Chapter 231: Chapter 223: Reunion
Xu Qianwen, fuming in the kitchen, cursed "scoundrel." A guzheng cost over a hundred yuan—how could she ever bear to buy it? How come Ah Nan suddenly became so difficult to appease? She used to just say a few nice words to coax her, and Ah Nan would obediently bring her things. What changed with this wretched girl after coming back for the Lunar New Year?
Xu Qianwen was intent on demanding further, but Granny Zhao had already returned with a basket full of greens. Seeing her chasing after Tian Sisi, Granny Zhao asked with a stern face, "What are you up to now?"
"Nothing, I was just asking Ah Nan if she wants to eat a bit more breakfast. Mama, you’ve got so much greens there, I’ll go wash them clean!"
Xu Qianwen felt guilty at the sight of Granny Zhao and quickly volunteered to take the basket from Granny Zhao’s hands and ran to the front courtyard to wash the greens. Tian Sisi thought this amusing, greeted Granny Zhao, and then left.
In the courtyard outside the door, firecracker remnants lay scattered about, painting the ground with specks of red, making it somewhat untidy. This wasn’t because the women in the household disliked cleanliness, but intentionally did not sweep them away—it was said locally that one shouldn’t sweep the floor on the first day of the new year, lest the wealth be swept away too. However, not many people followed this custom anymore, as no one liked seeing their home dirty and disorderly.
Tian Xinhua had agreed with Tian Sisi yesterday that today, they would go mountain climbing. He had arranged to go with Zhong Anping, Zhong Anmei, and the rest to the back mountain for fun. Since he had been to Beijing, it had been a long time since he’d gathered with these friends, and taking advantage of today being the first day of the new year, everyone could get together to connect and catch up.
Just as she stepped out of the house, Tian Xinhua arrived. He smiled at Tian Sisi, took her by the hand, and they started walking towards the back mountain.
"Hold on, I need to say goodbye to Grandpa and Granny."
Tian Sisi quickly ran back to inform Old Man and Granny Zhao, packed some food and seasonings into her backpack, grabbed a couple of packets of goods from the kitchen, and even brought a kettle of water. She intended to cook outdoors on the mountain.
Seeing Tian Sisi loaded with so many items, Tian Xinhua couldn’t help but touch his forehead with his hand, but he still took the bags and pulled her along to go outside. Zhong Anping and the others should already be at the back mountain by now.
Indeed, as expected, Zhong Anping and his three siblings were waiting for them at the foot of the mountain. Zhong Juying and Tang Qiubai were also there—Tang Qiubai got along quite well with Zhong Anbai’s siblings, and their friendship had always been good.
Zhong Anmei had also grown into a striking young woman, a good half head taller than Tian Sisi, and quite radiant. Zhong Juying was still as shy as ever, yet her eyes shone with a brightness that betrayed much more confidence than before.
Thanks to Tian Sisi’s intermittent help over time, Zhong Juying’s father, Zhong Shigen, had gradually regained his health. Although he couldn’t work the fields, he was able to do woodworking at home. Zhong Shigen was an old-fashioned carpenter master, with exceptional skills; he had handcrafted the family’s well-to-do furniture himself.
Since Zhong Shigen felt better, there was a constant stream of people asking him to do carpentry work. Although every household was struggling and it was rare to afford new furniture, when marrying off a daughter or bringing in a wife, it was customary to have one or two new pieces of furniture, especially for families marrying off a daughter—a chamber pot was certainly indispensable.
And so Zhong Shigen’s business was bustling like never before. One man alone couldn’t keep up, and his son Zhong Shouliang had to pitch in. Fully inheriting his father’s fine craftsmanship and being young and bold enough to innovate, Shouliang crafted new and original designs while carving, which made him even more popular with customers.
With income rolling in, life at Zhong Juying’s house improved considerably. She often wore a joyful smile on her face, and in her heart, she grew even more grateful towards Tian Sisi, believing that the good days her family enjoyed were all thanks to her. Thus, in the years that followed, Zhong Juying remained Tian Sisi’s most faithful friend.
Zhong Anping was now 18, having inherited his father Zhong Yubai’s good looks — tall and graceful, refined and genteel, perfectly embodying the essence of "a gentleman akin to jade." Zhong Ankang, on the other hand, was more unrestrained. Although he resembled his older brother, he lacked that gentle elegance and, instead, was more like a sunny youth.
Tian Sisi greeted them with a smile, and Zhong Anmei teased her, "Sisi, did you oversleep again?"
"It’s only ten o’clock now. If I really had overslept, I wouldn’t have gotten up until lunchtime," Tian Sisi didn’t feel embarrassed in the slightest.
They laughed and chattered as they climbed up the mountain. The weather these past few days had been splendid; the snow had melted, and the mountain path was dry and not slippery at all. Leading the way, Tian Xinhua cleared the path of withered grass.
The path being easy to traverse, they quickly reached the mountaintop where the dilapidated temple became a paradise for birds. Startled by their voices, a large flock of sparrows took flight chaotically, scattering in all directions. Before long, a few returned, hopping tentatively around them. Noticing that Tian Sisi and the others posed no threat, the sparrows grew bolder, chirping and flitting around, seemingly calling back their companions. Indeed, not long after, the dispersed birds came fluttering back one by one.
"These sparrows sure are bold. Xinhua, how about we catch a few and roast them?" Zhong Ankang, eager to hunt, fancied the idea of eating roasted sparrows.
"Sure, did you bring your slingshot?" Tian Xinhua agreed.
Zhong Ankang proudly produced a slingshot from his bosom, flaunted it at Tian Xinhua, and then picked up some small pebbles from the ground to aim at the distant sparrows. Tian Xinhua, on the other hand, didn’t need a slingshot; he just kept throwing stones by hand. Flashes of white streaked through the air, sending the sparrows scattering in fear.
Tian Sisi gleefully ran with Zhong Anmei and the others to collect the sparrows. They found about twenty, lying limply on the ground. Tian Xinhua and Zhong Ankang skillfully used knives to skin the birds, remove their heads and innards, while Zhong Anping and Tang Qiubai found a sheltered spot to start a fire. The four worked seamlessly together, as if it was something they had done many times before.
Their movements swift, Tian Xinhua and company had the twenty or so sparrows cleaned in no time, skewering them on sticks and roasting them over the fire, with Tian Sisi contributing the seasonings.
The aroma of the seasoned roasted sparrows was so captivating that the girls kept urging Zhong Ankang and the others to hurry up. Ankang himself couldn’t wait, speeding up his movements as he continually rotated the skewered sparrows over the flame, which sizzled and hissed, occasionally spitting droplets of fat that flared up when they hit the fire.
Tian Xinhua handed a roasted sparrow to the eagerly waiting Tian Sisi. Taking the stick, she gently blew on it, took a small bite from a sparrow leg, and her eyes lit up. Then she offered the sparrow to Tian Xinhua’s mouth, urging him to try it too.
Tian Xinhua smiled and took a big bite where Tian Sisi had bitten, instantly consuming half the sparrow. The two of them shared it back and forth, one bite at a time, until they finished the whole sparrow.