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

"Big brother! Sister-in-law! Xiaoqing! Let's go, let's go!"

As dawn broke, Chen Xiaohe, carrying the largest basket on his back and holding a specially made small hoe, started working in the yard. He had tossed and turned all night, dreaming of plump winter bamboo shoots wrapped in brown husks, and upon waking, he felt an unbearable urge to fly into the bamboo forest.

Startled by his shout, the others quickly got ready. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing also shouldered their baskets, carrying small hoes and bamboo strips. Chen Dashan checked the ropes and machete, then handed a few pieces of coarse cloth to his younger brother and the Su sisters as shoulder pads: "Digging bamboo shoots is hard on your back, use these as pads."

The four of them once again ventured into the mountains, their feet sinking into the morning frost. The bamboo forest was even more silent than when they last visited, with a thin layer of unmelted snow on the ground that crunched underfoot, making the forest seem even more secluded. A chill crept into their collars, but each of them carried a burning fire within them.

"Everyone split up and search, don't go too far, make sure you can hear each other," Chen Dashan whispered, his sharp eyes scanning the ground.

Finding winter bamboo shoots requires patience and keen eyesight. Unlike spring bamboo shoots that burst forth from the ground with fanfare, they silently hide beneath the soil and fallen leaves, testing one's perception of the subtle changes in the land. Su Xiaoyin remembers her mother saying that one should look for shady, damp places with loose soil, especially those where the surface soil is slightly raised or feels hollow and springy when stepped on.

She crouched down and carefully parted a layer of bamboo leaves and withered grass covered with a thin layer of snow, revealing the dark brown soil beneath. Suddenly, her fingertips touched something unusually hard, and the surrounding soil seemed looser than elsewhere. Her heart skipped a beat. She carefully scraped away the topsoil with a small bamboo stick, revealing a small, dark brown, fuzzy bamboo shoot tip!

"Dashan! Come quick! Is this... a winter bamboo shoot?" She wasn't sure, so she quickly called out in a low voice.

Hearing the sound, Chen Dashan quickly walked over, squatted down to examine it carefully, and then gently pressed the surrounding soil with his hand, nodding affirmatively: "It's winter bamboo shoot. Judging from the color and firmness of the bamboo shoot sheath, it has just sprouted and is at its most tender." He took the small hoe from Su Xiaoyin's hand, "I'll do it. This one needs to be dug along the direction of the bamboo rhizome, without damaging the rhizome or breaking the shoot."

He worked very carefully with his hoe, first clearing away the surrounding loose soil and pebbles, judging the direction of the underground bamboo rhizomes, and then slowly digging deeper along the side of the bamboo shoot, hoe by hoe. Winter bamboo shoots grow deep, making them much more difficult to dig than spring bamboo shoots. When the entire bamboo shoot was finally pulled out intact, it was as thick as an adult man's forearm, covered in a thick brown sheath, and felt heavy in his hand.

"That's great!" Su Xiaoqing also came over, her face full of joy.

With their first successful experience, everyone's confidence soared. Chen Xiaohe, unable to contain himself any longer, ran off to search another sunny, gentle slope. Su Xiaoqing followed her sister's lead, carefully examining the subtle changes in the ground.

However, winter bamboo shoots were indeed hard to find. After a whole morning, the four of them split up and carefully searched almost the entire perimeter of the bamboo grove, but each of them had only managed to fill a basket. The baskets were heavy on their shoulders, and their backs ached from bending over for so long, but looking at the "treasures" covered in mud inside, their fatigue turned into satisfaction.

As the sun approached noon, Chen Dashan straightened his stiff back, glanced at the sky and everyone's harvest, and said, "That's about enough. Let's take these home first. Eat something, rest a bit, and come back this afternoon. While you're at it, go tell Mom and Dad at the old house that it's time to dig for winter bamboo shoots."

"Yes!" Chen Xiaohe wiped the sweat from his forehead, his excitement undiminished. "Let's focus on digging for winter bamboo shoots these next couple of days! We can put everything else aside for now! With the New Year approaching and prices good, let's dig as many as we can!"

Su Xiaoqing, carrying a heavy basket on her back, whispered, "Fifteen coins a pound... that's almost the price of pork."

These words gave them even more motivation. Fifteen copper coins a pound—all of these were real copper coins on their backs!

Back at the old house, Chen's mother had just finished preparing lunch. Seeing her son and daughter-in-law return with baskets full of winter bamboo shoots, and hearing about the price, she beamed with joy: "They're really out? That's wonderful! Your father and I will go this afternoon! Many hands make light work! The more we dig, the better our New Year's feast will be!"

After a quick lunch and a short rest, the family of six set out again, this time with more baskets and tools, returning to the bamboo forest.

The bamboo grove was busier in the afternoon than in the morning. Clearly, news of the winter bamboo shoots being available had spread like wildfire, and other villagers had also ventured into the mountains in twos and threes, scattered throughout the bamboo grove. They greeted each other with nods and smiles, then buried themselves in their work, tacitly maintaining a distance. The only sounds were the dull thuds of hoes striking the soil and stones, and the occasional low cheers of discovering a bamboo shoot.

The Chen family was large, and six pairs of eyes searched carefully. The experienced Father Chen and Chen Dashan were more accurate in judging the direction of the bamboo rhizomes and the location of the bamboo shoots, while Chen Xiaohe and the Su sisters were sharp-eyed and quick-witted. Once a bamboo shoot was found, the most experienced Father Chen or Chen Dashan would take a dip with a hoe to determine its direction and depth, and then the others would help clear away the loose soil. The efficiency was much higher than in the morning.

Time slipped away quietly amidst the repeated bending, identifying, and digging. As the sun gradually slanted westward, the light in the forest dimmed, and a chill returned.

Mr. Chen straightened up, rubbed his lower back, glanced at the darkening sky, and said, "Alright, that's enough for today. It's getting dark, and it won't be easy to go down the mountain. We won't be able to see anything. Pack your things and go home!"

The baskets carrying all six people were filled to the brim, with Chen's father and Chen Dashan even adding two extra large bundles with rope. Returning home as dusk fell, their steps were heavier than their baskets, but their hearts were incredibly light.

Back at the old house, Chen's mother immediately got to work with her two daughters-in-law preparing dinner. Chen's father and his two sons piled all of the day's harvest—the winter bamboo shoots covered in mud—into the yard. Then they brought out the large scale that had been used for many years and whose accuracy was still remarkable.

They weighed the baskets one by one. Chen Xiaohe was in charge of announcing the numbers, Chen Dashan kept the accounts, and Chen's father weighed the baskets.

"This basket weighs eighteen pounds!"

"This bundle weighs fifteen and a half pounds!"

"This basket weighs twenty-two jin!"

In the end, it added up to a full 100 jin (50 kg)!

"One hundred catties..." Chen Xiaohe's voice trembled slightly, "Fifteen wen per catty, that's... one thousand five hundred wen! A full tael of silver and five hundred wen!" Even he, who was usually so carefree, was stunned by this number. More than one tael of silver was definitely a considerable fortune for a peasant family.

Chen Dashan remained relatively calm and added, "This is the weight with the husks on. When we send it to a restaurant, they'll definitely remove a layer of the outer husk. But even if we peel it and reduce the weight, 100 catties of fresh bamboo shoots will yield at least 70 or 80 catties of clean bamboo shoots. At 15 coins per catty, that's no less than one tael of silver."

One tael of silver! A real, solid tael of silver! Hearing the commotion in the yard, Chen's mother, who was cooking inside, wiped her hands and came out. Upon learning the amount, even the usually composed Chen couldn't help but gasp. Then, a huge smile spread across her face: "Good! Good! It's truly a blessing from the mountain god!"

She quickly calmed down and directed, "Quick, don't pile them up here. Use the dry sand in the corner of the yard to bury all these bamboo shoots! Layer sand and bamboo shoots, make sure they're packed tightly! This way they can be preserved for a few more days, they won't dry out or freeze! In the next day or two, before the news spreads completely and we have enough manpower, we'll go dig them up again! When we really can't dig any more, we'll borrow an oxcart from the village head and take them all to the county town to sell!"

The father and his two sons immediately did as instructed. There was some fine sand left over from building the house piled up in the corner of the yard, which came in handy at this time. They carefully buried the winter bamboo shoots in the sand pile, leaving only a small gap for ventilation.

In the kitchen, the aroma of food grew stronger. Under the dim light, the family sat around the table to eat, tired but with a gleam in their eyes. The conversation revolved around winter bamboo shoots, planning where to find them tomorrow, estimating how many more could be dug up, and dreaming about what they could buy for the house after selling them.

Su Xiaoyin ate her meal in small bites, listening to everyone's discussion and calculating in her mind. If they could really get a tael or more of silver, after deducting the portion to be handed over to the public treasury, their small family would still get a considerable amount. Adding to that the savings from her previous embroidery work and selling small items, perhaps... after spring, besides buying piglets, they might even have some spare money to do something else?

Outside, the north wind whistled softly across the eaves. But the winter bamboo shoots, carefully covered in sand, quietly preserved their freshness and value in the cold. For the Chen family, this winter was exceptionally fulfilling and hopeful because of these unexpected gifts from deep within the bamboo forest. They knew that tomorrow's bamboo forest would be another busy race against time and against others, but for that bountiful harvest, all the hard work would be worthwhile.