Lin Yushu naturally tried to decline, but he was no match for Lin Shu’s persistence. In the end, he could only leave in a daze, clutching the large grass carp helplessly while reeling from Lin Shu’s sweet smile.
“Father, we’re back! Come look at the fish Xiaopu and I caught!” Lin Shu’s rising, soft voice was laced with a hint of pride, making anyone who heard it unconsciously curl their lips into a smile.
Lin Yushu didn’t dare listen further to the sounds of joy coming from inside; he hurried home with the large grass carp in hand.
In the courtyard, Lin Dashan and He Guixiang were utterly stunned.
They had actually caught this many fish?!
The bucket was crowded with fish and had very little water, and the rim still carried the pungent, spicy scent of the spotted knotweed that hadn’t been washed away. Due to the delay on the way back, three of the fish had already turned up their white bellies.
After greeting them, Lin Shu quickly fetched another bucket, filled it with clean water, and poured in the fish that were still lively. Of the three that had turned over, one was large and two were small—just enough to add a dish to their breakfast.
“Mother, stewing fish is fast. These few aren’t going to make it, so let’s put them in the pot right away. We can eat the pancakes with the stewed fish and everyone can have a full belly!”
He Guixiang snapped out of her daze and gave a happy “Aye!” She nimbly scooped up the fish that were barely breathing and took them outside to clean off the scales and entrails.
“Mother, stew them with some pickled cabbage! I love that!”
“Aye! I’ll do whatever you say,” He Guixiang called back from a distance.
Lin Dashan couldn’t help himself and asked Lin Shu how she had done it.
Lin Shu’s eyes danced with mischief as she said, “This is a secret recipe between Xiaopu and me; I can’t even tell Father. Anyway, from now on, if Father wants to eat fish, just leave it to Xiaopu and me.”
Before coming back, Lin Shu had instructed Lin Xiaopu that they couldn’t tell anyone about this method. Although catching fish with spotted knotweed was “green” and pollution-free, it essentially used the juice to anesthetize the fish. If too many people knew and everyone did it, it would surely impact the river’s ecosystem.
Therefore, it was better if only she and Xiaopu used this cheap fishing method from time to time.
Lin Dashan didn’t press further; he just gave a couple of chuckles. “My daughter is truly capable.”
Lin Xiaopu also chuckled. Indeed, her sister was so capable!
“Then Father must keep his word and allow me to dig a fish pond behind our house. Once it’s finished, the fish Xiaopu and I catch can be kept there. Whenever Father wants to eat, we can catch the freshest ones anytime!”
Lin Dashan grinned honestly. “Dig it, dig it. Whatever my daughter wants to do is fine!”
Lin Shu blinked and added playfully, “Father is already tired enough working in the fields every day; I wouldn’t have the heart to exhaust you. I’d like to borrow Brother A-Ye from Father for a few days—just three days. I definitely won’t let him delay the work in the fields.”
Hearing this, Lin Dashan felt extremely touched. He agreed readily; it just so happened that the seedlings had recently been weeded once. Even if more weeds grew, he could clear them by himself. Before the family was divided, he had done far more work than this.
He Guixiang prepared a simple version of pickled cabbage stewed fish and brought it out along with the previously made pancakes and thick porridge.
For breakfast, the family usually had thick porridge, pickled cabbage, and pancakes, or dry rice with two small side dishes. The men of the house needed to be full to have the strength for labor. Dinner was slightly simpler, usually without dry rice, consisting of thick porridge and pickled cabbage; if there were pancakes, it would be pancakes and watery porridge.
He Guixiang felt a bit of regret that she hadn’t made dry rice for this breakfast; otherwise, with this pickled cabbage fish, they could have finished every drop of the broth with the rice.
Lin Dashan, however, didn’t mind. Even after eating the thick porridge, he could still drink two bowls of fish soup, eventually eating until his belly was stuffed perfectly round.
Once full, he couldn’t stay idle. Sure enough, he shouldered his hoe and headed to the fields again, patting his stomach from time to time with great satisfaction.
After Lin Dashan left, Lin Shu put on an expression as if she had suddenly remembered something and said to He Guixiang, “Look at my memory; I forgot to tell Father and Mother. Xiaopu and I couldn’t carry this bucket of fish, but luckily we ran into Cousin Yushu on the road, and he helped me carry it back. When he left, I thanked him and had him take one fish with him.”
Lin Xiaopu stole a glance at her. Her sister’s words were a bit ambiguous; someone who didn’t know better might think Cousin Yushu had offered to help upon seeing them.
He Guixiang was silent for a moment before nodding. “A-Shu did well. Yushu helped, so it’s right to thank him.”
“Mother, how is our relationship with Third Uncle’s house? Will my asking the cousin for help make things difficult for Father?”
He Guixiang laughed. “No, your father and your third uncle moved past those events long ago. It’s just that these two brothers have the same stubborn bull temper; neither is willing to be the first to bow their head. Your third aunt is quite good at handling people. Just watch, it won’t be long before your third aunt comes in person to thank you for that fish.”
“What is Third Aunt like? Did she ever bully you before the family was divided? If she ever made you suffer, I won’t give her a pleasant face.”
He Guixiang quickly said, “Nothing of the sort. You mustn’t be rude to your third aunt.”
The large family had lived together for many years before the division, so friction was inevitable. Her own personality was soft, and she had suffered many minor losses among the sisters-in-law, but in the end, it was all trivial matters.
The eldest sister-in-law was lazy, loved to take advantage of others, and spoke harshly. The third sister-in-law also wouldn’t pass up an advantage if there was one to be had, but she knew how to conduct herself. If she took an advantage in one area, she would return the favor in another. For example, if the eldest sister-in-law said something nasty, she would help talk back; if the eldest went too far, she would report it directly to the old woman.
He Guixiang appreciated her for that, so if there was work the third sister-in-law didn’t like to do, she would work a bit harder to help her finish it. Sometimes out of embarrassment, the third sister-in-law would make little toys to amuse A-Yao and Xiaopu. She was good at needlework, and A-Yao had originally started learning from her.
Thinking of the past, He Guixiang sighed. “After that unpleasantness during the family division, your third aunt didn’t speak to me for a long time either. Your third uncle is just like your father, someone without much guile. Back then, the way he insisted with a dark face on asking our family for an extra acre of land was likely something your third aunt instigated behind the scenes. But I don’t blame her; your third aunt has always held a grudge in her heart. She wants to save more money to send your cousin Yushu to the school in town. But education costs money! Without savings, she could only scheme for more land.”
Lin Shu also knew that education was expensive, but she didn’t have a clear concept of it. She asked curiously, “Why must he go to town? Is there no school in these ten or eight surrounding villages?”
“There is, of course there is. Our Tianshui Village is under Jingxi Town, and there are twelve villages under Jingxi. Out of all these villages, only Daoxiang Village has a school. That school was opened by an old Tongsheng, specifically to teach children their first lessons. It’s been open for many years. Both the village head’s son and grandson started their education there. Your cousin Yushu also stayed at that old Tongsheng’s school for half a year when he was little. He had quite a talent for studying, but unfortunately, your eldest aunt made such a scene.”
Hearing this and thinking it over, Lin Shu found it easy to understand.
The literary atmosphere in the southwest region was not prosperous, and it couldn’t compare to those large counties and towns famous for the imperial examinations. Moreover, this Jingxi Town was particularly mountainous and the people were especially poor. It was already good if the commoners could fill their stomachs; where would they get the extra money for schooling or exams? There were likely very few Xiucai in the entire Jingxi Town. In other places, a mere Tongsheng wouldn’t be qualified to open a school, but this old Tongsheng of Daoxiang Village was the only hope for miles around.
Thinking of how the eldest aunt’s family had three sons, Lin Shu asked, “Did the eldest aunt’s sons not go to school?”
He Guixiang explained, “When she had her first two sons, the family’s situation wasn’t good; it was hard enough just to eat, so they weren’t sent to school. Later, your grandmother used years of savings to buy a few more acres of land, and the family became slightly more comfortable. Lin Duoliang, your eldest aunt’s third son, did go to the school with Yushu, but unfortunately, he couldn’t sit still and simply wasn’t cut out for studying. Since her own child was useless, she made sure your cousin Yushu couldn’t go either.”
“It happened that at that time, Xiaopu’s health was poor; she fell ill every few days, and seeing the doctor for medicine cost money. Your grandmother told Yushu to come back, saying they would send him back when things were easier. But once he returned, he was never able to go again. Now that Yushu is older, that old Tongsheng uses the excuse that he doesn’t accept students over ten years old. In truth, it’s because your eldest aunt went to the school and caused such a scene back then that the old Tongsheng was infuriated and refused to take your cousin back. If he wants to continue learning, he has to go to the school in town, and the expenses would be much higher. Because of this, your third aunt has also been resentful toward me all these years.”
When A-Yao was around, she had always comforted her, saying that even if Xiaopu’s health had been good, grandmother’s personality would have led her to bring Yushu back anyway. But He Guixiang still couldn’t let it go; she felt guilty toward the third sister-in-law.
Lin Shu became thoughtful after hearing this, but she soon broke into a smile. “Mother, I thought it was some huge deal, but is that all? If Cousin Yushu wants to continue his basic education, he can just come to me. I came from the Marquis’s manor in the capital. Not to mention mere basic literacy, I am proficient in all the arts—zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting.”
Lin Shu wasn’t bluffing at all when she said this. Before the apocalypse began, she had just been accepted into a key university, and in the five years following, she had read many miscellaneous books. Her knowledge was decent, and added to the original host’s memories, digesting those things into her own was only a matter of time.
He Guixiang was suddenly stunned by these words.
Village women were all illiterate, and for a moment she hadn’t made the connection. It was only with her daughter’s reminder that she remembered: although A-Shu was a girl, how could someone who had been the young lady of a Marquis’s manor be the same as a girl from an ordinary commoner’s family?
She hadn’t expected her A-Shu to be this impressive, skilled in all the four arts, and now even able to be a female teacher for Yushu!