Chapter 96 - 94: The Topic of Ginseng
On the eighth day of the second lunar month, the Zhou family’s third brother was getting married. Last year, when Second Brother Zhou got married, Zhou Lian had been pregnant and couldn’t attend—a superstition that joyous events shouldn’t clash. Li Xiu had gone by himself. Now, with their child over two months old, Li Xiu planned to take his wife and daughter to the wedding.
Early that morning, Li Xiu finished packing. Seeing the sun was warm, he changed his daughter’s clothes, secured her diaper, and bundled her in a small blanket. When he turned around, he saw Zhou Lian was also dressed. She wore a powder-blue, form-fitting, traditional Chinese padded jacket with butterfly knots, slim black trousers, and black, low-heeled leather shoes. Her long hair was braided into a fishtail and coiled on her head. Standing gracefully before the kang, she was so beautiful she seemed to be glowing.
Placing his daughter on the kang, Li Xiu rummaged through Zhou Lian’s jewelry box. He picked out a butterfly hairpin, tucking it into her coiled hair, and then slipped a jade bracelet onto her wrist. Zhou Lian had received excellent nutrition postpartum and was recovering well. Since she wasn’t naturally prone to weight gain, after her month of confinement, her figure was just a little fuller. Now, all dressed up, her lightly powdered face made her crimson lips and pearly teeth stand out. This version of Zhou Lian fit the era’s aesthetic perfectly. Her oval face was more approachable, and her ability to read, combined with the experience from her past life, gave her a scholarly, refined air. She looked just like a well-bred young lady from a prominent family.
Li Xiu was dressed all in black: black trousers, black leather boots, and a black, form-fitting, traditional Chinese padded jacket with a mandarin collar. His short crew cut and sharply defined features gave him a severe look. With his 182-centimeter frame, his entire presence was formidable. He looked nothing like a farmer who toils in the fields for a living; arguably, not even the son of an official could match Li Xiu’s commanding aura.
When the family of three arrived at Zhou Family Village, her third brother was just preparing to go to the Yue Family to pick up his bride. His eyes lit up when he saw them. Grabbing Li Xiu’s arm, he said to Zhou Lian, "Second Sister, hurry and take my niece inside. Let my brother-in-law come with me to get the bride."
Zhou Lian watched, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, as her third brother grabbed Li Xiu and took off running. Li Xiu looked back and shouted, "Honey, Nuonuo’s things are in the front bag! The stuff in the basket on the back, have someone give it to Mom..."
The crowd of onlookers burst out laughing, seeing Li Xiu get dragged away before he could even finish his sentence. Zhou Lian asked Zhou Xiang, who was standing nearby, to grab the bag hanging from the bicycle’s handlebars. It contained her daughter’s diapers, water bottle, and a spare change of tiny clothes.
Li Xiu had strapped a large, fully-stuffed bamboo basket to the back of the bicycle. Zhou Lian had no idea what was inside; he had packed it all himself.
Brother Zhou tried to lift it off the bike but was surprised to find he couldn’t even budge it. Seeing this, Second Brother Zhou calmly reached out, helped lift it off, and carried it directly into the room Zhou Xiang shared with the other sisters. ’Too many guests today,’ he thought. ’Better to be discreet.’
Her two sisters-in-law clustered around Zhou Lian, who was holding her baby, and ushered her into the house. In the courtyard and at the gate, the crowd buzzed, their eyes fixed on her. This Zhou Lian was nothing like the girl she’d been before she was married. The way she carried herself, anyone who didn’t know better would assume she was the daughter of a high-ranking official from the city. Everyone praised her good marriage, and when they heard her child was only two months old, they clucked their tongues in amazement. She didn’t look at all like a new mother. Her face was as lovely as a flower, more beautiful than any of the young, unmarried women for miles around.
The Zhou family members inside were also a bit stunned. When they had visited for the baby’s one-month celebration, Zhou Lian had been lying on the kang, bundled up tightly in a hat. They had only noted that she looked fair and a little chubby. But now, it was as if she were a different person. ’How on earth did Li Xiu take care of her?’ they wondered.
With a gentle smile, Zhou Kun motioned for his daughter to extend her hand. He had taken her pulse at the one-month celebration and noted that her constitution was mending well, but he wanted to check again to be sure. It spoke to his deep paternal love; even while busy with his youngest son’s wedding, he was still worried about the daughter he hadn’t seen in over a month.
Zhou Lian handed the baby to Mrs. Zhou and extended her wrist for her father. ’I know my own body best,’ she thought. ’There’s nothing wrong anymore.’ But to put his mind at ease, she sat quietly and let him take her pulse.
After a moment, Zhou Kun removed his hand, his face wreathed in a smile. "You’re fine," he announced happily. "Completely recovered. Even that old weakness of yours is gone." Zhou Lian had been frail since birth. Compounded by her picky eating, she’d always had a weak constitution and poor digestion. Zhou Kun had spent twenty years meticulously trying to nurse her to health, all to no avail. He never imagined that giving birth would be what cured her. He had worried her condition would worsen after the delivery. ’What did Li Xiu feed her?’ he wondered. ’Ginseng alone shouldn’t have been enough.’
Seeing her father’s confusion, Zhou Lian didn’t hide the truth. "Dad," she said, "in the two months since I gave birth, I’ve eaten a four-hundred-year-old ginseng. I’ve also eaten dozens of pounds of things like goji berries, longans, red dates, and walnuts, not to mention over twenty chickens, more than a hundred eggs, half a gazelle, pig’s feet, and pork ribs. Every single day, all I did was eat and sleep. Even now I’m eating four or five meals a day. The only reason I haven’t turned into a giant is thanks to Mom’s good genes!"
The women of the Zhou family couldn’t help but burst out laughing. On second thought, however, they were overcome with envy. ’Whose husband would provide so many nourishing foods after childbirth?’ they thought. ’Getting enough to eat, plus maybe a couple of chickens, is already considered a blessing.’ It wasn’t that other men were stingy; that was just the reality for every household. Li Xiu must have gone to extraordinary lengths for Zhou Lian.
In truth, even in a later era, not every woman could afford the things Zhou Lian ate during her postpartum confinement. Li Xiu had spent the better part of a year preparing for it, all to ensure her body was properly restored.
Zhou Kun fell silent for a moment before asking softly, "That ginseng... that’s the one Li Xiu spent two days in the mountains getting last year, isn’t it?"
Zhou Lian glanced up, her eyes flicking almost imperceptibly over the others, before she met her father’s gaze and nodded. "Yes. He heard people say that giving birth is like trading the mother’s life for the child’s, and that ginseng can save you at a critical moment. So he got this one. And since I’ve been frail my whole life, he used it all to build up my health."
’The human heart is the most unpredictable thing. It’s best not to test it, whether it’s the bonds of family, love, or friendship. Never try to probe what’s in a person’s heart.’ It was no secret in the Zhou family that Li Xiu had found ginseng. She had to make things clear now to avoid future trouble.
’Li Xiu has three more hidden away, but he was very clear: we’re only having two children. Two of the ginsengs are for them, and the largest is for me for the next time I give birth. Ginseng isn’t some common cabbage you can find anywhere; he risked his life to get it for me. I couldn’t bear to squander his devotion. That must be what Father was hinting at today. I bet my two sisters-in-law have been up to something.’
The two sisters-in-law stared blankly at Zhou Lian. ’This sister of ours really does have a Seven-orifice Exquisite Heart,’ they thought. ’Before she married, she was the most spoiled of the five sisters, but other than her frail health, there was nothing special about her. As for looks, all five of them were pretty. As for personality, she was the quietest and most honest one. Who would have thought that after getting married, she’d be completely transformed? Her husband dotes on her, holding her in the palm of his hand. And after she gave birth to a mere girl, he spoils her even more. The food she ate during her confinement... we’ll probably never taste anything like that in our entire lives. And her outfit must have cost tens of yuan. She’s just so incredibly lucky!’