Chapter 165: Making Ice

Chapter 165: Making Ice

Lin Shu was no fool. Her mother had just mentioned marriage, and A Ye immediately headed into the mountains. It was clear he was eager to save up for their wedding.

Though Lin Shu feigned annoyance, she was secretly delighted by his initiative.

A Ye had lived with the family before and made several trips into the deep mountains, selling foraged goods for a decent sum—arguably, he supported half the household. But that was one thing, and marriage rituals were another. The proper process still had to be followed. While betrothal gifts didn’t need to be lavish, if A Ye wanted a grand ceremony, it showed he was serious about her, and Lin Shu would accept it all without complaint.

However, this time, her feelings about A Ye going into the mountains were different from when she first arrived in Sweetwater Village. Back then, it was none of her business, and she’d only asked out of curiosity. Now, she worried whether A Ye might encounter wild beasts or get injured.

When Lin Xiaopu noticed her concern, she patted her sister’s shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Sister. A Ye is very capable. When he first started going into the mountains, Mother and Father couldn’t sleep from worry. But every time, he returned unharmed and laden with goods. That’s why they’re not worried anymore.”

In Lin Xiaopu’s eyes, Zhou Ye, her honorary brother, was an even more towering figure than her own father, Lin Dashan. After all, A Ye was widely recognized as the strongest man in the surrounding villages.

But Lin Shu had once ventured into the mountains herself to forage for food and knew how dangerous it could be. Visible beasts weren’t the biggest threat—poisonous snakes and insects were far more perilous. A single bite or sting could cause paralysis or even death for the strongest of men. How could she rest easy just because A Ye was tall and strong?

Still, she knew A Ye was highly experienced in these matters. He knew exactly which herbs could stop bleeding or neutralize poison and was unlikely to put himself in grave danger. Yet, that didn’t stop Lin Shu from worrying.

Ah, human nature—always wanting it both ways.

A Ye had rushed into the mountains to save up for their wedding, eager to marry her as soon as possible. She was happy about that, but she also didn’t want him to take any risks. Yet, if there were no risks at all, perhaps her heart wouldn't be so stirred.

“Xiao Pu, aside from gathering mushrooms and hunting pheasants and rabbits, what else does A Ye usually bring back from the mountains?” Lin Shu asked.

Lin Xiaopu replied, “It depends on the season. Around this time of year, he usually gathers mushrooms because they’re plentiful. In autumn and winter, he brings back more things. There’s a lot of kudzu root in the mountains, and sometimes he brings back a bundle. But kudzu root isn’t worth much—many people can dig it up near the outskirts of the mountains, so it’s cheap and doesn’t fetch much at the herbal shop. More often, A Ye gathers wild yam and ginseng. Wild yam is abundant but grows on steep cliffs, making it dangerous to harvest. Ginseng is rare—A Ye has only been lucky enough to find it once.”

Lin Shu’s eyes lit up. “Wild yam? There’s wild yam in these mountains?”

Wild yam, known as Chinese yam, was already cultivated in the Da Yan Dynasty, but it was expensive—a delicacy for wealthy families, beyond the reach of ordinary folk.

Seeing her sister’s expression, Lin Xiaopu knew she was thinking about food again. “A Ye says there’s plenty of wild yam in the mountains, but the wild ones here are different from the cultivated ones—they taste bad and aren’t edible. Besides, no one eats them. They’re valuable, so if someone digs them up, they sell them to the herbal shop in town. I’m not sure how much they cost per pound, but once, A Ye dug up two roots and sold them at the shop. Mother was in such a good mood afterward—I bet he made at least several hundred coins!”

Lin Shu couldn’t help but laugh at her knowing tone.

It was clear that their mother hadn't used to tell Xiao Pu such details, but Xiao Pu was clever enough to pick up on things from the adults’ expressions.

“Well, let’s hope A Ye brings back lots of mushrooms, pheasants, and rabbits this time. It’d be perfect if he even bags a wild boar,” Lin Shu said, clasping her hands together in a prayer.

Lin Xiaopu chuckled. “Sister, what are you thinking? Wild boars aren’t easy to hunt! In the three years A Ye has been with us, he’s only been lucky enough to catch one. I think it’s because you brought good luck when you returned. Otherwise, why did he never catch one before you came back?”

Lin Shu smiled and played along. “Since you say I’m lucky, maybe my prayer will help him catch another wild boar. Who knows? It might just happen.”

Lin Xiaopu nodded. “That makes sense. Then I’ll pray for A Ye to catch another wild boar too!”

Now that she was learning from Lin Shu, Lin Xiaopu had become quite good at arithmetic and could now calculate how much a wild boar was worth. It was only after doing the math that she realized how much money that half boar had brought the family. No wonder their mother had been in such a good mood for three whole days after A Ye returned from town.

“Oh, Sister, aren’t we making ice today?” Lin Xiaopu suddenly asked, her voice filled with excitement.

“I only mentioned it yesterday, and you remember it so clearly? We can do it today, but after breakfast, I have to teach at Third Aunt’s house. By the time I return, it’ll be noon. Making ice is easier when it’s cooler—either early in the morning or in the evening. It’s too late now, so let’s wait until dusk.”

To make ice, especially a significant amount, a good quantity of saltpeter was needed. Lin Shu hadn’t been idle the past few days. She’d asked Wang Yingen and the other boys to dig up soil rich in saltpeter, especially the kind with white frost on it. After boiling it twice, along with the previous batch, she’d obtained four large bowls of saltpeter crystals, all of which she ground into powder.

Though four bowls of saltpeter powder sounded like a lot, to make ice effectively, the ratio of saltpeter to water in the solution couldn’t be too low. With this amount, the solution wouldn’t be very large, and the resulting ice would be limited.

Lin Shu had previously asked Old Man Liao to bring a wide-mouthed lidded pottery jar to use as a small container for making ice, but with this amount of saltpeter, it wouldn’t be necessary. A smaller container would suffice.

Bamboo had good thermal conductivity, so bamboo tubes would work well.

Hearing this, Lin Xiaopu scratched her head and asked with a grin, “Sister, I told Wang Yingen and the others that you could make ice from the soil they dug up, but none of them believed me. They thought I was bragging. Can we let them watch when we do it?”

Lin Shu’s eyes curved into a smile. “Sure. I could use a few helpers. After I finish teaching you this afternoon, we can start.”

By now, she was quite comfortable using Wang Yingen and the other children as little helpers, without any hesitation.

Lin Xiaopu beamed at this.

She firmly believed her sister, so it had annoyed her when the boys doubted her. Having them see it for themselves would be the best way to prove it.

And so, she waited eagerly—for breakfast, for her sister to return from Third Aunt’s house, for her afternoon nap, and for her daily lesson with its little stories and new characters. Lin Xiaopu even managed to write all the new characters correctly from memory.

Lin Shu clicked her tongue. “If only Ping Er had your enthusiasm, he could learn five more characters every day.”

“Ahem—Sister, when are we making the ice?”

Lin Shu tapped her little sister’s head and smiled. “Go call them now. We’ll start as soon as everyone’s here.”

Wang Yingen and the others, having been tipped off earlier, had been playing nearby. Upon receiving the signal from their “big sister,” they rushed over.

“Sister A Shu, can you really make ice?” Wang Yingen asked. Though Sister Xiao Pu seemed utterly confident, he still found it hard to believe.

He’d never seen ice before. His mother said that even on the coldest days of the year, it didn’t always freeze—it depended on the year. In particularly cold winters, a thin layer of ice might form on the water in the jars, but it melted quickly once scooped out.

Wang Yingen had never seen it and wanted to, but his mother said it was better not to—if ice appeared, it meant a harsh winter, and extreme cold could kill people.

If even the coldest days in Sweetwater Village rarely produced ice, how could there be ice in the heat of summer?

Lin Shu said, “Of course I can. You'll see ice today. But I can’t do it alone. Can you help me?”

The children eagerly agreed, their enthusiasm overflowing.

So Lin Shu took a seat in the shade, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan while directing the children.

To make edible ice, a small container needed to be placed inside a larger one. For the small container, she used tall bamboo cups, and for the larger one, a wooden bucket that could withstand low temperatures without cracking.

Lin Xiaopu found three bamboo cups of similar size. She placed a clean pebble at the bottom of each to weigh them down and prevent them from floating. Then, she filled them with clean, drinkable mountain spring water, about 80% full, and sealed them with cloth stoppers to prevent the saltpeter solution from splashing in.

Wang Yingen and the others found some straw rope and tied the three bamboo cups to the handle of the wooden bucket, suspending them so their bottoms didn’t touch the bucket. This increased the surface area, allowing the water in the cups to cool more efficiently as the saltpeter solution absorbed heat.

They then filled the wooden bucket with fresh mountain spring water from the bamboo water pipe. The cooler the water, the better. They didn’t fill it too high—just about two inches below the bamboo cups.

“Sister A Shu, is this right?” Wang Yingen asked, turning to her.

Lin Shu gave him a thumbs-up. “Well done! You kids are really capable.”

Praise like this made the children work even harder.

Villagers often called them mischievous, and even their parents scolded them, but Sister A Shu thought they were capable. And indeed, they found great satisfaction in helping her—a sense of achievement their parents never gave them.

Wang Yingen asked, “Sister A Shu, what’s next?”

“See those large bowls of white powder on the table? That’s the saltpeter crystals we extracted from the soil you collected. I’ve ground them into powder. Pour it into the bucket, stirring the water with a wooden stick as you go, until it’s fully dissolved. Be careful not to splash the solution on your faces. Once it’s mixed well, lower the bamboo cups into the bucket. After that, we wait. It could take as little as half an hour or as long as two hours for the water in the cups to freeze.” Lin Shu fanned herself lazily, her tone relaxed.

The children followed her instructions step by step. Once everything was set, they gathered around, waiting to witness the miracle.

“Pfft, look at you, staring so intently. I told you, it’ll take at least half an hour. There’s still time—go play for a bit. You don’t have to go far; just play in the yard with your water guns or bamboo slingshots. Xiao Pu tells me your aim with the slingshots has improved a lot?”

Mention of the bamboo slingshots immediately sparked their interest, and they chimed in enthusiastically.

Feng Shitou said, "Sister A Shu, Sister Xiao Pu said I'd improved a lot last time!"

Sun Laifu said with confidence, "Sister A Shu, although I can't beat Sister Xiao Pu, I've already surpassed Wang Yingen!"

Wang Yingen stomped his foot, frantic, "I only lost to you by accident last time! We'll see who wins today!" Then he turned to Lin Shu and said, "Sister A Shu, I practice hard every day. In less than a month, I'll definitely catch up to Sister Xiao Pu."

Lin Shu said with a smile, "Well, keep at it then. When you're able to compete with Xiao Pu, I'll ask A Ye to take you all duck hunting."

The place they go duck hunting was far from Sweetwater Village—not only outside the village but also unfamiliar. Plus, it was near the river, so the grown-ups never let the kids go that far on their own. But it was different if a village adult accompanied them, especially someone like A Ye, who was widely recognized in the village as a reliable and strong man.

Hearing this, they all got really excited.

Ever since they heard that Lin Xiaopu had hunted a wild duck, they'd been itching to do the same. After all, Lin Xiaopu had made a name for herself in the village by hunting a duck! Now, she was just as famous in the village as Wang Yingen—though Wang Yingen was known for being mischievous, while Lin Xiaopu was praised by all the adults for her outstanding achievements.

They wanted that kind of fame too!

Lin Xiaopu struck while the iron was hot and organized another bamboo slingshot competition.

Lin Shu fanned herself with a palm-leaf fan as she watched the excitement, looking perfectly content.

It wasn’t until He Guixiang returned from chatting with Zhang Qiaohua to start making dinner that Lin Shu called the children over. She had the three best performers each choose a bamboo cup, then personally took the cups to see if ice had formed inside.

"You're back just in time, Mom. We just made ice and are about to check the results," Lin Shu said to He Guixiang with a smile.

After setting a pot of rice porridge to boil, He Guixiang came over to take a look. She'd heard A Shu talk about making ice with saltpeter for a while and had even watched her boil several pots of brine to extract the saltpeter. She had been curious all along.

Wang Yingen moved the fastest. He picked up a bamboo cup by its rope, and as soon as his hand touched the outside, he exclaimed, "Wow, it’s icy! So cold, so cold, just like the river in winter!"

He eagerly untied the rope on the bamboo cup, pulled out the cloth stopper, and when he saw the frozen ice inside, his eyes widened in delight. "It’s ice, real ice! The water in the bamboo cup has turned into ice!"

Sun Laifu and Feng Shitou let out gasps too, one after the other.

The remaining children crowded around to see.

Wang Yingen reached out to touch the ice inside the bamboo cup, but Lin Xiaopu quickly slapped his hand away. "Don’t touch the ice with your dirty hands. This ice is meant to be eaten."

"Okay, okay, I forgot," Wang Yingen chuckled. He held the icy bamboo cup, staring intently inside. He even turned it upside down and shook it, but not a drop of water came out—the water had completely frozen.

The children were completely fascinated. They touched the outside of the bamboo cup, feeling its coolness, and even pressed it against their cheeks.

"Sister A Shu, how do we get the ice out?" Wang Yingen asked.

"Duh, put it in the sun for a while. Once the ice melts a little, you can pour it out," Lin Xiaopu said disdainfully.

Wang Yingen grinned, not wanting to let go of the bamboo cup. After a while, he finally placed it in the sun and crouched nearby to watch.

After about fifteen minutes, he shouted, "Sister A Shu, it’s melting! I can pour out a little water now!"

After sitting in the hot sun for a while, the block of ice had separated from the bamboo wall. When he turned it upside down and shook it, the cylindrical ice slid out completely.

The crystal-clear cylindrical ice blocks were neatly arranged on the table. Even Lin Xiaopu was staring in awe.

So this was what ice looked like. It was so beautiful!

He Guixiang’s reaction was just as amazed as the kids.

She knew A Shu never talked big, but seeing her actually produce ice was still unbelievable.

This was ice! Something even wealthy families in town didn't even have access to, yet her A Shu had managed to make it!

Lin Shu was thrilled, of course. Although she had said it would work, it wasn’t a guaranteed success. She hadn’t expected to succeed on the first try.

"Mom, see if you can break up this ice. I want to make a few bowls of iced sweet water."

He Guixiang said it was no problem, but moments later, with one hand holding the slippery ice and the other gripping a kitchen knife, she couldn't get it to break.

In the end, Lin Shu brought over a wooden basin, placed the kitchen knife at the bottom, and directly smashed the ice against the knife in the basin, shattering it into pieces.

Then, Lin Shu fetched a pottery jar of mountain spring water, dropped a piece of rock sugar inside to dissolve it, and finally portioned it into small bowls. She added two small ice cubes to each bowl, first handing one each to He Guixiang and Lin Xiaopu, then distributing the rest to Wang Yingen and the others.

The sweet water with ice cubes was incredibly refreshing, and the children were making happy noises with every sip.