Chapter 26: The sweaty clothes stick to the body, protruding the chest...
"By the way, sister, what's the difference between this taro and the taro in the field? Why do they look exactly the same to me?" Lin Xiaopu pinched the taro leaves and looked at them again and again, but couldn't see any difference.
"It's actually very easy to tell them apart. Look, the taro leaves have a fuzzy, frosted texture, while the taro leaves are thicker and smoother. There's a layer of white powder on the taro petioles, like a silver frost, but the taro doesn't have that silver frost. Also, the taro stems are red when they're growing in the soil, but green when they're growing in water..."
Lin Shu held up the taro leaf in one hand to shade herself from the sun, and held Lin Xiaopu's hand with the other, continuing to walk up the mountain. When they reached a place with more trees, she tucked the unnecessary taro leaf around her waist.
"Sister, how come you know everything?" Lin Xiaopu's eyes were full of stars.
Lin Shu smiled, "When I have nothing to do, I read all sorts of miscellaneous books about flowers and plants. If I read more miscellaneous books, wouldn't I know more?"
This time when the pork was distributed, Grandpa Gao's family exchanged a bamboo backpack for pork. Lin Shu carried the new backpack, and seeing that Xiao Pu's hands were empty, Lin Shu happened to see a palm tree, so she pulled a leaf from it, and weaved the palm leaves as she walked, and soon she had woven a flower basket.
The small green flower basket has a handle and looks very beautiful.
Lin Xiaopu happily took the flower basket and said, "Sister, how come you can even weave flower baskets? Your hands are even more skillful than our Third Aunt's!"
"This is easy to weave. Not only palm leaves, but any resilient grass stems and branches can be woven. Even things that are not resilient but have a uniform shape, like pine needles, can be woven into things, such as coasters and small jars. But you need needle and thread."
Lin Xiaopu felt very itchy after hearing this.
Lin Shu discovered that she was a beautiful girl, so she picked some wild flowers and weeds by the roadside. This season was the time when flowers were blooming everywhere, and all kinds of red, yellow, purple, and blue wildflowers could be found. Lin Shu flipped through the flowers quickly and soon made two beautiful wreaths. She and Lin Xiaopu each wore one. "Xiaopu has become a flower fairy today, so beautiful."
Lin Xiaopu looked at Lin Shu with a rosy face, "Sister is the flower fairy. I have never seen a woman prettier than Sister!"
The sunlight hit Sister's face, revealing even the finest, soft hairs. Her eyes, slightly curved, seemed to smile even when she wasn't speaking. Her nose was small and delicate, and her lips, rosy and plump, resembled morning dew. A garland of crimson and purple wildflowers graced her head, making her appear even more vibrant. A strand of hair at her temple, ruffled by the garland, occasionally fluttered across Sister's smooth, egg-like face, playfully brushing against her tender, red lips, as if wanting to taste the nectar.
Lin Xiaopu held a flower basket woven from palm leaves in one hand and touched the wreath on her head with the other, thinking narcissistically: She is not as pretty as her elder sister, but she must look better with the wreath on!
The two walked for a while and didn't see anyone. Lin Shu wondered, "It seems that there are not many people coming from the back mountain."
Lin Xiaopu explained, "The adults are all busy. Only when the family is short of firewood will the uncles from the village come to the mountains to chop some. Also, in spring and winter, when there are many bamboo shoots and tender wild vegetables in the mountains, the aunts from the village will go to the back mountain to pick bamboo shoots and wild vegetables. Also, after the rain, mushrooms appear in the mountains, but they only come to the mountains early in the morning to pick mushrooms. Look, sister, it's so late now. Wang Yingen and his gang of bad boys haven't come to the mountains yet. I guess they're out fishing and catching shrimp in the rivers and streams."
Lin Shu smiled and said, "There are many good things in this mountain. I can come here every day."
Lin Xiaopu looked around in confusion. The mountains were covered with wild flowers, wild grass and wild trees. She had seen them since she was a child, and she really didn't know what good things these could be.
But she didn't find it strange at all when she thought that her sister could turn a palm leaf into a flower basket, make tofu from smelly weeds, and even make wild taro, which the villagers avoided, into a delicious dish.
Lin Shu picked most of the Guanyin wood in her backpack, broke off a few cedar branches, and plucked a handful of mugwort leaves.
If lard wasn't so expensive and there wasn't enough of it to eat, Lin Shu would have wanted to make some soap out of it, which she could use for washing her hair and bathing. Even though Zhou Ye had hunted a big fat pig this time, he had taken most of it to the town to exchange for money, leaving little for his family. So, she didn't think about using the lard anymore.
When the two sisters came down the mountain, a thin layer of sweat appeared on their foreheads. Lin Shu wanted to take off the wreath on her head, but the narcissistic Lin Xiaopu refused and insisted that she wear it with her and take it back to show her mother.
"Mom, we're back--" Lin Shu shouted from afar, her voice slightly panting, but her tone was cheerful and happy.
However, as soon as she entered the door, A'niang didn't see him, but only saw a burly man covered in sweat.
Zhou Ye turned around and saw that the sweat on his forehead and neck was flowing like a river. A bean-sized drop of sweat was falling down his temple. His clothes were almost soaked with sweat, sticking to his body with wetness, outlining the smooth muscle lines on his chest and back.
The day was getting hotter, and he rushed home without a break, looking as if he had just been soaking in water. He immediately went to the kitchen and filled a bucket with mountain spring water. His lips were soaked with water, and traces of water flowed down the corners of his mouth, mixing with the beads of sweat on his chin.
Facing the girl who was walking briskly with a basket on her back, his eyes fell on her cheek which looked even whiter and smoother under the sun, and he couldn't help but blink.
Lin Shu was slightly surprised when she saw him, "You're back so soon?"
Zhou Ye: "Well, I sold the wild boar meat, pheasant, and rabbit to the restaurant manager. He's a regular customer, so he paid me quickly. I'll be back as soon as I'm done." After a slight pause, he added, "I'm a fast walker, so the round trip only takes an hour."
"Brother Aye, you've worked hard all the way. Take a break. Xiao Pu and I are about to make shampoo. When it's done, you can wash your hair with us!"
Zhou Ye hummed vaguely, said "I'm going to the river to wash my face" and walked out quickly.
At this moment, He Guixiang was coming out of the kitchen, holding a small jar of fermented rice water. Her face was rosy and her eyebrows were full of joy. "Are you back? I know your brother A Ye will want to wash his hair after returning. This rice water has been fermenting for four or five days, and it's perfect for washing your hair today. Ah Shu, do you want to wash your hair too? I've already boiled a large pot of hot water, enough for you."
Lin Shu smiled and said, "Yes, yes, thank you, mother." She guessed that the reason why her mother was smiling so happily was probably because Zhou Ye had sold the wild boar meat at a good price.
"Oh, who made this wreath? It's so beautiful. My daughter looks even prettier in it!" He Guixiang put down the rice washing water, saw the wreaths on the two people's heads, and joked with a smile.
Lin Xiaopu puffed out her chest and said, "Who else could it be besides my sister? Mother, have I become more beautiful?"
"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, both of them are beautiful!"
Lin Xiaopu's mouth curled up when she heard this. She didn't know if she had become more beautiful, but her sister was definitely more beautiful. She had just seen it. Brother Aye, who usually never looked at girls, was stunned by her sister's beauty.
There is a mountain spring not far behind the house, so there is no need to go to the river to wash your face. He must have been too embarrassed to look at his sister and deliberately hid away.
She also discovered that the bases of Aye's ears were dark red, more obvious than the previous times, hehe.
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