“Achoo—.”
Her nose was so itchy. Lin Fang rubbed it, but it still itched. She rubbed it again, still itchy. Unable to hold back any longer, she sneezed and reluctantly opened her eyes. A bunch of wild grapes dangled right above her nose, swaying left and right. Lin Fang dodged the culprit that was trying to tickle her nose again and followed the grapes upward to see a mischievous little face—none other than Lin Xia.
“Oh, who is this? The face looks familiar, but the mouth seems so strange. The gate is wide open—is it convenient for little birds to build a nest?”
Lin Fang’s remark made Lin Xia quickly close her gaping mouth. She placed the wild grapes into a small basket beside her, plopped onto a stool by the bed with a huff, and turned her back to Lin Fang. Eight-year-old Lin Xia was in the middle of losing her baby teeth—one front tooth had fallen out, and the new one hadn’t grown in yet. The family often teased her about it.
Lin Fang sat up and teased, “Fourth Sister, instead of studying medical texts at home, you went out to play. Be careful, or Second Grandmother will make you copy books.” The thick *Tangtou Ge*—a medical rhyme book—had been memorized flawlessly by five-year-old Lin Fang, while Lin Xia hadn’t even gotten halfway through.
Turning to retort but afraid her little sister would mock her missing tooth again, Lin Xia glared at Lin Fang in silence.
“Alright, Fourth Sister, don’t be mad. When I reach your age, I’ll lose teeth too. You can tease me back then, okay?”
“Hmph, as if I’d stoop to your level, little one. Here, try these—I’ve tasted them. Sweet and sour, really delicious.” Lin Xia handed the small basket to Lin Fang, popping one into her own mouth with an exaggerated expression of delight.
*Yeah, right.* Having been tricked by Lin Xia countless times, Lin Fang wasn’t in a hurry to eat the grapes. Instead, she fixed her big eyes on Lin Xia, staring until her sister finally caved.
“Fine, you win. Here—*this* basket is the good stuff.” Lin Xia pulled out an even smaller basket from behind her, lifting the lid to reveal clusters of deep purple wild grapes. Convinced, Lin Fang didn’t hesitate this time. *Mmm, sweet and sour—now this is the real deal.*
Lin Juan, who had come to call her aunt and little sister for dinner, saw Lin Fang stuffing grapes into her mouth one after another and quickly warned, “Fang’er, don’t eat too many, or your teeth will ache.” Even if the grapes weren’t overly sour, eating too many could still make it hard to bite anything later.
“Mhm,” Lin Fang agreed, popping another grape into her mouth. Just as she reached for more, Lin Xia swiftly snatched the basket away and headed out. Left with no choice, Lin Fang got out of bed. Qian’er had already prepared warm water for her to wash her face before she followed the others to the main hall.
Li Cuihong cooked at home the same way she did at the restaurant, though with fewer seasonings. Aside from oil and salt, she occasionally added scallions or ginger to remove any gaminess. All dishes retained their natural flavors, resulting in light yet tasty meals. With unpolluted ingredients, everything turned out delicious. By the end of the meal, Lin Fang’s belly was round again, forcing Li Cuimei to massage it for her.
Lin Xia flicked her nose. “Little sister, you talk about traveling the world, but if you keep eating like this, you’ll end up like a grunting pig—stuck at home, too heavy to move!”
Clearly, this was payback for Lin Fang teasing her about her missing tooth earlier. Unfazed, Lin Fang nestled more comfortably in her mother’s arms and retorted, “Fourth Sister, you’re mistaken. I’m still growing—eating more is fine. They say girls change a lot as they grow, becoming prettier with time. I’ll turn into a graceful lady soon enough. Don’t be jealous.”
“Pfft—” Second Brother spat out his tea. Even the usually stoic Second Brother lost his composure—proof of Lin Fang’s shamelessness. The whole family burst into laughter.
During the post-meal chatter, Li Cuimei asked Lin Juan, “Juan’er, your aunt is joining the competition. Do you plan to participate too?”
Lin Juan was obsessed with embroidery. Aside from managing the tailoring workshop, she spent nearly all her free time practicing needlework—unlike Lin Cui’e, who dabbled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
“No,” Lin Juan shook her head. “I’m not as talented as Auntie. My skills are too poor—if I competed, I’d only embarrass myself.”
Though modest, she wasn’t wrong. Lin Juan adored embroidery but lacked natural aptitude. Guo Siniang had to repeat instructions multiple times for every step, and Lin Juan practiced tirelessly. Still, diligence compensated for her shortcomings. At just twelve, her embroidery was the best in the workshop—second only to Guo Siniang and two elderly seamstresses. Her only weakness was drawing; others usually sketched the patterns for her to embroider.
Li Cuimei reassured her, “It’s fine. You’re still young. If you compete, treat it as experience. Every year, contestants range from three-year-olds to seventy-year-olds. Most aim to win, but some just participate for fun.”
Lin Xia blurted, “Why doesn’t Auntie compete?”
First Brother laughed. “Haha, your aunt won first place back in the day. After all these years of practice, if she joined now, what chance would anyone else have?”
“Really?” The children perked up at this. Lin Fang asked eagerly.
Li Cuihong chimed in proudly, “Absolutely true. Your aunt competed at twelve. I remember—she was going over accounts when your grandmother rushed in, urging her to change clothes, saying she’d be late if she delayed. Everyone was confused—late for what? Your grandmother wouldn’t explain. Your youngest uncle, only four then, blurted out, *Third Sister, Mother signed you up for the competition—music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, everything! Father’s competing too—in military chess!*”
Li Cuimei chuckled. “Without consulting me, your grandmother secretly registered me. Afraid I’d refuse, she just hurried me along—*Change quickly, I’ll wait outside*—then dashed off. Since I was already signed up, skipping without a valid reason would’ve meant a fine and being labeled a coward. I had no choice but to go.”
Li Cuihong laughed heartily. “Back then, unlike now, you could sign up even during the competition. Your aunt was annoyed at your grandmother for not asking, so right before the event, she signed *her* up for shuttlecock kicking! Haha, that year, the oldest competitor was seventeen or eighteen—except for your forty-something grandmother. It caused quite a stir!”
Lin Xia asked eagerly, “Did Grandmother win?”
Li Cuihong nodded. “The top twenty got prizes. She placed twentieth—but was so exhausted her legs ached for over ten days afterward. She swore never to mess with your aunt again.”
Lin Fang asked, “Did Grandfather win anything?”
She’d seen her father teaching her brother military chess—it resembled the chess from her past life.
Li Cuihong grinned. “This is funny. Your grandfather was sure he’d win first place in military chess—but your father outplayed him, leaving him in second. Then, in Go, your father lost to your mother, taking second again. When your father came to propose marriage, your grandfather grumbled, *A loser dares to marry my daughter?* He only mentioned your father losing to your mother—not that *he* lost to your father!”
“Eldest Brother, did Sister-in-law only win in Go?” Lin Cui’e asked First Brother.
First Brother smiled at his wife without answering, so Li Cuimei replied, “My sister-in-law was skilled in Go—I learned from her as a child. The others, I started late and had no time to practice after the last-minute sign-up. I barely won Go. In music, I placed sixteenth—just outside the top fifteen. No prizes in the rest.”
After more laughter, Old Lady Tong shooed them away. “Enough, enough. Take your husbands and children back to your parents’ homes. You’ve annoyed me half the day—now go bother your own parents. Otherwise, they’ll accuse me of hogging their daughters and granddaughters.”
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