Chapter 14 Catching Loaches

Chapter 14: Catching Mud Eels

Lin Shu’s brow furrowed at the words. Thankfully, the family had split; she wanted no part of these awful relatives.

Yet, Xiao Pu’s words did clear up a long-standing puzzle. She had often wondered how the female lead, born prematurely to the Marquess’s wife, could have been swapped with the full-term original host without anyone noticing. Now she understood. Her own mother, undernourished and poorly clothed, had given birth to Lin Shu at full term, but the baby was so frail and thin she resembled a premature infant. According to the Marquess’s wife, the original host’s health was only restored after years of expensive medicinal treatments in childhood—just like Xiao Pu, who was also born with a delicate constitution.

Had the original host not been switched, she might not have survived in the Lin family at all.

Lin Shu gently stroked Lin Xiaopu’s head. "The hard times are behind us. Our family will only get better from now on."

"Mm!" Lin Xiaopu nodded emphatically.

She, too, felt that life had improved since leaving the extended family. She no longer had to endure her grandmother and aunt’s scornful looks or listen to Lin Duoliang call her a worthless burden to her face.

Since they were heading into the fields to gather snails, both changed into straw sandals. Lin Shu’s toes, exposed by the sandals, were pale and plump. Lin Xiaopu stole several glances along the way and couldn’t help but whisper, "Sister, your feet are so pale. Maybe you shouldn’t go into the field. Just wait for me on the ridge—I’ll gather the snails and catch the mud eels."

Lin Shu chuckled. "They’re pale because they haven’t seen the sun. After a few days in the sun, they’ll be the same color as yours."

As she spoke, she looked around and spotted a patch of smartweed growing by a ditch. This plant tended to grow in clusters, with willow-like leaves and long-lasting pink blossoms that already adorned the branches.

"Sister, you know this too? This is yeast plant. It grows everywhere near fields and water, though it’s often weeded out in the fields. There’s plenty by the streams and rivers. Every midsummer, after the hemp work is done, every household in Sweetwater Village gathers yeast plant to make yeast, then brew a large jar of fermented rice wine to enjoy during celebrations. A big jar of fermented rice wine, if used sparingly, can last until the beginning of next year!"

At the mention of fermented rice wine, Lin Xiaopu licked her lips.

Glutinous rice was expensive. In Sweetwater Village, it was only used during the summer for making fermented rice wine and during the Mid-Autumn Festival for sticky rice cakes—and even then, only in years when the harvest was good.

"I can’t wait for New Year’s," she said. Only during the New Year could they eat a little more freely.

Lin Shu chuckled. "Why wait for New Year’s? I’ll make sure you get to enjoy delicious food even before then."

"Actually, this yeast plant has many other names: smartweed, water pepper, and fish-stunning weed. It can repel earthworms and leeches, remove fishy odors in cooking, and even stun fish to make them easier to catch!"

"Really? It has so many uses? Sister, sister, how does it stun fish?"

Lin Shu tweaked her little nose playfully and said with a smile, "It’s too late today. I’ll teach you tomorrow."

Lin Xiaopu blinked, already looking forward to the next day.

"Sister, how do you know so much? Is it all written in books?"

"Of course. The Marquess’s mansion had all kinds of books. I wasn’t interested in much else, but I loved studying plants and flowers. The weeds and wildflowers on our back mountain are all treasures. I’ll tell you all about them one by one later."

Lin Xiaopu nodded excitedly, bobbing her head like a little bird pecking at grain.

Lin Shu picked a few stalks of smartweed, crushed them with a nearby stone to extract the juice. The smell was tolerable, but when she applied it to her legs, her calves immediately felt a burning sensation.

"Sister, it’s so pungent! So pungent!"

"It needs to be pungent—that’s how we keep the leeches in the field from latching on."

Both rolled up their pants and applied the smartweed juice before stepping into the field.

Although every household had fields with plenty of mud eels and snails, some were stingy and forbade others from entering their fields, fearing the rice plants would be trampled. So, the two entered their own rice field. The five *mu* of land allocated to Lin Dashan were not in one place, but this separate one-*mu* rice field wasn’t too far away.

It was already dusk. Farmers carrying hoes were wrapping up their work for the day, heading back for their evening meal and rest. But the two in the field were having fun.

The field was full of snails—they could easily pick up handfuls with ease. Catching mud eels, however, required a bit more effort.

After locating a mud eel hole, Lin Shu crept up quietly to avoid startling the mud eel inside. When she was close enough, she gently touched the entrance of the burrow.

Once she confirmed there was a loach inside, Lin Shu swiftly reached out, grabbing the loach’s head with a quick and precise grab before tossing it into the bucket.

Lin Xiaopu, not to be outdone, also caught a loach, but she failed to get a good grip. The slippery loach fell back into the field and immediately burrowed into the mud.

Lin Xiaopu wiped the mud splatters from her face, her cheeks puffing up in frustration, which made Lin Shu burst into laughter.

After half an hour, the bucket held five or six loaches and a thin layer of field snails at the bottom. By then, only the last glow of sunset remained.

"Father should be back soon. Let's go home—"

The two washed their feet in the ditch by the field, put on their straw sandals, and headed home. On the way back, Lin Shu picked some duckfoot mugwort she had spotted earlier.

Though smartweed could remove fishy odors, it relied on the pungency of its stems and leaves, making it more suitable for stewing fish and turtle. For field snails and loaches, which have a strong earthy smell, duckfoot mugwort was better—hence its alternative name, "loach vegetable."

It was a pity she didn’t see any wild perilla; adding some would have been even better. Any aquatic creature cooked with perilla would have its earthy smell completely masked by the plant’s unique fragrance, making the stew especially delicious. Perilla could also be used to make perilla drink, one of the favorite beverages among the nobility in the capital.

Xiao Pu, seeing her casually pick another handful of wild grass by the ditch, was no longer surprised. Whatever weed or wild plant it was, in her sister’s words, it always had great uses.

By the time they returned, the sky was growing dim.

"Mother, is father not back yet?"

"Based on usual times, he should be soon," He Guixiang replied with a smile.

Lin Shu rinsed the loaches and field snails in the bucket, replaced the water with clean water, and added a handful of salt—the quickest way to make them spit out mud and sand and other impurities.

In truth, it would be better to keep the freshly caught loaches and field snails in clean water for a few days before cooking. Letting them sit in clean water for a few days helps them expel more impurities, greatly improving their texture. It would be even better if they could use mountain spring water.

Unfortunately, the family only had two wooden buckets, both frequently used, so they couldn’t be spared for this purpose.

It would be much more convenient if they had a fishpond.

Once this idea crossed Lin Shu’s mind, she couldn’t let it go.

In front of the house was the stream villagers used for drinking water, which could only be diverted, not disturbed. But behind the house, there was mountain spring water flowing down from the hills. The spring water was plentiful, trickling down from the back mountain, converging into a small stream that flowed for over a hundred meters before emptying into the field’s irrigation ditch.

Lin Shu couldn’t help but start thinking about using that mountain spring water.

But this matter wasn’t urgent. Digging a large pond would require considerable effort, and it was currently the busy season. The only strong workers at home were father and Zhou Ye. She would bring it up when they were less busy. By then, she could prepare a few more delicious meals for father and Zhou Ye. Once they were well-fed and satisfied, everything would be easier to discuss.

"Sister! Sister! The juice from the 'stinky plant' in the pottery pot has turned into a big block of green tofu!" Lin Xiaopu suddenly exclaimed in delight.

Hearing this, He Guixiang also came over to look, her expression equally amazed.

Lin Shu washed her hands, smiling as she fetched a kitchen knife to cut off a large portion and placed it on a plate.

The solidified juice of the Guanyin grass had turned into a translucent emerald-green jelly, smooth and tender like Jell-O. It had a fresh, aromatic flavor, was cool and slippery to the touch, and extremely refreshing—a perfect summer treat to beat the heat.

It was delicious with just a sprinkle of salt. For those who preferred stronger flavors, it could be topped with chili oil, garlic paste, and scallions, then drizzled with vinegar and soy sauce. Unfortunately, the Da Yan Dynasty had not yet introduced chili peppers.

It could also be made sweet by mixing in some sugar and dried fruits. If they had milk, it could even be turned into a sweet milky drink.

Lin Shu took a thin bamboo skewer and scored the jade-green block into a grid, causing the large piece to break apart into small cubes. She then sprinkled on a small spoonful of salt, added some chopped wild onions and garlic paste, and the dish of vibrant green jelly was ready.

"This snack is called Guanyin Tofu. Mother and Xiao Pu, quickly get your chopsticks and give it a try!"

There was no need for Lin Shu to remind them—Lin Xiaopu had already brought over the spoons and chopsticks.

After just one bite, her eyes widened in surprise. "So smooth and tender, and ice-cold too. It’s really delicious!"

He Guixiang stayed quiet but had already eaten two pieces.

Author's Note: