Apricot petals drifted down, covering her entirely.
She sat motionless, lost in thought. A few petals on her thick eyelashes gradually melted, leaving a moist sheen before she wiped them away.
When Liu Dalang saw off the last patient of the midday and entered the backyard, this was the scene before him.
The small, thin girl sat on a protruding tree root, wiping her tears again and again, her already sallow face now rubbed white.
He went to the well, scooped up some water to wash his hands.
The water splashed and seeped into the ground. The man crouched beside her, softening his voice: "Why so troubled? It's not like you at your age."
He Ping'an looked up, seeing him smiling at her, and forced a smile: "I was just dozing off."
When she smiled, her eyes narrowed slightly, reddened at the corners, still holding a petal. Her nose was a little red too, making her look like a porcelain figurine, weathered by the yellow sand—old and pitiful.
Liu Dalang looked away, shaking the water from his hands: "You've worked hard these days. If you have time later, go out and buy me some wine, how about that?"
Hearing her "mm," Liu Dalang gave her the money.
He Ping'an weighed the heavy pouch: "Is the wine here that expensive?"
Afraid she might suspect ulterior motives, Liu Dalang said: "If you pass by a cloth shop on the way, buy two bolts of cloth. My mother's been dressing almost like a beggar these days."
Then he added: "Get some bright colors for yourself too. Anyone would think you're already thirty-five or thirty-six. It's not good for a young girl like that."
He Ping'an thought of her past life and gave a faint smile.
Putting both lives together, she was indeed quite old, and she had even had a child.
If it came down to it, Liu Dalang should call her "older sister" instead of treating her like a child nine years younger, carefully trying to console her in a roundabout way.
He Ping'an jumped off the tree root, smiled, and said: "Thank you."
Liu Dalang looked at her, instinctively feeling that her thanks held a deeper meaning.
He suppressed his suspicion and got up to go to the kitchen to light the fire and cook.
The house had been tidied up by her. According to his mother, she was from Southern Zhili, a journey of over a thousand li, full of hardship and danger. How could she have come all this way alone just to escape an arranged marriage?
Obviously, there was more to it.
The man chopped the meat bones on the chopping board with a single stroke, frowning slightly. He couldn't figure it out, but he couldn't force her with a knife either.
This meal made him sweat all over; he accidentally put too much seasoning, making all the dishes spicy and salty.
Granny Tai was old and liked strong flavors, but this was torture for He Ping'an.
The water she had boiled hadn't cooled down yet, and now this was about to burn a hole through her stomach. She sucked in cold air. Granny Tai handed her the wine: "Wash it down with this."
After a gulp of wine, He Ping'an closed her eyes, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
Seeing this, Granny Tai looked at her cup and suddenly slapped her forehead: "That's not the wine you bought today."
She had muddled again and handed over the cup that Liu Dalang had just filled on the left.
That wine was already strong, and for an outsider girl to down it in one gulp...
Granny Tai had good intentions but bad results. She watched He Ping'an worriedly, but Liu Dalang beside her remained indifferent. After that one cup, she just sat still. If she came around, wouldn't it just whet her appetite?
"You have a good tolerance for alcohol."
He Ping'an shook her head, regaining a bit of reason, but her vision started to blur again.
She lifted her heavy head. The man sitting opposite wore a smiling face, faded and unclear, but his mouth was a bit annoying, the vermilion corners always upturned, for no apparent reason.
She frowned, stood up to wash her face.
As she walked, the whole world spun, and she spun along with it.
Thump—
Granny Tai couldn't hold her, and they both fell to the ground.
Fortunately, Granny Tai landed on He Ping'an, so she didn't break any bones.
Liu Dalang first helped his mother up, then went to help He Ping'an.
Granny Tai wouldn't let him touch her. Liu Dalang said helplessly: "Should she crawl back?"
He Ping'an lay on the ground, dead drunk, muttering something. Mother and son crouched beside her, neither allowing the other to touch her.
It was dusk.
The glow of the setting sun crossed the small earthen wall, falling into the yard.
He Ping'an had a mouthful of dirt. Squinting, she wondered when she had become so short.
The person crouching beside her seemed to be...
She crawled over, hugged her, and sobbed: "Mama."
Beside Mama was another person, dark, like a girl.
She couldn't help but cry even harder, hugging with the other hand too, whimpering: "Mama misses you so much. It's all those bitches who harmed you; I'll avenge you!"
Granny Tai's ears weren't good, but she heard the word "mama."
She sighed, hugged her back, and coaxed her.
Liu Dalang was reluctantly also held in her embrace.
He leaned back to keep He Ping'an from pressing her face against him.
He pondered the meaning of her words, but couldn't figure it out. So he made his voice soft and asked: "Little Ping'an, who wronged you? How did you end up all the way in Datong?"