GD (QT) Chapter 3

As soon as Lin Yu stepped through the door, he was met by two pairs of bright, sparkling eyes.

“Dad, you’re amazing!” Lin Laidi came running over, circling around him excitedly.

A smile also graced the corners of Lin Pandi’s eyes. “Dad, did Grandma really just leave like that?”

Whenever Grandma visited, she never left empty-handed. Pandi remembered a time when the family had absolutely no money or grain; Grandma had blocked the doorway and wailed until their father went to the neighbors to borrow grain. Only then was she willing to leave.

Lin Yu nodded with a smile. “Come on, let’s go eat chicken.”

“Yay!”

Like a gust of wind, Laidi ran to the backyard and carried the large clay pot hidden among the pumpkin vines back to the table. When she opened the lid, the aroma of the braised pheasant filled the room.

“Dad, you eat first.” The two girls swallowed hard, but both held back, not moving their hands.

Lin Yu stood up and directly tore off the two large drumsticks, giving one to each girl.

Pandi froze. “Dad, the drumstick… is for me?”

Laidi didn’t even dare to take a bite. From childhood until now, she had never eaten a drumstick. Whenever the family killed a chicken, the best parts—the drumsticks and the breast meat—were sent to their Uncle’s house. Of the remains, their father would eat the wings, the Eldest Sister would eat the neck, and their mother would leave the feet for them while she gnawed on the bones.

Lin Yu’s response was to add a large wing to each of their bowls. “Eat up. If it’s not enough, there’s more.”

Laidi couldn’t wait any longer and took a bite. The pheasant had been stewed until it was tender and falling off the bone. Though only seasoned with salt, the flavor was so savory it was impossible to stop. Pandi was more reserved at first, but soon she too lost herself in the meal; the wild pheasant was simply too delicious.

Lin Yu took a bite himself; the flavor was indeed excellent. After finishing the drumsticks and wings, Laidi couldn’t help but let out a small burp.

“Want more?” Lin Yu asked.

The little girl shook her head. “I’m full.”

Pandi also set down her bowl. “I’m full too, Dad. You should eat more.”

Eating too much meat at once after a long period of starvation wasn’t good for them, so Lin Yu didn’t insist. He just had them ladle out a bowl of broth to sip slowly. This body desperately needed nutrition as well, so Lin Yu didn’t stand on ceremony. Once the sisters were finished, he swept through the remaining food.

Laidi sipped her chicken soup in small gulps, treasuring every drop. “It would be wonderful if we could eat chicken soup every day from now on.”

“You’re being too greedy,” Pandi told her sister. “We’re lucky if we get to eat it a few times a year.”

Lin Yu smiled. “Dad promises you that from now on, our family will have meat every day.”

The two girls fell silent, not quite believing his words. The elder one said, “Dad, hunting on the mountain is too dangerous. Maybe you shouldn’t go anymore.”

The younger one added, “Dad, I don’t want to eat meat anymore. I just want you to be safe.”

Lin Yu looked around at the four bare walls of their home and knew he couldn’t stop. He gestured for the children to come closer. “Pandi, Laidi, after what happened today, I’ve realized that your Grandma and Uncle do not have good intentions. From now on, we will live our own lives well. I won’t be thinking about them anymore.”

“I will take good care of you. I won’t let you go hungry, and I certainly won’t marry you off carelessly.”

“Dad…” The two girls’ eyes turned red.

Being mistreated, neglected, and even scolded all these years had left deep scars in their hearts. Their father had been so intent on being filial that if they ever said a word against Grandma, he would scold them instead. Over time, they hadn’t dared to speak up, becoming numb and submissive.

Until today, when Lin Yu’s words gave them hope once more.

Lin Yu continued, “Our family will become wealthy. Dad is going to raise you both to be healthy and plump.”

The two girls were now sobbing uncontrollably. Lin Yu couldn’t stand to see his daughters cry, so he cleared his throat. “I want to change your names.”

Pandi and Laidi looked at each other. “Change them to what?”

Lin Yu explained, “The meanings of Pandi and Laidi are not good. Do you have names you like? If not, I’ll choose for you.”

Not good?

The girls were a bit confused. In their world, names like Zhaodi¹Beckon a Brother, Pandi, and Laidi were considered excellent. In this village, eight out of ten households used such names; the other two only didn’t because they already had sons.

But subconsciously, they knew these names were “low-class.”

Pandi thought for a moment and said, “I’ve been called this for over ten years; I’m almost used to it.”

“We’ll use the new names often, and you’ll get used to them quickly.” Lin Yu saw she didn’t have a preference, so he said, “How about Lin Pan? It means to hope that your life will be safe, smooth, and full of happiness.”

Pandi felt a jolt go through her. She dimly realized that “Lin Pan” and “Lin Pandi” were two entirely different names.

“From now on, I am Lin Pan. Dad, I love this name!” Lin Pan beamed.

Laidi asked nervously, “What about me, Dad? What about me?”

Lin Yu smiled. “Then you shall be Lin Lai, the ‘Lai’ as in the Penglai Immortal Isles.” He traced the characters for Pan and Lai on the ground.

Lin Lai was overjoyed. “That’s a beautiful name! If anyone asks me what I’m called, I’ll say I’m Lin Lai, the ‘Lai’ from the Penglai Isles. It sounds so grand!”

“A-Pan.”

“Yes!” Lin Pan answered crisply.

“A-Lai.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Lin Lai’s eyes crinkled into crescent moons.

Lin Yu nodded with satisfaction. “Remember to use these from now on. Never use the old names again.”

The two girls nodded vigorously. Lin Lai felt a bit of regret. “It’s a shame Eldest Sister hasn’t been back in a while. When she comes back next time, I must tell her our new names so she doesn’t get them wrong.”

“The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up soon. Eldest Sister will definitely visit then. We can tell her then,” Lin Pan added.

Thinking of his eldest daughter who had already married out, Lin Yu felt a bit troubled. In this era, a woman belonged to her husband’s family, and Lin Zhaodi already had a daughter. Even if he didn’t care for his son-in-law, he couldn’t just bring her home right now.

He decided to set that matter aside for the moment. The house had no grain, and the dilapidated walls couldn’t even block the wind and rain. He had to find a way to make money first.

Under the worried gazes of the sisters, Lin Yu tucked his wood-cutting knife into his belt and headed out again.

…

Shortly after Lin Yu left, two young girls from the village arrived.

“Pandi, Laidi, are you okay? My mom said your Grandma came by this morning. She didn’t bully you, did she?”

Lin Pan and Lin Lai were happy to see their visitors. “We’re fine! Guihua, Hehua, our Dad changed our names! From now on, I’m Lin Pan and my sister is Lin Lai.”

Lin Lai added with a laugh, “You can call us A-Pan and A-Lai.”

Guihua was shocked. “Is what my mom said true? That Uncle Lin broke things off with the other side and isn’t listening to your Grandma anymore?”

“It’s true! Dad said we’re going to live our own lives well and ignore them,” Lin Lai answered happily.

Hehua warned, “Your Grandma is very difficult. She won’t let this go. You should avoid her from now on.”

Lin Lai didn’t think much of it. “As long as Dad ignores her, there’s nothing she can do to us.”

The girls chatted and did some chores, and time passed quickly. When their families called them for dinner, Guihua and Hehua ran back and spread the news about the name changes. Before long, the whole of Qingshan Village knew that the Lin family girls were no longer “Hoping for a Brother”—they didn’t want a brother at all.

When the news reached the eldest Lin household, Grandma Lin nearly fainted from rage.

Aunt Lin fanned her while stirring the pot of discord. “Mother, you were the one who named the third girl. Look at Second Brother—isn’t he slapping your face?”

“Unfilial beast! His conscience was eaten by a dog!” Grandma Lin cursed. Making a cold-hearted decision, she whispered, “Go and tell that man named Qian… we’ll do it this way.”

She whispered a few lines, and even Aunt Lin was startled. “This… will this work? Will the girl be willing? What if it fails?”

“Once her innocence is gone, she’ll have to be willing even if she isn’t. If she dares to make a scene, the village’s spit will drown her,” Grandma Lin sneered.

…

By the time it grew dark, Lin Yu hadn’t returned. Lin Pan and Lin Lai grew worried.

“Why isn’t Dad back yet? Did something happen?” Lin Lai was ready to go to the mountain to look for him.

Lin Pan stopped her. “Don’t scare yourself. It’s dark; if we go up the mountain now, we’ll only be causing trouble.”

As Lin Yu carried a wild boar down the mountain, he saw two little “mushrooms” crouching by the door from afar. As he got closer, he saw the mushrooms were his daughters.

“Dad!” The sisters jumped up in joy, but when they saw the massive beast on his back, their joy turned to terror.

“Such a huge wild boar!”

Lin Yu dropped the boar with a thunderous thud.

“Dad, are you hurt?” Lin Pan saw bloodstains on his clothes and was on the verge of tears again.

Lin Yu patted himself off dismissively. “It’s nothing. It’s not my blood.”

“You scared me to death! Dad, I won’t eat meat anymore. I never want meat again! Please don’t go back up the mountain,” Lin Lai cried, her legs shaking at the sight of the boar’s white tusks.

Lin Pan didn’t speak; she just looked at him with tears falling.

Lin Yu hadn’t expected a boar to scare them this badly. He patted their heads, one on each side, to comfort them. “Alright, alright. I promise I won’t go up the mountain recklessly again.”

He didn’t realize that what scared the children wasn’t the boar, but him returning covered in blood. After a long while of coaxing, they finally stopped crying.

Lin Lai sniffled, her curiosity piqued. “This boar is so big.” It sat in the yard like a small hill.

Lin Pan worried, “How do we slaughter such a big pig? There’s no butcher in our village; we’d have to invite one from the next village over.”

“We aren’t killing it at home,” Lin Yu said. “I’ll borrow a cart later and push it straight to the butcher outside the city to sell. Tomorrow I’ll buy you some domestic pork. Wild boar smells too gamy; domestic pork tastes much better.”

It was a two-hour walk to the city. To sell the boar before dawn, he would have to wake up in the middle of the night.

Heartaching for their father, Lin Pan and Lin Lai went to the neighbors to borrow some flour under the cover of night. The sisters didn’t sleep much during the first half of the night, rushing to knead dough and make flatbreads, keeping them warm by the fire.

When Lin Yu set off the next day, he had his daughters’ warm, freshly made flatbreads tucked against his chest.