Volume One, Chapter 14: A Midnight Fever Terrifies the Whole Family

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Father Tang and his daughter Jing were sulking in the courtyard. Jing was frustrated with her father’s kind but weak-hearted nature, calling it foolish filial piety. Tang, feeling blocked and stifled by his twelve-year-old daughter’s sharp words, nonetheless found some truth in what she said after pondering it. He was awkward with words and sensitive about criticism, only managing to mutter, “Adult matters are not for children to meddle in; adults have their own reasons for what they do.”

Jing was unconvinced and huffed. Seeing her father’s downcast expression, she suddenly realized she might have been too harsh, worrying he couldn’t take it. Yet apologizing felt wrong to her; she believed she was right. Caught in this inner conflict, the two sat awkwardly, turning away from each other in silence.

Suddenly, a fragrant aroma wafted over. Both immediately stopped sulking and sniffed the air in unison.

“Dad? What’s that smell? What is it?”

“Hah—” Tang shot a glance at his daughter. She had just scolded him for being unfair, but now the little brat was sweetly calling him “Dad” again.

Tang Guanwan came out carrying a bowl of wonton soup. Seeing her father and younger sister’s interaction, she smiled softly. Their quarrel was no big deal; Jing’s temper flared and faded quickly. Besides, their father needed to be awakened a bit.

“These wontons are cooked with plenty of oil, so fragrant!” Guanwan deliberately held the bowl in front of them. “Smell it. Isn’t it delicious?”

“Smells great!”

Both men stretched their necks toward the bowl and swallowed together.

Goodness! There were egg strands and chopped scallions floating on top, with a shimmering layer of oil.

“I’m not hungry. Take it to Hangzi,” Tang said, withdrawing his neck with effort, speaking seriously.

But no sooner had he finished speaking than his stomach growled loudly, making Jing giggle.

Embarrassed, Tang scolded her, “What are you laughing at, you glutton!”

Jing wasn’t angry and stuck out her tongue, making a silly face.

In that instant, the tension between father and daughter dissolved like smoke.

Guanwan found it amusing and stopped teasing them.

“There’s still plenty in the little kitchen. You and your sister go get more to eat.”

With that, Jing dashed into the kitchen like a whirlwind.

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Guanwan returned to the room with the bowl of wontons, only to hear their mother, Wang Xiuying, laughing and scolding behind her.

“You little brat, so careless! You almost broke the bowl!”

“Oh, you hungry ghost, slow down! It’s hot! Hot!”

Jing’s muffled voice said, “No, it’s not hot, it’s delicious, delicious.”

“Remember to bring Dad a bowl too. Eat well before getting mad!”

Wang Xiuying laughed and scolded again, “You little brat, your father has already let you get mad enough, can you still eat?”

Then Tang’s voice came, “Eat, it smells so good, I can eat.”

Listening to the lively noise behind her, Guanwan’s smile widened. This was home—full of noise and warmth, people caring for each other.

Inside, Lu Hang lay listlessly. The earthen house was not soundproof. He heard the quarrel between Jing and Tang, and knew they had made up in the end. Yet he couldn’t help but worry in silence. Why wasn’t his leg healing? It seemed worse these past two days. If his leg were better, he could help share the burden at home. His clever younger sister-in-law should go to school.

The dim light indoors made Guanwan unaware of his troubled expression. She placed the large bowl with the spoon on the kang.

“You must be starving. Eat it while it’s hot. I saved you two bowls this time. If that’s not enough, I’ll cook more.”

She turned and went out to get the other bowl.

After the family finished eating, Guanwan didn’t have the chance to talk to Lu Hang. She nodded to her father, grabbed the fish trap, and headed toward the river under the moonlight.

Along the way, Tang listened to his daughter brag about the fish trap’s wonders but didn’t take it seriously. A winter river was bone-chilling cold; the fish were cunning, not easy to catch!

Even after setting the trap at the spot specified by his second daughter, Tang remained half doubtful.

“Just a few little worms can lure the fish inside? Once inside, they really can’t get out?”

On the way back, Tang muttered in disbelief. He was an expert basket weaver, but he didn’t know fishing. The trap was good, but would it work? People in the mountains rarely knew how to fish.

Moreover, the dish required a lot of oil. Without enough oil, it would be too fishy. It wasn’t that they disliked fish, but they were reluctant to waste precious oil on this dish.

“Don’t worry, Dad, trust me. There will be plenty of fish in the trap by morning,” Guanwan reassured him, her mind recalling all the fish dishes she had cooked in her past life. A small plan was forming in her heart.

If she could sell the recipes along with the fish to the state-run restaurants, maybe it would work. Rural folks were reluctant to use oil and seldom ate fish, but these restaurants often hosted officials and wouldn’t skimp on oil.

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In her previous life, she had honed excellent culinary skills in the Meng family. Perhaps she could put them to use now.

As the father and daughter neared home, Guanwan suddenly stopped, her expression serious.

“Dad, what do you think about the matter with the East Yard?”

Tang paused, said nothing, and took a few long drags of his tobacco, the sparks flickering.

After several puffs, he sighed deeply. “Let’s talk about it later.”

Guanwan was speechless. Her father was still soft-hearted, unable to harden himself.

——

That night.

Half-asleep in the deep hours, Guanwan was awakened by soft moaning beside her. She groggily opened her eyes.

It was pitch dark, and she was still drowsy, so she closed them again.

“What’s wrong?” she murmured half-asleep, turning over.

Her hand reached around the waist of the person beside her—it felt like holding a furnace, so warm!

Wait, something was wrong! Why was it so hot?

After a brief moment of mental blankness, Guanwan suddenly sat up.

“Lu Hang? Are you okay?”

She groped and gently pushed him but got no response, only heavy breathing.

“Wait here, I’ll light the lamp.”

Panicked, Guanwan quickly got up, lit the kerosene lamp, and leaned closer.

Under the warm yellow light, his eyes were tightly shut, cheeks flushed, and forehead beaded with sweat. He seemed trapped in a nightmare, his face twisted in pain.

Guanwan’s heart dropped.

She reached out to touch his forehead. The heat was alarming.

“Fever?”

She was deeply worried. That temperature had to be at least 40 degrees Celsius!

Hurriedly dressing, she rushed outside.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

She knocked fiercely on the door next door.

“Dad! Mom! Lu Hang has a fever! Can you… can you please go fetch Uncle Zhou from the village?”

Her voice choked with emotion, startling Tang and Wang from the kang in a flash.

The door opened from inside. Tang, wearing his military green cotton jacket askew with buttons mismatched, looked grave.

“What’s wrong? Why, he was fine just now, and now he’s got a fever?”

“Ah, don’t ask! The second daughter doesn’t know medicine, how would she know? Hurry and go call Old Zhou!”

“Come on, what are you waiting for?”

Wang Xiuying, wrapped in a coat and anxious, urged from behind.