Guo Village

## Information

The village that Zhang Xiaohua lived in was named Guo. Its total area consists of approximately 4 li\* of even ground which was sandwiched between the mountains. The mountains were not tall; it would be more accurate to call them hillocks. A large river flowed across the village, and on the river was a small bridge that connected the roads. There were approximately forty-plus households in the Guo village, with half of them surnamed Guo and actually belonging to a small family clan situated at the center of the village.

\*TN: li- 500 meters

The village people were mostly simple yet realistic people, so most of the important village matters were decided by the Guo elders. Even though everyone was a member of the village, when it came to petty matters that require arbitration, the Guo elders would mostly side with those who were surnamed Guo. The best locations in the village had also been taken by the Guo households.

Nevertheless, village life was simple and peaceful, there was never a matter that could not be resolved so everyone was contented with the way things were.

Zhang Xiaohua’s mother Guo Sufei was a member of the Guo clan, despite only receiving partial support and having long passed its “glory” days. By the time it reached his mother’s generation, apart from Guo Sufei, there was no male descendant. Thus, to appease and take care of his grandfather, Guo San, Zhang Xiaohua’s father, Zhang Cai, married into the Guo family.

The saying goes that a farming family depends on labor. However, Guo San had no sons, and due to a series of unfortunate events, he could not fulfill his intention to adopt a boy from his relatives, and thus, the family’s financial situation has fallen into dire straits. Fortunately, Zhang Cai did not disappoint him as a son-in-law. After entering the Guo household, he became an invaluable addition who not only worked in the fields, but also improved the standing of the family to above where it previously was.

A year later, Guo Sufei became pregnant, and Guo San gained a grandson, who was named Zhang Xiaolong. Seeing his grandson, Guo San felt relieved for the future of the family, but just as things were progressing in the right direction, a year later, Guo San became sick from overwork in his hard life, and never recovered since then…..

Illness to a poor family was like natural disaster that was impossible to recover from. To cure his father-in-law, Zhang Cai sold all the valuables in the house, but alas, he could not rescue Guo San’s life which was like a candle flickering in the wind. Thus, when Zhang Xiaolong was two years old, Guo San finally passed away. The only thing Zhang Cai could look forward to was the birth of his second child. On his deathbed, Guo San decided to the name the unborn child. If the child was a boy, he would be called Zhang Xiaohu, and if the child was a girl, she will be called Zhang Xiaohua. After Guo San passed away, Zhang Cai’s mother-in-law also declined in health from her sorrow, and only after Zhang Xiaohu’s birth did her spirits improved slightly which halted the series of misfortunes the household was facing.

A farmer’s lifeblood was the land he farms on. Compared to Old Guo’s times when there was not enough manpower, the small plot of land currently owned by the household could no longer sustain its increasing household size. Out of desperation, Zhang Cai took his sons and wife to the village elder, who eventually gave face to the deceased Guo San and granted the pitiable household a small plot of land near the river.

Zhang Xiaohua was born when his eldest brother was seven. That was when the family already had two and a half man’s worth of manpower, and the difficulties of the past were easing up. Speaking of Zhang Xiaohua’s birth, it was a noteworthy occasion because on that day, a two month drought finally had let up and ended with a heavy downpour on that very night he was born. The rain became so heavy that the bridge was no longer passable, which was truly a frightening sight for the people who lived in the mountains. And when Guo Sufei was giving birth to Zhang Xiaohua, she saw flower petals enveloped the sky. Thus, Zhang Cai was full of anticipation towards Zhang Xiaohua, to the extent that he invited a learned man in the village to pick a name for his son. Names such as Zhang Wu, Zhang Ning, Zhang Xueyou, etc were thrown around, and after much consideration, Guo Sufei thought of the falling petals and was reminded of her deceased father, thus deciding on such a feminine name for her son.