Chapter 28: First Signs of Brilliance – The Food Crisis

Chapter 28: First Signs of Brilliance - The Food Crisis

"Sister-in-law, do we have a lantern at home?" Tao Chun asked. "The moonlight isn't bright tonight; why don't they take a lantern?"

"We have lanterns, but they're not very useful. They just attract bugs and barely light up the ground at your feet. If you carry a lantern, you’ll just end up staring at your feet," Jiang Hongyu said. "It’s fine; they’re used to walking in the mountains. As long as they can make out the path, they won’t trip."

Tao Chun thought about it and agreed. If the lantern were brighter than the moonlight, their eyes would adjust to the lantern's light, and everything else would appear pitch black.

"You two watch the fire here; I’ll go back to the house to cook," Jiang Hongyu said. "We still have two scoops of flour left. I’ll mix one scoop with cornmeal and make two batches of flatbread, and then cook a bowl of egg drop soup. Sound good?"

"Alright," Tao Chun had no objections. "Call me if you need help."

"I’m not frying anything, so I won’t need your help."

Jiang Hongyu left, and Tao Chun and Little Walnut crouched by the wall, keeping an eye on the fire. The jujube wood in the fire pit must’ve dried out, as small flames, about half a finger long, flickered up from the fire.

Tao Chun watched closely, and when the flames grew to a finger's length, she grabbed some damp jujube wood from the side and laid it on top. The flames died down, and thick, choking smoke billowed up.

"Let’s back up a bit," Tao Chun pushed Little Walnut to run away. Seeing her slow reaction, she figured the little girl was getting sleepy. She couldn’t let her nap before eating, so she instructed, "By the way, go grab my leather gloves from the table. It’s quiet now; I’ll pull the weeds behind the house."

Little Walnut said "Oh," but didn’t move. She patted her own face and muttered, "Why do I feel so sleepy?"

"Right, why do you feel so sleepy? Go wash your face; you can sleep after you eat," Tao Chun said with a smile.

Little Walnut said "Oh" again and slowly walked back.

Tao Chun stretched and stomped on the weeds. Next year, when she goes into the mountains, she’ll dig up some pretty flowers to plant. In a few years, the area around the house will be full of flowers, how beautiful that would be. She also thought about moving some bamboo and planting fruit trees near the house if she could get them from the foot of the mountain.

"Auntie, I’m here," Little Walnut said cheerfully, her sleepiness gone.

"Auntie, have a persimmon; my mom brought them for us."

Tao Chun took one. The persimmon was wet, having been washed, and had a faint smell of alcohol. She hesitated, worried that eating it might upset her stomach.

Little Walnut had no such concerns. She took a bite, chewed, and spat out the skin.

Tao Chun smelled the sweetness of the persimmon and couldn't help but salivate. She thought to herself that eating a little wouldn't hurt.

The persimmon skin was quite thick. Tao Chun wasn't sure if it was because it was picked too early and wasn't ripe yet, or if it was just that variety. Despite the thick skin, the flesh was quite tasty, crisp and sweet, not astringent at all.

Tao Chun quietly finished the persimmon and threw the skin into the fire. She put on her leather gloves and started pulling weeds along the fire pit. She didn't let Little Walnut help, worried that the bugs hiding in the grass might bite her.

By the time Jiang Hongyu finished cooking a pot of flatbread, the tree carriers had returned. The brothers were panting heavily, their shirts soaked with sweat. As soon as they put down the dead wood, they took off their shirts covered in wood chips and stood outside, slapping their clothes.

Little Walnut ran to her father. Somehow, she had hidden two pieces of pork jerky in her pocket, and she proudly offered them to her father and uncle.

"I made these with Auntie," Little Walnut said.

The pork jerky was cold and dry. Wu Changan's mouth was parched, and after chewing a few times, he accidentally cut the roof of his mouth, tasting blood.

"It's delicious; you and your auntie are really good at this," Wu Changshun hadn't even tasted it yet, but he praised them first.

Little Walnut was happy. She squatted down and picked the grass seeds stuck to her father's legs.

"I'm dirty; stay away," Wu Changshun found her in the way. He moved further away and slapped his legs with his shirt, shaking off the grass seeds and dust from his pants.

"Dinner's ready; come in and eat when you're done," Jiang Hongyu called out.

Wu Changshun responded, put on his shirt, picked up his little daughter, and carried her back running.

Wu Changan followed behind, catching sight of Tao Chun coming from behind the firewood shed. He quickly threw on his shirt and hurriedly buttoned it up.

"Yeah, we found an old elm tree in the mountains today. Tomorrow, we’ll let the chief tomb keeper know and get my brother-in-law to help us chop it down. That old elm’s so thick one person can’t even get their arms around it. It’ll be enough to make a wheelbarrow," Wu Changan replied.

In the mountains, the tomb keepers are free to chop down dead or rotten wood, and they can also trim new trees that have grown crooked or have too many branches. However, cutting down old trees that have been standing for years requires reporting to the chief tomb keeper. Some types of trees and trees in certain spots can only be trimmed, not chopped down.

The tomb keepers don’t just guard the mountains to stop outsiders from coming in to chop wood or cut trees, but they themselves are also not allowed to cut trees indiscriminately.

"What are you two doing out there? Dinner’s ready," Jiang Hongyu called.

"Coming," Tao Chun said, walking briskly into the house.

Wu Changan followed behind, chewing on the jerky. He finally got the taste of it and realized for the first time that the tough strands of wild boar meat were pretty chewy, becoming more fragrant the longer he chewed.

The egg drop soup had been ready for a while and had cooled down enough to not burn your mouth. The Wu brothers sat down and first gulped down two bowls of soup to quench their thirst before digging into the flatbreads. They were so hungry they barely chewed the bread before scarfing it down.

The cornmeal was gritty, and Tao Chun ate slowly. The outer layer of the corn kernels was crispy and fragrant, while the inside was sweet, way better than boiled corn porridge.

Little Walnut dozed off while eating, and Jiang Hongyu cradled her while still eating. Holding a kid made it hard to get up, so she remembered there was still a batch of flatbreads in the pan and said, "Sister-in-law, there’s another batch of flatbreads in the pan. Go check on them and flip them over to keep cooking."

Tao Chun stuffed the rest of the bread into her mouth and bounded off in big strides.

Wu Changan glanced at her, thinking she’d been pretty cheerful lately.

No water had been added to the pan. Cooking these thin flatbreads needed slow baking over embers, with no open flames, so the bottom of the pan wouldn’t burn through. Tao Chun flipped all the flatbreads, covered the pan, and peeked into the stove to see a big log stuffed inside, so no need to add more firewood.

On her way out, Tao Chun grabbed the jerky from the food cabinet.

"There’s this much?" Wu Changshun reached out to grab a piece. "This is pretty chewy, and it gets tastier the more you chew."

"Take some with you when you head up the mountain tomorrow. Chew on a piece when you get hungry," Tao Chun said.

Wu Changshun nodded.

"The honey jar’s almost empty; we’re out of honey," Tao Chun said, looking at Wu Changan. "When are you going to get more honey?"

"If we can take down the old elm tomorrow, I’ll go the day after," Wu Changan replied without hesitation.

"When will you carry it back? Next spring?" Jiang Hongyu asked.

"Yeah, leave it in the mountains over the winter and carry it back next spring. Peel off the bark and let it dry for two months. Once the moisture is gone, we can start planing the wood," Wu Changan explained, quite familiar with the process. "As long as my hands are steady, I can finish the wheelbarrow before the autumn harvest."

"How much bone glue do you have left? There’s not much work at home, so I want to make a raincoat," Tao Chun asked.

Wu Changan, still chewing on the jerky, went back inside and brought out all the remaining bone glue for her, along with the small clay stove and the pottery bowl for melting the glue.

Tao Chun grabbed a handful of grayish-yellow granules from her cloth bag. They looked like small stones, cut into this shape. She weighed them in her hand, estimating it was less than half a pound, and worried it might not be enough.

"Do you only need bones and scraps of hide to make bone glue? Anything else? I want to make a batch myself," she asked.

"I’ve seen Lao San make it. If you want to try, I can help you. It’s a bit of a hassle," Jiang Hongyu said. "Bones and hides are easy to find. Just get pig skulls that the dogs haven’t finished chewing. When you have time, visit your brother-in-law’s house and Xiang Xing’s place. Every household has bones their dogs can’t chew through—pig bones, wolf bones, anything will do."

Mentioning wolf bones reminded Tao Chun that she had forgotten to retrieve the wolf pelt Auntie Nian had given her.

"Then I’ll go check tomorrow," Tao Chun said.

Chewing on jerky to kill time, the four of them, worn out from a long day, finally got up to wash up after their food had settled.

Jiang Hongyu drew water to bathe Little Walnut, while Tao Chun scooped the pancakes out of the pot. She poured two ladles of hot water to wash the bowls and chopsticks, then carried a basin of hot water back to the room.

Wu Changan and his brother brought back the smoked pork leg and a rack of ribs, put out the fire, and then they also drew water to bathe.

Wu Changan went to the clothesline to get his clothes, but they were still wet, so he had to go back to the room to fetch them.

Taking advantage of the empty yard, Wu Changan searched the clothesline back and forth twice but couldn't find his clothes. He felt a mix of emotions, thinking that marrying this wife was a mistake.

After Wu Changshun finished bathing and returned to the room, Wu Changan stealthily removed the dirty clothes he had accumulated during his mountain patrol and the ones he had changed out of today, soaking them in a wooden basin.

Late at night, when everyone else was asleep, he sneaked out to wash the clothes thoroughly and hung them on the clothesline to prevent his elder brother from finding out and causing a scene.

The next day, Wu Changan and the others went to inform the chief tomb keeper about the logging plans. Tao Chun also went along.

*

"You're here for the wolf skin, aren't you?" Auntie Nian saw Tao Chun and handed her the wolf skin. "If you hadn't come today, I was planning to have my son deliver it to you."

"It had slipped my mind. It was only last night when we talked about making bone glue that I remembered I had left the wolf skin here the day before yesterday," Tao Chun said. "By the way, Auntie, do you have any bones at home? Wolf bones or pig bones will do. I want to take them back to make bone glue."

"Yes, I'll check the dog's den for you."

"After you finish cutting the trees, take a few days off. I plan to have you head to Baoyue Mountain on the tenth. The sooner you go, the sooner you can return, to avoid encountering snow," the chief tomb keeper said. "Are both of your brothers going?"

"Yes, both of us are going, and my sister-in-law is also coming," Wu Changshun said.

The chief tomb keeper looked at Tao Chun and smiled, "You're not accustomed to the mountain's tranquility after just returning from outside, are you? Looking for some adventure? I must warn you, the mountain paths are tough, either going up or down, and if it rains, there's nowhere to take shelter. Think carefully."

"It's not about seeking excitement. I've prepared a new pork dish and want to see if I can exchange it for more grain with the tomb keepers at Baoyue Mountain," Tao Chun said, not admitting to seeking excitement. She wanted to leave a good impression on the chief tomb keeper, thinking he might protect her if the mountain tomb envoy caused trouble over external matters.

"We grow little rice in our tomb, and other crops are not abundant. Trading grain with other tomb keepers depends solely on pottery. I think this method of exchange has its drawbacks for us. Grain is eaten and disappears, but if pottery is well preserved, a pot can last ten years. By then, if others don't lack pottery, we won't be able to exchange for grain," Tao Chun explained carefully. "Chief, do you agree with what I'm saying? When we can't exchange for grain, can we seek help from the court?"

The chief tomb keeper looked troubled and forced a smile, "The fields do grow crops. If there's no rice, there's wheat and corn. We can exchange grain for grain with them."

"Yes, but hauling grain back and forth is exhausting," Tao Chun didn't argue about the feasibility of exchanging grain for grain. They were carrying pottery to Baoyue Mountain, not the tomb keepers from Baoyue Mountain bringing grain to Princess Tomb, which already showed which side was at a disadvantage in the trade. She smiled and said, "I roasted around 140 to 150 slices of jerky from fourteen or fifteen pounds of wild boar meat. After roasting, it probably weighs just over two pounds. I plan to take it to see if I can exchange it for grain. If someone is willing to exchange, whether it's grain or mountain products, I'll take it. If no one exchanges, I won't lose out. Carrying just over two pounds isn't tiring, and I can eat it on the way back."

The chief tomb keeper roughly understood. This jerky was probably similar to dried meat, and he wasn't optimistic about it. Seeing Tao Chun so earnest, he didn't pour cold water on her idea.

"Alright, you go along. You young people have many ideas. It's good to visit other tombs," he said.

"Chief, is what my sister-in-law said true? Will we not be able to exchange pottery for grain in the future?" Wu Changshun asked.

The chief tomb keeper smiled without answering, "The sun is out, you should go into the mountains and get busy."

Auntie Nian handed Tao Chun half a sack of bones, saying, "Good girl, go and get busy."

Tao Chun carried the sack and the wolf skin to the training ground, planning to do her stance practice before returning.

"Third brother, what do you think the chief meant?" Wu Changshun already had an answer in his heart.

"Last year when I went to Baoyue Mountain with Uncle and the others, I heard them say that the tomb keepers at Baoyue Mountain are becoming more and more picky. They no longer want ordinary pottery," Wu Changan said, staring at the back of the female ghost. "What she said is probably true."