Chapter 26

After drinking some water, Jiang Li rose to knead the dough. She told Xue Man and A-Ning to clean the mud and withered leaves off the wood ear mushrooms, then wash them and toss them into the boiling clay pot to blanch before draining and tearing them into pieces.

Jiang Li cracked two eggs, stir-fried them together with the wood ear mushrooms, and added boiling water. She stretched the dough directly into the pot, cooking a whole cauldron of wood ear and egg noodle soup.

The aroma of wheat blended with the scent of eggs, whetting everyone’s appetite. A bite of the wood ear mushrooms proved to be crisp and bouncy.

The two little ones devoured their meal ravenously, while Jiang Li looked on with a gentle smile.

"Eat slowly; there is plenty for us to be full."

Xue Man slurped down his first bowl with gusto and went back for a second. "Mother, let’s have this again tomorrow."

"Let’s just treat this as a taste of something new. We should let the rest dry out."

Compared to Xue Man, A-Ning was much quieter. She kept her head down as she ate, occasionally looking up at Jiang Li with a wide grin, the smile in her eyes pure and sincere.

Jiang Li smiled back at her; a full belly truly made people happy.

Though the two children couldn't help with tasks in the mountains, they were very diligent at home—tending the fire, fetching water, and sweeping the floors. After the meal, they cleared the table and washed the bowls without needing to be told.

Just as they finished cleaning the dishes, Zhao Jiaxiu arrived with the steamer basket.

Looking at the vessel, it was almost exactly what Jiang Li had envisioned. She couldn't help but marvel at the skill of local craftsmen; they could create something just by hearing a description. Jiang Li removed the base to inspect it; it was made of woven bamboo and was exceptionally neat.

Seeing Jiang Li’s satisfied expression, Zhao Jiaxiu felt pleased. Her husband, Xue Chengwen, had noted back home that this design was easy to clean and far more convenient than the old-fashioned ones. If they were to make more to sell, they would likely be much more popular than the traditional models.

"Is it the kind you wanted? Little Man’s fourth uncle said this was his first time making this style."

Jiang Li smiled. "Yes, it’s almost perfect. You’ve truly saved me from a desperate situation. I’ll be able to use it to steam rice when we start construction in two days."

Noticing how young Jiang Li was and how composed she remained, Zhao Jiaxiu couldn't help but ask, "Did Grandmother Zhao tell you how much it would cost to build this house?"

"She did. As soon as the house collapsed, I went to ask her."

"How many people have you hired?"

"Eleven," Jiang Li replied.

"Eleven? That’s so many. With so many mouths to feed, plus the cost of construction, where will you get the money?"

Their relationship had been somewhat awkward, but Zhao Jiaxiu’s anxious concern broke that tension. Whether it was genuine care or simple curiosity, Jiang Li could tell.

Jiang Li laughed softly. "Since the house collapsed, the three of us can't keep living like this. I figured if we had more hands, we could finish the building faster and move in."

"As for the money, I went into the mountains and found some things to sell. It should be enough to get by. I’ll have to head back into the mountains over the next two days to see if I can find some wild chickens or rabbits; that would save me some expenses."

Hearing this, Zhao Jiaxiu breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s good then."

She looked at the empty, roofless space, wanting to suggest that the room they previously lived in at the old courtyard was still vacant, but she swallowed the words. Even if the old woman were willing, Jiang Li likely wouldn't be.

"While staying in this shack, make sure to lay down extra straw on your bedding at night."

Jiang Li nodded. "We have enough padding."

"I’ll pay you for the steamer when I pay for the door."

"Don't worry about it. You can pay me slowly in a few days."

Zhao Jiaxiu didn't stay long. As Jiang Li walked her out, Zhao Jiaxiu turned back and said, "If you find yourself overwhelmed once construction starts, just send A-Ning to call me."

Jiang Li didn't refuse and readily agreed.

She had gathered a lot of wood ear mushrooms today. Wanting them to be fresh, she decided to send some to Grandmother Zhao’s family. Since their household was large, she estimated enough for a meal and filled half a bamboo basket. She laid out some thatch in front of her shack to dry the remaining mushrooms.

Grandmother Zhao’s family was large, and they always enjoyed the cool air in the courtyard after dinner. Jiang Li had visited twice and seen how harmonious and lively they were.

This time, the family recognized Jiang Li and immediately invited her to sit. Grandmother Zhao was in the back putting chickens into their coop, and Zhao Qingzhu scrambled out of the house upon hearing the commotion to pull Jiang Li inside.

Jiang Li handed her the basket. "These are things I found in the mountains today. Wash them, boil them in water, and they’ll be ready quickly. You can stir-fry them with chicken or serve them as a cold salad."

Looking at the generous amount in the basket, Zhao Qingzhu looked up at her. "Why did you bring so much? We’ve never eaten this before; a little taste would have been enough."

Jiang Li smiled. "They’re called wood ear mushrooms. This is just enough for a meal. You shouldn't eat too much of this when it's fresh, so I didn't bring a lot."

"Wood ear," Zhao Qingzhu murmured, taking the basket. "Let me find something else to hold these so I can return your basket."

Jiang Li nodded, remembering the burlap sack, and said, "Could I borrow that burlap sack for a few more days?"

"Of course, go ahead. We only really need them when we’re harvesting wheat; they’re just sitting idle otherwise."

Zhao Qingzhu found a small basket that contained some bran, dumped it onto the table, and poured the mushrooms into it.

"Once my house is built, I’ll go gather some hemp and make a few of these for myself."

"That sounds great. Call me when you go to harvest hemp, and I’ll go with you."

Jiang Li took the basket from Zhao Qingzhu and headed home. She needed to wake up early tomorrow to go to town to buy meat, grain, and two locks.

After she left, the eldest daughter-in-law asked Zhao Qingzhu, "What did Mrs. Jiang bring over?"

"She said it’s wood ear, something she gathered in the mountains today. It’s a type of wild vegetable. It looks black, and she says to wash it, boil it in water, and then you can stir-fry or serve it cold."

The sister-in-law went into the room to take a look and sniffed them. "I’ve never seen this before. Are you sure it’s not poisonous?"

Zhao Qingzhu retorted without hesitation, "How could it be? If A-Li says it’s edible, then it must be."

The sister-in-law felt a pang of jealousy. "My, you certainly trust Mrs. Jiang."

"Of course. She’s a literate woman, after all."

The sister-in-law smiled. "That’s true. We’ve looked at those Aralia sprouts for years without daring to eat them, and now they’ve all been picked clean."

"If the village finds out about this, they’ll probably be picked clean too before long."

Zhao Qingzhu frowned slightly. "I’ve never seen these at the foot of the mountain; she must have found them deep in the woods."

"No matter. We’ll cook them tomorrow and see."

When Jiang Li returned home, Xue Man and A-Ning had already boiled water. She mixed it in a clay basin and had the two little ones guard the door while she took a bath. Moving through the mountains had left her covered in grime.

After they all washed up, the three of them went to sleep.

The next day, at the first crow of the rooster, Jiang Li woke up. She retrieved the copper coins from a hole in the wall, placed them in her purse, and packed everything that could hold items—the burlap sack, the cloth bag the butcher’s wife had given her, and the bamboo basket—into her back basket.

A-Ning woke up groggily and, seeing Jiang Li packing, knew she was going to town. She scrambled up. "Mother, let me make breakfast."

Jiang Li looked at her bleary-eyed expression and patted her head. "Go back to sleep. It’s too early, and I’m not hungry. Keep the house safe with your brother; I’ll be back as soon as I’ve finished my business."

"Okay."

She agreed, but didn't crawl back under the covers. She followed Jiang Li out of the house and walked a short distance with her. Seeing that the little girl was still planning to keep walking, Jiang Li laughed.

"Don't walk any further, or I’ll worry about you heading back alone. Go on home. When our new house is built and we have locks on the doors, I’ll take you both to town and then to the county seat."

"Then I’ll stand here and watch you walk away."

"No need, go back, or I won't be at ease."

Watching Jiang Li’s expression, the girl looked back every few steps, a sight both touching and funny to Jiang Li. She waved at her. "Keep the house safe!"

"I will!"

She could have let Xue Man stay home and taken her along, but Jiang Li had serious business to attend to and needed to move quickly; bringing a little girl would only slow her down. There would be plenty of opportunities later.

She set off under the morning mist, and by the time she reached town, the sun had just risen. She had never attended the town’s morning market before, and it was several times more crowded than usual.

Jiang Li headed straight for Butcher Sun’s stall, worried that if there were this many people, she wouldn't be able to get any meat. As luck would have it, when she arrived, the first pig had just been slaughtered and scalded. A queue had already formed, and Jiang Li lined up behind them.

The butcher’s wife put on her apron and called out in a crisp voice, "There’s another pig coming later today. Everyone can tell their neighbors; those who want to buy can come back. There’s plenty of meat today!"

The woman at the front of the line bought a pound of lard and two pounds of pork belly. The butcher’s wife quoted the price: "Thirty-nine for the lard, sixty-four for the two pounds of meat—one hundred and three coins in total."

The woman paid, and the others in line began to grumble: "Shopkeeper, has the price gone up again?"

"The price of live pigs has risen, so we have no choice but to raise ours."

Jiang Li sighed. One hundred copper coins only bought this much meat; she might really have to go hunt wild boars herself.

Soon it was her turn. She smiled and said, "Ma'am, I’d like three pounds of lard and five pounds of front-leg meat. Do you have any pig liver or intestines?"

Zhang, the butcher's wife, recognized her voice, and her face lit up with a beaming smile.

"It’s you, girl! I thought I’d misheard. Come, come inside. I’ve been wanting to talk to you but haven't seen you around."

Jiang Li was a bit bewildered but followed her inside. Seeing three or four people still waiting in line, Zhang quickly cut the meat and collected the money before joining her inside.

"Is there something you needed to speak to me about?"

Zhang sighed. "Has the young lady stopped hunting lately? We were hoping if you caught another wild boar, you’d sell it to us."

"To be honest, there are very few pigs available to slaughter this year. We can hardly buy any."

This caught Jiang Li off guard. She explained, "We are building a house lately, so I probably won't be able to head into the mountains for another half-month. If I do manage to hunt one, I’ll bring it to you."

Zhang’s eyes shifted. "Girl, where did you hunt that last one?"

She felt it might be inappropriate and started to explain, but Jiang Li had already named the mountain.

"In the Great Pass Mountains."

Zhang’s expression froze, and she gulped.