The men in the area were curious when they saw a new resident moving in. They came to chat with Nan Quanyou, asking where they were from, why it was just him and his daughter, and, where was Nan Feng’s mother?
Nan Quanyou candidly answered all their questions and inquired about their families and what kind of businesses they ran in the town. Within no time, all four families were well-acquainted.
Apart from Nan Feng and her father, there was another small family. A widow, around thirty-five years old, lived with her teenage son; they were said to have fled from the north. She had been living in * for two or three years, and was currently working for a local well-to-do family. She only returned home at night.
The widow was named Lin Qiaoyun. Nan Feng had a strong impression of her because the firewood in Nan Feng’s new home was left by the previous occupant and it was damp, making it difficult to burn. Lin Qiaoyun gave Nan Feng some firewood from her own house. Nan Feng, in appreciation, gave Lin Qiaoyun’s son some dried peanuts. With that, their families became acquainted.
People in town didn’t sleep as late as in the countryside. Lanterns lit the neighborhood, provided by public authorities. The brightness of the lanterns and the light from the four households’ candles and lamps illuminated the yard. Children played in the open space in the yard. Lin Qiaoyun’s son, Fuge, being the oldest, naturally became the children’s leader. With four or five other children, the yard was filled with laughter and shouts. Nan Quanyou watched in amusement, not in a hurry to sleep, and continued to chat with the other adults.
Nan Feng boiled water for a bath. Like in the countryside, there were no bathrooms, and they had to use a large wooden tub in their room.
While wiping her body, she sized up her room.
Although the room was nothing special in the town – just a widely-let mixed-use courtyard – it was a considerable improvement over their draughty house in Daping Village. For one, there were no holes that needed papering over, no leaks, sturdy walls, and the floor made of coarse wood was much more comfortable to walk on than the mud floor at home.
A bed, a dressing table, and blue curtains hung to give the room a girl’s bedroom vibe.
After Nan Feng had bathed, she prepared water for Nan Quanyou’s bath. He was going to see the doctor the next day, so naturally, he needed a bath too.
After bathing and washing their clothes, the yard gradually quieted down. Nan Feng checked the time; it was about nine in the evening.
After they turned off the lights and lay in bed, they heard the occasional shouts from children playing outside, as well as the night watchman shouting, “Dry weather, be careful with your fires and candles.”
Nan Feng stretched out her hand in the dark and could vaguely see her fingers, unlike in Daping Village where it was so dark that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.
She pulled up the covers, exhaled softly, and thought to herself-
A new life begins now.
…
Early the next morning, Nan Feng took Nan Quanyou to the doctor to have his leg treated.
They didn’t need to wait in line this time since they had made an appointment. They just had to report to the clinic receptionist.
Although Doctor An saw many patients every day, he remembered Nan Feng and her father as soon as he saw them. He laughed and said, “It looks like you’re ready to endure a brief period of pain, isn’t it so?”
Nan Feng helped her father sit down in the chair in front of Doctor An and smiled, “Doctor An truly has an amazing memory. He remembers things that happened half a month ago as clearly as if they were yesterday.”
The clinic assistant standing nearby laughed and said, “He even remembers patients from three years ago.”