Chapter 43: Winter Bamboo Shoots

Liu Yinyin suggested, “Mom, why don’t you go talk to her later? Just tell her that Liu Ergou has nothing to eat in the hospital. If she doesn’t want her son to starve, she’d better send food to the hospital tomorrow.”

She figured that since Liu Ergou was Xin Xiujuan’s only son, she had to care about him at least a little.

“Alright.” Jiang Cuihua’s eyes lit up. “I’ll also remind her about paying back the money.”

The braised pork was delicious, but Liu Yinyin preferred the pickled fish. She ate quite a lot of the fish and even had some of the pickled vegetables.

Jiang Cuihua watched with satisfaction. She loved both her grandson and granddaughter, but… a woman ultimately needed to have a son to feel secure.

Xin Xiujuan might seem like a terrible person, but in this village, many people shared her preference for sons over daughters—men and women alike.

No one knew exactly what Jiang Cuihua said to Xin Xiujuan, but the next morning, while Liu Yinyin and Gu Cheng were having breakfast, Xin Xiujuan awkwardly came knocking at their door. Gu Cheng got up to open it.

“Well… uh…” Xin Xiujuan hesitated. Facing Gu Cheng, who had a straight posture and a soldier’s presence, her tone immediately softened. “I searched the house inside and out and managed to scrape together twelve yuan. I’ll return this to you first.”

She reluctantly pulled out a rolled-up bundle of money and handed it to Gu Cheng. It contained coins and small bills—ten-cent, twenty-cent notes—all pieced together, showing that she had truly gathered it from various sources.

Along with the money, Xin Xiujuan also carried a cloth bag, which she handed to Gu Cheng.

She explained, “You’re going to the county town for work, right? I made some food—could you take it to Ergou for me? And tell him to come home soon.”

She didn’t mention Yang Guizhi or her newborn granddaughter at all. The so-called “food” in the bag was just a few corn buns.

Gu Cheng, being a man, didn’t bother arguing with a woman over such matters. He simply agreed to deliver the food.

When Liu Yinyin learned why she had come, she was furious. “Next time, don’t deliver food for her. Let her go to the hospital herself.”

Xin Xiujuan had completely abandoned her responsibilities. Something this serious had happened, yet she didn’t even bother visiting.

“She clearly doesn’t want that daughter-in-law or her little granddaughter,” Jiang Cuihua, having been through life, immediately understood Xin Xiujuan’s mindset.

Liu Yinyin didn’t want to talk about her anymore—she had a headache.

Today, they had to prepare and cure thirty-two fish.

“You’re pregnant. I’ll handle the fish,” Jiang Cuihua said while sharpening a knife, eager to show her skills.

Thirty-two fish! Jiang Cuihua’s heart pounded with excitement—she had never slaughtered so many fish in her entire life!

Liu Yinyin hesitated. “Should we call someone to help?”

With so many fish, how long would it take for Jiang Cuihua to finish alone?

“No need. Your dad went up the mountain to chop firewood, and your brothers are at work. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with this,” Jiang Cuihua sighed.

If others saw her daughter buying so many fish, they might get jealous.

Jiang Cuihua, being experienced in labor, was quick and efficient. She was in charge of killing the fish.

After gutting each fish, she split it in half down the middle to make curing and drying easier.

Liu Yinyin took on the task of cleaning the fish, draining the excess water, evenly rubbing them with white liquor for sterilization, and then coating them with pre-toasted spices for curing.

The two of them worked tirelessly all morning and finally processed all the fish. They stacked them in basins for curing, and in two to three days, they could be taken out to dry.

Jiang Cuihua’s arms were sore from all the fish processing, so the task of making sweet potato starch noodles had to be postponed.

However, just as they had finished one task, another arrived.

That afternoon, Liu Yinyin’s cousin, Liu Xiaoman, came to visit. It had been a while since they last saw each other.

Liu Xiaoman had tanned and lost weight, but his energy remained high. “Sister Yinyin, I dug up some winter bamboo shoots in the mountains and brought some for you.”

Ever since the autumn harvest began, their previous exchange of small miscellaneous fish had been put on hold.

After Gu Cheng returned, he also started catching small fish in the river, so Liu Yinyin no longer needed to trade with Liu Xiaoman.

Besides, as the weather grew colder, fishing in the river became much more difficult.

Seeing Liu Xiaoman carrying a basket of plump, fresh winter bamboo shoots, Jiang Cuihua smiled and said, “The winter bamboo shoots are growing well this year. Later, I’ll have the boys at home go dig some too. Xiaoman, you’re so thoughtful, still thinking about your cousin.”

Liu Xiaoman scratched his head and smiled shyly.

Liu Yinyin looked at the bamboo shoots in the basket, her mind already stirring with ideas.

Winter bamboo shoots had thick husks and little flesh, making them less popular than spring bamboo shoots in these times.

However, in the future, winter bamboo shoots would be incredibly expensive, selling for more than ten yuan per pound.

Why hesitate when action was needed?

Liu Yinyin turned to Liu Xiaoman and said, “These bamboo shoots are really nice. Just looking at them makes me want to dry some into preserved bamboo. Xiaoman, can you bring me more later?”

She initially thought about exchanging them for White Rabbit milk candy again, but considering the difficult times ahead next year, she quickly changed her mind under Liu Xiaoman’s expectant gaze.

“For a basket like this, I’ll trade you two pounds of eggs.”

The bamboo shoots in the basket weighed about ten pounds. Winter bamboo shoots were cheap these days, selling for around four or five cents per pound. Using two pounds of eggs to trade was a fair deal.

Her family had plenty of eggs now. After the autumn harvest, Jiang Cuihua had stopped sending eggs to the Liu family, so they were able to save several eggs every day.

Liu Xiaoman’s eyes dimmed slightly, his excitement fading as he sighed in mild disappointment. “Alright, Yinyin, I’ll bring more when I dig them up.”

Eggs were still better than getting nothing at all.

This basket of winter bamboo shoots had been meant as a gift, so Liu Xiaoman refused to accept anything in return.

After he left, Jiang Cuihua nagged her daughter, “If you want dried bamboo shoots, I can have your brothers dig some for you. There’s no need to trade eggs for them.”

Liu Yinyin immediately replied, “That’s fine too. If my brothers dig some, they can bring them over. I won’t mind having more. But just like with Xiaoman, I’ll trade eggs for them.”

The bamboo groves in Liujiacun weren’t abundant, and winter bamboo shoots were even scarcer, so she wouldn’t be able to trade for too many.

She figured that if she could get 200 pounds, it would be a great deal. She planned to dry a portion for personal use and secretly sell some to the system.

Jiang Cuihua was surprised. “What do you need so many dried bamboo shoots for?”

Liu Yinyin blinked and said, “I want to store them for later. Dried bamboo shoots last a long time, so we can keep them and eat them slowly.”

In the coming years, it wouldn’t be so easy to find bamboo shoots.

Jiang Cuihua muttered, “You’re like a little hamster these days, hoarding everything you can get your hands on.”

It wasn’t that stockpiling food was a bad idea, but her daughter’s way of doing things seemed a bit excessive. No other family dared to prepare like this.

Liu Yinyin’s thoughts shifted, and she decided to warn her mother. “I… I read in a newspaper recently that there’s been a famine in some areas this year. It’s pretty serious.”

“So I figured it’s best to stock up on food. If—just in case—our village ever faces a famine, we won’t have to worry about starving. Mom, you should prepare too.”