Chapter 39 Wild Vegetables
Sister Liu, who was easily embarrassed, was trembling with anger, her lips quivering. She was determined to speak her mind: "You...you better watch your mouths! What did Zhiyi do to offend you? What's wrong with helping out? Everyone needs to lend a hand sometimes! With such filthy thoughts, everything looks dirty!"
Sun's daughter-in-law stiffened her neck, her voice becoming shrill: "Oh! Did you poke a nerve? Getting angry? If you weren't trying to get something out of her, why are you protecting her like this? Do you think everyone knows! That regimental commander's wife is more powerful than any of you! You're just..."
"Sister-in-law Sun."
Nan Zhiyi stood up and patted the pine needles and dirt off her trousers.
There was no anger on her face, and there was even a very faint smile on her lips.
Those clear eyes swept over the several military wives with different expressions opposite them, finally landing on the face of the Sun family's daughter-in-law, which was distorted with excitement.
"I overheard the ladies talking at length about 'young lady,' 'maid,' and 'rewards'?"
Her voice was calm and her enunciation clear. "I'm curious, how many years has it been since the new society? Chairman Mao taught us to unite and love each other, and advocated the class camaraderie of helping each other among revolutionary comrades. How come these women still seem to be living in the Qing Dynasty? They keep talking about 'young ladies' and 'maids'? What kind of feudal remnants are these?"
She looked directly into the Sun family's daughter-in-law's eyes, which had become filled with suspicion and uncertainty: "Sister-in-law Wang and Sister-in-law Liu saw that I was not strong enough, so they helped me turn over a vegetable patch. I was grateful and gave the children a few candies to sweeten their mouths. This is just a matter of giving and receiving, which is only human nature."
How did it become, in your mouths, a master rewarding a servant? A shameful and sordid affair?
The sarcastic smile on her lips deepened, but her voice grew colder: "I would like to ask, do you ladies still have those old ideas about landlords and rich men with multiple wives and concubines in your heads, so you misinterpret neighborly assistance and make such malicious speculations?"
Do you feel that this new social atmosphere is actually an eyesore to you, and that you can't tolerate even a little sincerity and goodwill among comrades?
"You... what nonsense are you spouting!" The Sun family's daughter-in-law was so overwhelmed by the heavy accusations of being a "feudal remnant" and having "ideological problems" that she was dizzy and her face turned red and white in turns. She pointed at Nan Zhiyi, her lips trembling, but she couldn't utter a single complete sentence.
The other military wives behind her exchanged bewildered glances, their faces flushed with embarrassment at the well-reasoned and scathing rebuttal, wishing they could disappear into the ground.
If this hat is fastened properly, it's no joke!
"I'm talking nonsense?" Nan Zhiyi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Could it be that I misheard those words about 'young lady,' 'maid,' and 'reward'?"
Or do the older women think that in this new society, everyone should be indifferent and unhelpful? Is helping someone considered self-serving and despicable?
She stopped looking at the pale-faced military wives and turned to Sister Wang and Sister Liu, saying gently, "Sisters, let's go. It would be beneath us to argue with a bunch of feudal dregs."
She bent down, calmly picked up the fallen straw mushrooms, and put them into her basket.
Sister Wang spat at the group of military wives who were frozen in place, "Pah! A bunch of gossipy mummies! If you dare to spread rumors again, I'll really report you to the political commissar! Let's see who gets what's coming to them!"
Do you really think we're easygoing and too lazy to bother with you? That's just our magnanimity! You're ungrateful!
Sister Liu glared at the group, snorted loudly, and pulled Nan Zhiyi up, saying, "Let's go! There's no point in talking to people with their heads full of outdated ideas!"
The three men, carrying baskets, walked into the depths of the forest without looking back, leaving Sun's wife and the others standing there, chilled to the bone by the mountain wind.
Nan Zhiyi and her two sisters-in-law picked some wild mushrooms.
"Well said! That's satisfying!"
Sister-in-law Wang's face was still flushed with anger.
"We have to hit them where it hurts! Put that feudalistic label on them and see if they still dare to spew nonsense!"
Sister Liu whispered, "That's right, Sister Zhiyi is right. They're being really unreasonable."
Nan Zhiyi reassured them, "Sisters, don't let irrelevant people spoil your fun."
Sister-in-law Wang then stopped talking about her troubles and focused on finding mushrooms and wild vegetables.
She has a sharp eye, and soon she made a discovery on the slope: "Look! Morel mushrooms!"
She lowered her voice excitedly, "This is amazing! It's so fresh it'll make your eyebrows fall off!"
Sister Liu also found a clump of newly sprouted fern shoots. "These are best blanched and served cold—they're incredibly tender!"
Nan Zhiyi followed behind them, also trying to recognize them.
She recognized the wild onion with its purple bulbs, which emitted a strong onion aroma, and she could dig up a small handful at a time.
More commonly, it's a wild vegetable with serrated edges, which Sister Wang calls "bitter hemp vegetable." It's slightly bitter, but after blanching it and mixing it with sauce, it's good for clearing heat and reducing internal fire.
As she walked, Nan Zhiyi spotted a clump of wild mint. She plucked a leaf and smelled it, a refreshing sensation filling her nostrils.
"Sister-in-law, let me dig some mint."
Sister-in-law Wang came over to take a look: "Oh, mint is great! Mosquito repellent! Bugs hate this smell the most! In the summer, crush it up and apply it to your body, and fewer mosquitoes will bite you!"
She then pointed to several mugwort plants nearby, saying, "Mugwort is used to decorate doorways during the Dragon Boat Festival, and it's also good at repelling mosquitoes. You can also boil it in water to soak your feet after it's dried."
Nan Zhiyi's eyes lit up.
The mosquitoes in the family compound are terrible in the summer, and Gu Xiao is often not home...
"Sister-in-law, shall I dig up some more mugwort to take back?"
Sister-in-law Wang readily agreed, "Anything is fine. Mint is resilient and easy to grow! Just dig the roots deep, keeping some soil around them, and water them thoroughly when you get back! There are a few small mugwort plants over there; I'll go dig them up for you!"
Nan Zhiyi quickly thanked her, took out her small shovel, and carefully dug up the mint.
The three people's baskets gradually filled up.
"This basket is about to burst," Aunt Liu chuckled.
"Then hurry down the mountain! Go back and stir-fry these morel mushrooms while they're still fresh, we still have piecework to do later."
With a wave of her hand, Sister Wang strode forward with great speed and energy.
Nan Zhiyi and Sister Liu followed with smiles.
The two sisters-in-law have been working in the logistics department for several days now, and they are so busy that they can only find time to dig for wild vegetables.
After saying goodbye to his two sisters-in-law, he returned to his own courtyard.
Nan Zhiyi didn't rush to process the wild mountain delicacies and vegetables. Instead, she first drew a bucket of well water and soaked the soil around the roots of the mint and mugwort.
There was a small, shady, and damp corner near the wall in the yard. Nan Zhiyi planted the mint seedlings there, while the mugwort was planted in a sunny spot next to the vegetable garden on the right.
After watering them, her gaze swept over the bare area along the courtyard wall, and a thought quietly sprouted.
Wildflowers and wild roses from the mountains, and those clumps of orchids by the stream... can they be planted in one's own little yard?
Gu Xiao's return date is uncertain, and the days are long.
Tending to flowers and plants is always better than letting your mind wander.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com