A Leisurely and Extravagant Life - Chapter 22
Chapter 22: The Little Girl Gathering Pig Grass
At breakfast time, villagers crowded around the pond at Luo Tianwang’s home. For the people of Hemawan, this was too strange to ignore. They had never witnessed such bizarre happenings.
Luo Guangfu stared blankly at the peach and plum trees blooming full of flowers by the pond and muttered, “Truly strange. I’ve lived this long, yet I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Peach blossoms blooming in winter… this must mean something ominous,” Luo Changping said. He glanced toward the Luo household and then quickly walked away.
Other villagers also looked toward Luo Tianwang’s house, their expressions growing complicated. The more they looked, the more uneasy they felt. One after another, they tugged their children away and hurried home.
Someone even brought up that sparrow which had been following Tianwang around for ages, and now, with this incident, it seemed to confirm that something uncanny was tied to him.
Luo Zengcai came to take a look as well. On his way back, he bumped into Liu Songlan.
“Zengcai, you went to Uncle Baolin’s pond. Did you figure anything out? Could it be that Tianwang’s been possessed by a ghost?” Ever since the last incident, Liu Songlan had borne a grudge against Tianwang. She wished nothing more than for misfortune to fall upon him.
“You’re the one possessed—by a lecherous ghost, no less. Secrets never stay hidden, you know. Heh heh!” Luo Zengcai smirked strangely at her, then turned and left.
Liu Songlan froze, unsure whether he was joking or implying something deeper. Her heart grew uneasy.
“Who were you talking to?” Luo Xingquan came out and asked.
“Who else? Of course, I was talking to a wild man!” Liu Songlan snapped at him.
Luo Xingquan dared not say another word and even regretted speaking up at all.
Meanwhile, in Luo Xinghe’s home, Xiao Xia barged in and took her anger out on Luo Jingzhi. “You jinx! It’s so late, and you still haven’t gone to cut pig grass!”
“Auntie… it’s snowing outside,” Jingzhi said timidly.
“And snow means you don’t have to cut pig grass? Do you stop eating just because it’s snowing? Our family doesn’t grow pig grass like others. If you don’t cut it, what are we supposed to feed the pigs with?” Xiao Xia shoved her out the door and threw a bamboo basket after her.
Jingzhi’s clothes were thin, and she trembled in the cold wind. The fields were covered in white—where could she possibly find pig grass?
She blew warm breath into her cupped hands, trying to chase away the numbness, but her fingers were too stiff, and the warmth did little.
Just then, a sparrow flew down, chirping on the bamboo basket on her back. Jingzhi recognized it—it was the same sparrow that always followed Luo Tianwang.
She reached out, wanting to stroke the bird. Her trembling hand, weakly extending from her thin sleeve, moved closer.
To her surprise, the sparrow didn’t dodge but allowed itself to be held. Its warm feathers radiated heat, slowly driving away the chill from her stiff hands.
“If only I had feathers like a bird… I wouldn’t have to fear this bitter winter cold.” She released the sparrow and rubbed her hands together vigorously.
“Hey, Luo Jingzhi! In this snow, where are you going to cut pig grass?” Luo Tianwang came running out of his house.
Jingzhi looked around at the snowy expanse and shook her head blankly. “I don’t know. But if I don’t bring pig grass back, my aunt will beat me to death.”
“Your aunt is truly vicious. Why don’t you go to your own mother? If she came to take you, your uncle and aunt couldn’t stop her.”
Jingzhi nearly burst into tears, biting her lips hard. Silent, tears rolled from her eyes, disappearing into the snow.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought of going to her mother. But word in the village was that her mother had remarried, given birth to two girls, and was ill-treated in her new household—often beaten by her husband. If Jingzhi went there, both mother and daughter would only suffer more.
“Are you cold?” Tianwang asked.
She nodded first, then shook her head.
Tianwang condensed a green character in his hand and tapped it onto her. While it didn’t give her warmth, it removed all her negative states. Jingzhi suddenly felt the biting cold vanish, as though some kind of magic had been cast.
“I must go. If I don’t cut pig grass, I’ll be beaten.” Jingzhi said, reminded of her burden once her body felt better.
“In this weather, where can you even find pig grass?” Tianwang asked.
She shook her head. She didn’t know, maybe she’d try digging through the snow in hopes of finding a patch of grass.
“Wait. I’ll take you somewhere.” Tianwang stopped her.
He led her to the pond. Around it, lush green grass had sprouted, piercing through the snow, forming a carpet of life.
Jingzhi cried out with delight, “Wow! So much pig grass!” She eagerly began pulling it into her basket.
Tianwang helped her, and before long, the basket was full.
When Jingzhi returned with the load, Xiao Xia assumed she had been lazy. “You jinx, did you slack off again?”
“Auntie, I’ve already cut the pig grass,” Jingzhi said.
Xiao Xia didn’t believe her. In this frozen world, how could pig grass be found? She had sent Jingzhi out just to torment her. But when she went outside and saw the basket full of grass, she was stunned. It really was full.
Unable to find a reason to scold further, she only snapped, “Fine. Chop it up, mix it with swill, and feed the pigs. And the dishes are piled high in the kitchen. Do you expect me to tell you everything? Useless girl!”
Jingzhi, long numbed to such scolding, said nothing and went to tackle the endless chores.
***
The twelfth lunar month arrived, and every day felt like preparation for the New Year. Luo Baolin planned to catch a few chickens to sell for holiday supplies. Luo Tianwang went with him to the market.
As soon as they entered, someone called, “Uncle Baolin, Uncle Baolin.”
It was Guiju—Zhao Guiju, Jingzhi’s mother.
“Uncle Baolin, are you here to shop for the New Year?” She smiled, though her expression looked weary.
“Yes. And you too, Guiju?” Baolin asked.
Zhao Guiju glanced around and quietly asked, “Uncle Baolin, do you know how Jingzhi is doing at her uncle’s house?”
“Do you even need to ask? Don’t you know what kind of woman Xiao Xia is?” Baolin shook his head.
“She makes Jingzhi cut pig grass even in the snow. And she beats her at the slightest excuse. Auntie Guiju, why don’t you take her away? She’s suffering so much there!” Tianwang said.
“Child, don’t meddle in grown-up matters,” Baolin quickly hushed him.
“Uncle Baolin, Tianwang is right. I’m no mother at all, letting Jingzhi suffer like this. But my own situation is bad. If she comes to me, I fear she’ll suffer even more.” Zhao Guiju’s tears streamed down like rain.