Chapter 20 Mountain Home Hearth 20

Chapter 20: Hearth and Home in the Mountains 20

Liu Guyu seemed to recall something, gazing thoughtfully at Qin Rongshi. His eyes met Qin Rongshi's, who was looking back at him.

Qin Rongshi's eyes were dark, like a bottomless abyss, holding an inscrutable emotion.

Though merely a thirteen-year-old boy, the sentiment in his gaze was more mature than an adult's, hinting at shrewd calculation and foresight.

Qin Rongshi blinked, quickly masking the emotions in his eyes, then said to Liu Guyu, "Let's go."

Liu Guyu: "Ah... oh, right, let's go."

Cui Lanfang and her daughter, Qin Banban, didn't notice the exchange of glances between the two. Both were beaming with joy, marveling at every single thing at the temple fair.

The temple fair was a hive of activity, with people jostling shoulder to shoulder.

On one side, shops lined the street—food stalls and tea houses—their banners fluttering in the wind. On the other, tightly packed stalls offered an array of snacks: oil cakes, flatbreads, candied winter melon, sugar paintings...

An old tabby cat sauntered confidently along the base of a wall, its tail held high, the tip gently swaying.

This was the old cat from Guanyin Temple. All the local shopkeepers and vendors knew it, and no one dared to shoo it away. Instead, they spoke to it kindly, and some children giggled, tossing jerky toward it, only to be scolded by adults for wasting food and pulled away.

"It's so lively," Cui Lanfang said with a smile, her eyes sparkling.

After walking a long stretch, the scent of snacks faded behind them. Further ahead were stalls selling lanterns, rouge, toys, good luck charms, and other small items.

Liu Guyu responded to Cui Lanfang while pulling Qin Banban to a stall selling hair accessories. He said gently to the little girl, "Pick one."

Little girls ought to be dressed beautifully and brightly, wearing pretty dresses and lovely flowers, just like Mai'er next door.

But due to their family's circumstances, Qin Banban often wore dull, practical gray dresses, and her hair was bare. Yet, no little girl is immune to beauty. She occasionally wore a flower or two, but they were always fresh flowers picked from Xiaoliu Mountain, which wilted within a day.

Liu Guyu had long wanted to dress her up nicely. While pretty clothes were still out of reach, buying a flower or two to wear was certainly possible.

The stall owner was a talkative young man. Upon hearing Liu Guyu, he immediately picked out a few hairpins suitable for young girls, holding several in his hand enthusiastically. "Oh, little girl, take a look! I brought these back from the county town a few days ago. Nowadays, besides me, no one else in Fushui Town sells these! Have a look!"

Though he spoke persuasively, Liu Guyu, having seen many fine things in modern times, thought these were just ordinary hairpins, albeit with vibrant, youthful colors—nothing special.

But to Qin Banban, these hairpins were so beautiful she couldn't take her eyes off them.

The little girl liked them very much, holding them up to her hair to compare, her face full of smiles.

The stall owner chuckled and said, "Oh! So pretty! The osmanthus flower hairpin suits the little girl perfectly! One costs thirteen *wen*, but if you buy a pair, it's only twenty-five *wen*!"

Qin Banban liked them very much, but upon hearing the stall owner's words, she reluctantly put them down and tugged at Liu Guyu. "Brother Liu, I don't like them. Let's go."

Twenty-five *wen*! Just a few more copper coins could buy a *jin* of meat!

Though she said she didn't like them, Qin Banban kept glancing at the stall, clearly not meaning what she said.

Liu Guyu wouldn’t hear of it. He pulled her back and directly pinned two osmanthus hairpins on either side of her hair.

"They're pretty! Osmanthus flowers are just right for this season! Since we're here, we can’t go home empty-handed!"

Cui Lanfang was reluctant to spend money, but that was for herself. For her children, she was never stingy.

She also smiled warmly and kindly, saying, "Buy one to wear. It looks pretty on you."

Qin Rongshi didn't speak, but he was a doer. He directly counted out twenty-five copper coins from his purse and bought the osmanthus hairpins Qin Banban had tried on.

After paying, he looked at Liu Guyu and Cui Lanfang and said, "Mother, Brother Liu, why don't you each pick something too?"

Qin Rongshi was still the one handling the money today, and all the earned copper coins were with him.

Hearing this, Cui Lanfang quickly waved her hands and shook her head. "Oh, I'm too old for these! I don't need them! Wearing such bright flowers would just invite laughter!"

Her tone made it sound as if she were seventy or eighty years old. But in ancient times, men and women married early. Though Cui Lanfang had three children, she was only thirty-nine. When she was young, she was the village beauty. Though life had worn her down and left her looking frail, traces of her former beauty could still be seen in her features.

Liu Guyu followed Qin Rongshi's example and didn't choose the delicate silk flowers suitable for young girls. Instead, he picked a peach wood hairpin carved with an orchid at the end.

He said, "Of course! Since we're here, how can we go back empty-handed! Mother, this one is perfect. It suits your name—Lanfang means orchid!"

Cui Lanfang initially declined, but as she held the wooden hairpin, her gaze softened. She said quietly, "I used to have a silver hairpin, also carved with an orchid. It was very pretty."

She had owned a few pieces of jewelry before—some bought for her wedding, others purchased by her husband after marriage. Later, when the family fell into hardship, she pawned them all to save up for her husband's medical expenses.

Seeing this wooden hairpin now, Cui Lanfang couldn't help but recall her former silver hairpin, also carved with an orchid, very similar to the one in her hand. She had initially said she didn't want it, but now that she held it, she couldn't part with it.

The stall owner quickly said, "Plain hairpins are ten *wen* each, carved ones are fifteen *wen* each. It's a good deal! They're made from good materials and should last eight to ten years!"

Qin Rongshi didn't speak, simply handing over the money.

Qin Banban, meanwhile, couldn't put down the osmanthus hairpins, her wide eyes sparkling as she looked at Liu Guyu and said cheerfully, "Brother Liu, you should pick something too!"

Hearing this, Qin Rongshi also looked at Liu Guyu.

But Liu Guyu shook his head repeatedly. "I don't need anything! A strip of cloth does the job just fine for me! I don't like these things. I'd rather save the money for food... No one's cooking at home today, so let's just eat before heading back!"

Liu Guyu wasn't being insincere.

He genuinely didn't like them!

Here, men were raised like girls. The original owner loved applying rouge and wearing flowers in his hair, which Liu Guyu found strange. Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps.

Of course, plain wooden hairpins were nice, but Liu Guyu still hadn't learned how to put his hair up properly after all this time!

It was too difficult!

Using a cloth strip to tie his hair was much simpler!

After buying the hairpins, the group continued to stroll around. After exploring the temple fair alley, Cui Lanfang took them to the Guanyin Temple to pray for peace charms.

"Make sure to keep them safe! Keep them close to you and don't take them out," she reminded them tirelessly.

Now, each of the four family members had a peace charm kept on their persons. None of the three dared to say otherwise and nodded in agreement.

Seeing that it was getting late, Cui Lanfang remembered what Liu Guyu had said earlier and decided they should eat in town before heading back.

In the past, she would have been reluctant to spend the extra money, but after spending so much already today, a bit more wouldn't hurt.

"Everyone must be hungry, right? Let's eat early today, then go back and rest properly. Especially Liu Ge'er and Erlang—you two must be worn out from all the work these past few days. Go back and rest well!"

With the temple fair over, Liu Guyu wasn't in a hurry to set up his stall again. His original plan was to only set up on market days. In Fushui Town, there was a small market every three days and a large market every fifteen days. Only on these days was it busy and lively.

The group talked about eating but walked through the alley for a while without deciding. This spot looked good, that one smelled delicious—it was hard to choose. After walking for a long time, they finally sat down at a wonton stall.

They ordered four bowls of wontons and grabbed a steamer of pork buns from the steamed bun stall next door.

"You've come to the right place! There are plenty of wonton stalls on this street, but I'm the only one selling Bamboo Shoot and Fern Wontons (Author's note ①)! Not to brag, but with my skills, even if you go to a restaurant, you won't find this flavor!"

The owner was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, honest-looking, talking to them while wrapping wontons. He didn't even need to look; his hands were so quick that he had already wrapped five or six in the time it took to say this.

Bamboo Shoot and Fern Wontons, as the name suggests, use wild bamboo shoots and fiddlehead ferns as filling, emphasizing that fresh and crisp taste.

The owner quickly brought the wontons over and smiled humbly, "Bamboo Shoot and Fern Wontons are best in spring when the bamboo shoots and fiddlehead ferns are at their freshest. There are still bamboo shoots and fiddlehead ferns now, but the flavor really can't compare to spring's. When spring comes next year, come back to my stall and try it! It'll be ten times more delicious!"

The owner spoke modestly, but Liu Guyu took a bite of the wonton and found the flavor already excellent. Even Liu Guyu, a food connoisseur, couldn't find any fault with it. For a moment, it was hard to imagine what Bamboo Shoot and Fern Wontons that were ten times tastier would be like!

Fresh tender bamboo shoots, picked after the rain, peeled and finely diced. The fiddleheads were picked at their tenderest tips, chopped, and mixed with the bamboo shoot dices. After a quick blanch, they were seasoned to make the filling. The wonton wrappers were as thin as gauze, the bamboo shoots fresh and crisp, and the fiddleheads added a unique wild aroma that enhanced the freshness.

Served in a white ceramic bowl, the wild flavors were so delicious that it tasted even better than meat.

The craftsmanship of the ancients should not be underestimated—even in these small alleys, there are hidden masters!

Liu Guyu thought to himself as he ate.

After the meal, the family had enjoyed themselves enough and started gathering their things to head home.

On the ox cart, Qin Banban was still talking about the interesting things she had seen that day. She spoke slowly, stringing sentences together, and it took her a long time to finish.

"The temple fair is so fun, no wonder everyone likes to go."

"There were so many things for sale, and they had such fresh varieties."

...

Listening to the young girl's tender voice, the ox cart rumbled into the village.

At this hour, many households in the village were cooking, pale smoke rising from the chimneys, swirling together in strands before finally dispersing among the green peaks.

They made their way home by cart, and as they reached their door, they noticed a young man crouched outside their neighbor's house across the street.

Though his back was turned to them, Cui Lanfang recognized him at a glance and blurted out instinctively.

"Qing Zhu?!"

Author's Note:

----------------------

①Bamboo Shoot and Fern Wontons: From "Mountain Family's Light Offerings" (To be honest, I'm quite curious about what this tastes like).