1: Chapter 1: This Chuxia is Not That Chuxia 1: Chapter 1: This Chuxia is Not That Chuxia In the ramshackle courtyard of a farmhouse, a comely girl of sixteen or seventeen, wearing worn, dark blue clothes, gripped a large knife with delicate hands as she struggled to cut through the tough hemp cakes—a thick, roughly ten-centimeter circular cake made from the residue of fried soybeans.
Each time the knife slid over the hemp cake, it wobbled and trembled precariously, causing onlookers to feel uneasy.
A few egrets wound their way around the girl, bobbing their heads and flicking their tails as they moved, occasionally snatching a peck and swiftly gobbling it down before coming back for more…
By the large pot in the main room, a thin woman in her thirties with a somber expression glanced at the girl’s slight figure.
She banged a straw broom violently on the stove platform, then grabbed the worn ladle to scoop out the water used to scrub the pot.
With too much force, some loose screws performed a free fall, and the ladle’s head parted from its handle, splashing the woman’s face and hand with water.
Frowning, the woman fished out the ladle’s head with a long-handled skimmer and flung it aside.
She slapped her wet apron and sleeves and scooped the scrub water from the pot into a dirty, old leather bucket beside the stove with a “glop glop glop…”
She turned to sweep a glance at the man in the eastern room, using a tiger-headed doll to soothe a child.
Rolling her eyes, she lifted the half-bucket of dirty water and splashed it into the center of the courtyard with a “swoosh!”
The egrets that had been hovering around the girl ran over cheerfully, pecking back and forth on the ground…
Dirty creatures, good for nothing but eating!
Get away!” The woman scolded, bending down to grab a handful of dirt to throw at the flock of chickens.
Ignoring the shower of dirt flung their way, the contented egrets adopted a policy of indifference, which only served to fan the flames of the woman’s anger.
She stretched out her hand to grab a large rock from the corner and hurled it at them.
The courtyard became instantly chaotic, but the girl cutting the hemp cake seemed deaf to all of it, her expression blank as she continued to toil away…
The man holding the child burst out of the eastern room: “What the hell?
Can’t the chickens have a drink of water without setting off your ranting and raving?
I swear, you just can’t enjoy an easy day without stirring up some trouble to feel content!”
The woman hurled the dipper at the man: “Easy days?
Marry a man, and you’re clothed and fed, but I married you and can’t even dress or eat well, let alone have a decent home.
The man twisted his body quickly, and the dipper hit him squarely on the back, sprinkling droplets on the child’s little face.
The baby’s lips puckered, and he began to wail tremendously.
The man, distressed for the child, frowned at the woman, his face full of rage.
The woman, relentless, stuck her head forward at the man: “What are you staring so wide-eyed for?
If you’re a man, hit me, kill me with a punch, come on, hit me…”
“What’s going on now?
What’s all this commotion?” Just in time, a fifty-year-old woman dressed in a blue top and black trousers entered from outside, rushed up to the man in a few quick steps, and snatched the child, saying, “Look how scared Shuanshuan is.”
“Mother, you have to stand up for me, wuu…” The woman’s cries, plaintive and thunderous, drowned out the voice of the baby in swaddling clothes.
“Chudong, you’re a man, let Meiching have her way a little,” said Chuxia’s grandmother.
“Mother, how have I not let her have her way?”
The girl put down the dull knife and rubbed her sore wrists and numb fingertips with a helpless sigh.
For over half a year, similar fusses one had played out almost daily.
Not only had she failed to grow accustomed to them, but they had become increasingly irritating.
What sin had she, Lin Chuxia, committed to be punished by the heavens ?
Indeed, she was Lin Chuxia, yet at the same time, she was not Lin Chuxia…
“Chuxia, why is your back so wet?
Did your eldest sister-in-law splash it on you?”
The gentle inquiry greatly alleviated the annoyance in Lin Chuxia’s heart.
She tilted her head back, looking up at the middle-aged woman standing in front of her with concern on her face: “Mother, it’s nothing, just a splash.
By the way, how come you’re back so early today?”
“Your father and I split the tasks, and he can finish the remaining work by himself…” Chuxia’s mother, Zhao Yulan, reached out to touch her daughter’s head, “Finally, it’s not so hot.
Sigh, your health…” She sighed, unable to continue.
The daughter had always been frail, and ever since she fell seriously ill, she had become even weaker.
However, the family simply could not afford the nourishment needed for her recovery…
Zhao Yulan’s heart ached.
“Mother, I’ll get better with more activity.” Chuxia quickly stood up and shook Zhao Yulan’s arm, “Don’t worry about me.”
Zhao Yulan’s eyes reddened slightly.
Since that severe illness, her daughter had always been indifferent towards her.
Because of this, she had shed many tears at night.
At last, there seemed to be hope…
As dusk approached, Lin Baohe, Chuxia’s father, came home carrying a spade and pickaxe.
After giving his daughter a few glances, the man of few words looked inquiringly at his wife.
“The fever has subsided, and she’s almost better,” Zhao Yulan said cheerfully, and Lin Baohe’s worried expression immediately relaxed.
The genuine concern of her parents filled Chuxia with a warm feeling, “Dad, Mom, let me go to work too, tomorrow.”
Lin Baohe and Zhao Yulan almost rejected the idea in unison.
“Chuxia, how can your frail body handle such heavy work?
Rest for a while longer, and don’t take your sister-in-law’s words to heart.
Towards the end, Chuxia’s mother sighed repeatedly.
In the countryside, not having a son meant lacking roots, and it was extremely looked down upon.
The house they were living in consisted of one central room, one eastern room, plus an eastern and a western annex.
The eastern room and annex belonged to Chuxia’s eldest uncle, while the western annex belonged to Chuxia’s family, and both families shared the central room.
This arrangement was due to the fact that Chuxia’s father didn’t have a son.
Chuxia’s grandfather reluctantly allocated one western room for Chuxia’s family to live in.
Chuxia’s younger aunt had given birth to twin boys, so Chuxia’s grandparents gave the other house to Chuxia’s younger uncle.
The elderly couple also lived over there, saying that after a hundred years, the house would belong to Chuxia’s younger uncle and his wife.
Chuxia’s elder sister-in-law always turned up her nose in disdain and made a fuss wailing, which was naturally because she disliked that Chuxia’s family occupied a room and wanted to drive them out.
“I’ll go prepare dinner,” Chuxia’s mother said, wiping the tears in the corner of her eyes as she went to the central room.
Chuxia stayed behind, still in a daze and didn’t follow.
“Mom, does your stomach hurt again?” When Chuxia’s mother came back carrying the food basket, she was hunched over.
Thinking that her mother’s old ailment flared up again, Chuxia quickly got off the kang to assist her.
Chuxia’s mother inhaled sharply and pulled out an egg from the area around her belly, offering it to Chuxia in a hushed voice full of joy, “I boiled this for you.”
Chuxia immediately realized that during meal preparations, someone from her eldest uncle’s family always “happened” to come out.
In her haste, her mother must have tucked it in her clothes.
The freshly boiled egg…
Chuxia urgently lifted Zhao Yulan’s clothes and saw a red patch on her belly…
Chuxia, who rarely shed tears, quietly sniffed and let down Zhao Yulan’s clothes.
The egg rolled on the edge of the kang as she carefully peeled it, then she broke the egg into three pieces, “Dad, Mom, you should eat too.”
“I find it hard to swallow,” Zhao Yulan pushed the egg back towards Chuxia, “Chuxia, be good.
If your sister-in-law sees this, our days ahead will be even harder.
This egg was given by your Fat Auntie; she said she feels so sorry for you…” Zhao Yulan choked up and couldn’t continue.
Lin Baohe, silent as always, pushed the egg back to Chuxia and got up to go to the central room.
Soon after, he returned carrying three bowls of cornmeal porridge, “Time to eat.”
“Dad, Mom, I will make sure we have good days ahead,” Chuxia suddenly blurted out after the meal.
She ate the egg and drank the porridge, and even the hard-to-swallow cakes made from mixing sorghum and cornmeal, she forced down.
All along, she had been passive.
She felt no sense of belonging to this era, just as she could not truly feel close to this father and mother.
Consequently, for the foods and drinks she disliked, she would rather let her health deteriorate than force herself.
Yet, people’s hearts are made of flesh, and after living together for more than half a year, her heart was gradually warmed by them.
She knew that the parents of this era loved her just as her parents had in the other era.
Now that she had taken over someone else’s body, she could no longer live her life in such a listless way.
Zhao Yulan squinted her eyes in delight, “Xia, as long as you marry into a good family and live a comfortable life, your dad and I would consider those good days.”
“Hmm.” Lin Baohe’s reply was as brief as it could be, but the softness in his expression showed he was happy as well.
When Zhao Yulan gave birth to Chuxia, Chuxia’s grandmother, learning it was a granddaughter, didn’t even look at the child, let alone help with the postnatal care.
Consequently, Zhao Yulan, who left her bed too early during confinement, fell ill and became infertile.
About this, of course, Lin Baohe and Zhao Yulan were regretful, but later, the couple came to accept the reality and cherished and doted on their daughter wholeheartedly.
Their daughter, however, always kept her distance from them.
Last year, when winter began, the daughter had a falling-out with her close friends and ran away from home in the rain.
Thankfully, someone from the village saw her and brought her back.
After getting sick from the rain, the daughter became even colder towards her parents, sometimes too lazy to even speak to them.
Luckily, lately, her attitude had been gradually changing.
However, such intimacy as displayed today was truly unprecedented; even the Chuxia before her illness had never been so close to them.
They were somewhat astonished by her affection.
That night, the family slept very contentedly.
Chuxia’s father and mother were happy because their daughter had finally opened up her heart, and Chuxia herself felt content for the same reason.
However, the so-called knot in their hearts was entirely different for each.