Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 84

When the peach blossoms wither, the clothes become lighter, and the market fills with various fruits for sale, Jiang Miao suddenly realizes that time really flies like a white horse passing by.

As a child, he especially liked to use this phrase when writing essays, but back then, he didn’t feel time passing quickly; instead, it seems to drag on slowly. After becoming an adult, time seems to hit the fast-forward button, often slipping away quietly without him even noticing.

It feels like the Qingming Festival was just yesterday, and now the Dragon Boat Festival is here again. Jiang Miao hears that the people here also have the custom of eating zongzi, so he plans to make some zongzi to sell at the Jiang family’s small shop. It’s perfect timing, as he’s been worried about what fresh food to offer everyone in May.

As for the bamboo leaves used for wrapping zongzi, Jiang Miao doesn’t plan to buy them. Before Qingming, when he goes back to Jiangjiawan to pay respects to his ancestors, he finds that many tender leaves have sprouted in the fields at the foot of the mountain. Judging by the date, it should be the right time to pick them now.

Jiang Miao chooses a relatively free time to take Jiang Yu and the two little ones back to Jiangjiawan. In addition to delivering festival gifts to Second Uncle and Second Aunt, he also intends to gather more bamboo leaves to bring back.

Second Uncle Jiang and the others are very happy to see Jiang Miao and the group return. They take the festival gifts and casually put them on a nearby table, then ask Jiang Yu to go inside and “tell” Second Aunt to prepare the eel caught yesterday from the field so they can cook it for dinner.

“You caught eels? Second Uncle, you’re amazing!” As soon as Jiang Miao hears about the eel, his eyes light up. This stuff, if prepared well, cut into sections, and briefly braised in red sauce, becomes incredibly tender. Just dipping a piece in the sauce, putting it in your mouth, and pressing lightly with your tongue, the meat falls right off. Paired with a bite of rice, it’s more delicious than anything!

“Of course! I may not be skilled at many things, but when it comes to catching eel, I’ve got a knack for it…” Second Uncle Jiang begins to boast endlessly about his abilities.

Jiang Miao, who is hearing this for the first time, listens with great interest, while Jiang Xin, who has heard it many times before, is a bit impatient. He glances at Brother Shitou, then carefully observes the handsome child who looks like a doll from a New Year picture, and, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, comes up with a sneaky idea.

“Brother Shitou, how about we go see the eel? My dad caught a lot of them and they’re kept in a basin over there,” he leans close to Xiao Shitou and whispers.

“See the eel? Sure! Xiao Mu, do you want to go see the eel too?”

Pei Mu nods, thinking about the fish he usually feeds Xiaobai, and follows them to the front of the kitchen.

“Look, it’s over there,” Jiang Xin says with a mischievous grin, pointing to a large wooden basin. The two of them follow his hand and look over.

“…!!” Pei Mu feels deeply disturbed. Inside the large wooden basin, a pile of long, yellow-brown things are tangled together, wriggling and occasionally raising their pointed, round heads to look up. He involuntarily takes two steps back, displaying an indescribable expression.

“Hahaha! Hahaha!” Jiang Xin laughs so hard at his reaction that he can’t straighten his waist.

Xiao Shitou, who is just marveling at how big the eels are, turns around in confusion and sees Pei Mu’s pale face and Jiang Xin laughing uncontrollably.

“Xiao Mu, are you afraid of these eels? Don’t worry, later we’ll have Brother cook them for us,” Xiao Shitou says, noticing Pei Mu’s fear and trying to comfort him seriously.

Unexpectedly, after hearing these words, Pei Mu’s face becomes even more grim, and his gaze towards the eels is filled with utter rejection. He shakes his head repeatedly, sprints back to sit beside Jiang Miao, and refuses to look in that direction again.

Jiang Miao pats his head and turns to Second Uncle Jiang, who is still talking about the secrets of catching eels with a bit of unfinished enthusiasm, and asks, “Second Uncle, isn’t it almost time for them to come to collect taxes?”

At the mention of taxes, Second Uncle Jiang’s expression grows heavy; it is an unavoidable burden for every farmer.

“Yes, after the wheat is harvested, that group of people will come here.”

“Second Uncle, I’m worried I won’t make it back in time when they collect the taxes. Here is the tax money; please hold onto it for now and help us pay it when the time comes.” Jiang Miao takes out a small cloth bag and hands it to Second Uncle Jiang.

Second Uncle Jiang doesn’t reach out to take it. He gives Jiang Miao a stern look and says, “The tax isn’t that much; you don’t need to give me money for it. I’ll pay for it myself. Save your money for Xiao Shitou’s schooling. Our Jiang family is counting on him to make something of himself.”

“Second Uncle, if you don’t accept this tax money, I won’t feel right bringing them back here to stay anymore. Every time I come back, you refuse to take any money, and if I buy food, you say I’m wasting it. Now you won’t even take the tax money. How can I, a grown man, keep coming back to take advantage of you like this?” Jiang Miao looks like he would leave immediately if his uncle doesn’t accept it.

Second Uncle Jiang has no choice but to accept the cloth bag. But the moment he touches it, something doesn’t feel right; it doesn’t seem like it is filled with copper coins. He opens the bag and finds some pieces of silver inside, weighing at least a dozen taels.

“Hey, you little rascal!” Second Uncle Jiang tries to shove the money back into his hand.

Every year, the combined taxes, including land tax, household tax, and poll tax, amount to around three taels of silver for everyone in the Jiang family. If the harvest is bad or there is a disaster at home, the money has to be borrowed. When the children of the Jiang family are still young, Second Uncle Jiang has to borrow money every year to pay the taxes, which can only be repaid after selling the new grain.

In recent years, life has been better. Although they no longer need to borrow money, they still can’t save much. Jiang Miao casually handing over more than ten taels is an amount that even if Second Uncle Jiang turns the house upside down, he wouldn’t be able to come up with it.

Jiang Miao drags Pei Mu to the yard, shouting as he goes.

“Second Uncle, please don’t try to give it back to me. I didn’t contribute anything for Qingming last time, and you’ve covered all the expenses for our branch on so many occasions. Now that I’ve saved up a little bit of money, it’s only right for me to contribute.”

Second Uncle Jiang chases after them for a while but has no choice but to reluctantly accept the silver. Since Jiang Miao is determined to show some filial piety, this money can be used for paying taxes in the future. With the taxes for the next few years covered, the family can also save some silver, and now that the kids are grown, there will be more expenses to handle in the future.

Seeing that his uncle is willing to accept the money, Jiang Miao stops running around the courtyard. He wants to go take a look at the eels, but Pei Mu holds him back, refusing to let him go, standing there as if his feet have taken root. So, Jiang Miao has no choice but to give up.

Jiang Miao looks up and sees that it is still early, so he thinks he might as well go pick some bamboo leaves for wrapping zongzi. As he goes to find a bamboo basket, Xiao Shitou and Jiang Xin spot him and decide they want to go along too. So, Jiang Miao ends up dragging three “tails” with him out the door.

Before leaving, Jiang Miao tells Second Uncle Jiang to prepare the eels and wait for him to come back to cook them. Second Uncle Jiang quickly agrees. His nephew’s cooking skills are better than his wife’s, so it looks like they’ll have a good meal that evening. Feeling cheerful, Second Uncle Jiang hums a little tune as he walks to the kitchen, takes out his tools, and begins to prepare the eels.

“Brother Miao, there are lots of bamboo leaves up ahead!” Jiang Xin shouts as he dashes from one side of the narrow field ridge to the other. His movements are swift, and even on the narrow path, he doesn’t miss a step.

In contrast, Jiang Miao and Pei Mu move slowly, stumbling into small muddy pits on the side now and then.

Xiao Shitou is slightly better, but having lived in the city for a long time, he isn’t as nimble as Jiang Xin.

Few families in Jiangjiawan wrap zongzi because it requires glutinous rice that needs to be bought in the city. So, aside from the wealthier households, most people just make a few to mark the season and then gather together to cook them in a single pot. As a result, this large patch of bamboo leaves growing at the foot of the mountain is left largely untouched.

The bamboo leaves grow very densely. Jiang Miao measures with his hand, and the largest ones are about as long as his forearm and as wide as his palm—big enough to wrap a large zongzi with just one leaf.

The group starts picking leaves. Jiang Xin moves quickly, with Jiang Miao catching up, Xiao Shitou taking his time, but Pei Mu, after picking each leaf, compares it carefully with the ones in the basket. Jiang Miao notices that all the leaves Pei Mu picks are almost the same size.

Jiang Miao chuckles, realizing that the two brothers are quite similar—they are both pretty picky.

After they fill a basket with bamboo leaves, Jiang Miao calls the kids to head back. Jiang Xin, who has sharp eyes, spots a cluster of wild raspberries down below. He goes down to pick them, washes them in a spring at the base of the mountain wall, and then brings them over to Jiang Miao and the others.

“Brother Miao, Brother Shitou, Brother Mutou, eat up! These are really tasty!”

The name “Brother Mutou” makes all three of them freeze in surprise. Holding back his laughter, Jiang Miao says, “Xin’er, just call him Brother Mu from now on, not Brother Mutou.”

(The word “木头” (“mutou”) literally means “wood” or “blockhead” in Chinese, which can imply someone is slow, dull, or not very bright.)

“Oh.” Jiang Xin doesn’t really understand the difference, but he urges them, “Hurry up and eat! These are really sweet!”

Jiang Miao reaches out, takes one, and pops it into his mouth. A rich, sweet flavor instantly fills his mouth. Although these berries are small, they taste much better than the strawberries grown in greenhouses.

Xiao Shitou also starts eating. Back when he was still living at his old home, what he looked forward to the most each year was picking the wild fruits that grow on the mountains. He can eat as much as he wants without anyone scolding him.

Pei Mu has never tasted these before. After taking one bite, his eyes light up. Without thinking, he keeps grabbing one berry after another, stuffing them into his mouth.

Jiang Miao eats two and then stops. After they finish, he takes them to wash their hands, and then they head back home with the big basket full of bamboo leaves on his back.

By the time they return to the courtyard, it is already getting dark. Wisps of smoke drift out of the chimney, and the mixed aroma of burning wood and cooking food fills the air and also hits his nose.

“You’re back! And you picked so many! By the way, your second aunt has already cooked the other dishes; she’s just waiting for you to prepare the eels,” Second Uncle Jiang says. For the eels, he has even gone to the village entrance to fetch some wine.

“Okay, I’ll get started.” Jiang Miao sets down the basket, washes his hands, and walks into the kitchen.

The pot has already been cleaned, and the one tending the fire is Jiang Yue, Jiang Miao’s little cousin, who has just turned ten this year. She is a bit rounder compared to her sisters, which makes her look quite adorable.

“Brother Miao, the dishes you make are always so delicious.”

“Haha, then make sure to eat a lot later,” Jiang Miao replies, amused by her simple compliment. He scoops a ladle of pork lard into the pot, and once the oil is hot, he adds garlic and ginger. After stir-frying them for a bit to bring out the aroma, he quickly tosses in the segments of eel that have been washed and drained in a bamboo sieve. The hot oil makes the eel change color and curl up rapidly, releasing a wonderful smell. Jiang Miao pours in some yellow wine to remove the fishy odor, then quickly flips the wok to stir-fry, making the eel pieces jump and tumble in the pan until they are fully coated with the sauce.

Jiang Yue takes a deep breath, savoring the aroma as if this could deceive herself into tasting the flavor. Jiang Miao smiles, adding various seasonings and finally reducing the sauce over high heat before transferring it to a large bowl.

At the dinner table, everyone praises the eel dishes Jiang Miao makes. The eel is fragrant and tender; just a light dip in the sauce makes the flavors linger in the mouth. Taking a bite of eel and then a bite of rice creates a sense of satisfaction that makes one feel incredibly happy in the moment.

However, there is one person at the table who is detached from the happiness. The unpleasant sight of the eels in the wooden basin earlier has left Pei Mu with a psychological aversion. Despite the delicious smell making him salivate, he dares not reach for a piece.

“Xiao Mu, this is eel, and it’s very tasty. Try it, but remember to spit out the bones,” Jiang Miao thinks Pei Mu is hesitant because he has never tried it before and places a piece into his bowl.

Pei Mu approaches the situation with trepidation. He looks from Jiang Miao to the eel, unsure whether to eat it or not, worried about being told he is wasting food. Resolute, he shuts his eyes and puts the piece into his mouth.

“!”

The ugly fish is surprisingly delicious! The taste opens a new world for Pei Mu. The unsettling image from the afternoon gradually fades from his mind, leaving only the bowl of steaming, fragrant braised eel.

Jiang Miao has put a portion into his bowl for him to eat slowly. As it turns out, no one can resist the taste of eel.