Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Sweet Date Cake
As we got closer to the village, we met people we knew from the village.
They were a little surprised when they saw Lin Chuntao coming back, carrying a basket and Pei Ying carrying a bucket.
"Chun Tao, are you going to the county town?"
"Yes, Auntie, let's go to the county town and buy a water bucket."
The man next to the woman widened his eyes. "This bucket isn't cheap, is it? I remember it cost over thirty cents?"
Lin Chuntao smiled: "Yes."
Everyone who heard the conversation looked at each other, wondering if they had been kicked out. Where would they get the money to buy a bucket?
"Chun Tao, what did you do to make a lot of money?"
"I need to buy a steamer, a clay pot, and a bucket. That should cost at least fifty or sixty coins, right?"
Lin Chuntao sighed. As long as she could pick mushrooms, she would definitely go to the city often. Sooner or later, the people in the village would know that she was picking mushrooms to sell. Since they asked, she might as well tell them directly to avoid everyone's curious guesses.
"I didn't make much money. Aren't there mushrooms growing in the mountains recently? I picked some and took them to the city to sell."
"Oh my, you're really smart. No one in our village has ever picked mushrooms to sell. Everyone just eats them. So, are there many people buying them?"
Lin Chuntao raised her eyebrows slightly, then smiled and said, "Aunt, we can't compare to everyone else. If we have a crop waiting to be harvested in our fields, we'll have to eat everything we pick up. That means we'll be left with nothing. If we don't think of a way out, are we just going to starve to death?"
Lin Chuntao walked and talked, and as she walked away, the people who were asking questions stopped asking.
But after she left, everyone started talking.
"Oh, the people in the Lin family are still worried that the sisters will go back crying because they are not doing well. Will they go back crying again?"
"Who knows? Look at how much money they've made, yet they're already buying steamers and buckets. Aren't clay basins enough for carrying water? In my opinion, they're still young and don't know how to manage. They don't even know how to store some food. They might run out in a few days."
"That's true. You can't pick up mushrooms every day. If you can't find any one day, you'll be blind."
"Isn't it? This is pure relying on luck. You are still too young."
"That's right, picking a few mushrooms can earn you a lot of money..."
Everyone said this, but they were actually calculating things in their hearts.
Lin Chuntao had just separated from her sisters a few days ago, and she was already buying this and that. Her mushroom business must be booming.
Lin Chuntao can pick mushrooms, and so can they.
After entering the village, Lin Chuntao called Pei Ying to carry two buckets of water back with her.
At this time, outside the yard, Lin Chunxing and her sisters were squatting at the intersection.
Seeing Lin Chuntao and the others coming back, the three sisters rushed over.
"Sister and brother-in-law! You're back."
"Is it easy to pick up today?"
"Are your clothes wet? Go back to the house and change them so I can wash them."
"Sister, is this thing you brought back not sold out?"
The three half-grown children were arguing with each other, making Lin Chuntao's head buzz. She thought of her grandmother holding her hand and muttering before she died: "Taotao, what will I do if I leave you alone?"
No matter how she promised to take good care of herself, the old lady was still worried.
Now that she has three younger sisters, grandma shouldn’t worry about her being alone anymore.
"Are you hungry?"
"Not hungry." The three replied in unison.
After Lin Chunxing finished speaking, she reached out to take the small bamboo basket in her hand, and Chunhe also ran over to take the backpack on her back. Lin Chuntao smiled and gave them all to them.
"There are date cakes in the backpack." After she said that, Lin Duo'er was about to open the backpack to look. Chun Xing patted Duo'er's hand and said, "Go back to the house and get them."
Lin Duoer obediently withdrew her hand and followed him into the yard with a smile.
A large, square piece of jujube cake cost six coins each. She bought two and had the vendor cut them into thin slices. She and Pei Ying hadn't found a place to wash their hands, so their hands were covered in mud from picking mushrooms, so they carried them home on their backs.
After entering the yard, Chun Xing put the mushrooms away and then hurriedly took a ladle to scoop water for them to wash their hands.
When she washed her hands and entered the house, she saw Lin Duoer squatting in front of the stone slab, staring at the date cake.
"Why don't you take it and eat it?" Lin Chuntao asked.
Lin Duoer looked up at her and said, "Wait for sister."
Lin Chuntao called Lin Chunxing who was outside in, and when everyone was together, they started eating.
Date cake tastes good when it is hot, and its taste is not affected when it is cold.
Lin Chuntao doesn’t like these sweet pastries very much. She prefers the original flavor or meat patties. She ate two pieces and then stopped.
Lin Chunhe and Lin Duoer really liked sweet date cakes, but when they heard Lin Chuntao say that they were taking a break to kill a pheasant, they quickly wrapped up the remaining date cakes, leaving some room for the chicken.
The house is blocked from sunlight by tree branches, so it is a bit cool inside. The yard is not covered, so the sun shines on it every day, making it very warm.
Lin Chuntao ran outside to bask in the sun, and Pei Ying followed her.
He looked up at the branches on the eaves and asked Lin Chuntao, "Does this tree belong to someone?"
"Probably not. I'll ask Grandma later."
"If it's ownerless, lend me your sickle so I can trim the branches."
Pei Ying went into the house and took out some dry firewood, then started a fire in the yard to boil water.
Lin Chuntao asked, "Kill him now?"
"Well, get it out sooner. This pheasant is old and takes a long time to cook."
After hearing this, Lin Chuntao went back to the house, took out a large bowl, scooped half a bowl of water, and added some salt.
Pei Ying unlocked the door and brought out a pheasant. Grabbing the comb and wings with one hand, he plucked the stray feathers where he was about to cut. He quickly slit the bird's throat and stood it upright, blood gushing into the bowl. The pheasant struggled twice before falling silent. Moments after the two chickens were killed, Lin Chuntao quickly stood up, carried the blood inside, and covered the spilled blood with some wood ash.
The water on the fire had not yet boiled. Pei Ying put the chicken on a bamboo branch under the courtyard wall, and several people sat in the yard waiting for water.
Before the water boiled, voices were heard not far away.
There are no nearby neighbors, so someone must be coming towards them.
Pei Ying stood 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 on the ridge, standing on tiptoe and looking into their yard.
When Chen met Lin Chuntao's eyes, a smile spread across her face.
"Chun Tao, when did you build this fence? It's in great shape." She shook it and said, "Why don't you tie it up? It's not very stable."
Before Lin Chuntao could say anything, Chunhe said, "Fourth Aunt, please shake it gently. We'll tie it up later. Don't let you shake it out."
"No." She said, and shook the front again. Lin Chuntao frowned slightly and stood up and asked, "Auntie, what are you going to do?"
Chen looked at her and smiled mysteriously, then waved to the half-grown children behind her.
"Come here quickly." As she spoke, she had already brought the two children into the yard, pointed at Lin Chuntao and said to the children, "Call me sister."
The two girls looked about the same age as Lin Chunhe. After hearing what Chen said, they shyly called her "sister".
As the girl finished speaking, Lin Chuntao brought two stones over for them to sit on. Chen looked around their yard, her eyes settling on the lush green bamboo door. "Oh, the door of this old house has changed so much since you guys modified it. How did you do that?"
As she spoke, she was about to open the door. Pei Ying turned around and came out, walking to the door. Chen suddenly saw Pei Ying and stepped back awkwardly.
"Aunt, please sit here." Lin Chuntao called out, and Chen also sat down immediately.
"It was hard to tell outside because there were so many people around. Auntie wanted to ask me what time you guys were going to go into the mountains to pick mushrooms, and if you could bring your two sisters along."
Lin Chuntao was speechless. The mountain was not big. She was a child who usually went around the mountain picking firewood and flowers. How could she be taken to pick mushrooms?
"This way, after you finish picking mushrooms, you can go to the county town together and have someone to keep you company."
Hearing her words, Lin Chunxing's face gradually became ugly. Chunhe and Lin Duo'er were also playing nearby without interrupting. Lin Chuntao sighed deeply and said, "Aunt, I can't agree to this matter with you. The road is dark at night, and it's difficult to walk in the mountains. I can't even take care of Duo'er and the others, and I really can't take care of my two sisters."
Chen heard that Lin Chuntao was unhappy and said quickly, "Oh, don't worry about it. Just let them follow. They can walk on their own."
"Aunt, you can't say that. They are my sisters. If they slipped and fell in the back, could I just ignore them? I feel bad about that. Besides, my sisters are still young. Don't let them go out in the middle of the night and be frightened. Your family is not short of money. Wait until dawn and take them to the mountains to pick up some food. The food they pick up can be used to make lunch. Isn't that perfect?"
"Oh, Auntie, you don't know. When we went out in the middle of the night, some bird kept chirping, and Duo'er kept saying something like 'ghost!' It was creepy, but we really have no other choice. In a few months, the crops in your fields will be ready for harvest, but we haven't even harvested a single potato. How are we going to get by this year? What seeds are we going to use to plant next year?"
Chen's smile froze on her face, and she looked at Lin Chuntao quietly.
"Everyone says Chuntao, you've changed, but I didn't believe it. It turns out you're really harder to hire than before. You won't even answer such a small request from me."
Lin Chuntao felt that the taste was too strong.
She couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Auntie, of course people change. If I hadn't changed, why would I bring my sisters out to live alone? In the past, I brought my sisters out to work like oxen, working every day without having anything to eat. Now we're out here to earn our own living. Auntie, you should be happy for us."
"If you ask me, I wouldn't call this a change, I'd say I've grown up."
"Aunt, please don't blame me for not taking my sister with you. Look, we're sitting together and talking affectionately now. What if my sister goes out with me? Aunt, you'll hate me because you feel sorry for your daughter. Then, we'll be enemies."
Lin Chuntao refused bluntly, and she kept smiling no matter what Chen said.
Chen felt like she was punching cotton and said with a dry laugh, "How can I blame you? It's really not easy for you to take care of three sisters."
"Thank you, Auntie, for understanding me." Lin Chuntao said, then looked at the two little girls and smiled, "I'll call you when I go into the mountains to pick mushrooms during the day."
The child was still a little naive and nodded obediently. Chen's dry laughter was almost gone, and Lin Chuntao began to order them to leave. "Auntie, did you come directly from the fields?"
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