In the afternoon, Zhulan really feared snakes and didn't go up the mountain. In ancient times, the forests were full of snakes, catching you off guard. After the lush growth of grass and trees in summer, she stopped going even to the riverbank, lacking the courage to venture up the mountain.
Lady Li and Lady Zhao followed up the mountain, where there were plenty of wild vegetables, especially ferns that could be dried and eaten in winter. Zhulan gestured to gather more to store, at least to have a greater variety of vegetables in winter.
Last year, she and Zhou Shuren had come in autumn, and they didn't store many ferns at home. Later, when they went to buy some at a general store in the county town, they couldn't find any. Ferns, if not prepared well, taste bitter, and many cannot bear the bitterness. The wealthy families in the county didn't lack for ferns, and rural households usually picked them themselves, so the general stores didn't sell them.
