After finishing the meal, they sat for a while and walked around the house a few times. Lin Yuanmin and Dong Huixin urged Lin Fang to rest quickly, as it was her usual nap time. Without another word, Lin Fang climbed onto the kang, took out a novel from her schoolbag, pulled her father’s military overcoat over herself, lay down, and started reading. Before long, her eyes grew heavy, and she fell asleep.
When she woke up, it was almost dark outside. She heard her second brother, Lin Tuo, speaking in the outer room: “Dad, why didn’t you buy any meat? My sister’s just starting to recover, and this bland food isn’t good for her.”
Her father sighed. “The borrowed money is almost gone. We still need to save for your sister’s tuition next semester, and we have to set aside some for the New Year. Because of her treatment, your older brother even used the money he saved for a tractor. Your sister-in-law doesn’t know yet—if she finds out, who knows how she’ll react? We have to pay that back soon. Money’s tight everywhere—we can’t just spend freely. And you—Ba Jin is a year younger than you, and his kid already calls him ‘Dad’…”
“Ugh, Dad, don’t bring that up. I know what I’m doing. Let’s focus on my sister first,” Lin Tuo replied impatiently.
Her father let out a long sigh, his voice turning sorrowful. “Your sister’s illness is just buying time. If we keep prioritizing her, when will you ever settle down? From now on, just take care of yourself. I have my pension, and your mother still has a few acres of land. We’ll manage however we can. We can’t sacrifice our son for our daughter.”
“Enough. Let’s not talk about this anymore. I’ve already made arrangements—starting now, our shop will distribute diesel fuel for the surrounding thirty miles. Our location is good, right by the highway with plenty of trucks passing by. By next spring, we should have enough saved to help my brother buy that tractor, just in time for plowing season.”
Her father and brother deliberately lowered their voices, but the night was quiet, and Lin Fang heard everything clearly. Her heart ached—she knew how much of a burden she had become to her family.
“Lanxiang’s mother came by today to ask what you really think. They’re not asking for a dowry—they’re even offering a house with three rooms and the best wedding gifts in the village. They said they’d buy you a minivan after the wedding so you won’t have to freeze while transporting goods.” This was her mother’s voice.
Now it was Lin Tuo’s turn to sigh. “Mom, can’t you see? They want me to be a live-in son-in-law. I may not be successful, but I’m not so desperate that I’d agree to that.”
“What’s the big deal? Lanxiang is their only daughter. Her mother said it’s not like a traditional live-in arrangement—you won’t have to change your surname, and you’ll be in charge of the household after marriage. It’s no different from marrying normally. Besides, Lanxiang is the prettiest girl in the village. So many young men want her, but she only likes you. And I can tell you like her too.”
Hearing this, Lin Fang remembered that her family had once mentioned a girl who wanted her brother to marry into her family. She had asked who it was, but they hadn’t told her—probably to spare her the guilt. After all, in society’s eyes, only men with no prospects became live-in sons-in-law.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t have to change my name, but Lanxiang made one condition: after marriage, I can’t have any ties to my family—especially not my sister. And she was my sister’s classmate! They were even close. How could she say something so heartless? I don’t want a woman like that.” Lin Tuo’s voice was a mix of anger and resignation.
Silence fell in the outer room. After a while, her father spoke again. “If cutting ties is the condition, then so be it. Any other family would ask the same thing given your sister’s situation. Are you really going to stay single forever because of this? Just live your own life—don’t worry about the family anymore.”
“Dad, Mom, let’s drop this. If Lanxiang’s mother comes again, tell her that refusing to let me care for my sister is a dealbreaker. And if anyone else comes with a proposal, give them the same answer.”
Her father sounded anxious. “Do you think you’re some kind of treasure? At your age in the countryside, you’re already considered old. Fewer and fewer people will come asking—soon, you might not even get the chance to refuse.”
“Then so be it. Even if I forced myself to marry, we’d just end up miserable together. Better to stay like this than deal with constant fights. Besides, if someone’s willing to offer so much, it means your son is in demand—I won’t be left behind.”
There was the sound of a chair scraping as Lin Tuo stood up. “I’m heading back to the shop. I need to get up early tomorrow to buy tofu, and I’ll pick up some meat while I’m at it. Money is earned, not saved—how much can you really save by being frugal?”
After Lin Tuo left, Lin Yuanmin and Dong Huixin were silent for a long time. Suddenly, Dong Huixin seemed to remember something and hurried into the inner room, muttering, “She’s been sleeping all afternoon—I should wake her up, or she won’t have an appetite for dinner.”
When she entered, she saw Lin Fang curled up under the military overcoat, trembling. Alarmed, Dong Huixin climbed onto the kang and pulled the coat away, revealing Lin Fang’s tear-streaked face. “Fang, what’s wrong?”
Lin Fang didn’t answer. Dong Huixin turned on the light and saw her daughter crying silently, her body shaking. Relieved that it wasn’t a physical problem, Dong Huixin sighed. “Did you hear what your father, brother, and I were saying? Don’t take it to heart. There’s nothing we can’t get through. Just focus on your studies and getting better—leave the rest to us.”
Hearing his wife’s words, Lin Yuanmin rushed in to comfort Lin Fang. “Fang, don’t cry. You’ll make yourself sick again.”
Lin Fang nodded but didn’t speak. Even if she tried, her sobs would have made her words unintelligible. Lin Yuanmin and Dong Huixin didn’t press her further and started preparing dinner. The rice porridge had been simmering on the stove, waiting for Lin Fang to wake up before they cooked the dishes to ensure everything stayed fresh.
When Lin Fang was little, all five family members slept on the same kang. Back then, Lin Yuanmin was still working and only came home on weekends, so it was usually just the mother and children. When Lin Yong started middle school, Lin Yuanman brought home a discarded bed, fixed it up, and placed it in the outer room for Lin Yong. Later, when Lin Yong failed the college entrance exam and joined the military instead, the bed went to Lin Tuo, while Lin Fang continued sleeping with her parents.
By the time Lin Fang entered middle school, Lin Tuo had already dropped out and taken over Lin Yuanmin’s job, living in the company dormitory. Lin Yuanmin moved to the bed in the outer room. Lin Fang had wanted to sleep there, but her parents refused, afraid that if she had a medical episode at night, no one would know. Dong Huixin insisted on staying with her. After Lin Fang was admitted to County No. 2 High School and started boarding there, Lin Yuanmin finally moved back to the kang—though whenever Lin Fang was home, he still slept in the outer room.
The two rooms Lin Yong lived in now were originally the kitchen. When he got married, the family couldn’t afford to build a new house, so they converted the kitchen into a bridal chamber and built a temporary shed beside it for cooking.
In the summer, it was fine—airy and cool. But in winter, the drafty shed made it impossible to keep a fire going, so they had to move cooking indoors. The stove also heated the kang, making it warm for sleeping. However, when strong heat was needed—like for steaming buns—the stove wasn’t enough.
Steaming buns relied on steam. The family usually used a No. 3 iron pot—wide and thick-walled—but the stove took forever to boil the water. By the time it finally did, the coal was nearly spent. Adding more coal caused the fire to die down again, and the water stopped boiling, resulting in poorly steamed buns.
Around New Year’s, when more buns were needed, they switched to a No. 2 pot, which the stove struggled even more to handle.
Pure coal blocks burned hotter and longer than the mud-mixed wet coal, but they were expensive—several times the price of crushed coal—so no one used them regularly.
But this wasn’t an insurmountable problem. The countryside had plenty of firewood. A brick or earthen stove could quickly boil water in any pot—even a massive No. 1 butchering pot—and maintain a steady, adjustable flame. Every rural household had one or two such stoves. Lin Fang’s family kept theirs behind the outer room’s door.
The noodle soup at noon had been made on that stove. For the evening’s rice porridge, which required slow simmering, they used the indoor stove in the inner room.
Dong Huixin added oil to the wok while Lin Yuanmin moved the porridge pot aside and poked at the sealed coal fire to stoke it for stir-frying. Lin Fang lay still a little longer until her nose felt less stuffy, then asked, “What’s for dinner tonight?” Her voice was still thick with congestion.
Lin Yuanmin replied in a playful, childlike tone, “Vinegar-fried potato shreds. When your brother brings back meat tomorrow, we’ll add some slices for you.”
“No need. You don’t have to eat meat to recover,” Lin Fang said as she sat up and neatly folded the military overcoat.
Watching her daughter’s deft movements, Lin Yuanmin marveled, “You’ve really changed since coming home from the hospital. Your mom used to fold all your clothes and blankets, but now you do it yourself.”
Lin Fang’s heart ached. In her past life as a wealthy young lady, she had done everything she could for herself. In this life, where she was already a burden, she had no right to rely on others. But her words didn’t reflect that. “Dad, don’t praise me. After boarding at school for so long, I finally learned to take care of myself. If you praise me and I get proud, I might backslide—and then you’ll have to take responsibility.”
Lin Yuanmin chuckled. “Haha, so now it’s my fault? Fine, fine, I’ll take responsibility. You’re our treasure—I’ll take care of you no matter what. Right, Mom?”
Dong Huixin, who had just finished adding oil to the wok, saw her husband lingering by the stove instead of moving aside. Ignoring his remark, she raised her voice sharply. “Get out of the way! Standing there won’t cook the food.”
Clearly, this sudden outburst was menopausal irritability. Lin Yuanmin quickly stepped aside, winking at Lin Fang. She stifled a laugh—if her mother heard, she might launch into a tirade. While Lin Fang wasn’t afraid of it, she’d rather avoid it.
During dinner, Lin Fang asked her father, “I remember you grew mushrooms a few years ago. Do you still know how?”
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