Clara picked up the tiger head specimen and stopped by a restaurant to pack up two dishes, planning to bring them home as a treat.
Chad and Deb watched eagerly, practically drooling. Ever since their father left, it had been ages since the household had enjoyed a full, flavorful meal.
Occasionally, when Clara's cravings got the better of her, she'd buy meat and shamelessly drag the kids to the old house to mooch off a proper meal.
Thinking of that, Chad and Deb suddenly remembered their father and, while walking behind Clara, asked,
"Mom, when will Daddy be back?"
Clara paused. Daddy? Whose daddy?
Turning to glance at the two children, she realized they meant Lester Liew. Was he still alive?
"Once the grain reaches the border, he should be back," Clara replied casually—though she silently wondered if she should prepare a burial shroud in advance.
Chad and Deb exchanged a glance and fell silent, their mood noticeably dampened.
Clara led the two around the county town, stopping at several shops. She needed to restock brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and also buy a jar of vinegar and soy sauce.
She passed a seller of illegal salt and, after checking no one was watching, bought 2.5kg at a price lower than market rate.
Rumor had it that come the twelfth lunar month, the villagers were planning to pool money to buy and butcher a pig to celebrate the harvest.
Fresh meat didn't keep well, so Clara figured she should start curing some in advance. Done right, it could last the whole year.
But neither Doreen nor Martha were much good at curing meat—Clara would ask Sister Zhou instead. Her cured pork was absolutely divine.
You could slice it for hot pot, stir-fry it with wild herbs—it was fragrant no matter how you cooked it.
With all those tasty thoughts swirling in her head, combined with the smell wafting from the food bundle in her hand, Clara couldn't help but swallow a few times.
Once they'd purchased everything, they loaded it onto the cart. The mother and twins happily rode the new carriage home.
Chad and Deb each held two sticks of candied hawthorn, occasionally taking a sniff—both excited and content.
Even though they'd sworn earlier never to speak to their older brothers again, they hadn't forgotten to buy them treats too.
Passing by Riverbend Village, Clara stopped in front of the blacksmith's house.
Her tiger-chopping blade had gotten nicked last time, so she had to bring it back to be melted down and reforged.
She paid 500 copper coins and received a brand-new blade, which she wrapped with cloth and laid across the carriage shaft before slowly continuing home.
Because they had a carriage now, they couldn't travel as fast as before. The return trip took two hours—only slightly quicker than walking.
The twins had both fallen asleep along the way. Luckily, Clara had brought a blanket; otherwise, they might've caught a cold.
The arrival of the carriage in the village caused quite a stir. New things were rare here—any excitement quickly drew a crowd.
By the time Clara had finished exchanging greetings with curious villagers and returned home, the sky had already dimmed.
Adam and Ben were already back, having gone out twice to gather four full baskets of chestnuts.
Thanks to Adam's impressive tree-climbing skills, no other village kids could compete. Though they had gone late, their haul was still generous.
They dumped the prickly chestnuts onto the floor of the main hall. While warming themselves by the fire, the boys used iron tongs to pry open the spiky husks.
The outer shells were set aside—they made excellent kindling.
The two temporary young workers staying at Clara's house also helped. The four of them soon filled a large basin with chestnuts, which they snacked on while peeling.
Raw chestnuts were sweet—one bite and they crunched with a satisfying snap.
Ben, ever the glutton, buried a few in the stove. But he forgot to score them first, so they exploded from the heat, bursting open with a series of loud pops, spewing ash everywhere.
Panicking, Ben frantically cleaned up the mess and himself before Clara could scold him.
Just then, the sound of hooves and wheels came from outside. The brothers leapt up excitedly and rushed out.
Chad and Deb poked their heads out of the carriage, and at the sight of their older brothers, Chad forgot all about the morning's grudge and yelled, "Big Brother! Second Brother!"
Deb raised her hawthorn sticks and waved them. "Look! Mama bought us these!"
Then Chad remembered something and added, "Big Brother, Mama brought back the tiger head!"
Adam lit up, stepping forward to hold the reins while Ben leapt into the carriage and let out an amazed, "Wow!"
Adam, more composed, helped Clara park the carriage and moved the jars of oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and other groceries into the house before finally taking a closer look at the carriage.
The young boy's eyes sparkled. He touched this and examined that, clearly thrilled.
Seeing Ben, Chad, and Deb rolling around inside the carriage, Adam gently called,
"Don't bounce around like that. Get down and let Old Yeller rest."
The three promptly hopped out, still clutching their hawthorn sticks, waiting until their mother and brother finished tidying up so they could all go inside.
Once the carriage was unhitched, Old Yeller was led to the stable, given water and feed. Since it had been a long day, Adam added an extra scoop of sorghum to the trough.
Clara unhooked the carriage and parked it under the backyard wall, covering it with a straw mat for rain protection.
With everything finally settled, the family of five shut the courtyard gate and headed indoors together.
The main hall was warm and toasty. The two young men staying with them sensibly returned to their room, leaving the family their space.
Ben's exploded chestnuts were still on the table. Clara peeled one and popped it into her mouth. It was half-cooked—half crunchy, half tender—a strange texture, but quite sweet. She reached for a second.
Adam was cradling the tiger head, pacing the room, troubled about where to put it.
"Take it to your room," Clara advised. "It's a bit creepy here in the hall."
If Old Walter Liew suddenly dropped by and got scared stiff by the thing, that'd be a real problem.
Adam agreed and, with his siblings, carried the tiger head into their bedroom. They returned a while later, seemingly having found the perfect spot.
Clara glanced over and couldn't help but sigh—good grief, they'd placed it right on the wooden chest at the head of the bed. Were they not afraid of waking up in the middle of the night and scaring themselves?
Apparently, Adam had second thoughts too. After a moment, he dashed back into the room and came out with a cloth to cover it.
Clara thought to herself: If only we had a glass case.
Too bad she didn't know how to make glass.
"How many chestnuts did you two bring back?" she asked, eyeing the basin and the still-unopened husks on the floor.
Ben answered, "Four baskets. Big Brother and I are going again tomorrow—we're gonna bring them all back!"
He took a big bite of hawthorn, so hard it nearly cracked his teeth. He didn't even think to soften it over the fire first.
Chad and Deb were more patient, holding their sticks over the stove to melt the candy coating a little before biting in. Even so, they made quite the mess—sugar crumbs all over their clothes, which got sticky when they picked them up again.
Clara frowned, then suddenly remembered the soap she had hanging from the rafter in the storage room. It should be ready by now, right?
She got up, grabbed the entire basket, and brought it to the hall. All four kids crowded around curiously.
After a month of drying, the once-soft soap had hardened completely.
Deb poked it with a tiny finger and looked at Clara in surprise. "Mama, it turned to stone!"
(End of Chapter)
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