When Ethan had nothing to do, he liked to admire the solid wood furniture in his house.
The village carpenter was skilled — even the furniture had carved decorations.
Most of the trees grown in the nearby mountains were pine and camphor, both good for making doors and furniture.
His father had told him the furniture was made of pine. Ethan realized that the wardrobes, dining table, stools, and even their beds were all built from the same kind of wood.
It was getting hotter lately, and since beds in this era didn't have mattresses, sleeping felt rather uncomfortable.
While rummaging through his mother's dressing table, he finally found a small mirror and got a clear look at himself.
He'd heard that his skin used to be darker because of lingering toxins.
His sisters looked like their mother, but he resembled his father — sharp phoenix eyes, a high nose bridge, thin red lips, and fair skin. When he grew up, he'd surely be a handsome young man!
He was quite pleased with his looks. In his previous life, he'd been so ordinary, and now, even in this harsh and poor era, he'd become so good-looking. If only the times weren't so hard, he'd be perfectly content.
In their house, every visible item had its place. If even one thing went missing, people would notice.
Ethan understood clearly why his parents were so cautious — they didn't want outsiders entering their home.
It wasn't that the villagers were bad people, but in chaotic times, trust could be dangerous.
After all, betrayal often came from those closest to you.
One such example was Sam's family, who lived in the same village. Sam worked for the commune driving horse carts.
He and his wife Mary had two sons — one was already a soldier, married, and had two children: a boy and a girl.
Mary helped them take care of the kids, and the two sons still lived together with their parents instead of splitting the household.
The younger son and his wife were in charge of managing one of the village's fruit hills.
That day, Henry went to the village fish pond and picked some lotus seeds.
The pond was commune property, planted with lotus roots. It was May, so there weren't any roots to harvest yet, but there were lotus flowers and seeds.
He asked someone to row a boat and helped pick the seeds, even paying a bit of money to bring them home.
Although the pond and its plants belonged to the commune, villagers often took some lotus leaves, flowers, or seeds — sometimes secretly, sometimes openly — and so far, no one had made a fuss about it.
Henry also bought some pork bones and made lotus seed and pork bone congee.
The bitter lotus hearts could be dried along with clausena leaves to make tea — a perfect drink for the hot summer, refreshing and cooling.
Nothing went to waste.
At mealtimes, they didn't just eat congee. They also fried pickled vegetables, or boiled sweet potatoes, potatoes, or pumpkins — all filling foods.
Sometimes they ground those coarse grains into flour to make noodles or stir-fried starch.
The family also grew peanuts, which could be pressed into oil, along with several kinds of beans.
In addition to paying grain rent, people also paid with coarse grains.
If they didn't have enough rice, they made up the difference with sweet potatoes, corn, or millet.
In the south, people ate less wheat and more rice, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.
Some villagers planted a lot of corn just to grind into flour and fill their stomachs.
Occasionally, they'd change things up by making steamed buns or dumplings.
During this season, the house was full of vegetables and fruits.
They dried vegetables and pickled others — living frugally, though slightly better off than most.
Ethan couldn't do much around the house, so he turned his attention to the backyard garden.
When the grownups weren't looking, he secretly slipped the misshapen vegetables and overripe beans into his mystical space — the one inside his Buddha Tower.
He collected piles of vegetable leaves, weeds, potato vines, twisted melons, and old beans — anything others didn't notice or didn't want.
Every time, he looked around to make sure no one was watching before quietly storing them away.
Henry often reminded his family, "There are many people outside who don't even have food to eat. Being able to fill our bowls with porridge is already something to be grateful for."
The older sisters studied at the village school, where the teacher would recite slogans and talk about the world beyond their village. Many of the local children didn't go to school at all—they helped their families with chores or gathered grass for the pigs.
Every evening, people in the village hall would dance the yangko, a traditional folk dance.
The village had also opened a literacy class, where men and women of all ages who couldn't read went to learn.
Still, some people thought studying was useless—once they learned to write their own names and a few characters, they stopped attending.
The literacy teachers were educated youths who had come from the city.
High school was available only in the county town, which was relatively far away. For most families in the nearby villages, it was already impressive if their children could finish elementary school. Few towns had middle schools, and even fewer students continued their education that far.
Ethan lived each day surrounded by care and affection. He ate the best food, didn't have to work, and enjoyed a carefree life.
He felt as though every day was a holiday. "If only life could always stay this peaceful and simple," he often thought.
"Ethan, the lychees are ripe! Come with me to the mountain to pick some," Henry said cheerfully.
About ten days later, Henry decided to take his son out. Ethan had been asking for it, and Henry was delighted—his son was so attached to him.
He wasn't particularly thinking about whether a young child should eat too many lychees; he just wanted to take Ethan for a walk and teach him about the plants in the mountains. It was a father passing on his knowledge to his son.
In his previous life, Ethan had grown up in an orphanage and didn't know much about mountain plants. The people here, though, understood a lot of herbal remedies.
They could identify many wild grasses and herbs—some that could heal bruises, others that could treat knife wounds.
(End of Chapter)