Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 59

Chapter 59

At the time of Winter Solstice, all things lie dormant, awaiting the coming of spring. From this day forward, the days grow shorter, and the nights longer.

Shanxiu Village, nestled in the valley, became quiet, the mountains and fields covered in a blanket of white snow, a pristine winter wonderland. During the day, only the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking could be heard.

In the small courtyard halfway up the mountain, Ye Xi sat on the kang, dressed in a thick cotton-padded jacket, embroidering handkerchiefs. The charcoal in the brazier burned red, radiating warmth and comfort. The fawn and goat lay quietly on the floor, accompanying him.

Lin Jiangshan, knowing that Ye Xi was sensitive to cold, had started heating the kang a couple of days ago. Before Winter Solstice, they worked tirelessly, making batch after batch of charcoal, filling the cellar, so they could stay warm throughout the winter.

Since two days after Major Snow, it had been snowing continuously, light snow turning into heavy snow, never ceasing, accumulating in thick layers, the temperature dropping drastically, even the water in the basins forming thin ice.

Lin Jiangshan swept the snow in the courtyard early in the morning, piling it in the corner, creating a small snow mountain for Ye Xi’s amusement. After clearing the snow, he went to check on the vegetable garden.

After Ye Xi finished embroidering a flower, Lin Jiangshan returned, wearing a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat. Only after entering the house did his body temperature start to rise. He rubbed his hands together and patted the snow off his clothes. “The cabbages and radishes in the vegetable garden are growing well, the cabbage leaves aren’t frostbitten, and I pulled a few radishes, crisp and fresh, they weren’t buried by the snow.”

Ye Xi asked, “Did you bring back some chives? Today is Winter Solstice, we can’t have hot pot without mutton, but dumplings are also good.”

Lin Jiangshan nodded. “I brought some, the chives are fragrant.”

Ye Xi put down his needlework and smiled. “I specifically chose the small-leaf, red-root chives when I planted them, they’re fragrant, and although they grow slowly, they’re delicious in dumplings.”

Lin Jiangshan hadn’t had dumplings in a long time, and the mention of them made him crave them.

“I’ve harvested the chives. Bring two jars later, and we’ll cover a few clumps of chives. After the twelfth lunar month, I’ll stir-fry yellow chives for you. That’s the best time of year for yellow chives!”

Lin Jiangshan immediately went to get the jars. Ye Xi saw that it was almost noon, so he put down his embroidery and went to the kitchen, carefully washing and trimming the freshly harvested chives, then chopping them finely.

They had bought fresh meat from Li Xi a few days ago. His meat-selling business was doing well now, going from village to village. The price was one wen higher per catty than in town, but it saved the villagers a trip.

Ye Xi, thinking that they wouldn’t be slaughtering their pig until next month, and they didn’t have any fresh meat at home, had bought five catties, stored them in a jar, and kept them frozen in the courtyard.

He took half a catty of meat, minced it finely, and mixed it with the chopped chives, adding ground Sichuan peppercorns, salt, chopped scallions, ginger, and garlic, some soy sauce, and finally, a spoonful of hot oil to enhance the aroma.

After preparing the dumpling filling, he started making the dough and wrapping the dumplings.

People in Nanchuan Prefecture rarely ate dumplings, preferring wontons with thin skin and ample filling. Ye Xi wasn’t very skilled at making dumplings, so he sat by the stove in the kitchen, carefully wrapping them one by one.

Lin Jiangshan finished his work and came into the kitchen, sitting beside Ye Xi and trying to help wrap the dumplings, but his fingers were thick and clumsy, and the dumplings he made kept breaking open.

Ye Xi teased him, “Someone from Beizhou, and you can’t even wrap dumplings.”

Lin Jiangshan gently wiped the flour off Ye Xi’s cheek and chuckled. “My mother always made them before. She was quick at rolling out the wrappers and wrapping the dumplings, she could make several trays in an hour. My father and I had different preferences, one wanted pickled vegetable filling, and the other wanted chive and egg filling. My mother would always scold us and say she wouldn’t make them, but in the end, there would always be two kinds of dumplings on the table.”

Ye Xi felt a pang of sympathy. “Your parents must have been kind and easygoing, it’s a pity I didn’t have the chance to meet them.”

Snow fell outside the window as Ye Xi and Lin Jiangshan sat by the stove, wrapping dumplings and chatting like an old married couple, Ye Xi listening to Lin Jiangshan’s stories about his parents.

A dog barked incessantly somewhere down the mountain. The dumplings were wrapped, and the water in the pot was boiling. Ye Xi carefully dropped the dumplings into the pot. “Let’s cook two plates first, we can cook more if it’s not enough.”

Lin Jiangshan tended the fire and nodded.

Dumplings alone weren’t enough, so Ye Xi took a piece of salted fish, fried it in hot oil, added fermented black beans and stir-fried, then added garlic sprouts, making it fragrant and flavorful.

The dumplings floated to the surface when they were cooked, plump and round, a few with their fillings exposed.

“Husband, the dumplings you wrapped broke open, you have to eat those later.”

He scooped out two plates of steaming hot dumplings, added two small dishes of vinegar, and they sat down for their Winter Solstice meal.

Ye Xi ate gracefully, a few bites per dumpling, while his husband ate one in a single bite, finishing half a plate in no time. Ye Xi gave him a piece of the fried salted fish.

“I’ll cook another plate later, so you can eat your fill today.”

Lin Jiangshan nodded. “It’s not often that we have dumplings, and the filling is so delicious, I should eat more.”

Ye Xi smiled and handed him a bowl of dumpling soup to aid digestion.

“It seems the snow has been accumulating for a few days now. I’ll take a load of charcoal to town tomorrow and sell it, see what the market price is like,” Lin Jiangshan said, his cheeks full.

Ye Xi agreed, not wanting him to work so hard alone. He was thinking of selling some vegetables from his garden. “I’ll harvest the cabbages, radishes, and winter melons and go with you.”

Lin Jiangshan looked at the snow outside. “The snow is too heavy, you’ll freeze if you come with me. Your brother is going to town tomorrow to sell cured meat and sausages, I’ll go with him first and check the situation.”

Ye Xi didn’t want to be a burden and agreed, letting his husband and brother go to town first.

After lunch, Lin Jiangshan took a shoulder pole, a plow, and a harrow and went to the fields with Ye Shan and Father Ye. The snow was heavy, and they didn’t know how long it would last. Although wheat was resistant to cold, if the snow was too deep, it would still be affected. The Ye family were diligent and willing to work, even in heavy snow, clearing the snow and creating furrows in the fields.

Ye Xi stayed home alone, mending Lin Jiangshan’s clothes, when Li-ge’er came to visit, carrying a small jar.

“Your house is so warm and cozy, my hands are almost frozen from the walk.”

Ye Xi quickly invited him in, moved the charcoal brazier closer, and poured him a bowl of hot pear and chrysanthemum tea.

“Delicious. We’ve been heating the kang at home, and my throat is dry and sore, I’ve been coughing,” Li-ge’er said, drinking the sweet tea.

Ye Xi smiled. “It’s the dried pears Sister-in-law Ran made in autumn, she gave me a bag for making tea in winter to relieve dryness. The chrysanthemums are wild chrysanthemums I picked from the mountains when I was foraging in autumn. See, they came in handy. Take some back with you later, drink it for a few days, and your cough will be gone.”

Li-ge’er, never standing on ceremony with him, happily accepted the offer.

The charcoal in the brazier crackled. It was snowing outside, but the room was warm and peaceful. Ye Xi asked, “What brings you here today?”

Li-ge’er pursed his lips and said, “You have two pigs, you can’t possibly eat both of them. If you’re selling one, can you sell it to Li Xi? He wants to buy two pigs to sell meat at the town market during the New Year.”

Ye Xi readily agreed, they had to sell the pig anyway, why not sell it to Li Xi? He nodded. “Alright, just tell him to come and get it whenever he wants to slaughter it. But I’ll charge the market price.”

Li-ge’er said happily, “Of course, I’ll pay you the full price! Your pigs are well-fed, fatter than most pigs in the village, they’ll sell well! I was afraid you wouldn’t agree, Sister-in-law Ran said they’re going to use all their pigs for cured sausages and meat, they can’t spare any to sell, so I had to come to you.”

Ordinary families rarely had meat, and during the New Year, they would buy fatty meat, to satisfy their cravings and also to render lard for cooking, so the fatter the pig, the better it sold, and pig buyers preferred them.

Ye Xi smiled. “That’s no problem, if you want it, I’ll sell it to you. We’re counting on the money from selling the pig for our New Year’s shopping.”

“This winter is freezing, it’s so cold even though it’s only Winter Solstice, the room is filled with cold air. If we don’t heat the kang, it’s unbearable. My mother said the prices in town have gone up, and with the New Year approaching, the New Year’s goods will probably be even more expensive than last year, this year will be difficult.”

Ye Xi nodded. “My husband predicted this earlier, that’s why we stocked up on firewood and charcoal before the snow. Many villagers laughed at him for working so hard for nothing, but now they want to chop firewood, it’s too late.”

After snowing for a while, the snow in the mountains had accumulated thickly, making it difficult and dangerous to enter the forest, especially with wild animals searching for food.

Li-ge’er thanked him. “Yes, thanks to your warning, I also collected some firewood and charcoal. Li Xi often helps me chop firewood in the mountains. With just my mother and me at home, we have enough firewood. My mother said if we buy it now, the price would have doubled.”

“Li Xi is good to you, is your marriage settled?” Ye Xi asked, sewing.

Li-ge’er nodded. “He asked a matchmaker to propose marriage two days ago and brought the betrothal gifts. Although he’s alone now after separating from his family, he still followed all the proper customs. My mother is happy and agreed. The wedding is set for spring after the New Year, and the dowry is just a formality, I’ll bring it with me when I marry him.”

Ye Xi was happy for him. “That’s great news! My husband said he bought a plot of land on the other side of the mountainside and is planning to build a house there. You’ll be living close to your mother then, convenient for visiting.”

Li-ge’er couldn’t contain his smile. “We’ll sell the house down the mountain then, Li Xi said he wants my mother to move in with us, so we can take care of each other.”

His father had passed away from illness a few years ago, leaving him and his mother to depend on each other. He had been reluctant to marry before because he was worried about leaving his mother alone. He chose to marry Li Xi because the house was on the mountainside, not far from his mother’s, so he could easily visit her if needed. He hadn’t expected Li Xi to offer to bring his mother to live with them, saying they would be a family, and he would take care of her. Such a good man, how could Li-ge’er not be happy?

Ye Xi praised, “Li Xi is truly a kind and thoughtful man. It’s rare for the Li family to have such a good son. His parents are foolish, favoring the eldest and youngest, and driving out their most capable son, they’re truly blind. You three will be a truly happy family, living a good life, and they’ll regret it.”

Li-ge’er smiled. “You must come to my wedding then, we’ll both be living on the mountainside, we can look after each other.”

After sitting for a while longer, Li-ge’er went home.