Chapter 50: 50

Chapter 50: 50

"Picking chestnuts"

The midday sun blazed overhead, and an assertive aroma of fish wafted into their nostrils. On a stone lay banana leaves freshly scrubbed of mud, while Wei Dahu and Tao Hua, holding cleaned small twigs as makeshift chopsticks in one hand, munched on bread with the other, skillfully spearing fish meat in between bites.

It was Tao Hua's first time preparing fish this way too. Originally, she intended to mimic the recipe of Beggar's Chicken and give it a shot. To her surprise, she succeeded on her first attempt. The fish cooked this way turned out tender and juicy, seasoned with coarse salt and the sour juice of wild fruits. Paired with fragrant herbs foraged from the mountains, the simple yet harmonious blend of ingredients resulted in a fish dish that was visually appealing, aromatic, and tantalizingly flavorful. Just looking at it made one's mouth water, and once tasted, it left one speechless with delight.

While cooking fish at home is a common affair, preparing a "beggar's fish" in the wilderness offers a delightful culinary experience, a joyous indulgence in food that comes with a sense of leisure and contentment, as if one is truly savoring life.

Living a life of enjoyment was something Tao Hua never dared to dream of, yet now, this was precisely the existence she led. There wasn't much work at home; no need for her to carry a hoe to till the fields, no daily chore of cutting pig grass, no boiling of pig feed, no feeding of chickens and ducks, no endless piles of laundry, no fights over a single piece of egg during meals, no cold stares, no bullying, and no more having to lower her head beneath someone else's roof...

She picked a piece of fish meat from the belly – the tenderest part of the fish. She no longer needed to live her life at the mercy of others.

"Dear, eat more," Wei Dahu, content in every sense, didn't forget to show concern for his wife. With a hint of coyness on his face, he cajoled her, "Fish belly is the most succulent part."

Tao Hua greedily ate all the fish bellies from the several fish without any qualms.

Half an hour ago, she had done something she would have never even considered in her wildest dreams. From now on, she could never view this small stream with the same casualness. The place that left the deepest impression on her was no longer the clear water, the abundance of fish, or the picturesque scenery, but rather, the shamelessness of her man!

Indeed, he was capable of doing such things.

Tao Hua's toes dug into the ground. She couldn't believe how blindly she had followed him in broad daylight to make love under the open sky!

She felt so ashamed.

Wei Dahu was oblivious to his wife's inward scolding. He wrapped the fish in a bun, rolled it up, and devoured it with great delight. He had never tasted such tender fish before; its slight tanginess was a million times more delicious than eating fruit. The fish he had killed in the past truly had a tragic fate – they were unlucky to encounter him when alive and even more unfortunate to meet him after death. If not for the lack of salt and fruit, he would have gone to the stream to catch more fish. They were too delectable; he could eat a few more.

After their lunch, the couple rested for a moment before resuming their journey to collect chestnuts.

Observing Tao Hua's awkward gait, Wei Dahu chuckled as he scratched his head. When she glared at him, he squatted down with the bamboo basket on his back. "Come in, my love. I'll carry you."

Only children would sit in a bamboo basket while adults carried them. Blushing fiercely at his suggestion, Tao Hua immediately refused without thinking. "No, thank you."

"What are you shy about? It's only natural for a man to carry his wife. Besides, no one is around, so there's no need to worry about being ridiculed." Wei Dahu urged her. "Hurry in. The basket is spacious enough to fit you, and you can take a nap."

Seeing that she remained still, Wei Dahu pressed on. "If we delay any further, we'll have to descend the mountain in the dark. You might trip over a snake if you can't see the path clearly." He intentionally frightened her.

In her entire life, Tao Hua had never been carried like this, not even as a child. Her biological father had passed away early, and the two men who came after were not her fathers – they would never carry her. Little did she know that the first time she would be carried in a bamboo basket would be by her own husband after marriage, while climbing a mountain road.

Indeed, it was soothing.

The afternoon sun was warm, and the deep forest was lush with trees, allowing only scattered rays of sunlight to filter through the leaves. Tao Hua sat in the basket, cushioned by soft hay. As Wei Dahu walked, the basket swayed gently, lulling her into a drowsy state.

Despite being in an insecure environment, she felt no fear with him by her side. Thus, she drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

After an unknown duration, Tao Hua awakened to the sound of something landing on the ground, accompanied by rustling noises. She opened her eyes to find herself still in the basket. They had stopped moving, and the scenery around them was stationary. The basket leaned against a large tree. Upon waking, she instinctively sat up straight. The slightly sloping terrain caused the basket to tip forward when she moved, and Tao Hua tumbled out along with it.

She crawled out of the basket and looked around. The sound she heard was actually chestnuts falling to the ground. Wei Dahu was now climbing a giant chestnut tree that required three people to encircle. Perched on a branch, he vigorously shook the tree, causing ripe chestnuts to rain down.

It was indeed a chestnut grove. Tao Hua observed from the side, seeing a dense forest filled mostly with chestnut trees. Their branches bore clusters of chestnut burrs. On the ground, there was hardly any space to step as it was covered with fallen burrs, some still intact while others had been shaken loose by Wei Dahu. Inside the opened burrs were chestnuts, too many to count.

Tao Hua approached the largest chestnut tree and looked up at Wei Dahu. He noticed her and, seeing how close she stood, called out, "Honey, move aside a bit. Be careful not to get hit by the burrs."

She raised her hand to shield the sun and squinted up at him, "It's alright, I'm far enough. They won't reach me."

Lowering her gaze, she saw the numerous chestnuts he had shaken loose. Concerned that the basket might not hold more, she shouted, "Big Hu, there's already a lot on the ground. Come down, the basket won't fit any more."

"Alright, let's get down then." Wei Dahu judged that it was about time. He stepped on the branches and skillfully jumped down from the tree with a few agile movements.

Tao Hua fetched the two empty baskets from nearby and crouched on the ground to start collecting chestnuts.

If they were to extract the chestnuts from their prickly shells, the two baskets would be filled in no time. However, this process would consume too much time and energy. They couldn't afford to wait as daylight was fleeting. They needed to descend the mountain before nightfall, for the dangers of the deep forest were heightened in the dark. Even though Wei Dahu was brave and skilled, Tao Hua didn't wish to travel at night. Therefore, they had to collect the chestnuts still enclosed within their shells.

Wei Dahu joined Tao Hua in the collection. The chestnuts he shook from the tree covered the ground, allowing him to fill almost half a basket just by squatting in one spot and reaching out to gather them.

Tao Hua's face was beaming with joy, like a delighted little hamster. Her entire being exuded the excitement of a bountiful harvest. How could she not be happy? She had never seen so many chestnuts before. In the past, when she went up the mountain to collect firewood, she had seen a small chestnut tree, but it bore tiny fruits, each shell containing at most one or two chestnuts.

This chestnut tree, however, was lush and abundant. Each shell held four to five plump chestnuts, making her heart leap with joy. And there were countless such shells scattered across the ground, all belonging to her. She could collect all these chestnuts and take them home!

Tao Hua felt a bit ashamed of herself for being so ecstatic, but she was overjoyed. With so many chestnuts, how many nuts could she actually extract? These chestnuts could serve as snacks, be used to make chestnut chicken stew, and if stored properly, they could last for one or two months.

These were all edible delicacies!

What made Tao Hua even happier was not only the abundance of chestnuts on the ground but also the entire chestnut grove. What did this signify? With this grove, not only this year, but next year, the year after, and every subsequent year, she could come here to collect chestnuts.

Wei Dahu had only shaken down less than half of the tree's bounty after some time, and the branches were still densely covered with chestnuts. Tao Hua was thrilled, indicating that not only were the chestnuts on this tree of high quality, but there were also many of them. It wasn't a one-time deal; if she wished, she could return to the mountains tomorrow to continue gathering.

Picking and picking, Tao Hua squatted on the ground, gathering a branch with five or six chestnut burrs and tossing it into her basket. These were likely plucked by Big Hu while he was up in the tree and carelessly thrown down. For such clusters of chestnuts, he simply broke off the branches and let them fall.

The basket filled visibly before their eyes.

Tao Hua felt no exhaustion; she wanted to keep going. There were still many chestnuts on the ground, but her basket was already too full. Wei Dahu's large basket was packed to the brim, and her slightly smaller one was half-filled. With reluctance, she reluctantly put in the last two, then reluctantly stopped, knowing she wouldn't be able to carry any more.

"Shall we come back tomorrow?" Leaning against her basket, feeling the slight sting from the chestnut burr spines piercing her flesh, Tao Hua turned to ask Wei Dahu beside her.

Wei Dahu reached out to remove the dry grass from his wife's head and playfully pinched her reddened cheeks. He smiled, "Don't you care about the mushrooms and vegetables drying in the courtyard? You don't want to make pickles anymore?"

Tao Hua glanced at the remaining chestnuts on the ground, her face showing reluctance. Should they just leave them here? What a waste!

"There are little squirrels around. They won't go to waste," Wei Dahu reassured her.

Tao Hua didn't find comfort in this. There were still so many chestnuts in the trees, and the squirrels wouldn't starve, but they would. It dawned on her that she hadn't experienced hunger for a long time. She had a fresh fish for lunch, mushroom soup last night, a big chicken leg, a chicken wing, and lots of soup.

Looking up at the sun in the sky, Tao Hua raised her arm slightly to shield her eyes. A breeze blew, stirring her hair. Squinting, she wore a contented expression.

Well, she thought, let's leave them for the squirrels. Sharing the bounty, she wished for the forest to thrive and endure forever, so that she could come back next year to collect chestnuts.

Tao Hua's face beamed with delight, and Wei Dahu found it incredibly endearing. How could his wife be so beautiful? She was as fair as the finest white flour in the grain shop, never tanning under the sun; at most, her cheeks would flush pink, but that only added to her charm.

Her damp hair clung to her temples, her fair complexion flushed with the joy of harvest. Wei Dahu adored this moment with his wife.

Unable to resist, he gently touched her cheek and said softly, "Going up the mountain is not easy. Tomorrow, you should rest at home, drying mushrooms, pickling greens, and shelling chestnuts. Do some lighter tasks."

Upon hearing this, Tao Hua knew he was planning another trip into the mountains. This time, it surely wouldn't be just about trapping wild chickens or collecting chestnuts. A hint of worry crept into her heart, and she hesitantly suggested, "We still have some silver at home. It can buy quite a lot of food... we can just eat sparingly..."

Meeting his gaze, Tao Hua couldn't continue. 'Eating sparingly' was not a concept in their household.

"Don't worry, I'll just take a look around and see if I get lucky," Wei Dahu had been thinking about it for a while. This time, he was determined to explore deeper into the mountains. Even if he didn't hunt bears or tigers, he needed at least two wolf pelts. If not, a wild boar would suffice. They could then prepare for an early New Year, smoking the meat. His wife mentioned that a dish of braised beef with porcini mushrooms sounded delicious, and he was eager to taste it.

"We need to stock up on food before that wicked wind reaches Dinghe Town. The silver we have won't stretch far enough, so I need to earn more. Wild boars are out there, but they're not worth much; they'd only add a meat dish to the table. Wolf pelts are valuable, sought after by wealthy families. However, they live deep in the mountains and rarely come down except during famines. That's why I must go in."

When Tao Hua heard that he was considering hunting wolves, her face turned ashen.

Those were wolves, not dogs. Wolves lived in packs, and during famines, they descended in groups, capable of attacking humans in desperation.

He... he actually wanted their pelts!

"Author's Note"

Second installment - 3 -