After fleeing the famine, my older sister and I married the brother next door.

Encouraged by the praise, Shi Tou became even more enthusiastic, leading his younger siblings to "investigate" the area. Qing Qing and A Ji also squatted down to watch, occasionally letting out excited shouts. A Fu, the youngest, didn't understand anything, but he also squatted down with his older siblings, digging around on the ground with his little hands, getting his hands covered in mud, and grinning foolishly.

"Kids, come help!" Su Xiaoqing called out. "Carry the dug bamboo shoots into the baskets, be careful not to drop them."

The four children suddenly felt a sense of mission. Shi Tou carefully placed a freshly dug bamboo shoot into his basket, then turned back to find the next one. Qing Qing and A Ji carried one together, and although they walked unsteadily, they actually managed to carry it to the edge of the basket. A Fu carried a small bamboo shoot, took two steps, and then tripped and fell on his bottom. The bamboo shoot rolled far away, but he didn't cry. He got up and chased after it.

"You kids are amazing!" Su Xiaoyin praised. "With your help, Mom and Auntie are much faster!"

Hearing this, the children worked even harder.

After digging for more than an hour, both baskets were full. Su Xiaoyin straightened up and rubbed her aching back: "That's enough, let's go back."

Back home, Su Xiaoyin changed the four children's clothes and washed their hands and faces—the little ones were all covered in dirt from helping to move bamboo shoots in the bamboo grove. Su Xiaoqing, on the other hand, emptied the bamboo shoots from her basket and began sorting them.

"Sister, I'm going to the storeroom to get a new basket," Su Xiaoqing suddenly said.

"Why are you carrying a new basket?" Su Xiaoyin was wiping Afu's face without turning her head.

Su Xiaoqing had already run out and returned a short while later with a new basket and a small hoe: "Sister, you stay home to prepare the bamboo shoots and watch the children. I'm going to take another walk up the mountain. I'll see if I can pick some toon leaves, dig up some wild garlic and water celery. If any other mountain vegetables have sprouted, I'll pick some too."

Su Xiaoyin stopped what she was doing, somewhat worried: "You're going alone? Don't go too far in, just wander around the mountainside."

"Don't worry, sis, I know." Su Xiaoqing had already slung her basket over her shoulder and headed out. "Come back soon!"

After Su Xiaoqing left, Su Xiaoyin settled the four children in the courtyard. Shitou played "eagle catches chicks" with his younger siblings, running around until they were covered in sweat. She sat down on the veranda and began to prepare the bamboo shoots.

The batch that Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe dug up that morning, plus what they dug themselves, piled up all over the ground. Su Xiaoyin first picked out the good ones, preparing to use them for steamed buns that evening—filled with cured pork and bamboo shoots; just thinking about it made her mouth water. The ones that were damaged weren't wasted either; they were peeled, sliced, blanched, and then dried. The remaining ones, of average quality, were kept to be pickled.

Peeling bamboo shoots is a delicate task. Su Xiaoyin's hands are quick; her small knife flashes up and down, peeling away the brown outer husks to reveal the tender yellow flesh inside. The peeled bamboo shoots are then soaked in water to prevent them from becoming tough. As she peels, she occasionally glances up at the children in the yard—Shitou is chasing Qingqing, Aji is squatting on the ground watching ants, and Afu is sitting on the steps basking in the sun, hugging his little wooden horse.

The courtyard was bathed in warm sunlight, with chickens occasionally fluttering by and a dog dozing in the corner. The kitchen chimney wasn't smoking yet, but Su Xiaoyin was already planning what to make for dinner—besides steamed buns, she'd cook a pot of mixed grain porridge, prepare some wild vegetables, and slice a plate of salted duck eggs. That would be perfect.

---

Su Xiaoqing walked up the mountain alone.

She had walked this road many times and knew it well. She didn't go deep into the mountains, but wandered around the foot and halfway up the mountain, carefully searching the ground with her eyes.

The first thing they found was wild garlic. It's inconspicuous, growing in clumps hidden in the grass, almost impossible to spot without careful observation. Su Xiaoqing squatted down, carefully dug it up with a small hoe, uprooting the wild garlic, shaking off the dirt, and putting it into her basket.

Then they found two Chinese toon trees. The toon buds were tender, their purplish-red shoots swaying on the branches. Su Xiaoqing picked all the ones she could reach, and used a hoe to hook down the branches of the ones she couldn't reach. The aroma of the Chinese toon was unique and rich, reminding one of the smell of scrambled eggs with Chinese toon.

Further on, she found water celery. This plant thrives in damp places, especially along streams and ponds. Su Xiaoqing followed a small ditch and, sure enough, found a patch of water celery, tender and green, growing perfectly. She squatted down and picked a whole handful.

Other wild vegetables also began to sprout one after another. Shepherd's purse, purslane, dandelion seedlings... Su Xiaoqing picked some of the ones she recognized, and dared not touch the ones she didn't recognize.

Walking to a shady spot, she spotted a cluster of shiny black fungus growing on a piece of dead wood. Su Xiaoqing was overjoyed and carefully picked them one by one; these were precious things.

The basket was gradually filling up. Su Xiaoqing straightened up and wiped the sweat from her face. The sun was already setting; it was time to go home.

She took one last look at the mountains and forests, took a deep breath of the fresh air, and turned to walk down the mountain. The basket on her back was heavy, pressing down on her shoulders, but she felt very light-hearted—this trip had been quite fruitful, and she could prepare a few more good dishes for her family that evening.

---

When Su Xiaoqing arrived home, Su Xiaoyin had already almost finished processing the bamboo shoots. Bamboo mats were set up in the yard, with sliced ​​bamboo shoots drying on them. Several earthenware jars were placed under the eaves, ready for pickling bamboo shoots.

"Sister, I'm back!" Su Xiaoqing put down her basket and proudly pulled out some things, "Look, wild garlic, toon sprouts, water celery, all sorts of wild vegetables, and a whole bunch of wood ear mushrooms!"

Su Xiaoyin walked over and looked at them one by one, a look of surprise on her face: "So many? You dug them all by yourself?"

"Of course!" Su Xiaoqing said proudly. "I went to several places. By the way, sis, are we really making steamed buns tonight? We can use these I picked. Wild garlic can be stir-fried with eggs, and so on, and water celery can be blanched and made into a cold dish..."

Su Xiaoyin laughed: "Okay, okay, whatever you say. But first, help me prepare these bamboo shoots; I still need to knead the dough later."

The two sisters got busy. Su Xiaoqing sorted the wild vegetables, washing and drying those that needed to be washed. Su Xiaoyin went to the kitchen to knead the dough—making steamed buns required leavened dough, which needed to be prepared in advance.

The four children were tired from playing, so Su Xiaoyin settled them down to sleep on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the main room. Shi Tou, the biggest, slept on the outermost edge, using his body to shield his younger siblings from falling off. Qingqing and Aji huddled together, while Afu slept on the innermost edge, his little hand still clutching his small wooden horse.

In the kitchen, the dough was slowly fermenting in a basin. Su Xiaoyin cut a small piece of cured pork, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, into small cubes. She also peeled a few tender bamboo shoots and diced them as well. She planned to stir-fry the filling first to bring out its aroma before wrapping it, which would make it taste better.