Chapter 71

Chapter 71

The hens were natural predators of scorpions; now that the eighteen young hens had grown, they were kept in an enclosure in the backyard. Pei Yan didn't take the basket of venomous scorpions there.

Upon returning, the two of them first found two large bamboo baskets by the light of the fire, dividing the scorpions equally between them. They covered each with a bamboo tray and placed a stone on top to prevent any scorpions from escaping.

After ensuring there were no gaps through which the scorpions could escape, they felt at ease closing the woodshed door.

Pei Yan scooped water to wash his hands. He was in high spirits and said with a smile, "Roosters and young hens love eating scorpions and centipedes. To them, it's probably a meat dish. But since we're selling them for money, we won't feed them."

Gu Lanshi also squatted in front of the basin, taking wild soap nuts to create white foam, washing his hands thoroughly. Hearing this, he said, "I've seen it before. When my father saw a scorpion at home, it was quite big. Afraid it would sting someone, my mother pressed it down with a broom and had him quickly bring over a rooster. The rooster pecked at the scorpion upon seeing it. The scorpion couldn't use its stinger or pincers at all. It was pecked to death within a few moments and eaten by the rooster."

He described it vividly, his eyebrows moving expressively. His wide-open eyes seemed to be telling how big the scorpion was and how mighty the rooster was.

Moonlight flooded the courtyard like water. Pei Yan subconsciously looked over as Gu Lanshi spoke. Seeing his expression clearly, he couldn't help but laugh continuously.

Gu Lanshi was puzzled, but infected by his smile, he curved his eyebrows and asked, "What are you laughing about?"

Pei Yan couldn't explain it himself. After washing off the foam from his hands, he got up and went to the clothesline to fetch a cloth towel washed earlier in the day. He first handed it to Gu Lanshi to wipe his hands. After pondering for a while without coming to a conclusion, he smiled and said, "Nothing."

After drying his hands, Gu Lanshi handed the towel to him with a slight frown beneath his smiling eyes, thinking to himself, how strange.

He suddenly recalled the old Pei Yan, whose personality was indeed quite peculiar, neither showing joy nor anger, lacking a human touch. It was already much better that he could laugh now.

Over these days spent together, the changes were imperceptible, but now he realized they were quite significant.

"I'll go boil some water. At least soak your feet; that place is damp and cold, don't catch a chill." Pei Yan dried his hands as he said this, carrying a bundle of firewood into the kitchen.

Gu Lanshi nodded. "Alright, I'll wash up first."

In summer, the cold wasn't a concern. Washing his face and brushing his teeth could save on firewood by using cold water.

Big Black lay on the sack, feigning sleep, occasionally twitching his ears when he heard them speak. He only lifted his head to look around when there was a loud noise from outside.

*

With the income from the scorpions, Pei Yan didn't go to work at the dock the next day. Instead, he and Gu Lanshi tended to their vegetables, weeded the fields, and gathered duckweed and chicken feed. Usually, when Pei Yan left for work, Gu Lanshi handled all these trivial tasks alone, which added up to be quite a load.

By the river.

As the weather grew warmer, the ducks enjoyed the water even more, swimming about and occasionally pecking at their feathers to groom themselves.

Two bamboo baskets filled with grass were placed beside the tree trunk.

In the shade of the tree, Gu Lanshi squatted down and dug into the damp earth with a small hoe, searching for earthworms. A few steps away, Pei Yan was doing the same, digging for earthworms as well, with an old fish basket by his side.

"What a huge pile," Gu Lanshi exclaimed softly, somewhat reluctant to handle them himself, so he called out to Pei Yan.

Pei Yan had always been bold, but even so, upon seeing the mass of earthworms writhing together, he remained silent. Instead, he picked up a nearby branch, broke it into a pair of long chopsticks, and used them to pick up the worms and place them in the fish basket.

"Why didn't I think of that," Gu Lanshi sighed, then looked at Pei Yan with a smile and said, "You're really smart."

As he spoke, he also fashioned a pair of chopsticks from two branches to catch the earthworms. Earthworms were good food for chickens, ducks, and even scorpions, making them quite valuable.

Pei Yan was naturally delighted, but it was broad daylight, and there were people washing clothes not far away. He was clearly more reserved than when they were alone, his smile not as radiant as usual.

Gu Lanshi picked up the earthworm that had fallen back to the ground, put it in the fish basket, and glanced inside, saying, "It should be enough for these next couple of days."

"Enough," Pei Yan agreed. After finishing here, he went over to transfer the earthworms he had dug up earlier into the basket.

Gu Lanshi discarded the branches, took the small hoe, and washed off the mud in the river water. He also washed his hands and forearms, then chose a clean, large stone to sit on and rest, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his face.

Pei Yan squatted by the riverbank to wash his hands, using a long bamboo pole to herd back the ducks that were swimming away. He set down the pole and noticed a freshwater mussel in the water, reaching out to scoop it up.

The sediment at the bottom of the river was disturbed but quickly cleared with the flow of the water.

He rinsed the mussel by the riverbank and, holding it up, said with a smile, "It's quite big. We can crack it open for the chickens when we get back."

At this, Gu Lanshi laughed and said, "Good idea. Let's rest for a bit and then collect some snails. We'll crush them all together to feed the chickens, fattening them up so they can lay eggs come autumn."

Pei Yan didn't bother walking over to the tree trunk; instead, he casually tossed the mussel, which landed perfectly on the grass inside the bamboo basket. He sat down next to Gu Lanshi and said, "Alright, just stuff the grass further in, leaving some space. No need to go back for another basket."

A breeze blew by, bringing a sudden coolness. After resting for a while, Gu Lanshi heard cicadas chirping overhead and began searching the tree trunk.

Pei Yan looked up as well and remarked, "It's at the top, hard to catch without a sticky rod."

"There's a molted cicada shell," Gu Lanshi pointed to the high part of the tree trunk and added, "But it's too high up. There's only one, not worth climbing up specifically for it."

Seeing that Gu Lanshi had given up, Pei Yan didn't get up to reach for it either.

After a short break, Gu Lanshi uncapped the bamboo tube and took a couple of sips of water, then casually handed it to Pei Yan, saying, "We've gathered the grass and the ducks have been swimming for a while. Let's collect some snails and head back. While the cicada nymphs are still fresh, we can fry them for lunch. This is the only time of year we can indulge in such a treat."

Pei Yan drank the water from his bamboo tube, sealed it, and hung it at his waist before taking off his straw shoes to join him in the water.

Farmers had little leisure time; after a busy day, they would take their woodcutters' knives for protection and torches to venture into the mountains to catch venomous insects as evening approached.

With the experience of the previous night, the thought of earning money erased Gu Lanshi's fears. To him, starvation was more worrisome than venomous creatures.

For four consecutive days, they caught insects. On the fifth morning, due to the scorpions' own conflicts, some, startled and confined in the bamboo baskets, fought and bit each other, inevitably leading to casualties.

Upon discovering this, Pei Yan picked out the damaged corpses from the top layer with tongs and tossed them to the hens in the backyard.

The hens, indeed, swarmed around the scorpions, fighting over them. In no time, they devoured everything.

Gu Lanshi patted the two tightly lidded bamboo baskets and said, "Make sure they're securely fastened. Be careful on your way. You're going to the herbalist's shop, right? If they have medicine for scorpion or centipede venom, remember to buy some. Even if we don't use it, it's good to be prepared."

"Alright, is there anything else? I can buy it all at once," Pei Yan said, shouldering the double-rope bamboo basket and slinging the single-rope one over his shoulder.

Gu Lanshi thought for a moment and said, "Nothing much. Oh, by the way, how about bringing back some sesame oil, a pound or half a pound will do. I'll take some money and trade it with my mother for a few eggs. We don't need to buy them from town. Today, let's have steamed egg custard."

After saying that, he went into the kitchen and came out with an empty small earthenware jar.

Since their marriage, they hadn't eaten steamed egg custard yet. Although they occasionally gathered bird eggs and hunted wild chickens and birds, providing occasional meat, he still craved the tender egg custard drizzled with fragrant oil.

"Okay, I'll remember that," Pei Yan replied, taking the jar and heading out.

Gu Lanshi saw him off at the wattle fence gate before returning.

He filled a bucket with water for the pig, replenished clean water for the chickens, ducks, and dog. While his parents were still indoors early in the morning, Gu Lanshi entered the house, counted fifteen copper coins from under his pillow, tucked them into his bosom, and headed home with a small basket.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Gu Lanyu chopping firewood and asked with a smile, "Is Mother at home?"

"Lanshi Gege," Gu Lanyu didn’t stop her work, picking up a piece of wood and placing it on the stump. As she chopped, she smiled and said, "She’s feeding the livestock in the backyard."

"Lanshi Gege," Zhu Ge’er emerged from the kitchen, holding a burning twig as he walked toward the eaves to light the mud stove.

"Do we still have eggs?" Gu Lanshi asked.

Zhu Ge’er, who often worked in the kitchen and knew these things, said, "Yes, we’ve saved some over the past few days. Father hasn’t sold them yet."

Gu Lanyu chatted idly with him, asking, "Why haven’t I seen you and Brother Yan in the woods the past two nights when I was catching cicadas?"

They lived on the back mountain, close to the woods. Gu Lanshi smiled and said, "We haven’t been catching cicadas these past few days. We’ve been catching scorpions under the earth cliffs."

Hearing this, Gu Lanyu looked over with the axe in hand and asked, "Did you really catch any?"

Men always had an interest in such matters. Seeing his enthusiasm, Gu Lanshi said, "We did catch some, quite a few actually. He just left for town with them. Hasn’t he passed by yet?"

"I opened the courtyard gate late today," Gu Lanyu said, then remembered something and added, "Tonight, Lanyu and Lanxing are going to the woods to catch cicadas. Are you two coming?"

He resumed chopping firewood and said, "If we get a lot, we can sell some. If not, we’ll divide what we have and fry them to eat. They’re delicious too."

These activities weren’t solely for selling or eating; they provided entertainment and fun. It was boring to work all day without any amusement.

"Of course we’re going," Gu Lanshi said with a grin. It would be nice to have some fun, but most importantly, Pei Yan could join them in play.

After exchanging a few casual words, he called out to his mother while walking to the backyard.

"Ah, I’m coming, I’m coming." Miao Qiulian heard the commotion and hurried over from the backyard. Upon hearing his request, she brushed off the grass debris from her hands, took the copper coins with a smile, and stuffed them into her bosom. She said, "Go ahead and take them yourself. Six or seven will do. When you return, it’ll be good for you and your husband to replenish your strength."

"Understood, Mother," Gu Lanshi replied, taking six eggs from the basket in the kitchen.

Due to the heat, chickens and ducks weren’t laying eggs well, so there were fewer eggs than usual. At this point, even a single egg could fetch four or five cash.

Even under normal circumstances, eggs were precious items. Villagers were reluctant to eat them and usually saved them to sell to townspeople. Still, it was said that even wealthy households couldn’t get enough to eat. Buyers scoured the countryside for egg suppliers to provide for their masters.

Although Gu Lanshi often took things from home, he and Pei Yan would always bring back some fish and other mountain goods whenever they caught them.

Seeing that Pei Yan wasn’t a lost cause, possessing strength and skills and being filial, Miao Qiulian and Gu Tieshan were willing to help and care for him.

When he was about to leave with the basket, Miao Qiulian suddenly remembered something and quickly asked Zhu Ge’er to scoop out two pickled salted duck eggs from the large clay jar for him to take back.

Gu Lanshi didn’t refuse. The ducks he and Pei Yan raised weren’t laying eggs yet. The last time they ate them was when they asked Elder Sister for some.

"Lan Gege, we’ll go tonight, remember to come," Gu Lanyu reminded him as he left.

Gu Lanshi agreed with a smile, "Okay, we’ll definitely go."

He was happy when he arrived, but even happier when he returned. Not only would they have eggs to eat, but there was also an unexpected joy. He was delighted beyond measure and immediately boiled the salted duck eggs upon returning. In a couple of days, he planned to cook some thick porridge to enjoy with Pei Yan, not sparing even the red oil.