On the ridge of a field by the road, stood four young ladies around sixteen or seventeen years of age, dressed in the common rural style, each carrying a bamboo basket on their arm, their cheeks rosy and flushed from the cold, as they stared intently at Meng Yuhuai, nudging and pushing each other with unstoppable laughter.
The one speaking was in the midst of wearing a qiu xiang-colored jacket, tall and slender yet extremely delicate, as if a gust of wind could blow her away, her complexion not as rosy and pretty as the other girls', rather like a frail wintersweet battling the cold winter wind.
"Guan Family's little sister," Meng Yuhuai said, his expression unchanged, nodding lightly to the girl, "My mother's been poorly these last couple of days, and since I've got some spare time, I thought I'd stay at home a few more days."
The girl glanced back at her companions, hesitated, and took a step forward, "Right, I've noticed that your mother seems thinner lately. She's usually at home by herself, you should spend more time with her when you're free. But how long will you be able to stay? My father was saying the other day that over the years we've been much helped by your family and have little to repay you with. So we were hoping to invite you and your mother over for a meal before Chinese New Year's Eve, as a small token of our gratitude—you…"
Her words trailed off, and her eyes filled with anticipation.
"There's no need for such formalities; we're neighbors after all, and helping each other is only natural," Meng Yuhuai remained composed, seemingly less interested in the present conversation, "Besides, since I work at the Escort Agency, my schedule is subject to their timing. After staying home for a few more days, I have to return to the County for a task. It's a trip to Pingshan Prefecture; going back and forth will take at least twenty or thirty days. I'm afraid I won't be able to make it home for the New Year."
"…That's true, you can't neglect your responsibilities," replied the girl, undismayed and still smiling, "Then I'll tell my father we'll make up for that meal when you return, no rush."
Hua Xiaomai took a look at her, then turned to glance at Meng Yuhuai, mulling over things in her mind.
Are they sweethearts? But considering how they speak to each other with such politeness, they don't seem to be that close?
As she pondered, the girl turned her attention to Hua Xiaomai, looking her up and down, and said with a smile, "Miss, are you perhaps Jing Taihe's sister?"
Her voice, like her presence, carried a delicate softness, but wasn't off-putting. Hua Xiaomai was somewhat surprised, "You know me? But… we haven't met before, have we?"
"Indeed, we haven't," the girl's lips curved with a deeper smile, "but you look unfamiliar, yet there's a resemblance to Jing Taihe in your eyes and brows, so I boldly guessed. My name is Guan Rong, and I've been neighbors with Yuhuai for many years. How should I address you?"
"I'm… Hua Xiaomai." Hua Xiaomai scratched her temple.
Hearing this, the three girls on the ridge whispered among themselves.
"So that's Jing's little sister-in-law? I heard her hometown was hit by famine, and she came to rely on them, settling down in our village for good, never to leave again."
"Really? I can't believe it," another said, "Jing's blacksmith shop doesn't do well, and they have neither land nor fields. How can they afford to feed an extra mouth? And it's not right for a sister-in-law to depend on her brother-in-law for support!"
The third girl hastily pulled her aside, glancing at Hua Xiaomai with a lowered voice, "Are you fools? With Jing Taihe's temperament, if she decides to keep her sister here, where does Jing have a say in the matter? No money? So what, you fight to make a living! Just you watch, in a couple of years, they might even scrape together a dowry!"
This was the prevailing view of most people in Fire Knife Village. In their eyes, Hua Xiaomai coming to rely on her sister and brother-in-law was a mistake, absurd, and would bring endless trouble to Jing Taihe—Hua Xiaomai was a vampire, bound to bleed the innocent Jing Taihe dry!
Hua Xiaomai had a strong mind and did not feel wounded by such talks. Besides, to some extent, what the three girls said was true; at least for now, she still depended on Jing Taihe and Second Mother Hua for a living. However, she believed this situation wouldn't last long.
She didn't care and had no intention of arguing. Guan Rong's face, however, turned a little red, and turning to the three girls, she said softly, "Don't speak like that. Who lives without facing difficulty? Doesn't everyone need help sometimes?"
Having said that, she turned back to give Hua Xiaomai an apologetic smile, "They are just a bit too quick with their words, but they mean no harm. Don't take it to heart. We're about the same age, and since you're here now, from here on out, we're all family. If there's anything you need help with, just ask. Oh, that's right!"
In a flurry, she took the basket off her arm and handed it to Hua Xiaomai with a smile, "Today, someone in the village was selling winter bamboo shoots, and we happened to pass by. They looked quite nice and were cheap, so we bought a lot. Why don't you take some back with you? They're not worth much, and at dinner, they can make an extra dish on the table."
With such a gentle and kind attitude, pretty looks, and a pleasant voice, Hua Xiaomai couldn't help but feel a bit of fondness for her. She glanced into her basket and saw that the bamboo shoots were large and plump, still glistening with freshness. She also smiled, shaking her head, "No need, no matter how cheap, it was still bought with your money. How can I covet what you love? I see you've bought a lot of shoots. If you can't finish them all in cooking, you can steam them over water for a day and night, then press out the juice with a wooden board and add a few coins' worth of fried salt to make bamboo shoot oil. It's extremely tasty for dressing vegetables in summer; and the leftover shoots, once dried, can be turned into bamboo shoot strips, so nothing goes to waste!"
"Bamboo shoot oil... Bamboo shoot strips?" Guan Rong looked puzzledly at her, "We usually just stir-fry bamboo shoots with meat or boil them for a hot mix. These two items, I really..."
Hua Xiaomai smiled knowingly, "No worries, if you don't know how to make them, just come and find me when you have time. I'll teach you."
"Really?" Guan Rong immediately perked up, her face flushing with excitement, "That's a deal then, I'll come to your house in a couple of days! You seem even younger than me, but you know so many cooking methods. I must learn from you in the future. I'll have to visit you often, but don't find me bothersome when the time comes!"
Hua Xiaomai exchanged a few more pleasantries with her. The girls waiting by the field's edge for her were gradually showing impatience, and Meng Yuhuai also gently coughed. Seeing Hua Xiaomai turn to look at him, he slightly nodded his chin toward the direction of the west part of the village.
She's really sticking her nose into everything! Hua Xiaomai silently complained to herself, but she didn't stay any longer. Smiling, she bid farewell to Guan Rong and headed west.
In the following days, aside from the usual task of arranging two meals a day, Hua Xiaomai spent all her time immersing herself in the study of culinary arts.
As for what the villagers thought of her, she could infer a bit from the few words spilled by those three girls earlier. Now, the most important thing for her was to ensure that the Chinese New Year's Eve feast at Qiao's Paper Shop was prepared meticulously, without a single flaw, so she could earn a tidy sum as quickly as possible. Fire Knife Village was just a small place, and whether or not the feast was a success would be known by everyone within half a day. She needed to seize this opportunity to make a name for herself so, in the future, those who admired her cooking skills would continually seek her out.
Earning four sets of coins from just one meal—if there were one or two such occasions each month, in half a year, wouldn't she become quite the money-maker? By then, she wanted to see who would still treat her as someone who only freeloads!
With such expectations, she was particularly willing to put in the effort, turning over each dish on the menu time and again in her mind. The blending of spices, the use of knife skills, the control of the heat... She mentally rehearsed over and over, often lying in bed at night, recalling for a long while, fearing any mistake.
In the blink of an eye, it was the third day of the twelfth lunar month, and Hua Xiaomai, who usually needed to be called two or three times by Second Aunt before she would sleepily get out of bed, uncharacteristically got dressed before the sky was even bright.
Sitting on the edge of her bed and looking at the dim light outside the window, she actually felt a bit nervous, and her palms were sweating.
Come on, Hua Xiaomai, show some spirit. You've been in bigger scenes, frequented five-star hotels—what can't you handle?
She mentally cheered herself up and tiptoed out of the west room, her ears pricked up to carefully listen. There was complete silence, not a sound, from the east room.
Hua Xiaomai took a deep breath, trying her best to make no noise, she quietly opened the courtyard door and slipped out like a wisp of smoke.
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