CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 39: STORM ON THE HORIZON (PART 1)

That night, Zhang Guoqing remained alert. Around two in the morning when his son stirred, Zhang Guoqing rolled over and quickly picked him up. With one hand, he made milk formula, testing the temperature before hurriedly placing it in Ping’an’s mouth.

"Ping’an, my baby, you’re so good. Let your mother sleep. Once you’re done eating, Daddy will sleep with you. When our Ping’an eats well, he grows fast. When you grow up, Daddy will take you out to play. In spring, Daddy will take you for walks, collect wild vegetables; in summer, we’ll go swimming and fishing; in autumn, we’ll pick wild fruits in the mountains; in winter, we’ll build snowmen and play with ice sleds. Good baby, grow up quickly, good baby sleep."

In no time, the little one fell asleep again. Zhang Guoqing genuinely believed his Little Ping’an could understand him. If his grandfather could see this from Heaven, he would be happy, without regrets at the end. Luckily, they left that world after he passed. Otherwise, if the older generation kept seeing the younger ones off, they would be heartbroken.

He carefully brought his son over to his side, cradling him with his arm. Having seen too many stories, he knew a child shouldn’t sleep in the middle. He would have to find a solution come winter.

He woke again at dawn, a natural reaction of his body. At this time, his father would be in the backyard checking if the pigs were hungry, if the chickens were safe, if there were any signs of rats, and if the courtyard walls showed signs of intrusion. Then, all his sons, including him, would follow to tend to the private plots, getting tasks done before heading to work, or if there was nothing to tidy, they would prepare the land for a good harvest next year, or work in the backyard garden. Besides farming, they made ropes, wove straw shoes and baskets, chopped wood — busy before work.

In the countryside, the Zhang Family men were undoubtedly diligent and cared for their wives. Unlike typical rural families where women did everything from childbirth, house chores to farm work, waking at dawn before the rooster crowed to cook, feed pigs and chickens, wash clothes, fetch water, and tidy the garden before heading to work, with men only waking up at meal calls to eat before working. After work, they cooked, washed clothes, tidied the yard, and cared for the pigs and poultry. Hence, women of all ages envied the women of the Zhang Family.

This time of year, they should quickly harvest the sweet potatoes from the backyard, then store the radishes and Chinese cabbages in the cellar. The cabbages and radishes from the private plots had earlier been pickled into sauerkraut and preserved radish, filled barrels lined the storage room along with dried beans and vegetables, prepared for a winter without fresh produce and next year’s supply. Cucumbers in a corner were tended carefully; these were the last batch this year, to be stored before the frost. In the Northeast, cucumbers and green onions were essential year-round.

Zhang Guoqing went to the water well to wash his face and brush his teeth, changed into a patched jacket and pants, and went to the backyard to meet his father and brother. Together, they grabbed hoes to dig and harvest the sweet potatoes from around 0.8 acres of land. Combining their efforts, they managed to finish half before breakfast, planning to continue after finishing their work shift.

On the dining table today, rare red date porridge and sweet potato pancakes made the whole family feel like celebrating a festival. Xiao Miaomiao, while eating, sighed how wonderful it would be if every day were red date porridge day.

Zhang Guoqing felt a pang of sadness, watching Xiao Miao licking her bowl clean. He drank just a few sips from his bowl, then shared it between Mai Miao and Mai Sui, making the kids happily thank their little uncle repeatedly. Mother Zhang offered him more, but he declined, guessing that she probably measured the rice carefully for porridge. If he ate less, everyone else, including his parents, two brothers, and sister-in-law, could enjoy more. He thought about reminding his mother to make more, but didn’t want to upset her. She had run the household for so long, everything well-planned. There was no need to interfere with her authority. Besides, if he got hungry, he could always ask Jiao Jiao for something to eat.

Before leaving, the second brother and his wife left in a hurry, not waiting for anyone. Zhang Guoqing headed to the west wing with the kids. Zhou Jiao had finished breakfast and was nursing their son. Seeing the kids made her happy, as playing with them was better than being alone in the room.

Zhang Guoqing placed the soiled diaper in the washbasin, took it outside, and not seeing his mother in the front yard, washed it. Avoiding soap and ash that might irritate, he washed it with soapberry until clean, then hung it up to dry. Finding nothing more urgent, he went to lean against the bed next to Jiao Jiao to take a break, exhausted from the early start and chores.

"Why don’t you lie down and rest for a while? Tonight, make sure to wake me up. I slept through last night without hearing Ping’an cry, and woke up at dawn," Zhou Jiao said, looking at his dark circles and exhaustion with concern.

Zhang Guoqing didn’t want her to misunderstand. He was taking special care so she could rest well during her month of confinement, preventing the baby’s cries from disturbing her sleep.

"I did it on purpose, so you could sleep soundly. As soon as Ping’an let out a cry, I fed him. Since he’s still asleep, you should rest too; he usually wakes around 10 AM. There won’t be time to rest this afternoon," he said, with a chuckle at the end.

"Did you think of anything to eat? Brother, you should get some comic books when you have time; it’s quite dull otherwise," Zhou Jiao spoke with a hint of frustration.

Mai Miao pondered and decided not to request anything. Her mother had mentioned to leave the treats for the little brother.

"No need, I just had rice porridge, and still have candy from Auntie," she replied.

Zhang Guoqing gave them a thumbs up, praising, "Good girls. I’ll bring some snacks from the city next time for Grandma to give you."

Zhang Guoqing, thinking there were no pressing tasks, said, "Jiao Jiao, I’ll go to the backyard to harvest sweet potatoes. Let’s get it done while we’re not busy. Mai Miao, you all keep Auntie company. If you need something, run to the backyard and call uncle."

After leaving the two girls with Zhou Jiao, he went to the backyard, found a hoe, and diligently dug sweet potatoes. Seeing him, his mother hurriedly finished her task and came to help. Working in harmony, a hoe exposed a patch of sweet potatoes, while one of them bent down to collect them in baskets, chatting occasionally until the whole field was finally harvested.