Chapter 49: Napa Cabbage, She Misses the Napa Cabbage of Yore

To what extent should they learn?

This question left everyone completely stumped.

They had all witnessed Jiang Li taking down people with her bare hands, hitting her targets with precise archery, and hunting deep in the mountains. They had seen her remarkable skills, yet they had never considered whether everyone who practiced martial arts possessed such abilities.

While everyone remained silent, cheerful greetings echoed from outside the courtyard. Madam Zhao got up to welcome the visitors: Elder Zhao’s wife, Zhao Qingzhu, and several other women—the wives of the men who had helped out today.

Once everyone had settled and seated themselves, Madam Zhao said with a beaming smile, "We were just talking about the children taking up martial arts and finding a master when you all arrived."

"Madam Jiang was just asking to what extent you hope the children will learn."

As Madam Zhao's words trailed off, one of the women laughed and said, "Naturally, the more formidable, the better."

Yet, as soon as those words were spoken, an abrupt silence fell over the courtyard.

Jiang Li knew that without making things explicit, such situations would inevitably arise. "The more formidable, the better"—just how formidable did they mean?

Seeing everyone silent, Jiang Li spoke up, "Practicing martial arts naturally strengthens the body and builds health, and provides the means for self-protection against ordinary wrongdoers. For those with genuine talent, perhaps it might even lead to earning honors and achievements on the battlefield one day."

"However, most people are ordinary folks. Achieving proficiency in martial arts is not something that happens overnight."

"You have all witnessed my skills, and I can tell you that some of my abilities are innate, not acquired through later training. Even so, I have spent more than ten years refining the skills I possess. Therefore, I cannot guarantee that the disciples I teach will surpass me."

"Nevertheless, archery, hand-to-hand combat, and similar physical skills can indeed be mastered with genuine, hard effort."

"Since everyone has made up their minds to pay the tuition and have me take on disciples, we need to be clear about your objectives so I can determine whether I can take on this task."

Jiang Li’s words plunged the group into silence once again.

In truth, everyone had watched Jiang Li perform with such effortless grace that they assumed having her teach their children would quickly make their youngsters just as formidable.

Jiang Li secretly thanked her lucky stars that her immense physical strength had carried over across worlds, and that it continued to help reinforce her physical vessel.

Had that not been the case, if she had to start entirely from scratch, she wouldn't have dared to guarantee she could train herself back to her current level.

Let alone these children who often struggled just to get enough to eat?

Jiang Li observed their expressions. A few of the women glanced toward the men sitting beside them. Thirty eggs a month was a significant burden for their households; if it was merely for the basic health and fitness Jiang Li had mentioned, they would find it too painful a price to pay.

Yet, since their husbands remained silent, the women dared not speak rashly.

As the silence stretched on, Jiang Li smiled and said, "You can all take more time to consider. If your children do come to learn martial arts, I certainly won't be able to spend the entire day supervising them. It will likely just be an hour or two of practice early in the morning, and then everyone disperses."

Elder Zhao’s wife let out a quiet sigh of relief. Earlier, her boys had been nagging her incessantly. But half-grown children were prime labor for the household—they could eat a mountain of food, but they could also work tirelessly. If all her boys went off to practice martial arts, the fields would never get properly tended. Still, she couldn't overcome the fact that her husband was utterly convinced of Jiang Li's extraordinary abilities, believing the boys would miss a rare, lifelong opportunity if they didn't follow her.

Hearing Jiang Li phrase it this way, she immediately smiled and said, "Madam Jiang, if that’s the case, my eldest, second, and third boys all want to follow you and practice. Let them try for a month first to see if they can endure it. As for our expectations, we certainly just hope the boys develop the ability to protect their own lives."

By "protecting lives," she meant defending against bandits, as well as staying safe when venturing into the mountains.

Looking at Elder Zhao’s wife, Jiang Li answered readily, "Very well, then let’s start the day after tomorrow, which happens to be the first of the month. All the children in the village may come. I will set aside a full day to have them run a couple of laps around the village and practice some basic forms, just to see if they can handle it themselves."

"There's no need for anyone to rush into paying tuition yet; let’s observe for three to five days first."

With Jiang Li's words, the gathering collectively let out a breath of relief.

"There certainly are quite a few children in our village," Village Chief Qiu noted as he looked at her. Jiang Li smiled. "Let's stick to those six years old and above. Leave the younger toddlers and siblings at home."

With the matter settled, Jiang Li didn't dwell on what might happen afterward.

In truth, not every child was suited for martial arts. She would take them out to run and play for a couple of days; should any truly gifted prodigy emerge, she would gladly teach them without charging any tuition. At the same time, she could easily foresee that after a single day of grueling practice, many children likely wouldn't return the next morning.

Exhausted from a full day of labor, the visitors didn't linger much longer and soon dispersed.

Jiang Li walked back alongside Zhao Qingzhu and Elder Zhao’s wife.

Zhao Qingzhu asked her, "Are you really planning to teach the children in the village how to fight?"

"We can give it a try."

"I'm just worried the little ones won't be able to keep it up."

As Jiang Li’s words faded, Elder Zhao’s wife chimed in, "The kids have been clamoring to learn archery from you. Truth be told, I also doubt they’ll stick with it, but since they want to learn this badly, we might as well let them come and try."

Jiang Li acknowledged this with a nod. Before they knew it, they reached the fork in the road, and the three of them parted ways.

When Jiang Li returned home, Xue Man and A-Ning were sitting in the courtyard waiting for her, having already slipped the wooden door latch into place.

Hearing the call to open the door, they dashed over instantly.

"Mother, why did you take so long?"

"We sat around chatting for a bit. The village chief told me earlier that some families in the village want their kids to learn martial arts, so we ended up discussing that."

Xue Man and A-Ning stared at Jiang Li in surprise. "Mother, did you agree?"

"I did. The day after tomorrow, any child in the village can come. I'll have you both run a couple of laps with the rest of them first before we decide anything further."

Xue Man and A-Ning looked slightly unhappy, as if Jiang Li were about to be divided up and shared away.

"What's wrong? Are you two unhappy that I'm going to teach others?"

Torn with conflict, A-Ning replied insincerely, "No."

"Really?"

A-Ning fell silent. Jiang Li smiled and gently ruffled the top of her head, speaking in a warm tone, "Silly geese. Didn't you both say I'm your mother? Which mother has ever been snatched away by outside children?"

Only then did Xue Man look up at her. "We didn't think you'd be snatched away."

Jiang Li felt a mixture of amusement and helplessness. "Alright then, as long as you don't feel that way. Go get the fire started and heat up some water; I'm going to dress the rabbit so we can cook it tomorrow."

"Okay!"

With that, they scurried off to fetch dry firewood into the kitchen.

Jiang Li lit a pine torch to provide illumination and pulled the gray rabbit out to skin and gut it.

Given their current living conditions, even the pelt was too precious to throw away. Saving it to process later into a neck wrap, a small hat, or hand warmers would be entirely worthwhile.

Once dressed, the rabbit meat likely weighed a little over a pound, perhaps pushing two. Jiang Li poured a splash of liquor over it and rubbed it in to marinate.

Xue Man and A-Ning ran over to take a peek. They had never tasted rabbit meat before and could only imagine what manner of delicious flavor it might hold.

Seeing their eager expressions, Jiang Li laughed and said, "Once it's cooked later, you can have a taste beforehand."

A-Ning looked at her in astonishment. "Are we cooking it tonight?"

"Mmm," Jiang Li replied. "I need to head to the county town tomorrow to carry back grain, so I have to set off very early. I'll stew the rabbit meat tonight so you two can just steam some rice and heat it up tomorrow."

"While I'm not home, watch the house and keep the door bolted tight. You can go gather a bit of firewood in the nearby woods, but don't go in too deep—just pick up dead branches along the edge."

Xue Man and A-Ning nodded obediently. Given what had happened over the past couple of days, the siblings felt a deep sense of insecurity whenever Jiang Li wasn't home.

"If you stay inside and play instead of going out, make sure the door latch is firmly dropped. If someone knocks, ask clearly who it is before opening up. Don't tell people I've gone to the county town for grain; if anyone insists on asking, just say I went up into the mountain."

"Understood."

The rabbit meat still needed a bit of time to draw out the gamey odor. Jiang Li fetched a pottery basin, scooped out some wheat flour, kneaded it into dough, and punched it down thoroughly. She shaped several flatbreads, placed them into a bamboo steamer basket, and set it over the stove to steam.

Pan-fried flatbreads were certainly more fragrant, but if she had to carry them out as travel rations the next day, they would turn rather hard.

Jiang Li decided to stick with the steamed ones instead.

Xiao Man watched her with curiosity and asked, "Mother, are you going to carry back a lot of grain tomorrow?"

"Mmm."

"The county town is so far away; since I'm making the trip, I might as well carry back as much as I can."

A-Ning, on the other hand, gazed at Jiang Li with eyes full of aching tenderness, saying nothing at all. She simply felt it was far too exhausting—walking all the way to the county town was already a grueling journey, and then having to shoulder a heavy load of grain all the way back.

Jiang Li reached out, patted the girl's head, and smiled. "Don't worry about me. When you two go out to gather firewood, if you see any gleditsia pods, pick a few extra and bring them back."

The siblings answered in unison, agreeing readily.

The whole ordeal of carrying grain came down to the exorbitant price of food. If the grain shop owner were willing to deliver it, she would gladly spend all day doing other chores instead.

Steaming the flatbreads took some time; sometimes the outside would look done while the center remained half-raw. Jiang Li simply let them steam a little longer before taking them off the fire. She pulled out two flatbreads, broke them open to inspect the centers, and saw they were thoroughly cooked through.

Breaking off a piece, she popped it into her mouth. It was pure wheat flour, offering a resilient, slightly chewy bite as she chewed, releasing the rich fragrance of wheat across her palate. Jiang Li felt a wave of pure happiness. Sometimes, she simply relished this unadorned flavor of pure wheat, untouched by excessive sweetness or saltiness.

Seeing Jiang Li eat with the corners of her mouth curved upward, Xue Man and A-Ning grew tempted, their gazes locking onto her fixedly.

Turning her head, she caught the two little rascals staring at her with such longing expression, making her feel both exasperated and amused.

"If you want to eat, just take some yourself. Why are you both just staring at me?"

A-Ning spoke up, "These are the rations you're supposed to take to the county town tomorrow, Mother."

Xue Man nodded in agreement, leaving Jiang Li helpless.

"I'm not even going to take this many rations with me. When have I ever made something without making extra? If you want to eat, just take it."

With official permission granted, Xue Man finally reached out, picked up half a flatbread, split it in two, and handed a portion to A-Ning.

Eating the flatbread, a faint memory drifted through their minds of the days living in the old family estate with their grandmother.

Everything was strictly rationed and accounted for. Only Xue Dachuan was ever allowed to sneak treats from Grandmother's kitchen, while he and A-Ning were relegated to merely watching. They could only eat when an adult handed them something directly.

Clearly, they had been living with Jiang Li for a while now, and she never skimped on their food—even going out of their way to prepare things they loved.

Yet deep down inside, they still couldn't shake off those old habits ingrained in them from the past.

Chewing the wheat flatbread slowly, a subtle sweetness spread across their tongues.

If only they could grow up faster so they could share more of the burden for Jiang Li.

Noticing Xue Man spacing out while chewing, Jiang Li frowned slightly. "Xiao Man, what are you thinking about?"

Xue Man looked back at her with a sheepish grin and kept his mouth shut.

"If you two have anything on your minds, you mustn't keep it bottled up inside. You need to talk to me."

"Don't hide things in your heart."

Xue Man looked at her and said, "Got it."

Once she finished the flatbread in her hand, Jiang Li inspected the rabbit meat in the clay jar, washed it thoroughly, and chopped it into bite-sized pieces. She scooped out some lard and grabbed a handful of Sichuan peppercorns.

With seasonings in such short supply, she truly treated Sichuan peppercorns as the answer to everything.

Fortunately, they all loved the numbing, aromatic flavor.

As the lard melted down in the wok, Jiang Li tossed in a pinch of peppercorns, frying them until fragrant before scooping the seeds back out. Then she added the rabbit meat, stir-frying it continuously until the meat turned opaque and released its rich, savory aroma.