Chapter 19 Sweet Jujube Cake
As you get closer to the village, you run into familiar faces from the village.
They were somewhat surprised to see Lin Chuntao return, and then to see her carrying a basket and Pei Ying carrying buckets.
"Chuntao, did you go to the county town?"
"Yes, Auntie, let's go to the county town to buy a water bucket."
The man next to the woman stared wide-eyed. "This bucket isn't cheap, is it? I remember it costing over thirty coins?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Yes."
Those who overheard the conversation looked at each other, thinking, "Weren't they just kicked out? Where did they get the money to buy the bucket?"
"Chuntao, what are you doing to make so much money?"
"Buying a steamer, a clay pot, and a bucket must have cost at least fifty or sixty coins, right?"
Lin Chuntao sighed. As long as she could find mushrooms, she would definitely go to the city often. Sooner or later, the villagers would find out that she was picking mushrooms to sell. Since they asked, she might as well just say it directly to avoid everyone guessing.
"I didn't make much money. Recently, mushrooms have been growing on the mountain, so I picked some and took them to the city to sell."
"Wow, you're really clever. Nobody in our village has ever picked mushrooms to sell before. Everyone just picks them and eats them. So, how are things? Are there many buyers?"
Lin Chuntao raised her eyebrows slightly, then smiled and said, "Auntie, we can't compare to everyone else. If we had grain at home and another crop waiting to be harvested, we would have to eat everything we picked up. But we have nothing. Are we just going to starve to death if we don't think of a way?"
Lin Chuntao talked as she walked, and once she was out of sight, the person asking the question stopped.
After she left, people started talking about it.
"Oh dear, the Lin family was thinking that the sisters would cry and go back home if they didn't have a good life. Do you think they'd actually cry and go back home now?"
"Who knows? Look at how much money they've made, they're already buying steamers and buckets. Aren't earthenware basins enough to carry water? In my opinion, they're just young and don't know how to manage their money. They don't even know to buy some grain to store. They might just run out of it in a few days."
"That's true. You can't find mushrooms every day. If you can't find them one day, you'll be out of luck."
"Isn't that right? That's pure reliance on luck. You're still too young."
"That's right, that's right, you can make a lot of money picking a few mushrooms..."
That's what everyone said, but they were secretly calculating the costs and benefits.
Lin Chuntao had only separated from her family with her sisters a few days ago, and she was already buying this and that; her mushroom business must be doing very well.
If Lin Chuntao can pick mushrooms, so can they.
Once inside the village, Lin Chuntao called on Pei Ying to carry two buckets of water back with her.
Outside the courtyard, Lin Chunxing and her sisters were squatting at the crossroads.
Upon seeing Lin Chuntao and the others return, the three sisters rushed over.
"Sister and brother-in-law! You're back."
"Was it easy to pick up trash today?"
"Are your clothes wet? Go back inside and change so I can take them to wash."
"Sister, is this one you brought back because it wasn't sold out?"
The three teenagers were making a racket, their chatter making Lin Chuntao's head spin. She thought of her grandmother, who had been holding her hand and saying before she passed away, "Taotao, what will happen to you all by yourself?"
No matter how much she assured the old lady that she would take good care of herself, the old lady was still worried.
Now that's good, with three younger sisters, Grandma shouldn't have to worry about her being alone anymore.
Are you hungry?
"We're not hungry," the three replied in unison.
As soon as Lin Chunxing finished speaking, she reached out to take the small bamboo basket from her hand, and Chunhe also ran over to take the basket on her back. Lin Chuntao smiled and gave them both.
"There are jujube cakes in the basket." After she finished speaking, Lin Duo'er was about to reach into the basket to look when Chunxing patted Duo'er's hand and said, "Go back inside and get them."
Lin Duo'er obediently withdrew her hand and followed him into the courtyard with a smile.
The jujube cake cost six coins each, a large, square piece. She bought two pieces and asked the woman selling them to slice them into thin slices. Because she and Pei Ying hadn't found a place to wash their hands while out picking mushrooms, their hands were covered in mud, so they carried the mud home.
Once inside the courtyard, Chunxing put the mushrooms down and then busied herself getting a ladle to scoop water for them to wash their hands.
When she finished washing her hands and went inside, she saw Lin Duo'er squatting in front of the stone slab, staring intently at the jujube cake.
"Why didn't you take some to eat?" Lin Chuntao asked.
Lin Duo'er looked up at her, "Wait for your sister to come together."
Lin Chuntao called Lin Chunxing, who was outside, in. Once everyone was there, they began to eat.
Jujube cake tastes best when it's hot, but the texture doesn't change when it's cold.
Lin Chuntao didn't really like these sweet pastries; she preferred the original flavor or meat pies. She ate two pieces and then stopped.
Lin Chunhe and Lin Duo'er really liked sweet jujube cake, but when they heard Lin Chuntao say that they were going to rest and kill a pheasant, the two of them quickly wrapped up the remaining jujube cake, intending to save some room for the chicken.
The house is shaded by tree branches, making it somewhat cool inside, while the yard, which is not covered, gets plenty of sunshine and is quite warm.
Lin Chuntao went outside to sunbathe, and Pei Ying followed her.
He looked up at the branches on the eaves and asked Lin Chuntao, "Does this tree belong to someone?"
"It shouldn't be. I'll ask Grandma later."
"If it's unclaimed, then I'll borrow a sickle again and go upstairs to trim the branches."
Pei Ying went inside and took out some firewood, then started a fire in the yard to boil water.
Lin Chuntao asked, "Should we kill them now?"
"Yes, get it out as soon as possible. This pheasant is old and takes a long time to cook."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chuntao went back into the house, brought out a large bowl, scooped out half a bowl of water, and added some salt.
Pei Ying unlocked the door, picked up a pheasant, grabbed it by the comb and wing, plucked a stray feather from where she was going to cut, and quickly slit its throat. She then stood the pheasant upright, and blood gushed into the bowl. The pheasant struggled a couple of times before becoming still. Only moments after killing the two chickens, Lin Chuntao quickly got up, carried the blood into the house, and covered the blood splattered on the floor with some wood ash.
The water on the fire hadn't boiled yet, so Pei Ying placed the chicken on a bamboo branch under the courtyard wall, and the group sat in the courtyard waiting for the water to boil.
Before the water even boiled, voices could be heard from not far away.
There are no neighbors nearby, so someone must be coming this way.
Pei Ying got up and carried the chicken into the house. As soon as he entered, Lin Chuntao turned around and saw Chen, the woman who had been talking by the edge of the field, standing on tiptoe and peering into their yard.
When Chen met Lin Chuntao's gaze, a broad smile spread across her face.
"Chuntao, when did you put up this fence? It looks really nice." As she spoke, she shook it and said, "Why didn't you tie it up? It's not very stable."
Before Lin Chuntao could speak, Chunhe said, "Fourth Aunt, shake it a little lighter. We'll tie it up later, so you don't shake it out."
"No." As she spoke, she couldn't resist shaking the front again. Lin Chuntao frowned slightly, stood up, and asked, "Auntie, what are you going to do?"
Mrs. Chen smiled mysteriously at her and waved to the teenagers behind her.
"Come here quickly." As she spoke, she had already led the two children into the yard, pointed at Lin Chuntao and said to the children, "Call her sister."
The two girls looked to be about the same age as Lin Chunhe. After hearing what Chen said, they shyly called her "sister".
As soon as the girl finished speaking, Lin Chuntao brought over two stones for them to sit on. Chen looked around their courtyard, her eyes falling on the lush green bamboo door. "Oh my, the door of this old house has been completely changed by you. How did you do this?"
As she was about to open the door, Pei Ying turned around and came out. When Chen saw Pei Ying, she awkwardly stepped back.
"Auntie, please sit here," Lin Chuntao invited, and Chen Shi sat down immediately.
"There were too many people outside just now, so it wasn't easy to say. Auntie wanted to ask me what time you're going into the mountains to pick mushrooms, and if you could bring your two younger sisters along?"
Lin Chuntao was speechless. This mountain wasn't that big. The children who usually gathered firewood and picked flowers all over the mountain were now being led by her to pick mushrooms.
"That way, after you finish picking mushrooms, you can go to the county town together, and you'll have company."
Hearing her words, Lin Chunxing's face gradually darkened. Chunhe and Lin Duo'er were playing quietly beside her. Lin Chuntao sighed and said, "Auntie, I can't agree to this. It's dark at night, and the mountains are difficult to walk in. I can't even take care of Duo'er and the others. I really can't take care of my two younger sisters."
Chen could tell that Lin Chuntao was unhappy, so she quickly said, "Oh, you don't need to worry about it. Just let them follow, they can walk on their own."
“Auntie, you can’t say that. They’re all my younger sisters. How could I just ignore them if they slipped and fell? I’d feel terrible about that. Besides, they’re still so young. Don’t let them go out in the middle of the night and be scared. Your family isn’t short of money. When it’s almost dawn, you can take them to the mountains to gather some food. They can use it for lunch. Wouldn’t that be perfect?”
"Oh dear, Auntie, you wouldn't believe it! We went out in the middle of the night and those birds kept calling and calling, and Duo'er kept saying all sorts of ghosts and ghosts. It was really creepy, but we just had no other choice. In a few months, your crops will be ready for harvest, but we haven't even harvested a single potato. How are we going to survive this year? What seeds will we plant next year?"
Chen's smile froze on her face as she quietly looked at Lin Chuntao.
"Everyone says Chun Tao, you've changed, but I didn't believe it. Turns out you really are harder to ask for than before. You won't even answer my request for such a small thing."
Lin Chuntao felt that these words were a bit too strong.
She couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Auntie, of course people change. If I hadn't changed, why would I have brought my sisters out to live on our own? Before, I led my sisters to work like oxen, toiling every day without getting any food. Now we're out here to support ourselves. Auntie should be happy for us."
"If you ask me, I wouldn't call this a change, but rather that I've grown up."
"Auntie, please don't blame me for not taking my sister with me. Look, we're sitting together and talking happily now. If my sister came with me, what would happen? Auntie, you love your daughter, but you'll hate me. Then we'll be enemies."
Lin Chuntao refused decisively, and no matter what Chen said, she just smiled.
Chen felt like she had punched cotton, and said with a dry laugh, "How could I blame you? It really isn't easy for you to take care of your three younger sisters."
"Thank you for understanding me, Auntie." Lin Chuntao said, then looked at the two little girls and smiled, "I'll call you when I go mushroom picking in the mountains during the day."
The child, still somewhat unaware of what was happening, nodded obediently. Chen's forced smile was almost giving way, and Lin Chuntao began to dismiss her, "Auntie, did you come straight from the fields?"
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