Chapter 8: I bought them all for you at the market.
When Yu Man carried a heavy basket on his back and stepped into the house with Yu Xiuxiu, Deng Sanniang, who heard the noise, quickly came out.
"Where's Father?" Xiuxiu craned her neck and looked around for a long time, but she couldn't see Yu's father.
Deng San Niang took the basket from Yu Man's back and replied, "I'm still working at your uncle's house. I thought I'd come back and get some food first." When she saw the basket full of her harvest, especially the plump straw mushrooms and rare bird eggs, her eyes lit up. "You've gotten so many good things from the mountain today! These straw mushrooms look so fresh!"
Yu Man rubbed her slightly sore shoulders and smiled, "Xiuxiu and the others have sharp eyes and were a great help." She didn't rush to rest, but immediately began sorting the ingredients.
Yu Man planned to cook dinner tonight as well. Unlike the wild mushroom soup on the mountain that relied solely on salt for seasoning, she first took out some of the best-looking straw mushrooms and earth fungus, carefully spreading the rest out to dry in the shade. Then, she took a small strip of dried cured pork from a basket hanging from the roof beam. Although lean, it was dark red in color and had a salty aroma. She also scooped out a small bowl of golden soybean paste, which Deng San Niang had sun-dried herself, and it had a rich and mellow flavor.
Deng San Niang assisted Yu Man as she prepared the meal. Instead of making soup immediately, she first processed the cured pork. She sliced the pork into thin pieces, alternating between lean and fat, and slowly stir-fried them in a hot iron wok. Soon, the translucent fat turned golden brown and curled, releasing enticing oil. The rich aroma of cured pork instantly filled the kitchen, adding a robust, meaty fragrance even more pronounced than the mushrooms from the mountains.
With a sizzle, the sliced straw mushrooms were poured into the pot and stir-fried with the cured pork. The mushrooms quickly absorbed the oil and salty aroma of the cured pork, their own moisture was forced out, and they blended with the wok's aroma, making an even more cheerful sound. Once the straw mushrooms became soft, smooth, and glossy, Yu Man poured in well water, covered the pot, and simmered it.
This time, thanks to the addition of cured pork, the broth is no longer the clear spring water, but a deeper, almost light brown color. The flavor is also much more complex, combining the freshness of the mushrooms with the richness of the cured pork, and the addition of fermented bean paste adds a touch of savory aroma. Finally, add the wood ear mushrooms and purslane, and simmer briefly. This "Cured Pork and Wild Mushroom Stew" has a rich and flavorful broth, making it a perfect dish to eat with rice.
She took the remaining bird eggs, but instead of simply making an omelet, she cracked them into a bowl, added chopped wild onions and a pinch of salt, and stirred well. Then, she soaked and chopped the only remaining handful of dried wild ferns she had at home, and mixed them with the egg mixture. She added a little of the rendered pork fat to a pan, poured in the egg mixture, and fried it into a thick, flavorful fern and wild onion omelet. The omelet was golden and fluffy, dotted with vibrant green wild onions and dark brown fern fern bits, offering a richer and chewier texture than the plain omelets from the mountains.
Besides these hearty dishes, Yu Man also finely chopped the remaining wild scallions and sprinkled them on top of the steaming hot millet rice. The aroma of the rice mixed with the fragrance of the scallions, simple yet tempting. She also made a small plate of cold purslane tips, simply seasoned with salt and vinegar, refreshing and not greasy.
When all the dishes were served, the small kang table was almost full. The stew of cured pork and wild mushrooms had an irresistible aroma, the golden fern omelet was thick and tempting, the millet rice garnished with wild scallions was steaming hot, and there was also a refreshing dish of purslane salad. This meal was truly sumptuous.
As Yu Chengfu carried his hoe into the house, he smelled the long-lost aroma and joked, "It must be a red rain from heaven. Aman has gone into the kitchen again."
Yu Man, who was wiping the sweat from her head: ...No, not really.
Holding her chopsticks, Deng San Niang was unsure which item to pick up first. She picked up a straw mushroom soaked in broth, put it in her mouth, and exclaimed, "This mushroom is so fresh and fragrant, it even tastes like cured meat! It's even better than meat!"
Yu Xiuxiu couldn't wait any longer. She shoveled a big mouthful of rice with the aroma of wild scallions into her mouth, then grabbed an egg pancake, her mouth bulging. "The egg pancake is delicious too! It has bracken fern in it, so it's crunchy!"
Mr. Yu didn't say anything. He first scooped a spoonful of stew soup into his rice, took a big bite, chewed a few times, and then let out a long sigh. The furrows between his brows seemed to relax a little. This was the happiest moment for the family.
The family was chatting and said that Yu Laoqi's land had been treated much worse. They even went to his house today and were shocked by what they found.
Previously, they only knew that his son had broken his leg and thought he would recover after some rest. They did not expect that he would still be unable to get out of bed after so long. Yu Laoqi even asked them about the doctor who treated Yu Man.
This time, Yu Chengfu was more shrewd. He only said that the county had invited them and didn't want to involve Pei Ji, since Aman hadn't married into the family yet and it wouldn't be good to keep troubling them.
Deng San Niang quickly chimed in, mentioning several doctors she knew, and they managed to smooth things over.
After finishing talking about what was happening outside the house, she glanced at the kitchen and continued, "Tomorrow, I'll go to the street to see if there's anything that can help nourish the body."
Upon hearing that they were going to the market, Yu Xiuxiu's eyes lit up. She didn't even bother to eat her meal, and mumbled, "I want to go!"
This time, they also collected a lot of medicinal herbs, which Yu Man planned to sell at the clinic. So she said, "Aunt Deng, you must be tired. I'll take Xiuxiu there tomorrow."
"That works too!" Deng Sanniang thought for a moment. There was a lot of gossip in the village, so sending Aman to the county market would be a good way to clear her mind.
After the meal, Yu's father went to wash the dishes, while Deng San Niang went to the kitchen to boil some water for washing up. Yu Man, as usual, told Yu Xiuxiu a part of Journey to the West as a bedtime story.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Yu Man took her younger sister out. Inside their baskets were medicinal herbs that had been picked the day before, of decent quality, such as Bletilla striata for stopping bleeding and reducing swelling, Plantago asiatica for clearing heat and promoting urination, and a few rare Pinellia ternata plants. She planned to sell these, while keeping common herbs like honeysuckle at home to make tea.
Yu Man would never walk if she had a cart. She originally planned to borrow a donkey cart from Uncle Wenguang's house, but she happened to run into an uncle from the village who was driving a mule cart to work in the county town. They hitched a ride, and after a bumpy ride, they arrived in town in less than half an hour. The market was already bustling with activity, with shouts and bargaining noises filling the air. Yu Man did not linger in the market and took Xiu Xiu straight to Wanmin Medical Clinic.
She had another thought in her mind: the old man Pei Ji had invited to treat her injury last time was said to be the one who ground medicine at this Wanmin Medical Clinic. She had asked Pei Ji about it that day, and he only said that he had helped the old man once before, so they had become friends.
Yu Man could tell that Pei Ji wasn't lying to her.
After asking around for directions, they finally spotted the rather cramped clinic on the west side of the county. There were few people coming and going, and naturally, few patients. As soon as they entered, they smelled a strong medicinal odor. The owner was a middle-aged man with a goatee and a thin face, who was working on an abacus. When he saw the Yu sisters enter, dressed simply and carrying baskets on their backs, he knew they were there to sell mountain products. His attitude was neither warm nor cold: "Girls, what kind of medicinal herbs are you selling?"
Yu Man was not intimidated. He put down his basket, took out the medicinal herbs wrapped in damp cloth one by one, arranged them neatly, and pointed them out one by one: "Shopkeeper, please look. This is freshly picked Bletilla striata, plump and full; the whole Plantago asiatica plant is intact, and it is at its best medicinal time; these Pinellia ternata plants were dug up carefully, and the roots were not broken."
The shopkeeper didn't pay much attention at first, glancing at it casually a few times, but as he looked, his eyes became serious. The medicinal herbs the girl brought were processed cleanly and efficiently, and their quality was indeed much better than those haphazardly dug up by ordinary villagers. He picked up a piece of Bletilla striata, examined its cross-section, and smelled its aroma.
"...The goods are alright." The shopkeeper put down the herbs and began to haggle over the price. "But this Bletilla striata is also common in the market. I'll give you this price." He made a gesture.
Yu Man sometimes went to the market with Deng San Niang, so she was well-informed. The price was normal, but for those medicinal herbs that weren't of good quality, she knew the shopkeeper was testing her. She calmly shook her head and said, "Shopkeeper, you're an expert. You can see the quality of this Bletilla striata. At this price, I'd rather take it back and keep it for myself. And this Pinellia ternata, once processed, is an excellent medicine for stopping nausea."
Her tone was neither humble nor arrogant, and she pointed out the value of the medicinal herbs without any eagerness to get rid of them.
The shopkeeper was somewhat surprised and glanced at Yu Man a few more times. This country girl didn't seem like someone who could be easily fooled. He hesitated for a moment, then looked at the few rare Pinellia ternata plants, and finally relented: "Alright, seeing that you've had a hard life, how about this: Bletilla striata at this price, Plantago asiatica at this price, and Pinellia ternata... I'll add a little more for you. That's all for now, what do you think?" He quoted a fairly reasonable price.
Yu Man quickly calculated in her mind that the price had reached her target price, so she nodded and said, "Alright, I'll do as the shopkeeper says."
After the transaction was completed, she placed the copper coins into the small cloth bag that Xiuxiu was clutching tightly, and then asked, "Shopkeeper, is Old Chen here?"
The shopkeeper was counting the medicinal herbs and didn't even look up: "He went to your village to make house calls a few days ago, but he's not at the clinic right now. He went back to the prefecture to visit relatives. What, you want to see him?"
"No, I was just asking casually. Thank you for your hard work that day, sir." Yu Man understood and didn't ask any more questions. She then left the clinic with Xiu Xiu.
Walking down the bustling street, Old Chen is returning to the prefecture to visit relatives, which means he's from there? His medical skills are superb, yet he's doing the work of grinding medicine in this county—he gives off a "hidden master" vibe.
As Yu Man pondered this, she emerged from the Wanmin Medical Clinic. The air was filled with the unique mingled smells of the market—the aroma of freshly baked flatbread, the savory smell of braised meat from the stalls, the earthy scent of vegetables, and a faint pungent odor wafting from the livestock market. The place was bustling with noise and activity.
This county town is slightly larger than the town, with blue bricks and green tiles, and is much neater and cleaner than the village.
"Sister, what should we buy now?" Xiuxiu clutched her sister's clothes, her round eyes looking around curiously at the stalls selling clay figurines and sugar figurines, but she sensibly didn't ask for anything.
Yu Man looked around, made up her mind, and first pulled Xiu Xiu to the meat stall. The stall owner was a burly man wearing a greasy apron, wielding a cleaver to chop bones. The cleaver gleamed, and bits of meat splattered with blood. Different cuts of pork, varying in fat and lean, were laid out on the cutting board. Yu Man looked carefully and finally pointed to a piece of pork belly with thick layers of fat: "Shopkeeper, how much is this?"
"Forty coins a pound."
Even Yu Man was astonished, knowing that his father earned only about 100 coins a day moving goods in the county town.
After a brief bargaining session, she bought a pound and a half of meat, mostly fat with little lean. The fat could be rendered into lard, and the cracklings would make stir-fries more flavorful, while the lean meat would add a touch of savory flavor to the dishes. The vendor wrapped the meat in dried lotus leaves, tied it with straw rope, and Yu Man took it and put it in her basket.
Next, she went to the cloth stall on the left opposite, where various coarse cloths and fine cotton cloths were displayed, along with a small amount of brightly colored but expensive silk scraps. Yu Xiuxiu saw a piece of cotton cloth printed with tiny blue flowers, and her eyes were immediately drawn to it, but she didn't reach out to touch it.
Deng San Niang would occasionally send embroidery to the embroidery shop in the county town, but she never dared to buy the fabric because it was too expensive.
Looking at her younger sister's eyes, Yu Man asked about the price: "How much is one foot of this cloth?"
The round-faced cloth-selling auntie smiled broadly: "This is newly arrived fine cotton from Songjiang, thirty-five coins per foot."
"Thirty-five coins?" Yu Man gently stroked the fabric with his fingers. "Although this is tightly woven, it doesn't feel as soft as the one I had at Li's Cloth Shop last time. How about thirty coins?"
"Oh dear, we're going to lose money." The aunt waved her hands repeatedly. "Feel the texture of this fabric. It's dyed so evenly. Thirty-five coins is already a good deal."
Yu Man pretended to leave: "Then I'll go check out other places."
She pulled Yu Xiuxiu around and silently counted to three.
Sure enough, "Hey," the aunt called out to her, "Thirty-three coins, that's the lowest I can get."
Yu Man stopped, turned around and said gently, "Thirty-two coins. I'll sell six feet, just enough to make your first sale. If you're dressed well, you should bring some of your neighbors over."
The aunt pretended to be troubled, and picked up the measuring ruler: "Alright, alright, it's rare to meet such a pretty girl like you. Six feet, one hundred and ninety-two coins, I'll round down the two coins for you."
Yu Man then smiled slightly, watching the proprietress deftly measure and cut the fabric. She then looked at the plain-colored but thick and durable blue and brown coarse cloth, which was more suitable for daily work. She carefully felt the thickness of the fabric, and after discussing the price, she finally bought enough blue-gray coarse cloth to make a new jacket for Xiu Xiu and a new pair of pants for Yu's father and Aunt Deng. She also bought a small piece of cheap white fine cotton cloth to make some undergarments or handkerchiefs. Yu Xiu Xiu grinned happily.
The market was mostly frequented by people from surrounding villages who brought their own produce or vegetables to sell. They would simply set up their stalls wherever they stopped, and as long as they didn't obstruct the shops, no one would bother them. Yu Man saw some tender young green vegetables for sale and bought some as well. There were also women holding woven straw sandals, asking if they could exchange them for needles and thread. Some even set up their own simple farm tools in the open space in a corner of the market. In short, there was a wide variety of things to see and do. After wandering around for a while, Yu Man finally saw what he was looking for—at an old woman's stall, he exchanged two copper coins for a small packet of sunflower seeds that he had grown himself and dried thoroughly, intending to take them home as a snack.
She also went to the grocery store to replenish the coarse salt that was almost gone at home, and bought a small bag of cheap rock sugar. When she saw that they were selling seeds, she stopped to take a look, asked about the price of rapeseed, and made a mental note of it, planning to start a small vegetable garden behind the house when she had some free time.
The market grew increasingly crowded and noisy. Yu Man took Yu Xiuxiu to see a monkey show. The monkeys performed clever tricks, eliciting bursts of laughter. There were also storytellers sitting by tea stalls, recounting ancient tales with great enthusiasm, attracting many idle men and old people.
Judging that it was getting late, Yu Man did not linger. She took Xiu Xiu with her, carrying a much heavier basket on her back—filled with meat, salt, and sugar. Xiu Xiu also obediently carried a small basket containing cloth.
They weren't so lucky on their way back; they didn't find a donkey cart going back to Xingcheng Village, so the two sisters had to walk. Fortunately, they had both been craving meat buns and had bought two large ones. They took a bite of one while talking, so it wasn't too hard to bear.
It took a full hour to get into the village. When they saw their familiar fenced courtyard, wisps of smoke were already rising from the chimney, which meant that Yu's father and Deng San Niang must have returned and were cooking.
Deng San Niang had just finished cleaning the stove when she looked up and saw the two sisters, especially Yu Man, with the obviously heavy basket on her back, and was startled.
"Oh my, you've brought the whole market back?" She hurriedly stepped forward to help unload the basket, and was even more surprised when she felt its weight. As she took out the pork belly wrapped in lotus leaves, the neatly folded blue-gray coarse cloth, the earthenware pot, the salt packet, the sugar cubes, and even the sunflower seeds, Deng San Niang's eyes widened even more.
"This... Ah Man, you... spent so well, these are all the things I wanted to buy," she originally wanted to ask Yu Man if she had been ripped off, but she swallowed the words back before she could say them. After all, the child was grown up, and she still had to save face.
Knowing what Aunt Deng was thinking, Yu Man had Xiu Xiu take out the money bag and pour all the copper coins inside onto the kang table, making a jingling sound. Among them were the hundred coins that Aunt Deng had given her before she left this morning.
“I didn’t use any of the family’s money to buy these things,” Yu Man explained. “It’s a little bit I’ve saved up, plus what I got from selling medicinal herbs at Wanmin Medical Clinic today. The shopkeeper said the herbs I picked were of good quality and gave me a good price.” She then pointed to the piece of blue-gray coarse cloth, “This cloth is thick, so I’ll make you and Dad each a pair of durable trousers. I’ll use the other piece of softer material to make a new jacket for Xiuxiu.”
Listening to her daughter's clear and logical words, and looking at the tangible things on the kang table, Deng San Niang felt a mix of emotions. Although she came later, she genuinely considered Aman her own daughter, especially after that incident. She knew that this girl was soft-hearted and couldn't help but dote on her. And Aman remembered all the kindness shown to her.
For a moment, she felt a pang of sadness. She opened her mouth, but in the end, with red-rimmed eyes, she patted Yu Man's hand heavily: "...I...I'll go marinate the meat right away, so it won't spoil." With that, she picked up the bag of meat, turned around, and went to get busy, her back view showing a hurried pace.
Yu Chengfu, who was wielding a ladle, saw his wife rush out and then rush back in with a basket, wiping her eyes. He lowered his head and leaned over to look up at her: "You really cried?!"
A simple question earned him a resounding slap.
A note from the author:
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