Chapter 3

When he returned home, Aunt Lin Zhaodi was cooking in the kitchen. Seeing Wang Baoyu come in drenched, she asked with concern, "Baoyu, how did you get like this while picking mushrooms?"

"Bad luck! I’ve had a rotten day! Damn it!" Wang Baoyu cursed, as he usually liked to be clean. Today’s mess made him as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.

"What happened, son?" Lin Zhaodi, hearing Wang Baoyu’s words, stopped what she was doing, wiped her hands on her apron, and came over.

"Mom, nothing, I accidentally fell into the river just now, and the mushrooms I picked were washed away by the water." Wang Baoyu came to his senses and, looking at his frail and thin foster mother, smiled awkwardly. He didn’t want her to worry, so he told a small lie.

"Oh, I thought it was something serious. You, my child, are really careless. Go change your clothes quickly!" Lin Zhaodi scolded, then suddenly frowned, sniffed a few times, and finally looked at Wang Baoyu’s shoes, saying, "What’s this? Did you step in cow dung? I’ve always told you, don’t walk with your head in the clouds, watch your step, but you never listen! Take them off in the yard, and I’ll clean them after I finish cooking!"

It was autumn, and the weather was a bit cool. Wang Baoyu shivered and quickly kicked off his sneakers, changed into a pair of slippers in the yard, and went to the west room to find a clean set of clothes. After changing, he wrapped himself in a thin quilt and went to the east room, where his foster father Jia Zhengdao was sitting on the kang, wearing reading glasses and stroking his somewhat white, long beard, engrossed in a book with yellow paper.

Seeing Wang Baoyu come in, Jia Zhengdao adjusted his glasses, glanced at Wang Baoyu, and said, "Baoyu, you’re already eighteen. Running around all day isn’t a good thing. Your foster father is thinking of reclaiming the five acres of land we leased out next year. If we farm it ourselves, we can earn more income."

Wang Baoyu sat on the warm kang, took the tobacco box, rolled a cigarette, and took a satisfying puff before saying, "Dad, I’ve never farmed before and don’t know how to. I don’t want to farm either. I’ve decided to go out and work next year. Look at Liu Hai; he earned almost a thousand in a year, which is much better than farming."

Jia Zhengdao put down his book, sat up straight, and beckoned to Wang Baoyu. Wang Baoyu naturally understood and quickly rolled another cigarette, handing it to his foster father.

"Working outside is hard labor, very tiring. Your small frame might not be able to handle it," Jia Zhengdao said, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"Work is done by people. If Liu Hai can do it, I can too. Dad, don’t worry," Wang Baoyu said confidently, exhaling smoke.

At this moment, Lin Zhaodi came in from the kitchen, heard their conversation, and interjected, "Baoyu is still young. It’s hard to say he won’t be bullied if he goes out to work. Why don’t you teach him about feng shui and geomancy? He can earn a living without much effort, and avoid the hard labor."

"What do you know? This line of work isn’t easy; it requires intelligence," Jia Zhengdao waved his hand at his wife, disagreeing with her suggestion. Wang Baoyu was about to say something but, seeing his foster father’s expression, kept quiet.

After dinner, Wang Baoyu went to the west room early to lie down, but he didn’t sleep well that night. His mind kept replaying the events of the afternoon—first Li Xiuzhi’s white buttocks, then Gangdan’s laughter, and finally his foster father’s words before dinner. Wang Baoyu suddenly realized it was time for him to do something. He tossed and turned, almost not sleeping all night.

Three days passed without him noticing. One evening, as Wang Baoyu and his foster parents were eating dinner on the kang, their neighbor Li Xiuzhi came in happily, holding a crumpled ten-yuan note.

"Master Jia, you’re having dinner! I didn’t expect it, but Baoyu really has learned your true skills; it’s really effective," Li Xiuzhi said before the three at the table could speak.

Jia Zhengdao looked puzzled, not knowing what Li Xiuzhi was talking about. He quickly asked, "Aunt, did Baoyu cause trouble?"

"What trouble? Three days ago, I met Baoyu on the mountain. He said my forehead was bright, and I would have a small fortune within three days. Ha, it really happened! I said I would give Baoyu ten yuan if it came true, and here’s the ten yuan for him!" Li Xiuzhi said, slapping the money on the table, the noise almost spilling the porridge in the bowls.

Li Xiuzhi’s face was full of joy, and her voice was much louder than usual. Jia Zhengdao and his wife finally understood what was going on and smiled.

Wang Baoyu stared at the ten-yuan note, forcing down the corn cake in his mouth, and looked at Li Xiuzhi in disbelief, saying, "Aunt Li, it really came true?"

"True! True! Baoyu really has some skills. I didn’t believe it at first, but now I’m convinced. It’s exactly three days today! True! True!" Li Xiuzhi’s excitement hadn’t faded, and she vividly recounted the whole story of her good fortune.

It turned out that Li Xiuzhi’s mother-in-law had passed away a few months ago. Today, with nothing to do, she decided to wash the bedding her mother-in-law had used. Zhang Dazhu had always said to burn these things so that his mother could use them in the afterlife, but Li Xiuzhi disagreed. She thought they could be washed and reused, and she would burn more paper money for her mother-in-law during the Qingming Festival. They say that as long as there’s money, anything can be bought in the afterlife. Zhang Dazhu, who was afraid of his wife, let her do as she pleased.

When Li Xiuzhi opened the gray cloth pillow her mother-in-law had used, she unexpectedly found a handkerchief inside. When she opened it, she found a stack of money—fifty cents, one yuan, and even ten yuan. She counted it, and it amounted to nearly two hundred yuan. While she inwardly cursed her mother-in-law for secretly saving money, she was extremely happy. No matter what, her wise decision had brought her a windfall at home.

Li Xiuzhi happily counted the money several times. She suddenly remembered what Wang Baoyu had said in the cornfield about her having a windfall within three days. She excitedly slapped her thigh, took ten yuan, and hurried to Wang Baoyu’s house.

"Aunt, there’s no need to be so polite. We’re neighbors; you can take it back!" Lin Zhaodi put down her chopsticks, picked up the money from the table, and handed it to Li Xiuzhi.

Wang Baoyu was a bit anxious. Ten yuan was a lot, enough to buy three pounds of pork. Besides, making the stingy Li Xiuzhi give up a large note gave him a sense of accomplishment.

"That won’t do. I, Li Xiuzhi, am a person of my word. I must keep my promise," Li Xiuzhi pushed the money back.

Just as Wang Baoyu was about to speak, his foster father Jia Zhengdao coughed and began to speak.