“Half a year ago, a group of scholars came to our village. They praised the bamboo on the mountain over and over, and even taught us how to make bamboo tube rice.” When Chen Dawa mentioned these scholars, his eyes lit up with admiration and gratitude. “After they left, we villagers thought they were just here to see something new. Being able to learn the craft of making bamboo tube rice was already a great gain for us.”
“Who would have thought that, after more than half a month, various Juren masters and Xiucai gentlemen would come to the village one after another to visit. They especially enjoyed going to cut bamboo and eating the bamboo tube rice we made.”
Chen Dawa smiled honestly. “As more people came, they all complained that the village accommodations were poor. The village chief said that having Juren masters and Xiucai gentlemen visit often would bring many benefits to Chen Family Village. So he went door to door persuading the villagers, and everyone worked together to build these two houses.”
These two new houses were specifically built by Chen Family Village to entertain distinguished guests.
Looking at the two brand-new houses, Chen Dawa’s eyes filled with pride. Only their Chen Family Village could be so united.
This answer was completely unexpected.
Yan Peifeng raised his eyebrows in surprise. “So that’s how it was.” If they weren’t in a hurry to travel, he would have liked to go see the bamboo forest. Yan Peifeng said to Chen Dawa, “Thank you, Brother Dawa, for clearing that up.”
Chen Dawa quickly waved his hand—it was nothing, just a few words. Unconsciously, Chen Dawa compared Yan Peifeng to the scholars he had met before, and he felt even more reverence for Yan Peifeng.
Shen Yunying was momentarily lost in thought. Why did this story sound so familiar? She had once read in Jiang Gaoheng’s notes that the surname Chen was a common one. Shen Yunying hadn’t expected to be so fortunate—on her first long journey, she would encounter the Chen Family Village that Jiang Gaoheng had visited.
She became even more interested in Chen Family Village’s bamboo tube rice.
Shen Yunying decided that during dinner that evening, she would try this bamboo tube rice, which could be considered quite famous.
As if reading her thoughts, just as Shen Yunying followed Yan Peifeng into the house, Village Chief Chen’s voice came from behind them. “Distinguished guests, our Chen Family Village may not have much else, but we have a lush bamboo forest on the mountain. The most famous food in our village is bamboo tube rice. Would you like to try some?”
After returning to the village, Village Chief Chen had instructed everyone to treat the distinguished guests well. However, he hadn’t received word from his eldest son yet and didn’t know whether Yan Peifeng and his companion had ordered bamboo tube rice, so they could prepare in advance.
Village Chief Chen had no choice but to make another trip.
Yan Peifeng looked at Shen Yunying, his meaning clear—he left the decision to her. Shen Yunying understood immediately. As Madam Yan, such daily matters involving food, clothing, shelter, and transportation were left for her to decide.
Shen Yunying took two steps forward and asked gently, “Village Chief Chen, is your method of making bamboo tube rice like this?”
Shen Yunying recounted the method of making bamboo tube rice she had read in the travelogue and confirmed it with Village Chief Chen.
The gray-haired Village Chief Chen looked at Shen Yunying in surprise, his expression somewhat tense. “How does Madam know about this newly popular cooking method of ours?”
Since those young masters taught the method of steaming rice and vegetables in bamboo tubes, many scholars and Xiucai had come to the village one after another to taste it. This showed that the method of making bamboo tube rice was still unknown outside.
Shen Yunying smiled and said, “Village Chief Chen, among the earliest group of visitors, was there a scholar surnamed Jiang?” Seeing Village Chief Chen nod, Shen Yunying continued, “That was my cousin.”
So it was no surprise she knew about bamboo tube rice.
Village Chief Chen immediately looked at Shen Yunying with fervent eyes. Restrained by the propriety between men and women, he did not rush forward excitedly, but muttered, “It’s precisely because of Scholar Jiang and his group that our village finally has a slightly easier source of income, with a bit of spare money to send the children to school.”
“Those young masters are the benefactors of our entire Chen Family Village!”
Village Chief Chen said excitedly, “Madam, you are the sister of our benefactor, and thus an honored guest of our village as well! I’ll have someone prepare dinner right away, and we’ll make sure you eat and drink well!”
When Jiang Gaoheng and the others had come before, they hadn’t left any contact information with Chen Family Village. By the time the village realized the benefits they had brought, they were long out of reach.
Today, they had actually encountered the sister of their benefactor. Village Chief Chen decided he must treat Shen Yunying and her party with the same hospitality reserved for the New Year.
Village Chief Chen left full of excitement. Shen Yunying smiled at Yan Peifeng and explained, “I once read my cousin’s travelogue, which happened to mention this incident. I didn’t expect such a coincidence.”
Yan Peifeng thought of the second young master of the Jiang family, Jiang Gaoheng, knowing he was someone who enjoyed traveling far and wide. It wasn’t surprising that he had visited Chen Family Village. However, it was said he had no interest in pursuing an official career and did not wish to enter government service.
His casual actions had given Chen Family Village the beginnings of prosperity.
“Hmm, it can be considered fate,” Yan Peifeng said, steering the conversation back to the present and instructing Siqi to arrange accommodations.
But Siqi hesitated and asked, “Master, Madam, although there are two houses, they are not very large, and the rooms are limited. Our party has thirty-eight people. Could the master and madam share one room?”
Yan Peifeng frowned, his gaze sharp as a sword piercing Siqi. “Siqi!”
Siqi shrank his neck and immediately lowered his head, not daring to look up at Shen Yunying and Yan Peifeng. He had his own motives, wanting his master and madam to spend more time together, but on the other hand, this was also a practical necessity. That was why Siqi had dared to ask boldly.
Shen Yunying was taken aback, but upon reflection, Siqi’s point wasn’t unreasonable. She glanced subtly at Yan Peifeng, noticing his tightly pressed lips, looking rather displeased.
Could it be that Yan Peifeng didn’t want to share a room with her?
Shen Yunying, who had been about to agree, hesitated. In the end, she simply left the decision to Yan Peifeng. “Husband, you decide. I’m fine with either.”
Shen Yunying truly was fine with either. During these past two days of travel, not sharing a room with Yan Peifeng had felt quite comfortable to her. With Yan Peifeng around, even if she lay quietly, she felt a sense of unease.
Yan Peifeng said solemnly, “Then we’ll stay together in the main room.”
Siqi relaxed inwardly and smiled. “I’ll go make the arrangements right away.”
“Have Yinping go with you to oversee things. She should first tidy up the room,” Shen Yunying quickly instructed.
No sooner had Siqi left than Village Chief Chen arrived with steaming hot food.
Village Chief Chen and the villagers were honest people; they did exactly as Jiang Gaoheng had instructed. This bamboo tube rice meal had both the rustic simplicity of the countryside and the refined elegance of scholars.
Freshly cut green bamboo was trimmed into short tubes of uniform size. Soaked glutinous rice, diced cured meat, diced mountain mushrooms, peas, and corn kernels were placed inside. When the fragrant aroma began to waft out, pre-stir-fried scrambled egg pieces were added, and it was simmered for another quarter of an hour, allowing the fresh fragrance of the green bamboo to fully infuse.
With just a gentle taste, one could savor the essence of the mountains and the rhythm of life.
Shen Yunying and Yan Peifeng listened to Village Chief Chen’s introduction and couldn’t help but want to give it a try.
Village Chief Chen was quite perceptive. After giving a general overview, he took the initiative to excuse himself, not wanting to disturb Yan Peifeng and Shen Yunying during their meal.
Shen Yunying thoroughly enjoyed this bamboo tube rice. It was no wonder that Jiang Gaoheng and others had recommended it, and people kept coming to taste it—the flavor was truly excellent.
Yan Peifeng maintained his dining etiquette as always, chewing slowly and deliberately, in stark contrast to Shen Yunying’s hearty, large bites.
When Shen Yunying was nearly finished with her bamboo tube, she glanced sideways and felt her cheeks flush slightly. How had she eaten so much faster than Yan Peifeng?
She was definitely eating at a normal pace. Shen Yunying was quite confident about that. So, it must be Yan Peifeng’s problem.
After finishing her meal, Shen Yunying didn’t want to sit idly at the table waiting. She said softly, “Husband, take your time. I’ll go outside for a walk to aid digestion.”
Yan Peifeng had also noticed Shen Yunying’s swift pace. He wanted to correct his wife’s almost ravenous eating habits—etiquette aside, it was more about health. As the saying goes, scholars and physicians share common roots, and Yan Peifeng had some knowledge of medicine. Eating too quickly was not good for the body.
However, Shen Yunying ate quickly but with evident enjoyment, radiating a sense of vitality and energy.
So, Yan Peifeng hesitated and never spoke up.
Now, hearing Shen Yunying say she wanted to go out to walk off her meal, he nodded and said, “Go ahead, but take a few people with you.”
Although Chen Village seemed warm and hospitable now, it was always wise to be cautious and not give others any opportunity to take advantage.
Shen Yunying smiled brightly and replied, “Alright. I’ll take Yinping, Yinzheng, and two guards with me.”
The sky was dimming but not yet dark, still allowing a clear view of the village layout. Shen Yunying didn’t want to wander too far, so she decided to walk a couple of laps around the house. This new house had been recently built by Village Chief Chen and the villagers, located at the edge of the village. It would take about half the time of drinking a cup of tea to actually enter the village proper.
Perhaps it was designed with scholars and literati in mind, who preferred peace and quiet and didn’t want to be disturbed. This distance was just right—if something came up and someone needed to run an errand, the village would be notified promptly.
As Shen Yunying circled around to the back of the house, she suddenly noticed a wooden cabin at the foot of the mountain not far away. Moreover, high up in the tall trees, a wrist-thick branch supported a smaller wooden cabin. One large, one small—she had never seen anything like it before.
Shen Yunying couldn’t help but pause and take a closer look.
With her party of five, the people across the way had already spotted them. The Chen hunter’s family of three had long known that distinguished guests had arrived in the village today. Ever since the first group of visiting scholars returned, their village had occasionally welcomed people who came to try the bamboo tube rice.
The largest bamboo grove on the mountain had been planted by the Chen hunter’s ancestors. By his generation, he had initially considered selling the land along with the bamboo, thinking it would be more profitable.
Who could have predicted such a turn of fortune? Because of this bamboo grove, the Chen hunter’s family went from being one of the poorest households in the village to becoming the envy of everyone.
Little Chen was only five years old. He spent his days wandering around the village, exploring the mountains, and sometimes even accompanying his parents to town to sell goods and broaden his horizons. But when he caught sight of Shen Yunying, he couldn’t help but pause in surprise—it was the first time he had seen such a beautiful lady.
So, Little Chen looked at the freshly hunted dead rabbit in his hand, dashed over to Shen Yunying, looked up earnestly, and said, “Beautiful lady, this rabbit is for you.”
Shen Yunying was taken aback by the child’s enthusiasm, staring in surprise at the pair of sparkling eyes before her. The two stood there motionless for a moment.
Madam Chen, who had been feeding chickens at the doorway, saw Little Chen’s actions and felt her head spin. She hurriedly set down the earthen bowl and strode over.
Madam Chen grabbed Little Chen by the collar and smiled apologetically at Shen Yunying. “Please don’t mind him, noble lady. My son means no harm.”
Then she slapped the back of Little Chen’s head. “You silly boy! If you’re going to give someone a gift, at least give a live rabbit so the noble lady can keep it for a few days!”
Madam Chen often accompanied her husband to town to deliver game and knew that young ladies from wealthy households never did manual labor and enjoyed keeping pretty, delicate pets.
Her son giving a dead rabbit might even frighten the noble lady!
Their family couldn’t afford to offend her!
Shen Yunying smiled warmly. She had seen clearly that Little Chen’s eyes were full of sincerity, and Madam Chen meant no harm—she was just worried about offending her. Shen Yunying said gently, “It’s alright, no need to worry, madam.”
Madam Chen was talkative. Seeing that Shen Yunying wasn’t overbearing or looking down on common folk, she immediately opened up. “The bamboo grove behind us belongs to our family. I’ll cut another section for you later. Tomorrow morning, if you steam food in bamboo, the flavor will be wonderful!”
“Really?” Shen Yunying was somewhat interested and asked what dishes they currently steamed in bamboo.
Although cooking in bamboo tubes was an idea brought to the village by Jiang Gaoheng and others, the wisdom of the common people should not be underestimated. The women who knew how to cook had developed many new recipes.
Shen Yunying listened intently, memorizing several dishes to try herself when she had the chance.
As the two discussed food, Little Chen beside them grew impatient and shouted, “Mom! What about my rabbit? Do you want it, noble lady?”
Madam Chen immediately cut in, “Why won’t you listen, boy? You can’t give a dead rabbit!”
“Who told you your archery isn’t good enough? You can only kill rabbits, not catch them alive!”
Little Chen said dejectedly, “I just can’t learn it. Rabbits run so fast!”
Hearing this, Madam Chen immediately changed her tone and praised him, “You’ve only been learning for a short while! Being able to hunt a rabbit is already good. After a few more days of practice, even if you can only hunt dead game, you’ll eventually be able to shoot a wild boar with one arrow, protecting the village’s crops! And we’ll have meat to eat!”
Little Chen was cheered up instantly, his dejection and gloom vanishing in a moment. He puffed out his chest and declared, “Mom, I’ll definitely shoot a wild boar in the future, and even hunt a big tiger to guard our house!”
Madam Chen grinned from ear to ear.
Watching the interaction between this mother and son, Shen Yunying fell into thought.
If someone couldn’t do something well, could you find another angle to praise them?
Praise could make a person actively strive to improve and work harder.
Perhaps she could try this approach with Yan Peifeng?