Pastoral Splendor

The golden sun was almost at its zenith, and the shadows of the people on the ground in the courtyard became slanted clumps, shrinking lower and lower until they appeared as short lumps. Yan Ying kicked the ground with her leg: "Father, what are you thinking about?"

Boss Xiao looked up, somewhat embarrassed: "Sanhua, these bamboo shoots only last one spring. After spring, where can we find bamboo shoots again?"

Erhua was also a little worried and nodded: "Yes, you bought more than thirty jars today. Even if we sell all the pickled bamboo shoots we made, we can only earn a little over a hundred taels of silver. You said that the family needs to eat meat often, wear new clothes, build a big brick house, and save up for dowry. How can that be enough?"

“I said it’s enough.” Yan Ying pointed to a small hut next to her. It was originally intended to be a pigsty, but the Xiao family was too poor to buy piglets, so it had been sitting there ever since. Exposed to the wind and sun, the hut was already dilapidated, and much of the thatch had been blown away.

"By the way, what are you doing in the house?" Boss Xiao was somewhat surprised. A while ago, Yan Ying had tidied up the roof and laid a new layer of straw. There was also straw and cow dung piled up inside the house. He wondered what she was up to.

Yan Ying winked at Er Hua: "I'll tell you in a couple of days. I'm just trying it out right now, to see if it works."

"Third sister, let's go out and dig for bamboo shoots after we eat. We have to dig up dozens of pounds today." Sihua pulled Wuhua's hand, her eyes crinkling with laughter like the crescent moon in the sky: "I was thinking, if we could dig up thirty or forty pounds a day, that would be great. In just over ten days, these dozens of jars will be full again."

Yan Ying looked at Si Hua's hands. She had been digging bamboo shoots in the mountains every day and peeling them at night. Her fingers were cracked and her skin was chapped with red cuts. "Si Hua, why don't you stop digging and hire someone to do it? We can just peel and prepare them at home."

"Pay someone to dig?" Si Hua shook her head repeatedly: "That's such a waste!"

Yan Ying smiled. The Xiao sisters really value money. Today, when she entered Yuzhou City, she made a special trip to Ruyi Restaurant. She saw a large sign hanging outside the restaurant that read: New dish: Stir-fried minced pork with pickled bamboo shoots, highly recommended by the Prince of Yu.

A crowd had gathered around the restaurant, pointing and gesturing at the sign: "Pickled bamboo shoots? What are pickled bamboo shoots? Since the Prince of Yu's son says this dish is delicious, it must be. Shall we try it?"

According to her estimate, within a few days, all the restaurants in Yuzhou City would be trying to buy the bamboo shoots. These bamboo shoots don't grow for long, just one spring. After a few rains, they'll be ready to be harvested by the end of March or the beginning of April, so she'd better hurry up and get as many as possible.

"Sihua, we need to collect more! Didn't our father just say that bamboo shoots only come in one spring? If we ask everyone in the village to help us dig bamboo shoots, we'll have enough for next year, not just this spring?"

Erhua's eyes lit up as she listened, and she excitedly grabbed Yanying's hand and shook it, saying, "Sanhua, you've thought so much! That's good, that's good!"

Sihua thought for a moment, and her brows gradually relaxed. A smile appeared on her face: "Oh, Third Sister is right. How come I didn't think of that? Third Sister, I'll go tell my close friends, like Peach Blossom and Plum Blossom, so they can earn some money to help support their families."

Yan Ying nodded: "Go and tell them that it's two copper coins a pound, but if the shells are peeled, I'll buy it for four copper coins a pound."

Although she had offered a lower price, Yan Ying didn't feel like she was exploiting labor at all. The lower the cost, the more she could earn. She turned and went into the kitchen: "Let's hurry up and prepare the food. We'll eat and then get back to work."

At noon, the Xiao sisters ate meat and were quite full. The eldest sister, Xiao, only picked up two slices of meat and chewed them, still feeling uneasy. There were still so many pickled bamboo shoots left to sell, so why spend money to hire someone else to dig them up? But since he had already said that Yan Ying would be in charge of the household from now on, he didn't voice any objections and could only listen from the sidelines. He wanted to see what kind of mess his third daughter could make.

After lunch, Erhua and Xiao Laoda went to work in their own mountain fields, Sihua and Wuhua carried baskets out to dig bamboo shoots, while Dahua and Aunt Xiao took care of Ye'er and Qihua and started cutting cloth to make clothes.

“Mother, I think Third Sister…” Da Hua hesitated for a while before finally speaking, “Why is she acting a little different from the rest of our family? How come she can do everything?” When Si Hua and the others came back, they praised Yan Ying highly, saying that Third Sister could do everything and could even do math without an abacus. Even the owner of the grocery store praised her!

Aunt Xiao's hand trembled, and the scissors fell to her feet. She quickly bent down to pick them up: "Sanhua is much smarter than before."

"She's more than just clever!" Da Hua exclaimed in disbelief. "I saw her use her foot to block that wooden stick today. She raised it so high and kicked it so fast. It was like she had learned kung fu."

"Wasn't it that young master Jian who taught you?" Aunt Xiao squinted her eyes and started cutting the cloth. "Stop talking so much, hurry up and hold this piece of cloth tight so it doesn't go crooked."

Seeing Aunt Xiao pick up the scissors and start cutting cloth, Da Hua put the conversation aside. With so many new clothes to make, she and Aunt Xiao would be busy for a while. Looking at Ye'er sleeping on the bed, a smile appeared on her face. Ye'er had just started to recuperate and was still a little shy, but in the past two days she had become very lively. She could easily call out "Auntie" with her little mouth. San Hua even said she would teach her to read—when did San Hua learn to read? Da Hua was very confused; the question she had just suppressed resurfaced.

Yan Ying sat in the yard with Liu Hua, peeling bamboo shoots. Although Liu Hua was young, she was very good at peeling. Her fingers were very nimble, flying up and down. In a short while, there was a pile of bright green shells next to her, which fell to the ground and swayed in the wind, just like fallen flowers at the door.

"Liuhua is really capable." Yan Ying praised her, stood up and walked to the small hut next door. Pushing open the door, a stench hit her nose. She walked to the corner of the hut, looked at the dark pile, reached out and squeezed it, and nodded with satisfaction: "In another two days, we can build the pile."

There's a specific method to growing these mushrooms. If the substrate is good, the mushrooms will grow well. She used cow dung and straw, adding some green manure to ferment it. It's been about half a month now, and once fermentation is complete, she can build the mounds and start planting the mushrooms. Yan Ying straightened her back and let out a long sigh. Although there was an indescribable smell in the room, she didn't find it offensive at all; instead, she felt a sense of joy.

After tidying up inside the house for a while, she stepped outside. Just as she scooped up some water to wash her hands, she heard the clattering of horse hooves. The sound grew closer and closer, almost as if it were right next to her ear.

"Miss Xiao, Miss Xiao!" Jian Yifei's voice rang out at the door. Yan Ying felt a surge of joy; Jian Yifei must have come to tell her about what happened at Ruyi Restaurant today. She hurried to the door and saw Jian Yifei standing there, leading his horse, a slight smile on his face.

"Brother Jian, where are you from?" Yan Ying winked at him. "Did you come from Ruyi Restaurant?"

Jian Yifei laughed and stroked the horse's mane: "It's so late, why are you coming from Ruyi Restaurant? I escorted the young master back to his villa and came here specifically to tell you, Miss Xiao, you'll soon be earning even more money!"

"How is it? How is it?" Liu Hua ran over with a small bamboo shoot in her hand, her short legs moving so fast they were like two little wheels. "Is the food at Ruyi Restaurant as good as what my third sister makes?"

"Not as good as your third sister's." Jian Yifei gave Yan Ying a meaningful look, his smile deepening. This afternoon, he and Xu Yixuan went to Ruyi Restaurant. When the manager called them over, he quickly and respectfully invited them to a private room. The waiter loudly announced the dish: "The Prince of Yu's heir wants stir-fried minced pork with pickled bamboo shoots!"

Everyone in the restaurant looked up in amazement, and someone whispered, "This stir-fried minced pork with pickled bamboo shoots tastes really good. No wonder the Prince of Yu's son has been craving it so much!"

"That's right! These pickled bamboo shoots have an indescribable aroma, they're sour and refreshing, and they go perfectly with rice!" Someone picked up a pickled bamboo shoot and chewed it: "They're also quite chewy, not mushy."

Jian Yifei looked down at the lobby. There were about thirty tables, and almost every table had a dish of stir-fried minced pork with pickled bamboo shoots. He couldn't help but smile. Miss Xiao said that one jar could make fifty servings. The five jars at Ruyi Restaurant would be sold out in no time. He estimated that he would have to go to Xiaojia Village to ask Miss Xiao for more pickled bamboo shoots in less than three days.

The stir-fried bamboo shoots with minced meat was served. Xu Yixuan and Jian Yifei took a couple of bites, and both felt it wasn't as delicious as Yan Ying's, but it was still refreshing and appetizing. The innkeeper stood nervously to the side, glancing sideways at Xu Yixuan: "Young Master, how's the taste...?"

He had tasted the chef's cooking, but it was never as good as Miss Xiao's. He was worried that this cunning young master might cause some trouble, in which case he would have no job as the manager and would have to go back to his hometown to retire.

“Hmm… well…” Xu Yixuan looked at Jian Yifei: “Master, what do you think?”

"It's not as good as what we used to eat, but it's still barely acceptable." Jian Yifei thought to himself when he saw the shopkeeper's appearance. He couldn't push him too far, as Miss Xiao was still waiting for him to buy pickled bamboo shoots.

“Master is right!” Xu Yixuan nodded and scolded the shopkeeper: “I will let you go today, but you should hire a better chef for your restaurant. I think you should invite Miss Xiao to be the head chef!” Since Miss Xiao is unwilling to run a restaurant, he will find her a job as a cook so that her family’s life can be improved.

Jian Yifei and Xu Yixuan were both enthusiastically making plans for Yan Ying, while the shopkeeper was sweating profusely: "What the young master says is right, what he says is right." Hiring a chef, and a female chef at that, should at least be discussed with Master Li. If he says not to hire one, how dare I make the decision on my own?

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Digging Bamboo Shoots

A gentle breeze stirred, and petals fluttered down from the peach tree, some landing on Jian Yifei's shoulders, others on his horse's back. The man and his horse stood there, bathed in golden sunlight, as if gilding them with a golden edge, making them quite eye-catching.

Yan Ying gazed at Jian Yifei standing before her. Although he wasn't dressed as extravagantly as Xu Yixuan, the heroic air between his brows still made him appear handsome and dashing. She secretly thought to herself, perhaps this Jian Yifei was the young master of some fallen noble family, waiting for him to one day restore their fortunes.

“Miss Xiao, would you like me to help you dig up some bamboo shoots?” Jian Yifei raised his eyebrows and smiled. “I saw that Ruyi Restaurant was selling really well today with its stir-fried pickled bamboo shoots and minced meat. I reckon he’ll be buying more in a few days.”

"Brother Jian, no need, you go ahead and do your work. I paid the girls in the village to dig for me." Yan Ying looked at Jian Yifei's smiling face and her heart stirred slightly. Jian Yifei's smile was really quite handsome, completely unlike his usual honest appearance. When he smiled, his whole face seemed to come alive, and she was a little stunned.

"Ah, I see." Jian Yifei was stunned for a moment, suddenly unsure of what to say next. Yan Ying stood face to face with him, and he could almost count her long, curled eyelashes. Her eyes were like black grapes, or like the rippling water of a spring river, making his head suddenly feel a little dizzy.

"Well, well, well... I'll head back now." Jian Yifei's heart was pounding, and his face flushed slightly. He mounted his horse, feeling a little reluctant, and turned back to say, "Miss Xiao, if anything comes up, remember to send me a message."