Chapter 22 ☆ Dongkui Dried Bayberry (Part 1)

Today is another fine day, with a blue sky and a cool morning breeze. People start working before dawn, rolling up their trousers and laboring fiercely to finish their work before the scorching sun arrives.

Lin Dafu and a group of brigade cadres stood on the field ridge, hands behind their backs, discussing: “If we continue working like this, we can finish before the plum rains come^[1]means to complete something before a specific time or event, in this case, before the arrival of the plum rains..”

The secretary, puffing on his unlit pipe, frowned and said, “The plum rains are approaching. We need to quickly resolve the issue of the educated youth dormitories.”

Lin Dafu frowned and replied, “It’s easy to handle the male educated youths, but what about the female ones?”

The cadres exchanged glances and remained silent.

Every household has a man. While it may not be inconvenient for a delicate young woman to live in a villager’s house, safety is a significant concern. If something scandalous happens, they will struggle to explain it to their superiors. Especially Cheng Yaoyao, who is exceptionally beautiful. Tianshui Village has never had such beauty for so many generations. She is like a rare flower, out of place in the land of Tianshui Village.

Everyone pretended to be deaf and dumb. Lin Dafu gritted his teeth and waved his hand, saying, “Once the work in the paddy fields is finished, gather the educated youth and let them choose where they want to live! I’ve seen the educated youth dormitory; the walls have cracks and won’t withstand much rain…”

Doctor Lin had become the team leader because he was responsible and decisive, unlike the others, who merely followed along and did nothing substantial.

Since Lin Dafu was willing to take responsibility, whatever happened to the educated youth after they moved into the villagers’ homes would be his concern, not theirs. The others nodded in agreement.

At this moment, everyone’s attention shifted as Cheng Yaoyao approached in a pink blouse, her long black hair tied in a braid cascading over her shoulders like a dew-kissed lotus bud in the early morning. 

“Good morning, team leader, branch secretary, and all the cadres,” she greeted.

The group of older men straightened their chests, trying to appear more energetic in front of the city girl. “Good morning, good morning, Cheng Zhiqing. Are you going to work?”

Cheng Yaoyao smiled faintly. “Yes, I’ll head over there in a moment.”

The young accountant, concerned about Cheng Yaoyao, asked, “I heard you’re working with Xie San in the soybean field. Is it difficult?”

Cheng Yaoyao replied, “It’s not hard at all. It’s easier than working in the paddy fields, thanks to the captain’s consideration.”

Lin Dafu felt relieved. Clearing his throat, he asked, “What did you want to discuss with me?”

The others tactfully walked away.

Cheng Yaoyao then said with a smile, “The soybean field is a bit far, so I come back for lunch every day. It takes too much time to go back and forth, so I don’t come back for lunch. I take two steamed buns from the breakfast at the educated youth dormitory, and let other educated youth take my share at noon. Is that alright?”

Cheng Yaoyao had already done this yesterday and was just informing Lin Dafu today.

Lin Dafu nodded. “Yes, I discussed this with the accountant yesterday and planned to include it in your rations. Since you’ve been considerate, I’ll follow your suggestion.”

Cheng Yaoyao seemed to remember something and added, “Oh, I noticed that Xie San doesn’t eat lunch every day.”

Lin Dafu frowned. “Why didn’t Xie San mention this to me?”

Cheng Yaoyao blinks her innocent eyes. “He knows you are very busy, so he’s embarrassed to trouble you with such a minor issue.”

Lin Dafu thought for a moment and said, “He works for the commune, so he deserves to eat in the canteen. Let’s make up for his rations from the past few days and give him extra when the rations are distributed at the end of the month. He can get by today.”

Cheng Yaoyao said cheerfully, “That’s okay; I’ve already taken Xie San’s dry food. Just deduct it from the cafeteria at noon. I’ll leave now.”

Lin Dafu waved his hand and turned away. Because of his background, Xie San was often assigned difficult tasks and received the fewest rations. As team leader, Lin Dafu had to consider the bigger picture and often overlooked such issues. However, being from a peasant family himself, Lin Dafu disliked the idea of people working on an empty stomach.

Additionally, the canteen provided dry food based on the number of people. Since Xie San had missed out on steamed buns a few days ago, where did the remaining steamed buns go? This seemed like a serious case of corruption!

After speaking with Lin Dafu, Cheng Yaoyao walked towards the small road but did not see Xie San. She guessed he had left earlier. Holding the lunch box, she walked along the small path by herself.

The countryside was sparsely populated in those days, and the path was particularly quiet. Dewdrops still clung to the tips of the reeds by the roadside. Wild lilies were about to bloom, and a large clump of honeysuckle vines hung down, their white and golden trumpet-shaped flowers exuding a refreshing fragrance.

Honeysuckle is a great ingredient for desserts and herbal teas in the summer. Cheng Yaoyao stood on tiptoe, grabbed a honeysuckle vine, and pulled it down, causing dew and petals to fall on her head and body like rain.

“Ouch!” Cheng Yaoyao exclaimed, wiping her face in embarrassment. Her pink blouse was drenched, revealing her snow-white skin.

Suddenly, an ordinary-looking man appeared, dressed like a farmer. He carried a bundle of firewood on his back and held a hatchet in his hand. He bumped into Cheng Yaoyao.

Cheng Yaoyao was startled, and the man seemed equally surprised. When he saw Cheng Yaoyao’s face, his eyes widened, and he stared at her, unable to come to his senses.

With no one around, Cheng Yaoyao was visibly annoyed. She stared at the man with an expressionless face, looking cold and striking.

The man spoke first: “You… you’re the educated youth from the city, right? Cheng?”

The man smiled innocently. “I’m from the east end of the village. I’ve heard of you.”

Cheng Yaoyao breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I’m waiting for Xie San to work in the fields. Have you seen him?”

The man replied, “No. I just came back from chopping wood and didn’t see anyone on the road.”

As he spoke, he lifted the firewood and kindly warned her before leaving: “This road is quite remote. It’s not safe to walk alone.”

Cheng Yaoyao nodded. “Thank you.”

Without the man’s warning, Cheng Yaoyao wouldn’t have dared to walk alone. She was genuinely scared earlier. Cheng Yaoyao pouted, picked some honeysuckle for a while, and then sat in the shade by the roadside to wait.

After a while, she finally heard steady footsteps approaching and stopping beside her. “Get up, let’s go.”

Cheng Yaoyao looked up, annoyed. “Why did you come so late?”

Her peach blossom eyes naturally held a hint of resentment. She looked at him with such a pouting expression, the teardrop mole under her eye making her appear like a spoiled child. Xie San looked away, feeling flustered. “I… I brought this for you.”

He removed the large basket from his back and took out a small bamboo basket. The basket was covered with fern leaves, and when he opened it, the dark red bayberries inside were so full they were almost overflowing!

“It’s Dongkui^[2]also know as bayberries, which are small, round fruits that can be dark red to black and are known for their sweet and tart flavor.!” Cheng Yaoyao exclaimed with delight. She eagerly grabbed the bamboo basket, her eyes shining.

The bayberries were a rich red to almost black, each one plump and as big as a ping-pong ball. Cheng Yaoyao couldn’t wait to take one, put it in her mouth, and savor the sweet and sour juice.

Cheng Yaoyao’s eyes curled in happiness as she puffed her cheeks and nodded vigorously. “Mm, so sweet!”

A smile flashed across Xie San’s narrow eyes. He took the water bottle and lunch box from Cheng Yaoyao and put them into the large basket. He then placed the bayberries on his back. “Let’s go. We should wash them in the spring water before eating.”

Although the Dongkui bayberries were very clean and typically eaten directly after picking in the countryside, Cheng Yaoyao considered them too delicate to handle without extra care.

After washing the bayberries in spring water, they were drained and tasted cool and refreshing. Cheng Yaoyao’s hands were dripping with water as she held the bayberries wrapped in large leaves, eating them along the way.

It’s best to wash only as many bayberries as you plan to eat because they can attract insects if they come into contact with water. Cheng Yaoyao washed a handful and took the rest home to eat later.

Xie San advised, “Don’t eat too many; it can cause acidosis^[3]is a condition where there is an excess of acid in the body fluids, leading to a decrease in the blood’s pH level..”

“They’re delicious,” Cheng Yaoyao said, unable to stop talking. Eating bayberries in summer is so refreshing, sweet, and sour—it quenches thirst. Curiously, she asked, “Why don’t the villagers eat these delicious bayberries?”

Xie San answered calmly, “Eating too many will make you hungry quickly. Only children and those who can’t get enough food will pick them.”

When bayberries begin to ripen, the whole valley turns red. Unfortunately, the bayberry’s sour taste and juicy nature don’t fill you up. Instead, they stimulate your appetite, making you want to eat more rice.

There was no shortage of fruit in Tianshui Village, but people didn’t have a taste for it. Besides, other wild bayberries were so sour they made your teeth ache. Aside from women suffering from morning sickness, who would be patient enough to eat them?

Children liked them, but there were many other fruits available in Tianshui Village during summer: mulberries, apricots, plums, oil nai, watermelons, wild grapes… Moreover, bayberry juice stains clothes. Which child hasn’t been scolded by their mother for getting bayberry juice stains on their clothes?

Cheng Yaoyao asked, “Brother Xie San, are there many bayberry trees in Dongkui^[4]is being used as a specific location or region where bayberry trees might be found.? Are they easy to find?”

“There are many, but they’re not easy to find,” Xie San replied. He suddenly turned to look at her. Cheng Yaoyao’s rosy lips were even redder from the bayberry juice. Unaware, she unconsciously extended her tongue to lick them.

Xie San turned his eyes away, but the image was seared into his memory.

At that moment, Cheng Yaoyao was distracted by her thoughts. Without paying much attention, she kept stuffing bayberries into her mouth. It wasn’t until she had eaten a large handful that she realized the consequences.

Cheng Yaoyao’s teeth were so sensitive that she could barely chew tofu, let alone hard steamed bread. She held up a piece of steamed bread, tears in her eyes, and her stomach growling, but she couldn’t bite into it. “My teeth are so sore. What should I do?”