Jiang Sanlang hummed lightly, scooped up two ladles of water, then pulled the sweat-soaked towel off his shoulder to rinse in the basin. In a few swipes, he washed his face, and wiped his neck and arms.
At last, he felt cool.
Yet, the water in the basin had turned pitch black.
After changing the water, he saw his wife coming over, hand on her waist.
"Sanlang, there's vegetable soup and flatbreads under the basket. I've already eaten with Yingbao. You better eat now," she said.
"Alright." Jiang Sanlang nodded, retrieving a large bowl of Shepherds purse soup and five pieces of dark flatbread, plus a boiled goose egg from under the basket.
"Where did this goose egg come from?" Jiang Sanlang asked, sitting at the small table and taking a large bite out of a flatbread.
"Sister Dani brought them." Chunniang fanned her husband with a palm leaf fan while also fanning Yingbao. "She gave us two. Yingbao and I ate one, the other is for you."
Jiang Sanlang tasted the soup and took a bite of the flatbread, then exclaimed, "Leave the goose egg for you both tomorrow. They say pregnant women who eat goose eggs will have fair-skinned babies. Why should I, a man, eat such delicacies? It's a waste!"
Chunniang laughed, "Nonsense, how is it a waste if you eat it? Yingbao and I have boiled eggs every day. Besides, our nephew has been bringing us small shrimps and loaches, we don't lack just a single goose egg. You better eat now. It's such a hot day and you are farming under the scorching sun, if you don't eat some meat and protein, you'll suffer sunstroke."
As she spoke, she cracked the goose egg on the table corner, peeled off the shells, and handed it to her husband.
Jiang Sanlang had no choice but to accept and began peeling the shells piece by piece.
While Chunniang seated herself on the high stool, she fanned her husband and daughter. Seeing their two hens crowding around her little girl as if begging for food, she quietly said, "It's strange, our two hens have gotten fatter lately, and have been laying eggs more diligently, two a day, and all double-yolked."
Yingbao looked up at Mom, then squatted down to pet the chickens' heads and stroked their feathery backs.
The two hens clucked, nuzzling their young mistress's toes affectionately.
At his wife's words, Jiang Sanlang halted and scrunched his brows, "It must be because they've been fed earthworms. Danielle has been bringing Yingbao to collect earthworms for the chickens these days. The chickens are thriving, so of course they lay eggs more frequently."
"Yeah, that's right." Chunniang watched her daughter with a beaming smile, her joy growing the more she looked.
Yingbao was getting more and more beautiful, her entire being was like a delicately carved masterpiece, her refined brows and eyes resembling that of a doll in a New Year picture. Even though she was outdoors all day being exposed to the wind and sun, she hadn't darkened a bit.
As for the other kids in the village, they were as black as mud loaches as soon as the summer harvest was over, it was unbearable to see.
"Baobao, come here, open your mouth." Jiang Sanlang held a piece of egg yolk with chopsticks and stuffed it into his daughter's mouth. He handed another piece to his wife, and then finally started to eat the rest of the goose egg.
After finishing the meal, the family of the three lay down on the mat for a midday nap.
Yingbao couldn't fall asleep, so when her parents were sound asleep, she snuck out of the house quietly.
The two hens followed her closely.
The three little ones arrived at a little dry ditch.
This was the earthworm haven that Yingbao and Sister Dani frequented. The fertile soil in the ditch was excellent for growing seedlings.
Yingbao squatted down to dig the soil, filling the small bamboo basket with earth rich with fallen leaves, then carried it back and forth to her vegetable patch, scattering it around the seedlings.
After just a few trips, she was panting heavily and had to sit down to rest.
Suddenly remembering something, she smacked her forehead. She had an invisible storage space of her own, didn't she? Surely, it could be used to transport some soil?
Ah, becoming smaller made her brain rust.
She looked around to find nobody. Everyone was indoors at midday avoiding the heat. Therefore, no matter what she did, no one would see.
Yingbao snapped to attention, picking up the shovel to dig into the soil.
Dig, store, dig, store.
Soon, she had stored a large patch of fertile soil from the ditch.
The two hens, not getting any worms to eat, clucked anxiously, tilting their heads in puzzlement at their mistress.
Yingbao patted them regretfully, promising, "Wait a while, when Sister Dani comes, you'll have worms to eat."
She needed to gather more soil while nobody was around to use it for growing seedlings later.
"Baobao, what are you doing?" Not finding his daughter after waking up, Jiang Sanlang rushed out, and there he saw - his little girl, face, hands, and body all covered with deep black soil, squatting in the ditch doing god knows what.
Yingbao jumped up and ran over hastily, followed closely by the two hens. They picked up speed, wings flapping in the process.
"Daddy, Baobao is digging earthworms for the chickens," Yingbao threw her companions under the bus without a hint of embarrassment.
Two hens: She's a liar! She lied! She ate them all herself, not even leaving the crumbs.
Jiang Sanlang led his daughter home, dusted the soil off her body, washed her hands and face, put her by Chunniang's side, pinched the little tufts on her head, and threatened, "Go to sleep! If you dare run around alone again, prepare for a spanking!"
Yingbao giggled, nestled next to her mother, and made a face at her father.
Jiang Sanlang stood up and said to his wife, "The sun is not very intense outside, I'm going to hoe the rest of the field. Be careful at home with your heavy body and don't go out for a stroll too much. Also, keep an eye on Yingbao and don't let her run around."
"Hmm, I got it." Chunniang leaned on the cool mat, stroked her daughter's little head and gently said, "Lately, Baobao has definitely become wild. The moment I'm not looking, she disappears, and I can't catch up with her. Later you should call for Dani at the front and ask her to come over and play with Yingbao more frequently."
"Okay."
Jiang Sanlang went to the kitchen to fill a pot with cold boiled water, put on his straw hat, shouldered the hoe, and went out.
Not much later, Dani ran over, trailed by her youngest brother, Yuanbao.
"Aunt Chun, we're here to play with Yingbao." Dani said.
Chunniang was pacing around the house, and seeing her niece and nephew, she waved with a smile: "Dani is here, come inside quickly. Aunt Chun will make you some sugar water to drink. Ah? Doesn't Yuanbao have lessons today?"
Yuanbao, six years old, had just started his private schooling this spring. Everyday he went to school as if going to the gallows, and he came back like a monkey down a mountain.
"No, no lessons." Yuanbao sniffed and hung his head low.
He didn't understand why all the adults liked to ask that question when they saw him. Couldn't they say something that made him happy?
Yingbao ran over, dab dab dab, and grabbed her little cousin's hand, "Brother Yuanbao, can you read to Yingbao?"
Yuanbao touched the back of his head, his face struggling, "I, I only know the first few sections of the Three Character Classic."
Sigh, he shouldn't have come with his big sister.
"Then Brother Yuanbao, read the Three Character Classic, alright?" Although Yingbao could read, she couldn't let her parents find out.
She had to interact with and learn from Yuanbao first before she dared to gradually reveal this skill.
Yuanbao couldn't bear his little cousin's expectant gaze, sighed helplessly, cleared his throat and began to recite, "At birth, people are, intrinsically good, their inclinations are similar, but their habits make them different …"
After he recited "Of the three forces: Heaven, Earth and Human", Yuanbao started to fumble and scratch his head anxiously.
Yingbao clapped her little hands in praise, saying: "Brother Yuanbao is really amazing!"
Yuanbao's face flushed, but his little chest puffed out instantly.
Chunniang called out: "Come and drink some sugared water. Yuanbao, don't mind your sister. Hurry over and moisten your throat with some water."
"Okay." Yuanbao exhaled in relief, dodged his younger cousin and ran over.
Yingbao snickered, then also ran to drink water.
After finishing their brown sugar water, the three children stayed in the house for a while. Finding it uninteresting, they ran out of the yard and started catching small bugs among the many trees in front of the house.
Yuanbao was the most familiar with this game. He plucked a handful of locust tree leaves, stripped off the leaves, leaving only the slender leaf stem.
He bent down and searched for a few bug holes, inserting a thin leaf stem into each one. He then patted the ground with his hand, shouting: "Bug, bug, come out quickly!"
Then he gently pulled out the leaf stem, and a small greenish white bug would be dangling from it.
Yuanbao laughed heartily, rubbed the back of his nose with his hand, and held up the dangling bug for Yingbao to see.
Yingbao backed away a few steps. She wasn't interested in these childish games.
She turned to Dani and said, "Sister Dani, can we go and dig up some water chestnuts?"
In their small mountain village there were rice paddies, and in the rice paddies they could find lots of tiny water chestnuts that were sweet to eat.
Dani was also tempted and agreed immediately.
So, Yingbao went home to tell her mother, then ran with Dani and Yuanbao to the nearby rice paddies.
In the paddy, the rice seedlings had just taken root, and the small water chestnuts had quietly sprouted.
Dani and Yuanbao took off their shoes and waded into the paddy. They bent down, groped around and before long they had found a bag of small round, black water chestnuts.
These water chestnuts were only the size of a fingernail, and when eaten were sweet and crisp. Yuanbao immediately popped a few into his mouth.