The next morning, Xue Yue woke up early. She took some grain and went to make breakfast with Mrs. He.
After breakfast, He Lang called over Shitou and his cousin, He Zhendong, who was Uncle He's son.
"Sister-in-law." Both of them blushed a little upon seeing Xue Yue.
"Have you two eaten yet?" Xue Yue asked.
"We have."
He Lang chuckled and set Shitou and He Zhendong to work.
Later, Mr. He and He Nan also came to help. The second brother, He Ze, had already gone back to his job; he had taken the last couple of days off from the factory.
Since they were already at it, they went ahead and built stoves for He Nan's and He Ze's households as well.
Gao Cuiyun was grinning from ear to ear.
Xue Yue brought them water twice that morning. Many hands certainly made light work.
They finished before noon. Mrs. He invited the two to stay for lunch, but He Zhendong and Shitou waved their hands in refusal.
"Auntie, they're waiting for me at home. Another time, I'll definitely come for a meal another time," He Zhendong said with a smile.
"That's right, Auntie. Third Brother and I are close, so there's no need for formalities. I'm sure I'll be bothering you plenty in the future."
Shitou's father had died on the battlefield years ago. Now, it was just him and his mother, who was in her sixties, and they didn't have much.
But over the years, Shitou had been sticking with He Lang, so at least his family never went hungry.
Normally, he wouldn't have been so polite and would have just stayed to eat. But the He Family had divided their household yesterday, and word had already spread throughout the village.
With that, the two of them ran off.
Mrs. He chided with a laugh, "Those two rascals."
The courtyard hadn't seemed small before, but now, with several new stoves built in it, the space suddenly felt much more cramped.
What's more, the family homes were all connected, so there was no way to build dividing walls.
If they had a child in the future, a single room wouldn't be enough.
Take the eldest and second households, for example. Their children were already getting big, yet they were still sleeping on the same kang with their parents. That definitely wouldn't work once they were a little older.
He Lang stood in the courtyard, and the longer he looked, the smaller it felt.
Mr. He glanced at his third son. One look was all it took to know what He Lang was thinking.
"Don't even think about it. Building a new house these days costs at least 300 yuan."
Having said his piece, Mr. He clasped his hands behind his back and went inside.
He Lang watched his father's retreating back in surprise and couldn't help but let out a laugh.
'That's my old man, all right.'
He actually did have 300 yuan, but he couldn't just pull it out of nowhere, lest he arouse suspicion.
'Oh well, I'll just have to be patient. If worse comes to worst, I'll find a job first. At least then I'll have an excuse for having money.'
Inside the room, Xue Yue opened the bag He Lang had brought back the previous night.
She began taking the items out one by one.
In addition to the essential daily items they had planned to buy, there were also two bolts of fabric. One was black with a small white floral print that Xue Yue loved instantly. 'It would make a beautiful outfit,' she thought. The other bolt was dark green.
There was also a skein of gray yarn, a bar of soap, a tin of malted milk, a package of crackers, a bag of candy, and a large rack of pork ribs.
Xue Yue froze. She was finally certain: He Lang had to be involved in what people called the black market.
At the thought, her heart began to pound. She had never been to a black market herself, but she'd heard that if you were caught trading there, you would be sent to prison.
Xue Yue stared into space for a long moment. 'Should I try to talk him out of it?'
'Even if I did, would he listen to me?'
'Besides, we're just partners making a life together. Would I be overstepping my bounds?'
'Forget it. How many days have I even been married to him?'
'What right do I have to tell him what to do?'
'He's been fine all these years, hasn't he?'
'Is something really going to go wrong just because I'm here now?'
After a long internal debate, Xue Yue decided it had nothing to do with her.
'If he brings it home, I'll use it. Who cares!'
'Right, that's the way to think about it!'
Her mind finally at ease, Xue Yue began to put the items away.
When He Lang entered the room, all trace of her earlier turmoil had vanished from Xue Yue's face.
"Why did you buy so many things?"
He Lang grunted in acknowledgment. "You can use those two bolts of fabric to make some clothes for yourself."
He Lang had noticed that aside from the outfit she'd bought for their wedding, Xue Yue didn't have many clothes.
"I just picked up that skein of yarn. You can knit a scarf or a sweater with it, whatever you like. The rest of the food is for you, so just eat it whenever you want. Eat up and put some meat on your bones. Oh, I couldn't get any cotton this time. It's already mid-October, and it's going to get cold soon. Do you have a padded winter coat?"
Xue Yue nodded. "I have one."
Xue Yue did have a padded coat, but it wasn't very thick. She would have to wear it all winter long. Fortunately, she didn't go out much during the cold months, as cotton was difficult to buy.
Winter came early in their region. The weather would start to cool down in early November and wouldn't warm up again until March of the next year, just in time for spring planting.
"One isn't enough. You won't even have a spare to wear while it's being washed. I'll go look again in a few days and see if I can buy some cotton."
"Okay."
Xue Yue watched him speak so casually and asked, "With all these things, shouldn't we send some over to your parents?"
"No need. I bought these for you. Mom and Dad aren't lacking for things like this. When we cook the ribs, we can just send a bowl over to them."
He was right. Whenever He Lang came back, he would always bring things for his mother, so she was never short on food. Then again, most of it probably ended up in the mouths of the little rascals in the family anyway.
Xue Yue pressed her lips together. 'All right, it seems He Lang is treating me like a child he has to raise.'
That afternoon, He Lang went up the mountain to cut firewood while Xue Yue lit a fire in their new stove to help the mortar dry faster. That way, she could use it to cook dinner.
In the evening, Xue Yue told Mrs. He they wouldn't be coming over for dinner, as she would be cooking for themselves.
Xue Yue made flash-fried cabbage and a dish of hot and sour shredded potatoes. She didn't have time to steam buns, so she just served some cornbread patties instead.
Still worried, Mrs. He came over to take a look.
He Lang teased her, "Smells good, doesn't it, Mom? Why don't you just eat with us and forget about Dad?"
Mrs. He chided with a laugh, "You brat! Just you watch, I'll go back and tell your father and have him break your unfilial legs!"
Xue Yue added, "Yes, Mom, sit down and have a bite!"
Mrs. He smiled and waved her off. "No, thank you. I just came to check on you."
She said as she headed back to make dinner, thinking to herself that her third son's wife was indeed a fantastic cook.
That night, He Lang ate until he was stuffed again.
He knew it. His new wife's cooking was truly incredible, if nothing else.
The day after, Xue Yue followed He Lang up the mountain after breakfast. With the long winter hibernation approaching, they needed to stock up on firewood—not just for cooking, but also for heating the kang. Well-off families would even have a furnace to burn.
Now that the He Family was divided, each household had to gather its own firewood.
Back at the Xue family home, they didn't have a furnace. In the winter, they just heated the kang, and on especially cold days, they would simply stay in bed under the covers.
The two of them made their way halfway up the mountain. While He Lang chopped wood, Xue Yue foraged for wild vegetables. There weren't many to be found in October, but there was shepherd's purse, which was at its most tender this time of year. It was best used in dumplings or buns; once the weather got colder, its texture would worsen.
Xue Yue also spotted a small patch of hazel mushrooms. It was a good thing she'd brought a basket, or she wouldn't have been able to carry them all.
In no time at all, He Lang had chopped a large pile of firewood. He glanced over and saw Xue Yue completely absorbed in picking mushrooms.
"I'm going to take this bundle of firewood back down first. Will you be scared here by yourself? If you are, we can go back together and come up again later."
Xue Yue shook her head. "You go on ahead, I'm not scared. I'm not finished picking yet. If someone else comes and takes them, they'll all be gone."
He Lang glanced at the surroundings. This was only halfway up the mountain; large wild animals rarely ventured this far down.
"Just wait for me here. Don't wander off."
"I know."
He Lang glanced at Xue Yue one more time. Seeing that she was paying him no mind, he shouldered the firewood and headed back.
Xue Yue picked the entire patch of hazel mushrooms, and along with the shepherd's purse, she filled her basket to the brim.
She thought about making mushroom soup when she got back; it was sure to be delicious.
Xue Yue didn't dare to wander far, staying close to the same area.
Then, Xue Yue spotted a nest of round objects.
Xue Yue moved closer for a look and saw that it was a clutch of wild hen's eggs.
Xue Yue looked all around but didn't see a hen anywhere.
'No hen, but the eggs are great, too,' she thought. 'My luck is off the charts today!'