Chapter 30: Changing the Name

After Xiao Ya finished her breakfast and took her medicine, Da Ya and Er Ya hurried back home. They feared that if they delayed any longer, their parents would come looking for them at Jiang Yuan’s house, and a confrontation between their parents and Xie Wanniang would only cause more trouble. Unlike Xie Wanniang, who could decide for herself whether to go up the mountain or do household chores, the sisters were required to work in the fields and perform various chores every single day.

They rushed back just in time to catch their parents grabbing their farm tools and telling Shuanzi to go fetch them. Deep down, Shuanzi did not want his sisters to return; he reasoned that since their family didn't have much land, they could manage even without Da Ya and Er Ya’s help. In that case, it would be better to let them stay and look after Xiao Ya. However, he dared not defy his parents, who had been in a foul mood since yesterday, so he steeled himself and agreed to his father's request. Hearing their exchange, Da Ya and Er Ya quickened their pace and stepped into their courtyard.

Setting aside the scolding and questioning the sisters endured after being away for the night, we turn to Xie Wanniang. Once the girls had left, she took her sewing kit into the room where Xiao Ya was resting. Upon waking, Xiao Ya had learned from her sisters that she had been gravely ill, abandoned by her parents, and subsequently bought and treated by Xie Wanniang. She lay on the heated brick bed, weeping silently for a long time. Remembering her sisters' words—that she owed her life entirely to Xie Wanniang—the frail girl weakly opened her mouth. "Thank you... Sister."

Xie Wanniang patted her head. "If you really want to thank me, then be a good girl, take care of yourself, and get better quickly."

With tears in her eyes, Xiao Ya nodded with great effort. "I will be good."

Xie Wanniang smiled. "Sleep now. You must eat well, sleep well, and take your medicine to recover faster." Xiao Ya nodded and obediently closed her eyes.

For the next three days, Xie Wanniang did not go up the mountain. To avoid wasting time, she had asked Jiang Yuan to buy two large sacks of fabric scraps, along with embroidery hoops, needles, and thread, on the very afternoon Xiao Ya woke up. These scraps were leftovers from fabric and embroidery shops, usually sold by the sack, containing a mix of coarse and fine cloth, as well as smaller pieces of more expensive silk and satin. Once Jiang Yuan brought them back, Xie Wanniang sorted them by size and texture. Between caring for Xiao Ya, she used the largest pieces of coarse and fine cloth to piece together two sets of clothes for the girl.

It was the first time in her life that Xiao Ya had worn new clothes. When she tried them on to check the fit, she was overjoyed, carefully and lovingly stroking the fabric with her thin, bony fingers. The undergarments Xie Wanniang made were pieced together from off-white and pale green fine cloth, while the outer garments and trousers were made from indigo, brown, gray, and black coarse cloth. In addition, Xie Wanniang used palm-sized scraps of black fine cloth to make her two pairs of new socks and two pairs of shoe uppers. The soles were crafted from even smaller fabric scraps. Thanks to Xie Wanniang’s skillful hands, these outfits, entirely constructed from remnants, looked surprisingly beautiful.

"Do you like them?" Xie Wanniang asked, stroking Xiao Ya’s dry, yellow hair as she looked at the poor girl, whose eyes finally held a glimmer of light.

Xiao Ya nodded vigorously, holding back a sob. "I... this is the first time I've worn new clothes." She told Xie Wanniang that in their family, only their parents and brothers ever had new clothes; she and her sisters only ever wore old clothes that their mother had altered.

Xie Wanniang felt a complex surge of emotion. She patted Xiao Ya’s thin shoulder. "How about I give you a new name?"

Xiao Ya looked confused. "A new name?"

Xie Wanniang nodded. "How about 'Xie Zhaoyang'? Do you know what 'Zhaoyang' means? It is the sun just as it rises in the morning. I hope that in the future, you can be like the rising sun: strong, warm, bright, positive, and full of hope."

Xiao Ya didn't understand all the words, but she felt that this name sounded much more impressive and comforting than "Xiao Ya," a name shared by so many others. She nodded firmly. "I think it’s wonderful."

Xie Wanniang smiled. "Then from now on, you are Xie Zhaoyang. A-Yuan and I will call you Xiao Yang."

Xiao Yang smiled back, though she felt a trace of melancholy. Now that her name was changed, she truly had no connection to that family anymore. Thinking of how her parents would rather let her die than pay for her treatment, a dull ache remained in her heart. Her sisters had tried to persuade her not to resent their parents, claiming they treated everyone the same—that even if they were the ones ill, their parents would choose to endure it or wait for death rather than spend money on a doctor.

They insisted, "It’s all because of poverty," and "Among us poor folk, everything is valuable except for our own lives."

The two sisters spoke with conviction, but Xiao Yang, who had just recovered, said nothing. A voice inside her whispered, "No, that’s not true." Perhaps her sisters would indeed be treated the same if they were ill, but her brothers were different. Just like the new clothes, which were always reserved for her parents and brothers. Just like every meal, where the thicker porridge was never for her or her sisters.

Shaking her head, Xiao Yang pushed those unpleasant memories away. She had to look forward, recover quickly, and help Sister Xie with as much work as possible. Only then could she repay the kindness of being treated, fed, clothed, and given a proper new name.

The two girls got along in harmony, the atmosphere light and pleasant. Although Jiang Yuan, with his taciturn nature and stern expression, was not as approachable as Xie Wanniang, he would specifically prepare sweet candies and fruits for Xiao Yang, allowing her to change the taste in her mouth after taking her medicine. The basins, buckets, chests, shelves, and towels Xiao Yang needed were all purchased by him on the afternoon she woke up. Most of the medicine Xiao Yang drank over these past few days was also brewed by him.

Xiao Yang saw and remembered everything Jiang Yuan did, so she did not find him frightening at all. In fact, she felt that compared to her father, who was always beating and scolding them, and her mother, who always ignored them to fuss over her brothers, Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang were more like her real family. They were like older siblings who cared for her and looked after her, and even when she made a mistake, they wouldn't hit her, but would instead patiently reason with her. She felt very secure at Jiang Yuan's home, even as Jiang Yuan himself remained filled with worry over Hao Yu’s long-delayed return.