Chapter 15:

In the afternoon, the mountain was cloaked in lush greenery, the incessant chirping of cicadas filling the air.

“It’s so hot, let’s take a break.”

“Yeah.”

The two of them set down their baskets and sat on a large stone to rest.

Ye Xin wiped away the sweat on her brow, feeling the familiar pang of thirst. She sighed, “Next time, we should definitely bring a bottle.”

The rugged mountain path made it difficult to carry water without a sealed bottle. They could only endure the thirst. If they’d gotten a bottle earlier, it would’ve been much easier for their trips into the mountains. She made a mental note to look for a thermos next time they were in town.

This time, they’d taken a different route than before, hoping to discover and collect more herbs. However, after more than two hours, Shen Zhuo’s basket was only half full, while Ye Xin’s was completely empty.

They both wanted to gather more, but herbs weren’t so easy to find. Once located, they had to be carefully identified, as some plants looked similar but weren’t medicinal. After identifying the right herb, they had to determine which parts were usable for medicine, making sure to collect only what was needed. Some plants weren’t even ready for harvest yet, while others were too small or sparse to pick, requiring them to be left behind for future growth. It was all part of sustainable harvesting.

In short, it was a delicate job, and there was no rushing it.

Shen Zhuo could handle the whole process of searching, collecting, and carrying herbs by himself, leaving Ye Xin feeling more like a bystander—or perhaps even less than that, as sometimes Shen Zhuo would stop to explain herbal knowledge to her, slowing down their progress.

She couldn’t help but feel that she had to contribute more, or it would seem like she was just tagging along for no reason.

Looking around at the towering, thick trees, she sighed in frustration and asked, “Are there really no wild fruits in the mountains?”

Shen Zhuo, focused on sorting through his basket of herbs, glanced up and replied, “You can try looking.”

Ye Xin’s eyes lit up, her hope renewed. She turned to him, asking, “So there are some?”

Shen Zhuo, seeing the eager glint in her eyes, hesitated before replying, “They’re hard to find.”

Ye Xin understood his hint, but her enthusiasm remained undeterred. “I’ll find them for sure!”

Relying on the mountains for their resources, she thought, How could there not be wild fruit here? I just haven’t found it yet. Determined, she vowed to keep her eyes peeled and find some soon.

Part of the reason was to quench her thirst, but she also wanted to have something to show for their efforts. It was becoming a bit of a joke to go up with an empty basket and return with the same.

After a short rest, they continued on their way through the mountain.

But wild fruit wasn’t something that could be found so easily. The vast sea of green around them showed no signs of fruit. Ye Xin grabbed a machete and began cutting some branches, while Shen Zhuo only needed his hoe and sickle for herb collecting.

Shen Zhuo glanced back and asked, “Why are you cutting so many branches? It’s a long way to carry them back.”

Ye Xin replied, “I’m not necessarily bringing them back. I’m just cutting a few so I know we’ve passed this spot, so we don’t double back.”

Shen Zhuo warned her, “Be careful not to hurt yourself.”

“I know. You go ahead and collect the herbs, don’t mind me.”

It wasn’t that she wasn’t willing to learn more about herbs anymore, but she needed to do something. The garden in her space needed tending too, and she might as well chop some branches while they were up here. If she didn’t, she’d worry the plants might outgrow the trellis she still needed to build.

Falling behind on purpose, she gathered a bundle of branches, then, when Shen Zhuo wasn’t looking, swiftly darted into the thick bushes behind them and into her space.

She quickly tossed the branches on the ground, then appeared back in the mountain path as if nothing had happened.

That would be enough soon!

Shen Zhuo noticed she hadn’t caught up with him and turned back slightly. When he saw her, he finally relaxed but spoke seriously, “Don’t wander too far, there are snakes and insects in the mountains. It’s dangerous.”

Ye Xin quickly followed, holding her machete, “I’m here, I’m here. I just thought I saw some fruit over there, so I went to check it out.”

With that, Shen Zhuo continued forward.

After following Shen Zhuo for a while, Ye Xin decided to pull the same trick again—chopping some branches and tossing them into the bushes.

But this time, things took a turn for the worse. As soon as she reappeared, she came face to face with a snake. Its emerald-green body glistened in the sunlight, and its triangular head swayed ominously. Red eyes gleamed as it coiled around the nearby branches, hissing and flicking its tongue toward her.

Ye Xin’s scalp instantly prickled with terror. She let out a loud scream, “Snake!!” and took off running.

Shen Zhuo quickly appeared behind her, pulling her to safety. He glanced ahead, frowning. “It’s a bamboo viper.”

The snake hissed at him, flicking its tongue once more, but it didn’t seem interested in attacking. Instead, it slithered away along the tree branches.

Ye Xin, gripping the basket tightly behind him, peeked over his shoulder and asked, her voice trembling, “Why did it leave when you showed up?”

Shen Zhuo explained calmly, “I have realgar powder on me.”

Ye Xin’s eyes widened in understanding. Still nervous, she asked, “You’re just going to let it go?”

“What else can I do?” Shen Zhuo said with a bit of exasperation. “As long as you don’t provoke it, it won’t bite.”

“Isn’t it poisonous?” Ye Xin, seeing how calm he was, began to relax a little.

“It is,” Shen Zhuo said, his expression turning serious. “But I warned you not to wander too far. There are many snakes in these mountains. If you get bitten, I might not be able to find the herbs in time to treat the poison.”

Ye Xin quickly nodded, “I’ll stay close from now on, no more wandering off.”

She wasn’t about to take any chances now. Besides, she figured the branches in her space were enough for the time being. If she needed more, she’d deal with it next time.

Shen Zhuo returned to his previous spot and picked up his hoe to continue harvesting herbs. Ye Xin obediently followed, noticing unfamiliar herbs and asking more questions, eager to learn.

Suddenly, she remembered something. Since they were living on the mountainside, was there a chance that snakes could get inside their house? Although she hadn’t seen one in the yard so far, the thought of it now gave her chills.

She quickly asked, “Do snakes ever get into the house?”

“Of course,” Shen Zhuo replied matter-of-factly.

Ye Xin’s face went pale with fear, prompting him to continue, “There’s no village without snakes. You just need to take precautions and keep them out.”

“How do we keep them out? Do we just use realgar powder?” Ye Xin asked, still anxious.

Shen Zhuo nodded. “Realgar powder alone works, but if you mix crushed garlic and mugwort with some liquor, it’s even more effective. You sprinkle it around the house, and the strong smell will keep the snakes away. One application lasts for about three months.”

Ye Xin made a mental note, feeling a little better with this new knowledge.

She paused for a moment, thinking back. Over the past few weeks, they’d been going in and out of the house together, but she hadn’t seen him sprinkle any snake repellent. Maybe the last time he did it was before his father fell, which was at least two months ago. And with the heavy rain recently, the smell would have likely faded…

She shuddered, goosebumps prickling her skin.

“Do we have more snake-repelling materials?” she asked urgently. “If not, we need to remember to buy some next time we’re in town.”

Shen Zhuo nodded, “I used up the realgar powder. After the rain, I sprinkled some around the house, so it’s still effective for now.”

Ye Xin sighed in relief. At least he had kept it up, even if she hadn’t noticed.

They walked a little further, and after calculating the time, decided to head back. But instead of retracing their steps exactly, they took a slightly different route, hoping to cover more ground since they hadn’t collected much.

On the way back, Ye Xin focused on finding wild fruit.

She tilted her head, scanning the trees left and right, sometimes stumbling over roots or rocks as she went.

But fortune favors the persistent. Just as her eyes were starting to tire, she finally spotted a tree heavy with fruit!

The tree’s trunk stood tall and straight, with branches extending out in a neat, orderly manner. Hanging from the branches were round, palm-sized, green fruits, their vivid color standing out against the foliage.

Her heart raced with excitement!

Ye Xin’s eyes lit up with excitement as she hurriedly called out to Shen Zhuo, “Is this wild fruit? Can we eat it?”

Shen Zhuo glanced at the tree and replied, “This is wild mountain bamboo. It’s not ripe yet, so it’s not edible.”

Ye Xin wasn’t ready to give up that easily. “Really not ripe? What if some of them are ripe? It’s hard to tell from here—let’s get closer and see!”

Without waiting for a response, she swung her machete to clear the branches blocking their way and hurried toward the tree. It wasn’t a very tall tree, only about three meters high, but it was heavy with fruit, making it look incredibly inviting.

To her delight, she soon spotted two more trees nearby, both laden with the same green fruits.

Shen Zhuo followed reluctantly, sighing, “They’re really not ripe.”

Ye Xin glanced at the fruits, which were still green, but they were so round and smooth, so tempting. It was her first time seeing this kind of fruit, and she really wanted to pick one and try it.

She circled the three trees, hoping for something ripe, and finally spotted one with a slightly yellowish skin. Excitedly, she said, “Look, this one looks ripe!”

Shen Zhuo looked up at it and shook his head. “Still not ripe. It’s still sour.”

These fruits were common in the local mountains and were called “Farm Busy Fruits” in the local dialect, as they typically ripen during the busy farming season in summer. Once fully ripe, the skin turns completely yellow, and the fruit is sweet, popular with children. However, if picked before ripening, they’re extremely sour, and their juice sticks to your teeth.

Shen Zhuo advised her to wait before picking.

But Ye Xin didn’t listen. She stubbornly used her hoe to knock down the slightly yellow fruit, only to immediately regret it.

She tossed the fruit aside, clutching her cheek with a grimace. “I’ll remember where it is. I’ll come back for it when it’s really ripe!”

As they continued back, Shen Zhuo’s basket was slowly filling with herbs, and their harvest was meeting expectations.

When they returned to the spot where they had chopped the branches earlier, Shen Zhuo handed his hoe and basket to Ye Xin and started gathering some cleaned tree branches, tying them up with vines to carry down the mountain. He placed them by the vegetable garden to dry.

The vegetable garden they had just established the previous day was a fresh, earthy yellow. Though the soil wasn’t very fertile and the digging wasn’t too detailed, both of them felt a sense of accomplishment as they looked at it.

The garden was half an acre, slightly larger than the designated land, but considering how far they lived and the poor quality of the soil, a bigger space didn’t hurt.

As they walked through the garden, they both examined the plants carefully.

In the corner, two rows of borrowed garlic and onions stood tall and sturdy, growing strong. The seeds they had planted a few days ago had sprouted densely, some already reaching an inch or two in height. Even the seeds they had sown yesterday had started to show signs of life, with tiny sprouts pushing through the soil.

Shen Zhuo was surprised. “They sprouted so quickly?”

Ye Xin grinned proudly. “Of course! I’ve been watering them so carefully!”

Shen Zhuo blinked, realizing she was naively attributing it all to her efforts. Having grown vegetables before, he knew better. “I guess the seeds you bought are good.”

“Of course they are, I bought them!” Ye Xin replied confidently.

Shen Zhuo didn’t argue with her and crouched down to examine the soil more closely. To his surprise, not only had the seeds they planted been sprouting, but even the vegetables he had planted, which hadn’t been doing well, were now showing a hint of greenness.

This little patch of yellow-brown soil didn’t seem so barren after all.

He imagined a lush, vibrant vegetable garden filled with fresh, tender greens, and for a moment, a surge of hope filled his heart.

After two afternoons of herb collecting, the herbs were dried in the blazing July sun, ready to be sold.

Though the harvest wasn’t plentiful, Ye Xin had been craving meat for days, and she felt like she was about to starve. She couldn’t wait to head into town for some shopping. So, once again, Shen Zhuo got the bike out, this time taking her to the town to stock up.