Zhang Dashuan chuckled. "When you’re dead tired, who cares about any of that? You could fall asleep in a cowshed in a heartbeat. You’d probably only feel your sore backside in your dreams!"
Zhang Huai and Qingmu weren’t much better off. Having spent so many years as scholars, this was their first real taste of fieldwork. They didn’t feel it so much while bent over, but straightening up was a real struggle—it took them what felt like an eternity, grimacing all the while, just to stand upright.
Still, they were young and could take it, unlike their parents. Their folks’ bones were old and stiff, and after clambering out of the rice paddies, they walked with a peculiar gait.
The group returned to the Zheng Family’s ho to find that Juhua and the others had already laid out the al on the table.
When they saw the stir-fried river snails, stir-fried Huang Shan, and red-braised Ni Qiu, everyone laughed. They turned to Liu Sanshun and said, "You should just stop working in the paddies! You’d be better off netting so small fish for us. Then this al would be complete—a full spread of food, all from the local rivers and fields."
Liu Sanshun quickly replied, "No need to net any, I have so at my house. We can cook those first, and I’ll go net more after we’re done eating. I’ll have i go ho and grab so dried fish in a mont."
Zhao San said, "Who wants dried fish? We want it fresh! Look at this table, everything is fresh and tastes wonderful. Wow! I never thought these stir-fried river snails could be so delicious. Shi Tou, your grandmother is really sothing else." He had already figured out it was Shi Tou’s grandmother who had cooked, not Juhua.
Little Shitou told him proudly, "Brother Yangzi and I gathered these together! We also picked the at out of the shells, washed it, and had my grandmother cook it. If it weren’t for us two, you wouldn’t have any to eat!" His implication was clear: ’Even though we didn’t work in the paddies, we weren’t just lazing around at ho.’
Everyone laughed. Zheng Changhe said cheerfully, "Shi Tou is quite capable. Gathering a bowl of food for the table is as good as planting several rows of rice seedlings. We’re counting on you for the next few days. Will you go gather more?"
Little Shitou lifted his chin. "Of course! My grandmother said there’s another way to cook them, right in the shell. You have to use a pin to pick the at out, and it’s extra delicious that way. So don’t you worry. Even if the two of us don’t work in the paddies, we can still make ourselves useful at ho."
Ershun said with a broad smile, "Well now! That sounds like a fine arrangent, Shi Tou! We’ll be looking forward to it."
Zhang Dashuan laughed. "Alright, eat up so we can get back to work. If we don’t keep at it, when will we ever finish planting these seedlings? Ershun and Sanshun are still counting on us to help them out afterward. Once all the seedlings are in the ground, then whoever wants to cast nets can go cast nets, and whoever wants to gather snails can go gather snails."
Food always tastes better after a hard day’s work. It was as if they were inhaling their food; everyone picked up their bowls, and a full serving of rice was gone in just a few mouthfuls. Once finished, they patted their stomachs and hurried back to the paddies. Their steps were a bit quicker than when they’d returned, invigorated by the short rest and a full al.
After the n left, Juhua and Liu Xiaoi began clearing the table, discussing what to make for dinner.
’During the busy farming season, the people at ho do nothing but cook. If a al isn’t ready on ti, the workers coming back from the paddies will be spitting mad. When you’re dead tired and can’t eat right away, of course you’ll be furious, and you won’t care one bit if the cook was busy. It’s the responsibility of the ones cooking to make sure the field hands eat their fill and eat well.’
’Juhua suddenly realized she was a far cry from Little Shitou’s grandmother. She had always thought she was a decent cook, at least compared to izi and the others. But in reality, she only knew how to make the sa old dishes with the ingredients she was given. Little Shitou’s grandmother, on the other hand, was resourceful; she knew how to co up with new ideas and vary the nu.’
Seeing Juhua about to cook the cured at, she quickly stopped her. "Your mother isn’t running her business at the mont," she said to Juhua with a kind smile, "so it’s best to make this cured at last—we still have the wheat harvest to get through! Let’s make sothing different for dinner. I brought plenty of eggs, so we can make so egg dumplings. And let’s cut so tofu into small cubes and add it to that red-braised Ni Qiu. It would be a sha to waste that delicious broth with only the Ni Qiu in it. We can use the tofu I brought. As for your family’s acorn jelly, you can prepare it as a cold dish, just like you were planning."
’Only then did Juhua rember—of course, Ni Qiu was often cooked with tofu! To think she’d eaten it that way before but had completely forgotten. She chided herself for not being as sharp as the old woman, who had co up with the idea on the spot.’
Shi Tou’s mother chid in then, "Juhua, you should save your ingredients. We ate plenty of vegetables your family sent over last year, so let’s just cook with what I brought today."
Juhua laughed. "If we start keeping score, we’ll never get it straight. Third Uncle Zhao has also sent plenty of things to our family; he even brought over several catties of pork when he butchered a pig. As for sending you vegetables last year, that was just because my mother happened to be in that line of business. She’s not doing it this year, so that’s that, isn’t it?"
Shi Tou’s mother smiled. "That may be so, but a person still has to be willing to share. So people have plenty but wouldn’t part with a thing. Your mother is a generous soul, and we can’t take advantage of her kindness."
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