Chapter 12

An Ning stared in amazement at the large plantain herb Jiang Li had brought out. Its stems were long and thick, the leaves plump and tender, leaving her utterly speechless.

“Mother, the wild greens you dug up are so tender, and such big plants too. Are these only found deep in the mountains?” she asked.

Jiang Li pondered for a moment, sensing An Ning’s exaggerated reaction wasn’t feigned. “The wild greens you usually find aren’t like this?”

An Ning shook her head vigorously, like a rattle drum.

“What do they look like then?” Jiang Li inquired.

Unsure how to describe it, An Ning replied, “Mother, won’t you be going to cut thatch this afternoon? You’ll see then.”

“All right,” Jiang Li agreed.

An Ning looked at the wild greens, a smile tugging at her lips. Jiang Li hadn’t expected that even a single plantain herb could bring such joy to An Ning. She wondered what the wild greens they normally found looked like.

There was no point in overthinking. She hadn’t yet explored the surroundings of this place. After lunch, they would go cut thatch, and she could take the opportunity to stroll around and familiarize herself with the area.

Quickly, Jiang Li trimmed the stalks from the wild greens. The entire plantain herb unfurled, and she rinsed off the soil with water. The thick leaves glistened with droplets, resembling jade or emerald, captivating to the eye.

“Mother, should we cut these greens up?” An Ning asked.

Remembering there was no cutting board at home, Jiang Li decided against it.

“No need. We’ll just blanch them as they are.”

Xue Man took some time to cook the porridge. By the time the entire large bundle of plantain herb was washed, the porridge was ready.

Jiang Li carried down the clay pot to cool and placed the cauldron on the fire.

The chicken broth boiled, releasing a fragrant aroma that filled the air.

“Bring me a bowl. Let’s each have a bowl of soup first. Once we add the chicken blood and wild greens, the flavor will change.”

Xue Man quickly fetched bowls.

After serving the broth, Jiang Li broke the chicken blood into small tofu-like cubes with a bamboo strip and dropped them into the cauldron.

If there had been sauerkraut or coriander, the chicken blood would have tasted even better. Unfortunately, she had neither at the moment.

Sauerkraut could be made once they had vegetables, but she wasn’t sure if coriander grew around here.

The chicken blood was tender. As it was added to the boiling chicken broth, it changed color quickly. Jiang Li used chopsticks to pick one open; there was no trace of fresh red inside. Tasting it, the flavor was a bit bland. After washing her hands, she pinched some salt and tossed it in.

The broth was salty enough now. She bent down to reduce the fire, and the soup in the cauldron gurgled gently.

“It’s ready. Bring your bowls and start eating.”

Jiang Li rose to close the door and fastened the latch.

Looking at the half-full pot of chicken blood and the freshly washed wild greens, An Ning asked, “Mother, aren’t we cooking the greens?”

“We will. First, eat the chicken blood. If we put the greens in now, they might overpower the flavor of the chicken blood. After finishing the chicken blood, we’ll add more fire and cook the greens.”

The siblings listened and then brought their bowls to sip the broth. Each sip was careful, as if savoring something they had never tasted so delicious in their lives.

Jiang Li smiled at their expressions. “If you keep sipping like that, how long will it take to finish the soup? Hurry and eat the chicken blood before it overcooks.”

She picked up a piece of chicken blood and placed it in a bowl. The broth was no longer piping hot, but the chicken blood was still steaming. A quick dip and it was ready to eat.

Suddenly, she longed for the duck blood she used to dip in spicy hotpot. Once she saved enough money and stockpiled supplies, she intended to raise chickens and ducks, grow vegetables, and have hotpot meals.

Though the chicken meat was gone, the broth remained, and the chicken blood cooked in it was fragrant. The siblings drank the broth and ate the porridge, completely forgetting the discussion from the previous night.

When the chicken blood was nearly gone, Jiang Li added more fire under the cauldron. Once the soup boiled, she dropped in two handfuls of plantain herb. After a couple of boils on high heat, the greens were cooked.

Jiang Li tasted two stalks; they were indeed very tender and flavorful.

She thought she could go back and dig more next time.

After finishing, An Ning’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Jiang Li.

“Mother, this is the best wild green I’ve ever eaten. If all wild greens tasted like this, I could eat them every day.”

Xue Man, still chewing, hurriedly added, “I... I could eat them every day too.”

“You two, wake up! It’s the chicken broth that makes it taste good. Don’t say you can eat it every day; I could too,” Jiang Li joked.

The siblings chuckled.

An Ning said, “Mother, let’s add some water to the soup tonight and cook more greens.”

Jiang Li nodded.

Before the apocalypse, many people insisted on not eating leftovers overnight, claiming dire consequences.

But after the apocalypse came, not only was no one willing to eat overnight greens, even a single moldy piece of bread was fought over fiercely. She had experienced that. Anything edible was precious. If the kids hadn’t insisted on saving the broth for cooking greens later, she would have drunk it all right then.

They hadn’t finished the plantain herb, yet the three of them were already full.

Honestly, Jiang Li still wanted to drink more of the soup.

Judging by their expressions, Xue Man and An Ning wanted it too.

An Ning swallowed nervously — if they drank it all now, the greens might not taste as good later.

Jiang Li thought about rendering lard tonight. If she didn’t use it up, it would spoil after a few days. She was grateful the temperature wasn’t too high, allowing it to keep for a day or two.

If she rendered lard, she could fry the pork cracklings or chop them finely and cook them with clear soup and an egg drop. That would be delicious too.

She hesitated for a moment. Though wild chicken and cracklings were a luxury, their bodies were so depleted they needed better nourishment.

She decided it wouldn’t hurt to indulge a little.

“Let’s just finish this soup,” she said.

The siblings froze at her words, as if she had seen through their craving, and quickly shook their heads.

“Mother, we’re full. Let’s save it for cooking greens tonight.”

Jiang Li saw how much they wanted it but were restraining themselves and couldn’t help but smile.

“Don’t worry. I’ll cook the remaining greens in another way later; it’ll be delicious.”

As soon as she finished speaking, An Ning asked eagerly, “Really?”

Jiang Li raised an eyebrow. “Of course. Isn’t my chicken delicious? Isn’t the soup tasty?”

“Very delicious. Your chicken is the best we’ve ever eaten,” Xue Man said sincerely.

That wasn’t a lie. During New Year’s, their family had slaughtered a chicken, but it was boiled whole in water. It had a chicken flavor but not this rich aroma.

They rarely ate meat all year, and craving it didn’t mean the chicken tasted good.

An Ning thought maybe the chicken had been stir-fried before boiling, plus the fried round fruit thrown in, which combined to create such an overwhelming fragrance, making them crave more.

“Well then, let’s drink the rest of this soup,” Jiang Li proposed.

The three agreed immediately, dividing the remaining broth. Jiang Li boiled some water and used straw to clean the cauldron and clay pot before setting them aside.

She put out the fire, pushed aside the smoldering embers, and doused them with cold water to prevent any fire.

After tidying up, Jiang Li sat in front of the house to rest briefly, then slung her basket over her back and, with An Ning, went to cut thatch.

“Xue Man, watch the house well,” she reminded before leaving.

Xue Man nodded. “Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll keep an eye on things.”

That day after returning, Jiang Li had dug a hole at the foot of the wall behind the bed to hide the remaining copper coins. She wasn’t worried anyone would find them, but the meat and grain under the straw were exposed. If someone was determined to search, they would find it.

Leaving the children to guard the house didn’t make her feel entirely at ease, but there was no other option.

She could only hope to go and return quickly.

An Ning led the way, winding around most of the mountain base. After nearly half an hour’s walk, they arrived at the thatch-cutting spot.

Along the way, Jiang Li saw only three or five people digging wild greens and wondered why so few. Upon reaching the area, she realized the mountains were full of people searching for wild greens.

Many she didn’t recognize, but An Ning knew them.

A few women huddled together. Seeing An Ning, one called out, “An Ning, are you here to dig wild greens too?”

“Auntie, we came to cut thatch today,” An Ning replied.

The woman seemed surprised. “Why cut thatch?”

Jiang Li took over the conversation. “Sister-in-law, to dry and store for later use.”

She didn’t plan to tell them her thatch hut was exposed to the elements, so she changed the subject.

“How easy is it to dig wild greens here? It’s my first time here.”

Upon mentioning wild greens, the women’s faces fell. They sighed deeply.

“What’s easy about it? This place has been picked clean. You have to go further, around the mountain base, but no one dares go inside.”

Jiang Li’s expression darkened, worry creasing her brow.

“These days just get harder and harder.”

She sighed again. “You keep digging, I’ll take An Ning to cut thatch first, or we’ll never fill this basket today.”

After bidding the women farewell, the two continued onward.

After a while, An Ning suddenly said, “Mother, look at the plant under your feet. That’s the kind of wild green we usually find.”

Jiang Li looked down. It was also a plantain herb, but the leaves were no longer than a finger, with only three or four leaves per plant, all flat on the ground, grayish and dry, looking old and withered.

No wonder An Ning looked at the plantain herb Jiang Li had brought back with such awe.

“This is what we usually find. Now it’s all been picked clean. Hard to find any more.”

Jiang Li nodded silently, her mood heavy. There were still many wild greens in the mountains, but ordinary people dared not venture in.

Arriving at the spot, the thatch was tall—Jiang Li felt it reached almost to her waist when she stepped in.

She worked quickly and soon filled a large pile.

“Mother, are you going to cut enough for two trips? There are too many people here. If we leave now, someone might come and take it away. Maybe we should come back and cut more next time.”

Jiang Li assessed the load and said, “It’s fine. I can carry it all back in one trip.”

An Ning doubted her.

But when she saw Jiang Li loading the basket, she believed it.

An Ning steadied the basket while Jiang Li placed two bundles of thatch crosswise inside. The thatch, like unsteady chopsticks, immediately spread out.

Jiang Li cut four or five branches from a nearby tree and stuck two at the front and two at the back of the basket to hold the thatch neatly in place.

Then she grabbed a handful of thatch, weaving it front and back to make a tie like hemp rope. She fastened the thatch on top from back to front and inserted a few more sticks for stability.

That huge pile of thatch, once packed this way by Jiang Li, was reduced to almost nothing.

An Ning stared in astonishment.