Tang Huai was dumbstruck when he saw the basket filled to the brim with mushrooms in every color.
His public image would not permit such an undignified reaction, however. He covered his mouth with his fan, managed to steady his voice, and asked, “Did you go deep into the mountains? I can hardly believe you still found so many mushrooms at this time of day.”
Quite a few villagers knew how to identify mushrooms. They lived off the mountains, after all. Hunting was dangerous, but gathering mushrooms was something anyone could attempt.
For fear that other gatherers would take them all, people usually went up the mountain early in the morning. After noon, it became difficult to find good mushrooms; only those others had passed over remained.
He Yi and Xue Ci had not gone up until the afternoon and had not come down until dusk. But they had ventured into areas where most people did not dare set foot, so they had gathered numerous mushrooms that even Tang Huai could not identify.
Anything Tang Huai could not identify with confidence, He Yi refused to keep. They adhered to a simple rule: if they did not know whether something was edible, they would not eat it. Only mushrooms they clearly recognized and Tang Huai agreed were safe would be taken home for cooking.
When they reached several mushrooms with pale-yellow caps, Tang Huai could no longer conceal his shock. He coughed sharply and took some time to recover.
Then he offered three taels of silver for those five mushrooms.
He Yi and Xue Ci put their heads together to discuss it. In the end, they decided to give the mushrooms to Tang Huai without taking his money.
Tang Huai was briefly taken aback, then accepted the gift with a raised eyebrow. “Next time you go into the mountains, pick some more morels for me. They’re valuable, so don’t give them to me for free again. We can do business together.” He knew the pair were trying to repay his kindness and were far too earnest and straightforward about it. He accepted this occasion rather than waste time refusing.
Only then did He Yi learn that the mushrooms were morels. He had heard the name and knew they were a prized delicacy. He had never expected to find them.
“Then in a few days, if the weather is good, let’s make another trip up the mountain,” He Yi said with a smile.
Xue Ci’s ears stirred at the suggestion. He nodded to himself.
After removing Tang Huai’s share, they put the confirmed edible mushrooms in He Yi’s basket. The rest went home with Xue Ci to play with, but he was strictly forbidden from putting any into his mouth.
Back at home, He Yi wondered how to cook the rabbits. He had never eaten rabbit meat before, much less learned any recipes for it.
When in doubt about cooking, ask Auntie Liu. But to He Yi’s surprise, when he arrived at the Zheng household, it was Zheng Yuanfeng’s new wife, Cen Zilian, who offered a suggestion.
“Sister-in-law, what is this bo xia gong you mentioned?” He Yi asked his younger brother’s wife by marriage.
“My father originally heard of it from a visitor from the county seat. Whenever my older brother catches rabbits, our family makes bo xia gong. We sit together around a brazier with a pot on top. Once the water boils, we lower thin slices of rabbit into it, swish them around until cooked, then dip them in sauce. It really warms you up.”
He Yi stroked his chin. Didn’t that sound like hot pot? Had this kind of hot-pot meal already existed in these times?
If it really was hot pot, it would be livelier with more people. He Yi also wanted to see whether it was truly the same thing. He suggested they prepare the meal at the Zheng household. With all the mushrooms they had picked, plus some vegetables to cook in the pot, there would be plenty.
“How could we eat your family’s meat for nothing?” Auntie Liu objected.
“It’s only two rabbits. I’m not sure there’d be enough for all of us, and we’d be troubling my sister-in-law too. I feel a little embarrassed.”
Cen Zilian hastily said it was no trouble at all.
Since her daughter-in-law had agreed, Auntie Liu could hardly contradict her. She gave Zheng Yuanfeng a hefty smack on the shoulder and gave her consent.
Zheng Yuanfeng nearly leaped out of his skin. What had he done now? Why was Mother hitting him again, and in front of his wife?
Seeing his completely bewildered expression, everyone laughed.
With the arrangements settled, He Yi went home to fetch the mushrooms and rabbits and call Xue Ci, who was still taking a bath.
“Ci’er, we’re eating dinner at the Zheng household later,” He Yi called from outside the bathing room.
Xue Ci happened to emerge just then. Cool air seemed to surround him. In fresh, clean clothes, he looked exceptionally elegant and unworldly. After glancing at He Yi, he held out his hands to help carry the baskets.
He Yi refused, afraid the baskets would soil his clean clothes. Instead he put one on his own back and carried the other in his hand as they walked out.
But just as they reached the outer gate, He Yi remembered something and turned back.
Xue Ci blinked, pivoted, and followed him toward the kitchen with his hands clasped behind his back.
A new batch of chilies had ripened recently. He Yi harvested quite a few, pickling some in a jar and chopping the rest to make chili sauce.
Inside the jar of chopped chili sauce were minced red chilies, crushed garlic, and strips of ginger. The fragrance was strong but not sharp. He Yi also picked some fresh chilies, intending to make a sauce of sliced chilies and soy sauce.
Xue Ci helped carry the jar. “Are we eating this?”
“It’s for dipping, not the main dish.” He Yi did not explain further. He took the chilies and went out with Xue Ci.
Night was falling. The Zheng household had lit three oil lamps, a rare extravagance, and a brazier sat in the center of the table with a pot of bubbling golden broth above it. He Yi and Xue Ci sat together on one bench. Old Zheng and Auntie Liu occupied the head of the table; Zheng Yuanfeng and Cen Zilian, who was stirring and serving the soup, sat on the left, while Zheng Yuanshi sat alone on the right.
Zheng Yuanshi glanced around and had a vague feeling that something was strange, but he could not work out what it was. After hesitating, he said nothing.
Auntie Liu lifted a piece of mushroom from the broth and took it outside to feed to a chicken. When the chicken ate it and showed no immediate ill effects, she returned. “It’s cooked now. We can eat the mushrooms.”
The mushroom broth was clear and faintly golden, with a beautiful sheen and a wonderfully savory aroma. Everyone received a small bowl and sipped it while blowing away the steam.
Cen Zilian cut the rabbit meat into thin slices and marinated it with salt, shredded ginger, and scallions. She arranged the slices on a platter, and everyone began lifting pieces with their chopsticks and lowering them into the broth.
Xue Ci swished his slice through the pot for a while. Seeing that He Yi had already removed his own meat to his bowl, he asked, “Is mine ready?”
He Yi lifted Xue Ci’s wrist slightly and examined the slice in the pot. “A little longer. If you’re tired of swishing it around, just drop it into the broth and fish it out after a while.”
Without a wire skimmer, the process was rather troublesome. But everyone found the method novel. Bo xia gong required a charcoal brazier and was somewhat extravagant, so they rarely had the opportunity to enjoy it. No one minded the trouble, and each person diligently cooked their slices.
The cooked rabbit meat was fine-textured, smooth, and tender. Marinating had given it a little saltiness, and together with the clear, sweet mushroom broth, the flavor was gentle but pleasant.
He Yi mixed a spicy dipping sauce for everyone. Auntie Liu and Zheng Yuanfeng could not handle it, but Old Zheng, Cen Zilian, and Zheng Yuanshi loved it. Fresh chilies had a pure, fragrant heat that brought out the rabbit’s natural flavor and masked a little of its gamey smell, making it easier to eat.
Xue Ci was overwhelmed by the spice yet again. He did not cry nearly as badly as he had last time, but his nose grew damp. He Yi stroked the tip and teased, “Very healthy.”
A damp little nose was a sign of a healthy kitty, wasn’t it? He Yi laughed harder. He was taking advantage of Xue Ci’s inability to understand the joke and had no intention of explaining.
Xue Ci knew perfectly well that He Yi was teasing him, even if he did not understand why. While He Yi laughed, Xue Ci stole the meat from his bowl, ate it, licked his stinging lips, and gave him a sweet, triumphant smile.
He Yi did not grow angry. Instead, the smile left him momentarily dazed. He hastily cleared his throat, looked away, and obediently cooked several more slices for Xue Ci’s bowl.
The Zheng family could not help teasing the pair about how close they had become. They ate, talked, and laughed around the table.
When the rabbit was finished, there were tofu, lettuce, radishes, and other vegetables to cook in the broth. By the end of the meal, everyone felt warm from the inside out. Even the cold night wind no longer bothered them.
*
He Yi had only just finished applying fertilizer to his fields when the Double Ninth Festival arrived.
The local custom was to sweep the family graves and honor the dead. He Yi bought some incense and fruit, then went to the graves of the original He Yi’s parents and grandmother to pay his respects.
Xue Ci knew a little about human customs from the books he had read. Although curious, he sensed the solemn atmosphere in the mountains and quietly followed He Yi, looking around but hardly speaking.
Once the yellow ritual paper in the basin had burned away and the incense had finished burning too, they took the basin and left the mountainside.
Villagers also made Double Ninth cakes for the holiday. He Yi had considered learning to make some, but after tasting a little piece of a flower cake someone gave him, he changed his mind.
The cake could be described in two words: sickeningly sweet!
He could not stomach it, and Xue Ci did not particularly like it either. He could have reduced the sugar if he made his own, but since the cake seemed otherwise unremarkable, he saw no reason to bother.
Back at home, Xue Ci was bored. He stood beside their pond watching the big goose swim. The longer he watched, the more he wanted to get in too.
After sorting things indoors, He Yi came into the courtyard looking for Xue Ci. Instead, he saw an enormous “snow cake” floating in their pond.
“…” He Yi walked to the water’s edge and stared for a while.
The snow leopard was soaking in the pond, taking up nearly half its area. The big goose had been squeezed into a corner and was too frightened to move.
He Yi had earlier released several golden crucian carp caught on his fishing trips into the pond. Xue Ci sometimes liked pawing at them. The pond had not held much water to begin with. The moment the great beast climbed in, a considerable amount overflowed, and now the water level was so low that it barely covered the remaining space.
He Yi said, “When you’ve finished playing, remember to carry back two buckets of river water. Otherwise the fish will die, and there won’t be anything for you to play with next time.”
The big goose made strange clucking noises, as though agreeing with him. Hearing He Yi’s warning, Xue Ci immediately withdrew the heavy paw he had been fishing around with underwater. He broke through the surface, leaped ashore, and left a trail of dripping water across the ground.
Later, Xue Ci really did fetch river water and pour it back into the pond. The nearly stranded fish immediately began darting about again.
Seeing how obediently Xue Ci had listened, He Yi offered to give him a good petting.
Xue Ci had been pouting in grievance, but the offer changed everything. He instantly turned back into a snow leopard and draped himself across He Yi’s lap, waiting for his fur to be stroked and massaged.
He Yi had intended to take him inside first, but found himself pinned in place. He had little choice but to remain seated beside the courtyard and pet the enormous cat.
The snow leopard especially liked being scratched behind his neck and under his fleshy chin. Whenever He Yi scratched those places, his thick paws spread wide and began kneading with pleasure.
But in the middle of a particularly good petting session, the snow leopard suddenly raised a paw toward one of his small round ears. He Yi asked, “Does your ear itch? Surely no insect has gotten inside?”
He moved to inspect it. The snow leopard did not struggle, merely lay obediently on his side while He Yi gently pulled back the ear and examined it.
Just then a figure whose footsteps were exceptionally light entered the main hall. The person came almost all the way up to them before letting out a startled cry and stopping short.
He Yi, who had been looking down, raised his head quickly at the sound. His eyes met Qianli’s. The little girl stood frozen five paces away.