Chapter Twenty-Two: Hope Appears

Though these were all dishes they had eaten countless times before, everything that came from Chen Xin’s hands tasted entirely different. Country folk weren’t as particular as city people, nor did they stand on ceremony; apart from offering the elders and children more of the tender, soft meat, the rest was left to whoever could grab it first.

The second sister, who was carrying a child, usually didn’t have much of an appetite. This time, after such a long journey, she had sat down with her bowl mainly to support Chen Xin. At first, she didn’t feel much, but upon tasting the braised loaches, the sour and spicy flavor instantly awakened her appetite. With the pickled vegetables and loach meat, she polished off two bowls of rice. Had her stomach not been so full, she would have wanted another, soaking the rice in the savory broth.

Loach may not look like much, but it is highly nutritious, especially effective at preventing gestational hypertension. Moreover, it boosts energy, dispels dampness, reduces swelling, and protects the liver. Pregnant women benefit from eating properly cooked loach. Knowing of the second sister’s condition, everyone let her eat as much as she wished. Still, seeing her enjoy it so much, some couldn’t help but fish out the occasional loach for themselves.

The loaches were plump and tender. Once stewed to perfection, the meat separated from the bones with a gentle press; pinching the head and pulling gently, the entire spine came out intact. Unlike other meats, loach and fish weren’t greasy, and with the tang of old-pickled vegetables, only a fragrant softness lingered on the palate.

While the loaches were reserved for the second sister, the others turned their attention to the double-pepper fish head and the storm fish slices. As for the white-cut chicken, though delicious, they could make it themselves; it was only that Chen Xin’s seasoning made hers superior.

But both the double-pepper fish head and storm fish slices were firsts for everyone. Before, fish was always stewed with pickled vegetables or pan-fried and then braised. No one had ever eaten it like this. Tasting such city fare for the first time, they wished they had two stomachs.

“Chen Auntie, if I go fishing with my brother this afternoon, can we have fish again tonight?” The neighbor’s youngest, Little Fourth, bit his chopsticks, nearly in tears as he gazed at the basin that now held only the red soup. Too young to compete with the older children and adults, he felt aggrieved, thinking he’d hardly had a bite before it was all gone.

“Of course. If you go fishing this afternoon and bring back plenty of grass carp, I’ll make pickled fish for you. Carp works too, but it’s not great for soup—better for braising.” The creeks teemed with fish, but mountain folk rarely liked eating it. For years, it was always cooked with bean paste until everyone was weary of it.

Hearing that Chen Auntie would make fish again in the evening—even if it might not be as tasty as the storm fish slices, it was sure to be better than the usual bean-paste fish—the boys exchanged looks, put down their bowls, and hurried off behind the house to find tools for fishing.

When Wanli prepared dinner, she checked what vegetables they still had. Aside from cabbage and radishes, there was nothing else. On asking, she learned that tomorrow was market day in the town at the foot of the mountain. So she told the second sister she planned to get up early and go to buy some ingredients.

“If you need vegetables, let Big Brother go. You’ve never walked the mountain road; you probably can’t make it that far,” the second sister said, not looking down on Chen Xin, but with her small frame, a round trip on foot would be exhausting, let alone carrying back groceries. Her brother, though his legs weren’t perfect, could walk easily enough and was used to such work. Buying groceries was no hardship for him. If not, her own husband could go—either would be stronger than Chen Xin.

“I need to see what they have. I’ve never been to market, so how could I tell Big Brother what to buy?” In the end, the neighbor aunt made the final call: Chen Xin would go with her, with Zhang’s eldest to help carry things.

The second sister thought it over. Her own body wasn’t up to the task, so she could only agree.

By four in the afternoon, the three neighbor boys returned, carrying two buckets. Inside were five or six grass carp, the largest about two jin, the rest around one. They’d also brought back a turtle, tied with straw rope, as big as a rice bowl—an old turtle by the look of it.

“This is a real find, pure wild,” Chen Xin remarked, but didn’t ask to eat it. The three boys looked a bit disappointed.

“What are you thinking? Such a fine turtle could fetch enough to buy three or four big roosters,” Chen Xin said, patting Little Fourth’s head with a laugh. “The new year’s coming, and people in town will be buying gifts and visiting relatives. Take it to your father and see what he decides.”

It was theirs, after all, and selling it would bring in hundreds. Though Chen Xin could afford it, if she spoke up, would the neighbor aunt accept or refuse? Better to be direct and suggest they sell it in town—it would equal several months’ income.

“Chen Auntie, my dad says it won’t fetch much—maybe not even a few hundred. Why don’t we just eat it?” Little Fourth piped up.

Chen Xin frowned—impossible! Just by the color of its shell, she could tell it was wild-caught. In the provincial capital, it would easily fetch seven or eight hundred. Even in town, four or five hundred was reasonable. A big rooster went for five or six yuan a jin, so a ten-jin bird didn’t even reach a hundred. That’s why she suggested selling it. How could his father say it wasn’t worth much?

The second sister, watching Chen Xin’s expression, burst out laughing. “Don’t be surprised. Around here, people’s spending power is low. They might spend a hundred or two, but four or five hundred on an old turtle? The elders would scold them for it.”

Chen Xin thought perhaps they just hadn’t found the right buyers. You couldn’t just sell such a thing on the street; it was best to find someone who truly wanted it. With that, she rummaged through her things and called Lei Bang.

“Brother Lei, I have a favor to ask. Do you know anyone who likes game or mountain produce? We have an old turtle and some smoked mountain chicken and fish, hoping to make a bit of money.”

She didn’t beat around the bush. Lei Bang knew the Zhang family’s circumstances well, and Chen Xin called him in front of the second sister so her family would understand that as soon as they left this mountain, opportunities awaited everywhere.

It just so happened that Lei Bang was looking for such things. Although he’d sourced some rare mountain goods, he still had to go to the countryside for truly wild ones. He’d thought of asking Chen Xin but didn’t want her to think he was looking for freebies. Now that she’d come to him, it was perfect.

Chen Xin pulled the second sister aside to sort through their goods, then chatted with the neighbor aunt, picking out the best-looking, rarely seen wild produce. She also had Little Fourth and his friends round up more children to keep fishing in the streams. Any fish caught would not be killed but kept alive in an unused water vat, ready for Lei Bang to collect the next day.

Watching Chen Xin and the second sister busy together, with the eldest and son-in-law repairing the house inside and out, the old couple sat in the courtyard, the chubby Zhang Zhang in their arms, their eyes glistening with tears.

Since the third child left, the house had been as silent as a tomb. Who could have thought it would bustle with life again? Seeing their children’s smiling faces, and their precious grandson, the old couple felt hope returning to their lives.