Little Rats? Miao’er Smile?

The rain outside the room just stopped. Song Xiyuan was already looking like a big child who couldn’t wait anymore and almost carried TangYuan to go pick plums. As he had just had a lot of injuries and it was inconvenient, I didn’t feel at ease about TangYuan and decided to follow them.

It is said that the land was bought by the Song family as a betrothal gift for Song Xiyuan’s mother. Later, when it was discovered that Song Xiyuan’s mother liked to eat fruit, it was ordered to be opened up and some seasonal fruits and vegetables were planted. Every year, apart from supplying the Song family with some fresh fruits, most of the fruits were sold to fruit sellers, bringing in some extra silver.

The orchard was surrounded by a clear, bottomless stream. This was an artificial stream carved from the River Wen, not deep enough to reach the waist of an adult man. There was also a small boat by the river guarded by someone. TangYuan wrapped his arms around my neck and leaned meekly into my embrace, his eyes only looking around incessantly, unable to hide his childish wonder.

When we arrived at the other side of the river, Song Xiyuan led us to the plum grove. As far as I could see, there was a verdant lushness. The red plums were in clusters, and after the rain, the colours were clear. There was a fragrant lily magnolia smell with a blending of the colours, and the rosy clouds stretched like a range of mountains. It was really a sight to behold before you eat.

Even the most famous Yuyao plums had not yet struggled to emerge from their green seeds, but the plums in the Song family’s orchard had already ripened into such a spectacular display, which was rare.

I saw Song Xiyuan turn slightly sideways and facing his half uninjured towards me. Then he said, “Does Miaomiao think this plum is good?”

I replied honestly, “Very good. It is true that things follow their owners.”

Song Xiyuan was stunned, then he dusted off the tips of his hair and shook his feathers to open a full screen. “Miaomiao, you’re finally enlightened enough to appreciate my unparalleled good looks! Comparing me to this fresh plum fruit, how can I call this plum anything less?”

I actually … meant to say that the plum was as precocious as he was, but I didn’t want him to misunderstand …

I turned around and saw that Shen Xiao was intently tilting his head and squinting at the plums. These plum trees were all over one person high, and it was still too much for a tiny doll like TangYuan to crane his neck and look at the tips, let alone climb the branches and break the fruit. Before I could say anything, he(SXY) picked up the little one off the ground and sat him on his shoulders to pick the plums.

I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw Song Xiyuan, a gentleman who was used to being suave and refined, now half bruised, carrying a doll on his shoulder and a basket in front of his chest, weaving between the plum trees, which was inappropriate. I stretched out my hands to support TangYuan so that he wouldn’t fall down while asking Song Xiyuan, “Can you still stand with your injuries?”

Song Xiyuan’s eyes curved and he smiled like a crescent. “I’m fine, it’s just a few superficial injuries.”

It was already late afternoon when TangYuan and Song Xiyuan, a young man and an old man, picked till their hands were sore and their baskets overflowing. A fruit farmer helped carry the plums behind as we slowly turned back. Who knows, when we got to the shore, the boat had drifted to nowhere, leaving only a worn raft rope tied to the stake alone. 

Behind us, the fruit farmer said, “It’s bad. What do we do? The rain must have fallen heavily this morning, thus, the river flowed so fast that the boat was washed away.”

The water was not deep, but it would be unseemly for me to go home in a mess, and since TangYuan was still small, I couldn’t ask him to wade through the water.

I was worried, but it seemed that Song Xiyuan wasn’t even flustered. He said in the native accent of the fruit farmer, “There is always a way.” He also winked at me wryly. “Miaomiao and Xiaoxiao1, wait for a while.”

As soon as the words fell, he disappeared into the depths of the fruit field. The first thing I saw was Song Xiyuan going in and coming out a few moments later as a huge monster. Although I was calm enough to resist the attack, I was still startled and jumped. 

TangYuan took my hand, face pale white but said in a manly manner, “Mother, don’t be afraid. Xiao’r will protect you.”

When I heard the grey monster waving its tail and calling out “moo”, I recognized it as a buffalo. At that moment, I saw Song Xiyuan smilingly waving a willow from behind the buffalo. He said to me, “Miaomiao, why don’t you and Xiaoxiao ride on it, I’ll lead you across the river.”

I had never even ridden a donkey before, and now I was being asked to ride a bull, which was a big leap …

I was hesitant at first, but Song Xiyuan was already carrying Xiaoxiao and put him onto the back of the bull without any problems. TangYuan’s white face leaned down and grabbed the two horns of the bull to stabilize it before finally returning to its usual reserved and noble demeanour. He pursed his lips, turned back to me with a calm voice and said, “Mother, don’t be afraid, Xiao’r will protect you.”

Song Xiyuan looked at TangYuan’s petite yet heroic countenance, and could not help but support his waist and laugh. And I was also carried by the waist and put on the back of the bull by him. Song Xiyuan shouted from behind, “Let’s go!” He pinned the corner of his robe to his waist and reached for the rope on the buffalo’s nose to wade into the river.

I trembled and found a stable place to sit on the slippery buffalo’s back, holding TangYuan tightly to my chest. And after sitting there for a while, I gradually realized that the buffalo was really gentle and good-tempered.

Song Xiyuan picked a red, purple plum king from the basket with one hand, washed it in water and handed it to TangYuan, whose face had recovered. He took it with reserve and nibbled on. 

Song Xiyuan looked at him eating with gusto and asked him, “Xiaoxiao, is San San treating you well?”

TangYuan tilted his head, considered, and replied cautiously, “Yes.”

Song Xiyuan said, “If that’s the case, don’t forget to be filial to me when you grow up.”

TangYuan pondered yet again and asked me cautiously, “Mother, what is ‘filial piety’?”

This was difficult for me, how should I explain? I might as well give you an example, but neither I nor my two brothers had any tales of filial piety that we could use as an example. However, when my grandfather was alive, my father was known far and wide as a filial son, and there were more examples of filial piety than this. I kindly said to TangYuan, “Filial piety is exactly like how Grandpa treats Great-grandpa.”

TangYuan nodded with understanding and said to Song Xiyuan, “San San, when Xiao’r grows up in the future, I will burn a lot of paper money to show piety to you”.

 …… I forgot that TangYuan had never met Grandpa Tai, and had only seen my father burn paper money before my grandfather’s tablet on New Year’s.

Song Ying laughed until he started coughing. He must have choked on the plum core. He coughed till he was relieved and praised TangYuan’s sweetness. 

 When we reached the middle of the river, a puff of water vapour came up, seeming like rain or fog; the sky and the ground were hazy with willow smoke, the clothes wet with apricot blossoms. Song Xiyuan picked two leaves from the plum baskets and brought them to his lips. After a few tries, a cheerful and melodious tune escaped from between the thin leaves, two points thicker than a flute and three points brighter than a reed-pipe, and with the curtain of water coming and going, it brought out two points of wild interest.

I used to know that Song Xiyuan was a bit of a crook, but I didn’t think he could play leaves. TangYuan’s curiosity was also aroused at the sight, and his clear eyes were staring at the two leaves. Song Xiyuan had understood the little one’s nature and knew that he wanted to learn, so he smiled and handed two leaves to him, teaching him how to blow. TangYuan, a beginner, how would he master the tricks in a short period? After hearing two puff sounds, there was no more sound for a long time. 

I picked up a plum from the basket and put it in my mouth, seeing the two of them playing in tune with each other. I found it very amusing and might as well have laughed out loud.

Song Xiyuan turned back to look at me, his eyes dazzled for a while, and said, “Now I finally know that Tang Ming Huang’s little heartfelt thoughts, Hongchen laughed with the concubine, so in order to win the beauty’s smile, he went a thousand miles to send lychees and what it is…  my today can be counted as a profit- an old buffalo ride, a basket of red plums also won the beauty’s smile. I’ve got a lot of money. I heard that the lychee in Lingnan is also known as ‘concubine’s smile’, from today onwards I can also get an elegant name for my Song garden plum… I’ll call it ‘Miao’er smile’, Miaomiao, what do you think?”

I was about to interrupt him when I heard Xiaoxiao call out brightly in my ear: “Maternal Uncle.”

I turned around, but I saw that at some point I was close to the shore, and under the willows on the flower bank was a man standing with a paper parasol amid the twilight smoke and willows, with a gentle look on his face that I had never seen before, and a light smile at the corner of his mouth that melted into the rain. 

“Miao’er Smile? That’s an elegant name.”

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Additional Notes: My sincerest apology for the extra-long delay on the update. Planning for a trip during Covid time is so difficult. Many thanks to our dearest witch, Lark-senpai, for helping me with this chapter. Happy reading! xoxo