Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20 - 10: The Farmstead and Courtyard

Chapter 10: Farmers and Farmyards

Zhang Dayou and his brothers chose the North Mountain Foot; this place had lots of wasteland, allowing room for future expansion when the children grew up. Plus, it was convenient to quarry stones at the foot of the mountain. Being far from the village entrance, the whole family could hide on North Mountain if needed. The three brothers helped each other build houses, and they could hear each other's shouts from 100 meters away.

Zhang Dayou's house was closest to the mountain foot, so its wall was the highest, made entirely of large blue stones, typical of northern courtyard homes.

The vermilion gate was freshly painted last year during the festivities. Entering the gate, you could see three fruit trees on the east and west sides of the courtyard. On the west side were two jujube trees, transplanted directly from the mountain, their tall leaves providing shade in summer.

Near the west wing, a tall grape trellis was erected, with a large blue stone table and several stone stools beneath it. In summer, the family liked sitting here to eat and cool off.

The persimmon tree near the kitchen was also transplanted from the mountains, and each year its fruit delighted the children.

Not far from the trees, they dug a well. With this well, the family didn't need to haul water from the village entrance all year round. Except for washing clothes at the village river, the well met the family's needs. Since the children were young, the well was built high with an iron plate on top.

The space in front of the east wing was well leveled, and usually used for drying corn, sweet potato chips, wild fruits, mushrooms, wood ears, and other mountain goods during autumn. The courtyard was very tidy and well-organized.

Upon entering the courtyard, on the left against the wall were three rooms: the outer kitchen, the middle small warehouse storing dried vegetables from autumn, winter pickles, and some coarse grains. The last room was for miscellaneous items, storing farming tools, baskets, and some odds and ends. The kitchen had a cellar above ground, storing the family's coarse grains.

In Father and Mother Zhang's main eastern wing, a small cellar was dug, known only to Father Zhang, Mother Zhang, and Zhang Guoqing. Here, the family's hidden wealth was stored — Mother Zhang's dowry of a pair of gold bracelets and two gold rings, along with a box of Jade Pendants, jade tokens, and jade rings secretly acquired during the village's landlord liquidation, plus three gold bars and two packets of silver coins exchanged pre-liberation, and some wooden and jade ornaments secretly collected by Mr. Zhang — some with cracks.

Young Zhang Guoqing once asked Mr. Zhang, whose understanding was limited, only recalling from childhood how the landlord carefully polished the ornaments, making them seem valuable.

Mother Zhang planned to pass one of her gold bracelets to the eldest daughter-in-law after her passing, while the two gold rings were given as dowries to the two sisters.

Mr. Zhang had warned young Zhang Guoqing not to disclose this wealth; otherwise, it could be stolen, or even lead to imprisonment. He promised Zhang Guoqing half first, with the rest divided among the three brothers after their passing. Young Zhang Guoqing wisely kept this secret.

Past the kitchen lay the east wing with three rooms; this was where the eldest, Zhang Guofu's family lived. With young children, the eldest nephew, now ten years old, had a room to himself, while the eight-year-old twins shared another room. The youngest niece stayed with the eldest brother and his wife.

On the right of the front yard were five rooms in the west wing; the first two were for the second, Zhang Guoqiang, whose family only had two children, providing plenty of space.

The last two rooms belonged to the third, Zhang Guoqing, who turned it into a suite after marrying last year. Villagers tended not to mind sitting on the pit directly, but Zhang Guoqing knew Zhou Jiao was particular, so he arranged a small living room and study outside, with the bedroom hardly opened, usually accessed via the small living room.

The vacant room of the west wing became Mr. Zhang's granary; during the quiet nights in the countryside, one could hear children's cries distinctly, especially from the second child's room. The second daughter-in-law was quite loud, so the granary in the middle eliminated sibling conflicts.

Out of the main house, the backyard was vast, three times larger than the front yard. Divided into three parts, the middle part was planted with vegetables, sweet potatoes, and potatoes.

Each corner within the wall crowded with loofahs in summer, pumpkins in autumn, and wax gourds, with pumpkins being substantial enough for staple food, raising the most of them.

At the farthest right corner by the mountain, a row of thatched huts stood, holding a simple kitchen for cooking pig feed. Nearby, two pigs were raised in the sty, and not far from the sty was a small fenced space with bamboo where about ten chickens were kept to prevent them from spoiling the vegetable plot.

The left side of the backyard wall held the family toilet, conveniently fitted with blue stones to create a squat toilet like in the towns. After use, a bucket of water was poured for cleanliness. Though, Northern winters gave a comforting feeling during usage.

A few steps from the toilet led to a back gate in the wall, utilized for fetching firewood from North Mountain. Visiting North Mountain meant not circling back through the front gate—one could leave directly through the back.

Northeast autumn ignited the family's firewood collecting, necessary for the whole winter until the snow thawed the following spring; not to mention the several kangs needing firewood.

In the countryside, obtaining coal was difficult; moreover, free mountain wood meant no one would buy coal in town for burning. Rather, townspeople bought wood for combustion, while now some households in the village sent laborers to gather and bring wood to town for sale.

After Northeast's first snow, families settled in for winter, arduously collecting firewood, preparing warm clothes and provisions for winter. Now entering the winter, it was possible to buy grain or exchange fine grain for coarse grain at high prices in town. The Zhang Family lately kept fetching firewood and hunted wild chickens and rabbits as treats, laboring diligently; piles of tall stacks of wood were amassed near the backyard's back gate.