Chapter 17: The Water Spirit

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Aunt Sun pointed to the basket and said, “These are the New Year gifts Yuniang asked me to bring back.” She pulled out a gift list from the basket and handed it to the village chief, then pointed to another item atop the basket: “This is the New Year gift I have for you, Uncle.”

The village chief squinted his eyes and smiled, saying, “Oh my, you’re too kind.” After putting away the gift list, he asked with concern, “How is Yuniang doing? Is she well?”

Yuniang, the eldest daughter, had married into the He family two years ago. Last year, she gave birth to a chubby baby boy named Baoge'er, and just two months ago, she announced she was pregnant again.

Aunt Sun smiled broadly and said, “They’re both doing well, mother and child. Yuniang is still less than three months along. Just the other day, she was complaining that Baoge’er’s father won’t let her go outside and keeps her cooped up at home all day.”

The village chief and others chuckled happily upon hearing this.

The village chief’s wife scolded angrily, “Baoge’er’s father is right. She’s pregnant and still wants to go out? That’s not acceptable.”

Yuniang’s first child was a boy, which was a huge relief for the whole family. The He family had married her mainly to continue the family line.

After the wedding, the entire family worried that Yuniang might not conceive. When she did get pregnant, they fretted over whether it would be a boy or not. Fortunately, fate was kind, and she bore a healthy, chubby boy. Now that she’s pregnant again, whether it’s a boy or a girl, they are happy overall, as the pressure is lessened.

However, a boy would be even better, as it would secure Yuniang’s standing in the family.

Aunt Sun went on, “Oh, Baoge’er is plump and fair-skinned. The He family loves him very much, especially He Wenshu, who carries the grandson around all day, taking him everywhere. He dotes on him.”

What Aunt Sun said was the truth. Baoge’er was robust and healthy, which brought joy to the frail He Wenshu, who cherished him deeply.

Upon hearing that Baoge’er was so favored, the village chief felt a huge weight lifted from his heart and gratefully said, “Yuniang’s well-being today is all thanks to you, my sister. I’ll be relying on you to take good care of her in the future. If she does anything wrong, be sure to point it out. She must honor her in-laws, support her husband, and raise the children well.”

Chunlan had been with the He family for over a decade, having given birth to four sons in a row and running her own shop. She had seen much more hardship than Yuniang and was the one to turn to in times of trouble.

A letter would need to be sent to Yuniang soon, advising her to get along well with Chunlan.

Aunt Sun reassured them, “Don’t worry about Yuniang. The He family is very satisfied with her. As for you all, Yuniang often thinks of you but can’t come back because she’s tied down. She feels guilty toward you.”

Since marrying into the He family, Yuniang had been pregnant almost continuously—bearing children and expecting again—and had not returned to her maiden home for three whole years.

The village chief’s wife, unconcerned, said, “We’re doing very well here. Tell Yuniang not to worry about us. As long as she’s well, we’re happy.”

Every year, the old man would accompany Sun Bomin to the He estate to sell oranges, just to catch a glimpse of Yuniang. But this year was different; the orange harvest was poor, so Sun Bomin didn’t go to the He estate.

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Aunt Sun chatted casually with the village chief and his wife.

Young Master He and the village chief’s three sons exchanged words here and there. Without the lively and cheerful Yu Ge’er, the four grown men might have just stared blankly at each other.

Young Master He was not very talkative. The village chief’s three sons were intimidated by the city-born young master and didn’t know what to say.

The most common sentence was probably: “The weather’s nice today, not too cold.”

Eventually, Yu Ge’er grew bored. The village chief’s eldest son said, “Yu Ge’er, let’s go see the big softshell turtle. It was caught yesterday in the big pond. We’ll bring it back to eat later.”

The “water fish” here referred to the softshell turtle, a large aquatic turtle.

Yu Geer’s eyes lit up. Whether they ate it or not was unimportant; he just wanted to see it.

The village chief’s three sons, Young Master He, and Yu Ge’er went off to see the turtle, while Sun Shan was more interested in listening to the adults gossip, hoping to glean some understanding of the times from their snippets of conversation.

Seeing the men head out, Aunt Sun laughed and said, “Yu Ge’er always likes to fuss about. Poor eldest brother has to put up with him.”

The village chief’s wife disagreed, saying, “Yu Ge’er’s temperament is just fine. Boys should be mischievous.”

The village chief agreed, thinking that Sun Shan was too quiet and solemn for a child. He didn’t like to join in the fun and was unlike a typical youngster. He smiled and said, “Sun Shan is a steady one.”

You couldn’t say the child was dull; you had to put it nicely.

Aunt Sun patted Sun Shan’s little head and smiled, “Being steady is good; it means you can be relied upon.”

That was true. It was fine for Sun Shan to be quiet and thoughtful, as long as he grew up steady and dependable.

Aunt Sun saw that only the village chief and his wife remained in the main room, ignoring Sun Shan since he was a child and wouldn’t understand much anyway.

She took a money pouch from her belt and whispered, “This is Yuniang’s filial money. You two must hide it well.”

She opened the pouch and took out two silver ingots, handing one to the village chief and the other to his wife. “Yuniang said each of you should have five taels. I hope you won’t mind.”

The hot silver ingots felt heavy in their hands. The village chief sat restlessly, nervously asking, “This silver is from Yuniang?”

Five taels each, ten taels total.

For a family in Sunjia Village, the maximum savings in a year was two taels. The village chief’s family, being relatively diligent, might save five taels.

The ten taels Yuniang gave equaled two whole years’ net income.

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The village chief’s wife anxiously said, “Chunlan, tell me honestly, how did Yuniang come by so much silver?”

In previous years, she only sent New Year gifts plus two taels as filial money. This time, it was far too much.

Aunt Sun gave a reassuring look and said nonchalantly, “This should be Yuniang’s saved pocket money. She’s always at home and doesn’t go anywhere, so naturally she could save some. Don’t worry. Yuniang said the He family gives her one tael a month as allowance.”

The village chief hurriedly waved his hand, “If the He family gives it, she should accept it and keep it for Baoge’er’s future. It wouldn’t do to bring it back to her maiden home.”

He paused, then continued, “To be honest, Yuniang isn’t like you, Chunlan, who has your own business and earns and spends your own money. Yuniang depends on the He family. If it were known she secretly brings money home, the He family would look down on her.”

The village chief feared the He family would be unhappy or dissatisfied if they knew.

Aunt Sun comforted them, “Next time I’ll talk to Yuniang about it. This time, it’s already brought back, so you two just accept it.”

The village chief and his wife had no choice but to accept, repeatedly urging that next time she must not bring silver back.

Aunt Sun nodded perfunctorily, then took out two taels herself, smiling, “This is my filial money to you two. Don’t think it’s too little.”

The village chief’s family and Sun Shan’s family were relatives within five degrees of mourning, sharing the same great-grandfather. They usually attended each other’s celebrations and funerals.

The village chief didn’t want to accept the money, but Aunt Sun insisted, pretending to be angry, “If I give it to you, you have to take it. Having money in your hand means you don’t have to beg others.”

The village chief’s wife gratefully took it and sincerely said, “Then we’ll accept it. Thanks to you, our days keep getting better.”

After that, they chatted about this and that for quite a while. Seeing the time, Aunt Sun said it was time to leave and bid farewell to the village chief.

Aunt Sun took Sun Shan by the hand and followed the village chief and his wife out of the main room into the large courtyard.

They saw Yu Ge’er and the householder staring at a large vat.

Walking over, they saw a softshell turtle and exclaimed, “This water fish is huge!”

The village chief’s eldest son scratched his head and said, “We just weighed it. It’s a full eight pounds.”