Chapter 76: Derris

Chapter 76: Derris

Lin Xiaopu mused that if Brother A Ye had spoken to her with such a tone and expression back then, she would have surely foregone all her medicine, saving every penny to buy him food, never letting him go hungry.

She was merely a bit frail; Brother A Ye, however, was starving!

Yet, Lin Xiaopu, knowing better, held her tongue.

Perhaps Brother A Ye saw her as a child, while Sister Shu was an adult like him, which explained the difference in his tone?

“A Ye, did you hear me clearly? None of us mind how much you eat. Once my Termitomyces sauce becomes famous, even if you eat ten bowls of rice in one meal, I’ll be able to provide for you.”

At this, Lin Xiaopu couldn't help but interject, “And me too! I think I’m perfectly healthy now. I’ll save all my medicine money to buy food for Brother A Ye!”

Lin Shu gently ruffled her hair. “You can’t just stop taking your medicine. We must follow the doctor’s orders. I’ll rest for a day or two, then go to the town’s medical clinic to consult the doctor. If he says you can stop, then we’ll stop.”

Hearing this, Lin Xiaopu felt a warmth spread through her, then declared confidently, “Sister Shu, I’ll be fine. I’m stronger than you.”

As she spoke, her gaze instinctively flickered to Lin Shu’s legs.

Before, when compared to Wang Yingen and other children her age in the village, Lin Xiaopu had always considered herself weak. But ever since Sister Shu arrived, she had grown more confident day by day.

She was much stronger than Sister Shu—at least her entire body wouldn't ache all over just from walking too much, as Sister Shu’s did. So she believed Sister Shu when she said she was no longer physically frail!

Zhou Ye keenly asked, “Xiao Pu, what’s wrong with Sister Shu?”

Lin Xiaopu blurted out, “Sister Shu was sore all over when she woke up this morning, and when she walked—”

Before she could finish, Lin Shu clapped a hand over her mouth.

Lin Shu lowered her voice, mumbling with a slight grit of her teeth, “Little sister, why do you blurt out everything? Don’t I have any dignity?”

She recalled that morning, every time she held a position for too long and then tried to change it, her body, especially her legs, would be hit with an excruciating, yet oddly satisfying, ache!

It was only through meticulous body control that she managed not to limp, and her expression management was so excellent that she maintained a poker face throughout, never wincing during those moments of intense soreness.

However, the initial sharp pain had long passed, and now she could run and jump again; otherwise, she wouldn't have had the energy to playfully wrestle with Xiao Pu.

So why bring it up again?!

Unfortunately, Xiao Pu was quick-tongued, and Lin Shu was too late to cover her mouth—Zhou Ye had already overheard.

“Sister Shu, are you unwell?”

“No, no, it’s just that I don’t usually move around much. I walked too much yesterday, so my legs were a bit sore after waking up. But I’m fine now—I can run and jump. It’s not a big deal.”

Zhou Ye furrowed his brows slightly. “You’ve strained your muscles from overexertion. Massage the sore areas more, and rest these next couple of days, avoiding too much walking.”

Lin Shu: “...It’s really not that serious, truly. A Ye, I still want to go fishing.”

Zhou Ye simply stared at her in silence.

Lin Shu: “I’ve been resting for half the day already. When I was teaching, I was sitting, and most of the time while you were busy, I was sitting too. My legs are just a little sore—it’s not like they’re broken! If you treat me like a porcelain doll, I’ll get angry.”

Zhou Ye was silent for a moment before asking, “Sister Shu, weren’t you looking for derris? Tell me what it looks like.”

Lin Shu hadn’t expected him to suddenly pivot back to the serious business of fishing, but she appreciated his tact and immediately described the derris plant. “Derris is actually quite easy to recognize. Its branches and leaves are smooth and hairless, and the leaves are pinnate—meaning several leaflets grow on one stem... The most distinctive feature is that the stems and leaves have a strong fishy smell...”

Zhou Ye listened intently, then, after searching his memory, stated with certainty, “I’ve seen this derris before.”

Lin Shu was instantly delighted. “Really? Where? It usually grows in bushes along riverbanks. Did you see it by the river?”

Zhou Ye looked at her, his eyes flickering slightly. “I can’t remember exactly. But Sister Shu, I can go look for it first. You and Xiao Pu wait for me in the yard. There’s no need for you to come along.”

Lin Shu knew he was efficient and agreed without hesitation. “Alright. A Ye, we only need the roots of the derris, not the leaves.”

“Okay.”

After Zhou Ye left, Lin Shu sat on the pretty small bamboo chair and waited, playing for a while with Lin Xiaopu using the bamboo slingshot and bamboo water gun.

But the two of them waited and waited—until He Guixiang returned to prepare dinner—and Zhou Ye still hadn’t come back.

After breakfast, He Guixiang tidied up the house, then took her hemp work to visit Zhang Qiaohua.

Maintaining relationships required mutual visits. A few days ago, Zhang Qiaohua had visited He Guixiang, so it was only natural for He Guixiang to visit Zhang Qiaohua occasionally. Besides, chatting at Zhang Qiaohua’s house was more relaxed—there were no scholars studying at home, so they didn’t have to worry about being too loud and disturbing anyone.

As it turned out, He Guixiang stayed at Zhang Qiaohua’s until it was time to prepare dinner, which showed how comfortable she felt there.

He Guixiang spotted the five small bamboo chairs in the yard and, just like Lin Xiaopu had earlier, marveled at them, circling around to admire them.

“Did A Ye make all of these? His craftsmanship is almost as good as Grandpa Gao’s!”

Lin Shu laughed. “Mother, you’re really good at praising people. If A Ye heard that, he’d get a big head!”

He Guixiang said, “Do you think A Ye is like you and Xiao Pu? A Ye is always steady and reliable.”

Lin Shu snorted. “He just doesn’t show his emotions, but he’s secretly pleased inside.”

Lin Xiaopu couldn’t help but interrupt, “Mother, mother, don’t just look at the chairs! Look at this bamboo water gun—it’s so fun! And this bamboo slingshot—you put a small stone in front of the bamboo tube, then push and release the bent bamboo piece inside. When the bamboo piece springs back, it shoots the stone out. It’s really powerful! Wait, Mother, let me show you!”

He Guixiang watched with a smile as Lin Xiaopu demonstrated how to use the bamboo slingshot.

Lin Xiaopu set up a thick piece of firewood in the middle of the yard, stepped back seven or eight paces, aimed the bamboo slingshot at the wood, and fired.

Whoosh—the small stone shot out and instantly knocked the thick piece of wood over.

Lin Xiaopu giggled happily.

She and Sister Shu had already played like this countless times today.

“Sister Shu said if I practice my aim more, I might even be able to hunt sparrows in the back hills someday!”

He Guixiang watched with fascination. “This bamboo slingshot is great. It might really be able to hit sparrows.”

Lin Xiaopu puffed out her chest proudly. “Of course! And this bamboo water gun—Mother, let me show you that too!”

He Guixiang quickly said, “Xiao Pu, wait a moment. Let me steam the rice first. Didn’t Sister Shu say she wanted pickled cabbage fish stew? Fish soup goes great with plain rice.”

Lin Shu coughed lightly. “Mother, we haven’t even seen a fish yet. A Ye and I wanted to catch some big ones, so... hehe, we’re not ready yet.”

He Guixiang didn’t ask further, just smiled and said, “Then I’ll make plain rice for you anyway. If there’s no fish stew, we’ll just stir-fry a couple of home-style dishes.”

She pulled a luffa out of her basket. “Someone traded a luffa with your third aunt for a pair of straw sandals. Your third aunt insisted on giving me one. It’s perfect—we’ve saved up two eggs, so I’ll make stir-fried luffa with eggs.” With that, she cheerfully went to work.

Lin Shu smiled happily. Luffa, luffa—it had been so long since she’d eaten luffa.

This was how villagers maintained their relationships—today you give me a melon, tomorrow I give you a bowl of beans. Back and forth, the bonds grew stronger and stronger.

“Mother, when A Ye and I get back with the fish, you should bring a big fat one to Third Aunt.”

He Guixiang readily agreed.

Zhou Ye returned really late this time. It wasn't until dinner was almost ready that he came back carrying a bundle of freshly dug derris roots.

Seeing this, Lin Shu's eyes went wide with surprise, “This much?! A Ye, did you dig up all the derris you found?”

“No, there’s still plenty left.” Zhou Ye asked, “Sister Shu, take a look. Did I dig up the right ones?”

Lin Shu: “That’s right, this is derris. But derris roots are naturally long. You... you dug up the entire root?”

Zhou Ye murmured 'Mm-hmm', “They weren’t easy to dig up. Took some work.”

As he spoke, he checked the sky, “The river section by the village entrance is a half-hour round trip. It’s too late today, we’ll go fishing tomorrow morning.”

“With the way you dug and such a large bundle, it’d be hard not to be late, right?” Lin Shu stared at him, giving him a searching look as she asked, “So, where did you dig up all this derris?”

Zhou Ye hesitated before replying, “The downstream section of the river.”

“Is it far from the village entrance section of the river?”

Zhou Ye said honestly, “Not far.”

Lin Shu fell silent...

So why didn't I just dig it up when we go to the river to fish?

Zhou Ye explained, “I wasn’t sure if it was derris, so I dug up all the ones that looked similar for you to check. What if it wasn’t? Wouldn’t that have you waste a trip?”

Lin Shu thought of a possibility and squinted at him, “A Ye, you... did you want me to rest for another day, so you took your time and didn’t come back?”

Zhou Ye shook his head, said matter-of-factly, “Sister Shu, I wasn’t dawdling. Digging these takes a lot of time.”

Seeing his reaction, Lin Shu, who was originally uncertain, now felt sure.

She almost laughed, and then she did, “You think you're digging ginseng? Digging so much of the root. If you didn't want me to go today, you should've just said so instead of using this clumsy method. Would've been better to spend the time making more bamboo toys. I still want to add a bamboo water flow contraption to the fish pond, and the bamboo water dipper hasn't been made yet. You catch on quicker than I expected. We could also add another bamboo table, and there's the bamboo reclining chair—I promised Father early on, can't go back on my word...”

Lin Shu said a great many things to Zhou Ye.

Some were things she wanted to say herself, some were things Zhou Ye led her to say. Later on, she couldn't even remember everything she had said to Zhou Ye.

As a result, early the next morning, she was surprised to find that not only were the large and small water jars in the kitchen filled to the brim, but next to the gourd water dipper, there was also a long-handled bamboo water scoop!

Next to the chopstick holder, there was a new chopstick holder with several small bamboo spoons added inside, all quite well-made.

Not only that, but Lin Xiaopu, who had already seen it earlier, told her that there was a bamboo water flow contraption in the fish pond, and it looked very nice.

Lin Shu ran to the fish pond behind the house to look and was so happy her eyes curved into smiles.

It really was extremely beautiful, exactly as she had described yesterday.

“Xiao Pu, where’s A Ye? Where is A Ye?” Lin Shu hurriedly asked.

She’s already gotten up today, so why hasn’t A Ye shown up yet? He’s running late.