When Li Xiaoxiao arrived on the mountain with her three tall, sturdy sons to gather wild vegetables, the surrounding villagers all showed expressions of surprise.
The surprise didn’t last long, however.
Almost immediately, everyone lowered their heads and worked faster.
They were terrified that if they moved too slowly, Li Xiaoxiao and her sons would strip the mountain clean before anyone else had a chance.
Li Xiaoxiao couldn’t care less what they thought.
Her attention was focused elsewhere.
After searching for a while, she discovered that the wild strawberries she wanted were only beginning to flower.
It would be another ten days or more before they ripened.
The realization left her disappointed.
Then her gaze swept across the mountainside.
Wild bamboo shoots.
Tender fiddlehead ferns.
They were everywhere.
Her mood immediately improved.
“Forget strawberries.”
“Let’s turn grief into productivity.”
With that declaration, she and her bargain-bin sons set down their baskets and got to work.
Both hands moving at once, they began harvesting bamboo shoots.
Although Li Xiaoxiao hadn’t done this sort of work in a long time, she had once been a hardworking village girl herself.
The skills quickly returned.
As she adapted, her movements became increasingly smooth and efficient.
Before long, a mountain of bamboo shoots had accumulated.
Taking them home with the husks intact would waste too much space.
Li Xiaoxiao pulled out the curved knife she’d brought.
Planting the blade upright, she grabbed a bamboo shoot and smacked the tip against the edge of the knife.
One hand pinned the shoot in place.
The other twisted rapidly.
Within five seconds, a perfectly peeled bamboo shoot emerged.
Into the basket it went.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
Her hands moved so quickly they were almost a blur.
Soon, discarded bamboo husks formed a small hill beside her.
Meanwhile, her basket filled with fragrant, freshly peeled shoots.
The sons were no slower.
They continuously harvested shoots and piled them beside their mother.
Li Xiaoxiao processed them almost as quickly as they could bring them.
Before long, an entire basket was full.
As noon approached, the surrounding villagers grew increasingly nervous.
The four members of the Qin family showed absolutely no sign of stopping.
Their efficiency was frightening.
Everyone feared that if they rested, the mother-and-sons team would completely outpace them.
So nobody dared quit working.
The four Qin family members became so absorbed in harvesting that they lost all track of time.
Only when Qin Erya and Qin Dahua arrived did they realize it was already noon.
Looking at the enormous pile of bamboo shoots, Li Xiaoxiao immediately made a decision.
“We’ll eat lunch right here on the mountain.”
She instructed her granddaughters:
“Erya, Dahua, go back and bring our lunch.”
“We’ll eat here.”
“Bring tea as well.”
After wiping sweat from her forehead, she added:
“Oh, and put the carrying frames onto the cow.”
“Bring the cow up here too.”
“We’ll use her to transport these shoots back down.”
“And tell your mothers and aunts to blanch the shoots with boiling water and start drying them.”
“Yes, Grandma!”
The girls immediately ran off.
About half an hour later, Qin Daya arrived leading the others.
Erya.
Dahua.
Erhua.
And the cow.
After tying the cow securely, Daya quickly cut a bundle of grass and spread it out as a makeshift dining mat.
Then she laid out the food.
“Grandma!”
“Father!”
“Second Uncle!”
“Third Uncle!”
“Lunch is ready!”
Her clear voice echoed through the mountains.
The nearby villagers couldn’t help staring.
What?
They’re planning to eat here and then keep working?
Looking at the position of the sun, many decided it actually wasn’t that late.
Perhaps they didn’t need to rush home either.
Then someone noticed the food.
“Look!”
“Li Widow’s family brought quite a bit of food today.”
“I think there’s meat!”
Everyone immediately looked over.
Sure enough—
A bowl of braised pork.
Several dishes of stir-fried vegetables.
And a pile of steamed cornbread buns.
“Tsk, tsk.”
“When did Li Widow become so generous?”
“Normally she wouldn’t be willing to eat meat.”
Someone guessed:
“Probably because they’ve been working so hard today.”
“They’re rewarding themselves.”
Listening to their own growling stomachs, many villagers suddenly found their dry rations less appealing.
A suggestion soon emerged.
“Why don’t we start eating lunch on the mountain too?”
“We’d save a lot of time.”
The others immediately agreed.
“That’s right.”
“Running back and forth every day wastes too much time.”
“We could get more work done.”
Someone pointed out a problem.
“But we don’t have bowls and dishes like they do.”
“Then wrap food in leaves.”
“Or bring your own bowls.”
“As long as it fills your stomach.”
The matter was quickly settled.
Starting tomorrow, many of the villagers planned to eat lunch on the mountain as well.
Anything that allowed them to gather more food and save more grain was worth trying.
A little later, Qin Dashu and his brothers emerged from the bamboo grove.
Seeing the meal already prepared, they couldn’t help feeling touched.
Their daughters really were thoughtful.
“Daya, Erya, Dahua, Erhua.”
“Have you girls eaten yet?”
Qin Dashu asked.
“We already ate.”
Erhua answered before any of her sisters could speak.
“You must be starving. Hurry up and eat.”
Then she led the cow toward a patch of lush grass and tied it beneath a small tree.
Meanwhile, Daya, Erya, and Dahua sat beside Li Xiaoxiao and began peeling bamboo shoots.
At first they worked slowly.
But all three girls were diligent by nature.
Before long, they had mastered the process.
Li Xiaoxiao grabbed her bowl and began eating enthusiastically.
After a full morning of labor, she was ravenous.
The three brothers ate no slower.
Within minutes, the food had vanished.
After a short rest, Li Xiaoxiao watched her granddaughters peeling shoots.
The sight filled her with satisfaction.
Then she noticed Erhua carrying a small basket while gathering purslane nearby.
She couldn’t help smiling.
Not a single one of her granddaughters was lazy.
Once everyone had rested enough, Li Xiaoxiao issued new instructions.
“You three.”
She pointed at her sons.
“Load the peeled shoots onto the cow.”
“But don’t overload her.”
“She’s pregnant.”
The brothers quickly complied.
Soon the baskets were secured.
Qin Sanmu took the cow home while the older two brothers returned to the bamboo grove and continued harvesting.
The moment the bamboo shoots arrived home, the daughters-in-law sprang into action.
Wash.
Blanch.
Dry.
The entire process began immediately.
That evening, after returning home, Li Xiaoxiao glanced at the bamboo shoots hanging beneath the eaves.
A thought suddenly struck her.
Pickled bamboo shoots.
The climate here was perfect for making them.
Searching through Li Cuihua’s memories, she discovered that pickled bamboo shoots already existed in this world.
And they weren’t cheap.
A single jin sold for twenty wen.
However, almost nobody in the local area produced them.
At dinner, Li Xiaoxiao immediately took out two taels of silver and placed them on the table.
“Dashu.”
“Tomorrow, go to the potter in the neighboring village.”
“Buy more than ten large jars.”
“The kind that can hold two hundred jin.”
The entire family stared.
“What for, Mother?”
“We’re making pickled bamboo shoots.”
Li Xiaoxiao grinned.
“If they sell, great.”
“If they don’t, we can eat them ourselves or give them away.”
“Either way, we won’t lose.”
And in her mind, she was already calculating how to turn the mountain full of free bamboo shoots into yet another source of income.