PCJ – Chapter 91 Golden Autumn

“What did you say?” Without warning, Zhang Enzhong rushed forward and grabbed Zhang Jiaohua’s shoulders. He was so agitated that he exerted great force, causing Zhang Jiaohua to grimace in pain and cry out.

Zhang Youping immediately rushed over and punched Zhang Enzhong, causing blood to trickle from the corner of his mouth. Then he pried Zhang Enzhong’s hands open and shielded his son behind him, pointing at Zhang Enzhong and sternly saying, “Enzhong, now you know, your family’s inability to make tofu has nothing to do with my son. If you continue to cause trouble at my house, I’ll beat you to death!”

Zhang Enzhong wiped the blood from his mouth, but instead smeared it all over his face. Unaware of the pain, he grinned and said, “I’m going to be a father! I’m going to be a father!”

It was only then that everyone realized Zhang Enzhong’s earlier outburst was due to joy. Both he and his wife were in their thirties and had never had children. The villagers had always assumed they were infertile, but unexpectedly, they had conceived this time.

“What are you so happy about? Whose seed do you think it is?” Zhang Youping said irritably.

“Of course, it’s mine. Whose else could it be? Yours?” Zhang Enzhong was in a good mood today and didn’t care about Zhang Youping taking a verbal jab at him.

“Yours, yours. Go back and have a good time with your wife. Don’t let her help you with tofu in the future. If the tofu gets spoiled, and worse, affects the fetus, you’ll regret it.” Zhang Youping realized he had misspoken. If his words caused a rift between Zhang Enzhong and his wife, it would be a big problem. So he quickly changed the subject.

“Yeah, Enzhong, don’t rush to make tofu. Take your wife to the town hospital for a check-up to confirm the pregnancy and ensure her health. Since your wife is pregnant at this age, you need to take extra precautions. Don’t walk there; ask Liu Qianwang for his tractor. It’s safer to ride.” The villagers suggested.

“I think it’s safer to walk to the town.” Someone countered. “Even though the village office has been changed to a government office, we still call it the village office when taking the bus. Liu Qianwang’s tractor is so bumpy; it’s like riding a roller coaster. If something goes wrong, we’ll regret it.”

“Yes, it’s safer to go to the town.”

“Enzhong, you better hurry back. Don’t leave your wife alone at home. She’s just pregnant, and she can’t handle any shocks.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Enzhong ran off.

Zhang Jiaohua tightly held onto the hundred yuan, afraid that Zhang Enzhong might change his mind. Zhang Enzhong was known in the village for being stingy. With a small business at home, he was better off than most villagers. When villagers borrowed rice from him, they often had to give back more than they borrowed. But despite Zhang Enzhong’s frugality, he might still go back on his word. But today, in the midst of his joy, he seemed to have forgotten about the hundred yuan. It remained to be seen whether he would regret it later.

“Son, who should we give the money to?” Liu Qiaoye looked at her son affectionately.

“No, this is money I earned myself.” Zhang Jiaohua held onto the tightly rolled bundle and hid it behind his back.

“Be good and listen to me. Let me keep it for you, save it for the future when we need it for your wife.” Liu Qiaoye reasoned with him.

“I’m not getting a wife anytime soon.” Zhang Jiaohua’s tone was firm.

“If you don’t hand it over to me right now, I’ll spank you until your butt blooms like a flower!” Liu Qiaoye’s eyes narrowed, hands on hips, standing in front of her son like a mother tiger.

Zhang Jiaohua looked to his father for help. Zhang Youping quickly took down the hoe hanging on the wall, “I’m going to check the water in the fields.”

With tears in his eyes, Zhang Jiaohua reluctantly took out the hundred yuan. Liu Qiaoye snatched it away and then hugged him tightly, planting a big kiss on his cheek. “Look how obedient our son is.”

Zhang Jiaohua’s eyes were watery. Children had no rights. There were no more candies, no more sodas, no more sweet buns.

Zuan Shanbao approached, wagging its tail, and rubbed against Zhang Jiaohua’s leg, as if comforting its sorrowful little master.

As if a gust of wind had passed, the rice fields were already golden. The maple leaves in the mountains had turned into a fiery red. In autumn, with its vibrant colors, Meizi Village was even more beautiful. Zuan Shanbao had grown significantly, its bark sounding much more majestic. Zhang Jiaohua also seemed to have grown taller.

With a bamboo basket on his back, Zhang Jiaohua went to meet the great gift from nature to the people of Meizitang.

The chestnut trees required several kids to encircle them, but they didn’t pose a challenge to the kids of Meizi Village. Zhang Jiaohua placed the basket on the ground and hung a machete from his belt. With a leap, he charged towards a chestnut tree, climbing up with hands and feet. He was agile and balanced on the tree, daring to stretch out his hands and walk on branches as thick as adult arms. When he reached the top, the branches started swaying, so Zhang Jiaohua crouched down. Carefully, he took the machete from his waist and selectively cut down branches laden with chestnuts. The trees in the mountains were too tall for the kids, so they had to use this aggressive method to harvest chestnuts.

Zuan Shanbao watched from below, looking at its little master cutting branches. Occasionally, a chestnut would fall and land beside it, which it would then treat as a toy, rolling around joyfully. It played happily.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t intend to cut down an entire chestnut tree. The people of Meizi Village didn’t greedily monopolize nature’s gifts. He only selected a few branches with larger grains. When he had about a basketful, he climbed down from the tree. Climbing down was not easier than climbing up; a misstep could easily lead to a fall. But for the kids who grew up in the mountains, not being able to climb a tree was shameful.

Zuan Shanbao was still playing with the chestnuts. Seeing its little master coming down, it pounced on Zhang Jiaohua’s feet, holding onto them, just to make the little master happy, wagging its tail vigorously.