Chapter 20

Bamboo Mountain is located in a remote area. On the way back from Bamboo Mountain, one passes through most of Shanshui Village.

Sun Jinhua looked at her daughter, Zhao Di, with her thin body carrying a big bamboo basket full of bamboo mushrooms, smiling so much her gums showed.

The women at the village entrance were peeling chicken head rice while chatting.

Seeing Sun Jinhua return joyfully, they all showed surprise.

Mrs. Li glanced at the bamboo mushrooms in Zhao Di’s basket and praised, “Jinhua, the sun isn’t even high yet, and you two have filled the basket with bamboo mushrooms. You’re so nimble.”

“You two got up early. You’re hardworking,” Mrs. Li’s daughter-in-law, Feng Dayan, though surprised by Sun Jinhua’s change, sincerely complimented.

The previous Sun Jinhua was well known to everyone in Shanshui Village.

Unexpectedly, after splitting from her family yesterday, Sun Jinhua immediately became diligent.

Sun Jinhua, who had never received praise before, suddenly gained approval, and her smile stretched from ear to ear.

She raised her chin and sneered, “What’s this? I’m diligent in many ways. You all underestimate me!”

This was already quite offensive, stirring up discontent among the group.

Mrs. Li and Feng Dayan exchanged glances, then lowered their heads to continue peeling chicken head rice, no longer engaging in the conversation.

Seeing this, the other women also lowered their heads and earnestly continued their work.

Unruly people were not to be provoked but avoided!

The autumn harvest was completed some time ago, the grains were stored, relieving a major concern for the whole village, making everyone a bit more relaxed.

But it was only a slight relaxation. Families relying on farmland wouldn’t overlook any food they could store; it was already a deep-rooted instinct.

Just after the autumn harvest, children went up the mountain to pick wild mushrooms and fruits, men went into the water to catch water chestnuts, and they, the women, peeled them one by one. Drying them out for later use was also a way of preserving food.

During the coming winter and the following months when food would be scarce, even a modest meal could fill one’s stomach.

Sun Jinhua waited for a while, seeing no response, and snorted in annoyance before walking away.

The women sitting under the shade of the tree, seeing Sun Jinhua walk away, only raised their heads one by one.

The daughter-in-law of the village head, Wang Guifen, frowned and said in confusion, “I just saw Sister Fan leave, how did she come back with a full basket so quickly?

The basket behind Zhao Di looked oddly large, probably holding over ten catties of bamboo mushrooms.”

Sun Jinhua was never considered a capable woman in Shanshui Village, yet today she picked mushrooms so quickly.

“Huh, maybe she happened to stumble upon a patch of mushrooms? Now that she’s lost her second son and his family’s support, and there’s no one in the village close to her, who would help her?” Zhang Shenzi sneered, indifferent.

The others agreed.

Sun Jinhua hadn’t had enough advantages. She was the kind of person who would help herself to vegetables from other people’s gardens if they looked good. Most of the villagers had experienced it, so who would give her mushrooms?

“It’s a good thing for Sister Fan’s family to split up, and for Sun Jinhua’s family, it might be a good thing too. Look, Sun Jinhua is getting industrious now, isn’t she?” Mrs. Li sighed.

“Sister Fan’s eldest son is sixteen now, the age to be considered for marriage. Sun Jinhua should think about her children. After all, when it’s time to consider marriage, which respectable family would marry their daughter to a mean family?” Old Mrs. Xu, speaking from experience, understood.

Li’s daughter, Li Tiantian, disagreed and hummed disapprovingly.

Earning a glare from her mother.

She muttered quietly, “What Old Mrs. Xu said is only partially true. Sister Fan might consider her son, but she absolutely wouldn’t consider her daughter. Look at Zhao Di, she’s only seven years old and already carrying a bamboo basket. Sister Fan walks with empty hands, isn’t that heartless?”

Mrs. Li pursed her lips and said on the bright side, “Take it slow. At least, now that Sister Fan’s family isn’t around, she’s doing the work herself. She doesn’t only make Zhao Di work alone, which is barely acceptable.”

“That’s because Zhao Di is still too young to work alone. It’s hard enough for her to live in the village, let alone in the future. It might get even harder.” Li Tiantian felt a trace of sadness.

Women’s lives were already difficult, but Zhao Di, born to Sun Jinhua, faced even greater challenges.

Mrs. Li knew her daughter was speaking the truth and sighed deeply.

Wang Guifen spoke briskly, “That’s her mother. What can she do? Even if she’s not short of money, she wouldn’t refuse.”

“You young folks always have a low opinion of others. It seems that Sister Fan’s family is doing well. Let’s not speculate blindly,” Grandma Xu, the oldest in the group, spoke up.

“Quick, peel the chicken head rice! After drying, it can be stored. When the food is scarce, it can be used to make soup, both a dish and a meal. It’s cost-effective.”

“I heard that many wealthy families in Guangning Prefecture love this stuff. Shouldn’t we try selling it?”

“Forget about it. I’ve inquired before. They prefer it fresh. Nowadays, even if you peel it, it won’t last long. If no one buys it, it’ll spoil back and forth. Plus, it costs two wen to go into the city. If it doesn’t sell, isn’t that losing two wen?”

“But that’s two wen! It’s gone after just one trip into the city. Who’d want to part with it?”

“Besides, this stuff is everywhere in the water. Those wealthy folks’ sons and daughters just want something fresh. With rice and flour at home, who would seriously eat this?”

“That’s right! There are plenty of worthless things. Who would spend silver to buy them?”

…

“Ding dong, detected authentic wild and pollution-free hand-peeled chicken head rice, 23 catties. Is it for sale?”

Shuiqing, who was heading towards Sun Jinhua’s house with determination, halted his steps.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Fan He asked quietly.

Shuiqing couldn’t tell the truth, of course.

She glanced at the women gathering under the distant tree, doing handicrafts together, and slowed down. “Nothing, just felt a bit dizzy from rushing. Just need a short rest.”

Even if the mushrooms weren’t snatched, they’d be gone by October. Of course, she needed to find more things to sell.

She had to make money while there was something to sell!

Not to say she was desperate for money, but even if she wasn’t, she wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to make money!

Besides, who in this world would complain about having too much money?

Shuiqing accessed the system store and saw the familiar interface.

Fresh wild and pollution-free hand-peeled fresh chicken head rice, 131 catties—hand-peeling was dozens of catties more expensive than machine-peeled.

But nowadays, there were no machines to peel it!

After drying, it was called “qian shi,” thirty-nine catties.

Shuiqing grew up in Jiangnan and was very familiar with chicken head rice!

Fresh ones were called chicken head rice, dried ones were called “qian shi.”

Just like calling it “longan” when fresh and “guìyuán” when dried.

And chicken head rice was one of the very few foods that were worth less after drying.

When fresh, it had enough water weight, making it expensive;

After drying, its weight decreased, it had good moisture removal effects, and it required effort to stir and dry, resulting in a price barely above that of fresh ones!

Whether to buy fresh or dried, even a fool would know how to choose.

Now the worry was how to buy chicken head rice from the women of Shanshui Village.

And what price to buy it at would be better.