LAVW – Chapter 87 Scorching Sweet Potatoes

Shi Qian lifted his head again, resting his chin on Xu Guozi’s hand.

“Moo, moo.”

Come on, give us some more science talk.

The more he didn’t hear it, the more he found himself missing it.

Unfortunately, Xu Guozi couldn’t understand what he was saying. Finding him simply adorable, she boldly guided Lin Nanyin’s hand to pet the calf.

“With direct contact like this, a brave and friendly calf is no problem. You see, Qian Niuhua is very gentle. But never get close from behind—they’ll kick backwards.”

The two of them squatted nearby, petting the calf while also watching Zhao Kang being scolded.

Chen Niu, who had just finished his turn as “hero,” rubbed away the marks on his hand, under the startled or fearful gazes of the others.

His eyes drifted over and landed on Qian Niuhua held by Xu Guozi. At the moment, the calf was docile to the extreme, showing not the slightest intention of lifting its hooves.

Unconsciously, his gaze shifted to the side.

Lin Nanyin seemed to notice his stare and looked up.

But when she saw Chen Niu wiping bloodstains from his hand, she couldn’t help but feel afraid.

The man was too fierce.

His clothes were a little messy, his body emanating a heat not belonging to autumn, left over from the fight just now.

On his wheat-colored, healthy face, blood surged hot, adding a few shades of wild, untamed boldness to his naturally striking looks.

Below those strong arms were the big hands that had just been used to beat someone. Lin Nanyin didn’t even dare to look at them closely.

Sensing Lin Nanyin inching a little closer to him, Shi Qian turned his head to look.

Catching sight of her gaze—one of cautious avoidance and occasional stolen glances—he suddenly found it amusing.

“Moo, moo.”

Shi Qian tilted his head again, this time resting it on Lin Nanyin’s hand.

Startling her for a moment, but seeing Qian Niuhua’s docility, her fear quickly subsided. She reached out with her fingers to scratch the calf’s itchy spot.

Then Shi Qian secretly winked at Chen Niu.

“Moo~ moo~”

Still not coming over?

But Chen Niu, still feeling drenched in sweat and sticky, had no thought of seizing the chance to get close. He only took two steps forward and instructed the calf:

“Qian Niuhua, behave yourself.”

If the calf really started acting up, people wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Two hundred jin of weight, plus the force of a charge—only someone like Chen Niu could control that.

It was only because Qian Niuhua was now behaving like a “sensible child” that Chen Niu dared to leave it unattended.

Shi Qian: …

Hopeless.

One pulled up a peach tree for no reason, and this one ignored such a perfect chance. Long Ye not caring was one thing, but how could Chen Niu be this clueless?

Xu Guozi spoke up for the calf:

“Qian Niuhua’s really well-behaved, isn’t it? I think it’s very clever—it knows who’s good and who’s bad.”

Her words carried a pointed meaning, and as she said them, she shot a glare at Zhao Kang. The implication couldn’t be clearer.

Hearing this, Zhao Kang’s gaze flicked over, sweeping with venom across both the calf and Chen Niu.

His eyes still carried lingering resentment.

He had meant well, feeding that cow a pear.

Who would’ve thought the whole thing would blow up because of one greedy animal? If only he hadn’t given it that pear—

Hatred and regret simmered in Zhao Kang’s heart.

Others, curious after hearing this, asked a few questions. Then someone, nobody knew who, carried on in the spirit of storytelling:

“No wonder that night the calf wanted to run outside—it must have sensed something was wrong.”

Back then, Da Huang had also been very clever—during the famine, it ran into the mountains, wasn’t eaten by tigers or wolves, and still managed to come out alive.

The storyteller mentioned it casually—it was something from a decade ago—but it stirred up a lot of memories.

But then, with a turn of conversation, they went back to grieving over how Zhao Kang had gone astray, lamenting his absent parents.

This incident was far too serious. For the captain of the security team to do such a thing—if it wasn’t dealt with strictly, the security team would have no place in this area anymore.

Most likely, Zhao Kang would have to leave this land for a long time, and head to those so-called harsher places for “reform through labor.”

While people were still talking, Xu Youguang quickly arranged the follow-up.

The ox carts that could be used to send people were busy—villagers still had to go to work in the afternoon. So, they sent someone to notify the public security bureau to come take him away.

He also sent for the production team leader to serve as a witness.

Once everything was set, Xu Youguang raised his voice: “Alright, everyone knows what happened now. Send him to the public security bureau and let them decide how to handle it.”

“When there’s a result, I’ll let everyone know. Then you’ll all see what happens when someone does wrong.”

This was a warning to the others—not to follow such a bad example.

Immediately someone chimed in: “Secretary, who would deliberately go around doing bad things?”

“I’m not saying anyone will, but you can’t stop some people from trying,” Xu Youguang replied. Then, remembering the autumn harvest, he added, “Alright, enough, everyone disperse. Don’t be late for work this afternoon.”

The crowd scattered noisily.

“Back to work again.”

“Come on, I left my meal halfway.”

“Going home to rest a bit first.”

Chen Niu could finally head home too. He still had work in the afternoon, but reluctant as he was, he looked back a few more times before leading the calf home.

Shi Qian dodged away from Chen Niu’s hand trying to pat his rump, and trotted off ahead on his own.

After going back and forth a few times, he could already remember the way.

Passing by people’s houses, the children who had finished eating peeked out—timid ones just staring, bolder ones even daring to ask Chen Niu if they could touch the calf.

Though Chen Niu looked hard to approach, his temper was actually quite good.

Shi Qian saw him oblige one household, and when he was about to oblige another set of kids, the calf unhappily ran straight home.

Did you ask for my consent first?

Seeing the calf bolt, the kids were even more delighted, giggling and shouting,

“Qian Niuhua!”

“Go home and eat!”

“If you’re late, there’ll be nothing left!”

The adults, however, didn’t have the energy for such play. They just sat quietly, trying to save up some strength for the afternoon work.

Shi Qian ran straight back home, but didn’t see the old lady outside.

Chen Niu glanced at the sun. “She’s probably flipping the grain.”

Turning it over under the sun, airing it out—this way the grain would dry faster.

Harvesting the crops wasn’t enough to set minds at ease. Not until the grain was stored, public rations handed in, and the rest divided could people finally feel secure.

Shi Qian also wanted to look at the sun, but his neck wasn’t high enough.

Cows couldn’t raise their necks that easily. Even though his body had changed a little, he couldn’t go against basic biology.

“Moo~ moo~”

Time to rest.

Shi Qian walked into the room first.

Behind him, Chen Niu: …

That’s supposed to be his room—so why does it look more like a second cowshed now?

But once inside, he still lay down on the hay pile with the calf.

Sighing, he muttered, “Why didn’t I wipe off before coming back… sigh…”

“I didn’t stink her up, did I?”

Shi Qian stomped his hoof on him. “Moo moo!”

Maybe you didn’t stink up Lin Nanyin, but you definitely stunk up me!

Chen Niu wasn’t much hurt. He just turned his back and said, “The threshing machine’s too low, it’s killing my back. Step on it for me—lightly.”

Shi Qian: ?

Still, since he wanted to stomp anyway, he agreed to play “massage cow.”

It was fun stepping on him, but he misjudged the strength. Chen Niu hissed in pain and gave up, saying, “Okay okay, thanks, that’s enough.”

“Moo.”

Shi Qian smacked his butt once more, then lay down to ruminate.

A cow has four stomachs. The first, the rumen, works like a storage tank. The grass eaten gets regurgitated and sent into the second stomach—the reticulum.

The reticulum, just as its name suggests, acts like a sieve. Grass that doesn’t pass gets sent back to the mouth for more chewing.

After being chewed again, if the grass “passed the exam,” it would go to the third stomach, the omasum—the grinding chamber—where it was broken down further before being sent into the fourth stomach, the abomasum.

The abomasum, wrinkled and folded, turned grass into protein, allowing cows to grow flesh from eating only grass.

Put simply—it was tripe, honeycomb tripe, omasum, and other kinds of beef stomachs people eat.

Shi Qian quickly stopped thinking about it, or else his stomach would hurt.

Poor him—he had nothing but grass in his mouth, not even an extra bite of vegetables.

And what a pity about that big pear earlier. If only he’d eaten the fruit first and then used the core to hit Zhao Kang!

Chewing and chewing, Shi Qian even dozed off for a bit.

When he woke up and grazed some more, Chen Niu had to leave for work again.

This time Shi Qian didn’t follow. Instead, he wandered over to the old lady’s side, carrying his rope in his mouth.

Chen Niu thought about it. The drying field was crowded now, and since the calf could control itself, he led it over to the drying yard.

The moment the calf appeared, a group of old grannies and aunties—mixed with a few old men and frail uncles—lit up with excitement.

“Leave the Qian Niuhua over here? Yes, yes, put him here.”

“We’ll help keep watch, no way we’ll leave your grandma alone to do it. Don’t worry, Chen Niu.”

Zhang Peyue had her hat string hanging around her neck, the hat dangling down her back. Sitting on a stool, she said, “Put him here. You go get busy.”

“Alright, thanks Aunt Hua, Second Auntie Li…” Chen Niu thanked them and tied the calf to a tree at the side.

He made sure the distance was just right, so it couldn’t reach the drying yard.

That kind of awareness had already become second nature.

Shi Qian snuggled up to the old lady and mooed to Chen Niu: “Moo moo.”

Go, go.

Only after the person left did Shi Qian feel there was something lively to listen to.

With this kind of setup, the grain-drying field was basically the village’s CBD.

Sure enough, once Chen Niu left, the crowd began to branch out from the topic of “Niu,” starting with the real cow, Shi Qian, then spreading wider, moving on to this noon’s shocking news, and condemning the shameless hooligan.

Shi Qian and Zhang Peyue were the quietest. One sat there, feeding the cow with the handfuls of grass she had pulled from the roadside earlier that morning.

Qian Niuhua munched on the grass while perking its ears up to listen to the gossip.

After Zhang Peyue finished feeding, she reached out to cover the calf’s ears, only for Shi Qian to shake his head and flick her hand away.

Then Shi Qian met a pair of eyes that saw right through everything. He tilted his head and rubbed against her hand, trying to cover up his eagerness to listen to gossip.

He was just a cow now—he couldn’t look too sociable.

After the scolding of the hooligan, the topic shifted to another “Niu.”

An old lady asked Zhang Peyue: “Big Sister Chen, what does your Chen Niu think about that educated youth Lin? Doesn’t look like the girl’s interested.”

“No matter which girl it is, a one-sided obsession isn’t going to work.”

“Why don’t you talk to him, let him consider other girls? I’ve got someone here who’s got an eye on your Chen Niu!” Someone even wanted to play matchmaker.

Shi Qian: He’s doomed.

Given how deep Chen Niu was in already, Shi Qian suspected Chen Niu had evolved from a cannon-fodder type into one of those tragic supporting characters suffering from severe unrequited love.

But when it came to feelings… Shi Qian didn’t really understand either.

He still needed to study more.

Qian Niuhua turned his head away, pretending not to listen, but actually paying close attention.

Zhang Peyue said calmly, “As long as he doesn’t turn out like Zhao Kang, the rest is up to him.”

Then it was the uncles’ turn to voice their opinions from experience:

“That’s right, if you’ve got what it takes, you can win the girl over!”

“Hmph, you need to be smooth with words for that.”

“Being good at hard work works too. I think Chen Niu’s got an advantage—capable, willing, a real hand at farming.”

“He can climb mountains, cross rivers, herd and raise cattle. Chen Niu doesn’t look half-bad either.”

“But those city girls, always reading books all day, maybe they won’t like someone like him.”

An aunt pointed out the key: “What’s the use of being good? You’ve got to show it! Chen Niu never shows anything—no matter how many good traits he has, if he hides them at home, who’s going to know?”

“Exactly. He got pushed away once and doesn’t even know to keep going. Grew up this big for nothing!”

The debate heated up: “If she doesn’t like him, it’s useless no matter what!”

Shi Qian: They all have a point.

Good thing he wasn’t human.

This problem was too hard. It sounded like every option could work, and also couldn’t.

After a while, new grain was delivered.

Everyone had to get busy, and Shi Qian watched the crowd spread rice over the big bamboo mats.

The freshly harvested rice was a deeper yellow, the ones drying for half a day were lighter, and those that had been sunbathing the longest gleamed golden in the sunlight.

Looking from near to far, the color shifted layer by layer, lighter and brighter, more beautiful than any oil painting—full of the colors of life and labor.

Dust and husk particles floated in the air, so everyone had a cloth tied over their noses while working.

Shi Qian surveyed the scene, then started watching Zhang Peyue nervously.

With her bad legs, how was the old lady supposed to manage?

Then he saw her lift her right-hand cane and attach a thin flat board to its bottom.

She actually turned the cane into a tool, pushing and spreading the rice little by little.

Awesome!

The thinner the rice layer, the quicker it dried. But the bamboo mats were limited, so the goal was to spread it as evenly as possible—fast and smooth required a bit of skill.

Shi Qian watched. The old lady was slower than the fastest group, but not lagging too far behind.

That wasn’t because the others were slow—it was because she was actually good at the work, fully deserving of every work point she earned.

Shi Qian stood up in excitement and mooed at her: “Moo moo!”

Grandma, you’ve got this!

Zhang Peyue looked over, and so did the others. They laughed with envy: “Wow, even the calf recognizes its people—it doesn’t moo at us.”

Shi Qian quickly switched to equal-opportunity encouragement, mooing twice at each person.

Fair treatment for men, women, young, and old—everyone got a cheer.

For a moment, the sunlit drying ground brimmed with laughter.

Meanwhile, people from the Public Security Bureau arrived.

It was Zhao Kang’s mentor, an older policeman with graying hair.

He came riding a bicycle. The moment he saw Zhao Kang, he pulled out an old pair of handcuffs and clicked them shut on him.

Zhao Kang didn’t dare lift his head. Xu Youguang and the others held onto him tightly, and when Zhao Kang’s parents rushed back upon hearing the news, they cried and begged. The old policeman was so furious that only by force of will did he keep himself from striking Zhao Kang.

“Well, aren’t you impressive, Zhao Kang! Off to the station you go.”

His finger jabbed at Zhao Kang’s chest as he spoke, face flushed purple with anger.

He also retied the rope Xu Youguang used, adjusting it so they could secure Zhao Kang to the back seat of the bicycle.

Zhao Kang’s parents kept begging, crying, “Master Qin! Xiaokang still has a head injury. Can’t you take him to see a doctor first?”

But Zhao Kang’s wound had already been bandaged simply.

To Zhao Kang, though, the wound on his leg hurt far worse than the one on his head.

As they dragged him out, he didn’t even dare put weight on his injured leg.

The old policeman scowled: “Should I treat him to another day at the state-run restaurant too? Don’t hinder my casework.”

Xu Youguang blocked Zhao Kang’s parents again, keeping them occupied.

The old policeman finished his report, then took Zhao Kang back to the station. In just a few days, the results would be out.

After Zhao Kang was taken away, his parents tried to pull Lin Nanyin over to plead with her, but Xu Youguang immediately took the two girls and left.

Once they were out of the Zhao house, Xu Youguang said to Lin Nanyin: “Comrade Lin, don’t go soft just because they begged you. Do what you think is right.”

“From now on, you’ll stay with Guozi. I’ll also arrange for the other female educated youth later. Can’t let you girls keep living alone—it’s not safe.”

“Thank you, Secretary.” Though Lin Nanyin was far from home, she suddenly felt protected, and was deeply moved.

Seeing her eyes turn red, Xu Guozi quickly said, “Hey, don’t cry, okay? I’ve already run out of handkerchiefs.”

Lin Nanyin laughed again.

The two girls were soon chatting and laughing together. Up ahead, Xu Youguang was still replaying the day’s events in his mind, and he muttered to himself with a sigh, “Chen Niu’s shoulders are really something. No wonder the security team was quarreling over whether to recruit him last time.”

“Dad, you’re talking to yourself again!” Xu Guozi called out.

“What did I say?”

“You said Chen Niu has good shoulders. He’s not a pig or a cow—why are you going on about his shoulders?”

“I meant he’s built well. Look how broad those shoulders are. Give him another two years, and he’ll be able to lift four or five hundred jin easily.” To Xu Youguang, that was the most manly quality of all.

Hearing this, Xu Guozi turned to Lin Nanyin and said, “Chen Niu’s only in his early twenties, right? He’s been tall since he was a kid. My brother was always jealous of him.”

Xu Youguang thought silently: Your dad’s jealous too.

But at his age, he couldn’t say that aloud.

Lin Nanyin said, “I thought he was twenty-four or twenty-five. But how come he didn’t get selected?”

Xu Guozi lowered her voice. “I heard it was because someone reported him, so he got filtered out.”

That was a topic best left untouched. Xu Youguang shot his daughter a look, signaling her to change the subject.

Meanwhile, in the nearby outhouse, middle-aged Chen Erjun, tying his belt, was deep in thought.

By mid-afternoon, the drying yard was busy with gathering the grain.

With a shake of the bamboo frame, the rice fell neatly into the center—so much less effort that way.

The young strong men, having rinsed the mud from their hands and feet at the river, came to help carry the grain into the warehouse.

Chen Niu was among them, with a few friends by his side.

Once the grain was collected, everyone headed home.

At the Chen household, they didn’t cook right away. First, they boiled water, washed up, and only then talked about dinner.

Once the water was ready, Chen Niu carried it into the grass hut for the old lady’s bath. Then he came back to start cooking—washing vegetables, tending the fire, and simmering another pot of hot water.

Shi Qian stood nearby: “Moo moo.”

So capable.

Then Chen Niu plucked a vegetable to tease the calf with.

Shi Qian ignored him, so Chen Niu just ate it himself.

When the old lady finished her bath, Chen Niu quickly washed himself with warm water and then came out to eat.

No fish tonight, so Shi Qian wasn’t tempted.

He counted: Chen Niu ate a huge bowl of sweet potato rice. Quite the appetite. The old lady too had a good amount—probably tired herself out.

At this rate, would their grain even last?

Holding his bowl, Chen Niu chuckled, “You don’t run off when there’s no fish, huh?”

“Moo moo,” said Shi Qian.

I’m already worried about how much you eat.

The old lady finished first, then called the calf over, wanting to feed him half a sweet potato.

Shi Qian shook his head: “Moo moo.”

No, you eat it.

Zhang Peyue stroked the calf’s head. “I’m full already. Besides, eating too many sweet potatoes gives you heartburn.”

Chen Niu noticed how much gentler his grandmother seemed at that moment.

Hearing the word heartburn, Shi Qian recalled that it was caused by indigestion—acid reflux rising into the chest, making it feel like it’s burning.

Not pleasant at all.

“Moo moo.”

Thank you, Grandma.

Shi Qian nudged Zhang Peyue’s hand toward Chen Niu.

Better give it to him.

He looked like he could eat two more bowls.

Seeing this, Chen Niu paused mid-bite, his thin cheeks bulging with rice.

When he didn’t respond, Shi Qian picked up the sweet potato from the old lady’s hand, pretending to deliver it to Chen Niu.

“Don’t! Qian Niuhua, you eat it,” Chen Niu blurted.

Shi Qian thought: I already bit it, of course I’ll eat it.

But your slow reaction makes me want to tease you.

Shi Qian deliberately tried to feed him, and Chen Niu had no choice but to stand up with his bowl to eat.

Then Qian Niuhua gobbled the sweet potato in two bites and trotted back to the old lady.

“Moo moo.”

Grandma, don’t feed me sweet potatoes next time.

Shaking his head over the bowl, Shi Qian did his best to express himself.

Zhang Peyue smiled, stroking his head. “As long as you like it, I’ll save you one every meal. Do you prefer it raw instead?”

Meanwhile, the one standing and eating didn’t get a word addressed to him.

Without Shi Qian, grandmother and grandson might have gone the whole evening without speaking, leaving the house in eerie silence.

After the meal, Chen Niu quickly tidied up.

Tonight, the old lady didn’t retreat to her room right away. She lingered in the yard, watching the little calf wander about, before finally heading inside to rest.

As the last light faded, Chen Niu pulled a small red-covered book from the drawer under the table, along with two other books, a notebook, and ink with a fountain pen.

The pen looked old, the brand unrecognizable. The ink bottle had no label.

But when Chen Niu wrote his first character in neat standard script, Shi Qian couldn’t help exclaiming inwardly.

Because it was beautiful handwriting—clearly practiced.

Chen Niu tried a few words, then whispered to the calf, “Educated Youth Lin really likes reading.”

Shi Qian glanced at the cover, puzzled: ?

Maybe it wasn’t a regular book.

Then Chen Niu began copying out In Memory of Norman Bethune in full: “…A person’s ability may be small or great, but so long as he has this spirit, he is a noble person, a pure person…a person who benefits the people.”

Shi Qian thought: I was being narrow-minded.

In this era, a book like this truly carried a different kind of power.

It seemed Chen Niu felt he had some duty to “educate the child.” After finishing, he even told the calf Bethune’s story, reciting the words aloud.

Chen Niu was so focused that Shi Qian felt if he could actually speak human words, Chen Niu might have even tested him.

Unfortunately, just as Chen Niu was quietly reciting, a knock on the door interrupted him.

When Chen Niu opened the door, he saw his second uncle standing there, which made his brows furrow.

Chen Erjun had a trace of anger on his face. He grabbed Chen Niu’s arm, first sneaking a look around the yard like a thief, even making eye contact with Qian Niuhua behind him.

Only when he didn’t see the old lady did Chen Erjun lower his voice and say, “Niu’er, your second uncle has something to talk to you about!”

Shi Qian happened to be walking out behind Chen Niu, and halfway through his “Moo—” he choked.

Niu’er, Niu’er… that wasn’t calling him!

Shi Qian lifted his head and looked at Chen Niu.

Chen Niu glanced at his second uncle, then at the innocent-faced calf: “…He wasn’t calling you.”

Shi Qian: “Moo moo.”

Got it. I’ll just listen to your conversation then.

The middle-aged man looked awfully guilty, as if terrified the old lady at home would discover him. But since he was calling himself second uncle—was he one of those unfilial sons driven out by the old lady? Or was he from an earlier branch of the family?

Yet his closeness with Chen Niu felt odd.

Qian Niuhua perked up both ears. This was the critical moment to dig deeper into the Chen family’s relationships!

Chen Niu, reluctant, was pulled outside.

Shi Qian hadn’t expected that as soon as the man opened his mouth, it would be extraordinary.

“Actually, you were chosen by the security team last time! But someone reported you, so you got knocked out.”