Chapter 25 Taro Stems

Chapter 25: Taro Stems

Only a few days remained until the next market day, which fell on the fifth, fifteenth, or twenty-fifth of the month.

When Lin Shu first arrived, she had only briefly glimpsed Jingxi Town. She hadn't yet had a proper look, nor did she know if the market, held every five days, was truly as lively as her mother claimed.

However, after spending these past few days in Tianshui Village, she had already begun to consider selling food.

The people of the southwest had always held a deep appreciation for food. As long as they weren't utterly destitute, most were willing to spend a little money to satisfy their cravings. If she could create some unique dishes, she was certain she could entice people to willingly open their wallets!

Her motivation for this plan was simple: to earn more money to indulge her own palate. She herself was quite the gourmand. Only by making money could she afford to buy various ingredients and seasonings to prepare all sorts of delicious meals.

Life was fleeting, just a few decades. Eating well, drinking well, and enjoying oneself were paramount.

However, Tianshui Village was too far from Jingxi Town for a daily food business to be practical. Lin Shu mused that she would seize the opportunity when the market was crowded. If business was good, she could make a decent sum.

Zhang Qiaohua, unaware that Lin Shu's thoughts had already turned to setting up a food stall, naturally agreed when she heard this, growing fonder of this niece she had only known for a few days.

Recalling that her husband had brought back some wild boar meat, Zhang Qiaohua hurried inside to retrieve two embroidered silk handkerchiefs she had prepared earlier and presented them to Lin Shu. "The shopkeeper's wife said my patterns were outdated and the stitches weren't fine enough, so she drove the price down too hard. I was so annoyed I refused to sell them. They're perfect for you, A Shu. You can use them to wipe sweat or for anything else."

Silk handkerchiefs were expensive, especially embroidered ones. Lin Shu glanced at them—the stitches weren't particularly fine, but they depicted plum blossoms and orchids, both beloved by scholars and poets. How could they be outdated? It was likely just an excuse her aunt had used.

Lin Shu accepted the gesture. "These handkerchiefs are beautiful. Thank you, Third Aunt."

"I know you've seen all sorts of rare and precious things, but I truly don't have anything better to give you. I'm just glad you like these handkerchiefs."

Lin Shu smiled. "Third Aunt, that's all in the past. I can't afford such luxuries now. I genuinely love these handkerchiefs."

After Lin Shu left, Zhang Qiaohua placed her hands on her hips and burst into laughter. "Hahahaha..."

A scholar! She had only dared to dream of such a thing before!

...

Not to mention the wild joy Lin Dashui experienced upon returning from the fields and hearing the news. As for Lin Shu, she returned and gave one of the handkerchiefs to Lin Xiaopu, who was absolutely delighted. She hid in her room, secretly admiring herself, even twisting the orchid-embroidered handkerchief into a flower and wearing it in her hair. "Big sister, do I look pretty?"

Lin Shu was thoroughly amused. "Pretty, pretty, pretty! You're the prettiest among all the girls your age for miles around!"

She wasn't exaggerating. Their mother was a natural beauty, though years of hard labor had left their mark on her face. Since she and Xiaopu shared the same mother, and Lin Shu herself was quite comely, Xiaopu couldn't be far behind. It was simply that she hadn't fully blossomed yet, and her slightly sallow skin somewhat diminished her appearance.

"Come on, pretty girl. Let's go up the mountain to pick some grass jelly plants. When Brother A Ye comes back, we'll make a big basin of Guanyin tofu and set it right in front of him so he can eat until he's stuffed."

"Alright!"

"While we're at it, let's pick some cypress leaves and mugwort leaves. I'll make a simple shampoo, and we'll all wash our hair today."

Lin Xiaopu said, "But we just washed it not long ago. We usually wash it the day before market day."

Lin Shu was surprised. "The market is only every ten days. Do you only wash your hair once every ten days?"

Lin Xiaopu: "Yes, and we're considered quite diligent about it. Some folks in the village only wash once a month. But Brother A Ye is even more meticulous—he washes every three to five days. Mom saves the rice water for him. Oh, and our family uses rice water to wash our hair. If it's really dirty, we add some plant ash."

Lin Shu was stunned into silence after hearing this.

Washing hair once every ten days was considered diligent? And it was summer, summer!

On her journey to Tianshui Village, she had bathed whenever there was an inn or post station. It was only because she considered the family's poor circumstances that she had waited this long to bring up washing hair.

However, upon reflection, it made sense. The ancients believed the body, skin, and hair were gifts from one's parents, so not a single strand of hair could be cut. Both men and women had thick, long hair, which took forever to wash. After washing, they could only wring it dry with a cloth, making the entire process very tedious.

For wealthy ladies and young misses, it was fine—they had money, leisure, and maids to assist them. But rural families were constantly busy with endless farm work, so they naturally economized where they could on tedious tasks like washing hair and bathing.

"Xiaopu, from now on, you'll wash your hair with me every three days. I'll ask Mom and Dad—if they don't want to, that's fine." Since Xiaopu had said their family was already diligent about washing hair, Lin Shu couldn't force her parents to wash more frequently.

"Okay! Big sister, there are soapberry trees deep in the mountains. Brother Zhou Ye sometimes brings back some soapberries from there. They're great for washing hair, but they haven't fully grown yet."

Lin Shu was pleased to hear this—soapberries were indeed a great find. "Why didn't you pick more in previous years and save them?"

"We did, but not much, and they were used up long ago. Brother A Ye goes to the mountains mainly to look for food. Picking soapberries is just a side task, so he doesn't gather many."

Hearing this, Lin Shu was even more eager to explore the deep mountains. Not venturing too far in, just around the outskirts—perhaps she would stumble upon an unexpected treasure.

The sun was already blazing. Spotting a wild taro plant by the roadside, Lin Shu reached out to break off a leaf. Lin Xiaopu quickly warned her, "Big sister, be careful not to touch the sap inside the stem or leaves. It makes your hands itch."

Lin Shu raised an eyebrow. "Xiaopu, you know about this?"

Lin Xiaopu covered her mouth and giggled. "This is wild taro. It looks just like the taro we grow in the fields—of course I know it. But big sister, although the top part looks like taro, it doesn't grow taro underground. If you want to eat taro, wait another month or two. Our own taro will be ready then, and we can eat it all winter."

Lin Shu was pleasantly surprised. "We grow taro at home?"

Taro was wonderful—whether used in savory dishes or sweet desserts, it was delicious. Think taro rice cakes, taro and pork rib soup, or taro paste and taro ball soup.

Not only that, taro could also be used to make wine! Both taro wine and taro huangjiu tasted great!

The more Lin Shu thought about it, the more her mouth watered.

But judging by Xiaopu’s expression, their family probably only prepared it simply—roasted, boiled, or steamed.

This taro wasn't like the fragrant taro variety; its texture was rougher, chewier, and blander. It also didn't keep well. After harvest, they likely ate it meal after meal until it was gone, only then switching to rice or wheat. If they hadn't gotten sick of it, it was only because food was scarce, and having anything to eat was already good.

Lin Xiaopu replied, "Every household in Tianshui Village grows taro. It fills you up easily. Our family has three *mu* of paddy fields and two *mu* of dry fields. The paddy fields grow rice, one and a half *mu* of dry fields grow wheat, and after harvesting the wheat, we plant beans. The remaining half *mu* is near the stream and grows taro. The dry fields are on the other side of the small hill, so you haven't seen them. Not many people buy taro in town, so we usually keep it for ourselves."

The small hill Lin Xiaopu mentioned was next to the farthest paddy field. It was smaller than a mountain but larger than a slope. Blocked by this hill, water from the big river couldn't be diverted there, so only the small stream could be used for irrigation, which was why it was classified as dry land.

"When the taro is ripe, I'll make you taro paste cakes!"

In high spirits, Lin Shu still broke off two taro leaves with stems. Each of them held one over their head to shade themselves from the sun.

Then she explained to Lin Xiaopu, "What you call wild taro is also known as taro leaves. Although it looks like taro, it's not the same thing. The stems of taro leaves are edible—they're incredibly fragrant stewed with duck or fish, and they're also excellent pickled. Next month is the best time to pick them. When the time comes, we'll gather a big bunch, go back and kill that pheasant we're raising in the chicken coop, and stew it with these taro stems. I guarantee it'll make your mouth water!"

Lin Xiaopu quickly wiped the corner of her mouth and grinned. "Big sister, I've remembered it all—taro paste cakes, and taro stem stewed chicken!"