on a shoulder pole.
Water sloshed out all the way home. After drawing it from the well, it was full to the brim, overflowing by three fingers.
Kang He hurried over to take Fan Father’s bucket.
“There was a long line at the Old Pagoda Tree’s Public Well. I waited over an hour and still couldn’t get any water. Luckily, Xu Yang saw me and called me over to their place to draw water.” Chen Shi whispered to Kang He, “In summer, nothing matters more than a drink of water.”
With so many people and livestock at home, they went through water fast—every day they had to fetch more just to have enough.
Kang He asked in surprise, “Didn’t you get water from Li Dashu’s place? Why go to the Public Well?”
Chen Shi shook her head. “Don’t mention it. I’m not going to Li’s for water anymore.”
They’d been fetching water from Li’s just fine. Chen Shi often brought over Steamed Bean Curd or Pickled Duck to share.
During spring plowing, their family had given them manure for the fields without charging a cent, since they were using their well water.
One day, Chen Shi went to Li’s to get some water for the donkey and ran into Li Laotaitai.
Chen Shi greeted the old lady politely.
“This heat, you have to bathe every day to get by. After working, you’re soaked in sweat and stink if you don’t wash. But water’s tight—I don’t dare use much. I just dip a towel in a basin and wipe myself off.”
Chen Shi felt something was off. Sure, water was tight in summer, but they had their own well—why act like it was such a hardship? Only their two girls had to make do with a basin to save water.
She thought, maybe the old lady felt they were using up her water, making things tight for her family, so she said it on purpose.
Still, Chen Shi couldn’t be sure. They’d always gotten along before.
She smiled and replied, “You’re always thrifty, saving everything for the children.”
The old lady didn’t respond, but changed the subject: “With this scorching weather, do you still go to the City to sell things?”
“I do. I leave before dawn and come back before it gets too hot.”
“You must be making a fortune. I heard that in the City, water’s so expensive in this heat, a cartful costs more than ten coins. Is that true? You’re always in the City—what do you say?”
Chen Shi’s face changed slightly at this.
The old woman was saying they barely dared use water for bathing, and then mentioned how expensive water was in the City. How could Chen Shi not get her meaning? Fetching water from Li’s was convenient, but she couldn’t bear to pay for it.
It made her unhappy. True, she hadn’t paid real silver for the water, but she never came empty-handed. Now things were like this, it was hurtful.
So, they had no choice but to line up at the Public Well. No matter how troublesome, they needed water—for drinking, and for bathing Juner and Qiaor, especially in this heat.
Kang He and Fan Jing lived up the Mountain, near the River Creek, where water was plentiful, so they never felt it was an issue. They hadn’t realized things were so tight in the Village.
He said, “Whoever has a well has the upper hand. If they want to turn hostile, there’s nothing we can do.”
“Exactly.” Chen Shi was angry, but what could she do? They didn’t have a well and had to rely on others. “With this heat, using too much water at someone else’s house isn’t right either.”
Kang He suggested, “Why don’t we dig our own well? Always fetching water from others or waiting in line at the Public Well isn’t a long-term solution. Summer is months long—even if we get through this year, there’s still next year.”
Fan Father, who hadn’t spoken, finally said, “Digging a well isn’t easy.”
First, you have to hire a good Fengshui Master to pick a spot, then get a Well Master to dig it. If the spot’s too far from the house, it’s a waste to dig it outside.
“Once, when a Well Master passed through our Village, he came to ask for water and said our yard was perfect for a well. But who knows if that’s true?” Fan Father had always wanted a well—who wouldn’t want more convenience? “At the time, I thought he just wanted to earn our money, and we didn’t have the cash anyway, so I didn’t pay attention.”
Chen Shi said, “Why not hire an old Fengshui Master to take a look? Isn’t Liu Banxiazi in our Village good at Feng Shui?”
Fan Father said, “He’s useless. Don’t you know how he went blind? He fooled people with bad Feng Shui and got beaten up for it. We need to find a real expert.”
They didn’t discuss how much it would cost, since they hadn’t even decided if there was a good spot for a well.
After dinner, Kang He fanned himself, the house stifling hot.
He pinched Fan Jing’s cheek, “With the little water we brought home, I can’t bear to use it. Why don’t we go bathe in the River?”
Fan Jing was sharpening his knife. Hearing this, he said, “Let’s go.”
Kang He was surprised he agreed so readily—he thought Fan Jing would refuse.
The two slipped out in the dark, walking under the starlight to the River.
The night breeze outside was gentle, even cooler than inside the house. The fields were alive with crickets, their chirping lively and noisy.
Kang He stripped off his clothes and jumped into the River with a splash. Fan Jing followed him in, clothes and all.
“It really is cool in here. Just standing by the River is so much cooler than anywhere else. Next time, after we’re done, we should just come here to wash.”
Fan Jing splashed a handful of moonlit water onto Kang He’s face, amused by his idea.
After doing that, who’d have the energy to come all the way out here for a cold bath?
Kang He wrapped his arms around Fan Jing’s waist under the water, feeling he was even leaner than usual. “If you think it’s too far, we could just do it right here.”
Fan Jing let Kang He roam all over him, but said coldly, “If you’re not afraid of snakes, go ahead.”
“If it’s a Flower Snake, we could take it home and make soup. If it’s a Water Snake…” Kang He shivered at the thought. He didn’t want to get bitten in the middle of things and end up poisoned, unable to call for help.
Even so, he couldn’t get the thought out of his head.
He’d hurt his arm a while back, and Fan Jing hadn’t wanted to do anything strenuous. He’d even heard somewhere that you should abstain while healing, so he’d refused to do anything.
That made their days on the Mountain dull and lonely.
Kang He nuzzled Fan Jing’s neck. “Then give me a kiss—open-mouthed, so I can satisfy my craving.”
Fan Jing thought, don’t we kiss every day? What’s so different about whose lips touch whose? But even as he thought this, he didn’t know if it was Kang He’s pouting lips or something else, but their lips met.
They stayed in the River for a long time, until their bodies were cold. Only then did Kang He, still not satisfied, pull Fan Jing ashore. Little brother was frail and couldn’t soak too long.
On the way back, hand in hand, Kang He still felt sweet inside.
He was about to steal another kiss from Fan Jing’s cool cheek when suddenly Fan Jing grabbed his hand, brow furrowed, and instinctively reached for the knife at his waist.
“What is it?” Kang He tensed up too, following Fan Jing’s gaze ahead.
In a patch of wasteland, the tall, lush grass was swaying—not like it was from the wind, but as if something had brushed past. Clearly, there was something in there.
Fan Jing whispered, “Could be a Wild Boar wrecking the crops. I’ll go check.”
Kang He pulled him back. “You don’t have your bow.”
Fan Jing told Kang He to stay behind him. “I know what I’m doing.”
The two crept forward quietly. The grass kept swaying—the creature inside hadn’t noticed them yet.
But as Kang He got closer, he realized something was off. The way the reeds were moving wasn’t right. Before he could react, Fan Jing had already parted the grass and jumped in.
“Ah!”
A terrified scream sent several Wild Birds fluttering away.
Kang He instantly understood!
He rushed in, half-covering Fan Jing’s eyes, and dragged the stunned boy out, then ran for their lives.
It took Fan Jing a long time to recover, but the image of the grass mat and the two naked bodies tangled together on the ground was still vivid in his mind.
He knew exactly what those people were doing—but couldn’t understand why they’d do it out in the open instead of behind closed doors.
Kang He heard Fan Jing’s complaint and laughed, “You think only proper couples do that? Some people get bored at home and sneak out for excitement. Or, if they’re single and have no one, they come out here for a little fun.”
Fan Jing couldn’t quite describe how he felt—but it was a pity it wasn’t a wild animal, or they could’ve had a harvest tonight.
Kang He saw him lost in thought and asked, “Did you see who it was?”
Fan Jing shook his head. It was his first time stumbling on something like this, and he was so shocked he didn’t look closely.
It was pitch black, and the people on the ground, whose fun had been interrupted, were probably scared stiff too. How could he have seen who it was?
Kang He said, “It’s none of our business—let’s pretend we never saw anything.”
Fan Jing nodded, thinking that in the future, if he went out at night and saw a place like this, he’d be better off not looking for wild animals. Who knew if there’d be people or beasts in the grass?
…Or maybe it was better not to wander around at night at all.