Chapter 49 - Two-in-One: Buy a rooster to stew with matsutake mushrooms...

Lin Chuntao nodded: "Yes, that's why I brought it here to you first."

The old man's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he beckoned to them, "Come in, come in, weigh them all for me."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I'll weigh everything in my basket for you."

The old man walked ahead, turned around and saw the small bamboo basket in his sister's hand. Just as he was about to speak, Lin Chuntao said, "I want to keep a little bit to take to Manager He over there. She told me before that if I find any more, I will bring them to you."

Doctor He looked at Chun Tao and remembered that Pei Ying, who had carried her there that day, was still working at the butcher shop. He smiled and said, "Alright! Weigh these from the basket."

While calling his wife to get the winnowing basket, Doctor He went to find a scale.

When the old lady came out carrying a winnowing basket, Lin Chuntao had just removed the grass covering the termite mushrooms, revealing clusters of excellent-looking termite mushrooms. The old lady looked at her with a beaming smile.

"Oh my, girls, where did you find these termite mushrooms? They look so lovely."

Lin Chuntao replied with a smile, "They don't come out very often in the mountains around here, and we only find them once in a long while. Last time, Doctor He said that if we found any, we should bring them to him first, so we brought them all here."

The old lady smiled and placed the winnowing basket directly on the ground. Lin Chuntao picked out the termite mushrooms and weighed them. Although she had walked a long way, almost none of the termite mushrooms in the basket were broken. The old lady smiled happily every time she took one.

The total weight came to 21.5 jin (approximately 16.75 kg). Doctor He asked from the side, "Can I pay you the same price as last time?"

Lin Chuntao replied, "Okay."

The old lady went back into the house and took out the money, totaling seven hundred and fifty-three coins.

After receiving the money, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Dr. He, I brought my sisters here to have their pulses taken and get some medicine to regulate their bodies."

The old man looked up at Lin Chunxing and the others, nodded, and turned to tell the old lady to clear the dishes. Lin Chuntao said, "It's alright, you eat first, we'll wait for you."

Dr. He laughed and said, "I'm not eating anymore. Why would I eat fried dough sticks when I'm eating mushrooms later?"

Hearing this, Lin Chuntao smiled. The old man invited them to sit down for a while, then called Lin Chuntao over so he could take her pulse.

"Did your husband tell you what I told him the other day?" Doctor He asked as soon as he sat down to take your pulse.

Lin Chuntao nodded. "He said so, but I don't think I've had my period yet. Is there something wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Dr. He frowned slightly and said, "You've had your period before. It's probably because of your physical condition that the color is off or the amount is very small. You didn't notice it yourself, but your body is severely depleted. I'll prescribe some medicine for you to take home and take. Eat more regularly."

Lin Chuntao nodded. "Okay, thank you, Dr. He. How long will it take for me to recover from this?"

"It will take some time to recover, maybe one or two months. I'll prescribe seven days' worth of medicine for you first. Come back after seven days to have your pulse checked, and I'll adjust the prescription accordingly."

Lin Chuntao agreed, and the old man ground ink and took out paper and pen to write down the prescription for her.

While he was writing the prescription, Lin Chuntao said, "The older one outside is my second sister. She's fourteen this year and it seems she hasn't had her period yet. I'll ask Doctor He to take a look at her later."

Doctor He nodded and then said, "I'll also take the pulses of the two younger ones."

"Okay, thank you for your help, Dr. He."

After the prescriptions were written, Lin Chuntao called the three sisters in. She took their pulses and prescribed medicine for each of them.

Lin Duo'er and Lin Chunhe each had three sets, while she and Lin Chunxing each had four sets.

Dr. He packed the medicine and gave it to them separately, instructing them, "Don't mix them up, each of you take your own, the medicines are different."

Lin Chuntao nodded and asked the price with a smile. Doctor He looked at her and Lin Chunxing and said, "Your two are more expensive, thirty-two coins a pair, while theirs are cheaper, eighteen coins, for a total of three hundred and sixty-four coins."

She had just received some coins from selling matsutake mushrooms, and most of them were gone in the blink of an eye. She thought to herself that it was too expensive, but she laughed as she counted the money.

After the sisters left with their medicine, the old lady laughed and said, "This girl is quite interesting. She's in such a state, and she's spent so much money but doesn't seem to care."

Dr. He glanced at his wife and said, "You don't know her health condition. She must have worried too much in the past, worried enough."

"If you don't worry about getting better, then the medicine will be effective."

As Lin Chunxing left the clinic with the medicine, she sighed that it was too expensive. Lin Chuntao looked at her and said, "You have to take it even if it's expensive. Once you're healthy, you won't get sick as easily and you won't have to spend money at the clinic anymore."

Lin Chuntao took the small bamboo basket from Chunhe's hands, saying, "You hold the medicine, I'll carry it."

"Sister, I can carry it." She said without letting go. Lin Chuntao smiled, took the basket off, and put her medicine into it. "You carry the basket."

Lin Chunhe smiled and let go, then picked up her basket and walked towards the market.

Those who wanted to buy mushrooms were still waiting around the same spot. Upon seeing Lin Chuntao, they hurriedly called out, "Mushroom Lady, you've finally arrived! What mushrooms are available for sale today?"

Lin Chuntao looked at the three or four women and pulled them to a corner, as if they were plotting something shady, with a strong sense of escapism.

As soon as they passed by, one of the women asked in a low voice, "Did you find any termite mushrooms, young lady?"

Lin Chuntao nodded. "We did find some termite mushrooms, but not many, probably only six or seven pounds. Do you ladies want some? If so, we can each have one pound."

The men's eyes lit up, and they stared intently at her small bamboo basket, nodding vigorously.

"Yes, yes."

Lin Chuntao removed the grass covering the termite mushrooms, took out a scale, and weighed them for them at 35 wen per jin.

There were seven catties in this bamboo basket, which were divided among the four people, and the income was 245 coins.

Just now, when Lin Chuntao pulled the person away, Lin Chunxing stood not far away with her younger sister and waited. Watching Lin Chuntao quickly sell out that bamboo basket of matsutake mushrooms, she smiled with her lips pursed.

After watching the women walk away, Lin Chuntao led Lin Chunxing and the others toward the butcher shop.

As they approached the butcher shop, Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing said, "The doctor said our bodies are severely weakened. Why don't we keep two catties of matsutake mushrooms and buy a chicken to kill and eat?"

Lin Chunxing's mouth watered just listening to it, but when she looked at the medicine in her hand, she thought, "It's so expensive!"

A chicken that can be killed and eaten costs forty or fifty coins, and this matsutake mushroom costs more than thirty coins per catty. And you eat the two together. Just thinking about the money makes my heart ache.

Looking at Lin Chuntao's thin figure and remembering that she had been sick a couple of days ago, she nodded.

"I'll listen to my sister."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Then it's decided! I'll keep two jin for myself."

Everyone was happy to have good food, but some were reluctant to spend the money. Lin Chuntao was also eager to save money to build a new house, but health was the most important thing. Since the doctor said that their bodies were severely depleted, they should eat more to replenish their bodies. Being healthy was more important than anything else.

When they arrived at the butcher shop, Pei Ying and Chunzi were busy.

He saw the medicine in Lin Chuntao's hand and asked, "Have you been to the pharmacy?"

"Yes, Dr. He has taken our pulses and prescribed medicine."

Lin Chuntao looked around but didn't see He Lan or Xiao Lingdang. She frowned slightly. "Is Manager He not here today?"

Pei Ying said, "You went to the market, didn't you? You were just here a moment ago."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Then you guys go ahead with your work. I'll take my sisters for a walk."

The market was crowded in the morning, and the aromas of various foods mingled and filled the air.

Having brought her younger sisters along, Lin Chuntao took them to a pastry shop.

The shop had a wide variety of pastries and candies. Lin Chuntao told the three sisters to take a look and see what they wanted to eat and buy some. After looking around, the three sisters finally bought some maltose, as well as some dried peaches and dried plums.

According to the shopkeeper, the dried peaches and plums were soaked in honey water before being dried, making them very sweet and delicious.

Seeing how much her younger sisters wanted to eat it, Lin Chuntao bought it for them too.

As soon as they paid and left the shop, they couldn't wait to take out a piece. The three sisters each took a small bite, savored it for a while, and then looked at Lin Chuntao with delighted expressions.

"Sister, it really tastes like honey, you should try it."

Lin Chuntao shook her head: "I haven't washed my hands yet. I'll eat when I get back."

Hearing her say that, Lin Chunhe wrapped the dried peaches in oil paper and smiled, "Then let's eat them when we get back." After saying that, she put the wrapped dried peaches into her basket.

Just as I was about to leave, a familiar voice came from behind me.

"Sister Chuntao!"

Lin Chuntao turned around and saw Manager He and Xiao Lingdang not far away.

Little Bell ran towards her, with He Lan following closely behind. Lin Chuntao greeted her with a smile, "Good morning, Manager He!"

"Good morning, Madam Lin! Didn't you sell mushrooms this morning? We just went to the spot where you used to set up your stall, but we didn't see you."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I found some matsutake mushrooms today, but there aren't many left. Doctor He from the pharmacy bought some, and I want to keep some for myself. If Manager He wants some, we can share them."

Upon hearing this, Helan looked at the small bamboo basket covered with straw in her hand and smiled, "Yes, yes, thank you very much, Madam Lin. Are you still shopping? If not, let's go back to the shop now?"

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Okay, we've finished our shopping."

After saying that, the group walked towards the shop together. On the way back, Lin Chuntao introduced her younger sisters to Helan. Helan asked with a smile, "How are you feeling? When Xiao Pei carried you here the other day, I saw that you were quite ill."

That day, the officials took Pei Ying away from the shop, and she learned the whole story. Although she wasn't implicated, she still went to jail. Lin Chuntao was still so young; it was normal for her to fall ill after she had endured until the matter was over. Take her, for example. After her husband's accident, she held on until his funeral was over, and she also fell seriously ill.

She looked at Lin Chuntao, who was much better than when Pei Ying had carried her there, but she could still vaguely see that her spirits were not good. She comforted Lin Chuntao, "My lady is still young. Don't think too much about what's past. Thinking too much will hurt your health. Let bygones be bygones."

Lin Chuntao smiled and nodded upon hearing this: "Thank you for your concern, Manager He. I am much better now. I went to see Doctor He again today to get some medicine."

As they talked, the two unknowingly returned to the butcher shop.

There were still people queuing to buy meat in front of the shop. Helan led Lin Chuntao and the others into the shop. She put the vegetable basket aside and then went to find a winnowing basket to put the mushrooms in.

Lin Chuntao removed the grass from the termite mushrooms, picked about two pounds of them and put them in another bamboo basket, and gave the rest to Helan.

Little Bell squatted next to Lin Chuntao, staring wide-eyed at the large clusters of termite mushrooms.

"Sister Chuntao, there are so many termite mushrooms!"

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I'll have your mother make it for you later."

Little Bell nodded. Helan found a winnowing basket and brought it over. He was also surprised when he saw the quality of the termite mushrooms. "I haven't seen such large termite mushrooms in many years."

"This is the first time I've ever found one that's this big. The last one I found was almost a bud."

As Lin Chuntao spoke, she picked up the remaining matsutake mushrooms and put them into a winnowing basket. After she finished, she said, "We also kept some. Manager He, please don't think it's too little."

Helan laughed and said, "How could that be? It was Lin Niangzi who remembered to save some for me. You can't buy these normally. Besides, there's quite a lot. Weigh it and I'll pay you."

Lin Chuntao didn't stand on ceremony. She weighed it and found it to be a little over four jin. She then charged He Lan for the four jin.

On the way back, Lin Chunxing asked in a low voice, "Sister, won't Manager He be unhappy if you take her money?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chuntao looked at Lin Chunxing, recalling her earlier statement about wanting to sell clay pot noodles in the county town. She knew she would inevitably encounter many acquaintances, but business is business; she couldn't refuse payment from every friend.

Since Lin Chunxing asked this question, she must have such a problem.

Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "We specially reserved the termite mushrooms for her, why would she be unhappy?"

Lin Chunxing pursed her lips, her brows furrowing slightly. Lin Chuntao looked at her and said, "Ask your brother-in-law if Manager He charges the neighbors money when he sells meat to them?"

Lin Chunxing slowly looked at Pei Ying, who said, "Of course we'll accept it. Manager He has been selling pork for many years and knows many acquaintances. If we don't accept the money, wouldn't this business be a loss?"

Lin Chunxing frowned and thought about it carefully, and it seemed to make sense.

Lin Chuntao patted her gently, "Let alone doing business, even in making friends, you have to talk about money openly and frankly. Being vague and dragging things out can easily lead to misunderstandings and losing friends."

"If you're doing business, you're there to make money, not to make friends."

"To put it more clearly, you should approach making money with the best attitude. Your goal is still to make money, understand?"

Lin Chunxing pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then laughed, "Just like that shopkeeper who sells dried peaches? He greets us with a smile, calling us 'little sister,' praising the pastries in his shop until we buy them, pay, and he sees us off."

Lin Chuntao nodded. "That's right. If we keep coming here, we'll get to know her better. When we get to know her better, she'll be very polite, but she won't refuse to take our money or offer us a discount. We're just her customers, not her friends."

"I understand, but I still feel a little embarrassed."

Lin Chuntao smiled upon hearing this: "Thinking about losing money, would you still feel embarrassed?"

Lin Chunxing pursed her lips. She would still do it, but compared to the heartache of losing money, she'd rather shamelessly make money.

On the way back, even Lin Chunhe was all smiles. They had found some matsutake mushrooms today and made quite a bit of money from selling them. Although they bought medicine, they still had a lot left. Lin Chuntao also bought them maltose and dried fruit. There were still matsutake mushrooms in the small bamboo basket. Lin Chuntao said that she would also buy a chicken to kill and cook the matsutake mushrooms.

Being able to eat chicken and mushrooms is like living the life of a god.

When they returned to the village, they happened to run into Lin Miaomiao leading her two younger brothers out of the village. Lin Miaomiao had just quarreled with Lin Chunxing a few days ago. Now that they met on a narrow road, they turned their heads and went their separate ways. The three siblings did not call out to Lin Chuntao, and Lin Chuntao naturally did not speak to them either.

After they walked past, Lin Chunxing asked, "Where are they going?"

Lin Chunhe said, "I guess she's going to her maternal grandmother's house."

Lin Duo'er also asked, "Are they going to find grain? I heard that the officials took everything from our homes."

Lin Chunxing shook her head slightly, "I don't know. I heard they went to my great-grandfather's house yesterday, saying that the land was taken by the government and they don't know if there's any way to get the land back."

The three sisters chatted amongst themselves, while Lin Chuntao simply listened without participating in the discussion.

At this point, Lin Chunxing asked Lin Chuntao, "Sister, do you think they can still get the land?"

"I don't know. If there's a way, Grandpa and the others will probably make arrangements."

After speaking calmly, Lin Chuntao looked at her three younger sisters, recalling Li Honghua's words from yesterday.

"Oh, right, there's something I need to tell you. Yesterday I ran into Fourth Grandmother and that eldest aunt in the fields. She told me something, but I forgot to tell you when I got back last night."

Lin Chunhe already had a premonition that something bad was going to happen, but Lin Duo'er didn't quite understand. She looked up and asked, "Sister, what did they say to you?"

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "She said that now that the adults are all gone, the house over there is spacious, and we have no place to live. We are staying in the old house of the great-grandmother, so she asked us to move back and live with the six of them, including Lin Miaomiao."

Upon hearing this, the three sisters' expressions instantly changed.

They looked at Lin Chuntao with some confusion. "Sister, shall we not go back?" Lin Duo'er asked cautiously.

Lin Chuntao countered, "Do you want to go back?"

The three of them shook their heads in unison. Although they could go back and live in their own homes, why should they support Lin Miaomiao and the others? When they were kicked out before, Lin Miaomiao and the others didn't even say a kind word. They didn't want to.

Lin Chuntao stared at them intently and said, "Since you don't want to go back or get involved, then don't pay attention to them, don't see what they do, what they eat, or how they live. It has nothing to do with us. If anyone in the village asks, just say you don't know."

Lin Chunxing and the others nodded. As they passed the gate of the old Lin family's courtyard, Lin Jialang and his siblings were squatting and playing at the gate. When they saw Lin Chuntao and the others passing by, Lin Jialang even stood up and called out, "Sister Chuntao."

Lin Chuntao ignored him and walked over.

Once they were far away, Lin Chunxing turned back for a glance, only to see that Lin Jialang had already squatted down and was no longer looking at them.

People are strange sometimes. Even when they are already miserable, they still feel sorry for those who are even more miserable than themselves.

But that's all there is to it.

Lin Duo'er is easygoing and doesn't dwell on the past hardships, but she and Lin Chunhe both remember them. Precisely because they remember them, they can't help but feel resentful towards each other.

It wasn't until they entered the house that Lin Chuntao spoke up: "Grandpa must have discussed with the other three families about where Lin Miaomiao and the others should go, but they probably couldn't come up with a solution. Nobody wanted them, so that's why Fourth Grandma's eldest aunt jumped out and tried to dump them on us. My attitude is very clear: I don't want to have any connection with them, and I won't give them a single grain of rice."

“You may feel sorry for them, but we are not much better off than them. We and they can only live our own lives.”

Lin Chuntao's tone was extremely flat, and Lin Chunhe could even sense that she was a little unhappy. She actually understood her sister's thoughts and agreed with them.

“We understand what you said, sister. Don’t worry, we definitely won’t associate with them.”

Hearing Lin Chunhe's words, Lin Chuntao said, "You don't think I'm heartless, do you?"

The sisters hurriedly shook their heads. Lin Chuntao said, "I'll say it again: kindness and sincerity should be given to those who deserve it. You might not understand if I just say it, but you should understand in a few days."

Although her words were a bit harsh, Lin Chuntao made them all laugh when she asked them to wash the termite mushrooms.

Since returning from that day, Lin Chuntao hadn't been to the village head's house. She took the opportunity to go there while she was out buying chickens.

"You guys steam the rice, I'm going to Grandma's house to buy a chicken while I'm at it, and we'll kill it after lunch."

The sisters nodded, and Lin Chuntao took some money and went.

When she arrived, Mrs. Sun was grinding chickens in the yard. When she saw Lin Chuntao, she smiled and called her in to sit down.

"I heard from your Aunt Guizhi that you weren't feeling well. Are you feeling better now?"

"I'm all better now, Grandma. I just caught a chill from being caught in the rain that day, and I'm fine after taking two doses of medicine."

Madam Sun nodded slightly and carefully examined her.

"Your complexion still doesn't look fully recovered. There's not much work to do in the fields lately, so don't overexert yourself and get some rest for a few days."

Upon hearing Sun's words, Lin Chuntao nodded. Chen Dongniang brought her a chair, then went inside and brought out some melon seeds, inviting her to sit down and eat them.

Lin Chuntao sat down with a smile and casually grabbed a handful of melon seeds.

After chasing the chickens to the backyard, Sun returned and sat down. She talked to Lin Chuntao about the discussion that night about repairing the ancestral graves. Lin Chuntao said, "Grandma, please let me know how much each family will contribute, and we will contribute as well."

Sun said, "You are all still children, there is no need for you to pay."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "When we had parents, we were children. Now that we are a family, we naturally have to contribute. There's no such thing as children anymore."

Sun understood Lin Chuntao's meaning and nodded slightly, "Then I'll tell you when the time comes."

The repair of the ancestral graves has been mentioned, but Lin Miaomiao and the others haven't been told how they will arrange it. Lin Chuntao isn't really interested in hearing about it, as she has already guessed a thing or two from Li Honghua's words.

She had a good relationship with Muramasa and Sun, so she probably wouldn't directly tell them to move back and live with Lin Miaomiao and the others, but Lin Chuntao generally wouldn't take people's feelings for granted.

She looked at Sun Shi and Chen Dongniang and sighed softly, "When the ancestral graves are repaired, I will buy some offerings and go to pay my respects."

Both Mrs. Sun and Chen Dongniang frowned and looked at her simultaneously. "What happened?"

Lin Chuntao turned her head to look around and see if anyone was there before she whispered, "I was sick this time, and I had a fever. Pei Ying carried me to get acupuncture, and the old doctor told me to go back and get more medicine when I recovered."

"What do you want to eat? What's wrong with your health?"

Lin Chuntao pursed her lips, looking extremely embarrassed and conflicted. Sun said, "Child, what can't you say to me and your aunt?"

"The doctor said I was in poor health because I had fallen into the water and was overworked and hungry, so I couldn't get pregnant."

Upon hearing this, both Madam Sun and Chen Dongniang's expressions changed instantly.

"Did you say that in front of Xiao Pei?" Madam Sun asked.

Lin Chuntao nodded, seeing the genuine worry in their eyes, and continued, "The doctor said to try the herbal medicine for a few months first, and he prescribed it for me today. It costs more than thirty coins a dose, which is too expensive. I still want to save money to build a house."

Mrs. Sun clicked her tongue and gently patted her.

"Are you out of your mind, child? This is such a big deal. You have to drink the medicine no matter how expensive it is. It doesn't matter if the house is built a little later!"

Lin Chuntao's eyelids drooped, and Chen Dongniang said, "It's alright, the doctor said it can be cured, maybe it will get better in a while. Besides, you just got married, there's no rush."

"Is Xiao Pei unhappy?" Chen Dongniang asked again.

Lin Chuntao shook her head slightly, "No, that's not the case."

“I almost forgot, he asked me yesterday to ask around if anyone had a rooster so he could buy one or two to keep at home. He needs to get up early to do chores, and sometimes he can’t hear the roosters crowing in the village very clearly.”

Mrs. Sun said, "We only have three roosters at home. You can catch one and take it back with you. If you want two, you can ask your second grandmother next door. She has four roosters."

Lin Chuntao pointed to the stone.

The group chatted for a few more minutes before heading back to cook. Sun caught a chicken for her and went next door to buy another one. The two chickens cost ninety-two coins.