Chapter 46 Delivering the Public Grain

Winnowing grain requires the close cooperation of both the winnowing handler and the assistant. Once the handler has tossed the grain up seven or eight times with a wooden shovel, the assistant steps forward with a wide, long bamboo broom, lightly sweeping across the newly winnowed heap of rice grains. This action pushes the broken straw and incomplete rice ears off to one side. In this rhythm—one tossing, one sweeping—a neatly layered pile of rice quickly forms on the threshing ground.

"Fafu, you truly are an exceptional winnowing handler," Caiyun said, watching him work. "Not only are your movements graceful, but the rice you winnow is clean and impeccably layered." A deep sense of sweetness and happiness welled up in her heart. She could not tell whether this joy stemmed from the abundant harvest following those immensely difficult years or from the undeniable charm of the man before her.

"The credit for such clean winnowing belongs mostly to you," Fafu praised, turning to look at her. "You are an assistant with sharp eyes and swift hands, precise in your movements and perfect in your strength. You manage to sweep away all the debris without losing a single grain of rice."

"I have noticed that you are much better with your words now than when we were children," Caiyun remarked. "Back then, all you knew how to say was that I looked pretty, and whenever you had anything tasty, you would shove it straight into my mouth."

"I have always been a man of few words, clumsy at offering praise."

"Your tongue is hardly clumsy now. The things you said to me last time made my heart leap out of my chest. Am I really that lovable?"

"Of course! Especially your smile—it is utterly captivating."

"Be careful that Qingying does not overhear you, or she will lock you out of the bedroom again."

"If she does, that will suit me just fine. Then I can hold the woman I love in my arms and go to sleep."

"And who might that woman be?"

"Far away at the edge of the sky, yet right here before my eyes."

"Stop talking nonsense! Qingying is coming over." Catching sight of Qingying walking in their direction, Caiyun immediately warned Fafu.

"The two of you were chatting away so animatedly," Qingying said, fixing her gaze on Caiyun as she approached. "How is it that the moment I arrive, you both turn as silent as mutes?"

"Fafu was just talking to me about delivering the public grain quota," Caiyun replied smoothly. "I promised him that I would not hold our production team back, and asked him to set his mind at ease."

"I have no interest in such matters," Qingying retorted. "I was simply observing how the two of you work together—one tossing, one sweeping, so perfectly synchronized. Perhaps if you were sharing a bed, your coordination would be even better."

"Second Uncle's wife, I must ask you not to make such vulgar jokes!" Caiyun protested.

"I am in no mood for joking," Qingying snapped. "I am simply warning the two of you to watch your step and not let me catch you."

"What nonsense are you spewing? Get back home!" Fafu shouted, his temper flaring. At that exact moment, the breeze suddenly died down. Unaware of the shift in the wind, Fafu tossed a shovel of grain into the air, and the entire handful showered down directly over Qingying, who was standing upwind.

Convinced that Fafu had done it on purpose, Qingying snatched the broom from Caiyun's hands and lunged at him, raining blows upon his head and shoulders while shouting furiously, "You stinking scoundrel! For the sake of this vixen, you go and sell your blood by day and wait on her hand and foot by night—have you grown tired of living?"

Seeing Qingying covered from head to toe in stray rice grains and chaff, a pang of guilt held Fafu back. Faced with her relentless assault, he could only retreat step by step, dragging his wooden shovel behind him.

Still consumed by rage, Qingying turned her fury on Caiyun, whirling around with the broom. "You shameless slut, you vixen! Luring away my man—if you are so starved for a husband, why don't you remarry?" she screamed, striking out wildly.

Infuriated, Caiyun caught hold of the broom handle and shouted, "Fafu, drag your woman back home and stop making a public spectacle of yourself!"

Only then did Fafu step forward, wrapping his arms around Qingying and dragging her toward their house while she continued to hurl curses over her shoulder.

Standing by the doorway, Yuqiang saw Wang Hongbing, Han Xiuxia, and several others lingering to watch the spectacle. He quickly pulled Yulan and Yujun inside and bolted the courtyard gate.

"Older brother," Yulan asked, "why does Second Aunt use such vicious words when she curses?"

"I have told you many times to have as little to do with her as possible, but you never listen," Yuqiang replied. "Now you know what kind of person she truly is!"

Upon returning home, Yujun trotted after his mother and asked, "Mom, are a vixen and a regular fox the same thing?"

"Why are you asking about that?"

"A fox tricks a crow into dropping its meat, so does a vixen do that too?"

Caiyun gave him a gentle shove and said, "Go away! And don't ever let me hear you mention a vixen again." Yujun stared at his mother with wide, uncomprehending eyes, completely baffled.

That evening, as usual, Caiyun invited Fafu to accompany her the next day to deliver the public grain. Fafu readily agreed.

When the roosters crowed for the third time, Caiyun rose to prepare breakfast. She went over to call for Fafu, but after receiving no response to her repeated calls, she walked around to the back door and stood beneath the window of the east wing of Fafu's courtyard, calling out once more, "Second Uncle, it is time to go!"

"Understood. I will be right there," came the reply.

"The middle of the night, and you can hardly wait any longer?" Qingying interjected coldly.

Ignoring the provocation, Caiyun turned and walked away.

***

After finishing their breakfast by the pale light of the moon, Caiyun and Fafu shouldered their carrying poles laden with rice and set off for the commune to deliver the grain quota.

"Older Sister-in-law, I noticed that all the grain you are delivering is of the absolute highest quality," Fafu remarked along the way. "Actually, you could easily mix in some of the lower-grade stuff." He felt Caiyun was far too honest for her own good.

"If I did that," Caiyun replied, "I would feel as though I were failing this wonderful policy of the household responsibility system."

Fafu nodded in agreement. "There is truth in that. When I delivered my grain, I mixed some inferior wheat in, but afterwards, my conscience kept bothering me. I won't do it again."

"As long as the policies remain unchanged, food should no longer be a problem for us in the future."

"With both the paddy rice and dryland crops yielding a bumper harvest this year, I see that the peanuts you planted are thriving. They should fetch a handsome price."

"Once I sell them, I plan to pay back the fifty-odd yuan I borrowed for the bride-price as soon as possible."

"I have already paid back over twenty, leaving only thirty yuan remaining."

"Even so, I will give you my share as well, otherwise you might not be willing to help me out in the future."

"How could that ever happen? You are my sister-in-law, and your affairs are my affairs."

"Stop calling me sister-in-law all the time. When there is no one else around, I want you to call me Caiyun, just like you did when we were children."

"May I call you my little darling instead?"

"Very well! When it is just the two of us, you may call me whatever you wish."

"From this day forward, you are my little darling!"

The two of them reached Tangqiao Dam. Originally, there had been a simple timber bridge here, but it had long since been washed away by floods. When the river was deep, a ferryman operated a small boat; when the water level dropped, people simply rolled up their trouser legs and waded across.

Beyond the river lay a stretch of uphill slope. Fafu turned to Caiyun with a tender expression and said, "Darling, rest here for a moment. I will carry my load up the slope and come back down to fetch yours."

"There is no need, I will cross over with you."

"That will not do. You are short, and carrying a pole across the river is too difficult for you."

"Then just carry this burden of mine across the water for me."

Caiyun removed her shoes, rolled up her trousers, and prepared to wade into the river. Seeing this, Fafu protested, "Put your shoes back on. I will carry you across!"

"No need, I can make it across on my own," Caiyun insisted, determined to wade through the current.

"No, you might easily slip and fall."

Before Caiyun could reply, Fafu scooped her up onto his back and began to wade into the river.

"This is just like Zhu Bajie carrying his bride," Caiyun teased, playfully patting his shoulder.

"Am I really that ugly?"

"If you were truly that ugly, it would save me from lying awake all night thinking of you."

"In that case, I shall come to find you every single night."

"Really?"

"Really!"

Having crossed the river, Caiyun and Fafu shouldered their loads once more and began the ascent up the slope.

Once they reached the top, they set their burdens down on a patch of flat, grassy ground beside the path and sat down to rest.

It was the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and all nature was hushed. Resting in Fafu's arms, Caiyun gazed up at the moon and stars scattered across the sky. "Have you ever heard the legend of Chang'e flying to the moon?" she asked.

"No, I have not."

"Would you like to hear it?"

"I would!"

"You must kiss me first!"

"A kiss alone is not enough, I want..."

***

Locked in a passionate embrace, the two of them tumbled onto the grass.

At last, utterly exhausted, they sat up and dressed. Fafu looked at Caiyun and prompted, "You still have not told me the story of Chang'e flying to the moon!"

"You performed marvelously tonight. Consider this your reward."

Caiyun began, "It is said that in ancient times, ten suns suddenly appeared in the sky, scorching the earth until it smoked, plunging the common people into endless misery. A hero named Houyi climbed to the back mountains, drew upon all his strength to pull his divine bow, and shot down nine suns in a single breath, ridding the world of its scourge. Everyone held him in high regard, and many became his disciples to learn martial arts. Among them was a man named Fengmeng, whose nature was treacherous and greedy. He discovered that the Queen Mother of the West had presented Houyi with a pellet of immortal elixir; whoever consumed it would attain eternal youth and immortality. This precious medicine was kept in the safekeeping of Houyi's wife, Chang'e."

Fafu interrupted, "Did that scoundrel start plotting evil schemes?"

"Indeed," Caiyun continued. "On the morning of the fifteenth day of the eighth month, Houyi was set to travel out with his disciples, but Fengmeng feigned illness and stayed behind. When night fell, Fengmeng brandished a treasured sword and demanded that Chang'e hand over the elixir. Fearing what he might do, Chang'e steadfastly refused, and in that moment of desperate peril, she swallowed the elixir whole. Having consumed the medicine, Chang'e suddenly felt herself growing light, floating upward until she soared straight toward the moon. When Houyi returned from his journey and found his wife gone, he rushed anxiously out the door, only to see a bright moon hanging in the sky, with his wife standing beside a laurel tree, gazing down at him with profound affection. 'Chang'e! Chang'e!' Houyi cried out repeatedly, casting aside all caution as he chased after the moon. But for every three steps he took forward, the moon retreated three steps, and no matter how hard he ran, he could never reach her."

Fafu listened, utterly spellbound, and hurriedly asked, "What happened then?"

"To honor the kind and virtuous Chang'e," Caiyun explained, "the villagers set out the foods she had loved best in their courtyards and offered blessings to her. From that day onward, the fifteenth day of the eighth month became the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for people to yearn for reunion."

After listening to the tale, Fafu fell into a thoughtful silence. "That is a fascinating story," he said emotionally. "If you were ever to fly up to the moon, I would certainly find a way to follow you!"

"You are a mere mortal, you cannot ascend into the heavens."

"I would construct a giant hot-air balloon capable of tracking your scent, and let it carry me to your side."

"I never imagined you possessed such ingenuity."

"Love makes a person more clever; that is the true magic of love!"

"If I were ever to fly up to the moon and be unable to return, I would become a nun, and never let another man touch me. I would remain your woman for all eternity."

"Darling, there is something I have wanted to ask you for a long time, though I feared it would cause you pain."

"What is it?"

"That night when the elders made us lie together to conceive a child, why did you cry so bitterly?"

"You still remember that?"

"I shall never forget it."

"Back then, I considered myself Dazhi's woman. When the elders forced you and me to commit that act, it felt as though I were being violated. Yet I was merely an adopted orphan, and usually you were the only person who could help me. But this time, you were the very one forcing me into that situation. How could I not have been heartbroken?"

"I am truly sorry. I was too impulsive back then and wounded your heart."

"Later on, Dazhi's parents also urged me not to wait any longer, and I kept hoping you would take the initiative to seek me out. But you seemed to avoid me at every turn—why was that?"

"I never knew what you were truly thinking, and I was afraid of hurting you again."

"Perhaps it was destined by fate that we could never be parted, and in the end, you became the man I love."

"And you became the woman I love."

"Do you suppose that the two of us acting this way is somewhat unfair to Qingying?" Caiyun asked, a sudden thought of Qingying crossing her mind.

"Who told her to be so wicked? She is only reaping what she has sown."

"After the scene Qingying made yesterday, the two of us will surely become the talk of the village."

"Did you offend Han Xiuxia by any chance? She is constantly whispering malicious gossip about you in Qingying's ear, even claiming that you once tried to seduce Wang Hongbing." Fafu had wanted to discuss this matter with Caiyun for a long time, but had never found a suitable opportunity.

"Pay no attention to her nonsense. She tried to seduce Caifa and was severely beaten by Hongbing, yet she blamed me for instigating it. Now she vents her spite by casting dirt upon my name."

"You mentioned last time that you wanted Yuqiang to study carpentry under me. I am somewhat concerned about whether it might interfere with his schooling."

"Let him help you with odd jobs on Sundays just to get a foothold, and when the winter vacation arrives, he can study properly and diligently with you."

"Very well, have him come find me whenever he has a spare moment."