Families in the countryside go to bed early. After having dinner and tidying up, they gather in the hall for a while to chat, which generally ends with Hua's Second Mother poking Hua Xiaomai's forehead, loudly berating her, while Jing Taihe busily tries to calm things down. When Hua's Second Mother finally runs out of spit to spray, the three disperse and each return to their rooms to sleep.
That night, Hua Xiaomai buried her head deep in her blankets, yet inevitably, the bone-piercing sounds from the eastern room drifted over.
Hua's Second Mother, only nineteen, sturdy and passionate, could not contain her ardent love for Jing Taihe and was constantly demanding. During her ten days in Fire Knife Village, whether day or night, Hua Xiaomai was constantly disturbed by these annoying noises; there was no escaping them. She had thought about reminding Hua's Second Mother to be more considerate, but she was afraid she would end up with broken hands and feet, so she had no choice but to endure.
What in the world? Although the body she inhabited was only fifteen, her soul was that of a grown woman. Living every day in such an unhealthy environment, would she not become warped over time, leading to monstrous deeds such as flirting with married women and ambushing middle-aged handsome men?
"Taihe, be gentle..." Hua's Second Mother's sweet voice, taut as a stretched string, seemed like it could snap at any moment, piercing through barriers and flooding into Hua Xiaomai's ears. She furrowed her brows tightly and decided to plug her ears with her fingers, biting her lip as she pondered her troubles.
At the moment, she was essentially living a life of idle despair. Each day, aside from sending her into the forest to gather wild produce or to the river to catch some small fish and shrimp, Hua's Second Mother didn't let her do anything. If this continued, she feared she would become ill from boredom.
The financial situation of Hua's Second Mother and Jing Taihe was not affluent, and now with her extra mouth to feed, life became even tighter. Although she didn't want to see such circumstances and was innocent in the matter, Hua Xiaomai still felt somewhat guilty.
After all, she considered herself a fine youth of the new era, not a useless good-for-nothing. Always relying on others for sustenance, what was she to do?
In the darkness, Hua Xiaomai bit her lip and racked her brains for a while but couldn't come up with any ideas, so she simply closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
The inhabitants of Fire Knife Village, simple commoners all, did not have the custom of "breakfast" in order to save food. The whole family would rise early in the morning, buzz around for a while, prepare a meal, and then not eat again until evening, thus spending their day.
Hua Xiaomai got up early from bed with nothing to do, so she could only stand in the courtyard watching Hua's Second Mother busy about like a hard-working hen, while Jing Taihe tidied up firewood behind the house. The meal at noon was as harsh as ever; Hua Xiaomai dared not savor it and bravely gulped it down. She was just preparing to go for a stroll in the forest to see if she could find some fresh ingredients when suddenly the light at the entrance of the hall dimmed, and someone walked in.
"Oh, isn't that Great Saint?" Hua's Second Mother, who was wiping the table, glanced up at him and immediately straightened up, smiling and calling out to him, "What brings you here?"
The man pushed the bottomless large iron pot he was carrying toward her, grinning, "Madam Hua, is Brother Taihe at home? My pot's got a hole, and I was hoping he could patch it up for me!"
As he spoke, he glanced at Hua Xiaomai's face, "Who's this?"
Jing Taihe had once apprenticed at a blacksmith's shop and later saved enough money to open his own. With no more than a few dozen households in the village, people wouldn't come every day to have new utensils made, so he would fix pots and sharpen knives for the neighbors, earning a few coins where he could.
"Taihe is out back. Just wait, I'll call him for you," replied Hua's Second Mother eagerly. Seeing that he kept staring at Hua Xiaomai, her expression darkened slightly, "That's my younger sister. She just came to Fire Knife Village about ten days ago."
"Oh." Great Saint nodded, understanding, "Is she here to visit relatives, to see her sister and brother-in-law? That's good. Relatives ought to visit each other more, to foster closeness."
Hua's Second Mother's face grew even more displeased, "...No, she'll be living with me from now on."
"Hah?" Great Saint looked astonished as if he had heard an unimaginable joke, his eyes widening, "Madam Hua, you must be joking, right? Since when does a younger sister live with her sister and brother-in-law? You're married to Brother Taihe; you're part of his family now. Surely you're not expecting him to provide for your family of origin as well? Brother Taihe would be at too much of a disadvantage!"
"What did you say?!" Hua's Second Mother's eyes widened angrily, and she threw the cloth in her hand onto the table with a slap, the fierce aura surrounding her rising into the air and forming three large characters: Fierce Tigress!
Great Saint recoiled in fright, stepping back and waving his hands, "Calm down, Madam Hua, I was just teasing you! Who in Fire Knife Village doesn't know that you're a capable manager both inside and outside the home? Brother Taihe's days have been so leisurely since marrying you. Isn't it only natural for your sister to live with you both?"
Hua Erniang's complexion lightened somewhat, and she switched to a softer tone, "I had no choice... My parents passed away early, and with famine plaguing my hometown, I couldn't just watch my own sister beg for food or starve to death, could I? Don't underestimate her because she's young; she's very helpful. She can take care of any chore at home, saving me an enormous amount of trouble. If she were to leave now, it wouldn't just be me who'd be lost; even Taihe wouldn't agree to it!"
"Yes, yes, you're right," Great Saint earnestly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. At this moment, Jing Taihe came around from the back of the house, and Great Saint hurriedly handed over the iron pot he was holding.
"How did this get smashed so badly?" Jing Taihe asked in a voice as gentle and honest as his appearance, examining the iron pot over and over again before laughing, "I can't fix this at home; I'll have to take it to the shop and mend it with molten iron. But these past two days, the forge at my blacksmith shop has been clogged…"
Great Saint responded, "That's not a problem; I'm free anyway. I might as well go with you and take a look at that forge. You must fix this pot for me today; my family is waiting to use it!"
Jing Taihe thought for a moment and then agreed. Hua Erniang hurriedly pushed Hua Xiaomai to the front of the two men and spoke loudly, "Take your little sister with you. She's nimble and hardworking, and she'll be able to help you!"
Understanding her intention, Jing Taihe nodded. Hua Erniang then took Hua Xiaomai to one side and whispered in a low voice, "Go with your brother-in-law to the blacksmith shop. Just watch them repair the pot, and help out by handing over tools if needed. Pick the lighter tasks; it's just for show. Whatever you do, do not go near the furnace, understand?"
As she spoke, she quickly packed a basket of wheat cakes and stuffed it into her arms, "If your brother-in-law and Sun Dasheng get too busy, let them have something to eat. Eat a bit yourself to tide you over; I'll make something nice for you when you get back tonight."
Hua Xiaomai was shocked to learn that the man known as "Great Saint" was actually named Sun, but upon hearing Hua Erniang's words, she felt a tinge of sourness in her nose and didn't remind her that the meals she cooked were far from "nice." Softly agreeing, she clung to the basket and followed Jing Taihe out the door.
The blacksmith shop was located on the south side of Fire Knife Village, opened by Jing Taihe before he got married, just a stone's throw away from his parents' home. He used to spend everyday at the shop, but after he moved out with Hua Erniang, because the walk was a bit longer, he didn't go there as often. Anyway, if anyone in the village had work, they'd naturally come to his house to find him.
When the three of them arrived at the blacksmith shop, Sun Dasheng looked up and exclaimed, "Ah, I say, Brother Taihe, how did your house end up like this?"
The blacksmith shop had a somewhat dilapidated and precarious appearance. It was originally built with old bricks and tiles which, after years of frost and snow, had become mottled and worn. Especially the east wall that had lost many bricks, revealing holes of various sizes. When the wind blew, the wall seemed as if it might collapse at any moment.
Jing Taihe followed his gaze and blushed, scratching the back of his head, "I was planning to repair it thoroughly before the New Year's, but money has been tight lately, so... "
"What's there to be embarrassed about?" Sun Dasheng said with understanding, patting his shoulder, "Everyone has times when they're short on money! Come on, let's go inside and take a look at that forge!"
With that, he dragged Jing Taihe into the house, sprawled out on the ground, scraped all the ash out of the forge, and squinted into it. Hua Xiaomai stood a little away, clutching the basket of wheat cakes tightly to her chest, and nervously glanced at the dangerous wall, feeling a persistent sense of insecurity.
This building... it really looked as though it could collapse at any moment!
After a short while, Sun Dasheng got up from the ground, dusting off the dirt from his hands, and said to Jing Taihe, "I think that your forge is clogged with charcoal residue, that stuff..."
Before he could finish his sentence, there was a strange creaking and cracking noise from the eastern wall.
Hua Xiaomai, terror-stricken, started to run towards Jing Taihe, "Brother-in-law, that wall looks like it's going to..."
Crash!
With a loud "whoosh," the half-wall, already riddled with holes, collapsed amid Hua Xiaomai's scream, bricks scattering everywhere, kicking up clouds of dust.