Chapter 34: Lye Water Zongzi

Chapter 34 Alkaline Zongzi

Lin Xiaopu immediately launched into a flurry of compliments, racking her brains for every possible word of praise. Her flushed little face made Lin Shu burst into laughter.

"You're teasing me on purpose, Sis!" Lin Xiaopu stamped her foot in mock indignation.

"That's what little sisters are for, isn't it? Hahaha..."

He Guixiang watched the two sisters laughing and playing, a smile unconsciously spreading across her own face.

Truth be told, she was also surprised. Her family had been poor, living hand-to-mouth. Simply having food to eat was a blessing, let alone glutinous rice zongzi. Even during the Dragon Boat Festival, they couldn't afford tung leaf buns. It wasn't until she married Lin Dashan that their life improved. With several years of good harvests, every household began to see a glimmer of hope and could spare some money for snacks. Now, various kinds of *baba* and *ciba* were commonplace, and even *laozao* (fermented glutinous rice) and cured meats were affordable. It was only then that she learned how to wrap tung leaf buns from her two sisters-in-law.

These zongzi were far more difficult to wrap than tung leaf buns. She never imagined that after all these years as a young lady, A Shu not only had a discerning palate but could also cook with her own hands.

But she had heard that young ladies from wealthy families never entered the kitchen. For a mistress to do such things would invite scorn. A Shu's life in the Marquis's residence must not have been as smooth as she had imagined.

At this thought, He Guixiang's gaze softened, filled with even more tenderness for her own daughter.

Lin Shu had no idea what her mother was imagining. At that moment, she was meticulously teaching Lin Xiaopu how to wrap zongzi, step by step.

Lin Xiaopu was quite adept with her hands. After just one demonstration, she had already learned and was wrapping them quite skillfully.

"Mom, look, look! How did I do?!"

He Guixiang smiled and responded, "You wrapped them beautifully! I haven't even learned how yet."

"It's all because Sis taught me so well," Lin Xiaopu said with a sly grin.

"Oh, I'm so scared! As the saying goes, 'The apprentice teaches the master.' If our Xiao Pu is this clever, once she learns all my skills, won't she be even more capable than me, a former young lady?"

Lin Xiaopu giggled. "If I can learn even a fraction of what Sis knows, then suitors will be lining up at our doorstep!"

He Guixiang teased, "You little girl, talking about marriage already! Aren't you ashamed?"

"Mom, Sis said we can say whatever we want in this family—no need to be proper all the time. Even if others want to marry me, I won't go. I'll stay at home forever, being Mom's daughter and Sis's little sister."

"You say that now, but just wait until you truly fall for some young man. Then we'll see if you still say the same."

"Just you wait and see, Mom."

Laughter filled the room with the mother and her two daughters, brimming with joy.

With Lin Xiaopu's help, the glutinous rice was soon used up, yielding twelve small zongzi!

He Guixiang had already started the fire when she estimated they were almost done. The zongzi were placed in the pot, covered with water, and boiled for at least an hour until the glutinous rice inside became soft and thoroughly cooked.

While waiting for the zongzi, Lin Shu helped He Guixiang turn over the shiitake mushrooms drying in the courtyard. Sweetwater Village's summers were often rainy, so they couldn't waste a single sunny day. Once the shiitake mushrooms were sufficiently dried, they could be sold at the next market day in town.

Remembering the purslane she had seen on the way back, Lin Shu decided to call Lin Xiaopu to pick more in the evening when the sun wasn't so harsh.

Purslane could be found everywhere—in fields, along roadsides, at the foot of mountains—wherever there was sunlight.

As one of the most common wild vegetables, purslane could be prepared in many ways: eaten cold, stir-fried, pickled, or added to hot pot. But Lin Shu’s favorite was dried purslane stewed with meat.

Taking advantage of the good weather these past few days, she planned to pick more purslane and dry it for storage. Dried purslane could last a long time and was perfect as a base for dishes like steamed pork with rice flour or braised pork belly—absolutely delicious! Moreover, though it was a wild vegetable, purslane was rich in nutrients and had medicinal properties, making it a valuable food and medicine combination.

Lin Shu had asked Xiao Pu about the wild vegetables commonly eaten in Sweetwater Village. The villagers often consumed fish mint, tender mulberry leaves, fiddlehead ferns, Chinese toon shoots, thorny shoots, shepherd's purse, and bamboo shoots. Many of these were only available in spring, and by now, they were either out of season or too tough to eat. That was why fewer women went to the mountains to gather wild vegetables—partly because it was the season for preparing hemp thread, and partly because edible wild vegetables were scarce.

But purslane could be harvested from late spring until the end of summer. Having experienced hunger, Lin Shu had developed a habit of stocking up on food. There weren’t many foods that could be stored in summer, so dried vegetables were a must. She had also talked with A Ye about the dried shiitake mushrooms—they wouldn’t sell all of them but keep some for themselves.

After turning over the shiitake mushrooms in the courtyard, Lin Shu joined her mother in spinning hemp thread.

He Guixiang looked at her tenderly. "A Shu’s hands are so skillful. The hemp thread you’ve made is already as good as mine."

Lin Shu laughed. "I'm only skilled when it comes to food and fun. Other things, not so much. For example, my needlework is just average."

Young ladies from wealthy families preferred to compete in arts like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Though they also learned needlework, they didn’t need to excel at it since their households employed embroiderers. As long as they could stitch a presentable pattern, it was enough. The original host of this body had never been fond of needlework and slacked off when she could, so her skills were mediocre.

Mentioning needlework made He Guixiang hesitate slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.

Lin Shu secretly glanced at her, a small smile playing on her lips.

She had done it on purpose. Her needlework was average, but Lin Yao’s was excellent. Bringing up the topic would naturally make her mother think of Lin Yao. It was better to remember her from time to time rather than suppress the memories and suddenly grieve.

"Sis, the Guanyin Tofu is ready!" Lin Xiaopu squatted in front of the large basin of vibrant green Guanyin Tofu, grinning like a little god of wealth. "This time, I made it all by myself, and it turned out just as good as yours."

"Xiao Pu is amazing! From now on, the task of making Guanyin Tofu is all yours." Lin Shu cut the entire basin of Guanyin Tofu into pieces, seasoned it, and chilled it with mountain spring water.

"The weather is getting hotter every day. After chilling the Guanyin Tofu for a while, we can take it to the fields along with the zongzi so Dad can have a snack while working."

Lin Xiaopu immediately volunteered for the task. "The sun is strong outside, Sis. I’ll go deliver the food to Dad."

"Let’s go together."

The aroma of zongzi had already begun to waft from the pot. Lin Xiaopu swallowed hard and asked, "Sis, how much longer until we can eat the zongzi?"

"It should be about ready." Lin Shu poked the zongzi with chopsticks. They slid in easily, bringing out a bit of golden glutinous rice. Confirming they were thoroughly cooked, she fished them all out. "Look at you, so eager! We still need to let them cool down. They taste better when cool."

They had to take care of the laborers in the family, but they couldn’t shortchange themselves either. Lin Shu served three small plates of Guanyin Tofu, one for each of the mother and daughters. Even if He Guixiang wanted to eat less, Lin Shu would insist she finish hers. Lin Xiaopu, being a little foodie, needed no urging.

Next, they divided the zongzi. Originally, they had planned to make ten, with two for each of the five family members. But with twelve, there were two extra. Among the five, He Guixiang insisted on having only one. Though Lin Xiaopu was sensible, she was also craving them badly. Lin Shu gave her two and took two for herself. The remaining seven were divided into three for Dad and four for Zhou Ye.

"Let’s eat first. After we finish, we’ll deliver the food to Dad and A Ye," Lin Shu said.

Lin Xiaopu nodded eagerly, already using scissors to cut the grass rope binding the zongzi. She peeled back the layers of leaves, revealing the zongzi inside.

The alkaline zongzi had a golden, translucent appearance, looking incredibly beautiful.

Lin Xiaopu stared wide-eyed, reluctant to take a bite. "Sis, these zongzi are so pretty!"

Lin Shu teased, "Not just pretty—they’re delicious too. Go on, take a bite."

Lin Xiaopu swallowed again, aimed for the tip of the zongzi, and took a bite.

The alkaline zongzi were not only appealing to the eye but also lived up to their reputation in taste. The glutinous rice was incredibly soft and chewy, growing sweeter with each bite. The fragrance of the bamboo leaves and the zongzi itself were rich and aromatic.

Lin Xiaopu took one bite after another, her cheeks bulging. In no time, she had finished one small zongzi. "Mmm, so good, so good!"