Zheng’s mother turned her head, and saw that Zheng’s father was also looking at her.

With so many eyes on her at once, she couldn’t help letting out a small sigh. “Why are you all looking at me like that? It’s Shu Shi who’s finding a wife.”

The eldest sister-in-law quickly said, “Mother, you’re the one who holds the final say in this household. Of course we’d look to you.”

Zheng’s father cleared his throat softly beside her, putting on the air of the family head — but his gaze kept sneaking sideways toward his wife.

“The way you’re all talking — when Shu Shi finds a wife, it’s naturally for Shu Shi himself to decide.” Zheng’s mother looked over at her youngest son. “Isn’t that right, Shu Shi?”

Zheng Yun smiled and gave a proper, respectful bow. “Thank you, Mother.”

“You child.” Zheng’s mother’s eyes grew moist as she spoke, and she stepped forward to take hold of Zheng Yun’s hands. Tears shimmering in her eyes, she said: “You left Taohua Village when you were fourteen and made your own way in the world. Your two brothers were here, and I watched them grow up — they never had to suffer the way you did. The person I feel I’ve failed most is you. So whatever decision you make, I will support you. Miss Ling is a good young woman. Don’t you worry — I’m not afraid of what people might say. I believe that people’s true character is revealed over time. Besides, you’ll be going back to Shun Cheng eventually. Who in this village is going to keep talking about you? Miss Ling left because she was afraid you and your family would be subjected to gossip and criticism — she was thinking of you with her whole heart. Am I really the kind of woman who would have no sense in a moment like this?”

Zheng Yun heard that, and opened his arms to hold his mother close. “Thank you, Mother.”

“Foolish child. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. Nothing else is worth worrying about.”

“That’s right, Shu Shi — Mother just wants you to live well and be happy. We all support you.”

“Shu Shi, you’d better treat Miss Ling well.”

Zheng’s father, who had said nothing until now, spoke up with his characteristic air of authority. “What are you planning to do — hold the wedding in Shun Cheng, or have the ceremony here in the village first?”

Zheng Yun said, “For this, I’ll need the help of my sisters-in-law.”

~

Outside, Ling’ai was playing with Xiao Xing, but her thoughts were in the courtyard inside. She had no idea what Zheng Yun was saying to his family — whether they would accept the situation, given that she had been married before, and not to an ordinary man at that.

“Sister, will you become my little aunt?” Xiao Xing blinked up at her with wide, guileless eyes.

Ling’ai shook herself from her thoughts, smiling as she asked, “What makes you say that?”

“I think Little Uncle likes you. He came all this way back just to find you, and he’s a very busy man — he barely comes back once a year.”

Ling’ai let out a small laugh. “You’re such a sharp little thing. How old are you, and you’ve already figured all that out?”

“I secretly listened to Mother and Second Aunt talking this morning,” Xiao Xing said, blinking with a conspiratorial air. “They said you were going to be my little aunt.”

Ling’ai ruffled the top of his head and said nothing.

“Little Uncle!” Xiao Xing suddenly jumped up and ran past Ling’ai toward someone behind her. “Little Uncle, come teach me a few moves! I can’t figure out how to counter Second Uncle’s technique. That move he did last time was too ruthless — I’ve been thinking about it for ages and still can’t work it out.”

Ling’ai saw that Zheng Yun had come out, and looked at him with barely concealed nervousness. Zheng Yun met her eyes with a reassuring look, then turned to Xiao Xing. “Which move? Show me.”

Xiao Xing set his feet and began to run through it with great seriousness.

“Simple enough,” Zheng Yun said, gesturing with ease. “You just need to counter it like this.”

“Little Uncle, slow down — I didn’t catch it.”

Zheng Yun slowed his movements and demonstrated it twice more.

As Ling’ai watched him patiently teaching Xiao Xing, her thoughts drifted. If he became a father, she thought, he would surely be a wonderful one — patient, capable, the kind of man who would raise a child to be truly excellent.

“What are you thinking about?” A voice suddenly appeared right in front of her, and Ling’ai startled. The heat rushed to her face in an instant.

“Nothing. I wasn’t thinking about anything.” She bit her lip lightly, inwardly mortified. When had she started letting her imagination run away with her like that?

Xiao Xing was busy working through the technique Zheng Yun had shown him and wasn’t looking their way.

So Zheng Yun reached out and flicked a finger lightly across her cheek. “Nothing at all — and yet your face goes red like this? Were you thinking about me?”

Ling’ai raised her eyes and shot him a reproachful look. “Excuse me — do you have to be quite so shameless?”

“Was I right?” Zheng Yun smiled, that deep, warm smile, with a brightness in his eyes. “There it goes again. Red again.”

“Zheng Shu Shi.” Ling’ai couldn’t help landing a light punch on his shoulder. “Stop flattering yourself.”

He just smiled, his lips curving into a fine, pleasant line, and said nothing more — only looked at her with quiet amusement.

“What are you smiling at?” Ling’ai felt unsettled by his gaze. “Don’t look at me like that. It makes me uneasy.”

Ling’ai glanced first at Xiao Xing, saw he was still deep in practice, then lowered her voice to ask: “Did you speak with the family?”

“Speak about what?” Zheng Yun feigned innocence.

Ling’ai knew he was doing it on purpose. She ground her teeth quietly. “Zheng Shu Shi, were you spending so much time with Bai Jin that you picked up all his cheekiness?”

“Ling’ai,” Zheng Yun said, setting aside the teasing, his voice now entirely sincere. “I’ll handle all of this. You only need to stay close and be good.”

“But…”

Zheng Yun’s long finger pressed gently against her lips, cutting off whatever she’d been about to say. “Trust me.”

Ling’ai looked at him — looked all the way into the depths of those dark eyes, all the way through to his heart. Whatever the moment, he was always like this: steady and dependable, the kind of presence that made her feel safe.

She remembered Yan Qing saying once that every time she was with Shi Ting, she felt as if even if the sky fell in, she wouldn’t have to be afraid.

And now, she felt the same. It came from somewhere deep inside, and it was a remarkable thing.

“Those herbs you brought back — your sisters-in-law would like to help process them.”

The eldest and second sisters-in-law spotted Ling’ai and immediately pulled her over to sit with them.

When they spoke with her, there was nothing strange or different in their manner — it was as though nothing at all had happened.

She knew both of Zheng’s brothers were entirely straightforward men, and that these two sisters-in-law were equally warm-hearted and direct. From oldest to youngest, not a single member of the Zheng family was difficult to love.

The women sat together and sorted through the medicinal herbs. Many hands made light work, and before long the stems had been cleaned and sorted without a single one left behind.

While Ling’ai stayed inside with the two sisters-in-law processing the herbs, Zheng Yun took advantage of his rare time at home to go out and help in the peach orchard.

Life in the small mountain village moved at a quiet, unhurried pace. Ling’ai found herself thinking that when she was old, she might like to come and live somewhere like this. They could plant their own peach trees, keep some chickens and ducks and a small dog in the courtyard.

As lovely as the thought was, the world outside was unsettled, with conflict spreading in all directions. Whether the peace that existed now could last, no one could say. All one could do was treasure each day without war and live it fully.

That evening, Ling’ai applied the medicinal ointment she had prepared to Zheng’s father’s leg.

Zheng’s father had suffered from a chronic leg ailment for many years and was in constant misery from it. Unfortunately, the available medical resources in the village were limited — there was only Dr. Sun, whose medical knowledge had been passed down through generations of his family. His great-grandfather had been a renowned physician, but by his generation, it had narrowed to little more than the ability to dispense ordinary remedies.

By the time evening came and everyone retired for the night, Ling’ai hadn’t noticed any change in how the Zheng family treated her. Their warmth toward her was exactly the same as it had been the day she first arrived in Taohua Village — not a moment of discomfort had passed between them.

The eldest sister-in-law called Ling’ai to come sleep in her room, while the eldest brother went to share with the second brother, and the second sister-in-law came to join them on the wide kang bed.

Lying in the warmth of the blankets that night, both the eldest and second sisters-in-law were full of curiosity about Shun Cheng and kept asking her one question after another.

Ling’ai answered every one of them patiently, telling them about all the wonderful things to eat and do in Shun Cheng.

“What’s a film?” the second sister-in-law asked curiously.

“A film is images you can watch on a screen — real people acting, and they move and speak.”

The second sister-in-law and the eldest sister-in-law both looked thoroughly enchanted by the thought.

Ling’ai said, “Whenever the time comes, the two of you should come to Shun Cheng. I’ll take you to see everything there is to see.”

Getting out of the mountains was no small undertaking. The farthest most of the villagers had ever traveled was to the nearest town.

Though neither of them knew when they might ever make it out of the valley to see the great city for themselves, both of them wore expressions of yearning and wonder.

The next morning, the roosters crowed, and the whole Zheng household was up.

The eldest and second sisters-in-law went to help prepare breakfast. Once the meal was done, the men headed out to work in the peach orchard, and the women kept busy too — either lending a hand there or attending to other small tasks at home.

Ling’ai continued working on her medicinal herbs, sorting the plants she had gathered into several carefully wrapped packets to make it easy for Zheng’s father to use each day.

Dr. Sun, for his part, came over with great enthusiasm to learn from her, declaring his intention to promote her methods throughout the whole community.

Three days passed in this quiet, ordinary way, and then Xiao Xing came running to find Ling’ai.

“Sister, come with me to catch rabbits!”

Remembering the lesson of her last misadventure on the mountain, Ling’ai hesitated. “Did your Little Uncle say it was alright?”

“He did.” Xiao Xing thumped his chest with confident assurance. “Little Uncle said it’s fine as long as we don’t go up the mountain — just the stand of trees by the fields. Perfectly safe.”

Ling’ai thought it over. If Zheng Yun had approved, it was probably fine. And besides, apart from making medicine, she wanted to do something more to help the Zheng family. If they could catch a rabbit and add a little variety to the meals, that was no bad thing.

So Ling’ai and Xiao Xing set out with their gear, both of them in high spirits, heading to the stand of trees at the edge of the fields.

Xiao Xing was only seven years old, but he had grown up scrambling through forests and fields, and he knew the terrain here as well as he knew his own hands.

Ling’ai had never caught a rabbit before, and she was quite caught up in the excitement as she followed behind him.

“I set some rabbit traps out ahead,” Xiao Xing said. “It’s been two days — I wonder if there’s anything caught.”

Once they were in among the trees, they searched one way and then another, and without noticing, the sun had slipped well past noon.

With dusk approaching, Ling’ai grew nervous about foxes and wolves and urged Xiao Xing to head back.

But Xiao Xing insisted on catching just one more and dragged Ling’ai deeper into the trees.

After some effort, they managed to catch two rabbits. The two of them each held one and walked back toward the village in high spirits — until, just as they reached the village entrance, Ling’ai stopped in her tracks.