Chapter 12: Chaste Tree

Chapter 12: Vitex

Lin Xiaopu never expected that bamboo fungus could be not only edible but also so delicious. Her mouth watered, and she couldn’t help swallowing. "Sister, it rains a lot here. Next time it rains, let’s come early in the morning to pick more of this bamboo fungus!"

Bamboo fungus typically grew on old bamboo roots. The two made a mental note of the spot with well-developed roots and happily moved on to explore other areas.

By lunchtime, they came upon the source of a mountain spring. Small streams of clear water trickled from between the rocks, merging into a steady flow. As it cascaded over a flat, broad stone, it formed a small waterfall, silver droplets splashing down into a pool below before winding its way further down the mountain.

The Lin sisters used their bamboo cups to collect water directly from the little waterfall. They drank the sweet, cool spring water and ate some flatbread.

In the Great Yan Dynasty, wealthy families had long adopted the practice of eating three meals a day, but the poor still stuck to two: one in the morning around *Chenshi* (approximately 7–9 a.m.) and another in the evening around *Shenshi* (approximately 3–5 p.m.), commonly known as breakfast and dinner.

After their simple meal, more villagers began arriving in the mountains. Since adults were busy with farm work, most of those who came were children. Older girls arrived to cut grass, while mischievous seven- or eight-year-old boys scrambled about hunting for bird eggs.

One troublemaker spotted them and shouted, "Look, look! It’s the fake heiress from the marquis’ household in the capital! The fake heiress is out digging wild vegetables with Uncle Lin’s sickly daughter!"

Lin Shu: ...

She clenched her fists.

Who exactly was this brat?

The boy teasing them looked about ten years old—dark-skinned and sturdy—clearly the ringleader among a group of similarly wild, monkey-like children.

His words triggered laughter from the others.

"Sister, that’s Wang Yingen from the village," Lin Xiaopu whispered, instinctively trying to hide behind Lin Shu. But seeing Lin Shu frown, her face flushed with anger, Lin Xiaopu herself felt a surge of rage. She stepped forward and shouted, "Wang Yingen, you jerk! You called me sickly, and last time you said I was a short-lived ghost! I’m telling Aunt Li, and she’ll spank your bottom!"

Wang Yingen’s mother, Aunt Li, was famously fierce in Sweetwater Village. Her greatest wish was for her son to amount to something, but Wang Yingen was far from it—causing less trouble would already be an achievement. The village often echoed with the sounds of Aunt Li chasing and scolding him. Yet, the more he was beaten, the tougher he became, evolving into a little tyrant leading a pack of wild kids who spent their days raiding bird nests in trees or catching loaches and snails in the fields.

Now they had stumbled upon Lin Shu and Lin Xiaopu.

It was one thing to insult her, but insulting her sister was unacceptable. Lin Xiaopu was furious.

Wang Yingen stuck out his tongue and made a face. "Nyah nyah, you’re sickly, and you’re a short-lived ghost. What did I say wrong? Go tell my mom, go on, go on."

Complaining wouldn’t achieve much. When dealing with such brats, Lin Shu had her own methods. She smiled sweetly at the dark, sturdy boy and asked gently, "Your name is Wang Yingen, right? Have you ever eaten jade-dew lotus root powder osmanthus sugar cakes, candied longan, sweet steamed milk pudding, or *qiqiao* pastries? Have you played *cuju*, tangrams, nine-linked rings, or Luban locks? Have you heard operas about the nine-year-old county magistrate or the eight-year-old child emperor?"

Wang Yingen was dumbfounded.

What… what were all these things?

Lin Shu tilted her fair, slender neck, her expression calm, smiling more beautifully than a flower. "So what if I’m a fake heiress from the marquis’ household? You have no idea how many delicious foods I’ve eaten, how many wonderful drinks and fun things I’ve seen, or how many interesting operas and stories I’ve heard. A brat like you probably won’t get to taste or see any of them in your entire life."

By the time Lin Shu led Lin Xiaopu away, Wang Yingen was still standing there, stunned.

"Boss, boss, what were all those things the fake heiress mentioned?" one of his followers asked curiously.

Wang Yingen’s face turned red. "How should I know? I’ve never been to the capital!"

Meanwhile, Lin Xiaopu recalled Wang Yingen’s dazed expression and giggled. "Sister, you’re amazing! Wang Yingen was completely speechless!"

Lin Shu laughed. "In the future, I’ll make lots of delicious food and fun things for you. When you see him again, just ask if he’s ever eaten or played with them. I guarantee he’ll be so jealous he’ll wish he could become you."

Lin Xiaopu happily agreed, overjoyed. Her sister was so good to her! It was a different kind of kindness compared to before.

Before, her sister had always been focused on earning money, often too busy to spend time with her or play. But whenever her sister earned money from embroidery, she would secretly buy her candy. Eating those candies, she felt like the happiest child in Sweetwater Village.

This current sister willingly took her out to play. Not only was she as beautiful as a fairy, but she also knew so much about wild vegetables and stood up for her against Wang Yingen, leaving the foul-mouthed boy speechless for the first time. She really, really liked it!

Lin Xiaopu stepped forward, secretly taking her sister’s hand, her face slightly flushed. "Sister, the path ahead is rough. Let me hold your hand."

Lin Shu chuckled. Who was holding whose hand?

The back mountain was vast enough to explore for a whole day, and if they examined every spot carefully, even one day might not be sufficient.

But after just half a day, Lin Shu was exhausted. By the end, while Lin Xiaopu remained energetic, Lin Shu was already panting.

"Xiao Pu, aren’t you tired? I’m starting to gasp for breath."

Lin Xiaopu had a light sweat on her forehead but was still full of energy. "Sister, I’m not tired at all!"

Lin Shu was frustrated. If her sister was considered congenitally weak, then what did that make her? She was far too frail!

"Let’s go home. We’ll come back another time," Lin Shu said, physically tired but mentally energized.

Today’s trip had been incredibly fruitful—the mountain was full of treasures!

They had only explored a small part; who knew what other good things awaited in the rest?

On the way up, Lin Shu deliberately didn’t pick too many wild vegetables. On the way down, she gradually added them to her basket.

A bit of wild celery, amaranth, shepherd’s purse, crowndaisy chrysanthemum, mud-rooted vegetable, and tender malantou leaves. The angelica tree had already grown out, so they couldn’t harvest the tender thorn buds, which Lin Shu found somewhat regrettable. After all, spring thorn buds were known as the king of wild mountain vegetables, also called “ginseng on trees,” nutritious and delicious. The cudweed had also aged, but the tender tips could still be picked and used to make delicious green rice balls.

Thinking of this, Lin Shu asked, "Xiao Pu, what do people here eat during festivals? Do they eat green rice balls during Qingming? *Zongzi* during Dragon Boat Festival? What about Mid-Autumn Festival?"

"Green rice balls? *Zongzi*?" Lin Xiaopu looked puzzled, clearly unaware. "I don’t know about other places, but here in Sweetwater Village, during Qingming, we eat *Qingming baba*. There’s plenty of mugwort on the mountain. Villagers mash it and mix it with glutinous rice, shaping it into *baba*, which they then pan-fry or bake in a pot or stove. For Dragon Boat Festival, we don’t eat *zongzi* either. We eat *Tung leaf baba*. Old rice is ground into rice slurry, mixed with lard, wrapped in Tung leaves, and steamed—it’s so fragrant! You came a few days too late, otherwise you could have tasted the *Tung leaf baba* Mom made. As for Mid-Autumn Festival, we make glutinous rice cakes by steaming and mashing glutinous rice..."

Lin Shu wasn’t surprised.

This area was remote, with unique customs. It was normal not to eat *zongzi* or other common festival foods. However, having come from the bustling capital, she knew that not only there but also in other prefectures, food culture was rich and diverse. Sweetwater Village was simply too poor, and many delicacies hadn’t been developed, resulting in a limited diet for its people.

The villagers’ knowledge of wild vegetables was also incomplete, likely because Sweetwater Village had rarely suffered from famines.

Lin Shu pointed to the aged cudweed. "When our family is better off next year, I’ll use the tender leaves of this cudweed to make *Qingming baba* for you. This wild grass makes the real, fragrant, and delicious *Qingming baba*!"

"Wow, wow! Sister, you know so much!"

Lin Shu grinned. "Of course! Just think about where I came from."

Lin Xiaopu giggled along. "Hehe."

The people of Sweetwater Village had never seen anyone higher than the county magistrate. The capital was too distant to even imagine. So, in Lin Xiaopu’s eyes, it was perfectly natural for her sister to know everything.

Whatever her sister said, she believed.

"And this Grass Jelly Plant—let’s pick more of it."

Lin Xiaopu wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Sister, why pick this? It smells awful. We call it stinky plant—even pigs won’t eat it."

Lin Shu laughed. "It smells bad now, but when I make Guanyin Tofu, don’t eat it too eagerly." The Grass Jelly Plant did have a peculiar rotten smell, hence its nickname “rotten maid,” but it was truly a fine ingredient.

"What? This can be used to make tofu?" After her initial surprise, Lin Xiaopu immediately agreed. "Sister, let’s pick more then!"

On the way down, Lin Shu also broke off some cypress branches and gathered a bundle of common vitex.

Lin Xiaopu asked curiously, "I won’t ask about the cypress leaves, but sister, why are you picking this vitex?"

Lin Shu raised an eyebrow teasingly, "Going back to make Vitex-fried pork?"

"What? I only know this thing hurts when used for hitting—it can be fried with meat too? Aunt Li loves using these vitex branches to whip Wang Yingen. Sometimes you can hear Aunt Li’s scolding from far away, and Wang Yingen screams in pain like a slaughtered pig."

Lin Shu burst into laughter. "Whipping a naughty kid’s butt until it’s covered in red streaks, burning with pain—isn’t that 'Vitex-fried pork'? As the old saying goes: spare the rod and spoil the child. Good behavior comes from the vitex switch."

Lin Xiaopu was stunned for a moment, then joined in the laughter. "Sis, you got me!"

"The 'Vitex-fried pork' was a joke, but the alkaline water *zongzi* made with Vitex turns golden, crystal clear, and incredibly aromatic and glutinous—that part is no lie."

Lin Xiaopu was practically drooling.