Mr. Jin looked at the table full of food and could not eat any more either. He put down his chopsticks and could not help but look towards the school gate, and was relieved to see Li Mingwei walking slowly over.
"Where have you run off to, you girl?"
Li Mingwei held out her hand to catch some snowflakes in the wind and showed them to Mr. Jin: "Did you not see that it is snowing, Sir? I went to buy lamb and we can have lamb soup together tonight."
With such light snow, it would melt as soon as it touched her hand. How could Mr. Jin see it? He laughed and shook his head, leading Li Mingwei into the room to sit down. Today was windy with snow, so they had moved the table into the kitchen.
He ladled her a bowl of soup and told her to drink some first to warm up. Only then did he ask about Hu Jin: "Did he come looking for you? Did you run into him on the road?"
"I met him. Big brother Hu helped me carry the lamb home and also let my mother know so she would not keep looking for me."
"Mm, then they should be back soon."
Mr. Jin sat in his place, watching Li Mingwei cradling her bowl and sipping the soup in small mouthfuls. He smiled, "If you're hungry, eat first. There's no need to wait."
Li Mingwei shook her head. With everyone else waiting for her, it would not be right for her to start eating as soon as she arrived.
Mr. Jin knew her temperament well. He figured she would not agree but still had to say it, worried that she was hungry.
"Are they cold?"
"Hmm?"
Mr. Jin looked out towards the yard. A few children were squeezed around the washbasin washing dishes. Their little hands looked somewhat red from the cold. No matter how you looked at it, they seemed cold.
Li Mingwei got up and walked over to the stove, picking up the kettle. There was hot water inside. Catching her glance, Mr. Jin took out the kettle and poured some into their wash basin to mix with the water. Though it was not very warm, at least it was no longer cool.
He refilled the kettle fully and put it back on the stove. Peering out, he looked at the woodpile in the yard, "It's gotten cold again. Starting tomorrow, I’ll have to boil them extra water to wash dishes every day. Firewood and coal are running low too, I’ll need to order more in the next few days.”
“Do you have enough money, Sir?”
He did not earn much to begin with. Now, aside from paying for her writing lessons, he also had to give Hu Jin 300 wen each month. Adding it all up, it seemed there was not much left.
Mr. Jin stroked his beard and joked, "What, if there's not enough, you don't want your share anymore?"
Li Mingwei earned far more money at the embroidery workshop than teaching at the school. Whether she did copywork or just attended class, giving up her income probably meant the difference of a lamb soup dinner.
While the amount was meager, she worked for it, so Mr. Jin could not possibly not pay her. He shook his head, "Enough, don't worry."
"I’m already quite old and live alone, with not much in daily expenses. Saving up these last two years, I have put some away. It is enough for my retirement."
Li Mingwei’s eyebrows creased in a frown, "Where does Sir plan to retire?"
This house belonged to the school for the teacher to live in. If Mr. Jin stopped teaching, he would certainly have to move out. His family home had been empty since his parents passed away. It was probably long dilapidated by now. Where could he go?
"I'll go back to my hometown."
For leaves to return to their roots; after he died, he still wished to be buried in his hometown. His parents were also there. When the time came, he could have someone bury him alongside them.
"Where will you live when you go back?" Li Mingwei pressed on for details, "Will anyone cook for you? If you fall ill or have trouble moving about, who will take care of you?"
"Do you still have relatives or old friends back home? I've been here over a year and it doesn't seem like anyone has come looking for you. When you went back to pay respects to your parents, whose home did you stay at?"
Mr. Jin slowed his breathing.
He gave a helpless laugh, "I paid money to stay at a relative's home."
Because his parents fell ill and passed away in quick succession without many years between them, the villagers gossiped about it being inauspicious. This was why Mr. Jin came to teach in a place so far from home, keeping away from such idle chatter and finding some peace and quiet.
Now, over ten years had swiftly gone by. Thetalk died down; along with his bonds of friendship and kinship, apparently. Of course, it would be taking too much advantage to freely lodge in another's home.
Seeing he only answered one question and kept mum about the rest, Li Mingwei understood everything unsaid.
She pursed her lips and grumbled softly, "Sir has nothing to go back to his hometown for. It'd be better to just stay here, or even live at our home."
If he truly wished to have his leaves return to their roots, he could buy a plot of land early, build a good grave, and send himself back a hundred years later. That would work too.
"Don't speak nonsense." Mr. Jin admonished seriously, "Yizhu and I share some teacher-student affinity but have no family ties by blood. As for your stepmother..."
She was a widow. It would seem improper for an unrelated man like him to suddenly live there. It was bound to stir up gossip.
"Sir is worried about that?" Li Mingwei understood his misgivings but did not think there was anything worth worrying over, because they were moving away in a year or two. With the Liu family’s old house empty, it would just fall into disrepair. It was good for Mr. Jin to live there.
Mr. Jin had been in Qingshi Town for many years and rarely clashed with anyone. Many locals had studied under him before. If he took ill or felt pain, there would be ample people to care for him, far better than back in his hometown.
Perhaps...
"Would Sir like to come home with me?"
Mr. Jin decisively rejected, "I don't wish to."
Staying in Qingshi Town was fine. Hiring a carriage, the trip back home would only take a day or two. But going with her to the south? He was not sure he could make it back. His old bones would crumble along the way.
Li Mingwei huffed, unwilling to humor him anymore.
Old Lady Wang came in with Hu Jin. Seeing the cooled dishes with none of them having picked up their chopsticks yet, she started the fire again to reheat the food.
"Why buy so much when you only wanted lamb soup?" As Old Lady Wang stir-fried the dishes, she nagged Li Mingwei. Her tone was somewhat unhappy. Lamb was not cheap, yet Li Mingwei bought so much all at once. How could they finish it?
Li Mingwei explained, "I asked Old Brother Su when I went to buy it. Big Sister Chunhua had not gone to buy theirs yet so I got more. I'll ask when class ends later if their family bought any. If not, let's eat together tonight."
"And Mr. Jin and Big Brother Hu. Big Sister Chunhua said you have to eat lamb on the first snowfall or you won't stay warm all winter. Mr. Jin is so old, how can he bear the cold?"
With that calculation, the amount of meat she bought was not excessive at all. Adding radish to stew with the soup, it was just right for a meal. The main objective was drinking the soup anyway.
Old Lady Wang looked at her once over but did not argue whether her reasoning was true or false. She had never bought lamb herself in previous years, even with deep snow cover, as long as her son was not home. Yet they always turned out fine.
However, the situation was different now. She was fussy with food and pregnant to boot. Best to satisfy her when possible. Having lively company at home occasionally was nice too, since it had been quiet lately.
She brought the dishes to the table. "Alright, let's eat first. It's gotten late today. After the meal, Sir can barely rest for long before class starts again."
Li Mingwei pouted. She had not dallied on purpose. Just seeing the snow and thought of lamb soup got her a little excited.
