Chapter 200: Ginger Broth

Chapter 200: Ginger Broth

Zhou Ye didn't know what Lin Shu was thinking, but he could sense the anxiety in her heart.

He reached out and took Lin Shu's hand, squeezing it tightly. "A Shu, don't be afraid. Once the water level drops a bit more, I'll lead the villagers to drain the fields. We won't face a total crop failure—we still have the mountains. I won't let you go hungry. As for our house, it's no big deal if it collapsed. We can rebuild, and this time we'll make it bigger. Oh, and the vegetable seeds you bought last time—I saved the unused ones in a bamboo container. The flower teas and herbal teas you dried are also still with us. I didn't forget the oil jar either. Since we bought a lot last time, it'll last us quite a while. I stored all these things with the grain in the cave…"

Listening to Zhou Ye's words, the urgency that had been pressing Lin Shu to act quickly gradually eased. She muttered "fool" under her breath, but a faint smile touched the corners of her lips.

Alright then, let's take it slow.

The hillside was dense with trees, and there was no shortage of deadwood. Zhou Ye quickly found a fallen dead tree and, relying on his strength, hoisted the entire log onto his shoulder. Meanwhile, Lin Shu headed to the pine forest. She brushed aside the thick layer of pine needles on the ground and managed to gather some dry pine needles from the bottom layer. She also checked crevices in rocks and hollows in trees, collecting plenty of dried leaves, grass, and kindling from these spots. These materials were easy to ignite, making it simpler to start a fire.

By the time the two returned with their gatherings, the villagers in the shed had already begun to stir.

No one had slept soundly that night.

"A Ye, what you've brought back… is that deadwood? For starting a fire?" a villager asked.

Zhou Ye nodded and added a few more words: "If you strip the wet outer layer of the deadwood, the inside is dry and can be burned. You can also check rock crevices and tree hollows—you might find dry leaves and grass that are easy to ignite."

Hearing this, the villagers stood up one after another and said, "Then I'll go look for some too!"

Although the sky had cleared, the standing water outside was still deep. It would take at least three or four days for the water to fully soak into the soil. Even after the water receded, the ground would be muddy and difficult to cross. They would need another two days of drying in the sun. If all goes well, they would likely have to stay on the back hill for at least five or six days.

Families with more able-bodied workers sent one person to search for deadwood while the others followed Zhou Ye’s example and built rock stoves.

Building an earthen stove was not possible given the conditions. Zhou Ye brought over four large stones, stacking them together to form a simple rock stove that could support the iron pot directly. Since the ground was damp, they also spread a layer of gravel at the base of the stove. Once the fire was lit, the heat would quickly dry the surface moisture of the gravel.

As for starting the fire, having a fire striker made it much easier.

However, not every household in Sweetwater Village owned a fire striker. A fire striker cost around a hundred *wen* (copper coins), which was a luxury for many impoverished families. Some villagers were reluctant to spend the money and would borrow fire from their neighbors instead. After borrowing fire, they would carefully preserve the embers, only going to borrow again if the embers accidentally went out.

By the time Zhou Ye finished building the rock stove, He Guixiang had already taken out her fire striker. "I'll start the fire. The rain was heavy yesterday—I'm not sure if the tinder is damp."

He Guixiang skillfully struck the fire striker against the flint, sending sparks flying onto the tinder. She immediately blew gently on the tinder.

"The tinder still works—it's lit!"

Once she had a flame, He Guixiang slowly added the dry pine needles and grass Lin Shu had brought back to the stove. As the fire grew stronger, she added the split kindling Zhou Ye had just prepared.

Lin Dashan was also busy. He fetched a bucket of clean mountain spring water from the source and poured it into the iron pot, filling it to the brim.

Even though it was clean spring water, no one would drink it straight after the heavy rain. It had to be boiled first.

Li Chunmiao directly asked He Guixiang, "Sister He, can I borrow some fire later when it's time for my family to start cooking?"

Her son, Wang Yingen, was lucky enough to have eaten half a flatbread last night and hadn’t gone hungry, but the rest of the family was already famished. Once her husband returned with dry firewood, she would immediately start cooking breakfast!

He Guixiang replied, "Don't mention it. Just come and borrow it whenever you need."

Seizing the opportunity, He Guixiang also said to the other villagers, "Anyone who needs to start a fire for cooking later can come and borrow fire."

A woman immediately responded, "Then I won't be shy with you, sister-in-law. I'll come borrow fire later."

Someone else asked, "What are you planning to cook for breakfast, sister-in-law? Congee? Did you add too much water?"

He Guixiang glanced at Lin Shu, a trace of pride evident on her face. "We brought some extra ginger when we left home. A Shu suggested boiling a pot of ginger broth first so everyone can have a bowl to ward off the cold!"

Hearing this, the villagers were both surprised and delighted.

Country folk typically ate whatever they had on hand. Wild onions, wild garlic, and even green Sichuan pepper for seasoning could be found in the mountains. Few would specifically go to town to buy ginger. Ginger wasn’t cheap, so it was unexpected that Lin Laoer’s family not only had ginger on hand but were also willing to boil a pot of ginger broth for all the villagers. Combined with the earlier kindness shown by Lin Laoer’s family, the villagers felt even more grateful to them.

"Since this ginger broth is for everyone, we can't let your family use up your firewood alone. Once my second son returns with dry firewood, I'll share some with you," an elderly man said.

Others nodded in agreement. That made sense!

Zhang Lamei and Gao Shi remained silent. They weren't sure if the ginger broth would include their families.

Two large pieces of ginger were sliced into shreds and added to the iron pot. After the water boiled, the broth was simmered over low heat for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Lin Shu called out, "Uncles, aunts, please understand—we've only boiled one pot of ginger broth, enough for each household to have one bowl. Families with more members can take two bowls. Those with bowls can bring them to scoop, and those without can cut a section of bamboo to use as a container."

The villagers were already grateful to receive a bowl of ginger broth and didn’t complain about the portion. A single bowl could be shared among the family, with the weaker members—women, children, and the elderly—drinking more, while the stronger adults drank less.

Most villagers hadn't brought bowls or chopsticks, as they had prioritized carrying the most essential items. They figured there were plenty of bamboos in the mountains—chopsticks could be made on the spot, and bamboo sections could serve as bowls.

Before Lin Shu could even mention it, someone had already gone to the forest to cut bamboo, quickly obtaining bamboo containers for storing the broth.

One person from each household came to collect the ginger broth. Drinking it while hot warmed them all over.

Zhang Lamei initially stubbornly refused to go collect the broth, but she soon couldn't hold out any longer. She had sneezed several times the previous night, and upon waking that morning, she felt slightly dizzy. She needed that ginger broth!

Seeing that Lin Duocang, that ungrateful one, had asked someone for a bamboo container to collect ginger broth, Zhang Lamei worried that if he took his share, there might not be any left for her. She quickly pulled a large clay bowl from her basket.

When she left home, she couldn’t bear to leave behind her pots and bowls, so she had brought both her ceramic pot and clay bowls. However, clay bowls were heavy, so she had only brought four in total—one large bowl and three small ones.

Zhang Lamei shoved the large clay bowl into Lin Duogu’s hands. "Second son, you're clever. Hurry and get in line before your elder brother to scoop the ginger broth, and bring back as much as you can."

Lin Duogu took the large bowl and ran, pushing ahead of Lin Duocang.

Lin Duocang opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately swallowed his words.

Although his wife had a quilt to sleep under last night, she had started coughing that morning. He had indeed wanted to get a separate bowl of ginger broth for her. But with his younger brother lining up in front of him with such a large bowl, would Lin Shu still give him any ginger broth after serving Lin Duogu?

Lin Xiaopu was familiar with the village households. As Lin Shu ladled out the broth, Lin Xiaopu quietly informed her of how many people were in each family. For larger families, Lin Shu would offer them an extra bowl. For smaller families, one full bowl was enough.

As Lin Shu continued ladling, she eventually saw the large clay bowl in Lin Duogu’s hands.

Lin Shu: …

Lin Duogu smiled cheerfully, as if he had completely forgotten the earlier conflict between their families.

Beside her, Lin Xiaopu rolled her eyes discreetly, but Lin Shu still followed the rules and ladled a generous portion into the bowl. Since Uncle’s family had many members, and the bowl was large, a good amount would suffice.

To her surprise, Lin Duogu still found it insufficient. Boldly, he asked, "A Shu, little sister, could you add two more ladles? The bowl isn't full yet."

Lin Shu glanced at Lin Duocang, who was behind him in line, and replied with a tight smile, "I didn't include your elder brother and sister-in-law in this portion. Your sister-in-law seems unwell, so I'll save a separate bowl for her later. This should be enough for the rest of your family."

Hearing this, Lin Duogu had no choice but to drop the matter. Someone behind him muttered about his thick skin, but he pretended not to hear.

When it was Lin Duocang’s turn to collect the ginger broth, he was too ashamed to lift his head. But Lin Shu not only filled his bamboo container to the brim but also added a few words of advice: "I heard your wife coughing earlier. If the ginger broth doesn't help, go to the mountains and find some mugwort to boil into broth for her."

Lin Shu took the opportunity to address the other villagers: "This ginger broth is mainly for warming the body and warding off the cold. It can help alleviate early symptoms of a chill. If any uncles or aunts are experiencing other discomforts, like coughing, you can drink more mugwort broth. If you have a fever, dig up some kudzu root and boil it into broth. There are other herbal broths for relieving coughs and reducing fever—the elderly in the village likely know more about them than I do."

An elderly woman smiled and chimed in, "That's right, that's right. What A Shu said is correct. There's also fish mint. Whenever someone in the village has a cough, we dig up fish mint and boil it into broth. It was too late yesterday, but early this morning, my eldest and second sons went out—one to look for dry firewood, the other to dig up fish mint. Once we've boiled it, if there's any left, I'll bring you a bowl."

Going to a town clinic for medicine was too expensive for villagers. When they fell ill, they typically relied on themselves. But that didn't mean they did nothing. The elderly passed down many folk remedies, and there were herbal broths for common ailments like headaches, coughs, and fevers.

A woman chuckled in response, "No need, Auntie. Fish mint roots are everywhere—we can dig them up and brew a drink ourselves. And the kudzu root that A Shu mentioned must be what we call kudzu root? I didn’t know it could reduce fever, but my grandpa told me when I was young that digging up kudzu root to soak in water is really good. During famines, it could even be eaten!"

A teenage boy from a poor family suddenly chimed in, "My family has dug up kudzu root to eat before. It really fills you up, but it’s got lots of fibrous roots and doesn’t taste great, heh."

His mother immediately smacked him on the head, "What are you telling folks for? Have you no shame?"

The villagers laughed good-naturedly, "Why hit the kid? With the flood hitting the village, none of our households have enough grain to last long. Soon, every family will probably be digging up this kudzu root to eat!"

"If we don’t eat kudzu root, there’s always something else. In another month, the chestnuts in the mountains will be ripe—we can all go gather them together!"

"There are also plenty of mushrooms in the hills. We could forage for mushrooms every day and eat well for a long time!"

Chatting back and forth, the villagers suddenly felt that the days ahead didn’t seem so bad after all.