Chapter 58: Termitomyces Sauce

Chapter 58: Termitomyces Sauce

With Zhou Ye’s unwavering gaze upon her, Lin Shu had no choice but to slide the bolt on the gate right in front of him.

Closing the courtyard gate in broad daylight, before dusk had even settled, was an unusual sight in the village. Typically, it signaled one of two things: either no one was home, or someone was home but not receiving guests.

Lin Shu wasn't one to shy away from visitors; she could handle anyone who came calling. Perhaps Zhou Ye worried that some mischievous child might sneak in and cause trouble if they thought no adults were around? Or maybe he was concerned about an unfamiliar man accidentally dropping by, creating an awkward situation for a lone woman?

Just like earlier, when Zhou Ye went to Aunt Li’s house—a tall, sturdy man like him standing in someone’s yard would surely startle a young girl if Aunt Li happened to be out and only her daughter was home.

The more Lin Shu pondered, the more amused she became, and a soft chuckle escaped her before she could stifle it.

He Guixiang and Lin Xiaopu, who had gone to borrow some green Sichuan peppers, got caught up in a lengthy chat with Li Chunmiao. By the time they returned, the Termitomyces chunks in Lin Shu’s pot had almost completely dried out.

“A Shu? A Shu?” He Guixiang called out loudly from outside the courtyard gate.

Lin Shu quickly scooped the Termitomyces chunks from the pot, responding as she worked, “Coming, Mom! Just a moment!”

When she opened the gate, He Guixiang asked curiously, “A Shu, why did you bolt the gate?”

Lin Xiaopu peeked into the courtyard. “Brother A Ye doesn’t seem to be back yet, no wonder A Shu bolted the gate. I used to bolt the gate too when I was home alone.”

Lin Shu explained, “A Ye came back for a bit but left again. He saw that I wasn’t in a hurry to make the bamboo bed or chairs, and since he couldn’t sit idle, he went to the fields to help Dad with the weeding.”

He Guixiang beamed at this. “A Ye is so quick to notice work that needs doing—just like your father. No wonder your father thinks so highly of him.”

She then handed over a bowl of freshly borrowed green Sichuan peppers. “When I arrived, Aunt Li was scolding her son, Wang Yingen. She said he’d just changed into clean clothes this morning, but after going out, he came back covered in mud as if he’d been rolling in dirt. On top of that, he’d torn a huge hole in his good clothes. She was so angry she kept calling him ‘little brat’ while smacking his backside.”

When He Guixiang first reached the gate and heard Li Chunmiao’s loud scolding, she almost turned back.

But Li Chunmiao had sharp eyes and spotted her right away. She immediately pushed her “little brat” aside and came over with a cheerful smile.

Lin Xiaopu giggled, covering her mouth. “When Mom and I got there, Aunt Li was smacking Wang Yingen’s bottom over and over. He didn’t make a sound—he's so thick-skinned! But when he realized Mom and I saw him getting spanked with his pants down, he let out a yelp, covered his backside, and ran off. I don’t know if it was because of the spanking, but when we were leaving, he actually called me ‘Sister Xiao Pu’—it really took me by surprise!”

Although Wang Yingen seemed reluctant, Lin Xiaopu was overjoyed to hear him call her “Sister Xiao Pu.”

That morning, while gathering mushrooms, Aunt Lin had said she’d make sure Wang Yingen addressed both Lin Xiaopu and her older sister respectfully from then on. Lin Xiaopu thought she was just included incidentally, but to her surprise, in just half a day, Aunt Li had made it happen—Wang Yingen actually called her “Sister Xiao Pu”!

Seeing how delighted Lin Xiaopu was, Lin Shu thought to herself that Aunt Li truly gets things done. She had only expected Aunt Li to warn Wang Yingen after returning home that morning, and that his attitude toward Xiao Pu would improve when she went over with their mother. She hadn’t expected Aunt Li to achieve results so quickly.

Lin Shu patted Lin Xiaopu’s head affectionately and said with a smile, “See? Wang Yingen isn’t so scary after all. If he ever calls you ‘little medicine jar’ again, just say he’s a ‘boy with a spanked bottom’—since you saw his backside getting walloped by Aunt Li. See if he’s embarrassed then!”

Lin Xiaopu grinned widely. “That’s a great idea, A Shu! Next time he says something mean to me, I’ll say that!”

“Aunt Li not only keeps her word, but she’s also very generous—she gave us so many green Sichuan peppers!” Lin Shu remarked, looking at the heaping bowl of green Sichuan peppers.

The green Sichuan peppers were freshly picked—plump, vibrant green, and giving off a strong, numbing aroma even from a distance.

He Guixiang nodded. “Exactly! When I asked to borrow some green Sichuan peppers, she didn’t hesitate. She went straight to the kitchen, grabbed a bowl, and snipped off several clusters with shears. She’s generous when lending things, but afterward, she poured her heart out about her troubles to me. I couldn’t just rush off, so I stayed to comfort her before leaving.”

Every family has its struggles. Li Chunmiao hadn't married into an easy situation, and she’d ended up with a son like this “little brat”—if he went three days without a spanking, he’d be climbing onto the roof to cause trouble, constantly driving her crazy.

When Li Chunmiao told He Guixiang she’d probably die of anger because of her son someday, what could He Guixiang do? She could only console her by saying, “He’s still young.”

But inwardly, He Guixiang thought to herself how fortunate she was to have a considerate daughter like Lin Xiaopu.

Xiao Pu was also young, yet very sensible. Apart from her poor health and the ongoing medicine costs, she had never given her any other trouble.

"A Shu, are we back late?" He Guixiang asked.

"You’re back right on time, Mother. I've just finished scooping out the diced Termitomyces for later use. Even if you had returned a bit later, it wouldn't have mattered. I kept the oil warm over a low flame, so it could be reheated when you got back."

Lin Shu spoke as she worked, adding pre-prepared minced wild garlic into the oil, then tossing in a small bunch of green Sichuan pepper. The aroma released was a mix of fragrant and an intensely numbing aroma that rushed straight to the nose.

Lin Xiaopu, standing nearby, was choked by the strong smell and coughed twice, quickly stepping back to avoid it.

Lin Shu laughed heartily, "I thought only Father disliked this pungent numbing smell at home, but it turns out little sister does too."

"Green Sichuan pepper isn't as mild as red Sichuan pepper; it's not suitable for stewing. So don’t you worry, little sister, I'm just giving it a quick fry to infuse the oil with its numbing flavor, and I'll take it out soon."

After stirring a few times with a wooden spatula, Lin Shu indeed used bamboo chopsticks to pick out the small bunch of fried green Sichuan pepper, shook off the excess oil, and set it aside.

Next, she added back the diced Termitomyces she’d set aside into the pot and added an appropriate amount of salt. Since it was for making sauce, more salt could be added; it should be a bit saltier.

Before long, the aroma of Termitomyces in the oil had wafted all across the yard.

"So fragrant! It smells amazing!" Lin Xiaopu stared into the pot, taking deep breaths of the enticing smell.

"Not minding the numbing smell anymore?" Lin Shu teased, then scooped out all the Termitomyces pieces and minced garlic from the pot into a bowl. The used oil was strained to remove any residue and poured into a separate clean clay bowl. "See, Mother? I didn't waste our oil. This fried oil can still be used for cooking. It's infused with the aroma of Termitomyces and the numbing flavor of green Sichuan pepper, so you won’t need to add other seasonings."

He Guixiang almost laughed, thinking to herself, if we use more oil, so be it—we can just buy more at the market. Besides, there are several packages of lard hanging from the beam; even if A Shu is a bit extravagant, there’s enough to last us quite a while.

Lin Xiaopu was already eyeing the large bowl of Termitomyces sauce. "Big Sister, it smells really amazing!"

Lin Shu smiled and instructed her, "Just smelling it isn't enough. Go fetch two small spoons."

Hearing this, Lin Xiaopu immediately ran to the kitchen to get the spoons.

Lin Shu took the spoons from her, scooped up a tiny half-spoon from the bowl, and tasted it first.

Yes, this is exactly the flavor.

Crispy texture, with the fragrance of Termitomyces and a savory, almost meaty richness!

"Xiao Pu, come try it. Take a small bite first. There's a slight tingly numbing flavor to it; see if you like it."

She then used another spoon to scoop some and handed it to He Guixiang. "Mother, you try it too."

Lin Xiaopu took a bite and chewed, liking it more with each moment. The numbing flavor she thought she wouldn't like wasn't as strong as she imagined; instead, it blended with the mushroom's aroma, making it so delicious it made her tongue tingle with pleasure.

"Big Sister, it's super delicious! The meaty flavor of this Termitomyces sauce is even stronger than Termitomyces soup, and it's fried so crispy. The more you chew, the more fragrant it gets—it’s just a little salty!"

"This is Termitomyces sauce; it’s supposed to be on the salty side. It's perfect for mixing with rice, so you won’t even need another dish. It goes great with rice. Not only that, but it can also be mixed with all kinds of noodles, especially cold noodles. Add a spoonful of this Termitomyces sauce, some vinegar, and a handful of cilantro, and you've got incredibly fragrant Termitomyces sauce cold noodles. Besides rice and noodles, it's excellent with all kinds of cold dishes. You can even spread it inside the flatbreads Mother makes or use it as a filling for rolled pancakes..."

Lin Shu listed so many ways to eat it that Lin Xiaopu's mouth hung open.

Lin Shu turned to ask He Guixiang, "Mother, what do you think of the taste?"

He Guixiang naturally found it delicious and immediately made plans. "Tomorrow, after you and A Ye return from the market, I'll make hand-pulled noodles for you, and we'll eat them mixed with this Termitomyces sauce!"

Making hand-pulled noodles uses a lot of flour, something He Guixiang usually hesitates to do.

Lin Shu smiled, her eyes curving. She wasn't just thinking of enjoying this Termitomyces sauce noodles herself. Wouldn't it be a shame not to let more people taste this unique delicacy?

But setting up a noodle stall isn't that easy. Just preparing all the necessary items—pots, bowls, ladles, a cart, and such—requires a significant investment of copper coins upfront. So, instead of selling Termitomyces sauce noodles, she decided to focus on selling her Termitomyces sauce.

As luck would have it, tomorrow’s market day. Although Lin Shu hasn't fully figured out the market situation yet, she plans to bring a small jar to get a feel for things.

However, after searching for a long time, she couldn't find a slightly nicer-looking jar. In the end, she settled on using the bamboo Zhou Ye had just cut. She cut a section from the fresh bamboo—green and pleasing to the eye, a gift from nature. Way prettier than any old jar, don’t you think?

The bamboo tube wasn't too thick; it was small and delicate. She only filled it with about half a bowl’s worth of Termitomyces sauce, wrapped it in two layers of clean linen cloth, tied it several times with straw rope, and finished it off with a pretty bow.

He Guixiang thought she was taking it to eat on the road to the market tomorrow and didn’t press further.

"Mother, I didn't make much of the Termitomyces sauce. Let's stir-fry the remaining Termitomyces. There's plenty of oil left in the pan—we can’t get it all out—so let's use it to fry some dried radish. Dried radish tastes best when fried with lots of oil. After frying the radish, we’ll use whatever oil’s left on the bottom of the pan to make pancakes, and finally, we can cook a wild vegetable soup. We won't waste a single drop of oil."

"Alright, we'll do as A Shu says," He Guixiang replied with a smile.

When Lin Dashan and Zhou Ye returned, He Guixiang was making pancakes. Seeing them back, she was slightly surprised. "Father, you're back fifteen minutes early today. I haven't finished preparing dinner yet."

Lin Dashan scratched his head and chuckled. "With A Ye's help, we finished the work ahead of schedule!"

What he didn't say was that A Ye had been especially energetic today. It wasn't that he usually slacked off in the fields, but today the boy was like he'd taken some kind of energy boost—he did in half an hour what usually took an hour!

No wonder they returned early today—it was all because A Ye did so much work. Toward the end, A Ye was doing everything alone, while he sat aside resting.