Juhua’s mother had only been asking casually. When she saw that Juhua truly wanted to go, and not out of some sense of obligation, she quickly smiled. "Go on, then. Your grandmother will be so happy to see you. Qingmu, tomorrow, go borrow the oxcart from Uncle Cheng. It’s such a long way, and Juhua has never traveled far from home. I’m afraid she won’t be able to walk it. Anyway, we’ve already asked Li the carpenter to build us a cart, so we’ll have one of our own soon enough."

Zheng Changhe nodded and said, "We should borrow the cart. Juhua won’t manage the walk."

Seeing her parents making such a fuss over a simple trip, Juhua felt a bit bad and said, "It’s not that far to Xiatang Market, is it? I’m busy around the house all day; it’s not like I don’t walk at all. Let’s just walk. Getting a cart seems like too much trouble."

Qingmu smiled at her and said, "It’s no trouble. We’ll use our own ox to pull the cart, and he’s very docile. You shouldn’t underestimate the distance. For someone who doesn’t walk it often, it can feel like it never ends."

Juhua didn’t refuse again. She knew her parents and brother were worried that if she went out wearing her face covering, she would attract strange looks. Riding in the cart would spare her from people’s stares.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Juhua went out and spent the day with Liu Xiaomei, Meizi, and some others. On the second day, Qingmu borrowed the oxcart from Old Cheng’s house bright and early. The brother and sister took some pastries and other snacks and set off for their grandmother’s home in the cart.

The oxcart was simple, but at least it had a cover woven from bamboo branches, with wooden planks nailed to the top for a roof. It could shield them from the wind and rain, making it the ancient equivalent of a budget car. Juhua spread some dry grass in the cart and placed a cotton cushion on top of it. After she sat down, although it was still shaky, it wasn’t too uncomfortable.

They hadn’t gone far when they saw their mother running after them from the house. She pushed Juhua’s hand warmer into her hands and repeated several instructions. She had suddenly become extremely worried—her daughter had never traveled far from home before. If it weren’t only the second day of the New Year, when someone had to stay and watch the house, she would have gone with them.

Juhua quickly told her to rest assured, saying she wasn’t a little child anymore and wouldn’t be bullied. ’Isn’t Mom just worried that people will make fun of me?’

Her mother considered this and had to agree; Juhua was much braver now and wasn’t so timid around people anymore. Even with that thought, she still watched her two children disappear into the distance with a heavy heart. After returning home, she couldn’t stop thinking about Juhua, eagerly awaiting her return.

Juhua, however, was in high spirits. It was her first time leaving Qingnan Village since she’d arrived over a year ago, and she couldn’t help but peek out of the cart curiously, looking around and chatting with Qingmu as he drove. The weather was beautiful, too—a rare, perfectly sunny day.

Seeing his little sister, now all grown up, on her first real trip out—not counting when she was carried in his arms as a child—made Qingmu very happy as well. He pointed out the various paths and told her the names of all the villages they passed, talking until his mouth was dry.

Juhua listened with a smile as Qingmu chattered on. The path ahead seemed to open onto a plain, offering an expansive view. Within her line of sight, clusters of trees and houses, some near and some far, gathered together to form a village. As the oxcart trundled along, they gradually approached one such hamlet. She could see various dwellings, some with earthen walls and others with tiled roofs, as the lively sounds of crowing roosters and barking dogs washed over them. Then, they passed the hamlet, leaving it behind.

When they reached Xiatang Market, Qingmu deliberately slowed the cart, making a detour to point out the Fuxi Grocery Store. He told Juhua that this was their eldest uncle’s shop.

Juhua gazed at the quaint little town, feeling a momentary sense of déjà vu—it seemed so familiar. She could almost picture a misty spring day, with village girls and country wives holding oil-paper umbrellas as they strolled leisurely down the narrow bluestone streets, browsing slowly and becoming part of a waterside painting.

Qingmu didn’t give her much time for sentimental reflection; he cracked his whip, urging the ox back on the road. When his grandmother’s village came into view, his own heart couldn’t help but flutter with excitement.

’How strange,’ he thought. ’I’ve been here so many times, so why does today feel like the very first time?’

He had no time to dwell on it and quickly pointed out the village to Juhua.

Juhua was suddenly overcome with the feeling of visiting relatives. The excitement and anticipation of going to her grandmother’s house as a child in her past life, followed by the joy upon arrival—it was exactly how she felt right now.

’Grandma probably never expected me to come,’ she thought. ’She’s going to be absolutely thrilled.’

Seeing Juhua arrive with Qingmu, Mrs. Wang was truly overjoyed. The old woman pulled Juhua into an embrace, constantly rubbing her shoulders and back with her rough palms. She grasped both of Juhua’s small hands in her own left hand, asking her how long the journey had taken and whether she was cold.

She paid no mind to Qingmu, simply half-hugging and half-leading Juhua into the house.

Qingmu smiled as he took their things out of the cart. He tied the ox to a locust tree in the courtyard before finally carrying everything inside.

Once inside, he saw Mrs. Wang still hugging Juhua, her face wreathed in smiles as she peppered her with questions. ’Now that Juhua’s here,’ he thought, ’Grandma doesn’t even notice me anymore.’

For once, Qingmu decided to joke with his grandmother. "Grandma, now that Juhua’s here, you’re not paying any attention to me. Did you even see me just now?"

Seeing his mock-aggrieved expression, Juhua couldn’t help but laugh.

Mrs. Wang chuckled. "I saw you, I saw you. You come all the time. This is your little sister’s first visit, so of course I’m going to be especially happy."

Juhua, seeing that her second uncle and his wife weren’t around, was also especially happy and relaxed. She and Qingmu sat and chatted with their grandmother for a good while. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The old woman brought out all the melon seeds, peanuts, and puffed rice candy she had in the house. Then she grabbed two handfuls of something dark and placed it in front of Juhua, smiling. "These are dried dates from Laicai’s other grandmother. He couldn’t bear to eat them, said he was saving them to eat slowly. Otherwise, after all this time, he would’ve eaten them all by now."

Juhua saw that the dates didn’t look particularly well-made and wasn’t too interested at first. But as soon as she heard her grandmother say it was something that brat Laicai couldn’t bear to part with, she hurriedly grabbed a few and even passed a couple to Qingmu.

’It’s Laicai’s,’ she thought. ’I should eat it all.’

Qingmu understood Juhua’s line of thinking perfectly. He had seen clearly that she hadn’t wanted to eat the dates at first, but immediately reached for them the moment she heard they were Laicai’s.

He chewed on a date, watching Juhua with an amused grin.