Chapter 12 Brother Bamboo

Chapter 12: Bamboo Ge

Meng Wan was playing the little cook in the kitchen. In the front yard, Chang Jinhua paid the gift money and left without sitting down for the feast. She was a widow, and on such a joyous day, the host family would inevitably feel uneasy. Sixth Sister-in-Law had a good relationship with her, which made it even harder to put her in a difficult position.

Even so, gossip still reached Meng Wan’s ears, and it came from none other than the husband staying at his place.

“So cheap, they wouldn’t even give us thick blankets, just those two thin ones.”

“Five of us crammed onto one kang, but her own boy gets a whole room to himself—where’s the sense in that?”

“In the morning, her boy ate and drank while my kids watched on the side. What kind of cold-hearted person won’t even give the kids a bite to eat?”

“A woman whose husband died is just heartless, with a face that looks cursed, longer than a donkey’s.”

That husband, stuffed and happy, sat at the table running his mouth. Seeing he’d gotten the attention of the stuffed relatives, he proudly raised his voice even higher.

Meng Wan sat at a table with a bunch of the helping aunties, older women, and daughters-in-law. Song Sixth Aunt had set aside a table of food just for them.

They’d just started eating when Meng Wan heard the nonsense from the other table.

The women at this table were all local wives. When they heard Meng Wan slap his chopsticks down, they all stood up to persuade him.

“Wan Ge, don’t go over there. You’ve worked hard all day, just eat your food. Why bother with him?”

“That’s right. You’re not married yet. Arguing with a scumbag like him will only cause you grief.”

Aunt Tian, the head cook, was the most sensible. She stood up too. “Don’t go yet. I’ll go get your Sixth Aunt. She’s already had a rough day, busy as can be, and stuck with such a pain-in-the-ass family.”

Meng Wan’s angry move stopped short. Right, today was Brother Dali’s big day. He was already run off his feet. If he made a scene, he’d let off steam, but wouldn’t it make Sixth Uncle and Sixth Aunt resent him? He still had to stick around Sanquan Village for a while; he couldn’t afford to piss anyone off.

But hearing that husband badmouth Chang Jinhua like that, if Meng Wan pretended not to hear, it would be a slap in the face to Chang Jinhua’s kindness.

He gritted his teeth and suddenly got up, ignoring everyone trying to stop him. But instead of heading to the women’s table, he went over to Song Sixth Aunt’s fourth brother’s table.

“You’re Fourth Uncle Wang, right?” (Song Sixth Aunt’s maiden surname was Wang.)

This table was all men. Since the wedding feast had booze, the food came out slower than at the women’s table, and they were taking their time drinking and shooting the shit. Wang Laosi’s table was full of older uncles. Suddenly being asked by a young boy, he was caught off guard.

“Whose kid are you? What do you want from me?”

Meng Wan smiled, his eyes crinkling. “Fourth Uncle Wang, I’m with the Song family. Your husband stayed at my place last night.”

Wang Laosi had lived his whole life in the village. No one had ever called him “sir” or anything so polite; it was always just “Laosi.” Meng Wan’s polite way of talking threw him off.

Seeing the boy was good-looking and spoke politely like a grown-up, he was polite back. “Sorry for the trouble. We’ve got a lot of kids—did they bother you?”

“The kids were really well-behaved. It’s just that my place is humble, and Fourth Aunt’s husband didn’t seem too happy.”

Wang Laosi knew something was up. He knew his husband’s type well. Glancing at the women’s table, he saw that guy with an empty bowl licked cleaner than a dog’s dish, his two older kids and little boy beside him, running his mouth. No need to guess who he was talking about—the young boy had come to call him out!

Meng Wan said, looking troubled, “My place really wasn’t good enough. That’s why I came to ask you, Fourth Uncle. Maybe it’s better if Fourth Aunt’s husband stays somewhere else.”

Back then, saving face was everything. Getting kicked out was a huge loss of face. But Meng Wan’s logic was solid: they were the ones complaining about the place, so the host just said, “Fine, don’t stay then.” In the end, it was their own big mouth that brought the shame.

Wang Laosi, watched by the Wang family at the table, felt his face burn. An elder even scolded him, “Laosi, today is our nephew’s big day, so we won’t say more. But when you get home, you need to set things straight.”

What a disgrace, always causing trouble outside!

Wang Laosi’s eyes widened with anger. He threw down his wine cup. “I’ll go drag that disgrace home right now!”

Meng Wan, sweating with urgency, stopped him. “Fourth Uncle, please don’t! With so many people watching, where would Fourth Aunt’s husband put his face? It’s nothing serious—don’t hurt the harmony in your family.”

His persuasion only made Wang Laosi angrier. He stopped drinking and strode straight to the women’s table.

Meng Wan didn’t follow. He quietly returned to his seat, ignoring the commotion, and ate his meal.

The big pot food was delicious. He was exhausted from the day’s work.

The table of women looked at him in confusion. They had tried to stop him, but he hadn’t gone to argue with the husband directly. Instead, he went to the men’s table, said a few words, and came back. Everyone was puzzled, but too tired to care, they started eating.

As for Fourth Aunt Song, after leaving the kitchen, she was persuaded by Song Sixth Aunt and didn’t return. She sat down at the women’s table in the yard. Her family had paid the gift money, and she was a relative—why should she leave without eating?

Picking at her food with chopsticks, she criticized everything: this was too salty, that was too burnt. In the end, she ate the most.

Now, picking her teeth and listening to gossip, she was suddenly thrown off her seat as the table was overturned, nearly diving under it in fright.

Wang Laosi, whether from drink or anger, was red-faced, even his forehead flushed.

He grabbed his still-chattering husband and slapped him without a word. A farmer’s slap carried real force. The husband fell to the ground, holding his swollen face in shock.

“Wang Laosi, are you crazy? Why are you hitting me?” he screamed shrilly, his voice piercing the whole yard.

Song Sixth Aunt, who was at the door talking with the account keeper, heard it too. She left her husband and son to settle the accounts and hurried to the women’s table in the yard.

There, she saw her fourth brother dragging his husband away, while the husband grabbed and screamed, refusing to go. “I’m not leaving! I paid so much gift money, and I’ve only had two meals here? If you want to go, go yourself. I’ll take my son and leave tomorrow.”

Wang Asi wished he could give him a few more slaps. “If you don’t come, don’t ever come back to the Wang family! Go wherever you want!”

With that, he actually let go, snatched the youngest son from the eldest daughter’s arms, ignored the older two, and headed home with the little one.

Song Sixth Aunt caught up and stopped him. “On your nephew’s big day, you’re showing off your temper! Can’t you settle this at home on the kang? Why make a scene at the feast?”

Wang Asi couldn’t face his sister either. He shook her off without looking back. “Ask your good brother-in-law what he did.”

Song Sixth Aunt knew her brother-in-law’s nature well enough—he was loose-tongued. But Wang Asi was also a fool. How could he leave his husband behind at someone else’s house?

She grabbed him. “If you’re really leaving, take him with you. Don’t cause me more trouble on this happy day. Just go home, and I’ll have peace.”

She was angry too. The relatives from her mother’s village in the west were far away, so she had kindly offered to let them stay another night after the feast. Now, it had only brought trouble. Better for everyone to go home.

Wang Laosi’s husband put on a show of sulking for a while, but when no one paid him any attention, he slunk off to follow Wang Laosi.

The other guests, having eaten and watched the drama, left if they lived nearby. Those farther away, seeing the situation, didn’t want to be a nuisance and left in groups that night.

Meng Wan’s table ate late. After seeing off the relatives, Song Sixth Aunt came back to thank them. She gave Aunt Tian, the head cook, a red envelope, distributed the leftover meat and vegetables, and everyone helped clean up. Song Sixth Uncle and Dali returned the borrowed tables and chairs.

They worked until the moon was high, around the hour of Xu (7-8 PM). Chang Jinhua, worried, came to the Song family’s door and called out, “Wan Ge, aren’t you done yet?”

Song Sixth Aunt quickly led Meng Wan out. “Sister-in-law, I was just about to send Wan Ge home. There was so much to do today—please forgive us.”

She had already heard from others about the rude things her brother-in-law had said at the feast. She felt both guilty toward Chang Jinhua and grateful for Meng Wan’s sincere help. An unmarried boy had worked so hard.

Her eldest son, Da Lang, was getting married, yet her sister-in-law and brother had caused nothing but trouble. In contrast, the widow Song and her orphan boy had lent a hand and a place to stay. She owed them this favor.

Chang Jinhua exchanged a few polite words, took the meat and vegetables she offered, and led Meng Wan home.

At their own stove, she opened the basket—a whole fish, a bowl of braised pork with radish, a bowl of stir-fried river shrimp, and a bowl of mushroom chicken. The feast had four meat and four vegetable dishes, and all four meat dishes were given to Meng Wan. Other helpers had only gotten one meat and two vegetable dishes at most.

Chang Jinhua put the food in the cupboard. The weather was cold now, so these dishes would last her and Meng Wan three or four days.

"Auntie, did you heat up water for me?"

Meng Wan pulled out his large wooden bucket and, just as he was about to heat water, found a pot of warm water already ready.

Chang Jinhua still used a reproachful tone, "You're so fussy about cleanliness, insisting on taking a bath every day even in this cold weather. We don't have enough firewood at home to keep up with your bathwater."

Meng Wan ladled water into the bucket, feeling a little embarrassed, "I won't bathe every day when it gets colder. How about I go up the mountain tomorrow to collect firewood?" He actually quite enjoyed going up the mountain—it cleared his head, the air was fresh, and he could forage for some wild stuff.

Chang Jinhua put away the dishes and prepared to go inside to rest, "Go if you don't mind the trouble. Weird—didn't Sixth Sister-in-law say her brother-in-law was gonna stay two nights? Why didn't he show up today?"

Meng Wan replied without changing his expression, "A bunch of them headed back to the village together tonight. It seems none of Sixth Aunt's relatives stayed over."

"That's fine too. That kid's husband is so sloppy. If they'd stayed, I'd have to wash and air out the bedding they used tomorrow—what a pain."

Chang Jinhua went into the main room and called out through the door, "Wan Geer, after your bath, get straight into bed. Leave the bathwater till tomorrow." She was afraid he'd catch a chill if he went out to dump it.

Meng Wan acknowledged her. Now that it was cold, he didn't have to wear that embarrassing little bellyband anymore. Chang Jinhua had made him two sets of undergarments. They weren't as fancy as modern pajamas—these were worn under the outer clothes during the day. Most people just took off their outer layer and slept in their undergarments. Meng Wan wasn't a neat freak, but after working in the kitchen all day, he reeked of cooking oil and smoke. He bathed, changed into clean undergarments, and quickly fell asleep in the warm bedding.

In the middle of the night, he was woken up again by muffled groans. This time, besides the sound of fists hitting something, there was a faint "heh heh" noise after a while. Logically, Meng Wan shouldn't have been able to hear it, but he sensed that the "heh heh" sound seemed like a plea for help.

Meng Wan sat up abruptly from the kang. He threw on his clothes, slid into his shoes, and quickly pressed himself up against the wall separating his home from the Tian family's.

His small room was right next to the Tian family's east wing. The Tian family had many people and had built many rooms. Besides the three main rooms housing Old Man Tian and his eldest son and daughter-in-law, the west wing was newly built for Tian Wang before he married Xiaomei, and the east wing housed Tian Xing and his husband.

Meng Wan stared intently at the doors and windows of the east wing. His room was separated from the Tian's east side room by two walls. Pressing against the wall, he could hear more clearly than in his room. That "heh heh" sound was like an old, dying person's, forcing out a long breath from their chest in their last moments—once the breath was gone, so was the person.

But Zhu Ge was still so young. He shouldn't have to endure this, only to die silently in a pitch-black, moonless night.

Meng Wan crouched against the earthen wall. "Ahem." He pretended to cough twice.

But it was useless. The sound grew weaker and weaker. Meng Wan hesitated for about three seconds before he couldn't bear to let a living soul wither away just a wall away from him.

"Zhu Ge'er!"

In the countryside, there were no entertainments, and people went to bed early. His shout was especially loud in the silent night. The commotion in the east wing finally stopped. After a long while, a voice like sandpaper scraping came through, "Wan... Ge'er?"

Meng Wan's voice was clear and lively. He called out, "Tomorrow noon, after we finish selling tofu, I want to go to Snake Gully to gather some firewood. Are you coming?"

"Yes." Zhu Ge's hoarse voice carried a hint of post-escape sobbing.

Xiaomei, in the west wing, also heard Meng Wan's shout. She yelled, "Wan Ge'er, are you saying we're going to Snake Gully tomorrow? I'm coming too!!"

Meng Wan was shivering from the cold on the wall. Eager to get back inside, he replied as he climbed down, "Alright, alright, we'll go together tomorrow."

As he re-entered the kitchen, Chang Jinhua suddenly appeared there and said coldly, "So bold, meddling in other people's household affairs. Serves you right for freezing." Clearly, his shout had woken her.

Her words were cold, but she still bent down and added the last two bundles of firewood from the kitchen corner into the small room's stove pit.

In the dark kitchen, flames flickered, and Meng Wan's eyes reflected the dancing light and the woman crouching on the ground.

He suddenly blurted out, "Auntie, tonight is the first time someone has come to pick me up and take me home."

Chang Jinhua finished adding the firewood, stood up, and ladled half a scoop of water into the pot. Her voice wasn't gentle, "You're sixteen and still being so sentimental. When I was your age, I was almost ready for marriage. And stay out of the Tian family's affairs—they're not good people."

She muttered on, but her hands moved quickly, slicing ginger shreds into a bowl. When the water in the pot boiled, she scooped it into the bowl, and the pungent smell of ginger hit Meng Wan's nose, making his eyes water.

Chang Jinhua washed her hands and set the bowl on the table, "Let it cool a bit, then drink it and go inside. I'm going to bed—I have to get up early to grind tofu."

Meng Wan, feeling pathetic, blew his nose, washed his hands and face, and drank the ginger soup while it was hot. Steaming, he crawled into the bedding. This time, there were no strange noises from next door, but Meng Wan couldn't sleep. The newly heated kang was warm, enveloping him in coziness. He tossed and turned a couple of times, successfully soaking both sides of his pillow with tears.