Chapter 12: Shared Origins, Divergent Fates

Because they had deliberately saved half of the mushroom chicken stew from noon, Xie Wannian and Jiang Yuan did not prepare any other meat dishes for dinner. They ate the stew with steamed buns and mixed-grain cornbread—Xie Wannian only ate one white steamed bun larger than her fist, while Jiang Yuan had one bun and two pieces of the mixed-grain cornbread.

After dinner, Jiang Yuan, as usual, eagerly rushed to wash the dishes, while Xie Wannian stayed busy cutting the pork fat into cubes and rendering it over the stove into warm, pale yellow, translucent lard, scooping it spoonful by spoonful into jars.

Once cooled, the liquid lard would solidify into the familiar, snow-white pig fat paste.

The leftover crispy bits from the lard wouldn’t go to waste either; Xie Wannian had already planned to mix them with chives the next evening to make a delicious filling, perfect for either steamed buns or dumplings.

As for the wooden spoons and iron pots coated with lard, Xie Wannian intended to “reuse” them the next morning by boiling a big pot of vegetable and mixed-grain dough drop soup, providing breakfast for both herself and Jiang Yuan.

She was also worried that the slab of pork belly might spoil, so she had rubbed it with salt and hung it in a well-ventilated, cool place. She planned to use it for braised pork for lunch the following day.

Since Jiang Yuan had finished all his mixed-grain cornbread, he could easily enjoy the braised pork with a plain steamed bun for lunch tomorrow. This quality of life, if not the best in Fu Village, would certainly rank among the top three, wouldn’t it?

While working, Xie Wannian happily shared her preliminary meal plans for the next day with Jiang Yuan.

Unlike her expressive enthusiasm, Jiang Yuan’s occasional “hmm” and “okay” still conveyed his good mood quite clearly.

After finishing their kitchen tasks, Xie Wannian took her medicine, and together they brought the mugwort, honeysuckle, and plantain grass that had been drying all afternoon back inside.

By then, night had fully fallen, and to save on lamp oil, they quickly washed up and retreated to their respective rooms for rest.

The next morning, with Jiang Yuan’s help, Xie Wannian moved the herbs back into the courtyard to continue drying before having breakfast and taking her medicine. Then, together, they locked the door and headed into the mountains.

On the way, they encountered several villagers from their village, all of whom either openly or subtly cast curious glances at Xie Wannian.

She met their gazes confidently, bolstered by Jiang Yuan’s presence as her protector, so even under the scrutiny of several people at once, she remained composed.

Those villagers, under her steady gaze, quickly averted their eyes.

They either briefly greeted Jiang Yuan or stopped to exchange trivial small talk with him, the most frequent topic being the enticing aroma of meat that always seemed to waft from Jiang Yuan’s home.

From their conversation, Xie Wannian learned that although Jiang Yuan and Hao Yu made their living by hunting, they did not eat meat every day. The kind of feasting she had been doing—consuming an entire chicken in one day—was usually reserved for festivals.

Moreover, Jiang Yuan previously did not linger near the small hills around the village; he would venture deeper into the forests in search of more valuable and marketable game like wild boar, foxes, and wild sheep.

To put it plainly, Xie Wannian realized she had been both wasteful and a burden these past few days...

Feeling slightly guilty, she clenched her fist silently, deciding to tell Jiang Yuan tonight that she wanted to accompany him to gather herbs in the more distant parts of the forest.

Jiang Yuan, unaware of her thoughts, noticed that she was less cheerful today than yesterday.

After a day of hard work, during dinner, Jiang Yuan could no longer hold back and asked her, “Are you upset?”

Xie Wannian was taken aback; just as she was about to tell him about going further into the mountains tomorrow, rain suddenly began to fall.

Jiang Yuan reacted swiftly, rushing outside to gather all the baskets of drying herbs, stacking six of them together before bringing them inside the main room.

Xie Wannian had intended to follow him outside but now saw there was no need.

She looked at Jiang Yuan with bright, sparkling eyes. “You’re so strong!”

Seeing her lively again, Jiang Yuan’s mood lifted considerably. “I’ve been practicing martial arts since I was a child. This weight is nothing.”

Xie Wannian’s eyes shone even brighter as she excitedly leaned toward him. “What? What? You’re actually a martial arts expert?”

Jiang Yuan immediately waved his hands. “Not an expert.”

At fifteen years old, though diligent in his training, he was still far from the skill level of one of his masters.

Then he cautioned her, “Don’t tell anyone about this.”

Though she did not understand why he was so insistent, Xie Wannian nodded firmly without hesitation. “I’ll keep it a secret.”

Jiang Yuan efficiently moved the baskets into the room where he currently lived with Hao Yu, carefully placing them by the kang bed in hopes that the heat would help the herbs dry faster.

After finishing, he stepped out to the main room and sat down to eat with Xie Wannian.

Throughout dinner, accompanied by the gentle patter of rain, their conversation was sparse; most of the time, they simply sat facing each other, eating attentively.

When they finished and set down their bowls, Jiang Yuan looked toward the rain, which was starting to ease, and said to Xie Wannian, “Once it clears up, I’ll help you move your things to the east wing.”

Xie Wannian shook her head. “I don’t have much. I can pack it myself and move it over.”

Earlier that day, on their way down the mountain, Jiang Yuan had briefly shared some details about his life. Xie Wannian now knew that he lived with a man named Hao Yu.

He explained that the neighboring house originally belonged to his foster parents but was sold to the village head’s family to pay for his foster father’s medical treatment.

Hao Yu, who lived with him now, was both his master and maternal uncle. After his foster father passed away and he was driven out by his foster father’s brother and nephew, Hao Yu took him in under the guise of being his master, never publicly revealing their familial ties.

Jiang Yuan didn’t tell Xie Wannian where Hao Yu had gone when he left that day but did explain why he had placed her in his own room rather than the north room of the east wing, which was set aside for guests.

He told her that he had already cleaned all three rooms in the east wing during his free time these past few days. As long as she didn’t want to leave, she could continue living there.

From his words, Xie Wannian sensed his full confidence—a striking contrast to the cautiousness she had grown used to when depending on others or living as a guest in someone else’s home.

She thought perhaps his foster parents and maternal uncle had loved him deeply, sparing him from the alienation and constant fear of losing a fragile peace that she had known.

At that moment, she couldn’t help but feel a strong envy for Jiang Yuan.

In her past life, she had no parents; in this one, though she had them, they were mostly absent or indifferent. She had spent two lifetimes growing up under the watchful eyes of others.