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Tang Yuxin nodded again, then pointed to the big hand that Tang Zhijun was using to cover her mouth.

Tang Zhijun hurriedly removed his fan-like large hand, while Tang Yuxin’s small face turned completely red from suffocation. She was coughing continuously, and Tang Zhijun was anxiously patting his little niece’s back. He seemed to have suffocated his little niece just now.

“Are you okay?” Tang Zhijun was sweating with worry. He hoped he hadn’t actually hurt her.

“I’m fine,” Tang Yuxin scowled at Tang Zhijun’s big hand which was covered in dirt.

“Uncle, did you wash your hands?” she asked.

“No…” Tang Zhijun hurriedly began wiping his hands on his clothes. He knew his little niece had this particular quirk, but he had been working in the field so he couldn’t just stop to wash his hands whenever.

Tang Yuxin quickly stood up, picked up her backpack, and ran into the house, leaving Tang Zhijun laughing behind her. But a while later he straightened his back, his heart beating anxiously.

Never mind, he thought, putting it aside for now. He would plant the field first.

As Tang Yuxin walked past one house, it looked relatively new. The house was built the year of the flood, courtesy of the government, much like the rest of the village. Even though it was still tiled, it was fairly new. There was a stack of firewood outside, and inside, laundry hung on a string, women’s and children’s clothes, but no men’s.

This was Zhang Xiangcao’s home. If not for the flood washing away their old house that leaked everywhere, they might still be living in a mud-brick house.

Zhang Xiangcao was not a local, but a daughter brought over by an outsider, a widow. Back then, Zhang Xiangcao was a beautiful flower, always clean, never dirtying her shoes, with two shiny, oily braids on her head. In that era, she was a colourful sight.

Many of the village’s young men took notice of her. She was amiable, literate, hardworking, not whimsy, and had a good reputation in the village.

But no one dared to marry her, for marrying her would mean marrying her widowed mother as well. Zhang Xiangcao had said that anyone who wanted to marry her had to agree to support her mother too. So although many young men considered her, none had the courage to take that step.

You can’t have your cake and eat it too. How could they support their mother-in-law? In those years, times were hard for everyone. Bearing another mouth to feed might result in their own starvation.

And if others were unwilling, Zhang Xiangcao didn’t insist either. Then came the time of the “educated youth” being sent to rural areas. At that time, a young educated youth fell in love with Zhang Xiangcao. He didn’t mind taking care of an extra mouth, as he was on his own here anyway. Their life was going well and they lived in harmony. The educated youth was a teacher at the local primary school and made a decent wage. Zhang Xiangcao was industrious. Xiangcao’s mother was no exception. Everything was going smoothly until college entrance exams resumed and the educated youth could go home. Zhang Xiangcao personally saw her husband out of the village. She understood his longing for a better life and respected his pursuit of higher education.