Chapter 70: Recognizing Objects

After discussing with her mother, Lin Fang also left Qian’er and Xian’er behind, allowing them to return to their second grandmother’s house to help out. This way, she could truly experience rural life. In truth, she simply didn’t want anyone constantly nagging in her ear—warning her to be careful about this or that, feeling restrained at every turn, lest it ruin her mood.

Her aunt’s home was quite far from Lin Fang’s village. Since the trip was meant to cheer up her niece, Li Cuilan took her time along the way, letting the horse amble leisurely while she occasionally pointed out the crops in the fields to Lin Fang.

Though Lin Fang had grown up in the countryside, even if she hadn’t done much farm work, she recognized many crops. As she observed the fields, she noticed some differences: some crops were unusually tall, like the cotton seedlings; others were overly dense, like the corn; and some had leaves riddled with insect holes, like the vegetables.

As Li Cuilan pointed out the plants to the two children, Lin Fang asked questions, gradually understanding the reasons behind these differences. Unlike in her previous life, where crops were meticulously tended, here they were left to grow freely. The only care they received was timely fertilization and the removal of weeds. If pests struck, the only solution was manual removal—no other methods existed. Lin Fang sighed inwardly: no wonder the yields were so low. She had heard her parents and siblings talk about crop management, but she had never done it herself, and even if she spoke up, no one would likely believe her. As for pesticides, she knew the names of a few, but that was the extent of her knowledge.

She wondered if she could share her limited knowledge of crop management with her aunt. Would it work? Well, no harm in trying. She racked her brain, trying to recall everything she knew. As she thought, a round, large, green-striped object began swirling in her mind.

Ah, watermelon! It had been five years since she arrived here, and she had yet to see a watermelon. Did they not exist here, or was it simply not locally grown? She missed it dearly. She wanted to ask but feared it might seem abrupt. How could she explain without raising suspicion? Say she read it in a book? No, all the books she had read, Lin Wen had also read. Her second brother was too diligent, always ready to answer her questions—he knew the contents of those books even better than she did. Say she heard it from someone? That wouldn’t work either—she was never alone, so how could she have heard something others hadn’t?

Sigh. Having people around all the time ensured safety, but it was also quite troublesome.

“Whoa—” Suddenly, Li Cuilan pulled on the reins, stopped the horse, and plucked a few wild grasses from the roadside. She handed them to Lin Fang and Li Yinwei with a smile. “Fang’er, Yinwei, guess what this is?”

Lin Fang examined the grass carefully. Its leaves were dark green, somewhat resembling orchid leaves but stiffer. There were only two leaves—one longer, the other shorter, with the shorter one wrapped inside the longer. When Li Cuilan had pulled the grass, Lin Fang noticed the leaves stood straight as swords pointing skyward. The roots were snow-white, naturally aligned with the leaves, unbranched, segmented like sugarcane, with fine hair-like fibers at the joints.

Lin Fang blurted out, “Heh, jointed roots.”

She had chewed on these as a child. The villagers called them “jointed roots.” Biting into the root released a sweet, sugary juice, and children often picked them as snacks while playing in the fields. The roots ran deep, and if you dug carefully with a tool, you’d find them branching out like a spiderweb the deeper you went. The straight part usually pulled out was just an upward-growing branch that had been snapped off.

Li Cuilan chuckled. “Jointed roots? Hah, that’s a fitting name. This grass is called ‘Guben Grass.’ You’ll find it everywhere along fields and roadsides. The drier the land, the deeper its roots. It may seem insignificant ordinarily, but during famines, it can save lives.”

“Auntie, have you ever experienced a famine?” This was the first time Li Yinwei had spoken during the trip.

“No,” Li Cuilan shook her head. “I’ve only heard the village elders talk about it.”

Guben Grass? The name seemed even more fitting—its deep, interwoven roots prevented soil erosion. For villagers who treasured their land, wasn’t it truly “root-fixing”? But could it be eaten? Lin Fang asked, “Auntie, if it can save lives during famines, how does it taste?”

Though Li Yinwei didn’t speak, her expression showed she was curious too. Li Cuilan smiled. “If you want to know the taste, try it.”

Since she said so, it must be edible.

“Hehe, I’ll try first.” Without hesitation, Lin Fang popped a piece of Guben Grass into her mouth. Sure enough, it was the familiar sweet taste. Seeing Li Yinwei’s shocked expression, Lin Fang exaggeratedly smacked her lips. “Fifth Cousin, it’s sweet and delicious!”

Li Yinwei looked down at the wild grass in her hand, then at her cousin chewing with relish, still hesitant. Li Cuimei laughed. “Yinwei, try it. It really is sweet.”

Lin Fang was curious. “Mother, have you eaten this before?”

Li Cuilan exposed the past. “Haha, your mother was just as greedy as you when she was little. She’d try all sorts of wild grasses and fruits. Once, when I took her to the fields, I wasn’t paying attention, and she popped a ‘rat fruit’ into her mouth. It nearly scared me to death! I had to slap her back hard to make her spit it out—luckily, she hadn’t bitten through the skin.”

“Rat fruit?” Lin Fang and Li Yinwei asked in unison.

Recalling the incident, Li Cuilan still felt a chill. Li Cuimei explained, “It’s a poisonous fruit. Rats love gnawing on its skin, hence the name. The skin isn’t toxic, but the inside is deadly. If ingested, it’s almost impossible to save the person.”

Lin Fang gasped. “What? Mother, can you point it out to me so I don’t accidentally eat it?” She wouldn’t recklessly eat anything, but it was good to know—it might come in handy someday.

Li Cuilan added, “That fruit is rare now. The court ordered its eradication. With so many people around here, you’re unlikely to find it.”

“But, Auntie, can you describe what it looks like? Just in case we ever come across it.”

“Well, Yinwei, have you ever seen a cotton boll or hemp?” Li Cuilan knew her sixth brother and sister-in-law spoiled their daughter, so she doubted the girl had much farming experience.

“Hmm? I’ve pestered Father to take me to the fields. I’ve seen cotton bolls, but I don’t know what hemp is.”

“No matter. If you’ve seen cotton bolls, that’s enough. The rat fruit looks like a cotton boll but is covered in soft spines like hemp fruit.”

“Auntie, is hemp fruit also called castor fruit?” Lin Fang remembered castor fruit being covered in spines.

“I don’t know. Your mother likes reading—she might know.”

Li Cuimei was surprised. “Fang’er, how do you know the name ‘castor fruit’? It’s only mentioned in books.”

“Second Brother always buys picture books for me. One was torn by Seventh Sister during play, but I remember reading about it.” Then she playfully added, “Wow, Mother, you scared me! If you’d bitten through the skin back then, I wouldn’t have been born!”

“Haha, little cousin, if Third Aunt had bitten through the skin back then, you wouldn’t exist.”

Huh? Fifth Cousin could joke too? Lin Fang pretended innocence. “Fifth Cousin, how do you know?”

“I—” Li Yinwei opened her mouth but then turned her head away, stuffing the Guben Grass into her mouth to chew. Soon, her face lit up with delight. Li Cuilan and Li Cuimei smiled and continued driving the cart.

“Elder Sister, stop for a moment. Look, is that bitter meat?” This time, it was Li Cuimei who made a discovery.

The cart halted. Li Cuilan stood beside the horse, holding the reins. Li Cuimei got down, followed by Li Yinwei slipping off the back and Lin Fang trailing behind. They entered a roadside field—abandoned for a long time, its ridges neat but overgrown with weeds.

Pointing to a patch of dandelion-like wild grass, Li Cuimei said, “Yinwei, Fang’er, this is bitter meat. It’s excellent for clearing heat and detoxifying, especially in summer.”

Bitter meat? Wasn’t that just bitter greens? Last time, Huiyuan made oil-splashed noodles, and Lin Fang mischievously taught him to add bitter greens. It did clear heat but ended up tormenting Huiyuan. Wait—no. Bitter greens had thin leaves with jagged edges, but this grass had smooth, thick leaves, resembling sliced meat. No wonder it was called “bitter meat.”

Li Yinwei plucked one and held it up, frowning. “Third Aunt, is this grass very bitter?”

“Extremely bitter, but it’s a great antidote and grows everywhere.”

Lin Fang’s mouth watered with imaginary bitterness. She asked her mother, “Aunt Hong parboils vegetables to remove odd flavors. Can we do the same with bitter meat?”

Li Cuimei nodded. “Yes, but after parboiling, it’s just like any other vegetable—no medicinal value left.”

“How does it taste then?” Li Yinwei asked.

“Cool and slightly bitter.”

Oh, still bitter. Lin Fang and Li Yinwei quickly retreated, climbing back onto the cart. Li Cuimei followed, and the four continued their journey.

They made frequent stops along the way, with Li Cuilan and Li Cuimei pointing out various wild plants to the children. As they neared the village, Li Yinwei asked Li Cuilan, “Auntie, Father says compared to other families, Li daughters don’t have to work in the fields. Why did you still take Third Aunt to work?”

Li Cuilan gazed ahead, steering the horse back on track as it nibbled roadside grass. “I’m over a decade older than your Third Aunt and more than twenty years older than your father. Naturally, he wouldn’t remember those times. When I was little, our family had servants, but we weren’t as wealthy as now. During busy farming seasons, everyone—masters and servants alike—worked nonstop. Later, when we became well-off and didn’t need to labor, I’d already grown accustomed to working the fields.”

“Auntie, people say one should aim higher. Are you content with farming?”

“Haha, your aunt has no ambition. I prefer the simplicity and honesty of small farmers over the scheming of wealthy households. This life suits me just fine.”

Lin Fang sighed inwardly. Li Cuilan wasn’t lacking ambition—she was simply wise, pursuing what she truly wanted and finding contentment in it.

Li Cuilan’s home was a typical farmhouse, though slightly larger than most. It had five main rooms, three east-side rooms, and next to them, two kitchens. The west side of the yard held a row of shorter buildings for housing horses and cows. The south side had a chicken coop and pigpen, though both were empty. Half the yard was planted with common vegetables—tomatoes, eggplants, string beans, and the like.

In the middle of the yard stood two apple trees, their growth starkly different. One appeared robust and tall, with dense foliage but sparse fruit. The other was shorter and sturdier, its main trunk seemingly broken by force, with side branches growing out horizontally. Its leaves were sparser, but it bore more fruit than the first tree.

“Auntie, did someone abuse this tree?”

“It was your eldest cousin. He was mischievous as a child and often played with the tree—breaking the main trunk, bending the side branches into odd shapes, and snapping smaller twigs. Oddly enough, this tree ended up bearing more fruit.”

When Zhang Tieshuan saw his wife return with her younger sister, niece, and grandniece, he was momentarily stunned. His wife had left for her parents’ home the day before, saying that since her parents were aging and the fields weren’t too busy, she’d stay a few days to keep them company. Why was she back after just one day?