Chapter 103: Digging Winter Bamboo Shoots / Wet Shoes

Shen Lie not only stored his bow and arrows well, but also the bamboo tube Sang Luo had given him earlier in the day. After putting away his belongings, he cleaned the bamboo tube thoroughly and washed the basket, then left it to dry in the courtyard.

Returning to the kitchen with the bamboo tube, he found Sang Luo kindling the fire and wondered curiously what she was cooking at this time.

Remembering his earlier mention of preparing pheasant for dinner, Shen Lian realized she was boiling water for scalding the chicken.

He set down the bamboo tube and stepped forward to take over the task of tending the fire, saying, “Let me do it.”

Sang Luo, knowing the meal was meant for him, graciously stepped aside to let him handle the fire.

Shen Lian skillfully stoked the nascent flames, adding more wood to the fire, and then noticed Sang Luo placing a ceramic steamer on the stove.

Confused, as he expected boiling water for the chicken, he asked, “Aren’t we boiling water?”

Sang Luo, with a smile, responded, “Why do we need to boil water?”

Thinking it over, he guessed, “For butchering the chicken?”

Caught off guard by her questions, Shen Lian realized it definitely wasn’t for butchering as he fumbled for a response.

Sang Luo's eyes crinkled with amusement, “We don’t need to prepare the chicken so early. I’m heating up lunch for you.”

She looked at him and said, “In our home, we normally have three meals a day. I’ve saved some lunch for you. Aren’t you hungry after spending half the day in the mountains?”

“Hungry!”

Of course, he was hungry!

The morning’s pancakes weren’t plentiful, and Chen Dashan had even shared half of them. Despite it not being dinner time yet, Shen Lian was almost at the point of extreme hunger.

Expecting to boil water for the chicken but finding out she was warming a meal for him instead, Shen Lian couldn’t help but smile warmly.

Sang Luo couldn’t help but take another look at him; young and often smiling, with attractive brows and dense eyelashes, his eyes curving beautifully when he laughed, even revealing slight eye bags…

Impressive.

Even she seemed to find herself smiling more often.

She shifted her gaze away, moved the steamer containing two large bowls of food to the side, added a couple of scoops of water to the ceramic pot below, then replaced the steamer and closed its lid.

“Keep an eye on the fire yourself. Don’t add too much wood. It'll be ready to eat once heated.”

Saying this, she walked out.

Shen Lian tilted his head to watch her leave, then turned back, couldn’t resist, and looked again. Smiling softly as he returned his gaze to the pot, anticipation filled his eyes.

After waiting less than half an hour, steam finally began to rise from the pot. He calculated the time, waited a bit longer, then reduced the fire before lifting the pot’s lid.

He used his bare hands to lift the lid, not needing a heat-resistant cloth. If Sang Luo were here, she'd probably internally praise his tough, unflinching hands.

As he lifted the lid, a cloud of steam billowed out. Only after the steam had dissipated did Shen Lian see what was left for him.

A heaping bowl of rice and a smaller bowl of dishes – stir-fried leeks with dried tofu and lightly fried radish strips.

He carried both bowls out, didn’t bother going into the house, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and started eating heartily right there in the kitchen.

The rice was steaming deliciously, and the aroma of the dishes was tantalizing. Shen Lie savored every bite, feeling a sense of cherish and enjoyment, perhaps even tasting a hint of happiness and contentment.

Sang Luo, after leaving the kitchen, glanced at the partially melted snow in the yard and decided to take a small hoe and a basket outside.

Outside, Shen An and Shen Ning, seeing her with the hoe, asked where she was going. Sang Luo, noting the two children still feeding the chickens and ducks, smiled and said, “I’m going to see if I can dig up some winter bamboo shoots for chicken stew tonight.”

Hearing about digging for winter bamboo shoots, the two kids wanted to tag along, but Sang Luo waved them off: “No need to follow, you'll get your shoes dirty and we don't have spare thick shoes. I’ll go alone.”

Otherwise, they would all end up having to dry their shoes later.

Shen An and Shen Ning felt a bit disappointed, but they knew she was right, especially since everyone stayed indoors more after the snowfall.

“Then be careful, big sister,” they said.

They could only watch as Sang Luo headed towards the hillside with bamboo groves.

……

After eating and washing the dishes, Shen Lie returned to the room to find Shen An and Shen Ning already practicing their calligraphy. He watched for a while and inquired about the pronunciation of a few characters. Before long, he couldn't help asking, “Where's your sister-in-law?”

It seemed she was nowhere to be seen, neither inside nor outside the courtyard.

Shen An: "Big sister went to the bamboo grove to dig up bamboo shoots. She said if she finds any, we'll have bamboo shoots stewed with chicken for dinner."

"Digging for shoots, huh." Winter bamboo shoots are hard to find. He looked towards the bamboo grove outside the house: "I'll go have a look."

Shen An, who was focused on writing, looked up at his brother: "Big sister told us not to go, saying we’d have no shoes to change into if ours get wet."

Shen Lian shifted his feet: "Mine are already wet, it doesn’t matter."

Shen An and Shen Ning looked down and saw their brother was wearing straw sandals, which were already wet from being outside most of the day.

Shen Ning became anxious: "Big brother, take them off and dry them, it's too cold for wet feet."

Shen Lian, however, was indifferent. The places he had stayed in these past two years were far colder, and he had become more resistant to cold than others: "It won't matter for a short while. You guys continue writing. Winter bamboo shoots aren't easy to find. I'll go and help."

He picked up the stone hoe Sang Luo had made at the beginning and left the house.

Indeed, winter bamboo shoots are difficult to find. Spring bamboo shoots sprout above ground, but winter ones are entirely underground, and now there's the added challenge of leftover snow.

But that’s for others.

As for Sang Luo, having lived in the mountains for years and not just for online videos, she wouldn't miss out on such a delicacy. There were failures, sure, but that's what learning and research are for, thanks to the internet and Baidu.

Over time, she had invested effort and gradually learned the skills to accurately locate winter bamboo shoots.

When Shen Lian arrived, Sang Luo already had two bamboo shoots in her basket.

He was quite surprised, thinking this couldn’t just be luck. Many spend half a morning in the woods and might still come up empty-handed.

Seeing Sang Luo crouched precisely at the base of a bamboo, inspecting a section with intact leaves, Shen Lian found himself staring at her in amazement.

He used to scour the mountains for such things in his teens, driven by the need for money and the desire to secretly provide more food for Shen An and Shen Ning. Relying on the mountains was their only means to earn some extra cash.

Initially, like most people, he relied on luck when searching for bamboo shoots in the forest, but luck isn’t always on your side. He once frantically dug up an entire bamboo grove...

Gradually, he started to observe patterns and learned the growth habits of winter bamboo shoots, picking up small tips like tracking the direction of bamboo roots.

But how did Sang Luo know these skills?

Sang Luo, aware of his arrival, had seen him but was focused on a new shoot she had spotted. Only now she asked, “Why did you come over?”

Shen Lian: “I came to help. It looks like you know how to find winter bamboo shoots?”

She’d only been with him for a short while, and yet she'd already figured it out.

Indeed, she was an expert.

Sang Luo began clearing the snow with her small hoe, using the same approach she had shown Shen An and Shen Ning, explaining, “We had a book at home that detailed various edible things from the mountains, including methods for harvesting and preparation.”

Shen Lian, hearing this, realized what he had learned over a winter was already documented in books. He couldn’t help but feel envious and yearning, remarking, “Being able to read is truly wonderful.”

Sang Luo turned to look at him with a smile.

Shen Lie looked at her puzzledly and asked, “Why are you smiling?”

Sang Luo's eyes curved in amusement, “I’m smiling because you and Shen An really are brothers – your reactions are exactly the same.”

Shen An mentioned that her herbal formulas were all from her family's books, speaking in the same tone and manner as Shen Lie had.

“That’s because I speak from the heart. But it’s quite impressive that you can learn from books and apply that knowledge so effectively,” she responded.

With a smile, she added, “Let me help you with that, it’ll be faster.”

Picking up a stone hoe, she also started working in the bamboo grove, quickly identifying potential spots for winter bamboo shoots and digging with the hoe.

Though a stone hoe wasn't as efficient as an iron one, it didn’t hinder Shen Lie's ability to unearth bamboo shoots. Upon finding them, he called out to Sang Luo, “There are three over here.”

He then moved on to another area.

This time, Sang Luo was genuinely impressed by his extensive knowledge.

Shen Lie discovered several winter bamboo shoots, one spot yielding six, five of which were sizeable and plump.

Seeing Sang Luo's basket, he decided not to search for more. Approaching where she was digging, he suggested, “You can rest now, I’ll take over.”

Digging out winter bamboo shoots requires breaking them off at the root, a task easier with Shen Lie's strength and precision. Sang Luo handed over the iron hoe without any objection.

Shen Lie was indeed swift and efficient. Watching him work, Sang Luo found his technique much more effective than hers – the same tool yielding vastly different results in their hands. His prior preparation with the stone hoe made his work with the iron hoe appear effortless. Watching him work was surprisingly satisfying for her.

While Shen Lian was digging bamboo shoots, Sang Luo, with nothing else to do, followed him with a stone hoe in hand and a basket on her shoulder, eventually passing the heavy basket directly to Shen Lian without having to carry it herself.

A full basket of twenty-two large winter bamboo shoots marked a bountiful harvest.

Shen Lian even asked, “Is this enough? If not, I can deliver these first and then come back to find more.”

Sang Luo estimated the quantity: “Let’s find some more. Another basket should do, we can probably sell all of it in the county tomorrow.”

In winter, when vegetables are scarce, fresh bamboo shoots, especially accompanied by mountain chickens for sale, would be eagerly bought by Dong Fu Lou.

Shen Lian agreed with a smile: “Alright.”

Returning together, Sang Luo changed into thinner shoes upon entering the house, her wet ones set aside to dry by the stove while she prepared to boil water for processing the chicken.

As Shen Lian was taking the bamboo shoots to the kitchen, crossing paths with Sang Luo, she noticed his still-damp straw shoes and felt a twinge of guilt for not considering his comfort after spending half a day in the mountains.

Reflecting on it, she felt it was an oversight on her part, as someone who had been out in the woods for so long could easily neglect their own comfort.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, she called out to Shen Lian as he was about to step out again: “Shen Lian.”

This was her first time addressing Shen Lian by name, usually speaking to him directly or simply as ‘you’. He stopped and turned: “What’s up?”

Sang Luo suggested, “I was thinking, we should sell only four of the wild chickens and the bamboo shoots tomorrow. If we catch more chickens later, we can sell them fresh along with additional bamboo shoots.”

Shen Lian questioned, “No need to dig more shoots?”

Sang Luo shook her head, “No, just help me boil a pot of water for slaughtering the chicken.”

To Shen Lian, the nature of the task didn’t matter; he was happy to help, nodding, “Okay, I can do that.”

Shen Lian returned the empty basket to the kitchen corner, then washed his hands before preparing the clay pot on the stove, filling it with water and fetching firewood from the woodshed.

Returning with the firewood, he noticed a small wooden stool by the wall near the stove with a pair of simple yet delicately made shoes on it, obviously Sang Luo’s.

The shoes were slightly damp, likely wet from snow, and seemingly wiped down.

Placed near the stove but not too close, they seemed to be drying by the warmth of the fire.

Looking at his own wet straw shoes, Shen Lian realized why Sang Luo changed her mind and told him not to dig more bamboo shoots.

A light touch at his heart brought a strange, indescribable feeling, elusive as it quickly slipped away, leaving only a flutter in its wake.

He tried to grasp the fleeting sensation, placing his hand over his heart, but it was gone, leaving only a trace of its presence.