Having carefully placed the wild duck eggs into the bamboo basket, the two sisters began their slow climb up the mountain path. At this time of year, people were busy with farm work in the fields, and hardly anyone ventured up the mountain. Moreover, there wasn't much of value to be found on this mountain. Although it wasn't large, the woods were deep, and without any specialized hunters in the Lin family's hollow, even fewer people went up the mountain.
Lin Yuan's family didn't own any land, and since the Lin family hadn't yet divided their estate, naturally they wouldn't allocate any land to them. But Lin Yuan had made up her mind; if the family didn't want to divide the estate, then they would have to provide for her family of five. If they wanted to split, they'd have to give up something in return.
The sisters were without tools, each having only taken a sickle when they left the house, so they didn't dare to venture deep into the mountains. However, they were lucky just stepping into the foothills. Lin Yuan looked delightedly at the several large goji berry shrubs in front of her, the plump berries bright red and pleasing to the eye. It was goji berry season, and these berries were valuable—not only good for brewing in water or soup, but also for use in medicine. If she could pick these berries, dry them, and sell them in the town's pharmacy, she'd certainly make a good amount of money.
Lin Yuan seemed to see a handful of silver flying before her eyes, and she couldn't help but giggle with delight. Lin Wei, seeing how her elder sister's eyes sparkled foolishly at the sight of the goji berries, knew exactly what she was thinking and quickly grabbed her sister's arm, pulling her forward with force.
"Elder sister, we shouldn't take these red pendant beads. The elders always say that these are snakes' favorite food. We can't compete with snakes for food, otherwise we'll invite them into our home!"
Red pendant beads were the local name for goji berries, as they didn't know the scientific term for them, and probably didn't know that they could also be used in medicine and sold for money. Lin Yuan then realized why these conspicuous goji berries showed no signs of being picked; simply, no one wanted them.
Actually, goji berries were a real find. Although freshly picked they weren't much to eat, they turned sweet once dried. More importantly, goji berries were believed to nourish the kidneys and liver, moisten the lungs, improve vision, and had other benefits she couldn't fully articulate.
But hearing what Lin Wei said, Lin Yuan too began to feel uneasy. If even the local doctors didn't know that goji berries could be used medicinally, her plan to make money might be thwarted.
Forget it, just pick them and take them home. Even if they couldn't be sold, she could use them when making soup. Everyone in the family needed something nutritious to strengthen their bodies.
"Little sister, these red pendant beads are truly valuable. I remember Brother Zhuzi mentioning that educated people call them goji berries. Books even say that eating them is great for the body. It'd be perfect to pick some and take them home for father and mother."
"But..." Lin Wei looked timidly at the lush goji berry bushes. It was not that she didn't believe her elder sister, but she was somewhat daunted by the old folks' words.
Lin Yuan knew what she was afraid of. Her younger sister was faint-hearted, and it was already good of her to accompany her up the mountain today. Asking her to go near and pick what was considered "snake food" would be like taking food from a snake's mouth, and she definitely wouldn't dare.
"These red pendant beads," said Lin Yuan, letting go of Lin Wei's hand, "they're not actually snake food like the elderly say. Snakes eat mice." Lin Yuan knew her words might not alleviate her sister's worries, but she still didn't plan to give up picking the goji berries: "If you're scared, just wait for me here."
Lin Wei wanted to stop her, but since her elder sister didn't seem to be making it up, and she'd heard it from Brother Zhuzi, who was the most learned man in the Lin family area, his word was surely not wrong.
With that in mind, Lin Wei mustered up some courage and followed her elder sister's steps, "Sis, you're right, I'm not scared. I'll pick with you, then we can take them back to nourish mom and dad, so mom can have a little brother."
Hearing her younger sister's comment, Lin Yuan laughed softly, "Oh my, my bold little sister talks of having a little brother."
Feeling teased by her elder sister, Lin Wei's hands retracted from picking the goji berries, her small cheeks blushing even redder than the berries, "Sis, you, you just make fun of me."
"Hahaha." Seeing her sister's coy behavior, she suddenly felt like a rich young master teasing an innocent woman, unable to hold back her laughter, she covered her stomach and giggled.
Lin Yuan first took the wild duck eggs out of the bamboo basket and placed them on soft grass leaves, then selected clean leaves to line the basket before carefully placing the goji berries inside. These goji berries had to be picked with a bit of stem attached, and one must take care not to crush them. Otherwise, the dried berries would look less appealing and dirtier. If the herb shop cut their price over this, it'd be quite a loss.
The sisters laughed as they picked the goji berries together. The patch was indeed large; it had taken them nearly half an hour and they had only picked just over half.
"Alright little sis, there are so many of these 'red earrings' here, and people in the village don't even know how good they are, so let's just pick these for now. Later, we should keep climbing up the mountain to see if there are other good things to collect," Lin Yuan wiped off the sweat and noted they had picked about half a basket together, quite a lot indeed.
Lin Wei was a bit apprehensive at first, but after picking for a while and seeing no snakes stopping them, she grew more spirited and picked with gusto. Hearing her elder sister's words, Lin Wei paused, wiping the sweat from her face with her sleeve, "Sis, I ate one of those 'red earrings' just now; it seemed a bit sweet but quite small. Are these really good for health?"
Lin Yuan found a shady spot to sit and fanned herself with her sleeve, "Of course, even if you don't believe your sister, you should believe your Brother Zhuzi, shouldn't you?"
Expecting Lin Wei to worship the most learned man in Lin family area, she was surprised when Lin Wei pouted and huffed, "I only believe what Sis says, not his words. He also said that once he gets the title of top scholar, he'll come to marry Sis, but I've overheard mom and dad saying that Brother Zhuzi doesn't seem like he could achieve that, and even if he does, it's not certain that... Sis, don't be sad, I didn't mean..."
Lin Wei, now engrossed in her berry picking, spoke without restraint and quickly waved her hands in concern at her elder sister. Usually, just mentioning anything negative about Brother Zhuzi would make her sister angry. She only hoped that her sister wouldn't blame their mother for it. But she didn't see her sister defending Chen Zhu like before. Instead, Lin Yuan continued to fan herself and laughed, "No worries, I don't fancy him anymore, and honestly, I too think he looks like a 'Little White Face' not cut out for an official, more like someone who lives off a woman, haha."
Lin Wei didn't understand what "living off a woman" meant, but seeing that her sister wasn't upset, her complexion unchanged, she finally relaxed. The sisters rested a bit longer, intending to climb the mountain again before the sun got too high. But just as Lin Yuan stood up, she saw Lin Wei's little face turn deathly pale, her lips trembling. The situation did not look good at all!