Chapter 60: Raspberry and Beggar’s Chicken

At 4:30 in the afternoon, the westward sun dyed the clouds a golden yellow, casting its warm yet gentle light over Baishi Valley from the western side. The sunlight was bright but not dazzling, and the warmth was comforting.

On both sides of the spacious valley of Baishi Valley stood lush green trees, resembling a picturesque peach orchard. The small mountain streams danced joyfully through the canyon, their cheerful babbling blending harmoniously with the gentle whispers of the breeze, creating a melodious symphony.

By the stream were scattered white peculiar stones and a few patches of soft sandy ground.

Lin Heng and Xiulan sat by the stream, leaning against it. They held green-feathered birds, roasting them over the crackling flames. The feathers burned quickly in the fire, releasing a pungent odor reminiscent of burnt fingernails.

The remaining charred remnants clung to the bird’s skin, turning what should have been a delectable roast bird into something entirely blackened.

“Woof!”

As Xiulan wondered whether such a preparation would truly be edible, Xiongba wandered around the edge of the fire pit, tail wagging and mouth open, drooling all over the ground.

“All right, these three are done roasting!” Lin Heng handed two birds to Xiulan while keeping one for himself. Using a small hatchet, he scraped away the charred remnants of feathers stuck to the skin.

Soon, the golden skin of the bird emerged. He then cut open its belly and carefully removed the cooked entrails, tossing them to Xiongba. The bird, now exuding a savory aroma, was ready to be eaten.

Lin Heng tore off a piece of the roasted bird first. Taking out the salt and chili powder he had brought from home, he mixed them together and dipped a piece into the mixture. After one bite, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

The bird’s meat was tender and soft, with even the bones easily chewable, akin to a squab but with a firmer texture.

“It’s really delicious. Try it!” Lin Heng tore off a piece, dipped it in chili powder, and offered it to Xiulan.

Xiulan opened her lips and accepted the piece. After chewing twice, she blinked in surprise. “I didn’t expect it to taste this good.”

“Here, the remaining half is yours. I’ll take care of the other two,” Lin Heng said, handing the other half to Xiulan.

While cleaning the entrails of the second bird to toss to Xiongba, Lin Heng noticed that the dog hadn’t even touched the first set of entrails. Instead, Xiongba was staring longingly at the chili powder.

“Stupid dog, you can’t eat that!” Lin Heng sighed helplessly. This dog was too smart for its own good, always wanting to try everything.

“Woof woof!”

Xiongba protested. Why could you eat it, but not me?

“Xiulan, sprinkle a bit of chili powder for it,” Lin Heng said, glancing at the dog.

Xiulan sprinkled some chili powder. Xiongba immediately ate it in one bite.

“Achoo!!”

As soon as it entered its mouth, the dog sneezed loudly and bolted to the stream to drink water furiously.

“Had enough now?” Lin Heng shook his head in exasperation and handed the prepared bird meat to Xiulan. He rinsed the entrails in the stream and tossed them to Xiongba.

This time, the dog obediently ate them but gave Lin Heng and Xiulan a strange look, as if to say, You humans eat the weirdest things.

“Open your mouth!” Xiulan held out a piece of meat to Lin Heng.

Lin Heng chuckled and opened his mouth to take the bite. He roasted the meat while Xiulan fed him one piece at a time, eating leisurely.

When thirsty, they used folded tung leaves as spoons to scoop the cool stream water. Occasionally, they paired the meal with cornbread. Life felt delightfully serene.

They ate four green-feathered birds in total, leaving the remaining six for Xiongba.

“We’ll use the turtledoves to make beggar’s chicken,” Lin Heng suggested. He singed off the turtledove feathers, cleaned out the entrails, and rubbed salt on the meat. Picking some mountain pepper, he stuffed it into the bird’s cavity, wrapped it in leaves, then coated it with yellow mud before tossing it into the fire to cook.

“I found some early raspberries. Let’s add them too,” Xiulan said, returning with a handful of raspberries and offering them to Lin Heng as if presenting a treasure.

“Great find!” Lin Heng’s eyes lit up. Raspberries were one of his favorite wild fruits in the mountains, known for their excellent flavor. Typically, they ripened around the Dragon Boat Festival. With twenty days still to go, it wasn’t surprising to find some early ones.

He quickly opened the turtledove’s cavity, removed the mountain pepper, and gestured for Xiulan to add the raspberries.

Xiulan kept three raspberries for Lin Heng and stuffed the rest into the turtledove’s belly. Lin Heng then wrapped it up and prepared it as beggar’s chicken.

“I saw some goatberries too, but they’re still green,” Xiulan remarked with a hint of regret.

After finishing the roasted green-feathered birds, she had wandered around a bit.

“No problem. There should be more raspberries nearby. Let’s look for some,” Lin Heng said with a smile. Raspberries loved growing along riverbanks, so there were bound to be more around.

“Okay!” Xiulan nodded and joined Lin Heng in searching for more raspberries.

“Woof!”

Xiongba, full from the roasted birds, lay on a rock basking in the sun. When the two left, he merely raised his head, barked lazily, then went back to sleep.

Whenever he felt hot, he would take a dip in the water and return to sunbathe, living a thoroughly leisurely life.

“There are so many!”

Xiulan beamed with delight, spotting several raspberry bushes laden with fruit.

“Let’s pick the raspberries and enjoy them by the stream while soaking our feet,” Lin Heng suggested.

Xiulan blinked and nodded. “Sounds good.”

While picking raspberries, Lin Heng noticed a nearby camellia tree in full bloom with radiant white flowers. He couldn’t resist plucking a few.

“Xiulan!” Lin Heng called out.

“What is it?” Xiulan turned her head, and Lin Heng presented the white camellia flowers to her.

“For you,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

Xiulan froze for a moment, then turned her head away. “Put it on me.”

“Sure thing.” Lin Heng grinned as he tucked the flower into her hair.

He thought back to the first time he saw Xiulan in Lushui County, where she was selling dried tofu. He had won her over with a bunch of camellia flowers.

“Beautiful!”

With the flower in her hair, Xiulan exuded a touch of elegance.

Xiulan blinked but said nothing. A faint smile appeared on her lips.

The two picked about half a pound of raspberries and headed to the stream.

Lin Heng found a small pool with a soft sandy bottom and placed two stone slabs on the bank as makeshift seats.

They took off their shoes and soaked their feet in the water. The pool was shallow, only about fifteen centimeters deep, and the soft sand beneath felt like a massage for their feet.

Xiulan playfully swirled her dainty feet in the water, her skin fair and smooth. Eating raspberries, she resembled a little girl, feeding Lin Heng one berry for every one she ate.

In truth, she was still quite young. Although a year older than Lin Heng, she was only 21. In the modern era, she would still be in university. But in these times, she had taken on life’s burdens early.

This rare moment of leisure allowed her childish side to show. She played with the water and often wore a smile on her face.

“I’m going to check if the beggar’s chicken is done,” Lin Heng said.

With a handful of raspberries remaining, he noticed the last fire had burned out and went to see if the dish was ready.

(End of Chapter)