The next day, Su Chi went to the shop early as usual to tend to business. Xie Yushu slept in, not waking until the sun crept across the bed and fell on her face, finally rising refreshed.
They’d discussed it last night—she wouldn’t go help at the shop today. Instead, she’d sleep in and then go to the market to buy meat and vegetables for tomorrow’s banquet.
The night before, they’d lain in bed and gone over the menu for the housewarming banquet, settling on six or seven dishes.
There wouldn’t be many people—just five in total. No need for extravagance. They were all family, just eating casually behind closed doors, but they still wanted to put care into the preparation.
Sun Wuyou had sent word a few days ago that she’d be back the day after tomorrow, and told the two of them to prepare to host her and Guizhi—they were coming for a big feast.
She’d also said that during her time at home, she’d been eating bland food every day, her mouth so bored it was about to grow feathers, and she missed their cooking terribly—she couldn’t wait to fly back.
Xie Yushu didn’t know what had happened at her home. This woman was her first friend in this world, which made her special. Besides, she’d cured Father Wang—they absolutely had to treat her well.
Those two—Sun Wuyou and Guizhi—were gluttons who couldn’t stop once they started eating. She’d need to buy plenty of food.
Before heading out, she made a shopping list. There was quite a bit to buy. Checking the sky, it wasn’t too late yet. She got out of bed, dressed, ate a quick bite, and went out.
She spent the morning going from shop to shop with her list. At the butcher shop she frequented, she bought several racks of good pork ribs and a pig’s ear. At the tofu shop, she got a catty of tender, water-rich dried tofu. At a roadside vegetable stall, she bought half a small winter melon and other needed vegetables. She stopped by the grain shop for glutinous rice and sesame seeds.
At the fish stall, she picked out a plump fish weighing about four or five catties—specifically choosing grass carp, which had tender flesh and few bones.
During their discussion last night, Xie Yushu had suddenly mentioned she wanted grilled fish.
Grilled fish was perfect for a family gathering. A three-to-five-catty fish, pan-fried until fragrant and thoroughly seasoned, with a bed of assorted vegetables beneath—absolutely delicious. In university, Xie Yushu used to go out for grilled fish with her roommates all the time. Everyone would take bites, satisfying their cravings, and the vegetables would fill them up. She really missed that flavor. Now thinking about it, it felt like a lifetime ago.
And grilled fish would be perfect as the centerpiece of their housewarming banquet—placed in the middle of the table, everyone could chat while eating, with other dishes surrounding it. Beautiful and delicious.
Su Chi had listened, saw how much Xie Yushu was craving it, smiled, and said yes, whatever she wanted. He’d been worrying about what to make as the main dish, and after hearing her describe it, he agreed this “grilled fish” really did seem perfect.
But he’d never seen, heard of, or tasted grilled fish before. However, after hearing her detailed instructions, he felt the steps weren’t too complicated—actually quite simple. He told her to go pick out a big one tomorrow, and he’d make it.
Grilled fish also required a rectangular baking dish. Since they didn’t have the thin iron baking trays of the modern era, Xie Yushu compromised and went back to the pot shop to choose a square ceramic dish with high sides and a low center, big enough to hold a five-to-six-catty fish.
As she was paying and about to leave, she noticed a very small stove in the shop—seemingly a new item—and bought one too.
The shopkeeper said these were tabletop stoves that had become popular in the prefecture and county recently. Small and compact, they could keep dishes, soups, and rice warm on the table without taking up much space. Very convenient. He’d hurried to stock a few, and she was the first customer with the eye to appreciate them.
It was indeed useful. She bought a few pieces of charcoal too. The stove was just the right size to hold the grilled fish dish.
With everything on her list finally purchased, Xie Yushu’s hands were full and heavy.
After putting the groceries away at home, she still wasn’t done. She went to Zhou the Carpenter’s by the river bridge to buy some green bamboo for the garden fence.
She planned to split them herself—it wasn’t hard and would pass the time. Her husband valued this vegetable garden greatly, so the sooner the fence was up, the better.
When Zhou heard about it, she said splitting bamboo for a fence was nothing—she’d do it in a snap. Her speed left Xie Yushu stunned.
Zhou refused to take her money, saying that with all the business Xie Yushu brought her, this little bamboo was nothing.
Xie Yushu appreciated Zhou’s generosity with regular customers. Good craftsmanship, good business sense—she never charged for small things, practically giving them away. Xie Yushu decided she’d stick with Zhou for good and never go to another shop.
In the cultivated vegetable plot, Xie Yushu knelt on one knee and pushed the split bamboo, cut to the height of her knees, one by one into the gaps between the vegetable plot and the bluestone paving.
After she finished inserting the last bamboo pole, she picked up the hemp rope she’d prepared on the ground and tied it around the middle of each pole, pulling it taut. The hemp rope bound the bamboo tightly, connecting the entire row into one continuous fence.
It was a simple, makeshift fence for now—she’d replace it with a more elaborate wooden one later when she had more time.
The bamboo from Zhou’s workshop was freshly cut, carrying a faint, pleasant fragrance. Xie Yushu sniffed it—it actually smelled quite nice.
Strictly speaking, the main purpose of a fence was to keep chickens and ducks from pecking at the vegetable garden. But since they didn’t keep any livestock in their yard, the fence wasn’t really necessary.
However, Xie Yushu considered herself someone with at least some aesthetic sense. With the soil turned and the fence put up, it nicely separated the vegetable plot from the rest of the yard.
If the bare vegetable plot just sat there directly connected to the bluestone paving, it would look rather unsightly.
Now, the sparse green bamboo formed a solid row of fencing, as if creating its own little world—cleanly and neatly separated from its surroundings. It was truly fresh and lovely, adding a touch of vibrant green to the otherwise drab courtyard walls.
·
That day, after Chen Yun bought Su’s wontons, his daughter actually sat up on her own when she smelled the aroma. She held the large bowl, grasped her spoon with her tiny hand, and ate all nine plump wontons one by one. The last one she brought to her father’s mouth, saying she wanted to share it with him.
Seeing his daughter eating properly and being so considerate, Chen Yun was so moved he nearly cried. He stroked her little face, and the two of them finished the broth together, leaving not a drop behind.
Chen Yun had since figured it out. Husband Su’s wontons were indeed a bit expensive, but the meat filling was incomparable to other shops—the wrappers were translucent thin, and the broth was more delicious than anything she’d ever tasted. She had no idea what it was made with, but one sip warmed her from head to toe.
Over the past few days, she’d bought quite a few saucy meat buns, vegetarian buns, and the tea eggs that filled the whole shop with their fragrance while simmering in the pot.
The five-spice eggs had been enthusiastically recommended by Husband Su, who said they were good for children’s appetites and nourishing for their health.
She knew eggs were good, and just from the smell, she could tell these were delicious.
In the following days, her daughter found the strength to eat her meals and even gulped down the bitter medicine without complaint—because after she obediently finished it, her father would give her that wonderfully fragrant dark egg to eat.
She held the five-spice egg in her little hands and ate it with warm rice. The rice in her bowl slowly disappeared. Seeing her eat well, Chen Yun felt happy and wiped her little mouth and hands.
Though their household budget was tight, they could still scrape together the money for their daughter’s food. Thanks to their daughter, Zhao Shunshan also got to enjoy some of Su’s buns that Chen Yun bought for her.
The family sat down to eat together—a rare moment of warmth.
·
It was already deep autumn. The sky had barely begun to lighten, the sun not yet risen. Outside was a vast expanse of white frost, the air carrying a crisp, nose-biting chill.
Su Chi woke early. He quietly got out of bed, drank a sip of water, and walked to the window, pushing it open just a crack. The cold wind immediately rushed in, making him shiver. Within moments, he was chilled and shut the window again.
“No rush. There’s still time. Sleep a bit more.” Xie Yushu’s sleepy, groggy voice came from the bed.
“You sleep. I need to start preparing for lunch.” Su Chi returned to the bedside, gently tucked the blanket around her, and said softly.
They’d scheduled the housewarming meal for noon today. Su Chi figured he might as well get an early start on the preparations.
Xie Yushu reached out and pulled Su Chi back into bed, wrapping him up in the blanket with her, making him sleep a while longer with her.
It was only the hour of Mao (5 AM)—still early, with plenty of time until noon. With the cold weather, Xie Yushu had become even more of a bed-lover. Not only did she laze in bed herself, but she also dragged Su Chi into lazing with her.
Su Chi could do nothing but give in to his wife’s stubbornness and stay in bed with her a while longer.
By the time they both slept until the hour of Chen (7 AM), Su Chi was still the first to wake up and get out of bed. He put on a thicker outer robe and went to the kitchen to boil a pot of water for them to wash up with.
The water for washing was boiled in a small pot—it heated up quickly and provided enough for both of them. Su Chi found this pot incredibly useful.
Su Chi wasn’t opening the shop today. He’d already told his customers yesterday that he’d be taking a day off and they should come early the day after.
Su Chi carried the hot water to the bathhouse for washing, while Xie Yushu took her time getting dressed inside the room.
The weather had reached the point where padded jackets were necessary. She wore two layers of undergarments lined with short fleece inside, and a light-colored padded jacket on the outside. Tao Fūlang’s craftsmanship was excellent—the cotton was evenly and properly distributed, so she didn’t look bulky at all. Instead, she looked neat and upright, appearing more spirited. Only her sleepy eyes betrayed that she wasn’t quite fully awake.
She opened the large chest. Inside, the clothes had been neatly folded and stacked by Su Chi, each piece arranged properly. They were all the new padded jackets and undergarments she’d had made—warm to the touch.
The clothes were stuffed with new cotton. Tao Fūlang worked efficiently—he’d finished Su Chi’s clothes and delivered them a few days ago. Seeing how quickly the weather was turning cold, she’d given him the newly purchased cotton as well, asking him to make robes for both of them to get through autumn and winter.
They fit perfectly now.
The two of them ate a warm meal of vegetable congee, accompanied by a plate of pickled cucumber strips—crisp, tender, sweet, and sour—and a small dish with four or five five-spice eggs. After eating, their hands and feet were warm, and they set about preparing the noon meal.
Su Chi was the head chef for this meal, with Xie Yushu assisting—washing vegetables, cutting ingredients, chopping ribs, and so on.
Just as the two were working in perfect sync, a “thump thump thump” knock came from outside.
Su Chi stopped what he was doing and looked toward the door. His heart began to pound—this knocking… could it be Father?
At the thought, joy filled his heart. He immediately stopped his work, quickly wiped his hands on his apron, and went to open the door.
When he lifted the door bar and pulled open the two wooden doors, there stood his father, whom he hadn’t seen in days, looking at him from the doorway.
Su Chi broke into a wide smile and called out crisply, like a child: “Father!”
Wang Wen was equally moved. He placed his hands on Su Chi’s shoulders, looking him over carefully from head to toe, his eyes growing warm.
Su Chi quickly took Wang Wen’s hand and led him inside: “I knew it was you just from the knock.”
Wang Wen let Su Chi guide him in. He had missed his child terribly. He fondly stroked Su Chi’s hand, his eyes never leaving him, as if he couldn’t look enough.
“You’ve put on a bit of weight,” Wang Wen said cheerfully. Seeing that he was plumper than before, clearly eating well, he felt deeply relieved.
His little Chi had once carried the weight of the family on his shoulders, growing thinner by the day—it had broken his heart to see.
Now that he’d seen him, Wang Wen’s worries throughout the journey finally settled safely.
Su Chi pursed his lips and smiled, the tips of his ears slightly red.
“Is Yushu treating you well?” Wang Wen didn’t even need to ask—his son’s rosy cheeks already spoke volumes.
“She treats me very well, of course.” Su Chi smiled sweetly at Wang Wen.
“That’s good, that’s good. The two of you must live well together.”
Su Chi nodded and gestured for him to come in and eat something. His father had come so early—he must have gotten up before dawn to take the ox-cart to town. He must be frozen through and needed something warm in him.
Wang Wen waved his hand and pointed to the ox-cart, indicating the pile of things stacked high on it.
Before dawn this morning, he’d gotten up to prepare the things he wanted to bring for the young couple. He’d called on Aunt Niu and loaded everything onto the cart, rattling all the way to Songwan Town.
He didn’t know the way, but Aunt Niu had helped them move before and knew the route well. He’d hired her cart to bring the things he’d carefully prepared to see his child.
Following where Wang Wen pointed, Su Chi now noticed an ox-cart parked just a few steps away, loaded with a mountain of things.
“Just bringing you young couple a few things. Winter’s almost here, and these things aren’t easy to buy in town. Even if you find them, they won’t be as good as what your father makes. And you’d have to spend money on them—not worth it.”
After saying this, Wang Wen started unloading the things from the ox-cart. Su Chi stared in stunned silence.
There were glossy black-red cured meat, bright red smoked meat, and a large string of salted meat. Then came a big bag of winter bamboo shoots, a cloth bag of dried beans for stewing meat, a large jar of pickled radish skin, a jar of fermented chili, a pouch of frosted persimmon dried fruit, a pouch of crisp, hard, sweet dried sweet potatoes, a small bag of crisp-dried shiitake mushrooms, plus red dates, walnuts, and pine nuts.
The shiitake mushrooms, red dates, walnuts, and pine nuts were all foraged by Wang Wen from the back mountain. He went out to gather some every day, slowly accumulating them for them. Bit by bit, he’d filled these several bags—enough to last them both through the winter.
The dried shiitake mushrooms were hazel mushrooms. He’d dried them quickly in the good autumn sun and stored them properly in bags.
The last bag was the seeds Su Chi had asked him to bring from home.
Hearing all the commotion outside, Xie Yushu came out as well. She called out “Father” to Wang Wen, who replied with an excited “Yes, yes, yes!” Then the three of them carried all these things into the kitchen. It took several trips to empty the cart, and the kitchen was immediately packed full.
The kitchen had already been full of ingredients for today, and now with all these additions, there was hardly any room to stand.
“It’s alright, I’ll sort it out.” Su Chi didn’t think it was a problem—organizing these things would be quick. He brought out the leftover vegetable congee from the pot, along with the pickles and five-spice eggs, and set them in front of Wang Wen. “Father, eat something—you look frozen through.”
Xie Yushu went outside to pay Aunt Niu for Wang Wen’s cart fare and told her she could head back first.
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