Yan Jing'an entered the forest from the back mountain, and Yan Zheng even gave him his sword for self-defense.
He carried a bow and arrows and took an axe to the lake, where there was more prey because it was close to the water source.
In an instant, Jiang Xi was left alone in the cave. He remembered that Yan Zheng had told him about the deer helping to carry the wood, so Jiang Xi took the deer and tied its reins.
The man and the deer went to the sparse forest nearby to collect vines and also harvest some mushroom nests that they had previously noted down. These areas were relatively safe, and Yan Zheng had specifically checked them before and found no trace of large animals.
During this time, she also found a patch of autumn chrysanthemums in the woods. Perhaps it wasn't the flowering season yet, so Jiang Xi had always thought they were weeds.
The chrysanthemum flowers were not large, with brown centers and orange-yellow petals, somewhat resembling the snow chrysanthemums that her colleague had brought her from the Northwest. Jiang Xi picked some unopened buds, wrapped them in banana leaves, and put them in her basket.
As autumn deepened, the vines became incredibly resilient, making them mostly difficult to cut. Jiang Xi, clinging tightly to the dagger, was already finding it increasingly difficult to maintain her strength.
The only consolation was that with the deer around, Jiang Xi had much less to do. In the past, whenever she went to harvest vines, she had to carry the vines herself in and out of the forest. Now, with the deer, she had an extra worker to help her transport the vines, saving her a lot of time spent traveling back and forth.
Suddenly I understand why my grandmother always said that people in the countryside treasured donkeys and cows.
This is no ordinary treasure.
When she returned, Jiang Xi propped up the straw curtain in the cave with wood, and the cave immediately became bright.
She placed the frying pan on the earthen stove. The fire on the stove had long since gone out, and now only some embers remained. She could feel the residual warmth when she got close. Jiang Xi spread the chrysanthemum buds she had picked on the bottom of the pan and covered them with a vegetable basket, hoping to use the residual heat of the earthen stove to dry the chrysanthemum buds.
Then she sat on the steps at the entrance of the cave, peeled off the outer skin of the vines, pulled out the fibers inside, and then neatly arranged them and hung them on the clothesline. Finally, she sprinkled water on them to dry. Every step was a meticulous task, and she was busy from noon until the sun began to set.
Yan Zheng was the first to return. He carried a basket on his back and walked up from the foot of the mountain. Jiang Xi made sure from a distance that he had no new injuries before she smiled brightly and went to greet him.
What did you learn today?
Yan Zheng hugged her and replied with a smile, "Today we caught a pointed-eared pig and two ducks. In the afternoon, we put a fish trap in the river and unexpectedly caught a big yellow croaker."
Then I asked her, "Do you want something grilled or soup for dinner?"
Jiang Xi recalled the Sichuan pepper fish she had made earlier: "Let's make the fish soup with a Sichuan pepper flavor."
Yan Zheng hummed in agreement.
A large pot of stewed fish fillets, topped with plenty of Sichuan peppercorns, produces a fragrant, white broth. A warm bowl of it in the evening is perfect for dispelling any chill.
While Yan Zheng was preparing the duck meat by the river, Yan Jing'an emerged from the woods upstream, carrying a basket on one shoulder.
Yan Zheng greeted him, "You're back."
After washing her hands, she helped him take off his backpack. Jiang Xi, who was in the cave, heard the noise and quickly ran over. She looked around his full basket, her eyes shining with anticipation for her seeds.
Yan Jing'an hurriedly took out a package wrapped in banana leaves from his basket and handed it to Jiang Xi. Jiang Xi carefully opened it and found a plum about the size of a prune with a reddish-purple skin.
He said, "This is a local plum, which tastes a bit like a prune. It's purely sweet and not sour. The pits can be kept for planting next year."
Jiang Xi first picked one up and fed it to Yan Zheng, then tasted one herself. Sure enough, it wasn't sour; it had a sweet and crunchy texture that she loved. Jiang Xi ate it with a smile on her face.
Yan Jing'an pulled out two more packets: "These two packets are both."
Jiang Xi asked him happily, "Is this fruit far away?"
"It's...not too far, I'll pick some for you next time." After saying that, he awkwardly lowered his head and continued taking things out of the basket.
Yan Zheng gave him a meaningful look.
Then Yan Jing'an took out another packet: "This contains a spice, which we call pepper."
He took out many more items, including star anise that Jiang Xi had picked last time, and several of the sweet cucumbers that he had picked last time.
There is another kind of red fruit that looks like a persimmon, but it actually tastes very sour, more like a tomato. Yan Jing'an said that this fruit is somewhat similar to the red eggplant in his memory, but he is not entirely sure.
Jiang Xi thought for a moment and decided to call it tomato.
He also brought back a packet of seeds, saying it was a yellow and pink shrub with flowers that looked a bit like roses. He thought it was pretty, so he collected some seeds.
As for raspberry seeds, he suggested that Jiang Xi not plant them herself, but wait until next spring to dig them up from the forest and bring them back, so that she could eat the fruit that year without having to bother with cultivating seedlings herself.
Jiang Xi thought what he said made sense, and decided to do as he suggested next year: dig up all the raspberries in the surrounding area and plant them on the hillside or in the forest near the cave. This way, it wouldn't affect their growth, and they could still enjoy organic fruit every year.
After everything was sorted out, Yan Zheng asked him if he had encountered any large wild animals. After confirming that everything was fine, he helped carry the basket into the cave.
Jiang Xi opened the pot of simmering fish soup, crushed the freshly obtained peppercorns and put them in. The pot of milky white fish soup had a few green peppercorns and emerald green scallion flowers floating in the oil on top.
The fish has no small bones and is springy and smooth to the touch. The pepper flavor is not strong, but you can feel the rich pepper aroma in the aftertaste, followed by a spicy and warm sensation from the tip of your tongue to your internal organs.
After finishing two bowls of fish soup, all three of them had a thin layer of sweat on their foreheads. Jiang Xi then took out the chrysanthemum buds she had dried during the day and brewed a cup of chrysanthemum tea for each of them. The tea tasted refreshing and natural.
Jiang Xi sighed, put on her clothes, and sat down on the steps at the entrance of the cave, holding a teacup in her hand.
The mountains were completely silent, with only the continuous chirping of cicadas in the air, and a bright moon rose over the distant mountain ranges woven from the shadows of trees.
This moon is really big, but it's not quite round. If it were rounder, it would be perfect.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xi suddenly had an idea. Counting the days, the Mid-Autumn Festival was just this month.
"Yan Zheng, let's celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Look, the moon is almost full."
After a long silence, Jiang Xi turned her head in surprise, only to see Yan Jing'an sitting at the table, holding a cup of tea.
Seeing her turn her head, he told her, "He just took the fawn and went to the back door."
Jiang Xi nodded and said "Oh".
After a moment, Yan Jing'an suddenly said, "The Mid-Autumn Festival is for family reunion."
Jiang Xi disagreed with him, replying, "We have an old saying: 'May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, even though we are thousands of miles apart.'"
"It means that I hope my loved ones are safe and healthy, and that even if we are thousands of miles apart, we can still enjoy the same moon together."
Even so, I still can't help but feel a little melancholy.
I miss home, I miss my mom and dad, and I miss my grandma.
I wonder how they spent this Mid-Autumn Festival, whether they even got to eat mooncakes. They still don't know about my relationship with Yan Zheng. I'm afraid they won't see me get married.
Thinking of this, she turned to Yan Jing'an and asked, "Are you married?"
Yan Jing'an was taken aback, then realized who these "you guys" were, and looked up at Jiang Xi: "She and I are not lovers."
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