blogombal Chapter 398 - 210: Warmth (Part 2)
Chapter 398 - 210: Warmth (Part 2)
Mrs. Wang chuckled as she watched her. She knew the girl was hungry, so she urged her to have more. "There are still plenty of dishes. With these two made from the mushrooms, there’s definitely enough."
Juhua was about to say something when she heard Zheng Changhe’s voice from the courtyard. "Juhua, come see what your dad found! Whoa! Where did all these mushrooms come from? Did you all go up the mountain to pick them too?"
’He must have found mushrooms too,’ she thought. ’He was probably planning to surprise me, but he had no idea we’d already gathered so many.’
She went up to him, smiling. "Dad, you found some too? You didn’t bring anything with you. What did you use to carry them?"
When she saw that her father had taken off his outer coat, she and Qingmu laughed. Several people had used their clothes to carry mushrooms that day.
Zheng Changhe unfolded his bundled-up coat and poured the mushrooms inside into Qingmu’s back basket. The pile of mushrooms grew, cresting over the top.
He smiled at Juhua. "I was mainly digging up chestnut trees. I just gathered these along the way." He sniffed the aroma drifting from the kitchen and chuckled. "These mushrooms are really something, they smell amazing. Is dinner ready? Let’s eat! Your dad is starving."
A meal always tastes best after a long day’s work, when you’re absolutely famished.
Juhua was enjoying a hearty meal with her family when she heard Liu Xiaomei’s voice from the courtyard. "Juhua, I’m here!"
She bounded in as she spoke, with Liu Sanshun and Liu Sixun trailing behind her, baskets on their backs.
She complained to Juhua, "Why didn’t you call for me sooner? I was so bored at home this morning, all I did was mend some clothes. I definitely would’ve come if you’d called!"
Juhua said, a little sheepishly, "We didn’t think of it at first. Huai Zi discovered the mushrooms on the mountain and came to get us, so we all rushed over. My brother almost didn’t let me go; he was worried about snakes. I figured it would be safer if you got prepared and brought your brothers along, so I had Huai Zi send a message."
Liu Xiaomei finally smiled. "Don’t worry. As soon as Huai Zi told me, my mom made Third Brother and my fourth brother come along. She was worried, too."
Seeing how many mushrooms Juhua’s family had gathered, Liu Sixun said worriedly to Liu Sanshun, "Third Brother, do you think we brought enough containers? These baskets seem a little small. I’m afraid we won’t be able to fit everything. Should I run home and grab another one?"
Juhua burst out laughing.
Liu Sanshun shot his brother a sidelong glance. "Qingmu and Huai Zi were out picking all morning. Did you really think there’d be that many left? To hear you talk, you’d think the entire mountain was covered in them."
Everyone in the room laughed at that.
Zheng Changhe said, "You should all try a different spot this afternoon. Don’t go where they’ve already picked."
"That’s true, but..." Mrs. Wang chimed in. "The trees are sparser on this side of the mountain, so mushrooms grow more easily. The mountain behind our house is too dense with trees and undergrowth all packed together. You don’t get many mushrooms there."
Liu Xiaomei’s brow furrowed at this news.
Juhua comforted her, "Don’t worry, we left some of the smaller ones to grow. If you go back in a few days, more will have sprouted. Besides, we only stuck to one path. We didn’t search that whole area of the mountain, so I’m sure you’ll still find some."
Juhua finished her food, pushed her bowl away, and began telling Liu Xiaomei all about her experiences on the mountain.
Liu Sanshun handed Juhua an exquisite little basket, saying with a smile, "This is for you. My second brother wove it for Mei. I thought it was so beautifully made that I asked him to make an extra one for you to use."
Juhua saw that the basket was deep, not shallow and wide-mouthed like most baskets. It was shaped more like a tall hamper, with a delicate, rounded handle. The woven pattern was also quite elegant. It looked more like a piece of art than something for everyday use.
She accepted it happily and said to Liu Sanshun, "Thank you so much, Sanshun. Wow! Please thank your second brother for me, too. His craftsmanship is incredible. I never heard that your second brother had a teacher. How did he learn to be so good at weaving?"
Liu Xiaomei shot Liu Sanshun a playful glare and laughed. "Third Brother’s stealing my thunder! I’d asked Second Brother to weave me some pretty baskets, and I was already planning to have him make a few for you too, but he beat me to the punch. I have several other little baskets for you, in different sizes. They’re perfect for a sewing kit, for carrying vegetables, or for picking flowers. Since you love that sort of thing, I had him make a few extra. They’re probably too small for mushroom gathering, though."
Liu Sanshun didn’t get angry at his sister’s teasing. He just added cheerfully, "Our second brother’s skill is a family tradition. Our grandfather knew how to weave, but none of the rest of us are as deft as him."
’That makes sense,’ Juhua thought. Her own father knew how to weave, but his work was rough—functional, but nothing more.
As if on cue, Zheng Changhe came over, picked up the basket to examine it, and praised, "This Ershun’s skill is truly remarkable. Compared to this, the things I weave are too embarrassing to even show people."
Juhua smiled and comforted him, "But Dad, we’ve been using the things you weave this whole time, right? They’re for our own family, we’re not selling them. Why do they need to be so pretty? But with Ershun’s talent, it would be a real shame if he didn’t weave things to sell."
Hearing this, Qingmu quickly said to Liu Sanshun, "My uncle on my mother’s side runs a shop in Xiatang Market that sells exactly these kinds of household goods. I’ll talk to him later. You can have your second brother weave some things to sell at his shop. It would be a good way to earn some extra money."
Liu Sanshun and Liu Xiaomei were overjoyed. They quickly asked if that would be appropriate, and whether it would cause him any trouble.
Juhua said to her brother, "Don’t you two be in such a rush. I have a better idea. Our uncle has always sourced his goods from someone else; it wouldn’t be right for him to just drop that supplier to exclusively sell your family’s products. Besides, there’s only so much money to be made from ordinary baskets and hampers."