Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Silang swallowed hard as Uncle Huaizi gestured for him to sit down and asked if he had come for something specific.

Silang felt a bit embarrassed about what he had brought, but thinking of Li's temper, he knew he would be scolded if he didn't accomplish his task.

He took out the items, "This is what my mother made. She made quite a bit and said to bring some for you to try, though it doesn't taste very good."

As Sanlang spoke, he kept swallowing saliva, his eyes fixed on the small fish in Zhao Muyang's hand.

He knew what these were and blurted out, "Did you get these from my eldest sister?"

Uncle Huaizi didn't hide anything from him; Zhao Muyang was close to him and casually handed him a few small fish.

Silang didn't hesitate to accept them; he was so hungry that he could feel his stomach touching his back. If not for Uncle Huaizi being there, he might have tried to snatch food from Zhao Muyang.

Zhao Muyang couldn't eat any more and, looking at the pot Silang had brought, couldn't help but frown, "Can this even be eaten?"

His question was blunt, and Silang's face turned red, thinking they had heard something. Uncle Huaizi stepped in to defuse the situation, telling Zhao Muyang not to speak carelessly.

After returning home, Silang started an argument with Li, feeling humiliated by her actions.

Li was already seething with anger and, seeing his attitude, didn't hold back, grabbing a bamboo stick to hit him.

Uncle Lin intervened, "Why are you getting angry with the child? He's still young."

"Still young?" Li put her hands on her hips, losing her usual gentleness, "Listen to what he's saying!"

"What I said isn't false," Silang felt wronged, "Zhao Muyang bought food from Yan Niang, and it tastes so much better. Who cares about our family's food?"

Hearing Lin Chunyan's name made Li even angrier, especially since she couldn't match up in this matter.

The faint aroma in the air made even the younger Wulang sniff around, adding to everyone's frustration.

Silang added fuel to the fire, "Since Aunt Zhang has no son, I might as well go be their son and have delicious meals every day."

This time, even Uncle Lin got angry, taking the bamboo stick from Li to hit him.

Mrs. Zhang, tired from digging holes all day, made duck blood vermicelli soup for dinner and drank two bowls by herself.

After finishing, she licked her lips, feeling all her fatigue dissipate.

She wanted to go straight to bed, but Lin Chunyan insisted she wash up and brush her teeth before sleeping.

"What's with all these rules?" Mrs. Zhang muttered under her breath, giving Lin Taohong a meaningful look.

Lin Taohong ignored her, "I brush my teeth and wash up every day now, and even change my clothes daily."

She used to dislike doing these things, but if she didn't clean up properly, Lin Chunyan wouldn't let her sleep in the same bed.

Though they shared a large bed, Lin Chunyan kept her side neat and tidy, and on sunny days, she would take the bedding out to dry.

Even the pillow inside was filled with dried chrysanthemum flowers, which gave off a faint scent of sunshine and chrysanthemums when she lay down at night.

Lin Taohong loved that smell and always wanted to secretly use Lin Chunyan's pillow, even after being caught several times.

When Lin Chunyan went up the mountain to dig wild chrysanthemums and plant them near the door, Lin Taohong found it too troublesome and didn't help.

She only helped when digging mint and perilla because those could be used to make drinks.

Seeing how nice Lin Chunyan's chrysanthemum pillow was, Lin Taohong became envious.

Lin Chunyan promised to make one for her if she brushed her teeth and washed up every day.

Mrs. Zhang knew about this and, unable to stand Lin Taohong's smugness, deliberately dampened her spirits, "What's so great about that chrysanthemum pillow? It's just fragrant, not as comfortable as our buckwheat hull pillows. Your eldest sister is just being silly."

Lin Taohong ignored her, taking tooth powder to brush her teeth, "That chrysanthemum pillow is both fragrant and comfortable, Mother, you definitely don't want it."

Mrs. Zhang huffed, "I don't want that thing."

With limited oil lamps, everyone had to go to bed right after dark. The wildflowers, mint, and mugwort transplanted from the mountain in front of their house were once considered useless by Mrs. Zhang.

But after planting them, the number of mosquitoes decreased significantly, and the colorful wildflowers looked particularly beautiful.

Even Mrs. Zhang couldn't deny their usefulness anymore.

"Eldest Sister, when will you make the chrysanthemum pillow you promised me?"

Lin Taohong complained again, and seeing that the chrysanthemums were almost ready, Lin Chunyan said it would be tomorrow.

Early in the morning, Lin Chunyan had Lin Taohong pick all the chrysanthemums and fill a basket. Then she had her fetch water from the well to wash them.

Lin Taohong didn't complain and even picked some mint to make tea later.

Next, they laid out the washed chrysanthemums to dry in the sun. Once dried, they could be used as pillow stuffing.

Before leaving, Lin Chunyan woke Mrs. Zhang up and told her how many holes she needed to dig today.

"If I come back and find you haven't dug enough, Mother, you won't be eating today."

Mrs. Zhang's drowsiness vanished instantly as she looked at the height Lin Chunyan indicated and began to bargain with her.

"My goodness, are you trying to kill your mother? Digging such deep holes, and our yard is so big, I can't finish it even if I work all day!"

Lin Chunyan ignored her, "I've calculated everything. With breaks for meals and water, as long as you don't chat outside, you'll manage."

Mrs. Zhang had no choice but to dig the holes with a grim face, fearing she wouldn't have dinner if she didn't finish.

But with the heavy workload, Mrs. Zhang turned her gaze toward Lin Taohong.

"I don't see the point in sending Taohong to town. It would be better to keep her at home. With both of us working together, we'll definitely finish digging sooner."

Upon hearing this, Lin Taohong was startled and quickly hid behind Lin Chunyan. "What do you mean by saying I'm useless? We still need to go around to the back mountain to dig bamboo shoots today."

At the mention of bamboo shoots, Mrs. Zhang's expression changed again. After a long pause, she said, "Why dig so many bamboo shoots? Please don't dig any more; we have enough for now."

"But we have the cellar. These shoots are only available now. By winter, where will we find such things? We might as well dig more while we can."

After their exchange, the two sisters set off with their baskets, heading towards the back mountain. Unexpectedly, they ran into Uncle Huaizi.

Uncle Huaizi was pushing a small cart carrying a wild boar, entirely black and already gutted.

Having eaten well last night, he and Zhao Muyang had slept soundly. This morning, he had gone up the mountain early.

Zhao Muyang, still half-asleep, was still thinking about the duck blood vermicelli soup, which made Uncle Huaizi both amused and exasperated.

Seeing Lin Chunyan and the others, Uncle Huaizi stopped his cart and greeted them warmly.

Lin Chunyan looked curiously at the boar on the cart, feeling envious. "Uncle Huaizi, is that a wild boar?"

Uncle Huaizi nodded. "Yes, it's a wild boar. I'm taking it to town to sell it to the butcher."

Lin Chunyan asked him about the price per pound and whether he sold it in smaller portions.

Uncle Huaizi sensed her interest and directly offered her a choice cut of meat. "This wild boar meat is different from domestic pork; some people find it hard to get used to."

Lin Chunyan knew this was because wild boars were not castrated.

Castrating domestic pigs had only become common in recent years, reducing the strong gamey flavor and allowing for a wider variety of dishes.

But even now, mutton was still considered more valuable.

Seeing Lin Chunyan buy such a large piece, Lin Taohong thought she was being foolish and kindly warned her, "The meat is really hard to eat."

This was different from the wild duck they had yesterday. Despite the size of the wild boar, it wouldn't fetch much money at the butcher's in town.

Still unconvinced, Lin Taohong looked at Lin Chunyan as if she were crazy.

"Sis, I told you it's hard to eat. If Mother scolds you, don't drag me into it."

Lin Chunyan ignored her and handed the money to Zhao Huaizi.

Uncle Huaizi seemed a bit embarrassed and pushed the coins back and forth before finally putting them in his pocket.

Lin Chunyan placed the meat in her basket and said to Uncle Huaizi, "If you can't sell all the meat, bring it back to me later."

Lin Taohong turned away, thinking Lin Chunyan had lost her mind.

Buying one piece wasn't enough; she wanted to buy more.

Lin Chunyan, however, had already planned how to use the meat. It would be perfect for making sausages.

Using juniper branches for smoking, the cured meat would absorb the fragrance of the wood.

Orange peels, tangerine peels, and grapefruit peels could also be used for smoking.

Such smoked cured meat would not only preserve well but also taste rich and aromatic, fatty without being greasy, lean without being tough.