“Clearance sale from the mall—brand-name sportswear, one hundred yuan per set! Real value for money! One hundred! One hundred! You won’t overspend, you won’t regret it! Don’t miss out if you pass by!”
The siblings stopped in their tracks and looked toward the source of the voice. It was a clothing stall. Dozens of outfits hung from three mesh walls, and a man holding a loudspeaker was shouting at the top of his lungs.
After some bargaining, they each bought a set for eighty yuan.
At the vendor’s strong recommendation, they also bought an undergarment each for thirty yuan.
At a nearby shoe stall, they each bought a pair of sneakers for one hundred yuan. Seeing that they didn’t have socks, the stall owner threw in a free pair for each of them.
Wearing the sneakers, the ground felt soft underfoot—no more sharp stones poking through. It was like walking on clouds.
By the time they made it through the night market, their baskets had grown considerably heavier. They had bought a fifteen-yuan roast duck, a twenty-yuan roasted chicken, a fifty-yuan jar of honey, and ten catties of apples at three yuan per catty.
The apples were big and red, similar to the purple crabapples they had once eaten, but bigger. The flesh was crisp, fragrant, and sweet, leaving a lingering aroma in the mouth after each bite.
They spotted a stall selling foldable bathtubs and stood there for a while, watching to see how they worked. In the end, they bought two. Now they could heat water and take baths at home.
By the roadside, someone was peeling spiky chestnut husks. Next to them was a stall with a loudspeaker announcing: “Authentic sugar-fried chestnuts! Twenty-one yuan per catty!”
Lin Erhu asked, “Boss, what are you peeling those spiky things for? They hurt like crazy!”
The vendor laughed. “What else? To sell them! I collected these in the mountains today. They’re fresh. If you want to buy raw chestnuts, I have a shelling machine here. I can shell them for you for free.”
Lin Xiaoman and Lin Erhu’s eyes lit up. “These can be eaten?”
The vendor bristled at that. He looked at them like they were fools. “You don’t know what chestnuts are? You’ve never had sugar-fried chestnuts? You two must be messing with me.”
Lin Xiaoman quickly waved her hands. “No, no! There are plenty of these in the mountains behind our house. We just didn’t know they were edible. Boss, can they only be fried with sugar?”
Seeing that she seemed sincere, the vendor’s expression softened. He pointed to the sugar-fried chestnuts. “Buy a catty of these, and I’ll tell you.”
Lin Xiaoman quickly took out twenty yuan and handed it over with genuine eagerness. Seeing how straightforward she was, the vendor felt a bit embarrassed. He waved his hand. “I was just saying that. I don’t want to pressure you into buying. Put your money away. I’ll tell you how to eat them.”
For the next while, whenever there were no customers, the vendor explained the various ways to prepare chestnuts—frying them, boiling them, peeling them to stew with chicken. The siblings listened, swallowing hard.
After he finished, Lin Xiaoman asked him for two catties of sugar-fried chestnuts.
This time, the vendor didn’t refuse. He weighed out two catties, put them in a paper bag, and handed them over.
The siblings thanked him and headed back. As they walked, they picked up one chestnut after another, biting into their sweet, soft, glutinous goodness. They were absolutely delicious.
When they passed the sausage cart, Lin Xiaoman gave Lin Erhu fifty yuan and told him to buy as many sausages and fish balls as he could.
Perhaps because those were the first foods they’d eaten in this world, they couldn’t stop thinking about the taste.
Back home, Lin Xiaoman cooked a pot of thin congee. The siblings sat at the table, taking bites of meat between spoonfuls of porridge and snacking on sugar-fried chestnuts.
“Sis, I never knew chestnuts could taste so good. There are so many in the mountains behind our house. If we gather them, we won’t have to worry about going hungry.”
Lin Xiaoman seemed not to hear him. Her face was etched with thought.
“Sis, this roast chicken is so fragrant. I’ve never tasted anything like it. The roast duck is delicious too. Can we buy more tomorrow?”
Seeing that Lin Xiaoman still wasn’t responding, Lin Erhu gave her a nudge, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“Erhu, what do you think about telling Second Grandpa that those spiky husks are edible? We can gather them and share them with everyone. Then no one will have to go hungry.”
Lin Erhu agreed wholeheartedly. “I’ve noticed Uncle Daqiang’s hair has been getting thinner and thinner on top ever since he became clan elder. Dad used to say it was from worry. If we tell him about the chestnuts, he won’t have to worry so much, and maybe he’ll lose less hair.”
Having reached an agreement, the siblings tucked a handful of sugar-fried chestnuts into their pockets and headed straight for the clan elder’s house.
It was late, and the surroundings were pitch dark. The siblings picked their way carefully, stumbling now and then.
When they arrived, the clan elder’s household had already put out their lamps. Lin Erhu called out from outside the yard, “Second Grandpa, Uncle Daqiang, have you gone to sleep yet?”
A voice answered from inside. Soon, the doors to both main rooms opened almost simultaneously as Lin Youwang and Lin Daqiang emerged, pulling on their outer clothes.
“It’s Xiaoman and Erhu. Coming over so late—did your grandparents stir up trouble again? Second Grandpa will go give them a piece of my mind.”
Lin Erhu chuckled. “Thanks, Second Grandpa, but that’s not it this time.”
“Then what’s going on? Come inside.”
Lin Xiaoman and Lin Erhu followed the father and son inside. Second Grandma lit an oil lamp.
The villagers were frugal with lamp oil, usually going to bed when it got dark. In Old Man Lin’s household, the oil lamps only burned through the night when their eldest cousin came home from the prefectural school.
But Lin Xiaoman had heard from Lin Goudan that their eldest cousin didn’t always use the lamp for studying the sages. Once, Goudan had seen a book hidden under his pillow—with pictures of men and women wearing no clothes.
Lin Xiaoman thought that once she and Erhu saved enough money, they would buy a house and land on the other side. Then they could light lamps like those too.
The siblings pulled chestnuts from their pockets and placed them on the table. “Second Grandpa, Uncle Daqiang, Erhu and I found these spiky husks while gathering mushrooms in the mountains today. We fried them with sugar, and they taste pretty good. Can you try them and see if they can be used as food?”
Lin Daqiang frowned. “Nonsense. How can you just eat anything? Aren’t you afraid of getting poisoned? If you don’t have enough food, just come and tell me. Do you think I’d let you starve—Ouch! Dad, what did I say wrong? Why’d you hit me?”
Lin Youwang withdrew his hand from the back of Lin Daqiang’s head. “How many households in the village have enough to eat this year? The kids mean well. Do you want everyone to just sit around and starve like you?”
Not daring to defy his father, Lin Daqiang reluctantly fell silent.
Lin Xiaoman explained, “Uncle Daqiang, these really aren’t poisonous. Mom used to make them for us. I’ve been eating them since I was little.”
She crushed one and handed it to Lin Youwang.
Lin Youwang took it and ate it without hesitation. His eyes immediately lit up. “Who would have thought that those spiky things all over the mountains could taste so good? We won’t have to go hungry now!”
The more he spoke, the more excited he became. He slapped the back of his son’s head again. “Daqiang, first thing tomorrow, call all the villagers together. We’re going up the mountain to gather these!”
Hearing that Lin Xiaoman’s mother had made them before, Lin Daqiang no longer had any doubts.
Everyone in the village knew that Xiaoman’s mother’s family ran a restaurant. With her culinary skills, she certainly knew more about good food than any of them.
Seeing his father eat one, he took one for himself, cracked it open like Lin Xiaoman had, and ate it.
Now he was excited too. If these were edible, they really wouldn’t have to worry about starving this winter.