One day Ginger noticed her elder daughter observing the herbs she had planted in the yard. The eyes of this nine-year-old revealed a girlish love, and once more Ginger’s heart beat faster. She flushed and slipped away in a panic. Ginger walked a long way, but when she turned around, her daughter was still squatting motionless beside the herbs. “The world is possessed . . . ,” Ginger said to herself. She thought she should plant some more roses in the corner. Why not? Now she had something to give to her relatives and neighbors. When had this begun?

Winter was coming, and more and more people came to buy Widow Liang’s roasted sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes she kept in the cellar were improved varieties: mellow and extra sweet, they were mouthwatering. With more customers, she and her son were now better off. When she was alone, she would say, “Liang Shan, how happy you would be if you had lived to see this day!” But Liang Shan had gone. This optimistic man had endured a lifetime of hardships in order to lay the foundation for a better life for his wife and child. Every time she thought of this, she wanted to cry, but her tears had dried up. Some days ago, a relative told her that Yun Village was a blessed place. Everyone who stayed here would achieve happiness in the end. Had Liang Shan achieved his happiness? She guessed so, and Mrs. Yi thought so, too. Mrs. Yi was no ordinary person. She was a saint who could see through to people’s hearts. Of course Widow Liang wanted to stay in Yun Village. She had never thought of going anywhere else. Besides, her husband was buried here, and sometimes he came to visit her. If she went away, they would never see each other again.

She also thought about remarrying, for after all was said and done, it was too hard to get through the long nights. After considering it carefully, she felt that perhaps she could find a companion among the out-of-towners. She had no sooner come up with this idea than she thought of a man who had just come to Yun Village the year before. He was a bachelor with light eyebrows and a cheerful face. This man bought her roasted sweet potatoes every day.

“What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a bricklayer. Do you want your house repaired?”

“Not yet, thank you.”

While they were talking, the man took a close look at her hands as she worked, and when she noticed his gaze, she blushed—her hands were rough and old. The man glanced away. Then he looked into her eyes and told her that he had fallen in love with Yun Village and Niulan Mountain. He had made up his mind to settle down in Yun Village. For years, while he was drifting, he had dreamed of spending the rest of his life in a place like this.

“What do you think of this place?” Widow Liang asked him.