The Li family had been so excited the night before, and had gone to bed rather late; by the next morning, the sun was already high in the sky before the three siblings—Li Zhiming, Li Zhihao, and Li Menglan—finally got out of bed.
"Mother, what delicious thing are you cooking in the pot this morning? It smells so good!" Rubbing her bleary eyes, Li Menglan shuffled in, muttering sleepily.
"Lass Lan, you're awake." Zhang Yuniang smiled lovingly. Haha... it was all thanks to her daughter. Last night's meal had been the best and happiest the Li family had eaten in two years. Zhang Yuniang's gaze toward Li Menglan grew even gentler. "What else could it be? Didn't your father and brothers say you're all going up the mountain again today? Your mother has reheated the leftover chestnut stir-fried chicken from last night in the pot. Eat your fill later so you'll have the strength to enter the mountains."
"Mother, you're the best." Last night's meal had been the best and most satisfying Li Menglan had eaten since coming to this world; she believed that in the days to come, every single meal could be this good.
"Right, Lass Lan." Zhang Yuniang suddenly remembered that large bag of bright red things her husband and the children had brought back yesterday—the things Li Menglan had called some kind of "chili peppers": "That chili pepper you mentioned last night—how should it be handled? Just leave it sitting there?"
That's right! Zhang Yuniang's words reminded Li Menglan that fresh chili peppers generally couldn't be kept for very long. Especially red ones—in this weather, they'd rot after just three to five days. Li Menglan planned to dry more than half of them into dried chili peppers. That way... she could eat them whenever she wanted.
And as for the remaining portion? Li Menglan planned to use it to make some chili sauce, chopped chili peppers, and the like. In any case, as long as those chili sauces and chopped chili peppers were preserved well, they could also last a long time. Those were all excellent appetizers.
"Mother, if there's nothing to do at home today, help me wash a small portion of the chili peppers and let them drain. When I get back tonight, I'll tell you how to prepare them. Just put all the rest out in the courtyard to dry into dried chili peppers. That way they can be preserved for a long time without spoiling." Li Menglan thought for a moment, then asked, "Right, Mother, do we have any small jars or earthenware pots at home?"
"Although our family is a bit poor, we still have quite a few jars and earthenware pots. They're all stacked in the back of the house." A bitter smile appeared on Zhang Yuniang's face. These past two years, the family had practically lived on pickled vegetables; how could they not have jars and pots?
*A bit poor*... Hearing her mother's words, Li Menglan was speechless. An old-style wooden bed with tattered sheets covered in patches. The few thin quilts in the home were also patched upon patches, the cotton batting inside already clumped up, without the slightest soft or fluffy feel. By the head of the bed sat an old wooden trunk; right next to it was a cabinet so worn and discolored one couldn't tell its original color, upon which rested a broken-toothed comb and a flat, round needlework basket.
Then there were simple, worn-out tables and chairs, farm tools. The slightly better items were merely the two large pots in the kitchen. Even the bowls used for eating... every single one looked like it had been chewed on by dogs, all chipped and broken. This was the entire household's possessions. Uh... this was only called being a *bit* poor?
"Mother, don't you worry!" Li Menglan waved her small fist, cheering on both Zhang Yuniang and herself. "Our family's days will definitely get better and better."
"Mhm." Zhang Yuniang looked at her daughter with tender affection. "Mother believes you. Hurry and wash up; then go call your father, eldest brother, and second brother over to eat. Didn't you say you're going into the mountains today?"
"Mhm." Li Menglan was currently quite enthusiastic about Crooked Neck Mountain. She responded and hurried off to wash up.
The so-called washing up was very simple. In ancient times, there were no toothbrushes or toothpaste; she merely rinsed her mouth with salt water to clean her teeth. Li Menglan made a bitter little face, inwardly making plans. When the family's circumstances allowed in the future, she would have to find a way to make some; Li Menglan wasn't used to her mouth feeling strange every day.
Outside the mountains, autumn didn't seem to have much worth looking at. After the crops in the fields had been harvested, only short stumps remained standing quietly in the farmland. In the distance, bare trees stood leafless in the cold wind, appearing lonely and forlorn. All around was empty and desolate. The wind swirled the withered leaves in the low-lying areas, making the surroundings appear even more bleak.
By the time Li Dazhu, Li Zhiming, Li Zhihao, and Li Menglan—the father and children—set out, many people in the village were already heading to work in the fields. The Li family's home was some distance from the populated areas of the village. Most families in Shangliang Village had built their houses together in one area; only the Li family's courtyard sat alone in a quiet corner of the village, with the nearest household two or three *li* away.
Hehe... don't think this was because the Li Dazhu family had no connections in Shangliang Village and was isolated. Uh... the truth was quite the opposite. The Li family had an excellent reputation in this corner of Shangliang Village. Why? What else could it be? These days, everyone claimed to be filial, but how many families could truly do what the Li Dazhu family did?
Some things, at certain times, weren't fine with just talk; one had to do them.... Practical action was what mattered most.
Along the way, Li Menglan finally experienced what true enthusiasm was....
"Brother Dazhu, where are you father and sons off to so early?" A burly, bearded man carrying a hoe walked toward them. Spotting Li Dazhu from afar, he broke into a grin and greeted them warmly.
"Brother Wang, there's not much to do in the fields right now; bringing the kids into the mountains to take a look." Li Dazhu also replied with a beaming smile. "My old man has been ill for so long, his health has been weak. Seeing if we might get lucky and catch a pheasant or something, so we can nourish his body."
"Oh.... How has Uncle Li been lately? Once the busy season in the fields is over, I'll go visit the old man." From the other party's tone, his relationship with the Li Dazhu family seemed quite good. "Didn't Lass Lan just recover from an illness? Why are you bringing her into the mountains with you? Can a little child's body withstand it?" The man spotted Li Menglan right behind Li Zhihao and said with a disapproving look.
"Uncle Wang, I've completely recovered; I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Uncle." Li Menglan deeply knew the importance of interpersonal relationships in ancient times and spoke up before her father, Li Dazhu, could reply.
"Hehe.... Lass Lan, when you have time, come to your uncle's house to play with your Hua'er sister. Don't just stay home alone, you hear?" The bearded man, whom Li Dazhu called Brother Wang, said with a smile. "When you get to the mountains, don't run around wildly. Be careful."
"Thank you, Uncle. I'll remember."
Watching the bearded man walk away into the distance, Li Menglan blinked her eyes and asked Li Dazhu, "Father, what's Uncle Wang's name?"
"Hehe.... Your father is called Dazhu, and your Uncle Wang is called Tiezhu." Li Dazhu picked up his pace. "Oldest, second oldest, let's walk faster, or we won't make it into the mountains today. Lass Lan, if you can't keep up, just tell your father to carry you on his back."
"Father, I'm not tired yet; I can walk on my own." Though sweat had already beaded on her forehead, Li Menglan still puffed out her little chest and declared loudly.
Last night, Li Menglan had already told her family that to find treasures, they definitely needed to go a bit deeper into Crooked Neck Mountain. The deep mountains... that was impossible to enter. But if they just went in slightly deeper... Li Dazhu and his sons weren't too resistant. No matter how you put it, there were several mouths at home waiting to be fed. When people were poor—lives weren't that precious. Human lives were cheap!