Xie Ming

Continuing from the previous article
"Now, Old Huang, upon hearing that his father-in-law had passed away, was filled with anxiety."

"I went to the front yard to inform the master, and then took the old woman and left that very night."

"After all, this place isn't that far. It's about twenty miles away on foot, and you can get there in an hour at night."

"How could they wait? The couple were about to go back to their room to pack their things when the three maids came over, crying and wailing, insisting on coming along as well."

"Originally, Lao Huang didn't want to take it with him, thinking it was a burden and a hassle."

"But the old woman saw the child's sincerity and persuaded him from the side, saying that it was good to have a mouth to feed and to do his part."

"Old Huang is a spineless man, and he couldn't refuse, so he agreed."

"As for the old son, Chuanwu, he is still too young."

"There are many customs in the countryside. Children are not allowed to enter the funeral home, for fear of offending someone and bringing misfortune or illness."

"And so it was."

"The family of five left that very night."

"Before leaving, the old woman pulled Chuanwu close and gave him a thousand and one instructions."

"This time we can't take him with us; we'll have him guard the backyard well."

"Stop wandering around outside and causing trouble for your employer."

"Back then, Chuanwu was still at an age where he was completely naive and didn't understand anything."

"After my parents left, I actually felt happy."

"Now that he's completely unsupervised, what does life and death even mean to him?!"

"I lay alone on the kang all night, doing this crazy tumbling and acrobatic stuff."

"The next day, neither Old Huang nor his wife were home."

Chuanwu often went out to cut grass and do chores for the livestock.

"He only returned after playing around for most of the day."

"When it's time to feed the livestock, just throw the hay from the basket into the water vat in front of the shed."

"Hey? Changting, do you even know what this big water vat is for?!"

Xiao Lang gazed at the shimmering white light on the river and continued talking. But when he reached a certain point, he suddenly stopped, swallowed hard, and turned his head to ask this nonsensical question.

Upon hearing this, Changting was momentarily distracted before realizing what was happening.

"Ah, this"

"Hey, I'm looking for that kind of hay."

"Before feeding the livestock, it's best to rinse the hay and bran thoroughly with water. We in the army also do this when tending to the horses, even outside of wartime," Changting replied.

After hearing this, Xiao didn't say anything more, but smiled wryly and continued.

"Yes, there's usually a big vat like this in front of the livestock sheds in the countryside."

"Moreover, this jar is mostly filled with water, making it convenient for people to soak the grass."

"That day, Chuanwu in the backyard was also in a playful mood and no one was watching him."

"So in the time it took to soak the grass, he climbed up by himself, stepping on the edge of the vat and walking in circles like a donkey turning a millstone."

"Unexpectedly, I lost my footing and fell headfirst into the vat."

"After a few splashes, he drowned."

At this point, Changting listened carefully, his face full of astonishment, realizing that he hadn't guessed a single word correctly.

Xiao ignored him and continued speaking on his own.

"Ugh"

Life is tough.

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are all predestined; when death comes, it is beyond our control."

"Now, Chuanwu fell headfirst into the vat. It wasn't until evening that the landlord noticed the boy wasn't coming to join the meal as usual, so he came to the backyard and was startled."

"If the child had fallen into the vat at this time, he would have been dead long ago, and his body would have been floating in the water."

"Ugh"

"As for what happened next, when Old Huang returned with his family of four, his wife and three maids had a good cry, and then he was buried in the ground."

"There's really no one to blame but yourself."

"Old Fan felt ashamed about being the host, and he often talked about it with Old Huang."

"Old Huang, after all, is not an unreasonable and ignorant person. He kept saying that the child was too naughty and would get into trouble sooner or later."

"It's good that he's dead; at least he can save himself a meal."

“In the village, whenever such a thing is heard, those who are annoying will come and chatter on and on, saying all sorts of nonsense.”

"Old Huang acted as if nothing had happened from beginning to end." "Outsiders saw that it was Old Huang who had lost his son but was still so nonchalant, so after a while, they stopped mentioning it."

"The dead cannot be brought back to life, but the living must still endure."

"Time flies, and another two months have passed."

"The autumn harvest was finished long ago, and as the year draws to a close, there's not much work left in the fields, and people have a lot of free time."

"That day, after Old Huang finished his lunch, he lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the backyard to take a nap."

"I woke up from a nap, rubbing my eyes as I went out."

"As luck would have it, it was a yellow bump on the windowsill outside my house."

"Wow, look! It's the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the gifts from the host are here."

"Holding it in my hand, I took a closer look at the row of teeth marks on it, and there was a corner missing."

"Well, don't worry about it. It must be what Chuanwu stole two months ago."

"This kid, the boss was kind back then, and he finally gave him two pieces."

That evening, Lao Huang cut one up, and the family of six shared it.

"If you find another piece, just have your wife go to her parents' house and take it with her."

"After all, in those years, fine grains were rare, and mooncakes were precious items that poor families rarely even saw."

"Unexpectedly, that very night, that brat Chuanwu was so hungry that his stomach was rumbling."

"They secretly hid the remaining piece."

"Old Huang gave him a good beating for getting this."

"No matter how much we pressed him, that brat just wouldn't confess."

"There's nothing we can do, so this matter will just have to be left unresolved."

"Unexpectedly, today Old Huang saw it on the windowsill."

"The mooncake was missing a piece, and it was originally in that spot, but it had been covered by a tattered felt blanket all along."

"If it weren't for the strong wind last night that blew away the things covering it, Old Huang probably wouldn't be able to handle the dirt by now."

"Ugh"

"Old Huang held the mooncake in his hand and kept muttering to himself."

"Chuanwu, look, there's still more than half a piece left. He probably doesn't want to chew it all up and is thinking of saving it."

But in the end…

The mooncakes are left, but the person is long gone.

The more I think about it, the more discouraged I become; the angrier I get, the more my heart aches.

Suddenly, Old Huang grabbed the mooncake and rushed towards the big vat in the livestock shed, bursting into tears.

"He cried and wailed for two hours straight."

"The commotion was a bit too loud, and it seemed to have no reason at all."

"It even alerted Old Master Fan from the front yard."

"Then, winter goes and spring comes, and before you know it, it's the end of February of the following year."

"It was supposed to be spring, but it was snowing at that time, and the snow was more than a foot thick overnight."

"That day, it was almost nightfall, and the landlord, Old Fan, was washing his feet in his room."

"Old Huang, with his hands in his sleeves, looked dumbfounded and pathetic as he pushed open the door and squatted down by the door."

"They didn't say a word, they just came up with one thing in mind: they wanted to leave!"

"Upon hearing this, the owner was completely dumbfounded."

"Logically speaking, Old Huang has been working for his family for twenty years."

"The two of them get along quite well."

"In terms of wages, food, and lodging, there's no way we could have wronged him in any way."

"This sudden remark has truly troubled the employer."

"Not to mention the current chaos of war, it's already hard to find good families with willing and honest farmhands."

"Moreover, there are even fewer people like Lao Huang who have a family, know their background, and are also family members from the same village."

"Given the twenty years of master-servant relationship, the master, Old Fan, was naturally unwilling to let him go."

"But seeing how pathetic Old Huang was, the boss had no choice but to go back."

So I addressed him respectfully as Second Brother and asked him kindly what I felt was inappropriate.

(End of this chapter)