Chapter 26: Night Talk on the Kang: From Now On You

The sky gradually darkened.

Lin Yue'e wiped away her tears, seemed to regain some strength, and began to prepare dinner.

As she rinsed the rice, looking at the bright white grains in the rice jar, she felt an unprecedented steadiness in her heart.

While chopping vegetables, she used brand‑new enamel bowls and plates, and her movements seemed much lighter.

Lu Qingshan was in the west room, carefully sorting the various items he had bought.

He gently placed the snow‑white cotton and the brand‑new cloth into the east‑room kang cabinet.

He also poured kerosene into the cleaned old oil lamp.

The newly bought bowls and chopsticks were scalded with hot water, meticulously washed clean, and neatly arranged on the bowl rack.

The dinner was very simple, yet it was a richness the household had never known.

A small amount of sorghum rice was mixed into the white rice, steamed until fragrant and aromatic.

A large bowl of stewed Roe Deer meat slices sat in the center of the table; the meat was stewed to an extremely tender, almost boneless state, the broth rich, and it also included the leftover Roe Deer broth from noon, simmered together. The dominant meat aroma mixed with the smoky scent of firewood nearly burst through the low ceiling, permeating the whole courtyard.

Compared with the past days of eating one meal and missing the next, surviving on thin clear broth, this was like heaven versus earth.

The three of them sat around the kang table.

Xiao Xue tucked her little head down, eating with oil on her mouth, her small face like a greedy little flower cat.

Lin Yue'e ate the rice bite by bite, picking up a piece of stewed, tender meat and putting it in her mouth, her face bearing a look of satisfied calm.

She would occasionally lift her eyelids covertly, quickly glancing at the silent Lu Qingshan eating beside her.

In her gaze, besides the lingering, hard‑to‑eradicate timidity, there seemed to be a few indescribable hints of curiosity and inquiry.

Even a trace she herself hadn't noticed, like a dependence quietly reviving after hibernation, and… a feeling.

After the meal, Lin Yue'e swiftly cleared the bowls and chopsticks.

The brand‑new enamel dishes glowed with a soft sheen under the dim yellow oil‑lamp light, reflecting her complex, unspeakable emotions at that moment.

The rice jar was full, the kang cabinet held thick cotton and cloth, and all this made her feel light‑footed.

It was like walking on clouds—unreal, yet she longed intensely for it all to be real and to continue forever.

Lu Qingshan sat at the edge of the kang, watching Xiao Xue snuggle in her mother's arms, her little face bearing a satisfied sweet smile, and she fell into a deep sleep.

The little girl slept soundly, a sparkling droplet of saliva hanging at the corner of her mouth.

His heart felt as if it were being gently soaked in warm water, soft to the point of mush.

The scene before him was the warmth he had spent two lifetimes yearning for but never obtaining.

He shifted his posture and gently sat beside Lin Yue'e.

His movement was very light, as if afraid to disturb this hard‑won tranquility.

Then, repeatedly from the close‑fitting pocket in his chest, he solemnly pulled out the warm, clutched cash.

Bright red ten‑yuan Great Unity bills, one stack, two stacks… a thick pile of several stacks!

Stacked at the kang edge, they were almost dazzling.

In the dim flickering oil‑lamp light, that breathtaking crimson‑gray instantly seized all of Lin Yue'e's attention.

Her breath suddenly halted, her eyes widened to a round stare.

Instinctively, she clamped her hand over her mouth, preventing a scream.

She froze completely, as if she had seen something that could not possibly exist in this home.

Five huge stacks of cash!

In these times, this sum would be enough to build a bright, grand tiled house in the village that everyone would envy.

It would even be enough for a city worker with a secure iron rice bowl to save his entire ten‑year wages without eating or drinking.

Her heart pounded "thump thump thump," racing as if it would burst out of her throat!

"Yue E."

Lu Qingshan's voice was low and hoarse, bearing an unprecedented solemnity, with a hint of relief.

"This time going into the mountains, we followed a tremendous fate and unearthed an Old Mountain Ginseng that seems close to becoming a spirit."

"Its quality is countless times stronger than the ones the Supply and Marketing Cooperative gathers."

"Compared with what the Fushong County Supply and Marketing Cooperative gathers, even when handed to the provincial Ginseng King it's only moderately large; the cooperative would pay two thousand, which is already considered generous."

"I went to the market, found someone who knows its worth, and sold it for a sky‑high price."

He carefully pushed those astonishingly thick stacks of money in front of Lin Yue'e.

Allowing her to clearly feel the heart‑stirring thickness.

"Buying these items today cost nearly four hundred yuan."

He paused, looking at her body trembling slightly from extreme shock, and continued.

"The remainder is less than five thousand yuan, all right here."

He re‑wrapped the money in cloth, meticulously, then firmly pushed it to Lin Yue'e's hand.

"You keep this money."

"From now on, all the household money is yours to manage."

Lin Yue'e recoiled her hand as if burned by a red‑hot iron.

The last hint of color on her face faded completely, she shook her head repeatedly, her voice changed in tone, carrying a distinct sobbing quality.

"No... no, Qing Shan! This... this is too much! I don't dare take this money! I can't take it... what if... what if..."

She dared not continue; the words that followed were a nightmare she had engraved in her heart for years. She feared it was just another illusory bubble, feared the money would once again be taken by him to fill an ever‑insatiable gambling hole, feared that after sobering up he would revert to the demon she dreaded beyond measure.

She was even more afraid that she could not manage this enormous sum she dared not even imagine; if she lost it or was cheated... she could not bear that responsibility.

The past wounds were too deep and heavy; trust had already been repeatedly ground into powder by this man's own hands, and she could no longer trust.

Lu Qingshan looked at the fear and helplessness almost overflowing from the depths of her eyes; his heart felt as if pierced by countless fine needles, a dense, relentless pain that left him almost breathless.

But he knew he had to do this; it was the first step of his atonement and also the most crucial step in rebuilding trust.

He extended his broad, calloused hand and, without doubt, seized the cold, trembling little hand she tried to pull back.

Together with that heavy cloth sack, he held it tightly in his palm.

He could clearly feel her little hand's violent tremor, like a bird about to lose its wings in a storm.

"Yue E, take it."

He, word by word, gazed at her eyes with unparalleled seriousness.

His gaze was as open as a mountain spring, and his tone was as sincere as the rock beneath his feet.

"I said I'd make sure you and Xiao Xue have a good life, and I will definitely do it."

"Only when this money is with you do I truly feel at ease."

His honesty moved Yue E's sensitive heart more than any solemn promise could.

"I'm afraid… I'm afraid I still can't control these hands, and will slip again."

"From now on, whatever the family eats, wears, buys, or uses, it's up to you to decide."

"I'm a man, so I'm responsible for risking my life out there to earn money and bring it back."

"You're responsible for holding up this home, taking good care of her, okay?"

Lu Qingshan's palm was dry and warm, the masculine strength and heat flowing continuously, trying to dispel the chill in her heart.

The unprecedented trust, reliance, and hope in his eyes were like a faint yet persistent beam, stubbornly shining into the darkest, coldest corner of Lin Yue'e's heart, trying to melt the thick solid ice.

Lin Yue'e's heart pounded like a drum, her cheeks heating up from excitement and shyness.

She looked at the unprecedented, responsible and sincere reflection in her husband's eyes, and a storm surged within her heart.

Fear and hope clashed fiercely in her heart.

She saw the unprecedented firmness and honesty in her husband's eyes, then lowered her head to glance at her sleeping daughter's tender, peaceful little face on the kang.

For the child… for this home…

Perhaps… perhaps she can… can trust him once more?

He… he really seems different this time…

Finally, under Lu Qingshan's encouraging and steadfast gaze, she seemed to summon all her strength, bite her lower lip, and slowly, trembling, used the hand he had been holding to instead tightly clutch the cloth sack filled with a fortune.

The weight of the money pressed heavily in her palm, and even heavier on her heart.

But that weight also carried a scorching warmth, like the fiercest winter sun, melting her long‑frozen heart bit by bit.

She suddenly lowered her head, her long lashes trembling continuously.

The scorching tears finally could no longer be held back, falling in large drops.

This time, not out of Fear, not out of grievance.

But from the relief of surviving disaster, it is an infinite yearning for the future.

These are tears of hope, scorching and genuine.

Lu Qingshan watched her finally clutch the cash, and the great stone hanging in his heart finally fell to the ground.

A truly unburdened smile, never seen before, appeared on his face.

He gently patted Yue E's back of the hand, a slightly clumsy motion yet full of soothing strength.

This is the support he has risked his life to give her.

This is the stability he has long yearned for.

From this moment on, this home truly begins to be a home.

Outside, the wind and snow still howl, while the oil lamp's glow inside appears especially bright and warm.

The gentle halo softly enveloped the dependent couple and their sleeping daughter, as if dispersing all past gloom and cold.

The kang was warm, and Lu Qingshan watched his sleeping wife and daughter beside him; their tranquil, secure faces were his greatest solace in life.

He gently tucked their blanket corners, sinking into thought.

He knows this is only a beginning.

He will free them completely from poverty and Fear, and give them truly good days.

He looked at the pitch‑black roof outside the window, as if seeing Guandong Mountain, which hides endless treasure and challenges.

Tomorrow, he will take the iron pillar and the newly captured monkey, and venture deeper into the forest.

Hunt more valuable prey, earn more money, and grip this stability tightly in his hand!