Chapter 11: A Lucky Find

After Wuyang finished his practice, Jiu’er took a turn as well, pulling the bow to get a feel for the strength required.

Originally, Xiao Jinyu had intended to focus on training Wuyang. His idea was that once Wuyang learned how to hunt, he’d never have to worry about finding a meal no matter where he went.

Unexpectedly, Jiu’er’s very first arrow actually flew out. Though her aim wasn’t great, the arrow still hit the wall—it didn’t fall to the ground halfway through.

“Not bad, you’ve got some talent,” Xiao Jinyu said.

He rarely gave compliments, but after praising her, he proceeded to teach her how to aim at a target. The siblings practiced together for a while.

Seeing that Wuyang was trembling from the cold and could barely hold the bow, with the draft cutting straight through his collar into his belly, Jiu’er suddenly recalled the rabbit pelt Xiao Jinyu had skinned at noon. It could be used to make a scarf for Wuyang.

She acted without delay. The kitchen knife at home was chipped and not suitable for detailed work. “Oh, Big Brother Xiao, can I borrow the dagger on your belt?”

Xiao Jinyu, who had been standing nearby and was about to head back inside to rest, casually tossed the dagger to her. Jiu’er scraped all the fat off the pelt thoroughly, then rubbed the leftover grease from lunch evenly over the rabbit fur. She picked a smooth wooden stick and began pounding the pelt repeatedly.

A flicker of surprise passed over Xiao Jinyu’s face. “You know how to tan leather?”

Jiu’er kept pounding as she replied, “What’s so hard about that?”

For dinner, she was planning to stew chicken, though the wild pheasant they had caught was small and not as plump as the rabbit from earlier. Chicken alone wouldn’t be enough. Fortunately, mushrooms still grew in the mountains during winter, so she headed up the mountain with Zhou shi to forage.

Wuyang was still basking in the joy of archery practice and didn’t go out that afternoon. Xiao Jinyu had likely aggravated his wound while hunting in the morning, and sensibly stayed inside to rest.

Jiu’er carefully selected edible mushrooms while Zhou shi casually gathered a bundle of foxtail grass.

Just as they were about to head back, Jiu’er stepped on something hard. At first, she thought it was a stone. But when she looked down, her eyes lit up with glee. “There are taros here!”

“Huh? This is taro?” Zhou shi looked puzzled as she watched Jiu’er already crouching down to dig.

“Mother, this stuff is delicious—way better than foxtail seeds. Go find us some wooden sticks. Digging barehanded is rough on the hands.”

“I know taro is good. I’ve just never seen it before. Who would’ve thought it grows on our mountain?”

Zhou shi broke off two branches as thick as a baby’s arm from a nearby tree. The mother and daughter began digging at the spot where the taro had been discovered. The more they dug, the more surprised they became—an entire cluster of taro, eight in total, with the largest as big as a woman’s fist.

Zhou shi scraped one with a branch, revealing juicy flesh underneath. “This is kind of like sweet potato. It’ll be great stewed. Let’s keep digging. There must be more.”

“Mm-hmm,” Jiu’er agreed and eagerly joined in. By the time they unearthed the first patch of taro, she had already planned out how dinner would be cooked.

They dug up one cluster after another, turning over a whole patch of earth before finally harvesting all the taro in that area. They tore away the dried-up vines and piled the taro into a heap. The two of them exchanged a knowing smile, their eyes twinkling with the thrill of having struck it rich.

Even if they had nothing but taro from now on, at a rate of three per person per day, they had enough for the next three or four months.

By then, spring would arrive, and the mountains would offer even more to eat.

Zhou shi, delighted, crouched by the taro pile, holding one in her hand and examining it repeatedly. “Jiu’er, we only brought one carrying basket. I’ll take some down first. You stay here and guard the rest. Once I’m back in the village, I’ll find a few more baskets and call Wuyang. The three of us can carry them together. Four or five trips should do it.”

“Mother, why don’t you stay and I’ll carry the first load?”

Zhou shi’s health had been fragile for a long time. She often felt dizzy, mostly from hunger before. Now that their food situation was improving, Jiu’er hoped her mother would take better care of herself.

“It’s fine. You’re so skinny the wind could blow you over. I’m stronger than you, and besides, the next trip we’ll all carry together. No need to argue.”

Jiu’er wanted to protest, but Zhou shi had already slung the basket onto her back and left.

After she left, Jiu’er gathered more mushrooms and some ground moss. These could be dried and stored for the long term.

Dried mushrooms, once rehydrated, had a unique flavor. They were perfect for storage in a time with no refrigeration. The more, the better—she could never have too many.

Before long, Zhou shi returned, carrying two stacked baskets. Behind her trailed Wuyang, grinning from ear to ear.

“Jie! Mother said we found something good again! What treasure did we get this time?” Wuyang called out from the ridge, already bursting with excitement.

“Taro. Tonight, we’re stewing it with chicken. It’ll taste so good, you’ll be in a daze.”

Seeing Wuyang’s eager expression made Jiu’er just as happy. As soon as she said it, the three of them burst into laughter. They hadn’t laughed like this in a long time.

What followed was pure hustle. It was like they’d all been injected with boundless energy, rushing back and forth tirelessly.

Jiu’er carried the heavy taro on her back, with a bundle of mushrooms tucked in her clothes. For the first time, she felt a sense of hope for this new life.

After several trips, the sun finally began to set. The cold winter air meant the charcoal they’d made should be cooled and ready.

Jiu’er came down from the mountain and found a bamboo basket in the village to start cleaning the charcoal. Wuyang came running over to help. Zhou shi busied herself moving the taro into the underground cellar.

Xiao Jinyu, after resting all afternoon, noticed a few drafty windows and used some wood to patch up the doors and windows in a few of the rooms.

Their first attempt at making charcoal had gone well. Except for the pieces closest to the center that had slightly overburned, the rest turned out just right.

Jiu’er was satisfied. None of the wood had gone to waste—it was a success. Together, she and Wuyang collected two full baskets of charcoal.

“Jie, will this last us a long time?” Wuyang chirped like a happy bird.

“Charcoal doesn’t last as long as coal. This will only get us through two or three days at most.”

“Ah? But it looks like so much!” Wuyang pouted, feeling it wasn’t nearly enough.

Lately, Wuyang had become much more cheerful, often acting like a little grown-up. Jiu’er was happy to see it.

“It’s okay. There’s plenty of wood. I’ll make more charcoal tomorrow. It’ll be ready by the day after. We can’t buy coal, but we can make our own charcoal—no need to worry. Tonight, we won’t have to freeze when we sleep.”

After finishing up with the charcoal, the siblings placed a basin of it in each of the three rooms to start warming them early. By the time the nighttime chill set in, the rooms wouldn’t be so cold.

With that done, Jiu’er got to work preparing dinner. Zhou shi had set aside seven or eight taros for tonight and the next morning. The rest had already been stored in the cellar.