**Chapter 40**

  "What were you thinking? You weren't the only one there. Why did you have to show off? What if you hadn't made it back up? Huh? Tell me," Ma Hongmei scolded Dali after everyone else had left.

  Dali looked at his mother helplessly. "I didn't think that much about it."

  "Don't try to be a hero next time," Ma Hongmei said and walked out. "Xiaocui, let's eat."

  "Okay," Xiaocui responded. Dayong set up the dining table on the kang bed, and soon the children brought out the dishes. Since they knew that Dali was coming back, the family had prepared a special breakfast: steamed egg custard, rice porridge, millet dumplings, and a pte of salted duck eggs.

  Some food was also sent to the west room, but Xie Yun didn't eat. After finishing her meal, Daniu went to check on Xie Yun and found she had a slight fever. She gave her some fever-reducing medicine, and after sweating a bit, Xie Yun felt better.

  This time, Old Fifth Song acted quickly. A few people went to the brigade office and partitioned off a section of the rge room and made it suitable for living.

  The next day, Zhang Xiaoran and Li Feifei moved there. Xie Yun was supposed to move as well, but she had been running a fever for two days, and they were worried about her condition, so she stayed temporarily. However, she eventually moved back to the lower room.

  Dali, having caught a cold after rescuing Xie Yun, was given a week off by the forest farm as a reward for his good deed. This allowed him to stay home until the 15th of the month, turning misfortune into a blessing.

  * * *

  Starting from the 13th, it began to snow and didn't stop until the 15th. On the 14th, Fourth Grandpa sent word that they wouldn't be coming over for the 15th, and everyone should just celebrate at home.

  Early in the morning, the family was busy preparing for the festival. Since it was snowing outside, they decided to make a hearty stew with beef tendons and cartige. Second, Grandpa had brought two salmon fish along with the frozen pears earlier, and they had been thawing in the room overnight. Early in the morning, Daniu went to slice and debone the fish, marinate it, steam it, and then smoke it with sugar.

  Her mother couldn't stand seeing her waste so much salt. "Why go through all this trouble for one fish? Just stew it in the big pot. You're wasting sugar too. Such extravagance."

  Daniu smiled and lifted the lid of the pot. The fish was already smoked. "Try it, Mom. I guarantee you won't think it's a waste. I learned this method specifically, but I never had the chance to try it before."

  "Is it really that good?" Ma Hongmei sniffed the aroma, and it wasn't bad.

  Daniu pced the smoked fish on a rge pte and brushed a bit of sesame oil on top. "Here, Mom, try it." She picked up a piece and held it to her mother's mouth.

  "Just a small piece. Let me taste it," Ma Hongmei said, taking a bite. The fish was tender and had a hint of smokiness. "Mmm, it's delicious. Why is it so fragrant?"

  "Good, right?" Daniu said proudly.

  "It's delicious. Take some to your grandpa," Ma Hongmei said, quickly dling the stew into a copper pot. The pot was part of her dowry, an octagonal purple copper basin with a dragon and phoenix design. The family had always used it for hot pots, and it had held up well over the years, making the dishes taste even better.

  "Where's your brother? Why isn't he here yet?" Ma Hongmei asked as the hot pot was set on the table, with only Dali missing.

  "I don't know. I'll go find him," Daniu said, getting up without putting on her coat. She stepped outside, where the snow was almost stopping. As she walked toward the small gate between the front and back courtyards, she suddenly heard two people talking in the backyard.

  "I'm willing to marry you," a familiar voice said. Daniu recognized it as Xie Yun's. Was she talking to her brother?

  "I'm sorry, Comrade Xie, but I don't think we're a good match," Dali's voice was calm.

  "After you saved me that day, everyone knows about it. How can I—" Xie Yun's voice trailed off, but Dali quickly interrupted.

  "There were many people there that day. No one will say anything. Comrade Xie, you should let it go. Some things can't be forced," Dali sounded impatient.

  Daniu was surprised. This wasn't the Xie Yun she knew.

  After a moment of thought, Daniu reached out and pulled on the small gate. "Huh, this door is frozen shut," she said, tugging harder.

  "Is it frozen?" Dali's voice came through as he quickly opened the door.

  "I was just calling you for dinner. Everyone's waiting for you," Daniu said, noticing that Xie Yun was no longer in the yard. She must have left through the back gate.

  The family enjoyed a reunion meal together.

  Dali didn't mention the incident with Xie Yun, but Daniu didn't want her brother to be wronged. How could saving someone turn into a problem? To be honest, Xie Yun had always seemed like a decent girl, and Daniu had felt sorry for her during this incident. But being wronged didn't give her the right to pressure others.

  It was clear that her brother had no feelings for Xie Yun. They had been living in the same courtyard for months, and if there had been any attraction, it would have shown by now. But her brother had always kept his distance, rarely coming to the front yard except for meals. This showed he had no interest. They were simply not compatible. Daniu felt it was time to start looking into her brother's marriage prospects.

  After the meal, the younger children sat on the north kang pying with knucklebones, while Daniu called Dali to the west room.

  "What's up?" Dali asked.

  "I need to talk to you about something," Daniu said, opening a cabinet and pulling out a fountain pen. She handed it to Dali. "This is for you."

  "A fountain pen—" Dali excimed in surprise as he took it. "Where did this come from?"

  "It's your birthday gift. I bought it a while ago and was pnning to give it to you on your birthday. But since you'll be back at work soon and won't be home for your birthday, I decided to give it to you early," Daniu expined. Her two brothers s birthdays are at the beginning and end of the year, but after the age of twelve, the family doesn't celebrate birthdays much, usually just with an egg, so Daniu has bought each of her brothers a fountain pen as a birthday gift.

  "Thank you, sis. This is really useful," Dali said. He used to have a fountain pen, but after years of use, the nib had worn out, and it wasn't very functional anymore.

  "No need to thank me," Daniu shook her head. "Brother, I overheard what Xie Yun said to you today. What do you really think? What kind of person are you looking for?"

  Dali's face turned red at the question. "Why are you asking this?"

  "Just curious. Mom is thinking of asking Fifth Aunt to introduce you to someone soon. I wanted to ask if you have any preferences so I can give Mom some hints. That way, she won't introduce someone you don't like."

  Dali scratched his head. "I'm not too picky. I just want someone who's family-oriented and has a good personality. That's about it."

  Daniu nodded. "What about Xie Yun? She's from the city. Don't you have any thoughts about her?"

  "Come on, she might go back to the city anytime. We're not on the same path. I'll definitely stay close to Mom and Dad in the future, so I need a wife with a good personality. If we can all get along harmoniously, that's what matters. If I end up with someone who stirs up trouble all the time, life will be unbearable," Dali said, having thought it through. He had once had some feelings for the Guo family's daughter, but he let that go. Although the girl was nice, getting involved with her would mean dealing with his birth mother, and there would be no peace in the future.

  As for Xie Yun, he understood her situation clearly. She didn't want to marry him out of love or gratitude. She was just looking for someone to rely on. Even if they got married, their hearts might not be aligned. Who knows what will happen in the future?

  Daniu nodded, her mind already forming some ideas.

  "Alright, I'll make sure Mom finds you a good girl."

  * * *

  Over the next two days, Xie Yun didn't get a chance to speak to Dali alone. Perhaps she wasn't bold enough or was afraid of being discovered by his family, so she didn't do anything drastic.

  After her brother went back to work at the forest farm, Daniu went to talk to her mother. "Mom, has Fifth Aunt made any progress with my brother's marriage prospects? Any candidates?"

  "Why are you, a young girl, meddling in this?" Ma Hongmei said, rummaging through a cabinet.

  "Just asking. If there aren't any candidates yet, how about I suggest someone?" Daniu said.

  Ma Hongmei stopped what she was doing. "Suggest someone? Whose daughter? How are they?"

  "Don't rush," Daniu sat down on the kang bed. "I met her when I sent Brother off st time. She's a neighbor of Fourth Grandpa's family. She has a good personality and is quite pretty, tall too. Her father is close to Ninth Uncle, though her mother doesn't talk much, and it's hard to tell what she's like; her father seems like a good person."

  "How old is the girl?" Ma Hongmei asked.

  "I didn't ask, but she's probably a year or two older than me. However, Mom, the girl is currently seeing Second Aunt Zheng's son," Daniu added.

  Ma Hongmei spped her lightly and gred. "If she's already seeing someone, why are you telling me about her?"

  Daniu smiled. "I don't think they'll work out. From what Ninth Uncle said, Zhou Yingchun and Second Aunt Zheng's son were middle school cssmates. They only started showing interest in each other after reconnecting. That day, when her family went to the Liang family for a meeting, they left pretty quickly. If things were going well, would they have left so soon?"

  "That still doesn't make it okay," Ma Hongmei frowned. "If they didn't hit it off, it's probably because Second Aunt Zheng is too picky. But what if the two young people have feelings? That wouldn't be appropriate."

  Daniu thought about it and agreed. She had thought Zhou Yingchun was a good match, but if the two already had feelings for each other, it wouldn't be right.

  "Alright, forget it. I just think that Zhou Yingchun is quite pleasing to my eyes."

  "Your brother's marriage isn't about what you like. Why are you so invested?"

  Daniu chuckled. She was just worried about her brother's overly active love life.

  "Don't worry about your brother's affairs. Think about yourself first. You're already eighteen, a grown woman. Be careful when you're outside, and stay away from those educated youths," Ma Hongmei said. She knew many vilge girls were drawn to those young men, who seemed more refined than the local boys. But city folks weren't used to hard work, so what was the point?

  "I know, Mom. I'm still young. If I ever get married, I'll find you a son-in-w who'll live with us."

  Ma Hongmei gnced at her. "Oh, please. Not everyone is like your dad. I don't need you to take care of me in my old age."

  Daniu grinned. "Alright, Mom. I'm not thinking about that stuff yet." She believed in quality over quantity and wouldn't settle for less. But for some reason, Zheng Sen's face fshed in her mind. Why? she thought.

  Just as Ma Hongmei was about to say something, Dayong came in from outside. "Sis, Sixth Uncle is here with two people."