Under the scorching sun, a figure quietly approached the Shu family’s house.

“Wanxiu?”

“Girl Shu?”

She called out twice, but received no response after a long wait.

“Strange, there’s no one around the house. Could they be taking an afternoon nap?”

Shu Wanxiu was sleeping groggily, unable to distinguish whether the voice calling her was from a dream or reality. She was too exhausted and tired to discern the truth, wanting only to turn over and continue sleeping.

Against her wishes, as she turned, a pair of cold little hands frantically pressed against her face.

“Auntie, someone’s here!”

The panicked voice mixed with sobs jolted Shu Wanxiu awake.

Without even taking in her surroundings, her first instinct was to pull Shu Shouyi behind her. “Quick, hide behind Auntie! Where’s the stick?!”

“S-stick?! Auntie, there’s no stick!”

The child could no longer hold back, tears falling in large drops.

Shu Wanxiu looked around in a daze.

“Is that crying? Are you inside?”

The voice outside the window carried deep confusion. Hearing the approaching footsteps, Shu Wanxiu suddenly came to her senses.

Right, she had already settled down in Five Tablet Village of Fang Yuan County. This wasn’t the refugee trail or a makeshift shelter. They lived in a place with doors, windows, and walls – no one could approach unnoticed while they slept to harm them.

Her pounding heartbeat hadn’t yet calmed when she tensed again.

There was someone outside – she needed to hide Shouyi’s hysteria.

“Shouyi, don’t cry. The famine is over, we have a new home. Don’t be afraid, no one will steal our food, and there won’t… be bad people anymore.”

She lowered her voice to comfort him, and Shu Shouyi’s confused eyes gradually focused.

Seeing this, Shu Wanxiu breathed a sigh of relief.

“Stay quietly in the house. It must be a neighbor visiting. Auntie will go see who it is. Don’t be afraid.” Stroking his dry, fine hair, Shu Wanxiu swiftly opened the door and went out.

“Aunt Chen?”

Recognizing the person standing outside, Shu Wanxiu showed some surprise.

Chen Sanhe smiled, “Have I come at a bad time?”

Shu Wanxiu quickly denied it, “I was just sleeping too deeply and neglected you, Auntie.”

She had boiled some water today, but the problem was there were no stools. Pushing open the main room door, she said apologetically, “Sorry, Auntie, we don’t have any stools. I’ll pour you a bowl of water. If you don’t mind, you could rest sitting on the doorstep.”

Although it was a thatched hut, both rooms had high thresholds, quite suitable for sitting like low stools.

As Shu Wanxiu turned to fetch water, she left Chen Sanhe with an expression of wanting to say something but hesitating.

How could one sit on a threshold? There were customs about this – if village elders saw children sitting on thresholds, they would scold them.

Never mind, never mind. The child didn’t understand these customs, and the main reason was that this home was too empty.

She followed to the kitchen, where Shu Wanxiu rinsed a bowl with cold boiled water before pouring water and handing it to Chen Sanhe with both hands.

Chen Sanhe accepted it but immediately placed it on the stove.

She took down the basket she had been carrying on her arm and said, “I mentioned I’d visit you later this morning. It’s nothing special, just brought some vegetables for you to eat.”

She took out the basket’s contents one by one – a bunch of Chinese leek, two golden herbs, and several fairly large brown eggs.

“No, Auntie, this won’t do! You’ve already given me so many vegetable seeds today.”

Chen Sanhe teased her, “What, can seeds be eaten as vegetables?”

“What will you eat before the vegetables grow?”

“I saw the land you weeded – it wasn’t easy to clear, was it? It will take quite some time from sowing until they’re ready to eat! When Auntie gives you vegetables, you should eat them. Don’t be too polite.”

Shu Wanxiu was rendered speechless.

Setting the things down casually, Chen Sanhe remembered the crying she had heard earlier and asked, “Where’s your little nephew? Earlier outside the house, I called for you several times but got no response. Then I heard crying – was that him?”

Chen Sanhe asked out of casual curiosity, but Shu Wanxiu had to collect herself and answer carefully.

“He’s inside. We were both taking a nap earlier. Because he suffered several frights during our escape from famine, his health and temperament have become somewhat frail and sensitive. Sometimes he cries out even in his sleep.”

“Oh, he doesn’t sleep soundly?” Chen Sanhe clicked her tongue. “A child’s fright can be minor or serious – if not handled properly, it could lead to serious illness. There’s an old woman at the east end of our village who performs fright-curing rituals. If your nephew continues to sleep restlessly, you must take him to her early to have a protective charm drawn.”

Fearing Shu Wanxiu might not understand the seriousness, she emphasized: “Children this age are at a crucial stage of character formation. If not cured properly, he’ll grow up with the courage of a kitten.”

What had initially been an excuse now made Shu Wanxiu seriously reflect after Chen Sanhe’s words.

Last night Shu Wanxiu had slept deeply and didn’t know if Shouyi had woken frightened during the night. But back in the refugee shelter, he would often jerk uncontrollably in his sleep or suddenly wake up terrified from deep slumber.

Just now he had woken before her, looking so panicked – she didn’t know if it was hysteria or shadows from the horrifying things he witnessed during their escape from famine.

Pursing her lips in thought, Shu Wanxiu asked, “Auntie, what should I call the grandmother who performs fright-curing? Which household does she live in at the east end of the village?”

Seeing that she had taken the advice seriously, Chen Sanhe naturally shared everything she knew.

“That grandmother’s surname is Pang. Most villagers here are named Pang or Wang. There was only one family with a different surname – a Xun family that fled here from the central plains ten years ago. Now your Shu family adds another surname to the village.”

“At the east end, there’s only one house with an apricot tree planted in front – that’s Grandma Pang’s home. It’s easy to find.”

After clarifying the location, Shu Wanxiu hesitated, clasping her left hand with her right, and asked Chen Sanhe nervously how much payment was required for one charm.

Her tense, battle-ready appearance made Chen Sanhe’s heart ache.

She comforted gently, “Don’t worry. Grandma Pang doesn’t rely on this for income. Usually when any village child gets frightened, people go to her for charms. Polite families might give one or two eggs as payment, while those less well-off just offer words of thanks.”

“But don’t the yellow paper and cinnabar cost money?”

Shu Wanxiu had only seen Taoist priests drawing charms on paper when she visited a temple as a child. Full of questions back then, she had pestered her elders for a long time and had always remembered that charm-making required yellow paper and cinnabar.

Neither material came cheap.

Chen Sanhe was taken aback by the question. “What yellow paper and cinnabar?”

After a moment’s pause, she asked in return: “Do they use yellow paper charms for curing children’s fright up north?”

Shu Wanxiu shook her head blankly; she had thought it was the south.

Chen Sanhe chuckled. “The talisman is drawn by hand, on the forehead.”

Realizing her misunderstanding, Shu Wanxiu also laughed.

Having gathered all the details, she decided to observe tonight. If Shu Shouyi truly slept restlessly, she would take him down the mountain tomorrow to have his fright cured.

After standing to finish a bowl of plain water, Chen Sanhe said she must return. Shu Wanxiu hurriedly followed to see her off.

“By the way, don’t go out around dusk today.”

“This morning, the villagers gathered at the village entrance to discuss how to settle you in. Overall, every household will contribute what they can—some offering two chairs, others providing needles and thread. It’s been decided they’ll deliver these items this evening.”

Shu Wanxiu had never imagined such kindness. For a moment, she thought she’d misheard. Her breath caught, and she froze in place.

Unaware, Chen Sanhe glanced back at the house behind them.

“I remember helping you tidy up last night—standing in the bedroom, I could see stars through the roof. That shows how badly it leaks. Don’t worry about that either. In about ten days, the village head will organize everyone to repair your roof.”

When Shu Wanxiu didn’t respond, Chen Sanhe looked over in confusion. The girl, just a step away, was already welling up with tears.

Startled, she asked urgently, “Why this reaction? Aren’t these both good things?”

Shu Wanxiu blinked, and two streams of tears instantly spilled over.

This time, she didn’t answer Chen Sanhe’s question first.

Baffled, she choked out, “Auntie… why is everyone so kind to us?”

Such unexpected fortune, and this girl’s first thought was doubt.

Chen Sanhe felt an indescribable bitterness, her mouth suddenly dry.

“What a silly girl,” she exhaled, poking Shu Wanxiu’s forehead.

“I don’t know about other villages, but here in Five Tablet Village, all twenty-one households have always gotten along fairly well. When one family faces difficulties, the others lend a hand.”

“From now on, you’re part of Five Tablet Village too. Naturally, everyone should help you settle in.”

“Today, I’ve answered your question. Remember, you needn’t ask anyone this again. Just keep in mind that goodwill must be reciprocated to last. Otherwise, people might help once or twice, but not a third time.”

Recognizing these as heartfelt words, Shu Wanxiu wiped her tears and nodded repeatedly.

Chen Sanhe disliked seeing people red-eyed like rabbits. After saying what was necessary, she longed to leave, each moment weighing heavier on her.

“I know the way down the mountain. No need to see me off.”

Seeing Shu Wanxiu still trailing her, she waved dismissively. “Enough, hurry back inside.”

Even after Chen Sanhe returned home, Shu Wanxiu had no mind to rest. She went back to lead the now-calm Shu Shouyi in continuing to clear the land.

By dusk, her hands blistered, they had finally turned over the entire vegetable patch. Many weed roots, broken off during earlier weeding, were dug out and piled separately.

Striking while the iron was hot—the sun had been strong today, and the weeds pulled that morning had dried beside the field.

Shu Wanxiu set fire to burn the weeds on the spot, then cleared out all the plant ash generated from cooking over the past two days. She made several trips to carry it to the vegetable plot, spreading it evenly over the soil.

After the burned weeds had cooled and the soil was ready, she divided the plot into two sections: one for sowing Chinese Leek seeds, the other for Winter Mallow.

She knew the small amount of plant ash wouldn’t provide sufficient base fertilizer.

So after sowing the seeds, she drank up the boiled water she had prepared in the morning and took the empty pot down the hill to fetch water twice. She watered the plot thoroughly and also poured the reserved rice-washing water from the gourd ladle onto the soil.

From then on, she decided to use the daily rice-washing water for the vegetables, hoping it would help them grow strong gradually.

Just as Shu Wanxiu finished tending to the vegetable plot, covered in dust and not yet having time to cook, evening had already arrived.

True to Aunt Chen’s words, many villagers came up the hill in groups, bringing gifts.

This time, Chen Sanhe didn’t come, but Pang Lizhang did.

He stood at the doorway with Shu Wanxiu and Shu Shouyi, introducing each person who brought an item to the aunt and nephew.

Slowly, Shu Wanxiu memorized many faces, and the two previously empty rooms gradually filled with various household items.

In just a short while, the lonely thatched hut standing halfway up the mountain transformed from bare walls into a home.

Witnessing it all firsthand, Shu Wanxiu didn’t shed tears as she had upon first hearing the news that afternoon, but her heart still swelled with emotion and gratitude.

Overwhelmed with thankfulness she couldn’t fully express, she not only bowed with Shu Shouyi to every elder who came but also engraved this kindness deeply in her heart.