TIPS – Chapter 136

“Alright, enough with the nonsense,” Yang Shi quickly went to the small kitchen and fetched a wooden bucket, then instructed Shen Dongming, “Go fetch some water, we need to make lunch.” She turned to Pei Hongxuan and Wu Xi, who had just arrived, and said, “You’ve worked hard today, don’t bother cooking for yourselves—just eat here with me.”

Pei Hongxuan and Wu Xi gratefully said, “Thank you, Auntie.” Both men had carried children on their backs, and Yang Shi understood their exhaustion.

Song Jingwei smiled and walked into the house with the old Master Yuan, saying, “The house originally took up a large area, and this natural stone cave has been divided into several rooms. Take a look—see which one you like?”

It was Yuan Jinyun’s first visit, and he looked around with great interest. He loved unique and curious places like this. He chuckled, “This is a wonderful place. I quite like all of them.”

“But you can only pick one.”

“Of course,” Yuan Jinyun said with a chuckle and pointed to his choice. “I’ll take this one.” The old man was quite tactful—clearly, most of the other rooms were already assigned, and only two were really left for him to choose from. Of course, he knew that if he had insisted on another room, Song Jingwei would likely have rearranged things for him, but there was no need for that—the rest were fine too.

“Mm, it’s a bit rough on the mountain. If you need anything, let me know and I’ll see what I can find.” They had moved a lot of supplies up the mountain and dumped them in a corner, but hadn’t yet organized them.

“A bed and a table will be enough,” Yuan Jinyun said. The small room already had a bed, a table, a chair, and a cabinet—quite decent, really.

“Alright. If you want to rest, go ahead. We’ll call you when it’s time to eat,” Song Jingwei said, knowing that the old man must be tired after hiking all this way.

After settling him in, Song Jingwei stepped outside and saw Shen Junxi still carrying Benben on his back, seemingly waiting for him. He smiled and asked, “Why don’t you put him down? Aren’t you tired?”

Shen Junxi shook his head and smiled while gesturing: “He’s asleep.”

Song Jingwei nodded and spoke softly, “Let’s go inside. I’ll help you lay him down so he can keep sleeping.”

The two of them went back inside. Only then did Song Jingwei realize that this room had been prepared for them—it was spacious, comfortable, and had more furnishings than the others. Looking up at the cracks above that let in light, he frowned and said, “Won’t it leak when it rains?”

Shen Junxi waved his hand and gestured: “The stones are stacked in layers, and there’s still more above. It won’t leak.” But it would let in wind, that part was true, which is why they had prepared a lot of charcoal.

“Mother’s probably burning charcoal right now. Later, bring some over—also take a brazier to the old man’s room,” Song Jingwei said. In weather this cold, without charcoal, there was no way to stay warm.

“Okay.” Shen Junxi nodded, and the two of them worked together to gently lay Benben down.

Song Jingwei reached out to feel the bedding—it was freezing. He said, “You hold him for now. I’ll be right back.” He quickly fetched all the hand warmers they had prepared and headed to the small kitchen.

Yang Shi was burning charcoal in a big copper basin. Seeing him come in with his arms full of hand warmers, she immediately said, “Here, let me help you load them up.”

“Thanks,” Song Jingwei replied. The two of them worked together and filled five or six warmers with glowing red charcoal.

Song Jingwei carried two at a time—first bringing two to the old Master Yuan, then placing two in their own room, and leaving the remaining two in Yang Shi’s room to use while sleeping. The rest could be used as needed.

“It’s really cold today,” Yang Shi said, warming herself at the brazier. Her hands were red from the cold after just touching water.

“Is Dad still fetching water?” Song Jingwei helped out in the small kitchen, taking out some pickled cabbage from the jar and slicing it on the cutting board.

“Yeah, a lot of people are fetching water. There’s a line to wait.” Yang Shi brought out a slab of cured meat—pickled cabbage tasted best when stir-fried with meat. She said worriedly, “That spring is so small, I’m always afraid it won’t be enough.”

While slicing, Song Jingwei said, “That’s not the only spring nearby—just the closest one. We found a bunch of water sources when we scouted the place, just farther away.”

“Distance doesn’t matter, as long as we don’t run out of water,” Yang Shi said, then suddenly asked, “But what about bathing?” Her daughter-in-law was the type who would go crazy without a bath.

“Good point.” Song Jingwei paused while cutting, realizing that the water issue really had to be solved. He said, “Don’t worry. Give me five days—I’ll have this water problem fixed so Dad won’t need to fetch water anymore.”

Yang Shi laughed heartily. She really liked her daughter-in-law’s confidence—it was as if nothing was ever a big deal in his eyes.

“That would be wonderful. Your dad would be thrilled.”

“All done,” Song Jingwei said, putting the shredded pickled cabbage and sliced meat onto a plate and taking it to the stove.

“Oh, wash your hands quick!” Yang Shi immediately fetched some hot water for him and had him warm up by the fire. In the past, it was always Shen Junxi helping out in the kitchen. She’d never felt sorry for her son doing so. But now, seeing her daughter-in-law helping without hesitation—even cutting vegetables—she couldn’t help feeling surprised.

Looking at the two finished dishes on the stove, she thought her daughter-in-law’s cooking wasn’t bad at all—didn’t seem like someone who had never done this before. She attributed it to her daughter-in-law being smart—he was good at anything she tried.

After a while of roasting, Shen Dongming returned carrying water, exhaling heavily, “It’s really cold outside, the cold wind is howling.”

“After this load, don’t go again. I think this should last us two days if we use it sparingly,” Yang Shi said. They could manage if they conserved.

“Alright.” Shen Dongming put down the buckets and poured the water into the vat. Next to it were two large vats filled with fish and shrimp.

“Dad, come warm up by the fire,” Song Jingwei quickly made space for him and moved over.

“Great.” Shen Dongming, done with his task, walked over smiling and rubbed his hands together. He held his cold, red hands over the brazier, “Ah, it’s freezing out there. The mountains are even colder than home.”

“Mm, the temperature in the mountains is low. You have to keep warm,” Song Jingwei said, adding another piece of charcoal to the brazier.

“Right.” Shen Dongming looked around the house, then sneakily took a few sweet potatoes from the corner and buried them in the brazier’s embers. But Yang Shi saw him and scolded, “Lunch is almost ready. Why are you roasting sweet potatoes now?”

“…” Shen Dongming grinned sheepishly without talking back. He didn’t take the scolding to heart though—he still intended to roast those sweet potatoes. He turned to Song Jingwei and asked, “By the way, where’s the old man? Where’s Benben’s dad?”

Just as he spoke, Shen Junxi came out. He had been in the room warming the bed for his son.

“The old man is resting. He got tired from walking,” Song Jingwei explained, watching as Shen Junxi grabbed a small stool and sat down next to him.

The orange-yellow glow of the fire lit up Shen Junxi’s face, making it look especially gentle. He took Song Jingwei’s hand, which was stretched out toward the fire, and gently rubbed it—it was so warm, he couldn’t help but rub it again.

“Go away!” Song Jingwei flinched from the coldness of his hand and wasn’t too keen on holding hands with him.

“…” Shen Junxi grinned and gestured, “Can’t I warm up too?”

Song Jingwei ignored him but still took his hand and placed it over the fire together. Their closeness was natural and relaxed, showing no concern about the presence of their parents—it was warm and intimate.

Shen Dongming quietly smiled, focused on flipping his sweet potatoes, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

The three men gathered around the fire, whispering amongst themselves. Yang Shi busied herself on and off, occasionally glancing over at them with a heart full of contentment. Honestly, no matter what, as long as the family could stay harmonious and happy together, there was nothing to fear.

Before long, Pei Hongxuan and Wu Xi came in carrying the baby. “It’s freezing here, really cold.” They were shivering badly and quickly squeezed around the brazier. Pei Hongxuan said to Wu Xi, “Later, go get our charcoal brazier. After we eat, take it home to keep warm.”

“Mm-hmm.” Wu Xi’s teeth were chattering from the cold.

“Hahaha!” Shen Dongming laughed at them but still made room. Now the group of three became five—no, six people.

“Why don’t you put your baby down for a nap?” Shen Junxi gestured to them, still holding Song Jingwei’s fingertips.

“It’s too cold in the house. I’m afraid he can’t handle it,” Pei Hongxuan replied, still shivering—clearly frozen from being outside.

“You two are hopeless. Why didn’t you start a fire earlier?” Song Jingwei asked.

“It’s all Wu Xi’s fault. He forgot the fire striker,” Pei Hongxuan glared at Wu Xi.

“I didn’t forget it… it went out…” Wu Xi trembled, curling up by the brazier, looking absolutely pitiful.

Yang Shi came over, glanced at the baby in Pei Hongxuan’s arms, and said, “Poor thing. Having such careless parents is really unfortunate. Hurry up and warm him up. Put him in Benben’s bed for a nap.”

Pei Hongxuan and Wu Xi quickly nodded—this was a great idea. They smiled and said, “Your Benben is strong and full of warmth—let him share some with his little brother.”

“…” Shen Junxi and Song Jingwei both gave them a look but eventually just let it be. These two still had a long way to go as dads—they’d get more reliable with time.

“By the way, lunch is almost ready. Who’s going to call the Lu family?” Yang Shi asked. She knew the Lu family was probably cooking too, but this was customary. Whether they came or not was up to them, but calling them was necessary.

“Shen Junxi should go.” Song Jingwei looked around—no one was more suitable to go out than Shen Junxi.

“…” Shen Junxi quickly agreed. He couldn’t let his father or his wife go, after all.

After Shen Junxi left, Song Jingwei also went into the room to call the old man for lunch. During that short while, Yang Shi quickly finished cooking the remaining dishes and asked Shen Dongming and Wu Xi to help carry them out.

The dining area was a well-lit space, repurposed from some leftover open space, now used as the main hall. Except for being a bit drafty, it was otherwise very nice.

“Ah, I need to bring the brazier here—it’s too cold.”

Wu Xi also brought over their charcoal brazier from next door. They both lit it up in the hall and placed it near everyone’s feet to warm them up. Finally, it wasn’t so cold anymore.

Shen Junxi came back alone. He said the Lu family had already prepared their meal, so they wouldn’t be coming over. Everyone had more or less expected this result and just urged him to sit down and eat quickly. In such cold weather, the food would go cold easily.

“Over here,” Song Jingwei waved to him and said.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi sat down next to his wife, smiling brightly. He gestured, “Is Benben still asleep?”

Yang Shi replied, “We’ll feed him when he wakes up. It’s not convenient right now.” When the eldest grandson woke up, she planned to feed him in the kitchen—it was much warmer there than in the main room.

“That’s fine. Let’s eat first.”

For lunch today, they had stir-fried cured meat and pickled cabbage, along with a spicy shredded potato dish. Yang Shi had deliberately added a handful of hot chilies, making everyone’s mouths red and oily from eating.

Shen Junxi knew his wife didn’t like spicy food much, so he picked the chilies out of the potato shreds and rinsed them in hot water before giving it to him.

“No need to go through all that trouble. I’ll just eat the pickled cabbage and cured meat,” Song Jingwei said, urging him to eat his own meal before it got cold.

“You can’t keep eating pickled cabbage all the time—it’ll make your teeth sore,” Shen Junxi gestured seriously, then continued preparing the potato shreds for him.

“…” Song Jingwei knew this joke and was at a loss for words, but he didn’t refuse the gesture again.

It was just that Shen Junxi’s actions were so over-the-top that everyone at the table could see it. Some chose to pretend not to notice, while others gave them teasing looks.

“What are you all looking at? Hurry up and eat, the food will get cold!” Yang Shi, afraid that her daughter-in-law would be embarrassed by all the attention, quickly used her chopsticks to knock on the heads of those who were distracted during the meal.

Who else could it be but Pei Hongxuan and Wu Xi?

“wow! Auntie, your cooking is really delicious,” they quickly lowered their heads and ate obediently.

“If it’s good, eat more, and eat properly!” Yang Shi said, then served a few more pieces of food to her husband, Shen Dongming. “You too, eat more. There’s still a lot of work to do this afternoon.”

After the meal, some helped with the cleanup while others went for a nap, and the house quickly fell into quiet.

Pei Hongxuan and Wu Xi carried their child and took the brazier back home. They had their own house to clean—it was a mess at the moment.

“This part is done. Go check if Benben’s awake. I’ll feed him some porridge,” Yang Shi said to Shen Junxi, lifting the lid of a pot that was simmering fish and rice porridge for her eldest grandson.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi wiped his hands clean, warmed them by the stove for a moment, then went back to the room.

Song Jingwei was also in the room. Although their bed wasn’t small, there was only one, and it still felt a bit cramped. He was sitting on the edge of the bed. When he saw Shen Junxi return, he said, “Should we bring in another bed?”

Upon hearing this, Shen Junxi shook his head and gestured, “No need. The room’s too small; it won’t fit.” He walked over to the bed, leaned over to check on his son, saw that he was still sleeping, and then kissed his wife’s cheek before standing up again.

“There’s still that bamboo couch outside, isn’t there?” Song Jingwei asked. Bamboo was lightweight, so most of their portable furniture was made of it.

“Sleeping together is warmer,” Shen Junxi gestured. On such cold days, how could he bear to sleep alone in a cold bed?

Seeing his determined expression, Song Jingwei compromised. “Alright then.” Although he preferred sharing the bed with Benben alone.

“…” As they were talking, Benben woke up. Seeing the two people he was closest to at his bedside, he surprisingly didn’t cry.

Shen Junxi smiled, picked him up from the bed, and gestured to Song Jingwei, “I’ll take him to Mom and let her feed him some porridge.”

“Go ahead,” Song Jingwei said, watching them leave the room.

Not long after, the bamboo door creaked open again—Shen Junxi had returned. He saw that Song Jingwei was still sitting on the bed and hadn’t laid down to rest. It was already quite late, and usually by now, Song Jingwei would be taking his nap. Concerned, Shen Junxi gestured, “Why aren’t you resting?”

“I was waiting for you,” Song Jingwei said casually, though he hadn’t actually thought about that until the question was asked.

This answer made Shen Junxi break into a broad smile. As he walked over, he gestured, “You’re tired, go to sleep. No need to wait for me.” But he was clearly delighted. He quickly sat down and prepared to lie down for a nap too.

“Mm.” Song Jingwei took off his thick outer cotton coat and got into bed.

Shen Junxi kept watching him and realized his wife seemed preoccupied—probably thinking about something, not really waiting for him intentionally. But he wasn’t disappointed. Ever since their long conversation, his emotional resilience had grown stronger. Even if Song Jingwei suddenly turned cold and ignored him, he no longer panicked or spiraled into overthinking.

He lay down beside Song Jingwei, close to him, sharing warmth. As they snuggled under the warm quilt, both let out a long, contented sigh.

“It’s really cold up here in the mountains,” Song Jingwei said, hugging a hand warmer to his chest. He sighed, “But that’s not the hardest part. I’ve been thinking about how to bring the water source here.” He had a rough idea already, but it still needed detailed planning.

“…” Shen Junxi wrapped his arms around his wife’s waist and nodded behind him. That was true—convenient water access directly affected their quality of life. For someone like his wife, who loved cleanliness and quiet, daily baths were a must. But relying solely on the few buckets of water his father fetched was far from enough. Even if he went to carry water every day, it still wouldn’t suffice.