Chapter 33: Idle Talk

Chapter 33: Village Gossip

After a moment, Zhou Ye nodded in agreement with Lin Shu’s words, grunting, "You're right."

"Just you wait. Not only will there be Guanyin Tofu for you today, but I’m also making other snacks."

Zhou Ye glanced at her lively eyes and slightly raised chin, listening to her soft, delicate tone, and responded with a noncommittal "Hmm."

"You’re such a quiet type, not even bothering to say you’re looking forward to it. Oh well, you clearly aren’t very observant anyway. I’m off—just wait and see!"

With that, Lin Shu took Lin Xiaopu and headed toward the back hill, looking full of energy and purpose.

Zhou Ye watched the two young girls walk away, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, then turned his attention to his own tasks.

The fish pond he had dug was quite large, and with the need to lay both gravel and pebbles, it would take at least a dozen or even twenty trips.

Zhou Ye successfully borrowed two carrying baskets from Grandpa Gao’s house. Using a carrying pole to carry the baskets and a large bamboo back basket on his back, he filled the carrying baskets with gravel and the back basket with pebbles. The back basket, now heavy with pebbles, felt light as he lifted it effortlessly with one hand and steadied it with the other, hoisting it securely onto his back. With the basket in place and the carrying pole balanced on his right shoulder, he made quick work of the trip back.

Under a nearby old locust tree, several village women had gathered in the shade to spin hemp and chat. This old locust tree was a favorite spot for the women of Sweetwater Village, especially on hot days, offering a vast, cool shade and a refreshing breeze that made it a comfortable retreat.

Though they were some distance away, the women under the tree could clearly see Zhou Ye’s movements. Watching him carry the heavy load with ease, they grew curious, wondering what he was up to.

Sweetwater Village was full of thatched cottages and bamboo fences—even building new houses or walls wouldn’t require river gravel.

One of the women, who had just joined the group with her own hemp, solved the mystery. "I ran into A Ye on the road and asked him. He said he’s digging a fish pond behind the house, and the gravel is for lining the pond."

Hearing this, the women shook their heads and chuckled.

"What big fish could possibly be caught in Sweetwater Village’s little streams and creeks that he needs to dig a whole pond for them?"

One woman lowered her voice. "A Ye never thought about digging a fish pond before. I bet it’s the newly returned one who wants it."

"Just a few days back, and she already has A Ye wrapped around her finger. That girl is pretty, sure, but she’s delicate and doesn’t look like she’s used to hard work. If she and A Ye really end up together, I reckon he’ll be doing all the heavy lifting at home."

"Tsk, some people are just born lucky. Spent over a decade as a Marquis's daughter in the capital’s noble house, and now here in Sweetwater Village, she gets a capable man for free. Never had to suffer a day in her life—can’t compare, can’t compare."

"For a young lady from a wealthy family, coming to our rural village is hardship in itself. It’s not like she really fancies A Ye—she’s used to mingling with high-society young masters in the capital. She’s just settling for him."

As the gossip started to veer off track, someone interrupted, "Enough already. I think that girl is quite open and friendly. If it were anyone else, used to the good life in the capital, would they even want to come to our poor, remote village? I ran into her once on the road, and she even called me ‘Auntie.’ She’s a good girl. If anything, A Ye is the lucky one. What’s wrong with doting on his wife?"

The woman who had started the conversation quickly chimed in, "Exactly, exactly! I can tell A Ye is quite taken with her—he’s even smiling."

"Oh my, that boy always has a stern face. He actually smiles? I’ve never seen it once!"

"Pfft, right? It’s quite something. The young couple is happy with each other—why should we outsiders meddle?"

The rather sharp-tongued woman defended herself, "I’m just worried that a good boy like A Ye might be taken advantage of by a Marquis's daughter from the capital. I mean well."

A straightforward woman suddenly scoffed, "If you have ulterior motives, you should keep them hidden. Are you afraid no one will notice your little schemes?"

The woman, embarrassed and angry, raised her voice sharply, "What do you mean? Explain yourself to me, old woman!"

"Pah, fine, I’ll say it. After Lin Yao was taken away by the noble house, you started thinking about matching your niece with A Ye. But you hesitated, finding fault with him because he was bought by Lin Dashan and has no family background. If your niece married him, she’d have to put up with Lin Dashan and his wife’s attitudes, and that sickly little sister would be a money pit, draining funds on medicine. But now you see A Ye isn’t just strong—he also has wild boar hunting skills—and you regret it. Too bad his biological daughter is back, and you can’t have him. I suggest you drop your schemes to avoid further embarrassment!"

"You! Lin Zhaodi, you barren hen, how dare you spout nonsense in front of me! If your mother-in-law had the money to get your husband another wife, believe me, he’d have divorced you long ago!" The woman, seeing Lin Zhaodi’s upset expression, puffed up like a victorious rooster, hands on her hips. "Your own life is a mess, yet you have the nerve to meddle in others’ business. Pah!"

Lin Zhaodi threw the half-spun hemp back into the basin, rolled up her sleeves, and made to slap the woman across the face. "I’ll tear your filthy mouth apart!"

As the two were about to come to blows, the younger women nearby were at a loss, while the older ones hurried to break it up. After much persuasion, they managed to prevent an undignified scuffle.

Zhou Ye was unaware of this little incident, focused entirely on transporting the gravel and pebbles, working diligently and with concentration.

Lin Shu, meanwhile, was busy with other tasks. Taking little Lin Xiaopu along as her shadow, she went to the back hill and, as usual, gathered half a basket of Grass Jelly Plant leaves and picked a handful of indocalamus leaves.

Lin Xiaopu’s eyes lit up mischievously. "Elder Sister, are you going to make zongzi?"

There were indocalamus plants on Sweetwater Village’s back hill, and Elder Sister had said these leaves were used for wrapping zongzi. Since Elder Sister had mentioned craving zongzi a couple of days ago, what else could she be doing with these leaves now?

Lin Shu tapped her little nose and smiled. "You guessed right. I asked Mother, and we have some old glutinous rice at home. Not much, but enough for each person to have one zongzi. We’ll consider it a little treat for everyone."

Hearing this, Lin Xiaopu began to salivate in anticipation.

Mother’s zongzi, with nothing added but the fresh scent of indocalamus leaves, were delicious enough. How much tastier would Elder Sister’s alkaline zongzi be?

When they returned, Third Aunt Zhang Qiaohua was still there, chatting and laughing with He Guixiang as they spun hemp thread.

"Everyone says I have skilled hands, but Second Sister-in-law, your hands are even more skilled. Look how even and smooth your hemp thread is, so white and shiny. Not like me—I’m all tangled up and don’t know where to start…"

"You, stop teasing me. No matter how much effort I put into spinning these hemp thread balls, they’re not worth as much as the few pairs of shoes and handkerchiefs you sell."

Lin Shu stifled a laugh. It seemed that no matter where you went, there was no shortage of mutual flattery.

Zhang Qiaohua had come to spin hemp together mainly to mend their relationship. When she heard Lin Shu was making food, especially something using glutinous rice, she quickly packed up her things and prepared to leave.

Glutinous rice was even more expensive than polished rice. She couldn’t bring herself to stay longer—it would seem like she was hanging around for a free meal, and that was embarrassing.

He Guixiang quickly stopped her. "It’s still early. Stay a bit longer."

"No, no, it’s almost time to prepare supper. I can’t let Yu Shu’s father work on an empty stomach. Second Sister-in-law, I’ll come see you again tomorrow."

With that, she pulled away from He Guixiang’s attempts to keep her, picked up her bamboo basket of hemp, and hurried off as if someone were chasing her.

Lin Shu smiled. Third Aunt was indeed a straightforward person.

Just based on what Mother had said—that Third Aunt had stood up for her when Eldest Aunt bullied her—she couldn’t be a bad person. As for past misunderstandings, once they were talked out and understood, they could be put behind them.

"Xiao Pu, you’ve already seen how to make Guanyin Tofu. Today, I’ll leave it entirely to you. Can you handle it?"

Lin Xiaopu, entrusted with this important task, immediately puffed out her little chest. "No problem." Then she got straight to work.

Lin Shu, meanwhile, busied herself with what she called alkaline zongzi.

The leftover old glutinous rice at home wasn’t much. He Guixiang brought out a small pottery jar with just a bottom layer left, barely enough to fill a bowl—about seven or eight liang (roughly half a pound). After soaking, the rice would expand and plump up, enough to make five large zongzi. If the zongzi were smaller, they could even make ten.

There were plenty of indocalamus leaves, so there was no need to skimp. Lin Shu decided to make them smaller so everyone could have two.

After rinsing the glutinous rice, she soaked it in water in a basin and began preparing the alkaline water.

The yellow vitex branches and leaves dried on the large bamboo sieve last time were now fully dried, tied into small bundles and stored away.

Lin Shu lit a small stove, took a handful of the dried yellow vitex branches, burned them to ash, then filtered the ash with boiling water to obtain a bowl of pure natural alkaline water.

After about half an hour, the glutinous rice had absorbed enough water and plumped up fully. She drained it, poured in the alkaline water made from the yellow vitex branches, and mixed it evenly.

He Guixiang had thoughtfully prepared spoons, chopsticks, and straw ropes, watching her work with a smile. "Do you need Mother’s help? I don’t know how, but I can learn."

Lin Shu smiled warmly but declined. "Mother, you go attend to other things. I’ll wrap these zongzi in no time."

The glutinous rice, now mixed with alkaline water, had taken on a pale yellow hue. Lin Shu deftly placed two green indocalamus leaves back-to-back, rolled them into a cone shape, scooped a spoonful of rice into it, and used chopsticks to pack the bottom tightly. Not minding the extra effort, she packed each spoonful of rice firmly until the cone was nearly full, then lightly pressed it with the back of the spoon to ensure the cooked zongzi would be firm and not fall apart.

Folding the leaf edges down, Lin Shu twisted and wrapped the leaves, tucking the end into a seam, then tied it tightly with a straw rope. A petite, conical zongzi was complete.

Lin Xiaopu, having just finished filtering the Grass Jelly Plant pulp and letting it settle, came over to watch. Seeing her elder sister wrap zongzi as if weaving a flower, she exclaimed in amazement, "Elder Sister, your hands are so clever! I didn’t even see how you did it, and the zongzi is already wrapped. Elder Sister, can you teach me? I want to learn too!"

Lin Shu tapped her little nose and teased, "Even though I’m your elder sister, you still need to pay a little ‘teacher’s fee,’ don’t you think? Come on, praise your elder sister. If you praise me well enough, I’ll teach you step by step—guaranteed you’ll learn."