Volume One, Chapter One: The Ancestral Gourd

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Hongwu County, Peach Blossom Village.

At the entrance to the village, beneath the shade of a tree, several old men were chatting idly.

Guo Dong walked along the narrow path leading into the village, looking dejected and somewhat ill at ease.

His blind date had failed again.

Remembering his previous attempts, he could not help sighing.

During his earlier dates, he had gotten along wonderfully with the girls, only to hear three words afterward: “I’m not interested.”

The more tactful girls would even add him on WeChat before he left.

Although they blocked him as soon as they got home, at least they had spared him the embarrassment in person.

Today’s girl had been even more direct, asking outright whether he owned a house and a car.

These days, who in the countryside did not have a house and a vehicle?

A private courtyard, a single-story house with four rooms, and a little electric scooter with two wheels.

Guo Dong had all of them, without exception.

It was far better than renting a single room in the city and squeezing onto the subway every day to get to work, wasn’t it?

The outcome was the same as before, but today’s blow had hit him especially hard.

What he dreaded most now was passing through the village entrance.

The old men had nothing to do all day, so they gossiped about everyone’s domestic affairs, moving from one village to the next.

Within a ten-mile radius, there was nothing they did not know.

Sure enough, the moment Guo Dong reached the village entrance, someone called out to him.

“Hey, Jelly, back so soon? How was the girl you met today? Was she sturdy?”

Jelly was Guo Dong’s nickname. He had been called that since childhood, and everyone in the village used it affectionately.

Hearing this, Guo Dong forced a smile onto his face.

“She was pretty good. We just didn’t have much to talk about. I guess we weren’t very suitable for each other.”

He had to say something pleasant, or he would lose face.

“You’ve met several girls this year, boy. Surely you can’t have rejected every single one?”

“It’s not that I rejected them. We just couldn’t really talk, and the girls weren’t interested in me either.”

“Not being able to talk is just an excuse. You must have thought she wasn’t pretty enough! The one you met today—I know her. She’s a sturdy girl, hardworking too. A fine match for any family!”

The old men knew perfectly well that Guo Dong was thin-skinned and did not want to rub salt into his wounds.

But the moment he left, they would certainly have a whole basketful of unkind things to say.

Guo Dong answered them perfunctorily and quickened his pace, hurrying home.

A motorcycle was parked outside his house, with a thin hound lying beside it.

When the entirely black dog saw Guo Dong return, it blinked twice, then lay back down and resumed its nap.

There was no need to guess. Someone had come to the house to collect a debt again.

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Before he even entered the courtyard, Guo Dong heard the conversation inside.

“Uncle An, I really only stopped by because I was passing through. I also wanted to introduce Jelly to a job.”

“Do you take me for a fool? Don’t I know what your family’s situation is? Once Jelly sells this year’s fruit and gets paid, I’ll have him bring the money to you.”

“Uncle, I… I really had no choice. If I had any other way, I wouldn’t have come to you.”

“Enough. You lent us money to build this house, and it’s already been several years. Even if you didn’t come to ask for it, I’d still feel terrible. Take these things home with you. You’ve got two children to feed. Keeping them here would only go to waste.”

“Uncle, I…”

“Take them home. And as for finding Jelly a job, I’ll leave that to you. Please put in a good word for him.”

Hearing this, Guo Dong took a deep breath outside the courtyard and deliberately made a little noise.

“Grandpa, I’m home!”

His voice was bright and hearty, as though nothing had happened. When he saw the man in the courtyard, he smiled and said, “Uncle Hao, free today?”

The man looked somewhat embarrassed.

“I owe your grandfather a great deal from when I was young, so whenever I have time, I come by to see him.”

“Since you’re here, stay for dinner!”

Guo Dong knew exactly what was going on, but he could not bring himself to say anything. All he could offer was a polite invitation.

A debtor coming to ask for money, behaving as if he were begging before the shrine of his ancestors—it was painful to watch.

But there was nothing he could do. His family truly had no money.

If they had possessed any, he would have been the first to repay Uncle Hao.

Uncle Hao was a good man, but not a good creditor.

If it had been anyone else, they would have come to the house and caused a scene long ago.

Yet every time Uncle Hao came, he brought gifts with him and could never bring himself to ask for the money.

“No need for dinner. I only came to see how you were doing. Oh, right—I have a cousin who works in the county seat. He told me yesterday that his company is hiring. If you’re interested, I can take you there in a few days to have a look. The pay is more than two thousand a month.”

A salary of two thousand yuan was very little by the standards of the time.

Even so, Guo Dong’s heart stirred at the offer, and he nodded.

“I’ll take a look in a couple of days. First I’ll harvest the fruit in the orchard and sell it. After that, I won’t stay here anymore. I’ll go to the city and find work.”

Uncle Hao left, taking the two cases of children’s drinks with him.

Guo Dong stared silently for a long while at his grandfather, who was sorting medicinal herbs in the courtyard.

Only after the old man had finished arranging the herbs and carried them inside did he finally emerge again.

This time, he was holding a small bag.

He walked over to Guo Dong and handed it to him.

“Find some time to take this to the city and sell it. Send the money to Hao’s family first. We’ll worry about the rest later.”

Guo Dong accepted the little bag and opened it for a look. Then he suddenly grew anxious.

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“Grandpa, this gourd has been passed down through our family for generations. Are you really going to sell it?”

“What does it matter whether it’s been passed down or not? It’s been sitting in the house all these years without doing the slightest bit of good. We might as well exchange it for some practical money.”

Holding the gourd, Guo Dong felt deeply uncomfortable. He could not shake the feeling that it should not be sold.

“All right. I’ll go to the city and ask around when I have time.”

With that, he picked up a bucket, slung a hoe over his shoulder, and headed outside.

“Heizi, let’s go. We’re off to the orchard!”

Standing in the courtyard, his grandfather looked him up and down and scolded him irritably.

“At least change your clothes before going to the orchard! At this rate, will you have anything left to wear afterward?”

This outfit was Guo Dong’s special attire for blind dates.

He could not bear to wear it on ordinary days and put it on only for the few hours a date lasted.

Guo Dong did not care in the slightest. With a grin, he said, “It’s fine. I can wash it when it gets dirty and wear it again.”

As they spoke, the man and the dog were already running toward the mountain.

As for Guo Dong’s failed date that day, his grandfather did not ask, and Guo Dong did not bring it up.

The two of them understood each other without words.

It had fallen through.

With no parents and debts piled high outside, what ordinary girl would be willing to spend the rest of her life with Guo Dong?

But he had no choice. Even knowing it would probably come to nothing, he still had to go.

If he refused even once, there might not be anyone willing to come to his house and arrange another match.

That was how life was for the children of poor families—driven forward by circumstances beyond their control.

“Woof! Woof!”

They had not even reached the mountain when Heizi suddenly began barking at Guo Dong.

The dog seemed terribly anxious, repeatedly trying to warn him of something.

“What are you going crazy for?” Guo Dong grumbled, turning to look back.

The moment he did, he saw a trail of blood on the ground, winding along the mountain path until it reached his feet.

Almost instinctively, he searched his own body.

A large patch of red stained the fabric over his heart.

There was no wound—only that pool of blood.

Thud!

Guo Dong had lost too much blood. The instant he saw it, he collapsed unconscious.

The gourd in his pocket rolled onto the ground. Then, as if it had come alive, it suddenly stood upright.

It began drinking the blood flowing from Guo Dong’s body.