Thinking this to myself, I blurted out, almost without thinking, "You haven't washed your hair either, have you?"
Before Chen Yunqi could react, he straightened his expression, leaned closer, and whispered, "Shall I pour you a glass of water to rinse your mouth?"
Chen Yunqi sat cross-legged on the straw mat, his hair disheveled from where he had bumped his head, with a small tuft sticking up unruly. He was so tall that even sitting down made the room in San Niang's house seem smaller, let alone standing. Yet this tall, refined man was now sitting forlornly on a tattered straw mat, his face unwashed, his teeth unbrushed, a bump on his head, and his stomach growling with hunger. He looked rather pitiful, yet also a bit adorably dazed, making him seem like a "big, dumb oaf," which didn't fit the usual impression he had.
In that short moment, San San seemed to see another Chen Yunqi, not the teacher Chen who was always proper and respectable, but the silly yet kind older brother next door in our village.
Chen Yunqi realized that San San was teasing him. He frowned and deliberately put on a stern face as if to say, "You've gone astray, haven't you?" Then he waved his hand at San San, indicating that he didn't need to pour water for him to rinse his mouth.
Chen Yunqi had never forgotten to wash up. In the past, he couldn't tolerate even the slightest mess in himself or his life. Even when he stayed indoors, he would obsessively wash and tidy himself up, meticulously. Perhaps it was because of this leisurely and carefree life lately that his years of tension and caution had unconsciously relaxed. The slow pace of life had gradually made him lose his dogma and become more willful.
Thinking of this, he lowered his head, feeling both annoyed and amused, and said, "Never mind, there's no need to be so particular when you're traveling."
Third Aunt cooked a pot of vegetable noodles with some sliced meat. Although the broth wasn't very rich, vegetables were a rare treat in the mountains. The land up in the mountains was arid, and no green vegetables could be grown. If you wanted to eat them, you had to buy them from the foot of the mountain. Whenever someone led a horse down the mountain, every household would ask them to bring back large bunches of vegetables.
Having eaten countless meals of endless potatoes, sweet potatoes, and fatty pork, Chen Yunqi's eyes lit up the moment he saw green vegetables. He rubbed his hands together, took the large bowl of noodles from his aunt, and started eating. Completely unfamiliar with grains, he didn't know what the green vegetables were, only that they were crisp and delicious.
He hadn't eaten anything since morning, and had just drunk two cups of bitter tea on an empty stomach. He was so hungry that his legs were weak. He ate two bowls and kept praising Third Sister's cooking skills, saying that even plain water and vegetable noodles were cooked so deliciously. The way he wolfed down his food made Third Sister laugh.
Chen Yunqi was starving; he had become increasingly unseemly since earlier. San San couldn't help but laugh to herself, and she even gave Chen Yunqi a few pieces of green vegetables from her own bowl.
Chen Yunqi frowned: "Aren't you going to eat?"
San San blinked and said, "I don't like eating green vegetables."
I just wanted to see Teacher Chen eat freely, and I wanted to keep watching.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yunqi didn't think much and without hesitation picked up some greens and stuffed them into his mouth. After swallowing, he frowned and earnestly educated San San: "How can you not eat greens? You'll lack vitamins. Being a picky eater is not good."
He ate somewhat haphazardly, but thankfully he maintained his composure, not smacking his lips, and finished every last drop of soup and noodles. He always ate cleanly; his grandfather, a former soldier, had taught him from a young age never to waste food, even picking up and eating grains that fell on the ground. He knew by heart the stories of the Red Army eating tree bark during the Long March and the hero Yang Jingyu eating cotton to stave off hunger.
Third Aunt sat on a small stool, adding firewood to the hearth and stirring it to make the fire burn brightly. Grandpa Li Dong squinted and leaned against the wall, smoking his pipe. After filling their stomachs, their blood rushed to their heads, making them feel drowsy. The dim light made it hard to tell the time of day, and the warmth of their stomachs and bodies made them feel sleepy.
San San thoughtfully found a cup and poured a cup of hot water for Chen Yunqi. As Chen Yunqi rinsed his mouth, he heard the door creak open, and a short figure carrying a basket on his back hunched over and squeezed into the room.
The man squatted down by the wall, took off the basket from his back, and started taking things out one by one while looking around at the people by the fire pit. When he saw San San, he was quite surprised: "Oh, San San'er is here, what a rare guest!" Then he saw Chen Yunqi next to him and realized that he was a stranger, so he asked: "Who is this young man over there?"
"It's Ms. Chen, the new teacher at the school," San San quickly introduced.
Without much guesswork, this must be the male head of the household, Li Laoqi.
Chen Yunqi wanted to stand up, but the room was too low, and others felt oppressed by his height, so he had to move his body closer.
Li Laoqi sounded very young, so Chen Yunqi stretched out his long arm and offered him a cigarette, saying politely, "Hello, Brother Qi, I apologize for coming to your house."
"Teacher Chen is going to buy train tickets for Dad." Third Aunt got up and went over to pick up the items on the ground, and put them back in the cabinet in an orderly manner. She was quite tall, and seemed to be even taller than Li Laoqi.
There wasn't much good food at home, so we treated Teacher Chen to a bowl of noodles.
Li Laoqi took the cigarette and tucked it behind his ear, then quickly took out his own cigarettes from his pocket and offered one to Chen Yunqi.
"Don't be so presumptuous! Teacher Chen, you're too kind! I still need to trouble you with my father's matter." Li Laoqi lit the cigarette Chen Yunqi offered, glanced at the busy Third Aunt beside him, and said in a low voice, pretending to be fierce, "That woman is too disgraceful, trying to get rid of people with noodles. Tonight, we'll lock her up and give her a good beating with a belt!"
Before he could finish speaking, he quickly squatted down and covered his head with his hands to protect himself. Sure enough, the next second, Third Sister grabbed a bundle of thick rope and hit him on the back with a "smack". She glared at him and said, "Get lost."
"Hey, hey, you're getting out of here!" Seeing that Third Sister wasn't serious and had already thrown down the bundle of rope in her hand, Li Laoqi raised his head and grinned shamelessly, picked up two bottles and moved to sit down next to Chen Yunqi.
"Hehe, Teacher Chen, don't laugh. My wife is fierce, and she's known for her loud voice. I can't beat her, and I'm scared too. A wise man doesn't fight when he's at a disadvantage!" He waved the bottle in front of Chen Yunqi and said, "If she won't treat you, I will. Look what this is."
Before Chen Yunqi could guess, he asked smugly, "Want some beer?"
San San was still chuckling to herself when Li Laoqi put the beer down on the ground and said irritably, "What are you laughing at! Sooner or later it'll be your turn. Once you get married, with your limp body, you won't be much better than me!"
San San pouted, "I'm not like you." After a few seconds, she added shyly in a low voice, "I don't want a wife..."
Li Laoqi didn't hear what he said after that, but Chen Yunqi did. He found San San's earnestness particularly endearing, and his little temper was quite amusing.
Third Sister picked up a kettle, opened four bottles of beer one by one with her teeth, poured them into the kettle, then brought over a jar, scooped a few spoonfuls of white sugar from the jar and sprinkled it in, put the lid on, hung the kettle on an iron hook hanging from the roof, added some firewood, and started boiling the beer in the kettle.
"What is this for?" Chen Yunqi had always known that beer tastes better when it's chilled, and he had never heard of or seen beer being boiled before, so he was very puzzled.
Li Laoqi said mysteriously, "You'll know once you try it."
The beer boiled quickly. Third Aunt poured a bowl and handed it to Chen Yunqi. Chen Yunqi wanted to let his grandfather drink first, but Third Aunt said, "Old people don't like sweet drinks. Try it while it's hot. You've probably never had it before."
Chen Yunqi took the bowl, gently blew on it to cool it down, and took a sip. The heated beer lost its alcohol taste and bitterness, becoming sweet, tasting like honey water. Chen Yunqi savored it for a moment, finding the flavor quite good, and then picked up the bowl again and drank it in large gulps.
Li Laoqi looked at him expectantly and asked, "Is it good?"
Chen Yunqi finished the bowl and nodded with a smile: "Delicious."
Li Laoqi was extremely satisfied and laughed heartily. He handed Chen Yunqi's bowl to San Niang and said, "I have a stomach ailment and can't drink baijiu (Chinese liquor). I also feel uncomfortable drinking cold beer. So your San Niang invented this method: boil the beer and it will warm your stomach when you drink it."
Third Sister added another bowl for Chen Yunqi and handed it to him, saying, "There's not much to add at home. If you put some apple and orange peel in and cook it together, it will taste even better."
Li Laoqi was very talkative and interesting. During their conversation, Chen Yunqi learned that Laoqi was a Hei Yi from the opposite mountain and had married into San Niang's family. San Niang's two older sisters had married and moved away, and her grandfather was getting old and there was no one to help with the household, so he kept his youngest daughter with him and found a son-in-law to live with them.
Li Laoqi and San Niang had three children: the eldest and youngest were daughters, and the second was a son named Li Dong. None of the three children had attended the village school. San Niang valued education highly and knew that the village school was inadequate, so she sent all three children to the school in town.
Sending three children to school is a huge expense.
The seventh son suffers from stomach problems and is in poor health, so he can't do heavy farm work. To support his children's education, he works in the county town year-round and can't come home. The burden of taking care of the elderly, children, and farming all falls on the shoulders of the third aunt.
To save on a day's accommodation fee, the children would go straight down the mountain to school on Monday mornings. At 4 a.m., before dawn, Auntie San would take a flashlight, carrying her three children on her back and leading them by the hand, walking them down the mountain to school under the stars and moon. She would also go down to pick them up on Fridays. She did this rain or shine, continuing until her eldest daughter entered junior high school and her youngest daughter entered fourth grade. Only when all three children were old enough to go up and down the mountain together did Auntie San finally rest, but she would still walk them to the bottom of the mountain path each time.
Chen Yunqi's heart clenched.
Third Aunt sat on a small stool, smoking and chatting with them. Her coarse cloth wide-brimmed hat was worn crookedly. She looked no different from any other peasant woman in the village. When she spoke of these things, her tone was always calm, as if they were nothing special or particularly difficult. Yet, this ordinary peasant woman, who had never attended school herself, was so enlightened about her children's education—a truly rare sight.
Even Li Laoqi choked up when mentioning San Niang's selfless dedication to the children and the family over the years. This usually jovial man couldn't find a coherent sentence; he just kept wiping his eyes with his tattered sleeve and sighing.
"She has really had a hard time, and I'm the one who dragged her down. Sigh."
Hearing this, even though Third Sister said it wasn't hard work, she secretly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Grandpa would occasionally tap his pipe on the iron frame of the hearth, remaining silent. Chen Yunqi took out a tissue and handed it to Third Aunt, comforting her, "Third Aunt, you did the right thing. The children will be successful in the future, and your lives will be bright."
"Hey, let's not talk about that anymore. I'm doing pretty well now." Third Sister picked up the pots and pans on the ground to wash them. Chen Yunqi figured it must be dark outside, and it was getting late, so he should go back. He got up and said goodbye to everyone.
Grandpa also stood up and said a few words to him in Yi language, which Li Laoqi translated: "My father told you to come often."
Chen Yunqi nodded, gesturing for his grandfather to sit down without seeing him off. As they walked out, San San tugged at Chen Yunqi's sleeve, reminding him to be careful not to bump his head again.
"How could I bump into the same place twice?" Chen Yunqi patted San San's shoulder to reassure him, then bent down and slipped out the door.
Li Laoqi and San Niang saw him and San San off at the gate, telling him to come often if he had nothing to do, and that they would make him beer next time.
They didn't bring flashlights, so Chen Yunqi pulled out a lighter with a lamp and used it to follow San San back along the road. They walked quite a distance and could still hear Li Laoqi's voice:
"Take care, Mr. Chen! Come again, Mr. Chen!"
Chen Yunqi patiently responded again and again, his voice echoing across the mountains like a duet with Li Laoqi. All around was quiet, save for the sounds of their shouts reverberating through the valleys.
The lighter was given to Chen Yunqi by Li Hui, who told him to carry it with him in case of emergency, but the light was too weak and almost useless. It got dark, and Chen Yunqi, whose eyesight was poor, could only follow behind San San.
The road widened as they approached the school. San San stepped back to Chen Yunqi's side. Neither of them spoke for a while. Chen Yunqi was still thinking about San Niang's family, while San San seemed lost in thought, walking with her hands in her pockets and her head down.
Recalling the image of Third Sister wiping away tears, Chen Yunqi felt both saddened and moved. Third Sister and Seventh Brother were just an ordinary family among the hundreds of people in Tianyun Village, and which family here wasn't struggling in poverty just like them? Many had already given up, but they hadn't. They had no choice; their child was their only hope.
“Seventh Brother and Third Sister are very loving,” Chen Yunqi suddenly said.
San San also came to her senses and nodded, saying, "Yes, almost every family here quarrels and fights, only San Niang and Lao Qi don't. Many people in the village look down on Lao Qi and often make fun of him because he is a son-in-law who married into the family. He has a good temper and doesn't get angry, but he rarely visits other people's homes, so everyone says he's a coward and afraid of drinking."
As Chen Yunqi approached the school gate, he stopped and looked up at the sky.
The clouds and mist were thin, and a few stars twinkled faintly in the sky.
"Tomorrow will still be a good day." San San looked up as well.
“They are so good, just like my grandparents, they never quarrel. My grandfather has a very good temper, no matter what my grandmother nags about, he never talks back.” Chen Yunqi looked at the sky thoughtfully, and after a while he suddenly said solemnly, “San San, I will definitely tutor you well, you have to work hard.”
"Yes, I will," San San replied sincerely.
Chen Yunqi opened the school gate, assuming that San San was going back after dropping him off there. San San hesitated for a moment and asked him, "Brother Xiaoqi, there's no one at school tonight. Are you scared? Why don't you come to my house to sleep?"
Chen Yunqi originally wanted to seriously emphasize to San San that he was a grown man and there was nothing to be afraid of, but when he recalled the experience of being frightened by Li Dong's grandfather outside the window that morning, and looked at this dark and deserted elementary school in the wilderness, countless horror movies began to play in his mind.
Just then, a mountain breeze blew by, causing the iron gate to creak open. Behind the classroom, a large grove of trees swayed in the wind, sounding like a group of ghosts in the darkness, making a chilling rustling sound. Chen Yunqi backed down, hesitating for only five seconds before decisively going inside, picking up the washbasin, locking the school gate, and leaving with San San.
After enjoying the "guests shower first" treatment at San San's house, Chen Yunqi lay down on San San's bed.
San San offered to get him a clean blanket, but Chen Yunqi refused, saying his was fine as long as San San didn't mind. San San blushed and quickly whispered, "How could I mind... as long as you don't mind..."
Chen Yunqi stopped teasing him and said with a smile, "Okay, you're my brother, neither of us will look down on the other."
San San's bed was narrow and not long enough; Chen Yunqi was too tall, so he could only sleep on his side with his legs bent. The bedding was clean, and the light green checkered sheets smelled of laundry detergent. On the wall above the bed was a Slam Dunk poster, faded from being up there for so long, and next to it was a class schedule.
Chen Yunqi hadn't brought any clothes, so San San found him her biggest T-shirt. Chen Yunqi took the T-shirt and put it aside, then stood up and began unbuttoning his shirt one button at a time. San San stood there somewhat helplessly, flustered and unsure where to look.
Chen Yunqi's skin was also very fair. People who swim regularly have very beautiful and well-proportioned muscles. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and well-defined abdominal muscles. As San San's gaze darted around, she watched him take off his shirt and put on her own T-shirt. Her mind went blank for a moment, and all she could see was Chen Yunqi's fair chest.
After changing his clothes, Chen Yunqi noticed that San San was standing to the side, her body tense, staring intently at the door, her face flushed like a young bride. He couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you doing? Why is your face so red? Is this the first time I've seen someone change clothes?"
San San felt exposed and wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground. He nodded and shook his head in a panic, unable to utter a single word.
Chen Yunqi approached him, raised his hand and gently flicked his forehead with his thumb against his middle finger, then looked down at his face carefully: "Don't be shy, we're the same, you have everything I have, there's nothing to see."
San San was utterly embarrassed. He seemed unable to bear Chen Yunqi being so close, and took a slight step back, stammering, "Then...then I'll go...you...you should go to sleep early...call me if...if anything happens..."
"Okay, go to sleep now." Chen Yunqi rubbed San San's head and watched him leave with a quilt, looking dazed.
Resting his head on San San's pillow and covered with a blanket that smelled of grass from San San, Chen Yunqi comfortably shrank his neck and fell asleep with a smile on his face, thinking of San San's silly appearance.
A note from the author:
--- I feel like I only really got into the flow when I got to this chapter. The more I wrote, the smoother it became. Looking back at the previous ten chapters, they were like crap... Please forgive a newbie author. Thank you to the readers who persevered this far! Waaah!
Chapter Twelve: Turning Tiles
How could San San not have seen other men shirtless?
In winter, no one would always be shirtless in front of him, but summer is a different story. Under the scorching sun, which man working in the fields isn't shirtless? Men in the southwest region are generally short in stature. Although the mountain people don't have the large muscles developed in gyms, due to years of hard work, they are all incredibly strong and muscular, with lean, lean bodies and tanned skin that shines with sweat.
They were all doing manual labor, facing the loess soil with their backs to the sky, which wasn't very respectable. They didn't exude the kind of masculine hormones that would get your blood pumping, and they couldn't be described as pleasing to the eye or vibrant and exciting.
San San wakes up early. When the rooster crows for the first time, he gets up to feed the pigs, pick corn, lead the horse out to graze, and then wakes up his younger sister who is still in bed to do laundry.
I can't be lazy today. I didn't tell my parents when I went to Chen Yunqi for tutoring yesterday, because I was afraid they would say, "Why bother with tutoring? We don't have the money to pay for it." I just said that no one was at the school and that I was afraid Mr. Chen wouldn't be comfortable with it, so I went with him to look around.
The reason the village divided into labor groups was to require each household to cooperate with each other when working. For example, when it was time to dig fertilizer, several families would come to your house to help dig for a day, then go to another family's house to dig for a day, and so on. In this way, what would take one family three to five days to complete could be done by a group of people in a single day, making it both fast and efficient. This form of cooperative labor is very common in rural areas.
Today, San San is going with her dad to renovate the roof tiles at the house of the mute man in Group 3.