Chapter 55: Compliments

Chapter 55: Bragging Rights

Lin Shu's words filled Lin Xiaopu with such anticipation that she wished she could close her eyes and open them again to find it was already tomorrow.

“By the way, A Ye and I are going to the market tomorrow. Is there anything Mother or you would like us to bring back?” Lin Shu asked.

Lin Xiaopu snuck a glance at He Guixiang and said with a grin, “Sister, I want some candy.”

Lin Shu also looked toward He Guixiang. “Mother already said we have plenty of money. We can certainly afford a piece of candy cake.”

He Guixiang readily agreed, “Buy it! As for me, I don’t need anything. I bought plenty of needles and thread last time, so they’ll last a while. But for oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar—A Shu, please buy a bit more of those.”

Lin Xiaopu chimed in playfully, “Yes, yes! This time we really should buy more. Ever since Sister came back, the oil and salt at home have been vanishing in no time.”

Lin Shu showed no embarrassment. “As the saying goes, food is paramount. Only when we eat well can we work with energy. Don’t you see how much more energetic Father and A Ye have been since they started eating and drinking well?”

Lin Xiaopu grinned and nodded eagerly. “My sister is right!”

Lin Shu patted her little head. “When A Ye gets back, Xiao Pu, could you please continue making the Guanyin Tofu? A Ye and I still have some work to do. We plan to set up a bamboo pipe to bring mountain spring water into the courtyard. That way, whether Mother is washing rice or vegetables, or we’re washing ourselves, we won’t have to bother fetching water from the kitchen jar.”

Lin Xiaopu listened with great curiosity, and He Guixiang asked a few more questions.

When Zhou Ye returned, carrying a bundle of Grass Jelly Plant on his back and a bundle of thin bamboo on his shoulder, the mother and her two daughters in the courtyard all turned to look at him.

Zhou Ye’s eyes almost immediately landed on the prettiest face among them.

His eyes widened slightly as he asked, “What’s going on?”

Lin Shu explained with a smile, “Mother and Xiao Pu heard that we’re planning to channel water into the courtyard, and they’re eager to see how it will look once you’re done.”

Zhou Ye nodded, setting down the basket and bamboo on the ground. “A Shu, come take a look. See which of these thin bamboo poles is most suitable.”

Lin Xiaopu, who had been about to approach out of curiosity, suddenly noticed something and gave a knowing look.

Brother A Ye’s call of “A Shu” sounded much more natural than the “Little Sister A Shu” her sister had coaxed him to say before. But wasn’t it a bit too natural?

Anyone who didn’t know better might think it was a man calling his own wife.

She slyly glanced at Zhou Ye, then at her sister, who was walking slowly toward him, and suddenly smirked softly to herself. Pretending she hadn’t noticed anything, she didn’t go any closer.

Over there, Lin Shu had already approached. After looking them over, she picked one. “This one is long, and the thinner end is just the right size. But this bamboo isn’t easy to bend. If we run it straight through, the long bamboo pipe behind the house will need to curve slightly. Also, since this bamboo is so long, the bamboo segments inside might be tough to clear…”

After listening, Zhou Ye searched through the pile of thin bamboo and found an even thinner one, with one end sharpened. “I’ve sized this one up—it should fit right inside. Let me try with this.”

Lin Shu couldn’t help but praise him, “If anyone says A Ye is slow in the future, I’ll be the first to disagree.”

From the side, Lin Xiaopu giggled and said, “Sister, then you should start with yourself! You’re the only one in the family who thinks Brother A Ye is slow.”

Lin Shu put her hands on her hips and glared at her. “Xiao Pu, whose side are you on? Why are you always contradicting me? Stay right there! I’m going to pinch your ears!” With that, she actually ran toward Lin Xiaopu.

Lin Xiaopu let out a yelp and took off running.

Listening to the sisters’ playful banter, Zhou Ye worked with renewed energy. He inserted the sharpened bamboo, and when he encountered a node, he applied a little force with his wrist, breaking right through it.

He continued this way, and when it became difficult to push from one end, he switched to the other.

In this manner, he hollowed out all the nodes in the long, thin bamboo. Since the bamboo he chose fit almost perfectly, the nodes were completely pierced and cleared. Even if a few bits remained, the flowing water would eventually wash away any fragments left on the bamboo joints over time.

Zhou Ye turned to look at the chasing sisters, his gaze resting on Lin Shu’s smiling face. After a moment, he said, “A Shu, it’s done.”

Lin Shu, after pinching Lin Xiaopu’s little ear and giving her cheek a light pinch, finally let her go and trotted over to Zhou Ye. “Done so quickly? A Ye, lift the bamboo up for me to see. Hold it level.”

Zhou Ye instantly understood her intention. He lifted the freshly cleared bamboo pipe, offering one end to her. “Hold it steady, and be careful with your eyes.”

Lin Shu gripped one end of the bamboo and peered through it with one eye. She could clearly see the bright opening at the other end.

Despite the many nodes in the bamboo, she could see straight through, proof that all the nodes had been cleared. Zhou Ye’s skill was truly impressive.

“Is it alright?” Zhou Ye asked.

“Yes, it’s perfect! Let’s install this bamboo pipe right away!”

Though Lin Xiaopu also wanted to join in the fun, after a moment’s hesitation, she grinned and said, “Sister, go ahead! Mother and I will wait to use the fresh mountain spring water!” With that, she went off to prepare the Grass Jelly Plant.

By the time her sister and Brother A Ye finished their work, her Guanyin Tofu would probably be ready. They could have some and also take a portion to their father working in the field, along with the remaining cucumber.

The long bamboo pipe channeling water from behind the house was still some distance from the courtyard. Lin Shu and Zhou Ye added two more long bamboo sections in between, directing the water from behind the house toward the fish pond. The thin bamboo was inserted into the nearest long bamboo section, positioned carefully, with the thinner end threaded through a gap in the bamboo fence.

The thin bamboo pipe now extended right next to the stove in the courtyard. This made it convenient for washing vegetables, dishes, or hands. If a wash basin were placed under the bamboo water pipe, it would be even more convenient.

Zhou Ye heard Lin Shu mention it and asked what kind of wash basin she meant.

Lin Shu thought for a moment and explained, “It’s a small, concave stone basin with a drainage hole on the side. When using water, you plug the hole with a stopper. After use, you remove the stopper to let the dirty water drain out. But with this bamboo pipe, we’re already much better off than before. We don’t need a wash basin. When we use water, we can just place a wooden basin underneath to catch it, so it doesn’t splash everywhere.”

Zhou Ye nodded and said nothing more.

While installing the bamboo pipe, to prevent water from gushing out before it was properly set up, they had plugged the thinner end with a clean cloth.

Now that the pipe was securely in place—Zhou Ye had even reinforced it by tying it to the bamboo fence with grass rope—it looked very stable.

Lin Shu called out, “Xiao Pu, Mother, come take a look! I’m about to let the water flow!”

Lin Xiaopu had already filtered the pulp from the Grass Jelly Plant into a wooden basin. After letting it sit for a while, it would be ready to eat. Hearing this, she quickly wiped her hands and ran over. He Guixiang also set aside the linen thread she was twisting and came to see the bamboo pipe in action.

Their Sweetwater Village had many streams and rivers, making water access convenient. Few people went to the trouble of channeling water directly into their homes like A Shu. With this bamboo pipe, their family would undoubtedly have the most convenient water access in Sweetwater Village!

Once everyone had gathered, Lin Shu pulled out the cloth stopper.

As soon as the cloth was removed, water immediately flowed out of the thin bamboo pipe.

Though called a thin bamboo pipe, it was still about two fingers wide. The water flow was decent, and it would only take a short while to fill a basin.

Lin Xiaopu reached out to catch the mountain spring water flowing from the pipe, marveling at the water.

After confirming that the pipe was working, Lin Shu plugged the opening again with the cloth and reminded everyone, “Even though this is mountain spring water from the hills, the bamboo channel is exposed, so bugs might get in. We shouldn’t drink this water directly, but it’s fine for washing vegetables or cooking.”

Lin Xiaopu said, “Sister, you’re too fussy! People in Sweetwater Village even drink from the streams directly. Isn’t this mountain spring water cleaner than the water in the streams outside?”

Lin Shu replied, “Just listen to me, or you might get a stomachache later. It’s not that the water can’t be drunk—it should be boiled first.”

Lin Xiaopu’s eyes twinkled as she glanced at Zhou Ye. “If we follow Sister’s advice, then this mountain spring water doesn’t make things much easier for Brother A Ye. He’ll still have to fetch fresh spring water from the mountains early every morning.”

Lin Shu smiled. “If it weren’t for him fetching fresh spring water from the mountain spring every day, I wouldn’t drink it.”

Zhou Ye looked at her. “A Shu is right. We should listen to her. It’s no trouble for me—it’s work I’m used to.”

Lin Xiaopu thought, *Well, that’s what Sister calls “the willing victim and the willing punisher.”*

He Guixiang didn't have that many questions. She felt that A Shu knew a lot, so it was only right to listen to her. "We should definitely listen to A Shu. By the way, A Shu, what would you like for dinner? Just tell Mom whatever you want to eat. If you want flatbread and porridge, I should start preparing the dough now. If you prefer yesterday's pancakes, there’s no rush, but I’ll need to start cooking the porridge soon," He Guixiang asked.

As the weather was getting hotter, no one liked eating hot porridge. It had to be cooked ahead of time and cooled down. However, since hot weather called for avoiding overly cold food, the porridge didn’t need to be too chilled—just cool enough to be refreshing.

Lin Shu didn’t want flatbread or pancakes; she wanted buns—buns with all kinds of fillings!

But they had been eating a lot of starchy foods lately, so it was time to be frugal for a few days. Besides, tomorrow she and Zhou Ye were going to the market, and Mom would surely make plenty of flatbread for them to take as provisions.

"Mom, let’s keep things simple and make a few pancakes. I’ve finished all the eggs you saved up, so today’s pancakes won’t have any eggs. Make them small and thin. I saved some *Termitomyces*, right? I’ll make a *Termitomyces* sauce later. Thin pancakes with this sauce will be delicious too."

"Alright, sure," He Guixiang replied and went to wash the rice to cook the porridge, using the mountain spring water from the bamboo pipe. It was indeed very convenient.

Lin Shu jumped right in. She rolled up her sleeves and started preparing the half portion of *Termitomyces* she had saved from the morning.

Zhou Ye had already torn the *Termitomyces* into strips, filling up half a basin. Lin Shu went over to He Guixiang, fetched a ladle of water from the bamboo pipe, and sprinkled it on the cutting board. The flowing water washed away the leftover scraps. She then scraped both sides of the cutting board with a kitchen knife, and it was instantly clean.

Next, Lin Shu grabbed a handful of *Termitomyces*, placed them on the cutting board, and began dicing them with the kitchen knife in her right hand.

Lin Xiaopu wasn’t idle either. She continued twisting the linen thread as before, occasionally glancing into the wooden basin to check how the *Guanyin Tofu* was setting.

Seeing everyone busy with their tasks, Zhou Ye initially wanted to ask Lin Shu how to make the bamboo bed but hesitated and decided against it. Instead, he picked up his reliable axe and went to the woodpile to chop firewood.

The sound of split logs hitting the ground thudded, one after another. Zhou Ye’s movements were clean and efficient, drowning out the sounds of He Guixiang washing rice and Lin Shu chopping the mushrooms.

He Guixiang glanced up at him and shook her head. "A Ye really can’t stay idle."

Lin Shu laughed at her. "Mom, you’re the same. Why single him out?"

"A Shu, be careful with the knife. Don’t get distracted while chopping," He Guixiang reminded her, surprised by her daughter’s impressive knife skills.

"Don’t worry, Mom, I’m being careful."

Before long, Lin Xiaopu’s *Guanyin Tofu* was ready. She eagerly called out to everyone, "It’s done! The *Guanyin Tofu* is ready! Everyone, take a break and have this snack before continuing your work!"

Lin Xiaopu had mastered all the steps perfectly. She used a bamboo skewer to slice the solidified *Guanyin Tofu*, then mixed it with seasonings and served two large plates.

One plate was for the three women to share, and the other was for Dad. The remaining large portion was all for A Ye.

Zhou Ye had been working for a long time and was already hungry. However, since he had eaten a bigger breakfast than usual, it wasn’t as tough as before.

Having a cool snack during a work break was perfect. Everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered around the table, eating with spoons or chopsticks. Lin Shu kept it simple, using a thin bamboo skewer to pick up the tofu.

"Take some more," Zhou Ye said, about to scoop more from his portion into the women’s plate.

Lin Shu reached out to stop him, smiling. "That’s enough. Not everyone has a bottomless stomach like you. It’s just a snack—a few bites to refresh the palate are plenty."

Zhou Ye relented and unapologetically devoured the large portion of *Guanyin Tofu*. The first few bites were almost swallowed whole, but he slowed down afterward, completely satisfied by the snack.

In the past, he had endured hunger day after day, toiling endlessly in the fields with no future to look forward to. His life seemed monotonous and hopeless. But these past few days, he had begun to find some joy in it.

Food wasn’t just for filling the stomach—it could be made in various ways and cooked with different flavors. He wasn’t limited to farming or doing chores like chopping wood and fetching water. He had dug the fish pond behind the house, channeled the spring water, and he felt he could also make the bamboo table and chairs Lin Shu mentioned.

If Lin Shu wished, he could meet more of her needs.

Making Lin Shu happy gave him a sense of fulfillment as well.

After finishing the *Guanyin Tofu*, Zhou Ye took it upon himself to collect the bowls and chopsticks, along with the big wooden basin he had used, and went to the yard to wash them.

When Lin Shu packed the portion of *Guanyin Tofu* for Lin Dashan and the remaining cucumber into a basket, Zhou Ye walked over directly and took it from her. "The fields are far. I’ll deliver it."

Before Lin Shu could say anything, Zhou Ye walked off quickly on his long legs.

Lin Xiaopu watched Zhou Ye’s back as he walked away, carrying the basket, and called out with a chuckle, "A Ye, thanks for your hard work! I’ll keep an eye on sister and make sure she takes it easy—I won’t let her work too hard!"