Chapter 122

It was late at night.

The roosters in Gumula Village had all gone into the coop.

There was the occasional barking of dogs, echoing through the village.

Su Youfu fished the dripping wet bamboo strips out of the water and hung them on a rack nearby.

He wore a pair of thick gloves on his hands that used to be white but had now been worn to black, with holes in some places.

These were the gloves he wore when weaving bamboo, because sometimes the strips could be sharp, especially when twisting them, and it was easy to prick your hands accidentally. But he couldn't wear the gloves when making intricate little things, and his hands were covered in calluses.

The bamboo strips drying on the rack had spotted markings from old bamboo. Originally Su Youfu was reluctant to chop down new bamboo, so when he went up the mountain to collect bamboo, he would cut the older, crooked, poorly shaped, insect-eaten ones first.

It was harder to split strips from this kind of bamboo. The pieces were twisted and gnarled, old and hard, and had to be soaked in water first before splitting.

Unexpectedly, the bamboo wares made from these strips turned out to have their own unique charm. Boss Huang said customers liked this kind of thing.

Su Youfu didn't understand aesthetics or appreciation, but it was true that these strips were harder to work with, while the quality was better than new bamboo and the products were more durable, not as brittle and very flexible.

Today when Su Youfu saw that his daughter liked the little bamboo bag, he decided to make one for Xiaoqi as well. She would be going off to school soon, and city girls seemed to like those little sling bags that couldn't hold much, just a cell phone and keys and such.

While Su Youfu was selecting bamboo strips, Sheng Juanhua was also busy.

She had sewn a small cloth pouch with a drawstring that could go inside the bamboo bag.

Not only that, she had also taken some old homespun fabric from the house. Gumula Village had a tradition of weaving fabric, but the homespun cloth was very coarse and rustic, without much use. Basically only the older generation still wove it. It used to be custom to give homespun cloth to newlywed couples, but in recent years it was more popular to gift bedding instead.

The homespun cloth in their house was mostly gifts received at Sheng Juanhua's wedding ceremony years ago.

She had cloth in all kinds of colors - red, blue. Sheng Juanhua was skilled with her hands, and planned to use these fabrics to make a shoulder strap.

She had seen it on TV before, those little bags with wide shoulder straps in bright colors.

They looked very lively and cheerful when young girls wore them. She was sewing the strap, first piecing together three layers of thick cloth to give it substance, then wrapping the outside with a layer of homespun, carefully stitching together strips of different colors on the diagonal to create a vibrant, irregular pattern.

While Sheng Juanhua worked on the strap, Su Youfu wove the bamboo bag.

Xiaoqi had already gone to bed. The villagers loved gossip too much, and she couldn't handle it even with her paralyzed face, so she went upstairs early to practice writing characters, do some English Level 4 exam papers, review some Japanese, then went to sleep.

Sleeping earlier at home, because in the afternoon she had gone to the vegetable plot to get her step count in.

Gumula Village had excellent environmental conditions, completely free of smog or anything like that. The only issue was the high altitude making it hard to boil water, 90 degrees Celsius was already boiling.

Running here took more effort than usual, Xiaoqi got tired quickly and fell into a deep sleep, snoring lightly.

Meanwhile, Su Youfu and Sheng Juanhua worked on the bags until late into the night.

The lights in the living room had been replaced with higher wattage bulbs, making it much brighter.

After Su Youfu finished weaving the little bamboo bag, he soaked it in water again, so the strips would become softer and more flexible.

Sheng Juanhua also just about finished sewing the strap. The couple together put the strap under some thick bricks to flatten it.

Sheng Juanhua stood up and stretched lazily.

"Let's stitch it together in the morning, it's getting too late, time for bed."

Su Youfu also got up, went to the kitchen to scoop some hot water out of the pot. The couple washed their faces together, then soaked their feet in a basin before heading upstairs lightly.

When Su Youfu lay down, he felt the bones in his waist creaking and aching, also a sense of satisfaction.

Sheng Juanhua changed into pajamas and lay down, reaching over to poke her husband's arm.

"How much money did you make today? I asked but you wouldn't say, keeping it secret and saving it up?"

Su Youfu was nearly asleep but roused himself when he heard his wife's words. He rolled over clumsily to the corner of the trunk to take out the bank book.

"I put away the money from selling pigs, and from selling baskets too."

Sheng Juanhua raised good pigs. They were fat and thick, nearly 300 jin each. And pork prices had gone up this year, so the two pigs sold for over 10,000 yuan.

Now there was already 35,000 yuan in the bank book. It could be said this family had never been so well-off before. Their usual state was needing a few hundred yuan and having to borrow from others.

Sheng Juanhua's eyes shone eagerly at the bank book. She had been busy with people coming by all day and hadn't had a chance to look at it. Now staring at the growing numbers she was more and more excited, and wished she could roll around happily in bed.

"Sleep, it's too late. Won't be able to get up tomorrow." Su Youfu yawned until tears leaked from the corners of his eyes.

Sheng Juanhua left the bank book under her pillow for a bit as she lay down to sleep, then felt it wasn't secure enough. She got up again to put the book back in the corner of the trunk, weighed down by layers of old clothes and bedding.

Early next morning, before 4 am, Su Youfu was up. He got up to stitch together the bamboo bag and pouch from last night. Sheng Juanhua prepared breakfast and luggage.

Today the couple both planned to go into the city to see their daughter off on the train.

Originally Su Youfu intended to take his daughter to Meng City, but Xiaoqi thought about it and decided against it. There was too much work at home, and her father wasn't in the best health either. It would be hard for him to go alone, then come back alone. Xiaoqi was worried.

She told her father that she would have classmates traveling together, lots of students from their school got accepted in Meng City and would take the same train. They could look after each other.

Su Youfu had thought to go himself, but with one more person there would be extra expenses for transport and lodging. Meng City wasn't far either, and if his daughter said she would have classmates along, he felt assured. So they decided together that he would go with his wife to see their daughter off in the city.

Sheng Juanhua barely slept well all night, it was rare for her to go into the city after marrying into Gumula Village, especially for both husband and wife together.

After eating, the couple changed into their best outfits, the ones Sheng Juanhua wore last time going back to visit her parents, even the red leather shoes. Su Youfu also put on leather shoes, but took along a pair of cloth shoes and sneakers for the trip back.

With no car today they would have to walk home, and last time Sheng Juanhua insisted on not changing shoes, only to find a small tear at the tip of the leather shoes on the way back, upsetting her.

Xiaoqi got up at 5:30, seeing her parents fully dressed and chickens fed, pig feed prepared for the newly caught piglets...

"What time did you get up?"

Xiaoqi couldn't help yawning as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Normal time, less sleep when older. Come eat quickly." Su Youfu pulled at his new shirt, feeling awkward in the unfamiliar clothes, but his face was wreathed in smiles, much gentler than usual.

Sheng Juanhua was doing her hair out the back door. She had long, thick black tresses that took some effort to put up.

She braided her hair neatly into one big braid and let it hang over her shoulder.

Perhaps because life had been good recently, the wrinkles on Sheng Juanhua's forehead seemed to have faded a lot, making her look many years younger.

Xiaoqi wolfed down a few bites. With short hair it was easy for her to get ready, just brush it back with a comb and that was it.

By the time Xiaoqi finished eating, her parents were already waiting by the door.

Su Youfu carried a large bag, Sheng Juanhua also had a large bag, and Xiaoqi wore a backpack.

The family of three headed towards the village community center. The sky was just growing light, and others going into the city were also hurrying to the community center.

They walked quickly, because arriving early meant sitting in the front, where it was coldest on the bus. The morning chill cut through to the bone.

Driver Da Yong squatted by the bus smoking a cigarette on a large rock.

His job every day was driving people back and forth. Seeing the Su family of three appear, he stared blankly for a moment.

Su Youfu walked with a limp, bobbing up and down. Beside him his wife Sheng Juanhua was tall and moved nimbly. She had a bold, handsome face. Their daughter Su Xiaoqi still looked half-asleep, a bit bleary-eyed as she shuffled over, like an unbloomed rosebud.

Despite his limp, Su Youfu walked swiftly, hopping up to the driver and asking, "Da Yong, any space left? My wife and daughter sit in front."