Chapter Thirty-Six: Sugar-Roasted Chestnuts!
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“Oh, Miss Yuan!”
Auntie Wang and Uncle Wang poked their heads out from the bushes, and only then did Cheng Yuan’s tense heart relax.
“Auntie Wang, Uncle Wang.” The three greeted them obediently.
“My wife and I came into the mountains to see whether we could find some fruit or rabbits to sell at the market tomorrow.”
Auntie Wang nodded repeatedly, then caught sight of Little Fatty Fan perched high in the branches. The skin between her brows twitched.
“Oh, dear! Little Fatty, get down this instant! It’s dangerous up there! Stop stealing bird eggs. Auntie will boil you some chicken eggs when we get home.”
“It’s all right, Auntie Wang. I’m picking chestnuts!”
Fan Xiaopang plucked several and tossed them onto the open ground. Only then did Auntie Wang squint and realize that the few trees before them were chestnut trees.
It was hardly fair to blame the old couple’s failing eyesight. The snow in the mountains was nearly calf-deep, and any fallen fruit that nobody picked up would soon be buried beneath it. Unless one looked carefully, it was easy to miss altogether.
Auntie Wang picked up a spiny chestnut husk, peeled it open, and revealed the plump chestnut inside. She stared at her husband in astonishment.
“These, these…”
They were not the sort of people who took advantage of others, and naturally understood the principle of first come, first served.
Uncle Wang immediately declared, “Miss Yuan, you three pick them first. Your aunt and I are tired from the walk and will rest for a while. Once you’re finished, we’ll pick some ourselves.”
Warmth spread through Cheng Yuan’s heart. She naturally understood what lay behind his words.
But there were four or five chestnut trees here—more than enough for all of them to return home with full baskets.
She gathered several long sticks and handed them to Xie Yanzhi and Uncle Wang.
With a smile, she said, “Uncle Wang, don’t think you can sit around and wait for Yanzhi and me to knock the chestnuts down for you. Hurry up—knock them down and gather them yourselves. If night falls and the wolves come, we might not be able to carry everything away!”
Though Uncle Wang was already advanced in years, his eyes and face still reddened.
If not for the urgent need to pay his child’s school tuition, he could never have brought himself to compete with children for food.
He hurriedly took the stick and nodded.
“All right, old woman. I’ll knock them down, and you gather them. Let’s finish early and get home early.”
It was not yet noon, and even if they stayed a little longer, it would not be time for the wolves to come out. But wolves did not necessarily all come from the mountains.
Once they understood the situation, everyone worked swiftly, without wasting a word.
After roughly an hour and a half, all their baskets were full. Xie Yanzhi had not only filled his own basket but also filled Fan’s.
When Little Fatty Fan jumped down from the tree, Xie Yanzhi handed it over with effortless elegance, taking none of the credit.
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“Thank you, Brother Xie!”
Xie Yanzhi was only a boy himself, and the abundant harvest kept the corners of his mouth lifted nearly all the way home.
Along the road, they encountered quite a few village women. Seeing the cloth covering both baskets and guessing that they had returned with a full load, the women naturally could not resist asking questions.
Cheng Yuan brushed them all off by claiming that they had merely picked some wild fruit.
She would not stop the villagers from searching, but neither would she be kind enough to lead them to the place.
By the time the two entered the house, all the children in the courtyard had already left. Xie Tingyun, however, seemed to be worrying over something as he stared at the snowy ground.
Whatever troubled him, Cheng Yuan had no time to concern herself with it.
Because she had discovered yet another kind of cake she could make!
She swept into the kitchen with a gust of wind and casually kept Xie Yanzhi behind to help with the work. Then she suddenly spotted Xie Changzhi in the back courtyard.
She poked her head out to look and discovered that Xie Changzhi had enclosed a section beside the wall with wooden planks. He had even built a canopy over it, designed so that it could be lifted directly.
Only a neat, square opening had been left at the bottom for the chicks to enter and leave.
Xie Changzhi was holding an armful of straw and spreading it inside the chicken coop.
“Cheng Yuan?” He raised his head, and the delight on his face only deepened.
“I built them a nest. With some more straw laid down, the wind and snow certainly won’t freeze them.”
Cheng Yuan suddenly felt that, given Xie Changzhi’s status, he should not by any means be so delighted over raising chickens here. Yet she could not quite put her finger on what it was about the situation that felt strange.
She smiled faintly. “You’ve worked hard, Changzhi. Come inside and warm yourself. I’m going to make some new food in a moment, and I’ll need your help.”
Xie Changzhi had initially meant to say that it was unnecessary; he had planned to tidy up the back courtyard a little more. But when he heard that she was making something new, his thoughts shifted, and he promptly went inside.
At a glance, he saw the two baskets of chestnuts. Chestnuts were not a luxury in the household, but to him, they were.
As far as he could remember, the only time he had ever eaten chestnuts was at the end of last autumn…
“Let’s roast some chestnuts first to warm ourselves up. Later, we’ll make a chestnut cake!”
With a grand wave of her hand, Cheng Yuan decided on the plan for the rest of the day.
Once she had decided, she got straight to work.
She instructed the two of them to cut a cross into every chestnut. Just as she heated the wok, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her calf.
“Big Sister, I learned two characters today.”
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Cheng Hu’s little face was flushed bright red. He seemed terribly excited as he came charging over, but only hurriedly let go when Cheng Yuan lowered her head and met his gaze.
“Big Sister, I…”
“Hu’er, you’re wonderful. Would you watch the fire for Big Sister? You can eat a few extra chestnuts later—they’re good for the brain.”
Cheng Yuan patted his head, then busied herself with frying the salt.
Cheng Hu answered, but stood frozen for a moment. He touched his head, and his little face grew even redder.
Touching it himself was completely different from being touched by Big Sister. Her hand was soft, just like a cloud in the sky. Her touch made him feel as though he could happily fly.
Brother Wang had been right. Big Sister must surely be fond of him; in the past, she had merely been in a bad mood after suffering a setback. But his Big Sister was someone he had to protect! Now that she had found a good man, and the family was living in harmony, he was the happiest child in Lianshui Village!
Xie Yanzhi said, “You cut that one far too deeply. That isn’t how Cheng Yuan cuts them.”
Xie Changzhi said, “Oh.”
Xie Yanzhi said, “…As if I care!”
While one corner of the house basked in peaceful contentment, the kitchen was overflowing with fragrance.
The split chestnuts and coarse salt tumbled together in the wok. Before long, the shells cracked open, and the rich aroma of chestnuts filled the small kitchen.
The sugar she added melted at once, clinging to the surface of the chestnuts and coating them in a thin layer of glaze that gleamed golden in the sunlight.
Neither Xie Changzhi nor Xie Yanzhi had set down the work in their hands, but their thoughts had already been completely drawn toward the chestnuts.
Xie Yanzhi licked his lips, as though trying to conceal his greed. After a light cough, he said, “The last time I ate sugar-roasted chestnuts was during last year’s Mid-Autumn Festival. Accompanied by my friends, I went to the capital, where the city was ablaze with lanterns…”
“Xie Yanzhi! If you have nothing to do, help me serve them.”
Cheng Yuan lifted out two chestnuts and tasted one. The flesh was soft, sweet, and fragrant. When she turned around, she saw the inscrutable look in Xie Changzhi’s eyes and hurriedly shot Xie Yanzhi a warning glance.
Xie Yanzhi failed to notice anything amiss. The moment he heard that he could serve the chestnuts—and sneak a few bites while he was at it—he cheerfully took the spatula.
“Hu’er, come quickly. Let’s test them for poison first!”
Holding a chestnut that had been mostly peeled, Cheng Yuan bent down. Xie Changzhi lifted his eyes and saw the smiling girl before him.
“Changzhi.”
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