Courir partout et jouer des rôles mineurs

Chapitre 87

After preparing the meal, she went out to call for help. The village was quite large, and she asked for directions along the way, calling out to her uncles, aunts, grandparents, and great-grandparents. With their directions, she finally found her way to the pond at the east end of the village.

From afar, one could hear a commotion in the water, with laughter and voices rising and falling. Shanglin walked to a shady spot behind a large tree and called out to people from a distance.

A bunch of kids went into the water, definitely without clothes. They were carefree as children, but now they're all grown up.

Chang Sheng agreed, and everyone, being hungry, quickly went ashore to get dressed without being urged. Zhang Lesheng teased his cousin, "Don't peek! Don't peek! Peeking will give you a sty!"

Xia Lin scoffed: "My sister already knows human anatomy; she's looked at surgical diagrams countless times. She can't hide how many parts you have from her."

The group was exchanging barbs when Ji Yunwen suddenly screamed, yelling, "Damn it!"

They all crowded around, asking questions all at once.

He angrily shook his shoes: "Who chewed my shoes!"

A group of goats were walking slowly in the distance. The lead goat let out a long 'baa,' glanced back, and walked away haughtily.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Ji Yunwen trembled as he looked at his shoes, which were riddled with holes from being chewed up, on the verge of tears.

The table was set. There was golden fried mint, cold salad with bok choy, tofu with scallions, scrambled eggs with scallions, stewed green beans with pork, a cold platter of sausages and pork belly that we brought, five bitter melons picked from Shanglin and we made a dry-fried bitter melon dish, eggplant with fish-fragrant sauce, boiled pork slices, steaming hot steamed buns, and bok choy rice porridge.

They were starving, their stomachs practically sticking to their backs, and they devoured the food like hungry wolves. Only after they were half full did they slow down and comment on each dish.

Ji Yunwen had never eaten Qiu Shanglin's cooking before, and he was quite surprised to learn that the stir-fried bitter melon, fish-flavored eggplant, and boiled sliced pork were all made by her.

Shanglin slowly tore off the golden-brown crust from the bottom of the steamed bun, watching them with a grin.

Homemade steamed buns taste especially good. She particularly likes the golden-brown brown sugar fritters, which are chewy and fragrant.

The children were full of energy and, after eating, they clamored to go up the mountain.

Grandma was worried about them going into the mountains alone, so she insisted on going with them to take care of the five walnut trees that her family had contracted.

The mountains here were different from the small hills they usually frequented; they were covered in tall grass and dense forests, stretching endlessly from one mountain to another. They were only going to the shallower parts, where the village had many fruit trees. They dared not let the children venture any deeper, for fear of snakes and wild animals.

Even so, it was enough to keep Gu Zhiyuan, whose hometown is on the plains, and Ji Yunwen, who had never been to the mountains, busy.

The mountain is covered with many plants, wild fruits, grasshoppers, katydids, wild rabbits...

Xia Lin and the boys ran ahead, while Shang Lin walked slowly alongside her grandmother. Okay, let's change that. Actually, it was the old lady who walked slowly with her. The old lady was in better physical condition than her.

Zhang Lesheng, acting as the host, occasionally introduced the wild fruits, grasses, and flowers along the roadside. The delicious tray was sweet and sour, the wild grapes weren't quite ripe yet, the red beans were a bit astringent, the wild chestnuts were best from the hillside, and you had to wear gloves and handle the bottle to turn over the scorpions. Ji Yunwen and Gu Zhiyuan were curious and wanted to ask about everything and try everything.

Xia Lin ran back carrying a tray: "Sister, sister, my brother picked these and asked me to give them to you."

"Pan Tuo" is a local dialect word, and Shanglin doesn't know its scientific name. The plant is very short, grows in shady places, and when fully ripe, it hangs red all over the branches. You can pick a handful at a time; it's sweet and sour, and very refreshing.

When they arrived at their contracted land, Grandma directed a few boys to climb a tree and use poles to knock down a dozen or so green walnuts. They cracked them open on a large rock, tasted them—not quite ripe, but still delicious. Hearing this, the boys started smashing them again, causing many to fall to the ground. Shanglin, carrying a basket, went to collect them, calling out, "Alright, alright, stop smashing them! We need to save some!"

The old lady sat down on a big rock to rest, smiling: "It's alright. It's not much in total. In previous years, we relied on this to earn a little money for oil and salt, but now we don't lack it. If you like it, I'll give you more."

Another series of crackling sounds followed, and Shanglin hurriedly dodged, cursing angrily all the while.

They were laughing strangely in the tree, deliberately picking up big ones and throwing them at her.

Laughter filled the orchard.

Shanglin, panting, laughed and sat down next to her grandmother, nestling affectionately on her lap.

The old lady stroked Shanglin's hair and pointed to the brambles not far away: "When your mother was your age, she also loved to act spoiled. Life was hard back then. We were poor, and there were many children. We were always hungry. Your mother went to school in the village. As soon as school was over, she would carry a basket and go up the mountain with her sisters to collect bramble seeds. When she got home, she would grind them into powder and mix them with sweet potato flour to make steamed buns."

The mischievous boys also scurried down from the tree and gathered around to crack walnuts and eat them.

I picked a handful of thorn seeds from the forest. They had small, purple flowers and a slight fragrance. I put them in my mouth and chewed them, but spit them out—they were bitter!

The old lady laughed: "It was definitely tough. Where would we get so many sweets? A family that could afford to eat sweet potato dumplings was considered wealthy. Back then, your grandfather was a cadre in the township. He sounded very respectable, but his salary wasn't much, and we still had to support him. Your mother and several uncles were all in school, and I was the only woman in the family earning work points. No matter how hard-working the women in the production team were, they earned less than the men, and the grain distributed each year wasn't enough to eat. So I led your mother and uncles to dig for wild vegetables and pick wild fruits, and to other wealthier villages to gather wheat ears from the fields and rotten sweet potatoes that others didn't want."

You can't even get a full meal once a year. When your mother was little, she was weak. She would make noodles with sweet potato flour mixed with a little wheat flour, and she had to hide them to eat secretly, otherwise your great-grandmother would scold you for wasting food and that you would end up with someone else's sooner or later... Your mother suffered a lot when she was old... Later, when we talked to her about marrying someone else, she said she didn't care about anything else, as long as the man was capable and she could eat wheat flour in the future, she would marry him.

Your father's family wasn't wealthy back then, but they lived in a vegetable-growing area, which was better than our village. The matchmaker said the groom had few brothers, the elders were all educated, and your father could inherit his family business and get a government job. Your grandfather believed him and didn't ask for much dowry. He was hoping your mother could enjoy a comfortable life, but who knew your father's family situation would become so complicated.

Your grandma looked down on your mom; she cried all the time about it the first year. After she married into the family, she had her parents-in-law above her, her husband's older brother and sister-in-law before her, and her younger brother-in-law below her. She endured so much suffering to get to where she is today…

Shanglin knelt on her grandmother's lap, listening silently.

The old lady patted her and said, "You're a pretty girl, good at studying, and I heard from your mother that you're also good at business. You must find a good partner in the future, so you can't suffer like your mother."

The boys looked at each other and smiled, exchanging knowing glances.

Shang Lin smirked. "Don't worry, I'm capable enough. Nobody will let me down."

The next day at noon, Aunt Dazhu insisted on taking them out for lunch. She prepared two kinds of large steamed buns: one with chives and pork, and a vegetarian filling of black fungus, egg, and tofu. Shanglin raved about the vegetarian buns, eating three in a row and constantly asking for the secret. Aunt Dazhu secretly told her to chop up some lotus leaves and add them, along with a little sesame oil for aroma, and to add some chicken broth while mixing the filling for flavor. Shanglin decided to make them herself next time.

For several days in a row, forget about studying. I didn't even take my textbooks out of my bag. I was just playing around like crazy.

Today they're up the mountain, tomorrow they're in the water, catching fish, shrimp, and loaches; turning over scorpions and stealing apples; teasing cats and dogs, climbing rooftops and trees. Ji Yunwen was initially a little reserved because of Qiu Shanglin's presence, but later he realized that all that calmness and composure was; when she went crazy, she was no ordinary person. She was full of wicked schemes, always coming up with bad ideas, and always involved in the mischief. Yet, when it came to taking responsibility, she completely shirked it, smirking as they took the blame and were scolded. Afterwards, she'd even feign forgiveness.

But she can learn.

Every night, after the boys had been playing all day and were fast asleep, she would stay up late reading, turning thick books from cover to cover. Occasionally, when the topic of digging for medicinal herbs the next day came up, she would have already consulted the Compendium of Materia Medica the night before to learn about the different types of herbs. In the mornings, while everyone else was still asleep, her parents would get up to tend to the plants and cook. Of all the children, only she and Li Changsheng would get up. One would practice martial arts, and the other would read a foreign language, chattering incomprehensibly—neither English nor a dialect. Xia Lin said she had been learning French for many years.

Unbeknownst to them, the halo of being an outstanding student that once adorned Qiu Shanglin faded, replaced by a sense of approachability, but also a greater sense of admiration.

After a few days, everyone was tanned dark, but Qiu Shanglin, thanks to proper sun protection, looked even fairer. That afternoon, after waking up from their lunch break, several people lay in ambush at the edge of the field, eyeing the mulberry grove with predatory intent.

Mulberries are a good thing. They set their sights on them on the first day they arrived in the village, calculating when they would ripen. As the mulberries approached purple, fearing that the owner would take too much sunlight, they secretly lay in ambush at the edge of the field, intending to steal them!

Calling it stealing is just a joke.

The villagers, grateful for Qiu Jianguo's kindness, extended their affection to Qiu's siblings as well. Besides, how much could the children possibly eat?

The children, seeking novelty and excitement, insisted on stealing, and the locals turned a blind eye, pretending not to see, and let them play. Often, after stealing some, they would bring another basket to the Zhang family a few days later.

The owner of the mulberry orchard was the same.

His family raises silkworms and grows these mulberry trees to feed them; the mulberries are an unexpected bonus. Although they taste good, they are small and scarce, so they are too much trouble to sell, and they can't sell them either. Every year, they give away their mulberries.

Hearing the gurgling sounds coming from the ditch, he smiled憨厚ly, fanning himself with his straw hat, and muttered to himself, "Oh dear, I'm tired. I'll go home and rest, and take a nap." After saying that, he walked out of the mulberry grove.

Xia Lin jumped up and shouted, "Oh, time to eat mulberries!" and ran towards the mulberry tree.

Mulberries are delicious, but eating too many can make your teeth hurt. Everyone quickly gave up, and looking around, the mulberry grove stretched as far as the eye could see. The red and green mulberries on the branches swayed in the wind, seemingly mocking these little guys with their weak fighting spirit.

Xia Lin clutched his stomach with his left hand and his teeth with his right, groaning in pain. He was greedy and had eaten the most, which made his stomach ache.

Shanglin's eyes darted around, finally settling on the cornfield across the street.

He beckoned with a sly gesture, signaling everyone to gather around, and whispered, "Roasted corn, wanna eat some?"

Just moments ago, Qiu Xialin was complaining about being stuffed, but he was the first to respond: "Oh, roasted corn!"

The corn cobs stuck to the corn stalks, their green color pleasing to the eye. Shanglin sent Lin Changsheng and Ji Yunwen down to break them off, while the others kept watch and gathered dry branches for firewood.

As Zhang Lesheng picked up the corn, he wondered, "We clearly have fresh corn at home, why would we steal it?"

Zhang Leshui scratched his head: "But the stolen ones taste better."

"No, I'm just wondering why you have to use 'stolen'—the cornfield clearly belongs to Uncle Si, picking a few ears of corn isn't stealing, is it?" Zhang Lesheng said honestly.

Zhang Leshui continued scratching his head: "I still feel that the stolen food tastes better."

Three thieves crept up, each carrying a dozen or so ears of corn. They found a sheltered spot, set up a fire, skewered the corn cobs, and the aroma of roasted corn wafted far and wide, accompanied by the crackling of burning branches.

In the cornfield, Uncle Si painfully propped up a corn stalk and scolded, "These little brats, they can break it off if they want, but they can't even do that, they want to uproot it!"

The old man, smoking a cigarette, chuckled as he looked at the billowing smoke: "They probably want to eat corn stalks. You can't find them in the city, so they're quite fond of them. Cut a few and send them over tonight; they're juicy and tasty at this time of day."

When Qiu Shanglin was living in a state of blissful ignorance, a car with a southern license plate stopped in front of the Mocha Cat Building in Huaiqiao City, Province C.

The employees noticed that the company leaders were on high alert, quickly gathering at the door to wait for the people in the car. Even Hua Qianshan, who rarely showed up, was present at the company. Currently, he was only temporarily unemployed, having delegated specific tasks to Yang Hai. Hua Qianshan was a little nervous, staring intently at the car door, but dared not go forward to urge them.