Chapter 80: Cool Fish – Purple Bamboo

After his parents left, Lin Heng turned his gaze to Xiulan. It was this woman who, even when his parents opposed, still stood by his side. Just like when her parents disapproved of her marrying far away, she resolutely followed him to Maple Village.

“What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?” Xiulan winked at him, smiling.

Lin Heng smiled and shook his head. “No, I was just marveling at how I have such a beautiful and virtuous wife.”

“Flattering me like this will make me too proud. From now on, I won’t cook or take care of the kids, just stay at home and eat your food.” Xiulan joked.

“No problem, I won’t make you do anything, just enjoy yourself,” Lin Heng said with a chuckle, but he meant it.

“Alright, alright, you watch the daughter, I’ll go make lunch.” Xiulan smiled, then stood up with the freshly picked vegetables.

“Let’s have something good for lunch today—cornmeal cool fish,” Xiulan said, turning back halfway.

“That sounds great! I haven’t had this in a long time. I’ll help you,” Lin Heng said, carrying their daughter into the kitchen.

Xiulan first blanched two types of wild vegetables—shepherd’s purse and dandelion greens—then set them aside as a topping. She started boiling water in the pot.

Cool fish is a dish popular in rural areas every summer. It’s simple to make, tastes great, and is beloved by many.

Xiulan took a pound of cornmeal (a coarser type of corn starch) and added water, stirring it until it became a batter-like paste.

She boiled water in the pot, preparing another basin of cold mountain spring water. Once the water in the pot boiled, she quickly poured in the cornmeal paste and stirred vigorously. The cornmeal transformed into a translucent, light yellow jelly-like membrane.

She used a ladle to scoop the jelly-like membrane into a mold with small holes the size of a finger. Beneath the mold was the mountain spring water.

As the jelly passed through the holes, it formed small fish shapes with pointed ends. After cooling in the water, they hardened and looked like little fish swimming in the water, hence the name “cool fish.”

This is essentially a type of jelly, but made differently with simpler tools.

Soon, a large bowl of cool fish was ready. Xiulan changed the water to make it even colder because the colder it is, the better it tastes.

Once chilled, she divided it into bowls, adding some shepherd’s purse and dandelion greens, then drizzled on chili oil, garlic, and chili paste, and a bit of vinegar. Even before eating, Lin Heng was already salivating from a distance.

No salt was needed since the garlic chili paste and chili oil were both salty enough for the dish.

“Alright, it’s ready to eat,” Xiulan said, placing three bowls on the table.

On a hot day with temperatures over 30°C, a bowl of icy cool fish is simply refreshing. Lin Heng was about to dig in when a small hand tugged at him: “Baba, eat~”

His daughter opened her big round eyes and stared at him.

“Okay, okay, you eat first,” Lin Heng said, taking her portion without chili and feeding it to her.

“You eat, I’ll feed her,” Xiulan said.

“It’s the same, it doesn’t matter,” Lin Heng shook his head, scooping a small piece of cool fish for his daughter, Xiaoxia.

“Ah~” Xiaoxia eagerly took the spoon, even chewing the spoon before releasing it.

“Eat quickly, or I’ll spank you,” Xiulan warned, glaring at her and picking up a small branch.

“Such a tasty dish! If that stick hits your bottom, it’ll bloom!” Lin Heng joked as he fed her.

Xiaoxia saw the stick in her mother’s hand, covered her little bottom with her hands, and obediently ate, taking big bites.

“Full!” After eating for a while, Xiaoxia ran off to play with the dog outside.

“This texture is amazing!” Lin Heng took another bite, squinting in pleasure.

The cool fish made from cornmeal was smooth and bouncy, perfectly complemented by the garlic chili oil. The shepherd’s purse and dandelion greens added a unique flavor, making it a perfect combination with the cool fish.

No wonder it was so popular in the countryside.

Life was hard, and to be able to enjoy such delicate food was a rare treat.

Lin Heng ate three bowls, feeling content.

“There’s half a bowl left, take it to Dad. He loves this too,” Xiulan said, looking at Lin Heng. She had made extra so he could bring some to his parents.

“Okay,” Lin Heng nodded, taking the cool fish to the old house.

When he opened the yard gate, he saw his father, Lin Fu, drinking with his uncle in the main room. There were only two plates of vegetarian dishes on the table.

“Dad, we made cool fish. I brought you some,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

Lin Fu glanced at him and said, “Your mom is downstairs. You two can take it back and eat it yourselves.”

“Here, just take this,” Lin Heng felt his father was a bit upset, so he placed the bowl on the table.

“Sit down and have a drink,” his uncle suggested.

“Alright,” Lin Heng grinned and sat down, not at all upset with his father, understanding his feelings.

Had he not been reborn and aware of the future, he wouldn’t have dared to do such things.

After two drinks, Lin Fu seemed less angry.

“Lin Heng, did you ask Tian Baishun?” His uncle asked after taking a sip.

“No, but I think he’s free anytime. I went to his house this morning and he was there. He hasn’t planted much, just a little. But Xiulan said I should help clear the corn grass tomorrow. It might have to wait until the day after,” Lin Heng shook his head and explained.

Lin Fu looked up, giving him a cold stare: “With your careless nature, I’m afraid you’ll pull out the corn seedlings along with the grass.”

“Your big brother and I will do it. You and your uncle head up the mountain quickly,” Lin Fu said.

Lin Heng: “…That doesn’t seem right.”

“What’s wrong with it? When you hunt, you share the meat with everyone, right? It’s the same thing.”

Lin Fu’s tone was cold. “I just don’t like the way you do farm work. You can’t even plant rice straight.”

Lin Fu had a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder and still remembered how Lin Heng had planted rice unevenly.

“Alright, Uncle, we’ll leave early tomorrow morning. I won’t drink anymore. I’ll go tell Tian Baishun now.” Lin Heng stood up.

“Take that little turtle back to the fish pond. It’s too small to be useful.” Lin Fu added before Lin Heng left.

“Okay,” Lin Heng agreed, not bothering to argue, and took the turtle from the water basin.

The turtle was probably not young, its shell black and shiny with distinct golden lines on its belly. It looked quite good, though in the countryside, people cared more about its size and whether it could be eaten.

He planned to keep it with the soft-shelled turtle at home in a wooden basin. He couldn’t put it in the fish pond; otherwise, it would become an all-you-can-eat buffet.

“Did Dad give you that turtle?” Xiulan asked as she came over with Xiaoxia in her arms.

“Yes, Dad wants me to go hunting with Uncle tomorrow, no need to clear the grass. I’m going to tell Tian Baishun now. Please prepare some food for the trip. We’ll be in the deep mountains for two or three days at least, and if we catch something, it could be a week. We probably won’t be back by the Dragon Boat Festival. You and Mom can celebrate it together.” Lin Heng said to his wife.

“It’s fine, just the Dragon Boat Festival. We can celebrate when you get back,” Xiulan said with a smile, not bothered by it.

Lin Heng didn’t mind much either. In those times, celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival meant eating zongzi and a few dishes. If there was meat every day, it was like celebrating the festival every day.

“Then I’ll go find Tian Baishun.”

With that, he turned and went to notify Tian Baishun.

Tian Baishun lived on the eastern hillside of the village, where there were more people, even more crowded than their area. The village committee was also located there.

Tian Baishun was a lonely old bachelor with no children or close relatives. He wasn’t well-liked because he loved to gossip.

Especially when people heard he liked to flirt with women, he became even more disliked.

Lin Heng actually didn’t want to go hunting with him, but since the man was an experienced hunter, it wouldn’t hurt to learn from him once or twice.

Tian Baishun lived in a mud house, renting out his fields and keeping only enough food for himself. He raised a sheep and an old hunting dog.

When Lin Heng arrived, Tian Baishun was napping in a chair, with the sheep tied outside the courtyard, grazing.

“Woof, woof!”

A large black-and-white spotted dog rushed at Lin Heng, showing its teeth. Luckily, it was chained up.

Tian Baishun woke up, and upon seeing Lin Heng, said, “You’re here to hunt, right?”

“Yes, we’ll set off tomorrow. Just come to my house early in the morning,” Lin Heng nodded.

As soon as he turned to leave, Tian Baishun quickly grabbed him. “Come in and chat for a bit. Have a drink.”

“Nothing to talk about. We’ll discuss the details tomorrow. I still need to go home and pack,” Lin Heng shook his head and walked off.

Tian Baishun, a little helpless, wanted to chat, but Lin Heng wasn’t interested in small talk.

At home, Xiulan was preparing food for the journey. The easiest and most durable food was steamed cornmeal buns, along with a jar of fermented tofu, which would last two days.

Lin Heng packed up what he needed. He made sure to bring plenty of thin plastic sheeting for rain protection, which could also be used as a shelter. He checked the lighter, refilling it with kerosene and making sure the flint was good.

He checked the slingshot, bow, and arrows, sharpening his knives: a machete for clearing paths and a small knife for cutting meat.

He also packed plastic bags, rope, an old iron cup, a flashlight with spare batteries, and a kilo of salt. Hunting in summer meant long trips, sometimes with spoiling meat, so the salt would help preserve anything that couldn’t be eaten right away.

With the dried food Xiulan prepared, Lin Heng packed everything into his backpack so he wouldn’t forget anything in the morning.

Xiulan made round flatbreads from cornmeal and flour, which she dried in the pot. She also made a few cornmeal buns.

“I also packed some roasted soybeans for you. They won’t spoil and should last you for four to five days,” she said.

Xiu Lan scooped a little more soybeans into the pan to fry, and once cooked, the fragrant aroma filled the entire house.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist and will finish them on the first day,” Lin Heng said with a smile. Fried soybeans really are a delicious treat.

“Then you’ll have to work hard hunting from now on, but whatever you do, safety first,” Xiu Lan said with a smile.

After frying the soybeans, she left a handful for Xiao Xia, and packed the rest for Lin Heng, while she herself only tasted two.

By the time all of this was done, it was already after 3 PM. Xiu Lan carried Xiao Xia out, while Lin Heng went to lead the sheep. The three of them headed to the fields to help with the work. When they passed the old house, they also brought a bag of ash to help.

At this time of year, farming work seems endless. Most crops like corn, soybeans, mung beans, and peanuts need to be weeded, and the rice paddies also require weeding.

Today is the 3rd, and the Dragon Boat Festival is in two days. During this time, wheat has ripened and it’s time to start harvesting.

Because they live at a high altitude, crops mature a little later here. In most plains, the harvest is already done by the time it’s just beginning here.

Also, the sweet potatoes planted a month ago have already taken root and need fertilizing and the vines need to be turned.

When they arrived at the sweet potato field, Lin Heng’s mother, his sister-in-law Liu Juan, and her two young sons were all busy turning the sweet potato vines.

“Lin Tao, come here and help me with the sheep. Tie them by the edge of the field so they can graze, but don’t let them run away. Also, keep an eye on your sister, don’t let her fall,” Lin Heng called to his second nephew, Lin Tao.

“Okay, Uncle!” Lin Tao quickly ran over to take the rope. Turning sweet potato vines was really exhausting.

“You don’t want to work, but keep an eye on your brother and sister. If they fall, you’ll be in trouble,” his mother, Liu Juan, warned him.

“Don’t worry, Mom,” Lin Tao nodded. Though he was only four, he was already helping out in the fields.

“Xiu Lan, you handle the fertilizer, and I’ll do the weeding,” Lin Heng said, picking up a hoe.

“Okay,” Xiu Lan said, bringing the ash and sprinkling it around the base of each sweet potato plant.

Lin Heng used the hoe to remove weeds, then loosened the soil and covered the sweet potato roots with it. He flipped the vines over so the underside was facing up to prevent side roots from forming.

This process was repeated until they had finished the three acres of sweet potato field.

The worst part was that this was just the first round, because the ash doesn’t provide enough nutrients, and they usually need to apply fertilizer a second time.

Moreover, the sweet potato vines had to be flipped three times; if not, they would produce side roots, and the yield would suffer.

Just thinking about all of this made Lin Heng miss chemical fertilizers, which were the greatest invention. Humanity only started overcoming hunger after fertilizers were invented.

With fertilizer, they would only need to fertilize once and flip the vines three times. That would save so much work.

Unfortunately, at this time, fertilizers were not yet widespread, and only large plains used them.

After working for a while, Lin Heng couldn’t help but rub his sore waist. His body felt weak and tired, and bending down to hoe the land was exhausting.

“If you can’t keep going, take a break and take it slow,” his mother said, glancing at him. She knew Lin Heng couldn’t keep up for long.

“That’s why I need to make money,” Lin Heng shook his head and kept hoeing.

They worked from 3 PM to 5 PM, and only finished one acre of land. After a short rest, they still had over an acre left to do.

“Lin Heng, look, isn’t that your brother-in-law? Why is he carrying bamboo down from the mountain?”

During their break, Lin Heng’s mother suddenly said.

Lin Heng turned around and indeed saw a man wearing black clothes, carrying a bundle of bamboo down the hill. The walking posture made it unmistakably his brother-in-law, Li Baiquan.

“He’s probably bringing purple bamboo, the ones I asked him to get for me. I’ll go meet him,” Lin Heng said, putting down the hoe and heading over.

They met by the stone slab river, and Li Baiquan spoke first: “I brought you the purple bamboo. These six stalks are old purple bamboo, they’re good for making fishing rods.”

“Great! Once I make them, we’ll go fishing together,” Lin Heng said with a smile as he took the bamboo. The dark purple bamboo was indeed old; younger purple bamboo only had a slight hint of purple at the joints.

“Where do you plan to plant them?” Li Baiquan asked.

“Behind the house, outside the pigpen. You can’t plant them in the yard, or they’ll spread everywhere in a few years.”

Lin Heng said he had originally planned to carry the bamboo himself, but his brother-in-law refused.

“That’s a good spot. Don’t plant them too close, these things are dirty for years,” Li Baiquan nodded.

Arriving at the back mountain of the Lin family, Lin Heng used a hoe to dig a large hole in a fertile patch of land and planted the purple bamboo.

After planting it, he hauled two buckets of water and poured them over the bamboo. The purple bamboo his brother-in-law had dug up was still in soil and had three bamboo stalks, so it had a good chance of surviving.

“Brother-in-law, come down and have some water,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

“Okay,” his brother-in-law nodded, already feeling extremely thirsty.

Once inside the house, before Lin Heng could pour him tea, his brother-in-law went straight to the kitchen and drank a scoop of cold water.

“Hey, are you going hunting?” His brother-in-law asked when he came out of the kitchen and noticed the hunting gear in the main room.

“Yes, my uncle, Tian Baishun, and I are teaming up to hunt. We’re leaving tomorrow morning,” Lin Heng nodded and replied.

As soon as he heard about the hunting trip, his brother-in-law immediately became interested and said, “Then add me to the team. I’ll get up early tomorrow and join you.”

“Well… do you think my aunt will agree?” Lin Heng was worried that this would get him scolded by his aunt.

“What’s there to disagree with? I’m doing something proper, not anything bad. I’ll head home now, and tomorrow morning, I’ll come down. You guys must wait for me!”

His brother-in-law said as he headed out the door.

“Brother-in-law, have a corn pancake before you leave,” Lin Heng called, running to catch up with him.

“Okay, remember to wait for me,” his brother-in-law said with a smile before leaving. He had planned to stay for dinner, but now he couldn’t care less.

Lin Heng was helpless. What could he do? He couldn’t refuse since his brother-in-law was an elder. Lately, his brother-in-law had been running around and probably hadn’t done much farm work. Lin Heng didn’t want to take him hunting again.

What if they didn’t catch anything? Wouldn’t that just lead to another argument between his aunt and him?

He grabbed a bag of ash and reluctantly headed to the second sweet potato field.

“Did your brother-in-law leave?” Lin Heng’s mother asked when she saw him coming.

“Yeah, he knows we’re going hunting tomorrow, and he insisted on joining us. I’m worried my aunt will scold me the next time he visits,” Lin Heng said, helplessly shrugging.

“It’s okay, this is a good thing. If you don’t take him hunting, he’ll probably just keep running around,” Lin Heng’s mother said. She knew her brother-in-law, Li Baiquan, too well.

He was the type who couldn’t sit still. Although he worked, he liked to join in on everything and drink with others.

But you couldn’t really say he was neglecting his duties; he did work, hunted, and ran around the village.

Luckily, he hadn’t separated from his family yet, so his two sons and wife could still help with the farm work.

“That’s true,” Lin Heng nodded. He actually thought his brother-in-law was a good person. Maybe they both liked to have fun, and that’s why they got along.

He actually thought his uncle was too serious and didn’t find hunting with him very enjoyable.

They kept working on the farm until 7:30, just as the sky was getting dark, finally finishing applying fertilizer to the sweet potatoes.

By the time Lin Heng got home, his back was aching, his legs cramped, and he was exhausted. He had a simple dinner of sauerkraut noodles, took a cold shower, and went to bed.

He knew he couldn’t afford to get distracted tonight; he needed to rest up for tomorrow’s hunting trip.

(End of chapter)