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"Mother, there are some clams in the creek behind the mountain. I want to collect some to sell in town, but I’m not sure how much they’re worth." While washing the dishes, Yu Chunmiao started asking about the clams. My younger brother said he would wait for our second brother to inquire about the price, but I didn’t want to wait that long.
Chen Ruolan helped Yu Chunmiao put the washed dishes away. What does a child know? Clams are valuable; if we wait too long, someone else might collect them first. You can gather them tomorrow; I’ll go sell them.
As a farmer without land, selling mountain goods is an important source of income. If there’s something to be had, one must act quickly; hesitation leads to loss, something she understands well. Besides, my son needs money for his leg treatment; earning money is crucial for our family.
As night fell, the question of how to sleep loomed large. Chen Ruolan considered Qi Chong’s attitude toward Yu Chunmiao and worried that if she forced them to share a room, Yu Chunmiao might be bullied. She herself was suffering from a severe cough at night, and having someone sleep with her would only add to her troubles.
"Qi Rong, you sleep with your elder brother tonight and let your sister-in-law have the room." After much thought, this seemed like the best solution.
Although Yu Chunmiao had a good impression of the Qi family, she still didn’t know what Qi Chong looked like. As someone who cared about appearances, she felt uneasy about sharing a bed with someone she hadn’t met yet. Hearing her mother-in-law’s arrangement made her feel more at ease.
"Be good at night and don’t bump into your elder brother’s injured leg," Chen Ruolan reminded her younger son.
Qi Rong had no objections to sleeping with his elder brother. As he hugged his little blanket and walked into Qi Chong’s room, he caught a glimpse of his brother’s disdainful gaze.
This little brother was quite restless while sleeping; every morning he woke up in a different position. Without thinking too much about it, he realized this was just another silly girl he had bought into their lives. He felt as if life was becoming increasingly complicated—offensive and awkwardly so.
In three separate rooms, each had its own situation that night.
In the first half of the night, Qi Chong’s injured leg was predictably disturbed by his younger brother's hands. His task for the latter half of the night was to keep Qi Rong tightly wrapped beside him.
"Sister-in-law cooks really well!"
"Sister-in-law! Apple snails are disgusting!"
After just one day together, his younger brother even dreamed about that silly girl. Qi Chong felt an impulse to throw him off the bed.
In the latter half of the night, Chen Ruolan began coughing incessantly; it sounded as if her lungs were about to come out. The sound of her cough reached both Qi Chong and Yu Chunmiao’s ears.
Qi Chong felt pain for his mother and wanted to get up to check on her and pour her a glass of water. Just as he sat up, he heard the sound of a door opening next door. Soon after, a dim light flickered through the crack in the door before being blocked by a shadow moving inside; it was heading toward his mother’s room.
His mother’s coughing stopped. Qi Chong listened quietly to the sounds outside—the door opening and water being poured. After a while, footsteps returned next door.
It was Yu Chunmiao taking care of his mother. Qi Chong felt a tug at his heartstrings. In his current state, sneaking over to his mother would only make her worry more.
His mother’s coughing turned intermittent and gradually quieted down. What she needed was simple: when she coughed unconsciously at night, someone should pour her a glass of water.
The next morning after breakfast, Yu Chunmiao didn’t rush to wash the dishes; instead, she changed the water for the apple snails and clams before heading up the mountain with Qi Rong.
"Qi Rong, are there loquat trees on the mountain?" Chen Ruolan's cough had also affected Yu Chunmiao; she knew that in this era, getting medicine when sick was more expensive than anything else. The Qi family currently had no money for her treatment; all she could think of was boiling loquat leaves. Even if it couldn’t cure her illness, it could at least provide some relief.
Qi Rong was quite familiar with the nearby mountains. Without hesitation, he replied, "Yes, but we have to go deeper. Mother won't allow it. Besides, the loquats are out of season now; there's no point in looking for the Loquat Tree."
Yu Chunmiao added, "We can boil some Loquat Leaves for Mother to drink; it might help with her cough."
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