The harvest season wasn't just about reaping and sowing wheat; it also involved gathering autumn vegetables, drying radishes, foraging in the mountains for wild goods, and mushroom picking in the Gobi desert. One person felt like ten, doing ten different things.
Qin Junyao shortened her morning hikes to the mountain summit. Axe had gone to the salt lake with Zhao Liangcai, and practicing alone lacked motivation. Su Dan novel network.
Zhao Liangcai hadn't come to propose, but Qin Junyao wasn't anxious. She was too busy to care what the villagers gossiped about.
Today, she, along with Qin Xiaoyu and other villagers, spent the morning digging for mushrooms in the Gobi.
They truly dug for mushrooms, as the fungi grew underground. To find them, one looked for cracks or bulges in the earth and then dug to unearth them.
There were two types of mushrooms.
One was round and as large as a large bowl, called desert mushrooms. A dozen or so could fill a basket.
The other was elongated, locally known as chicken leg mushrooms. They were also large, resembling turkey legs when dug up.
Locals would preserve these mushrooms in brine in jars for winter consumption.
Mushrooms weren't an annual occurrence, but this autumn's good rainfall had led to a plentiful harvest.
Qin Junyao carried a large basket on her back and a smaller one in her hand, while Qin Xiaoyu also had a small basket on her back as they headed home.
Before they reached home, they overheard villagers saying that Zhao's family had relatives visiting – a man arrived in a carved carriage, accompanied by servants, and was dressed quite elegantly.
Qin Junyao hadn't heard Zhao Liangcai mention any other relatives. Puzzled, she returned home to find Axe in the yard, eating watermelon.
"Sister Qin, let me help you with your basket," Axe said, running over to Qin Junyao with a slice of watermelon in hand, reaching for her basket.
Qin Junyao moved aside. "It's all dirt. The melon will get dirty. When did you get here?"
Axe tilted his head. "A while ago. I came to deliver lamb. My brother said guests are visiting, so I should eat and go back."
"Wow~~ these desert mushrooms are so big, bigger than potatoes."
"Xiaoyu, don't come closer, it's all dirt."
Qin Junyao took the mushrooms to the storage room. She fetched some water from the large jar in the yard and asked Qin Xiaoyu to wash her hands before changing clothes indoors.
She placed her and Qin Xiaoyu's soiled clothes into a basin and carried it to the kitchen.
"Mom, Xiaoyu and I are back."
"Oh my, you found mushrooms?" Qin's mother, engrossed in stir-frying sesame seeds, was startled by Qin Junyao's sudden voice.
Qin Junyao peeked into the kitchen. "Yes, a lot. Let's make them for lunch. If they're good, I'll go again this afternoon."
"Alright, we'll make a mushroom 'saozi' for lunch."
Hearing 'saozi,' Qin Junyao's shoulders, which hadn't been weighed down by the basket of mushrooms, slumped. "Mom, are you making noodles again? Your noodles are already incredibly delicious; you don't have to make them every day."
"You child, so many people wish they could eat them. The harvested wheat isn't even warm at home before it's traded for coarse grains and potatoes, or sold for silver."
"It's not like we're making noodles just for the shop..."
Qin Junyao quietly withdrew from the kitchen with the basin, wondering why she couldn't cook. Why?
She poured some water into the basin, added some lye water from plants and ashes, and left it in the yard to soak. Qin Junyao sat by the door of the storage room, using a dagger to trim the mushroom roots.
"Oh, these mushrooms are so big. Let me see," Grandma Qin said, returning from outside with a foxtail grass stem in her mouth.
She saw Qin Junyao cleaning the mushroom roots and reached out to take one.
Qin Junyao handed the mushroom to Grandma Qin. "Grandma, where are you coming from?"
Grandma Qin examined the mushroom from different angles. "Just came back from watching the excitement with Little Hammer."
"Grandma, I heard people saying Zhao's family has relatives visiting. Is that true? Axe said guests are visiting them."
Grandma Qin squatted down and rummaged through the basket of mushrooms, spitting out the foxtail grass.
"It's Qian Shi's relatives, from her maternal family. They're very secretive. The gate was shut as soon as they entered the yard..."
The gate of the Zhao family's courtyard was indeed shut, at Zhao Liangcai's order.
He was now standing with his arms crossed, watching the scene unfold.
"Third Brother, you... you've lost so much weight." Qian Shi's eyes were red as she looked at the person before her. He must have suffered greatly to become so thin.
Qian Kuan, sitting at the stone table, touched his face. His cheeks were hollow, making his eyes seem to bulge.
He glanced at Zhao Liangcai from the corner of his eye and patted Qian Shi's arm. "We had a rushed journey, and I don't know how I lost weight along the way."
"Little Sister, you're still the same as you were back then, not changed at all, still so beautiful."
Qian Shi lowered her head shyly and turned slightly. "I'm old. Rui'er is already of marriageable age."
"Yes, Rui'er looks so much like you." Qian Kuan turned to look at Zhao Rui, who resembled Qian Shi by about sixty percent.
Zhao Rui averted her gaze from Qian Kuan's stare.
Who was this "Third Uncle"? He seemed quite wealthy, though.
Qian Duo, sitting beside Zhao Rui, hadn't relaxed her brows since Qian Kuan entered. Why would her prodigal Third Uncle be here?
Her Third Uncle had disappeared after gambling away the family fortune and hadn't been heard from since. In her past life, she never heard any news of him until her death, always assuming he died at a gambling table.
How could he have come to the Northwest dressed so lavishly?
Zhao Liangcai observed each of their expressions, particularly noticing Qian Shi's restrained yet uncontrollable shyness.
Hmph!
He gave Qian Kuan a look, signaling the servants to arrange a room. Zhao Liangcai opened the main gate and walked out. He decided he'd rather eat at the Qin family's place; looking at them made him lose his appetite.
Once the room was tidied, Qian Shi led Qian Kuan to it and helped him unpack.
Qian Kuan had his accompanying servants unload the carriage. Several bolts of high-quality fabric and exquisite jewelry were gifts for Zhao Rui and Qian Duo.
The two girls thanked Qian Kuan and took the gifts back to their own rooms.
Without Qian Shi's instruction, the Zhao family's servants retreated, leaving only Qian Kuan and Qian Shi in the room.
Qian Kuan closed the door and turned to embrace Qian Shi. "Xian Xian, I've missed you so much."
Tears streamed down Qian Shi's face as she beat Qian Kuan's back with her hands. "Why didn't you come to see me? Why?"
"Do you know how bitter my life has been? Married to a mountain hunter, poor food, poor sleep, and I even had to bear his children."
"Wuuu... you said you'd come to see me, take me away. Kuan Ge, you said you'd come, why didn't you~~"
Qian Kuan held Qian Shi tightly. "Xian Xian, I know you've suffered. I'm here now, and I won't let you suffer anymore."
"Xian Xian, my Xian Xian, don't cry. Your tears break my heart."
"I will cry! Do you know how difficult things have been for me? Duo'er said you gambled away the family fortune, and I didn't believe it. How could my Kuan Ge gamble?"
Qian Kuan released Qian Shi, helped her sit on a stool, and knelt before her. "How could I gamble? I was tricked. I left home to chase debts."
He took a handkerchief from his怀. "You always wanted a pair of blood jade bracelets. Although it's a bit late, I never forgot. Look, I brought them for you."
Qian Kuan's servants, standing outside the door, overheard everything in the room, thinking, "No wonder the boss left. This is truly disgusting."