After the rain, everything was vibrant. The rain brightly washed the yellow leaves of the nearby grass and trees, while the wild grass, untouched by human feet, swayed in the cold wind. A rising white mist shrouded the dark mountains in the distance.
Every time she saw this scene, Xue Li would silently recite, “When it rains, the mountains wear a hat.”
Sure enough, Chun Xin said, “When it rains, the mountains wear a hat.”
A wooden house stood at the foot of the mountain, with a small bamboo-fenced yard in front. From a distance, the grandpas started calling, “Cripple!”
“Cripple—cripple—ple—”
The mountains echoed back.
Soon, the crippled old man opened the door and welcomed the group of old and young inside.
He was wearing an old woman’s floral cotton-padded jacket and a hat with ear flaps. It was unknown whose family had given him these old clothes.
He slept in the kitchen, where they cooked meals, with firewood burning under the stove to keep it warm. Four old men squeezed in, each taking out a bag of food from their pockets, filled with plastic bags of fried peanuts and fried soybeans.
Five adults crowded the small room, with Chun Xin and Xue Li leaning by the door. To treat them, the crippled old man took out wild mountain tangerines.
“Good girls, eat.”
The green-skinned tangerines felt cold in their hands. Chun Xin, without fingernails, used her thumb to dig into the bottom of the tangerine, squirting its bitter juice all over her face.
She peeled it and gave half to her grandpa, who shook his head and said, “I won’t eat it.”
Chun Xin then gave it to Xue Li. Both of them put a segment into their mouths at the same time, chewing with their molars, their faces contorting as the sour juice mixed with saliva dripped out.
The grandpas laughed triumphantly and said, “How enjoyable!”
The five old men closed the door to drink, while Chun Xin and Xue Li wanted to go play. Of course, it was cold—colder in the mountains than elsewhere—but the fun outweighed the cold.
Their grandpa didn’t watch them too strictly, just telling them not to go far and to stay in the yard. After all, children could find plenty to play with—mud and bugs could keep them entertained all day.
After finishing the sour wild tangerine with a grimace, Chun Xin threw the peel far away in frustration, and the two of them, hands in their pockets, walked off to play.
There were steep, rocky mountains and gently sloping dirt hills. They picked one that looked easier to climb and plunged into it.
People frequently visited this area to collect herbs or engage in poaching, as it was not overly remote. Small paths weaved through the mountains, ensuring their safety as long as they followed them.
This was Xue Li’s first time here. In the past, Chun Xin often invited her out to play, but she was reluctant. Chun Xin couldn’t go alone, so she climbed over the wall to keep her company at home.
In these deep mountains, they could hear various beautiful bird songs, and if they were lucky, they might see brilliantly feathered wild pheasants flapping low when startled. Occasionally, a squirrel darted above them.
After drinking, the grandpas went up the mountain to collect branches and firewood. Next time, the crippled old man would carry the bundled wood to each household, taking away rice, beans, or half a bottle of wine in return.
In the backyard, Grandma had set up a small shed, barely taller than a person, covered with canvas. Sausages and cured meat hung from strings inside. Chun Xin and Xue Li helped move the branches into the house, and when they bent down, the mountain scent overwhelmed them.
For half a month, the smell of pine branches and firewood was everywhere, and blue smoke rose from every corner.
At Grandma’s, Yin Yuanping’s, Jiang Mengyan’s, and neighbor Teacher Wang’s, everyone was smoking meat for a week.
Yin Yuanping, who lived in the thirteenth building, came over two days before New Year’s Eve to invite Jiang Mengyan and Grandma to the supermarket, and Grandpa wanted to go too.
They didn’t take the children; they told them to watch the fire. They instructed the children to monitor the fire because most of the firewood had burned down and would be ready in one more night.
They laughed and said, “It’s warm by the fire.”
Chun Xin had already changed into her shoes and clothes, waiting by the door. She pouted unhappily when told she couldn’t go to the supermarket.
Xue Li sat her by the fire and said, “I’ll play with you. It’s so cold outside; let’s not go.”
The adults left, and Chun Xin sat on a small stool, poking the red-hot embers with a fire hook. “They won’t take me! They won’t take me!”
Ash flew everywhere as she poked, being careful to poke through the canvas to prevent burns.
The next morning, the fire had cooled. The adults started taking down the shed and bringing out the meat. Yin Yuanping said, “This year’s cured meat looks good! The color is darker than in previous years; it must be well-flavored.”
Grandpa and Grandma agreed, “The color is indeed darker; it’s well-marinated.”
Chun Xin played on her cool bamboo mat, and Xue Li smiled silently. Of course, the meat was dark from all the ash.
Chun Xin’s family had an interesting New Year’s Eve dinner. The family prepared and set the dishes on the table, placing small bowls in each of the four corners, each containing a small amount of rice, meat, and half a cup of wine.
Grandma burned three pieces of yellow paper under the table. Grandma lit three sticks of incense facing the main door, chanting, “Ancestors of the Yin and Fang families, come to eat.”
Her maiden name was Fang.
Then she called Chun Xin and said, “Little Lai Lai, kneel and kowtow to the ancestors; ask them to bless you.”
Chun Xin obediently kneeled towards the door and kowtowed three times: “Ancestors of the Yin and Fang families, bless our family, and also bless Dongdong’s family. Bless us with health and peace.”
Xue Li wondered if she had said similar words in her past life. Maybe she was too greedy; her ancestors couldn’t protect everyone.
She was neither healthy nor safe nor happy.
Only the older generation upheld this sacred ritual. Jiang Mengyan didn’t practice these customs, and it was only because Xue Li was staying at Chun Xin’s house this year that the two families celebrated New Year’s together.
Yin Yuanping’s family, Chun Xin’s aunt, and Tao Ran’s cousin were also present. Tao Ran was already in her first year of high school.
People favored Tao Ran because he was a good student and quiet. Having such a cousin at home, comparisons were inevitable. Chun Xin was well aware that the adults did not favor her, as Grandpa and Grandma liked her more.
Only at the Yin family’s house did people dislike her. Jiang Mengyan liked her very much, as did other classmates and teachers, including Xue Li.
She wasn’t extremely popular, but she wasn’t disliked either. Adults’ kindness and harshness didn’t necessarily conflict.
When the adults went out to set off fireworks, Tao Ran went into Grandma’s bedroom, which was off-limits to Chun Xin. Grandma’s bedroom concealed all the delicious food and enjoyable activities. Sometimes Chun Xin sneaked in to find treasures.
The two large bags brought back from the supermarket were filled with candies and small biscuits. Chun Xin watched her reach in and grab two handfuls, then come out and stuff them into her pockets.
Chun Xin looked up in surprise, and Tao Ran remained silent, keeping a corn candy for herself and peeling it in front of Grandma when she entered the room.
Chun Xin quickly went back to her room and hid the candies under her pillow. Xue Li followed her in, sat on the edge of the bed, and said, “If you want anything, I can buy it for you. There’s no chocolate in here, just ordinary candies.”
Chun Xin said, “Chocolate is the best!”
Xue Li replied, “I’ll buy some for you tomorrow when we go out.”
The next day, after breakfast, Chun Xin came to play. Red firecracker remnants covered the road outside. Some kids were lying on the ground looking for unburst firecrackers, and Chun Xin joined them.
As they passed by, a few boys of the same age saw them and deliberately kicked the firecracker remnants onto Xue Li’s face.
Xue Li looked up at them, wiping her face with her sleeve. Chun Xin stood up quickly and asked, “Do you want to die?”
The boys laughed and walked away. The two girls didn’t say anything, continuing to search for firecrackers. Soon they found seven or eight with fuses still intact.
Chun Xin went home to get a lighter, looked in the direction the boys had gone, and clenched her back teeth. “I’ll blow them up.”
From a distance, Chun Xin followed the boys and watched them climb over the school gate. Chun Xin changed her mind and went to complain to Teacher Wang.
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Baihe Tales 