'SEE YOU MORNING' 057 Fisherman Reinhard

'SEE YOU MORNING' 057 Fisherman Reinhard

After checking the population files, he tucked the recorded list into his pocket. Leaving the archive room, Lübeck bid farewell to Müller and walked out of the city hall alone.

Turning left along the street in front of the building, not far away was the market square where people gathered daily. Folks often traded their surplus agricultural products or the results of fishing and hunting here, along with leather goods, handicrafts, and cloth.

Lübeck walked along the street, looking as he went. People greeted him now and then—regulars at the market mostly knew him. Lübeck smiled and nodded back. It was still cold, and the market wasn't crowded; people were scattered loosely in small groups on both sides of the road.

As he walked, he saw an old man selling eggs by the roadside. He didn't see him here often; he was probably among the first elderly who had followed their children here. But eggs didn't sell well here because everyone could keep chickens. Lübeck squatted down, fiddling with the eggs as he chatted,

"How are egg sales today?"

"Oh, not many people in the market. Haven't sold much."

Lübeck picked out some eggs, stood up, and tore off a few broad leaves from a roadside plant, wrapped the eggs in them, tucked half into his coat pocket while holding the rest, then paid. He pointed at the sun and said to the old man with a smile,

"Better head back soon. The road takes time, and it's still light now."

"Yes, yes," the old man agreed with a smile but didn't move.

Nothing more could be said. Perhaps he would start for home after a while. Lübeck thought to himself as he continued walking.

From a distance, he saw Reinhard Meyer selling fish. Lübeck often bought fish from him. Meyer wasn't a professional fisherman, but he knew how to weave various baskets and traps from plants, including fish traps set in the river to catch some fish as a side income.

Walking up to him, Lübeck looked at his fish, then at him, greeted him with a smile, and asked,

"Business good?"

"Mr. Mayor, here to patronize me?"

"Ha ha," Lübeck said. "Long time no see. I'll take a few extra today." As he spoke, he picked fish from Meyer's basket.

Because of the low temperature, though these fish had been out of water for a long time, they still looked fairly fresh. Lübeck picked them out, and Reinhard threaded them with grass rope and held them up.

When he had picked enough, Lübeck took the fish, paid, and asked,

"Still throwing in one free today?"

"Of course, regular customers deserve the favor." As he spoke, Reinhard felt around in his fish basket for a moment, took out one, threaded it with grass rope, and handed it to Lübeck, then added a reminder,

"Hold it tight, don't drop it."

When Lübeck returned to the courtyard of his home, he got off the carriage and looked back. Two suns, dark red and some distance apart, hung at the edge of the sky. The sky here was pale blue but tinged with purple-red—perhaps from the color of the suns.

Once inside, he went to the kitchen to put away the eggs and fish, then first washed his hands and went to see his child. Emma was on the bed, playing with the baby using some colorful little toys. When she saw Lübeck, she encouraged the child,

"See who's here? That's your daddy. Say daddy, go on, say daddy."

The child lay on the bed, clutching a toy, babbling and cooing, his bright eyes darting between Emma and Lübeck. He smiled from time to time, shouting happily. It seemed he liked Lübeck joining in the fun.

As Lübeck played with his son, he studied him. The boy seemed to have inherited his mother's sturdy build—he might grow up to be as strong as his mother, but as a boy perhaps even stronger, not thin like Lübeck. However, the child had Lübeck's blue-gray eyes and dark brown hair, while his mother had blond hair and black eyes. The child's face also seemed more like Lübeck's.

Emma was only nineteen, still a big child herself, untested by a complicated social environment. Lübeck didn't know her potential, so he hoped his son Erwin would be like him—smart, discerning, and resilient. The good news was that at least for now, the boy's face resembled his own; perhaps his brain would too.

After playing with the child for a while, Lübeck turned and noticed Ruth standing at the door, leaning against the doorframe, smiling as she watched him interact with the baby. He turned back to Emma and said,

"I bought some fish today. I need to go to the kitchen and clean them with Ruth. Is it okay if I leave you for a bit?"

"Sure, go ahead," Emma said, turning her head. Lübeck took the chance to cup her chin and kiss her lips. Then Emma happily went back to playing with the child. She had a wonderful disposition, just like a big child. As he passed Ruth, Lübeck put his hand on her lower back and walked with her to the kitchen.

The two of them dumped the fish into a wooden tub, each grabbed a small stool, and sat opposite each other across the tub. Lübeck rummaged through the tub, first found the smaller one Reinhard had given him for free, then looked for the tools to clean the fish. He happened to look up and saw Ruth studying him from across the tub.

"Is it my turn?" Ruth asked calmly.

"Huh?" Lübeck didn't catch her meaning at first. "Ha ha," then suddenly understood—same lady, same care needed.

He took the fish in his hand, leaned over, wrapped his arm around her with the back of his hand and forearm, and gave her the same kiss. Then he returned to his seat, picked up the scissors, and absentmindedly worked on the fish while admiring the light smile on Ruth's face across from him. Ruth finished cleaning two fish, while Lübeck still held that same one. Ruth occasionally looked up at him, neither hurrying nor complaining. The shape of her upturned lips when she smiled was beautiful, as was the lively, shifting gaze in her eyes.

Finally, after much dawdling, Lübeck split open the fish's head and belly, pulled out a deflated swim bladder, fished a small note from inside, looked at it for a moment, and threw it into the stove.

Ruth watched the whole process. The beautiful smile on her face had disappeared. She knew Lübeck had it hard ruling so many people here, so she just kept her face blank and continued cleaning the fish in the tub.

Lübeck noticed her mood. He comforted her, saying,

"Just everyday trifles. Don't worry."

Then he rushed to help her with the work, deliberately snatching the fish from her hands, pretending to make a mistake and holding onto her hand. Ruth had to stop, staring at Lübeck with a pout, saying nothing, just waiting for him to let go. Lübeck was being playful; he kept teasing her until he saw that beautiful smile return to her face, then he released her.

The extra treat tonight was grilled fish. The cleaned fish sizzled over the fire, and the aroma filled the whole house. Emma came out holding the baby to join the fun. Smelling the fragrance and watching others put grilled fish into their mouths, Erwin yelled and shouted in his mother's arms, kicking his legs, grabbing with his hands, looking from one to another, terribly impatient.

Emma had to tend to the child first, picking out boneless meat, chewing it soft, then feeding it to him. Lübeck, in turn, brought his grilled fish to Emma's mouth and fed her. Ruth focused more on the fish over the fire. That's how the chain of love was passed in this family.