Qin Mian licked his lips, trying not to leave a trace of grease. Looking at his clothes, he chose to wipe his mouth with the lotus leaf. When he assumed there was no more grease on his mouth, he discarded the lotus leaf.

Lei Tie took notice of his movements and pursed his lower lip as his eyes wavered for a moment.

At sunset, the yellow sunlight was projected through the clouds and the clouds were dyed into bright and dark colors, as if they had been rendered by colored pigments. The water in the pond also reflected the tangerine yellow as it drifting care-freely and rippling flourishingly. A flock of birds flew across the sky, leaving behind a crisp song. The busy people in the field walked back quickly to their homes before dark. They could have a good rest at home after finishing their work. Only the unaware of worry naughty children was playing chase in the field. They laughed happily from time to time. Even if they fell carelessly, they didn’t care and got up happily to continue the game. A few native dogs, as if complying orders ran along with their tails wagging lively.

Lei Tie didn’t like to talk and Qin Mian didn’t talk to him either. He looked at his bow. The bow body was gray, which he didn’t know what kind of wood it was made of, but looked particularly sturdy, sleek and shiny. It must have been wiped and maintained frequently, which meant it was cherished by the owner. The quiver was made of grey cloth and there were ten arrows in it, clean as pins.

“Oh, young couple going home together, really affectionate ah.” From the field path came a woman in 40s, dressed in a thorn hairpin and a coarse skirt[1], with a hoe on her shoulder, smiling at Qin Mian and Lei Tie. The periphery of her eyes lingered on the deer in the basket for a while.

Qin Mian could see clearly that this person looked kind, but her contempt was not hidden.

The woman continued: “Such a big one ah. Your family will not have to worry about meat for ten and a half days. Little Brother Xiao Qin, you just arrived at Lei Household, don’t you know? Your mother-in-law’s cooking is one of the best in our village! You get the luck for chancing upon fine food tonight.”

Walking not far behind the woman, another woman, carrying a basket of vegetables and covering her mouth, began to smile with an unclear meaning, “Liu Eldest’s family[2] [wife], why jeering at them? Who in our village doesn’t know that Sister-in-law Lei keeps her home hardworking and thrifty?”

Lei Tie turned a deaf ear as walked neither too fast nor too slow as before.

Qin Mian sighed inwardly and quickened his pace.

When they entered the house, Du Shi was about to go outside. She stopped, glanced at the basket and when she saw the prey, she looked pleased, but when she saw the firewood in the other basket, her face sank.

“Eldest’s family [wife], you cut so little firewood this whole afternoon?”

Qin Mian went to stand behind Lei Tie. “Mother, I’m a small person, I don’t have the strength. Please excuse me.”

“If I excuse you, who is going to excuse me? No dinner for you night! Each and every one never attaches importance to me.” When Du Shi’s eyes fell on the deer again, her tone to Lei Tie was slightly eased up, “Eldest, you take this thing to be dealt with.”

“Big brother, you are back.” A coarse-clothed man stepped out from the inside and looked at the deer with a happy face. His pair of triangular eyes twinkled gloriously and there were two inconspicuous lines on the corner of the eyes. “Such a big one; we can have meat tonight. Mother, how about stewed potatoes with venison for dinner?”

Lei Xiangren was only one year younger than Lei Tie, but he looked four or five years older than Lei Tie. Lei Xiangyi also looked older than Lei Tie. If the three of them walked outside together, people who didn’t know would surely think that Lei Tie was the younger brother of the two. This was one of the reasons why Qin Mian always felt there was something out of sorts about Lei Tie. He was curious about the ten years that Lei Tie had left home.

Inside, Zhao Shi heard the sound of people talking and walked out quickly. She smiled and held Du Shi’s arm, seemingly very close, “Mother, we get the luck for chancing upon fine food then. The stew made by mother is always delicious. When I think of the stew of wild boar with radish made by mother after I gave birth to Xiaobao, your daughter-in-law is already drooling.”

Qin Mian nearly choked with laughter. These words, weren’t they meant to say that Lei Family hadn’t eaten meat for a long time?

In the kitchen, Qian Shi, who was cooking, glanced at Zhao Shi from the crack in the window. She sneered scornfully and mumbled under her breath, “It’d be a wonder if we can eat it.”

Lei Xiangyi, who had just come in, happened to hear Zhao Shi’s words and looked at Du Shi with expectation. He was tired of eating vegetables, radishes and sweet potatoes all day long.

“Eat what?” Du Shi glared at Zhao Shi fiercely and allowed no doubt, “This will be preserved until the autumn harvest.”

Then, Lei Tie took the chance to speak up, “Selling it tomorrow morning.” After that, regardless of other people’s reaction, he put the carrying pole aside and took the deer to the well.

Du Shi, Lei Xiangren and the others were stunned speechless.

Lei Xiangyi didn’t care about it very much and so he directly entered the house.

“Eldest,” Du Shi walked over to him, “the autumn harvest is coming soon. We need a lot of grease. Keep the deer and then we won’t have to spend any more money on meat. Listen to mother, let’s keep the meat.”

Lei Tie squatted by the well, took out a knife from nowhere and cut the deer’s belly neatly, preparing to skin it. He still used the same words, “Selling it tomorrow morning.”

Qin Mian was waiting to see a drama. Although he only got along with Lei Tie for a few days, he had seen Lei Tie’s unique personality; as long as it’s something decided by him, it’s hard to change. What would Du Shi do?

“Eldest Uncle[3], why do you have to fight against mother? Mother is angry.” Zhao Shi said reproachfully, “Why do you have to sell the meat?”

“Xiao Mian and I need more clothes.” Lei Tie replied in a light voice while his hands kept moving and the smell of deer blood filled the whole yard.

Du Shi suddenly turned her head.

Qin Mian internally said, not good.

“Excellent!” Du Shi stepped up to him in two steps, pointed to his nose as she shouted. She was so angered that the eyes seemed about to pop out, as if she had been wronged by Heaven. “I say, why Eldest is so stingy all of a sudden? It turns out that you instigated it in the back! Qin Shi, are you intentionally making us, mother and son be at odds?”

“I didn’t, it’s none of my business.” Qin Mian slickly dodged to Lei Tie and used him as a shield. He was not half sorry about doing this. His inter monologue: Who ask you to disagree to harmoniously divorce?

It’s not that he couldn’t deal with Du Shi, but the word ‘filial piety’ killed people. If he really contradicted Du Shi or did something to Du Shi, it wouldn’t be just Lei Family, but perhaps the whole village couldn’t accommodate him. To deal with Du Shi, he had to think about something else.

“Didn’t?” Du Shi stormed over aggressively, “Didn’t Eldest just say want to give you more clothes? Had my Lei Family shortening your food or drink? Didn’t know how to add clothes to you by then? You just can’t see the whole family being polite and amiable can’t you? Eldest, you get out of the way!” Because of her temperament, she wasn’t a bit patient and accommodating toward Lei Tie at all. But since Lei Tie left home, people in the village had been pointing fingers behind her. Xiangli hadn’t spoken about a wife and Chuntao also hadn’t been betrothed yet. For their reputations, she could only bear it. It’s not good for her to make things hard for Lei Tie directly, so then Qin Shi became her point of attack.

Note:

[1] a thorn hairpin and a coarse skirt — the simple dress of a woman; a poor housewife; have only a thorn for a hairpin and plain cloth for a skirt

[2] Once again, this mean the woman is the wife of Liu’s eldest son. I put […] so you know what they meant.

[3] Technically not her uncle, but because she had children, this is what she called him to educate her children and (sometimes) also to emphasize. Many Asians have that kind of culture such as me.