Chapter 84: Distant Worries

When they returned to the village, dusk had already fallen, and the villagers who had been digging the well had all gone home.

Li Taohua was waiting at the door. Seeing their ox cart arrive, she hurriedly opened the wicker gate to welcome them in.

Once the cart stopped, Li Taohua held the rope tethering the ox and said to Third Uncle Tang, “Uncle, the food is still warm. Have dinner before you go.”

Third Uncle Tang smiled cheerfully. “Of course! The food at your house is always delicious. I won’t stand on ceremony.”

Tang Dafu and Tang Yichen had already eaten with the villagers earlier, though they hadn’t had much and had left some room, waiting for the others to return so they could eat together. Li Taohua, anxious for her daughter, had kept her stomach empty, refusing even a little food despite Dafu’s urging.

Now that her daughter was back, Li Taohua brought out the dishes and sat beside Qin Huiyin, constantly serving her more food.

“Mother, I can’t eat that much,” Qin Huiyin said, returning some of the food to her mother’s bowl. “You must be exhausted after cooking for so many people today.”

“Your uncle and Chen helped with washing and preparing the vegetables—I only did the stir-frying. It wasn’t hard. Unlike you, out there working all day. Your little face has grown thinner…”

Qin Huiyin quickly shared some amusing stories from the day, steering her mother’s attention away. Otherwise, all her concern would be fixed on how tired and thin her daughter looked.

Truthfully, today had been more tiring than usual, but she hadn’t been the only one working. In Li Taohua’s eyes, any time her daughter was away, she was sure to be suffering.

Tang Dafu poured wine for Third Uncle Tang. “Uncle, I really don’t know how to thank you. From now on, you’re my true uncle, and these children are your own grandchildren.”

Third Uncle Tang grinned. “That’s wonderful for me! I haven’t done anything, and now I’ve gained several capable grandchildren.”

He didn’t linger over his wine; there was a market in town the next day, and he had to rise early to take villagers to the morning fair. Once everyone was satisfied, Tang Yichen drove the ox cart to escort Third Uncle Tang home.

After Tang Yichen left with Third Uncle Tang, Li Taohua stood staring at the large bundles they’d brought back.

They hadn’t unloaded the cart before, so Li Taohua had only seen the packages but didn’t know what was inside. She’d assumed Qin Huiyin had bought more food supplies.

Though it seemed a little early to stock up, Qin Huiyin always acted with forethought and never caused worry, so Li Taohua hadn’t given it much thought.

Now, seeing the contents after unloading, she realized these weren’t foodstuffs at all but quilts and clothing.

“Mother, are you alright?” Qin Huiyin asked.

“I just didn’t expect you to think of everything so thoroughly,” Li Taohua replied. “My daughter has grown up. Lately, it feels like you’re the one looking after me, and I haven’t cared for you properly.”

Moved, Li Taohua—usually so forthright—turned away, eyes reddened, quietly wiping away tears.

“Mother…” Qin Huiyin quickly tried to comfort her. “Who says you haven’t cared for me? Who made my shoes? Who mended my clothes? All of that is your care.”

Tang Yichen came back.

Qin Huiyin began distributing the items: four sets of clothes for each person, a new quilt for every room.

“Mother, guess what this is?” Qin Huiyin asked mysteriously.

Li Taohua played along. “It’s a small box—did you buy new handkerchiefs?”

“No.”

“Tooth powder?”

“No.”

“Then I can’t guess.”

Qin Huiyin slowly opened the box and pushed it in front of Li Taohua.

Li Taohua stared at the contents, her pupils contracting.

They were the things she’d pawned earlier.

When she’d pawned them, she’d never expected to redeem them, so seeing them again now was a true surprise.

“Mother, these are the things you pawned before. Now they’re back where they belong,” Qin Huiyin said. “And I bought a few little gifts as well…”

She opened three small boxes, each containing a pair of earrings. “One pair for you, one each for Sister Luwu and me. They’re our mother-daughter keepsakes. You three men won’t be jealous, will you? Even if I’d bought some for you, you couldn’t wear them, so I didn’t waste the money. But I did buy each of you a pair of socks.”

“Thank you, little sister,” Tang Yichen said with a gentle smile. “Luwu has never had jewelry before; this is her first piece. Thank you for her.”

Tang Luwu had already been moved to tears earlier, but hearing Tang Yichen’s words touched her even more.

“We’ve spent nearly all the money today,” Qin Huiyin reported. “Total earnings were six taels and thirty-five coins. We spent four taels, so there are two taels and thirty-five coins left.”

Tang Yichen recorded it in the ledger and distributed everyone’s wages.

“With all these new clothes, maybe we shouldn’t take our wages,” Tang Dafu said.

“Yes, we spent so much. We can forgo this little bit,” Tang Yixiao added.

“Wages are wages, household expenses are household expenses. We’re all one family. The things we need each season are household spending and shouldn’t come out of your wages,” Qin Huiyin insisted. “We still need to buy shoes and socks, and get some charcoal in. When winter comes, we can’t stay under the quilts all day, can we?”

Hearing her words, everyone accepted their wages.

For the Tang family, days like this were once beyond imagining.

After dinner, Li Taohua eagerly tidied up the rooms.

Qin Huiyin took Tang Yixiao and Tang Luwu to study their characters. In contrast to Tang Yichen’s strict, scholarly teaching, Qin Huiyin’s gentler approach eased knowledge into their minds, like a soft, steady rain.

Tang Yichen watched from the window and saw that, when studying with Qin Huiyin, Yixiao and Luwu were at ease and even joked around. He couldn’t decide whether to be amused or exasperated.

Later, Qin Huiyin came out for water and found Tang Yichen sitting at the table, gazing at the moon outside.

She followed his gaze. “The moon is so round tonight—looks just like the flatbread we cooked this morning. Are you thinking about pancakes?”

Tang Yichen: “…”

Any lingering wistfulness utterly vanished.

“You’re only fourteen. Don’t act like you’re forty. Melancholy doesn’t suit you,” Qin Huiyin smiled. “Would you like some tea? I’ll brew a pot.”

Tang Yichen couldn’t help but laugh. “You really are one of a kind.”

Why hadn’t he noticed before how amusing she was?

But then, they’d had little interaction in the past. He’d spent most days at the private school and rarely returned to the village. He’d barely paid attention to his own siblings, let alone an outsider.

“I asked about house prices in the county town today. Guess how much they are?”

Tang Yichen waited for her to continue.

“A house the size of ours goes for three thousand taels of silver,” Qin Huiyin said. “And that’s not even in a good location, just on the outskirts.”

“You’re already thinking about buying a house in the county?”

“No. I’m thinking that, if you pass the exams and earn a title, we’ll have to move to the capital. The prices there are even scarier.”