Chapter 19: Wild Yam

“A-Jie, let me do the digging now. You take a break,” Ping’an stood behind Qiao Nian, ready to take over her spot.

Qiao Nian wiped the sweat from her forehead and stepped aside, saying, “Alright, just be careful. It’s fine to dig slowly.” After reminding him, she walked over to the side and sat down to rest.

The three of them—grandmother and grandchildren—had entered the mountains early that morning. This time, they took a different path, still heading to the same hillside as yesterday but approaching from another direction. As they were descending the slope, Qiao Nian, with her sharp eyes, spotted a large area covered in tangled vines. Upon closer inspection, she confirmed that these were the vines of wild yam. (Note: Wild yam differs from the cultivated yam planted in April in modern times—do not scrutinize the details.)

To the villagers, yam might not be familiar, but Hua Guixiang and Ping’an had both heard about it from Qiao’s Mother. She used to be a yatou in a wealthy household that loved to use yam in their dishes. Moreover, yam was also considered a medicinal herb.

To convince the two of them, Qiao Nian once again waved the banner of Qiao’s Mother, claiming she had secretly asked her what yam looked like. According to her, the description matched these vines exactly.

Hua Guixiang thought to herself that since her eldest daughter-in-law had said so, it likely wasn’t wrong. The three of them then began cutting and gathering the vines on the ground and eventually located three main stems. Once they were sure of the location, they began digging.

As the top of the yam came into view, both Hua Guixiang and Ping’an were fully convinced by Qiao Nian’s words. At that point, they gave up on foraging for other medicinal herbs and each started working on digging out a main root.

However, as they dug deeper, they found that two of the yams had intertwined roots. Only one person could dig from the side at a time, and they even had to use their hands to scoop out soil in tight spots. That’s why Qiao Nian and Ping’an had been taking turns.

Hua Guixiang’s yam was almost out. It was as thick as two grown men’s arms put together. The closer she got to the end, the more careful her movements became, fearing any damage to it.

“These three yams must’ve been growing for many years. The one I’m working on is easily over fifty jin,” Hua Guixiang paused for breath and remarked.

“Grandma, take a break too. The deeper we go, the harder it gets. No need to rush,” said Qiao Nian.

Hua Guixiang waved her hand. “I’m not tired. Didn’t I just rest a little while ago? After eating well these past two days, I actually feel stronger. You rest. If I get tired, I’ll stop.”

Indeed, all three of them looked noticeably healthier over the past two days. Hua Guixiang and Ping’an had grown more energetic by the day. Just a couple of days ago, Hua Guixiang still often felt dizzy and weak, but today, after digging yams all morning, she didn’t even feel too exhausted.

Ping’an had always been like a little monkey—full of energy. These past two days, he seemed even more spirited. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to carry that basket weighing over fifty jin yesterday without collapsing under it.

They both believed it was because they had been eating well lately, with meat at every meal, which had helped their bodies recover. That was why Qiao Nian had cooked the entire two jin of pork belly in one go yesterday. Though Hua Guixiang had felt a pang of guilt seeing it all used at once, she hadn’t said a word.

Deep down, she felt she owed these two children. They had gone so long without eating their fill. Now that they had earned some silver, letting them enjoy a few good meals wasn’t too much. They could always plan frugally again in the future.

If Qiao Nian had known all that was going through the old woman’s mind, she would’ve retorted: I have no intention of going back to the old days. From now on, I want meat with every meal, to build a big house, and to live the good life of a little landlord’s wife…

After a full morning of labor, the three of them finally unearthed all three yams intact. Hua Guixiang picked up each one to weigh them by hand and estimated that, combined, they weighed well over a hundred jin. The largest one alone was probably over fifty.

Their faces were all glowing with joy. Each of them was silently calculating how much silver these could fetch once they brought them to town.

“Ping’an, you’re the fastest—go down the mountain and ask your Uncle Wang at the Village Chief’s house to bring the ox cart to the foot of this slope. Tell him we want to rent the cart to go into town,” said Hua Guixiang with a smile.

Ping’an gave a cheerful reply, then scrambled up the hillside and quickly disappeared from sight.

Hua Guixiang turned to Qiao Nian and asked, “Nian Nian, do you understand why I sent Ping’an to rent the cart from the Village Chief?”

Qiao Nian nodded. “Grandma, I understand. Rather than hiding things and being secretive, it’s better to be open about it. If the villagers know we’ve dug up valuable medicinal herbs in the mountains and made some silver, then even if we do something different in the future, they won’t start making wild guesses or gossiping.”

Hua Guixiang gave a deeply pleased smile. “My Nian Nian has really grown up. As long as you understand. We all live in the same village—it’s hard to avoid rubbing elbows now and then. It’s not easy for a young girl like you to manage a household. If anyone in the village dares to speak nonsense or bully you, don’t be afraid—go right back at them. You’ve got your grandma behind you.”

“I know, Grandma.” Qiao Nian’s heart warmed. She knew the old woman was doing it all for her sake. Smiling, she gently pulled her down to sit and rest, then handed her a bamboo flask of water. “Here, Grandma, have a sip and rest a bit.”

These days, the drinking water for the family all had a few drops of Spirit Spring Water added. Not much—just one or two drops each time—but enough to gradually improve everyone’s health without arousing suspicion.

The two of them only rested for a short while before getting up to carry the wild yams down the mountain, hoping to save some time.

Though the yams looked thick and sturdy, they didn’t dare to carry them carelessly down the slope. If one snapped midway, it would certainly reduce the price. Fortunately, when they climbed the mountain earlier, they had brought two lengths of rope, just in case they found a large harvest of herbs. Now was the perfect time to use them to tie up both ends of the yams so two people could carry them together.

However, carrying all three yams at once was still too heavy. Qiao Nian decided they’d make two trips instead. That way it would be easier on them and they could ensure the yams remained in good condition.

She bundled the two relatively thinner yams together and used some vines to lightly cover the thickest one, setting it aside. Then she and Hua Guixiang each lifted one end of the tied pair and began the descent. It wasn’t too tiring this way.

Just as they reached the foot of the slope, they saw Ping’an already running back up the mountain. “Grandma! A-Jie!” he called out as soon as he spotted them from afar.

“Slow down, don’t run so fast! Look at all that sweat—you’ll catch a chill like this,” Hua Guixiang chided lovingly, and as soon as Ping’an reached them, she lifted her sleeve to wipe his sweat.

“Grandma, I’m strong—I won’t catch a chill,” Ping’an said, and immediately reached to take the yam from Hua Guixiang’s shoulder. But he wasn’t tall enough, so he had to raise his arms as high as he could to receive one end of the yam.

“Are you sure you can carry it?” Hua Guixiang asked worriedly.

“I can do it, Grandma. We’re almost at the bottom anyway,” Ping’an assured her.

“Don’t worry, Grandma,” Qiao Nian chimed in. “Yesterday on the way back from town, Ping’an carried more than half the weight himself.”

Hua Guixiang, still uneasy about the yam left on the mountain, gave a few words of caution to watch their footing, then turned and headed back up the slope.

Qiao Nian saw she couldn’t persuade her otherwise, so she didn’t push the matter. Instead, she told Ping’an to quicken his pace so they could return and help the old woman down sooner.

Down at the foot of the mountain, Wang Tiehai had brought the ox cart as requested, but he didn’t feel at ease leaving it unattended, so he didn’t follow Ping’an back up the slope. At the moment, he stood nearby, watching the ox graze and glancing up the mountain from time to time. He was curious—what kind of herb could they have dug up that warranted renting a whole cart just to take it into town?