Chapter 3: The Bracelet

By this time, it was well past noon, and the sun hung high in the sky. However, due to the well being dug deep, nothing could be seen at the bottom, and the only light came from a lamp brought down into the well. Zhang Xiaohua's face, illuminated by the flickering light, showed no sign of determination. After a moment of thought, he raised his hoe and began digging in one direction. "Clang, clang..." the sounds continued. He tried a few other directions, and the same thing happened. What was he to do? It seemed they were truly at the end of their rope.

Zhang Xiaohua was about to give up and go up for a while, thinking he would enlarge the well opening later and take another look. But his mother had not yet brought their lunch, so he decided to dig a bit more from below. As he thought, Zhang Xiaohua did not stop. He chose a direction in front of him, where the soil was about waist-deep, and started digging. Suddenly, he heard another "clang" sound, which startled him. Another rock? But when he dug again, there was no sound. Zhang Xiaohua was puzzled but did not think much of it, assuming it was just a small stone. As long as it wasn't a large rock, it was fine. After digging about a step forward, Zhang Xiaohua tried digging downward again, hoping not to hear the annoying sound. Unfortunately, there was a rock just a step below in this direction as well.

Just as Zhang Xiaohua was about to take a break and try another direction, Zhang Xiaolong's voice came from above, "Xiaohua, come up and eat. Mother has brought lunch." Zhang Xiaohua was pulled up by his older brother. Seeing Zhang Xiaohua's expression, Zhang Xiaolong did not ask more questions but simply brought him food and watched him eat ravenously. Then he comforted him, "Don't worry, Xiaohua. If this place doesn't work, we can try another spot. The hill is so large; there must be a place where we can dig a well."

After eating, Zhang Xiaohua's face visibly brightened, and the gloom seemed to lift. Watching the well-diggers head back down, he smiled at Zhang Xiaolong and said, "I understand, Big Brother. I'll go check the fields and come back later." Zhang Xiaolong patted Zhang Xiaohua's shoulder, said nothing, and walked away with an empty bamboo basket.

Zhang Xiaohua carried his hoe up the hill to his field, placed the hoe aside, and sat at the edge of the field, helplessly gazing at the land that could not be watered. He wondered if he would have to carry water from the river in the future. As his eyes fell on the hoe, he noticed a clump of mud on it, likely from digging in the well. He tried to scrape it off with his foot, but it wouldn't budge. He picked up the hoe and cleaned the mud with his hands, only to find a round object stuck to it. Zhang Xiaohua tilted his head in thought, realizing that the "clang" sound he heard earlier must have been the hoe hitting this ring. No wonder there was no more sound—it had been stuck on the hoe. Zhang Xiaohua tried to remove the ring, using twigs to pry and stones to tap, but nothing worked. If he hit it hard against a rock, it might come off, but it could also break. He couldn't dig with this thing on the hoe, so he was at a loss. Finally, Zhang Xiaohua mustered his strength, hit the hoe against the rock, and heard another "clang." The ring didn't break or come off. He tried again with full force, and after several attempts, it finally came loose. The mysterious ring remained intact, showing its durability.

Zhang Xiaohua picked up the ring, wiped the mud off with his clothes, and saw that it was a bracelet, about two fingers wide, black and flat, with no patterns, and made of an unknown material. Just as he was about to examine it more closely, he heard Zhang Xiaolong's excited voice from below, "Xiaohua, come quickly, there's hope!" Zhang Xiaohua jumped up in joy, forgetting about the bracelet, and stuffed it into his pocket. He grabbed his hoe and ran down the hill, not noticing the lightness of the bracelet in his hand.

When Zhang Xiaohua reached the bottom of the hill, he saw Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu smiling, while Zhang Cai looked somewhat troubled. Zhang Xiaolong explained that the bottom of the well was not entirely rock, and the rocks were not too large. By enlarging the well opening, they could remove the rocks. However, the expansion would need to be at least three steps wide. A larger well opening meant more soil to dig, more time, and more money to pay. But at least they wouldn't have to start over, and they wouldn't need to carry water to the fields. Seeing the children's happiness, Zhang Cai worried silently, hoping no more rocks would appear. A few more times, and the well might not be worth digging.

The work in the afternoon was straightforward. The well-diggers measured the well opening based on the size of the rocks and planned how to expand it. After this small setback, everyone resumed their work in an orderly manner.

That night, after returning home, eating dinner, and before going to bed, Zhang Xiaohua had not thought about the bracelet in his pocket. It fell out when he was undressing, and he remembered it. However, he was too tired from the day's work and simply shoved it under his pillow, falling into a deep sleep.

That night, everything in the Zhang household was as usual. The oil lamp was extinguished early, and the wind blew the fence door back and forth. The dry grass on the mud walls fluttered weakly. Only the moonlight shone through the window, casting light on the old table and the bedding. Everyone was asleep, and the only sound was the snoring.

The only difference was Zhang Xiaohua, or rather, Zhang Xiaohua's dream! His dream was no longer about braised pork but was filled with flashes of light. It was like a breathing light, pulsing and flickering.

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight touched Zhang Xiaohua's face, he opened his eyes. He looked around, puzzled, and realized that the flashes were just a dream. He shook his head, laughing at himself, and was about to go back to sleep. However, he found himself wide awake, unable to sleep despite his brothers' snoring. He got up and dressed.

When Zhang Xiaohua walked into the yard, he saw his mother cooking at the stove. He went to the well to fetch water to wash his face. Guo Sufei, seeing Zhang Xiaohua, was surprised and said, "Xiaohua, why are you up so early? You were tired yesterday. Sleep a bit more; you don't need to work for a while."

Zhang Xiaohua, while fetching water, replied, "I can't sleep anymore, Mother. I'm not tired, and I feel fully rested. I can dig that rock with one strike of the hoe." He put down the water basin and made a digging motion.

Guo Sufei laughed and said, "Good, Xiaohua. You're growing up and becoming a pillar of the family, just like your father."

Zhang Xiaohua blushed and said, "Mother, I'm already grown up. Don't call me 'good' anymore; it sounds strange."

As they spoke, Zhang Cai returned, holding some vegetables, and asked, "Who's growing up? Why is Xiaohua up so early? Why not sleep a bit more?" He handed the vegetables to Guo Sufei and said, "The weeds in the garden are growing. We should pull them out when we have time. We've been busy with the well and can't let the garden go to waste."

Guo Sufei took the vegetables and said, "I'm talking about your son. He's up early for the first time and will be a great help with the work."

Guo Sufei continued cooking, and Zhang Cai went inside. After washing his face, Zhang Xiaohua, with nothing to do, left the yard.

Although it was early and close to winter, the farmers were already busy. Many people were moving around the village. Some were herding ducks and geese to the river, some were fetching grass to feed chickens and pigs, and others were carrying hoes to the fields. Zhang Xiaohua walked along the village path, feeling different from usual, though he couldn't pinpoint what was different. He felt energetic, as if he had boundless strength. However, he didn't think much of it, attributing it to a good night's sleep. When Zhang Xiaohua returned home, everyone was already eating. He quickly finished his meal and followed his father and brothers to continue digging the well.

The following days were peaceful. The well opening was expanded, and the rocks were removed from the bottom. The well was dug deeper. The rock, which looked smooth and felt cold, was moved to the edge of the field by Zhang Xiaohua and his brothers to be used as a resting place during the summer. The bracelet, however, was forgotten, left under the pillow, though Zhang Xiaohua's dreams were now filled with flashes of light instead of braised pork, though he was unaware of this change.

A few more days passed, and the well still had no water. Zhang Cai began to worry. Winter was approaching, and the soil would soon freeze, making the work more difficult. One evening, after dinner, the family gathered to do farm work. Zhang Cai, frowning, discussed with Guo Sufei the possibility of stopping the well-digging if no water appeared soon, planning to resume in the spring. Guo Sufei then said:

"Father, do you know that Mr. Wu from the neighboring village has a field on the southern hill?"

Zhang Cai replied, "I didn't know, but I heard they are also digging a well."

Guo Sufei continued, "That's the well. Mr. Wu's family dug it for irrigation, just like us. Today, while I was pulling weeds by the river to feed the chickens, I met Mrs. Guo from the village entrance. Her sister-in-law married Mr. Wu's brother. Do you know what she told me?"

"What did she say? Did the well produce water?" Zhang Cai asked, surprised. "They started later than us, how could they have water so quickly?"

"You're only thinking about water. There's something even more bizarre!" Guo Sufei said irritably.

"What is it?" Zhang Cai and the three brothers were intrigued.

"They dug out a small broken box from the well!" Guo Sufei continued. "The box was broken by the hoe, and the contents were exposed. Despite the mud, the pearls and jade inside were clearly visible. Why didn't we have such luck? We dug earlier and only found a large rock."

As the family lamented the Wu family's good fortune, Zhang Xiaohua remembered the object he had dug up. Excitedly, he said, "Father, Mother, I also found a treasure in the well." Under the family's urging and eager gazes, he retrieved the forgotten bracelet from under the bedding.

Zhang Cai took it and examined it under the oil lamp. It was a black, flat object of unknown material, more like an iron ring than a bracelet. He couldn't make much of it and passed it to Guo Sufei. She weighed it in her hand, rubbed it with her fingers, and said, "It's so light, not like jade. There are no patterns, so it's probably not jewelry. It looks like a child's toy. Xiaohua, you can play with it."

Zhang Xiaohua took it back, feeling disappointed, and passed it to his brothers, as if it was his fault for not finding pearls and jade. The bracelet was passed around the brothers and returned to Zhang Xiaohua, who put it back in his pocket, as no one seemed interested.

Guo Sufei then said, "If it were a valuable piece of jewelry, we could keep it and use it as a dowry when we arrange a marriage for your brother in the spring."

This sparked the family's enthusiasm. In the spring, Zhang Xiaolong would be twenty and ready to find a wife. The family discussed potential brides based on their impressions. When the oil lamp was extinguished, the family was still excited but went to bed to rest for the next day's work.

Before sleeping, Zhang Xiaohua took out the bracelet from his pocket, intending to put it back under the bedding. Then he thought, Mr. Wu found treasure, and this is also a treasure. I should keep it safe. But where should I put it? He decided to wear it on his wrist. Surprisingly, it fit perfectly, not sliding up or down when he moved his arm. Zhang Xiaohua was delighted, thinking it was made just for him.

He fell asleep without realizing that if it fit so perfectly without any gaps, how did he put it on in the first place? He also didn't notice that the braised pork in his dreams had been replaced by endless flashes of light.

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