C4 The Handcart

On his way to the grocery store, Tang Jin couldn't take his eyes off the tires he was holding, already envisioning the framework of his project.

He was determined to build a handcart!

The new year had brought some respite, but soon the farmers would be busy again, sowing seeds and hauling fertilizer—all backbreaking work.

In their village, there was only one cow, a communal asset, but it was impractical to rely solely on it for transportation. A handcart, however, would be a game-changer.

Without delay, Tang Jin stopped by a hardware store and picked up some rubber strips.

Then, he headed straight for the grocery store.

By now, it was noon, and the tantalizing aroma of meat drifted from a nearby diner.

Tang Jin had risen at dawn, leaving the leftover chicken soup for Churan and Tang Tang. After toiling away the morning without a bite to eat, his stomach was protesting loudly. In the past, he would have marched right into that diner and indulged in a feast until his pockets were empty.

But those days were behind him. He was a changed man.

Ignoring the diner, Tang Jin entered the grocery store and bought several pounds of rice, a bit of pork, and a skewer of candied hawthorns for Tang Tang, spending a total of twelve and a half yuan.

Securing the change, he packed the rice and meat into the nylon bag he had brought along, balancing the tires with one hand and the bag with the other as he made his way home.

When he arrived, it was well past one o'clock. Xia Churan had prepared lunch and was sitting at the table with Little Milk Bun, ready to eat.

Tang Jin's comings and goings had always been unpredictable, so Xia Churan, assuming he had gone out for drinks with friends as he used to, hadn't waited for him. But to her surprise, he had returned by midday, laden with several large tires.

Little Milk Bun vividly remembered the generous chicken leg Tang Jin had once given her, so she felt much braver around him today. As soon as she saw Tang Jin return, she eagerly approached him.

"Dad, you're back! Let's eat!" she exclaimed.

She eagerly pulled Tang Jin towards the table. After setting down the tire, Tang Jin washed his hands and followed her inside.

Xia Churan had already set his place at the table. Tang Jin glanced at the spread: a bowl of watery porridge, a pile of pickled vegetables, and a few sweet potatoes. His heart sank. It was the first day of the new year, yet not a morsel of meat graced the table.

He felt like a complete failure.

Blinking back tears, Tang Jin lowered the nylon bag from his shoulder and emptied its contents.

"Churan, clear this away. It's New Year's Day, and we're having meat!" he declared.

Xia Churan was startled by the items spilling out of the bag.

At first glance, it was clearly more than a dozen yuan. How on earth did Tang Jin come by it?

Hesitant to even touch it, Xia Churan eyed Tang Jin suspiciously.

"Have you gotten into trouble again? Where did you get this money?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

Her mind raced to the worst-case scenarios—had Tang Jin stolen or robbed someone? In their five years of marriage, they had never had more than five yuan to their name.

If Tang Jin hadn't resorted to dishonest means, how could he have come into such a sum?

She even began to dread the possibility of having to apologize to someone later on.

Tang Jin immediately understood Xia Churan's apprehension and quickly set the record straight.

"I haven't caused any trouble. I earned this money by chopping and selling wood early this morning!" he explained earnestly.

He recounted the day's events in detail, and finally, he handed over the remaining eleven yuan and fifty cents to Xia Churan.

"Churan, trust me, I'll make sure to earn more money from now on. I want you and Tang Tang to have a better life," Tang Jin said with unwavering resolve.

Still in disbelief, Xia Churan stared at the money in her hand. Then, noticing the wood chips on Tang Jin's clothes and the raw redness of his exposed shoulders, she began to believe his story.

However, she was beginning to feel like she hardly recognized Tang Jin anymore.

Especially reflecting on his actions over the past couple of days, Xia Churan's feelings intensified.

Could it be that he had truly turned over a new leaf?

She was about to speak when Little Milk Bun's soft, surprised exclamation interrupted her.

"Dad, what's this red, stringy thing? It's so pretty!"

Little Milk Bun, not grasping the adults' conversation, was squatting at their feet and had accidentally spotted the candied hawthorns peeking out of a nylon bag.

Tang Jin crouched down, took the candied hawthorns in his hand, and handed them to Little Milk Bun, tenderly stroking her head.

"This is a candied hawthorn, Tang Tang. You can eat it. Why don't you try it and see if it's sweet?"

He unwrapped the candy paper and watched as Little Milk Bun's eyes lit up, a twinge of heartache washing over him.

In those days, candied hawthorns were a common treat, costing only two cents a skewer.

But since Tang Tang was born, their family had struggled to even have enough to eat, let alone afford treats.

So this was the very first time Little Milk Bun had ever tasted candied hawthorns!

She gazed at the treat in her hands, her big, watery eyes gleaming. She carefully lifted it to her mouth and tentatively licked it.

"Dad, it's so sweet! It's delicious! Tang Tang loves it!"

Tang Tang said, licking it again.

Tang Jin's smile grew even warmer as he patted his daughter's head and gently encouraged her.

"You can take a bite; the fruit inside is tasty too."

"No!" Little Milk Bun quickly shook her head, cautiously licked it again, and then, with reluctance, set the candied hawthorn down.

"If I bite it, it will disappear quickly, and then I won't have any more. Tang Tang wants to savor it!"

His heart clenched tight, as if it had been struck by an unseen force, and Tang Jin felt a lump in his throat. Unable to watch any longer, he stood up and went to the kitchen to help Xia Churan with the cooking.

After the meal, Tang Jin turned his attention to the tires he had brought home.

He cleaned the tires thoroughly, laid them flat on the ground, and filled them with water, using the rubber he had purchased. He looked for leaks, identifying the spots that needed repair.

Using the rubber he had purchased, Tang Jin meticulously repaired all the damaged spots.

It took him several hours just to patch up the four tires.

Once that was finished, Tang Jin gathered several robust wooden sticks, bound them together with rope into an inverted triangle, and snugly fit the tires into place.

Next, he selected some thinner sticks to fashion a handle, and voilà—a one-wheeled handcart was born!

Little Milk Bun had been hovering around Tang Jin the entire time, watching him craft an odd contraption she had never seen before, and she couldn't help but ask with curiosity.

"Dad, what are you making? It looks like a car!"

"Dad is making a car, indeed—a handcart, to be precise. It's used for pushing food. Tang Tang, would you like to come up and try it out?"

"Yes, yes! Tang Tang wants to! Tang Tang wants to!"

Upon hearing there was something fun to play with, Little Milk Bun eagerly released her grip and allowed Tang Jin to lift her into the cart.

Though only five years old and quite slender, Little Milk Bun weighed over thirty pounds. Tang Jin gently placed her inside the cart, lifted the handle, and began to push her forward.

"Wow! Tang Tang is moving! The wheels are spinning. Dad, you're amazing!"

Little Milk Bun had never experienced such an enjoyable toy, clapping her hands with glee inside the cart.

Inside the house, Xia Churan peered through the window at the endearing scene unfolding outside, momentarily lost in a daydream.

Could this be a dream?