Seeing that Qin Feng had indeed asked about the artificial respiration, Juhua secretly mulled over the proper way to respond. The situation had been urgent, and in her rush to save a life, she'd had no time to worry about propriety. If she didn't explain herself clearly now, it could lead to trouble.
After a moment's thought, she looked up at him and said, "My grandfather told me when I was little."
Qin Feng's expression froze. He was a bit suspicious, but seeing Juhua's innocent and clueless expression, he swallowed the words he was about to say.
'Forget it. As long as she knows how to do it, that's all that matters. If Juhua doesn't want to talk about it, I shouldn't force her.'
On the way back, Madam Yang still clutched Juhua's hand tightly.
When she had returned to find a large crowd gathered by Jing Lake and her daughter missing from home, the fear had nearly sent her over the edge. She had charged toward the lake like a madwoman, only to learn it was all a misunderstanding. Even so, she was still reeling from the fright and refused to let go of Juhua's hand.
"Juhua, dear, just forget about that business with Zhang Huai! You don't have to get married. I'll take care of you for the rest of my life. Your brother won't abandon you, either. I refuse to believe our lives will be any worse than anyone else's!" Madam Yang said indignantly, trying to comfort Juhua and ease her worries about the future.
Juhua replied softly, "Mother, I'm not upset. I'm perfectly capable. I don't need anyone to provide for me; I can make a good life for myself. Besides, not every girl who gets married ends up living well."
Hearing this, Madam Yang praised her daughter for her spirit. She added, "And we have no use for anyone who looks down on you for your appearance! What matters in a marriage is character. The right person for you won't care about how you look. My daughter is so capable—it's their loss for not marrying you!"
Though she comforted Juhua with her words, she knew perfectly well that looks were, of course, important too. 'Back then, wasn't it because I was both lively and pretty that her father relentlessly sent a matchmaker, always finding excuses to run over to Liujiatang, and insisted on marrying me?'
Juhua saw that her mother, for all her brave talk, was losing confidence as she spoke. So, Juhua changed the subject and began to tell her in detail what had just happened by Jing Lake.
Madam Yang looked at her with a gratified expression. "Good people receive good fortune! You saved Shi Tou today; you'll be rewarded for it in the future."
She looked at her own daughter with loving eyes, feeling that she was perfect in every way. 'Look at that petite frame, so slender. And the rough patches of skin on her face… they aren't really that unsightly!'
"Juhua, when did your grandfather ever tell you how to save someone like that?" Madam Yang asked suspiciously. 'How could I not know my father-in-law had such a skill? Even her father didn't know.'
Juhua replied in a soft, quiet voice, "I think it was when I was six! He was afraid I'd go play in the water, so he told me about it."
Juhua did her best to look natural, implying that she had no idea how her grandfather knew such a thing; she was just a child back then. 'Besides,' she thought, 'Grandpa is already dead. It's not like he can jump out of his grave and expose me.'
Since Madam Yang couldn't get anything more out of her, she let it go. She then changed the subject, asking why Juhua had picked so many wild chrysanthemums.
Juhua replied that she would dry them to make tea or to use as pillow stuffing, adding that the fragrance was wonderful.
"The pillows at home are as hard as rocks," she said softly. "If we use dried wild chrysanthemums for the filling, they'll surely be more comfortable."
"Then pick some more," Madam Yang said, nodding in agreement. "Make one for me, your father, and your brother too."
Juhua nodded in agreement.
Back home, Madam Yang went to the kitchen to cook. Juhua went to the river to wash the wild chrysanthemums. Afterward, she found a large, round sieve, propped it up in the courtyard, and spread the fully bloomed flowers out to dry under the hot sun. She then steamed the un-bloomed buds in a steamer before spreading them on another, smaller sieve to dry as well.
'If I'm going to make a pillow for everyone in the family, I'll have to go pick more tomorrow,' she thought. 'This is far too little; it's not even enough for one pillow! But the flowering season is long, so I still have plenty of time to gather more.'
At noon, Zheng Changhe and his son heard villagers talking about the incident at Jing Lake on their way home for lunch. The first thing Zheng Changhe did upon arriving home was to tell Juhua with a grim face to stay far away from Jing Lake in the future—that lake was a bit sinister.
Seeing Zheng Changhe's ashen face, Juhua quickly and solemnly nodded in agreement. 'I'm more afraid of dying than anyone,' she thought. 'You're the only ones who think I'd try to kill myself!'
Qingmu studied his sister's face even more closely, trying to see if she was heartbroken. Thankfully, Juhua seemed perfectly calm, and he finally relaxed.
For lunch, Madam Yang made an exception and cooked two eggs scrambled with chives. She also made a soup from the fish her son had caught that morning. The fragrant aroma of the milky-white broth made Juhua's mouth water.
She knew her mother had done this out of concern for her, so she didn't stand on ceremony. She ladled a full bowl of soup for herself before giving half a bowl each to her parents and brother—there wasn't much soup, after all, and the bowls were large. The scrambled eggs with chives were also divided equally. The family ate the meal in warm and happy spirits.
Seeing that Juhua was happy, Zheng Changhe, his wife, and Qingmu felt their own spirits lift as well.
After finishing the meal and clearing away the bowls and chopsticks, Juhua finally returned to her room. She sighed as she surveyed the shabby space.
There was an old-fashioned wooden bed with a mattress of straw, covered by a sheet full of patches. The thin quilt on top was more patches than fabric, and the cotton wadding inside had become lumpy and hard, with no softness left. The pillowcase, made of a durable, dirt-resistant blue sackcloth, was pressed flat and stiff, like a brick.
At the head of the bed sat an old wooden chest. Next to it was a cabinet so mottled with age that its original color was impossible to tell. On top of the cabinet lay a comb with broken teeth and a round, flat sewing basket.
This room was merely a place to sleep; it looked nothing like a young lady's private quarters.
'Sigh! In a place with such beautiful mountains and clear water, living a life like this… it just shouldn't be this way!'
According to the original owner's memories, there were two main reasons. First, the family didn't have much land, only five mu in total—three of which were paddy fields and two were dry fields. Second, the yields were low. After paying the grain tax, selling the rest of the harvest only brought in enough money for a few essential daily supplies, and they still had to set aside enough grain to eat!
There was no other income on a daily basis. The money from selling whatever eggs they could save went toward buying small things like needles and thread. If someone in the family were to get sick, it would be a disaster.
'First,' Juhua thought, 'I'll convince Mother to get two more pigs. Then, when the hens get broody, we'll hatch more chicks. And for now? I should hurry and build a compost pile to raise some earthworms. Even though they're everywhere, I've never raised them before, so I'll have to do a lot of experimenting!'
'Right, I'll also ask Father to find some time to weave a shrimp net. Whenever we're free, we can go to Jing Lake and the Little Qing River to catch some fish and shrimp. We'll take matters into our own hands, add some variety to our meals, and make sure our stomachs are full first.'
She lay on the bed, staring blankly at the thatched roof as her mind raced with calculations.
'Goodness! Now that I think about it, there's so much to do. I'll have to tackle it one thing at a time.'
'I'll pick some wild chrysanthemums every day. I'll start the compost pile this evening, and every day I'll find time to dig up some earthworms to throw in and slowly build up a supply. I also need to cut more pig fodder. In a little while, there won't be any left in the fields.'
'It seems our family has too little land. Otherwise, we could plant some shanyu. Isn't now the time for harvesting shanyu? The chopped shanyu vines are also great for feeding pigs.'
While she was inside, frowning and lost in thought, Madam Yang was growing extremely worried outside. 'Why did my daughter go lie down on the bed? Could she be feeling unwell?'
Seeing that Zheng Changhe and their son had gone back to the fields, she hurried into the room, gently touched Juhua's head, and asked, "Juhua, dear, are you not feeling well?"
Juhua was taken aback, only then realizing she had been lying there for a while. 'The family is so incredibly busy,' she thought. 'No wonder Mother was suspicious.'
She quickly sat up, grabbed her mother's arm, and said, "Mother, when you go to the market tomorrow, don't buy fabric to make clothes for me. Get two pigs instead, and let's hatch a few more broods of chicks. It would be great to raise them for our own meat!"
Seeing her normally timid daughter suddenly worrying about family matters, Madam Yang's heart ached with a bittersweet feeling. She held Juhua's hand and said, "Silly girl! Do you think you're the only one who's thought of this? Don't other people know how to raise pigs and chickens? It's just that there's nothing to feed them. If our family gets two more pigs, what would we feed them? The northwest wind? It's the same for the chickens. In the spring and summer, you can let them free-range and find their own bugs to eat, but what about winter? You have to feed them then."
Juhua quickly said, "That's why I'm trying to come up with a plan! Mother, think about it. If we work a little harder, we can cut more pig fodder and store it in the cellar with corn stalks. That should last a while! As for the chickens, you don't have to worry. I'm planning to raise earthworms. I might be able to figure out a good system! In the winter, we can plant more vegetables. It'll be more work, but we can eat them, and the pigs can eat them. Wouldn't that be great? Our vegetable patch is too small. I noticed that big empty plot of land outside the courtyard, next to the outhouse. Why don't we clear it? Then next year we can plant shanyu. There are four of us in this family, and we're all strong. What is there to be afraid of?"
Madam Yang saw that her daughter was speaking logically, planning for the family's welfare in every detail. Except for buying the piglets, which cost money—and for that, her daughter was even willing to forgo new clothes—none of her other ideas required spending. They just required some effort.
'It's not that difficult,' she thought for a moment. 'We might as well give it a try. This will follow my daughter's wishes and might help cheer her up, so she won't keep dwelling on that business with Zhang Huai.'
And so, Madam Yang said with a broad smile, "Alright! I'll listen to you. I'll go get the piglets tomorrow. As for the chickens, I'll take some eggs to your maternal grandmother and ask her to help us hatch them. We can hatch more whenever our own hens get broody. And if you really can manage to raise those earthworms, then we won't have to worry about feeding more chickens!"
Juhua was thrilled to have convinced her mother so easily. It was as if she could already see a plate of braised chicken on the table.
She smiled, pressing her lips together, and added, "Ask Father to help me weave a shrimp net. In our spare time, we can catch some fish and shrimp from the river for a nice treat!" Seeing her mother's expression suddenly change, she quickly added, "I'll go with Brother!"
Only then did Madam Yang relax. She carefully instructed Juhua once more, reminding her to be careful on her own and to wait for her brother to get back before doing anything difficult. Having said her piece, she too went out to the fields, leaving Juhua at home to feed the pigs and chickens and tidy up the house.