Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 41

Chapter 41

After a few autumn rains, the coolness of autumn departed, and the mountain winds became sharp, biting at one’s face. The river water was already cold to the touch.

Ye Xi nestled inside, quietly embroidering handkerchiefs, a teapot simmering on the clay stove beside him, brewing red date and osmanthus tea, which he had stored at the beginning of autumn. He knew he needed to drink more hot water in cold weather, plain water wouldn’t do.

The fawn nestled docilely at his feet. If any chickens or ducks tried to peck at the flowers and plants Ye Xi planted in the courtyard, it would chase them away.

Ye Xi smiled and stroked its head, the deer becoming more intelligent and protective than a dog.

The steam from the teapot filled the room, making it much warmer than outside. He worked diligently, embroidering handkerchiefs to sell at the shop in town. He had sold some handkerchiefs twice recently, earning seventy or eighty wen. After selling these handkerchiefs, he could buy some fabric and make Lin Jiangshan a new inner garment. His current ones were worn out.

Last night, he checked Lin Jiangshan’s three inner garments and found holes worn out under the arms and at the elbows. Even with patches, they wouldn’t be warm and comfortable. Ye Xi planned to make him a new one and buy some cotton to make a thick padded jacket when the weather got colder.

He focused on his embroidery when the fawn suddenly stood up from his feet and ran to the courtyard gate.

Ye Xi called out, “Is there a guest?”

Just as he finished speaking, a clear female voice came from the gate, “Good little deer, you came to greet me.”

Ye Xi quickly put down his handkerchief, stood up, and smiled. “Sister-in-law, you’re here.”

Li Ran entered the courtyard, carrying a basket. “Your deer is becoming more and more well-behaved, I’m so envious, I want one too.”

Ye Xi smiled. “If we hunt another one, I’ll give it to you.”

Li Ran entered the house and sat down unceremoniously, reaching for the teapot on the clay stove, pouring herself a bowl of tea, and drinking it all in one gulp.

“You really know how to enjoy life, even the water you boil tastes better than others’.”

Ye Xi smiled. “It’s just something I picked from the mountains, stored for a fresh flavor.”

Li Ran praised him further. “These things are everywhere in the mountains, but no one else thinks of using them to make tea. You’re so much better than us, this little courtyard of yours is so cozy and comfortable.”

Ye Xi asked, “Sister-in-law, did you come today just to chat?”

Li Ran had married into the Ye family last month and had become good friends with Ye Xi, visiting him often.

Li Ran said, “I’m bored at home. Your brother and husband are both working on the official road construction, leaving before dawn and not returning until it’s completely dark. I have no one to talk to all day, it’s so boring at home. Mother told me to come and find you, to go foraging in the mountains for the last autumn harvest.”

She was straightforward and kind, treating her parents-in-law with sincerity, and Liu Xiufeng treated her like her own daughter.

Ye Xi pulled the thread and smiled. “We might still be able to find the last batch of milk-cap mushrooms in the forest, and there should be some chestnuts left.”

Li Ran pulled him. “Then let’s go to the mountains, it’s better than staying at home.”

Ye Xi thought, “I’ll make you clay pot rice with chestnuts when we bring them back. If we dry and store them for winter, we can also make stir-fried chestnuts, soft and chewy, a perfect snack.”

Li Ran was excited and wanted to go immediately.

Ye Xi couldn’t refuse her, so he put down his handkerchief, locked the door, and accompanied her to the forest.

Late autumn was almost over, Start of Winter was only a few days away, the trees in the mountains looked desolate, and there were fewer traces of birds and animals.

Ye Xi and Li Ran walked through the forest and found a cluster of milky-yellow mushrooms under a dead tree.

Ye Xi squatted down and carefully picked them, saying, “These mushrooms are delicious in soup, and we can also dry them and store them for winter.”

The dead tree was also covered with plump and tender wood ear mushrooms, and Li Ran picked them as she said, “Are you and Li-ge’er from the village good friends?”

Ye Xi looked up at his sister-in-law and nodded. “We’ve been close friends since childhood, why?”

Li Ran sighed and said casually, “Wasn’t he talking about a marriage proposal with Li San the butcher’s family? Like my family, they’re butchers.”

Ye Xi agreed, putting the mushrooms in the basket, moss staining his fingertips. “But I heard the proposal is on hold.”

Li Ran sat down on a dead tree trunk. “That’s what’s been happening recently.”

Ye Xi looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

Li Ran said slowly, “That Li San couple isn’t good, they favor the eldest and dote on the youngest, the second son, Li Xi, is caught in the middle, not loved by either parent. He’s already at this age and still hasn’t been married. Now they finally found a match with Li-ge’er from your village, and they’re very satisfied.”

Ye Xi was amused by his sister-in-law’s animated expression and listened as she continued, “Li-ge’er’s mother thinks that the Li Xi family is troublesome. Not only would he not be loved by his parents-in-law if he married there, but he would also be bullied by his sisters-in-law, so she refused the proposal. This made Li Xi anxious, his future husband was about to slip away, so he couldn’t hold back anymore and caused a scene.”

“What kind of scene? Asking for separation?”

Li Ran nodded. “Yes, he’s demanding to separate from his family and establish his own household. It’s customary not to separate while parents are still alive, but he couldn’t bear it anymore and insisted on separating.”

Ye Xi thought it was a good idea. Although it sounded unfilial, he wouldn’t have done this if he hadn’t been mistreated at home. “If Li Xi really separates from his family, then Li-ge’er’s family might reconsider the proposal.”

Li Ran said, “But his parents won’t agree. The eldest son has his own family and refuses to do the work, and the youngest is lazy and always tries to take advantage of others. They rely entirely on Li Xi, the second son. If he separates, the Li San family will have a hard time.”

They walked and chatted about village gossip: The Zhao family stepped on the Liu family’s seedlings, the Liu family’s chickens pecked at the Zhao family’s scallions and garlic, Mrs. Qian’s daughter was engaged to a man from the next village who had pockmarks on his face, but the betrothal gifts were high, a whole ten taels, the lazy Sun Ma-zi from the village also wanted to work on the official road construction, but Village Chief Zhou disagreed, and he went to pester the village chief again today…

Chestnuts covered the ground in the forest, their prickly outer shells enclosing plump and large nuts. Ye Xi stepped on the shells and used bamboo tongs to extract the chestnuts.

After collecting two full baskets of chestnuts in the mountains, Ye Xi and Li Ran returned to the courtyard and sat down with wooden basins to peel the outer shells.

After peeling a small basket of chestnuts, Ye Xi started to remove the hard inner shells, revealing the yellow flesh inside.

“Sister-in-law, stay for dinner, I’ll make clay pot rice with chestnuts tonight.”

Li Ran didn’t stand on ceremony and happily agreed. “I’ll ask your brother to come too when he returns. Father and Mother have probably already cooked at home, so it will just be the four of us.”

Ye Xi went to the kitchen, washed the chestnuts, and took out a handful of milk-cap mushrooms, chopping them finely. The fawn came in and nuzzled against his leg, its antlers occasionally poking his knees.

Ye Xi washed a mushroom and fed it to the fawn, smiling. “Go and guard the chickens in the courtyard.”

The fawn chewed on the mushroom contentedly and went to the courtyard.

The carrots they planted in autumn had already sprouted. Although they were only slightly thicker than a finger, they were tender, crisp, and sweet.

He pulled a few baby carrots from the vegetable garden, chopped them finely, mixed them with the chopped mushrooms, and took two pieces of cured sausage from the stovetop, slicing them thinly.

Li Ran entered the kitchen to help tend the fire. “You’re as good at cooking as my aunt. I always went to her house for meals when I was young, and now that I’m married, I can still come to your house for meals. I’m truly blessed!”

Ye Xi washed the clay pot, placed it on the stove, added oil, and stir-fried the chestnuts, smiling. “Sister-in-law, you only say I’m good to you when I cook for you. Isn’t my brother good to you?”

Li Ran blushed and added firewood to the stove. “Of course he’s good to me, he’s just a bit silly, always saying he’ll work hard and save money to buy me new clothes and a silver hairpin.”

After she got married, Ye Shan doted on her, always thinking about her. When her parents first mentioned this marriage proposal, she thought Shanxiu Village was too far and didn’t want to marry there.

She was also afraid that her parents-in-law would be harsh and treat her badly. She was straightforward and didn’t have a scheming mind, and if she encountered such a family, life would be difficult.

Her father specifically asked the matchmaker to inquire, and the matchmaker came back and said that although the Ye family wasn’t as well-off as theirs, they were decent and kind people, the parents-in-law easy to get along with, and the son hardworking and honest. Her parents were relieved to hear this.

Later, she met Ye Shan, and he was indeed a simple and honest man, his thoughts clearly written on his face, so she agreed to the marriage.

After getting married, her life was happy and fulfilling. Her husband loved and cared for her, her parents-in-law treated her like their own daughter, and even her brother-in-law, Xi-ge’er, often brought her delicious food and drinks. Wasn’t this a blissful life?

Ye Xi looked at his sister-in-law. Even after getting married, her eyes were still as innocent and charming as a young girl’s, a sign that his brother was a caring husband.

The chestnuts in the wok turned golden brown, and he added the chopped mushrooms and baby carrots, stir-frying them together. The unique milky fragrance of the mushrooms blended with the chestnuts, creating a rich aroma. He added some soy sauce for color, then added the soaked rice, mixed it well, covered the clay pot, and simmered it slowly.

As the aroma of food filled the air, the sky gradually darkened, and lights flickered on one by one in the village below, like shooting stars in the Milky Way. A dog barked somewhere, the sound echoing through the quiet valley.