Chapter 19: Reclaiming the Gift

After every child had received their share, Chen Moqin handed out the remaining dried fish to the parents who were watching their children eat with smiles, as well as to himself and his wife, so everyone could have a taste.

Following this, only a few pieces of dried fish remained in Chen Moqin's hands. Thinking it over, he simply ran to two nearby households where elderly residents lived and shared the rest of the fish with the four elders there so they could enjoy a treat.

Jiang Yuan and Xie Wangniang, who had already walked far away, were completely unaware of the lively scene at the edge of the village. Contrary to the villagers' expectations, Jiang Yuan was taking the initiative to chat with Xie Wangniang.

The two discussed which mountain they would visit today, what they would have for dinner, whether they should stick an extra batch of flatbreads to the side of the pot, and whether to take them along as dry rations for the mountain tomorrow. Even though the topics were ordinary and trivial, neither of them felt bored during the conversation.

Soon, they arrived deep in the forest. As always, Jiang Yuan carefully inspected the surroundings of the spot Xie Wangniang had chosen for herb gathering. Only after confirming there were no venomous snakes, insects, or aggressive wild beasts like boars did he venture further into the woods to hunt for game.

Unfortunately, his luck was not very good today. Not only did he fail to bag any valuable game like wild boars or roe deer, but he also caught very few pheasants or rabbits.

Xie Wangniang’s harvest, however, was as stable as ever. In addition to the Anemarrhena, Pinellia, Japanese Knotweed, Scutellaria barbata, and Honeysuckle she had collected before, she discovered a new variety today: Baikal Skullcap. Summer is the peak growth period for Baikal Skullcap; although it could be harvested now, Xie Wangniang decided to be patient and leave them until the optimal harvesting time in autumn.

The two stayed on the mountain until the sun dipped to the west. Jiang Yuan then helped Xie Wangniang carry her basket, and they returned home at about the same time as the day before.

Since it wasn't worth a trip to town for only three small pieces of game, Jiang Yuan did not rush out again after arriving home.

"We will eat one tonight, and I’ll cure the remaining three so we can save them to eat slowly later," he said, pointing to the two pheasants and two rabbits in the basket as he asked Xie Wangniang, "Do you want to eat chicken or rabbit?"

"Rabbit, I suppose." Xie Wangniang, who was kneading dough, pointed without hesitation. "After I finish processing the medicinal herbs, I will make braised rabbit meat for our dinner."

Jiang Yuan nodded. "Then I’ll go pick some vegetables."

"Pick some string beans; we can braise them together in the pot with the rabbit meat."

"All right." Jiang Yuan agreed and went off with a basket to pick the vegetables.

Xie Wangniang glanced at the two chickens and one rabbit that she hadn't selected. She had never seen Jiang Yuan cure game, but recalling the scarcity of seasonings in his home, she guessed that his version of "curing" was likely just rubbing them with salt and hanging them up to air-dry. After a brief moment of thought, she decided to suggest that Jiang Yuan turn the remaining three animals into meat paste and jerky, so they would have two more types of food to bring with them on their mountain trips.

Rubbing her still-aching arms, Xie Wangniang began to process the herbs she had gathered that day. Jiang Yuan, having returned from picking vegetables, was not idle either; after hearing Xie Wangniang’s idea for the meat paste and jerky, he immediately began the preliminary processing of the pheasants and rabbits as she had requested.

While they were busy, villagers returning from the fields began to stop by one after another. Some brought a basket of the best vegetables grown in their own gardens, some brought fresh wild fruits their children had found on nearby hills, and others brought all the firewood their children had gathered that day.

Jiang Yuan had not expected them to return the favor, but Xie Wangniang was quite pleased with their response. The reason she had taken out two bags of dried fish and asked Jiang Yuan to share them with the villagers—who had been tempted by the aroma of their cooking for days—was that regardless of what they thought, they had not acted in any bizarre way. No one had come to their door with shameless requests for food, nor had anyone been disruptive or made pointed, passive-aggressive remarks. Even when they ran into each other, these people didn't deliberately try to spite them.

As the saying goes, judge people by their actions, not their intentions. Among neighbors, Xie Wangniang was satisfied that they could manage this much, not to mention that after receiving a favor, they had all returned it with gifts of their own. It seemed they cared more about their reputations than she had anticipated.

Caring about one's reputation is a good thing; people who care about their face won't resort to bottomless, bizarre behavior, and they can coexist with her pleasantly without crossing her bottom line.

Xie Wangniang pondered this while smilingly answering the curious questions from the women.

"Oh, busy with work?"

"Yes."

"What are you washing there?"

"Anemarrhena."

"Anemarrhena?"

"A type of medicinal herb."

"Wow, you know about medicinal herbs? Does someone in your family happen to be a doctor?"

Xie Wangniang shook her head. "I don't remember."

The women were stunned for a moment, and one of them quickly asked, "How could you not remember?"

Xie Wangniang lowered her gaze, putting on a look of disappointment. "I forgot some things. Dr. Chen said it was because I injured my head, and it will take a year or half a year to slowly recover."

The women sighed with pity. Such a poor young girl, looking so fair, tender, and delicate, clearly having never suffered before; yet now, she couldn't return to her home and had to follow Jiang Yuan up the mountain every day to dig for herbs. It was a hard life, facing the wind and rain, and one wondered how long this young girl could grit her teeth and endure it.

After offering a flurry of comforting words, the women, needing to return home to do their chores, pulled their husbands and children along and left.

Once they were gone, Jiang Yuan locked the door. The two returned to where they had been working. Xie Wangniang finished processing the last of the herbs and laid them out in a basket to dry, then the two began preparing their dinner and the dry rations for the next day.

They prepared braised rabbit with string beans, and while at it, stuck a ring of palm-sized multigrain flatbreads around the inside of the pot to serve as their staple food for tonight and tomorrow's lunch. Then, they washed the vegetables the villagers had brought to make a simple stir-fry of mixed greens.

While waiting for the rabbit meat to stew, Xie Wangniang began making the rabbit paste and chicken jerky. Jiang Yuan had already followed her instructions to debone the rabbit and cut it into small cubes, and to debone the chicken and slice it into long strips of consistent thickness, which saved her a lot of effort in preparing the meat.

After stewing for about three quarters of an hour, Xie Wangniang lifted the lid, added the string beans to the pot to stew with the meat, and then applied a ring of multigrain flatbreads along the edge of the pot.

After simmering on low heat for less than another two quarters of an hour, until the rabbit and beans were thoroughly cooked, tender, and flavorful, and the bread was fully baked, Xie Wangniang lifted the lid again. She quickly used a spatula to scoop the flatbreads—crispy and golden on one side and slightly rough on the other—into a wooden basin.

By the time Jiang Yuan took the wooden basin to the main room, Xie Wangniang began scooping the dish into a large ceramic basin. Once finished, she quickly stir-fried the washed vegetables in the pot.