Lester Liew knew Clara would be returning with silver today, so he'd headed out early to wait by the village entrance, specifically looking for anyone heading to Goldstone Town so he could ask them to buy meat on his behalf.
Sure enough, he managed to bring back ribs and some well-marbled pork belly. That evening, the kitchen filled with the mouthwatering scent of braised dishes, making the children linger anxiously at the door, completely forgetting about their calligraphy practice.
The moment Clara stepped into the house, the savory aroma of meat hit her, lifting her mood instantly.
Lester peeked back from the stove and beamed, "Wife, you're back!"
"The last dish is nearly done. Go wash up, and we'll eat."
Clara leaned toward the main hall, raising an eyebrow. "You really went all out today, huh? That's quite the spread."
On the table sat a pot of slow-braised ribs with jujube and sweet yam, a plate of stir-fried pork belly with green peppers, a dish of crisp pickled radish, and from the kitchen came the bubbling sound of a cabbage and tofu stew in progress.
They hadn't even eaten this well on New Year's Day. Clara clicked her tongue. "Looks like the water mill's been doing pretty well lately."
Ben piped up, quick to explain, "Mama, we've been earning ten copper coins a day for the past couple of weeks! Sometimes people leave behind eggs, vegetables, or even a bowl of freshly milled flour."
Adam added, "No one wants to use the old stone mill in the village anymore. Everyone says ours is better."
That worked out to about three hundred copper coins a month—not bad. Clara hadn't taken a single coin from the earnings, letting Lester use the money for daily expenses.
Seeing the household meals improving day by day, she figured there was no need to skim off any extra for now.
Lester brought out the tofu and cabbage soup and, seeing Clara didn't mention collecting "private money," grinned more sincerely. "Wife, dinner is served."
Clara ushered the four kids to wash up, then helped set out the bowls and chopsticks. Each person had a heaping bowl of white rice. Once she picked up her chopsticks, the kids dove in like a pack of wolves.
All meat—and all well-cooked. The whole family ate with such delight that no one spoke for a long while.
Only when their bellies were mostly full did they start to slow down.
By that point, the dishes on the table were practically licked clean.
Lester was quick with his chopsticks and snatched up the last of the tofu soup, pouring it into his bowl, then tossing in a few slices of pickled radish. The mix was tangy, crisp, and just a little spicy—he sighed in contentment.
With everyone full and satisfied, Clara's lips curled into a faint smile that lingered.
Lester, licking the last spoonful of soup from his bowl, wiped his mouth and asked, "Wife, so the Riverbend Village water mill's all done?"
Clara nodded. Knowing what he was really asking, she cut straight to the point. "Your tuition for the year is covered. Once you finish copying the books by the end of the month, you can return to the academy in Willowridge County Town in early July."
Lester mentally translated that into a number—about five taels of silver. And she'd earned it in less than half a month!
Even if the money wasn't in his hands, it was being spent on him, so he couldn't help but burst into a grin. "Wife, this family's lucky to have you."
Clara gave a wry laugh and told him to cut the flattery. "How many books have you copied?"
"Almost done—just two longer ones left. I'll finish by the end of the month," Lester said with confidence.
The thought of returning to academy life filled him with anticipation.
No more field work. Days spent in the county town. Gathering with old friends. Eating, drinking, enjoying life—what could be better?
Clara saw the glee in his eyes and her smile dimmed slightly.
That night, the summer storm came suddenly. The skies opened up with heavy rain, and the cool winds swept down from the mountains, driving away the summer heat. From the children's room came a faint "Achoo"—someone had caught a chill.
Clara immediately got up and went next door. She opened the storage chest and pulled out the thin blankets, handing them to each child. "Cover your stomachs—don't sleep with your shirts wide open."
The local clinic was basic at best. Minor illnesses could be handled by the village barefoot doctor, but serious ones? You'd be at the mercy of the heavens.
Chad and Deb were fast asleep, wearing only their little vests. They didn't stir at all despite the noise in the room. But as soon as the blankets were laid over them, they instinctively rolled into them, curling up into warm bundles with just their puffy cheeks showing.
Clara couldn't resist pinching one of their cheeks. The little ones mumbled sleepily, smacked their lips, and went right back to dreaming.
Boom!
A clap of thunder rolled across the roof, and the rain came down even harder.
Clara glanced down—those two didn't even flinch.
She truly envied their quality of sleep.
She waved to Adam and Ben, who were awake in the top bunks, signaling them to go back to sleep. Then she quietly closed the doors and windows and returned to her own room, where she lay awake for some time.
She couldn't help worrying whether the thatched roof might leak. She kept opening her eyes to check the ceiling beams. Only when she confirmed the tiles were holding tight did she finally fall asleep to the rhythm of falling rain.
By morning, the rain had lessened, but hadn't stopped.
With the weather like this, there'd be no morning practice. Adam and Ben took the rare chance to sleep in.
Clara, hearing the groans of frustration from farmers below the mountain, told Lester—who was preparing breakfast—that she was heading out. Then she grabbed a rain cloak, donned a bamboo hat, slung a hoe over her shoulder, and headed to the fields.
The dirt paths had turned to muddy streams from the night's downpour. Luckily, Clara wore straw sandals. Otherwise, her shoes would've been soaked through.
The river had risen nearly 20 centimeters. Several acres of farmland near the banks had their dikes breached, letting floodwaters spill into the rice paddies, destroying part of the crop.
Clara sighed along with the other farmers, then rolled up her pant legs, gathered stones and mud, and started repairing the dikes. She also propped up the flattened rice stalks.
Some stalks were beyond saving. Looking at the trampled, waterlogged blossoms—each one that could have become food—Clara felt a sharp pang.
Too much water was a bad thing. Now that the rain had lightened, nearly everyone in the village had come out to dig trenches and drain the fields, breaking the dikes to let the floodwater out.
But those with low-lying paddies near the river were furious. As the dirty water from the uplands poured into their fields, they cursed loudly.
Still, there wasn't much anyone could do. Those with sunken land could only grit their teeth and raise their own dikes.
Clara followed their lead and reinforced her dikes. Just then, a fat field fish came rushing down the irrigation channel—probably from someone else's flooded paddy.
Quick as lightning, she slapped it down with her palm and caught it.
Now the folks with low-lying land were the lucky ones. Meanwhile, the upland farmers started shouting anxiously, "That's my fish! That's my fish!"
"Don't care whose it was—if it ends up in my field, it's mine now!" someone shouted, and everyone burst into laughter.
Clara laughed too. When she saw another fish getting washed down, she quickly stunned the one in her hand, set it aside on the dike, and freed her hands to catch the next.
The commotion drew the children. They swarmed in like bees. At this point, it was impossible to tell whose fish was whose. Everyone had baskets slung over their shoulders, blocking the middle of the channel, snatching fish left and right and stuffing them into their sacks.
Adam and Ben were especially impressive. Both their little baskets were stuffed full.
Chad and Deb didn't dare go into the deeper channel, so they stood at the edge of the field, cheering their brothers on.
In the paddies, it was nothing but laughter, splashes, and the excited shouts of children.
(End of chapter)
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