Toon Chapter 5

The sky was just turning a faint gray when Zhou Lingchun got out of bed.

The man didn’t light a lamp, only turning on a small hand light on the bedside table as he rustled into his clothes. Liansheng was sleeping soundly, lying under the blanket with only his head exposed.

A light rain had fallen in the first half of the night, cooling the temperature down the mountain. Liansheng, who had complained about the heat before bed and refused Zhou Lingchun’s embrace, was now cold. He snuggled hard against Zhou Lingchun’s warm chest, finding a comfortable spot to sleep contentedly.

The moment Zhou Lingchun tried to get out of bed, Liansheng woke up. He hugged the man’s waist and mumbled sleepily, “Why are you getting up so early? Are you going to town today?”

“No,” Zhou Lingchun stroked Liansheng’s hair. “Go back to sleep.”

“No, I don’t want to. I don’t want you to leave.” Liansheng didn’t even open his eyes, his long lashes casting a shadow on his lower eyelids under the small light. Zhou Lingchun had started getting busy these past few days, spending less time with Liansheng during the day. Liansheng had tried to help him in the fields, but Zhou Lingchun sent him back, saying his skin was too delicate and would get ruined by the sun, and that there were bugs that could bite his legs.

Liansheng had no choice but to stay home with Grandma, sometimes cooking rice porridge while waiting for Zhou Lingchun to return from work. When Zhou Lingchun came back in the evening, they would eat dinner, kiss, and talk in bed, always feeling like they didn’t have enough time for intimacy.

Liansheng was bossy toward Zhou Lingchun when he was awake, but he clung the tightest when he was half-asleep. He rolled over into the man’s arms, hugging his waist, his face pressed against the man’s chest, listening to the steady thump-thump of his heart. He whispered, “You’re leaving before dawn, how can I sleep alone? Aren’t you the one who dotes on me the most? Can’t you stay and sleep a little longer?”

Zhou Lingchun touched Liansheng’s smooth shoulder, his fingers tracing the flower-shaped red birthmark on his back. He coaxed him, “It rained a little last night. I need to till the field before the ground dries up. I’ll be back before noon.”

Liansheng shook his head and opened his eyes. “Then I’ll go with you. I can help. You’ll get tired alone.”

Zhou Lingchun replied, “You don’t need to go. I won’t get tired. I’m taking the machine.”

He left the rest unsaid: Liansheng would be lucky if he didn’t just get in the way.

Liansheng fell silent but refused to let go of the man. Zhou Lingchun was reluctant to leave too; they were like a newlywed couple, sticking together like glue. He glanced at the sky. There was still some time before sunrise, so he held Liansheng and gently patted his back like he was soothing a child, hoping to lull him back to sleep. Zhou Lingchun remembered seeing the village women comfort their children when he was young—they would pick up the child, sway them, and pat their bottom, and the child would quickly fall asleep. Once the child was asleep, the adults would place them in the cradle and go about their farm work.

After a few minutes, when Liansheng made no sound, Zhou Lingchun kissed his forehead and gently moved his arms off himself. He heard Liansheng let out a soft, spoiled “Mmm,” but he still tucked him back into the blanket. He promised, “After I finish this job, I won’t be busy anymore. Then I’ll take you to town to pick out clothes.”

Liansheng was too sleepy. Leaning against the wall, he mumbled, “Not just clothes, I want candy, drawing paper… popsicles, and…” His voice trailed off, and he truly fell asleep.

Zhou Lingchun then quietly slipped out. Soon after, the sound of an engine started up, and the man pushed the tiller toward the farmland in the morning light.

When Liansheng woke up again, the sun was high. He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. Wangcai heard the movement and ran in, jumping excitedly by the bed, wagging his tail, eager for his master to pet him.

“Go!” Annoyed by Wangcai’s tail circling him, Liansheng pushed the dog away with his foot, put on the shoes Zhou Lingchun had left out for him, and walked out. The sun was out now, and the temperature was starting to rise again, showing signs of heat. Grandma was already up, leaning on her cane and hanging wet clothes on the bamboo pole. Liansheng rushed over to help, saying loudly, “Grandma, why did you wash them yourself? I can wash them for you.”

Grandma had worked her whole life, and her palms were rough. She touched Liansheng’s wrist, where the jade bracelet she had given him rested, and said contentedly, “Grandma’s eyes and ears might not be good, but my body is still spry. I always feel uncomfortable if I don’t work.”

Liansheng helped Grandma sit down under the awning and said, “Then tell me what you want me to do, so you don’t fall.”

Grandma happily agreed: “Aye, good.”

After washing up, Liansheng habitually went to the kitchen to lift the pot lid. Zhou Lingchun had left in a hurry today and hadn’t prepared his meal in advance. Breakfast was simple, and Liansheng could manage alone. He wrapped his hair in a headscarf, put some rice into the firewood pot, and used a ladle to scoop in the well water Zhou Lingchun had drawn the night before. He covered it with the large aluminum lid. After a moment’s thought, he lifted the lid again, took a transparent plastic jar from the cupboard—it contained half a bottle of alkali—and unscrewed the red lid with his fingers spread wide. He dug out a small spoonful of powder and put it into the pot.

He covered the firewood pot again, then bent down and lit the kindling. The fire roared fiercely beneath the pot.

In the distance, Granny Sun called her chickens with an “Aiyou-lou-lou,” and the hens waddled over from all directions to eat. Granny Sun scattered the wheat grain and saw smoke rising from the chimney of Zhou Lingchun’s kitchen toward the azure sky, drifting upward and gradually dissipating.

A large amount of steam rose from the pot lid, and the kitchen was smoky. Liansheng coughed twice, reduced the fire, and let the residual heat simmer the contents. He ran into Zhou Lingchun’s room, took out paper and a pen, and lay on the edge of the bed, butt sticking up, listing everything he needed to buy in town.

Shopping List:

Popsicles

Malt candy

Bubblegum

Sticky candy

Crunchy noodles

Haw flakes

Storybooks

Clothes

Drawing paper

Crayons

Ciba (sticky rice cake) for Grandma

Liansheng took out his handkerchief. Zhou Lingchun had found the handkerchief on him when he discovered him unconscious; Liansheng’s name was embroidered on it with golden thread. When Liansheng woke up, he couldn’t remember anything. At first, he politely asked the man to take the handkerchief out and ask around, but the man came back saying he couldn’t find any information. Later, Liansheng became spoiled and stopped caring about finding his original home, starting to act like the boss in Zhou Lingchun’s house!

His so-called private stash was the change he pocketed when he went to the market with Zhou Lingchun to buy snacks.

He pulled four one-yuan bills from his private stash, separated the money, and hid it under the soles of both his shoes before putting his shoes back on. By then, the rice porridge was ready. Liansheng stirred it evenly, served a bowl for Grandma first, and then drank half a bowl himself, saving room for treats in town.

After eating, he generously broke off a piece of white steamed bun for Wangcai. He waited a while, but Zhou Lingchun still hadn’t returned. Liansheng shielded his eyes with his palm and looked up at the increasingly hot sun, stamping his foot in frustration. He wondered if Zhou Lingchun had been snatched by a black bear on the mountain, forgetting the promises he made to his wife. He only pondered for a moment, then first went inside to get scissors and cut a bunch of grapes hanging from the vine under the awning. He soaked them in the well water, then returned to the kitchen and ladled the warm rice porridge into a jar.

He held the jar in his left arm, carried the bag of grapes in his right hand, and wore a sun hat on his head. After saying goodbye to Grandma, he headed out to the fields to find Zhou Lingchun.

Zhou Lingchun was tilling the field shirtless, pushing the tiller. His entire body of defined muscles glistened with sweat. The surface of the soil was moist after the rain, making it easy to till the ground deeply without much effort. He should have been done by now, but he ran into Wang Daniu, who was also digging. Wang Daniu was grunting and digging with a hoe. Seeing how convenient Zhou Lingchun’s machine was, he started a long chat with Zhou Lingchun, saying he had earned some money this year and planned to buy a tiller too, asking Zhou Lingchun to help him look for a suitable one. Zhou Lingchun slowed down his work while talking to him.

Amidst the rumbling sound of the engine, Zhou Lingchun thought he heard Liansheng’s voice. He stopped the machine and listened, hearing Liansheng’s voice growing clearer. Following the sound, he saw Liansheng stumbling and running along the field path.

Wang Daniu saw him too. He puffed out his belly, his face tanned dark. He smiled, revealing white teeth, and said, “Hey, your wife is here to find you.”

Right after he spoke, they heard Liansheng, who was running on the path, suddenly cry out “Aiyou!” and then fall to the ground, rolling off the path and into the field like a turtle, landing on his back with all four limbs flailing.

Zhou Lingchun’s vision went dark, and he rushed over in large strides.