Chapter 3: Into the Mountain

The morning light gradually spread across the sky, and the rising sun gently warmed their faces. A cool breeze passed by, carrying a faint scent of fresh grass, while distant roosters crowed, seemingly welcoming the new day.

After breakfast, Li Youyin mentioned that he was going to the fields to check on things. He grabbed his farming tools and headed out. Seeing there was no work left at home, Li Guo decided to go up the mountain to gather wild vegetables.

She waved goodbye to Shen Shi, and with the others, they put on their worn straw shoes, packed their baskets, and set off for the mountain.

The village was surrounded by mountains on all sides, and today they planned to go to the Tiger Head Mountain to the east of the village, where a variety of wild produce could be found.

As soon as they entered the forest, Li Wen happily ran ahead, his head tilted upwards, constantly looking for bird nests.

Li Guo, not paying him much attention, held Li Xing’s hand and set off to look for wild vegetables. After a few recent rains, the wild vegetables should have grown well.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before they came across a patch of lush green wild vegetables: shepherd’s purse, small-rooted garlic, and chickweed, with the small-rooted garlic being the most abundant.

Li Guo’s eyes lit up at the sight of so many wild vegetables. Shepherd’s purse was a rare seasonal vegetable, often used in a porridge called “Dongpo soup.”

Before being dug up, the small-rooted garlic looked like scallions but had swollen roots similar to garlic bulbs. It was a common medicinal herb known for lowering blood lipids, preventing blood clotting, and having antibacterial properties. The tender leaves, chopped up, made a fragrant stir-fry with eggs or cured meats.

The roots of the small-rooted garlic could be pickled with salt or sweetened with sugar and vinegar. After a few days of pickling, they became tender and crunchy, making a perfect accompaniment to white rice.

The chickweed that had just sprouted in the spring had purple-red stems and thick leaves, making it tender without being fibrous. Chickweed was known for its ability to clear heat, detoxify, relieve pain, reduce swelling, and suppress coughs.

It had a slightly bitter taste when eaten raw, which helped cool the body, and could also be blanched and mixed with sauce to make a refreshing dish.

Li Guo put down her basket and called out to Li Wen, “Don’t wander too far!” She and Li Xing picked up their baskets and began gathering the wild vegetables.

There were so many wild vegetables here! Li Guo muttered to herself, “Why doesn’t anyone else come to gather them?”

She had heard from the villagers that not long ago, someone had discovered wolf droppings deep in the forest and suspected that there might be a wolf pack in the area. Because of this, few people ventured into the mountain.

While the sisters were happily gathering vegetables, Li Wen had climbed several trees but only found nine bird eggs. Most of the nests were empty.

By the time Li Wen came over to join them, the sisters had already filled their baskets with wild vegetables. Tired of finding so few eggs, Li Wen decided to gather some firewood instead, which would be useful for the cold days ahead.

Li Guo didn’t mind and continued to gather vegetables with enthusiasm. Her basket and the other baskets were soon full.

Li Wen also finished tying up his firewood.

“Big sister, there’s a wild chicken in the grass!” Li Wen shouted excitedly.

“It ran away!”

“Quick, quick, big sister, go chase it!”

“Big sister, run faster!”

“Little sister, you’re so slow!”

“Wow, big sister, you run so fast! You’re amazing…”

And so, the siblings continued their adventures, chasing and laughing as the day passed in joyful work.

The three siblings set out early in the morning and searched on the mountain for most of the day until after noon before heading home. They had a good haul.

Li Guo had three wild chickens and one rabbit in her backpack, with a bundle of firewood tied across the top. Li Wen and the second sister each carried a basket of wild mushrooms.

Li Wen was excited, shouting until her throat was dry. “Big sister, you run so fast! Big Brother Niu couldn’t catch up last time. When Niu’s mother asked him to catch it, he didn’t catch any.”

“They scolded him when he got back,” said Li Guo.

“I’ve always been fast. Don’t run up here by yourself in the future; there are many snakes on the mountain. I scattered medicine powder today, but if you come alone, a big snake might bite you and eat you!”

Li Wen nodded obediently. “I understand, big sister.”

By the time they returned to the village, it was already dark. Luckily, their home was at the edge of the village, so they didn’t encounter anyone after descending the mountain.

“Big sister, should we kill the rabbit tomorrow to eat?” Li Wen asked.

Li Guo replied, “Let it stay for breeding.”

She had noticed that the rabbit’s belly was swollen, likely pregnant. Since the fields weren’t busy recently, she planned to keep the pregnant rabbit and raise it. When it grew, they could have some meat for the family.

“What does the rabbit eat?” Li Wen asked curiously. “Does it eat bugs? If it does, I’ll catch more bugs for it every day.”

“The rabbit doesn’t eat bugs. It eats grass. I’m not sure which kind it prefers. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to cut several kinds of grass to see which one it likes. After that, we can feed it that.”

By the time it was fully dark and the siblings hadn’t returned yet, Li Youyin and his wife couldn’t sit still. They locked the door and grabbed a torch, planning to go up the mountain to look for them. As they stepped out of the yard, they heard several children laughing and chatting.

When they saw the children return safely, Li Youyin and his wife finally relaxed.

As they took the backpacks from the children and asked why they were so late and whether anyone was injured, the children explained, “Mom and Dad, we’re fine. It’s just that the wild chickens and the rabbit were so hard to catch. Big sister chased for a long time before she caught them, so that delayed us going down the mountain.”

Li Youyin and his wife had just noticed that beneath the firewood in the basket, there were several wild chickens and a rabbit.

“These wild chickens are so fat! And why is this rabbit’s belly so big?” Li Youyin said, looking at the wild chickens and the rabbit in front of him.

“Mom, what if we sell these wild vegetables?” Li Guo asked, looking at Shen Shi, who was sorting the wild vegetables.

“Will anyone buy them? After the rain, the mountain is full of them,” Shen Shi said uncertainly.

“Of course, the villagers won’t buy them, but we can take them to the market in the town!” Li Guo replied.

Shen Shi hesitated, “Well…”

“Isn’t tomorrow the big market day in the town? We can keep enough for ourselves, and take the rest to sell. If we can’t sell them, we’ll bring them back to feed the chickens.”

And so, the conversation ended there.

The next morning, before dawn, Li Youyin strapped the wild chickens, the fish bucket, and other goods onto the cart, taking the three siblings along as they headed for the town.

The town was called Qingshui Town. It wasn’t exactly bustling, but it had everything—restaurants, inns, taverns, teahouses, and various shops.

The market was busy, with people coming and going. Along the roads, there were various stalls filled with baskets and crates, and the vendors were squatting behind their stands, shouting loudly to attract customers.

The front stalls mostly sold vegetables, fruits, grains, and livestock—chickens, ducks, pigs, sheep—everything you could think of.

Next came stalls selling wooden and metal goods, along with pots, pans, and other household items.

At each stall, customers stood or squatted, inspecting items, flipping through merchandise, making purchases, and bargaining.

As you moved further into the market, there were more food stalls, with frying pans, soup pots, and roasting ovens. Some were covered by cloth tents, and others were open-air. They sold fried cakes, wontons, roasted pastries, meatball soup, grain pancakes, steamed buns, and much more.

When they reached the stall where market fees were collected, Li Youyin paid a couple of coins to the official for the stall fee.

He found a spot near the entrance, unloaded the goods, and set everything up with the children. After giving them a few instructions, he grabbed the three wild chickens and headed straight for the Yipinxuan Restaurant, following the waiter to the backyard.